Togo Anthony Palazzi (August 8, 1932 – August 12, 2022) was an American basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Boston Celtics and Syracuse Nationals.
 Palazzi in 2013 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 8, 1932 Union City, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Died | August 12, 2022 (aged 90) |
| Listed height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
| Listed weight | 205 lb (93 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Union Hill (Union City, New Jersey) |
| College | Holy Cross (1951–1954) |
| NBA draft | 1954: 1st round, 5th overall pick |
| Selected by the Boston Celtics | |
| Playing career | 1954–1962 |
| Position | Small forward / shooting guard |
| Number | 12, 6, 17 |
| Career history | |
| 1954–1956 | Boston Celtics |
| 1956–1960 | Syracuse Nationals |
| 1960–1962 | Scranton Miners |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Career NBA statistics | |
| Points | 2,382 (7.4 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 1,113 (3.4 rpg) |
| Assists | 233 (0.7 apg) |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball Reference | |
Playing and coaching career
editA 6'4" forward/guard born and raised in Union City, New Jersey, Palazzi played at Union Hill High School, where he was recognized as one of the top prep basketball players nationwide.[1] He played at the College of the Holy Cross in the 1950s and was captain of the Crusaders team that won the 1954 NIT Championship and was named MVP of the tournament.[2]
Palazzi was selected by the Boston Celtics with the fifth pick of the 1954 NBA draft. He played six seasons in the NBA as a member of the Celtics and Syracuse Nationals and averaged 7.4 points per game in his career.[2]
Palazzi coached the Holy Cross women's team from 1980 to 1985, going 103–28 as coach; he coached them to an NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Tournament appearance in his final year, the first ever appearance by the women's team.[3]
Later life and death
editPalazzi later gave speeches at basketball camps for young adults interested in the sport. He was a prominent fixture at camps such as the Scatlet Hawks Basketball Camp run by Steve Manguso in Milford, MA. Along with conducting area speeches he was the camp director of the Togo Palazzi/Sterling Recreation Basketball Camp in Sterling, Massachusetts.[citation needed]
Palazzi died on August 12, 2022, at the age of 90.[4]
Career statistics
edit| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
NBA
editSource[5]
Regular season
edit| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1954–55 | Boston | 53 | 9.5 | .399 | .750 | 2.8 | .6 | 4.7 |
| 1955–56 | Boston | 63 | 11.2 | .389 | .685 | 2.9 | .7 | 6.0 |
| 1956–57 | Boston | 21 | 11.1 | .347 | .719 | 3.6 | .4 | 5.0 |
| 1956–57 | Syracuse | 42 | 18.6 | .373 | .790 | 4.5 | 1.0 | 10.7 |
| 1957–58 | Syracuse | 67 | 14.9 | .394 | .719 | 3.6 | .6 | 8.6 |
| 1958–59 | Syracuse | 71 | 14.8 | .392 | .728 | 3.7 | .9 | 8.4 |
| 1959–60 | Syracuse | 7 | 10.0 | .317 | .500 | 2.0 | .4 | 4.3 |
| Career | 324 | 13.4 | .386 | .730 | 3.4 | .7 | 7.4 | |
Playoffs
edit| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 | Boston | 5 | 6.0 | .500 | .500 | 2.8 | .2 | 5.8 |
| 1956 | Boston | 2 | 3.5 | .200 | – | 1.0 | .0 | 1.0 |
| 1957 | Syracuse | 5 | 17.4 | .388 | .778 | 3.6 | 1.0 | 9.0 |
| 1958 | Syracuse | 3 | 8.3 | .214 | .500 | 1.3 | .0 | 3.0 |
| 1959 | Syracuse | 8 | 8.4 | .295 | .714 | 2.6 | .8 | 4.5 |
| Career | 23 | 9.4 | .353 | .641 | 2.6 | .5 | 5.3 | |
References
edit- ^ Doyle, Bill. "Togo Palazzi a 'coach, mentor, friend'", Telegram & Gazette, February 14, 2015. Accessed November 26, 2019. "Palazzi was named one of the top five high school players in the nation when he played for Union Hill High School in Union City, N.J., the same hometown as his future HC teammates Earle Markey and Tommy Heinsohn."
- ^ a b Goode, Jon. (May 10, 2005). "No stopping Togo; Catching up with Togo Palazzi". Boston.com. Retrieved May 24, 2021.
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on March 27, 2016. Retrieved March 18, 2016.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Per the Celtics, Boston alumnus Togo Palazzi has passed away at the age of 90". USA Today. August 12, 2022. Retrieved August 13, 2022.
- ^ "Togo Palazzi NBA stats". Basketball Reference. Sports Reference, LLC. Retrieved October 12, 2023.
External links
edit- Togo Palazzi at NBA
- Togo Palazzi at RealGM
- Togo Palazzi at Proballers
- Togo Palazzi – Basketball-Reference.com NBA player profile
- Togo Palazzi – Sports-Reference.com college basketball player profile
