Gene Guarilia facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Gene Guarilia

Guarilia with the Celtics in 1960
Personal information
Born	(1937-09-13)September 13, 1937 Old Forge, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died	November 20, 2016(2016-11-20) (aged 79) Duryea, Pennsylvania, U.S.
High school	Duryea (Duryea, Pennsylvania)
Listed height	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Listed weight	220 lb (100 kg)
Career information
College	Potomac State (1954–1955) George Washington (1956–1959)
NBA Draft	1959 / Round: 2 / Pick: 14th overall
Selected by the Boston Celtics
Pro career	1959–1964
Career history
1959–1963	Boston Celtics
1963–1964	Wilkes-Barre Barons
Career highlights and awards
4× NBA champion (1960–1963)
Career NBA statistics
Points	413 (3.2 ppg)
Rebounds	294 (2.3 rpg)
Assists	36 (0.3 apg)

Eugene Michael Guarilia, known as Gene, was an American basketball player. He played four seasons for the famous Boston Celtics team in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Gene was born on September 13, 1937, and passed away on November 20, 2016.

Gene Guarilia's Basketball Journey

Early Life and College Basketball

Gene Guarilia grew up in Pennsylvania. He went to Holy Rosary Grammar School and Duryea High School. He started playing basketball in college at Potomac State College. This is a type of college called a junior college. In 1953, as a freshman, he set a record by scoring 595 points.

Later, Gene played for the George Washington University basketball team. He started playing there in the 1956–1957 season. He was a 6-foot-5-inch (1.96 m) forward. In February 1957, he was scoring about 17.1 points per game. He was also one of the top rebounders in the NCAA, grabbing 353 rebounds in 20 games. In February 1958, he was chosen for the all-Southern Conference basketball team.

Joining the Boston Celtics

The Boston Celtics picked Gene Guarilia in the second round of the 1959 NBA draft. He played 129 games for the Celtics over four seasons, from 1959 to 1963. On average, he scored 3.2 points and grabbed 2.3 rebounds per game. During his time with the Celtics, he won four NBA championship rings! This is a huge achievement in basketball.

In December 1959, the Celtics briefly moved Gene off their main team. This was to meet the NBA's rule of having only 10 players. But he stayed in Boston so he could play if other players got hurt. The coach, Red Auerbach, thought about switching Gene with other new players. This was allowed by NBA rules.

Key Moments with the Celtics

Gene was especially important in the Celtics' 1961–62 NBA championship win. They were playing against the Los Angeles Lakers. In the very last moments of the final game, he successfully stopped Elgin Baylor. This helped the Celtics win the game in overtime.

A new NBA rule allowed Gene to be the 11th player on the Boston team in the 1962–63 NBA Championship. This was also against the Lakers. On September 25, 1963, the Celtics released Gene to reduce their team to 16 players.

After the NBA

After his basketball career, Gene Guarilia became a teacher. He taught health and physical education for many years. He taught at Duryea High School, which later became Northeast High School, and then Pittston Area Senior High School.

In January 2015, Pittston Area High School honored Gene. They dedicated their basketball court to him. They painted two shamrocks and his jersey number, 20, on the court.

Gene Guarilia passed away on November 20, 2016.

Career Statistics

NBA

Regular Season

Playoffs