Hank Beenders
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born |
July 2, 1916 Haarlem, Netherlands |
| Died |
October 27, 2003 (aged 87) Somerville, New Jersey |
| Nationality | Dutch / American |
| Listed height | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) |
| Listed weight | 185 lb (84 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school |
North Plainfield (North Plainfield, New Jersey) |
| College | LIU Brooklyn (1939–1942) |
| Playing career | 1945–1950 |
| Position | Forward / Center |
| Number | 6, 15 |
| Career history | |
| 1945–1946 | Paterson Crescents |
| 1946–1948 | Providence Steamrollers |
| 1948 | Philadelphia Warriors |
| 1948–1949 | Boston Celtics |
| 1949–1950 | Hartford Hurricanes |
Henry G. "Hank" Beenders (June 2, 1916 – October 27, 2003) was a Dutch-American professional basketball player.
Beenders was born on June 2, 1916 in Haarlem, Netherlands, and migrated to the U.S. at age eight. He lived in Brooklyn, New York and Scotch Plains, New Jersey, moving to Bridgewater Township, New Jersey in the late 1960s.[1] He attended North Plainfield High School in North Plainfield, New Jersey.[2]
He played the center position on the 1941 NIT champion Long Island University team, and was team captain during the 1941–42 season under Hall of Fame coach Clair Bee.[3] He became one of the first international basketball players in the Basketball Association of America, which would later become the National Basketball Association, and was the first to reach the BAA Finals. Beenders averaged 12.3 points in his rookie season with Providence, which was 13th best in the league that season.[2] He played for Providence the following season until he was sold to the Philadelphia Warriors on January 15, 1948.[2] On May 1, 1948, Beenders was traded to the Boston Celtics with Chick Halbert for Ed Sadowski.[2]
Beenders was also a war veteran (He served with the Army Air Corps during World War II). He had started his professional basketball career after the war. After ending his basketball career, he became an international sales representative for a clothing exporting company in New York City for 35 years. He was 87 when he died at the Somerset Medical Center in Somerville, New Jersey.[3]
BAA career statistics
| Legend | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | Games played | FG% | Field-goal percentage | ||
| FT% | Free-throw percentage | APG | Assists per game | ||
| PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high | ||
Regular season
| Year | Team | GP | FG% | FT% | APG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1946–47 | Providence | 58 | .262 | .704 | .6 | 12.3 |
| 1947–48 | Providence | 21 | .265 | .638 | .3 | 6.8 |
| 1947–48 | Philadelphia | 24 | .333 | .583 | .3 | 2.5 |
| 1948–49 | Boston | 8 | .214 | .778 | .4 | 2.4 |
| Career | 111 | .265 | .687 | .5 | 8.4 | |
Playoffs
| Year | Team | GP | FG% | FT% | APG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1947–48 | Philadelphia | 12 | .229 | .538 | .3 | 1.9 |
| Career | 12 | .229 | .538 | .3 | 1.9 | |
References
- ↑ "Former Philadelphia Warriors player Hank Beenders dies at 87", Burlington County Times, October 27, 2003.
- 1 2 3 4 Hank Beenders, Basketball-Reference.com. Accessed September 22, 2007.
- 1 2 "Beenders played in NBA forerunner", ESPN Classic, October 27, 2003. Accessed July 15, 2007.