Al Skinner facts for kids
Left to right: Al Skinner, Jack Leaman, and Julius Erving at the ceremony to retire Skinner's UMass jersey
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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 16, 1952 Mount Vernon, New York, U.S. |
| High school | Malverne (Malverne, New York) |
| Listed height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
| Listed weight | 190 lb (86 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College | UMass (1971–1974) |
| NBA Draft | 1974 / Round: 9 / Pick: 160th overall |
| Selected by the Boston Celtics | |
| Pro career | 1974–1981 |
| Coaching career | 1982–2019 |
| Career history | |
| As player: | |
| 1974–1977 | New York/New Jersey Nets |
| 1977–1978 | Detroit Pistons |
| 1978–1979 | New Jersey Nets |
| 1979–1980 | Philadelphia 76ers |
| 1980–1981 | Joventut Badalona |
| As coach: | |
| 1982–1984 | Marist (assistant) |
| 1984–1988 | Rhode Island (assistant) |
| 1988–1997 | Rhode Island |
| 1997–2010 | Boston College |
| 2013–2015 | Bryant (assistant) |
| 2015–2019 | Kennesaw State |
| Career highlights and awards | |
As player:
As coach:
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Albert Lee Skinner Jr. (born June 16, 1952) is a well-known American basketball coach and former player. He has coached many college basketball teams. He was the head coach for the Boston College Eagles men's basketball team. Later, he was an assistant coach at Bryant University. From 2015 to 2019, he was the head coach for Kennesaw State University.
Contents
Al Skinner's Playing Career
College Basketball Days
Al Skinner played college basketball at the University of Massachusetts (UMass). When he was a freshman in 1970–71, a famous player named Julius Erving was on the varsity team. Skinner and Erving later played together as professional players. Skinner was also teammates with Rick Pitino.
Skinner scored 1,235 points during his three years on the varsity team. He was the top rebounder for UMass in all three of those years. He also led the team in scoring during his junior and senior seasons. In his senior year, he averaged 18.8 points and 11.0 rebounds per game. This was a "double-double" average, meaning he got double-digit points and rebounds.
On December 28, 1973, Skinner made UMass history. He recorded the school's first "triple-double." This means he had double-digit numbers in three different stats: 28 points, 18 rebounds, and 10 assists. This amazing game was against St. Peter's.
Skinner was chosen for the Yankee Conference First Team three times. He helped UMass win two Yankee Conference titles in a row. These wins were in the 1972–73 and 1973–74 seasons. In his senior year (1973–74), he was the team captain. He also received an honorable mention for All-America. His jersey number 30 was officially retired by UMass on February 18, 2004. This means no other player at UMass will wear that number.
Professional Basketball Career
After college, Al Skinner was drafted by the Boston Celtics in the 1974 NBA draft. He was the 160th player picked overall. However, he did not play for the Celtics. Instead, he joined the New York Nets in the ABA. There, he played again with his former college teammate, Julius Erving. Together, they helped the Nets win the ABA championship in the 1975–76 season.
During his professional career, Skinner played for a few teams. He was with the Nets from 1974 to 1977 and again from 1978 to 1979. He also played for the Detroit Pistons in 1977–78 and the Philadelphia 76ers in 1979–80.
A Unique Game Experience
Al Skinner has a very unusual story from his professional career. He is the only player in NBA history to be listed as "Did Not Play" (DNP) for both teams in the same game! This happened during a game between the New Jersey Nets and the Philadelphia 76ers on November 8, 1978. The Nets lost in overtime. However, the Nets protested the game because the referee called too many technical fouls on their player Bernard King and coach Kevin Loughery. Rules said only two technical fouls could be called on one person.
The league agreed with the Nets' protest. So, the game had to be replayed from the point where the fouls happened. Before the replay, the Nets and 76ers made a trade. Skinner and Eric Money went to the 76ers, and Harvey Catchings and Ralph Simpson went to the Nets. When the game was finished on March 23, 1979, Skinner was now on the 76ers. He had not played in the original part of the game for the Nets. He also did not play in the replayed part for the 76ers. So, he ended up on the stat sheet for both teams as "Did Not Play."
Al Skinner's Coaching Career
Early Coaching: Marist and Rhode Island
After his playing career, Al Skinner became a college basketball coach. He started as an assistant coach at Marist from 1982 to 1984. Then, he was an assistant coach at the University of Rhode Island from 1984 to 1988.
In 1988, Skinner became the head coach at the University of Rhode Island (URI). He coached the Rams for nine seasons. During this time, he won the Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year award in the 1991–92 season. He also helped recruit talented players like Cuttino Mobley and Tyson Wheeler. These players were part of the Rams team that reached the "Elite Eight" in the 1998 NCAA tournament.
Under Skinner, the Rhode Island Rams played in two NIT tournaments and two NCAA Tournaments. In 2000, he was honored by being inducted into URI's Athletic Hall of Fame.
Leading Boston College
On April 17, 1997, Al Skinner became the head coach for Boston College. Many of the team's best players had left with the previous coach. This meant Skinner had a tough start. For his first three seasons, the Eagles struggled. They won only 12 games in the Big East and 32 games overall.
However, Skinner turned things around. In the 2000–01 season, he led the team to win the Big East regular season title. They had a great 13–3 record in the conference. The Eagles then won the Big East tournament. They also earned a high #3 seed in the NCAA tournament. For his amazing work, Skinner was named Coach of the Year both nationally and in the Big East.
In the 2004–05 season, the Boston College Eagles made history. They were the first Big East team ever to start a season with 20 wins and no losses! They were ranked as high as #3 in the national polls. They won the conference regular season title again. Skinner was named Big East Coach of the Year for the 2004–05 season.
The 2005–06 Eagles had an incredible season with 28 wins and 8 losses. This is still the most wins in a single season for Boston College. They also reached the "Sweet 16" in the NCAA Tournament. During this season, Skinner became the winningest coach in Boston College history. He passed the previous record of 168 wins.
By the end of the 2009–10 season, Skinner had led Boston College to seven NCAA Tournaments and one NIT. On March 30, 2010, Skinner was no longer the head coach at Boston College.
Later Coaching Roles
In 2013, Skinner joined the coaching staff at Bryant University. He became an assistant coach there, working with his former assistant coach, Tim O'Shea. This was his first coaching job after leaving Boston College.
On April 26, 2015, Skinner was named the head coach at Kennesaw State University. He coached the Owls until February 21, 2019, when he announced he would be stepping down at the end of the season.
See also
In Spanish: Al Skinner para niños
