1945 World Professional Basketball Tournament
| 1945 | |
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Location | Chicago, Illinois |
| Dates | 19 March–24 March |
| Teams | 14 |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons |
| 1st runner-up | Dayton Acmes |
| 2nd runner-up | Chicago American Gears |
| MVP | Buddy Jeannette |
The 1945 World Professional Basketball Tournament was the 7th edition of the World Professional Basketball Tournament. It was held in Chicago, Illinois, during the days of 19–24 March 1945 and featured 14 teams. It was won by the Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons who defeated the Dayton Acmes 78–52 in the championship game. The Chicago American Gears came in third after beating the New York Rens 64–55 in the third-place game.[1] Buddy Jeannette of Fort Wayne was named the tournaments Most Valuable Player.[2]
Results[edit]
First round[edit]
- 19 March - Chicago American Gears 58, Hartford Nutmegs 47
- 19 March - Oshkosh All-Stars 60, Detroit Mansfields 56
- 19 March - New York Rens 67, Indianapolis Oilers 59
- 19 March - Midland Dow Chemicals 61, Cleveland Allmen Transfers 46
- 19 March - Pittsburgh Raiders 53, Newark C-O Twos 50
- 19 March - Dayton Acmes 43, Long Island Grumman Hellcats 27
Quarter-finals[edit]
- 21 March - Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons 63, Oshkosh All-Stars 52
- 21 March - New York Rens 61, Pittsburgh Raiders 52
- 21 March - Dayton Acmes 52, Midland Dow Chemicals 50
- 21 March - Chicago American Gears 53, Harlem Globetrotters 49
Semi-finals[edit]
- 22 March - Dayton Acmes 80, Chicago American Gears 51
- 22 March - Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons 68, New York Rens 45[3]
Third place game[edit]
24 March 1945
|
| Chicago American Gears 64, New York Rens 55 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 14–21, 16–12, 16–11, 18–11[4] | ||
| Pts: P. Brookfield – 15 | Pts: P. Bell, Z. Clayton – 17 | |
Chicago Stadium
Referees: Dutch Kriznecky, Steve Barak |
Championship game[edit]
24 March 1945
|
| Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons 78, Dayton Acmes 52 | ||
| Scoring by half: 40–26, 38–26 | ||
| Pts: B. Jeannette – 18 | Pts: J. Mahnken – 16 | |
Individual awards[edit]
All-Tournament First team[edit]
- F - Bruce Hale, Dayton Acmes
- F - Buddy Jeannette, Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons (MVP)
- C - John Mahnken, Dayton Acmes
- G - Bobby McDermott, Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons
- G - Dick Triptow, Chicago American Gears
All-Tournament Second team[edit]
- F - Chick Reiser, Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons
- F - Ray Patterson, Midland Dow Chemicals
- C - Jake Pelkington, Midland Dow Chemicals
- G - Jerry Bush, Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons
- G - Mel Riebe, Cleveland Allmen Transfers
- G - Puggy Bell, New York Rens
References[edit]
- ^ Maurice Shevlin (March 25, 1945). "Zollners beat Dayton, 78-52, for Pro Crown". Chicago Tribune. p. 27. Retrieved April 5, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Zollners seek cage opponents". The Spokesman-Review. March 26, 1945. p. 3. Retrieved April 5, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Zollners to meet Acmes for Crown". The Sheboygan Press. March 24, 1945. p. 11. Retrieved April 5, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Gears defeat Rens, 64-55". The Daily Oklahoman. March 25, 1945. p. 21. Retrieved April 5, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
External links[edit]
- WPBT 1939-48 on apbr.org