Jim Gano-Reading Basketball

Paul Roberts — Thu, 21 Jul 2022 19:40:00 +0000

Jim Gano still remembers the first time he saw Stu Jackson play basketball. Gano’s junior varsity team was scrimmaging the varsity squad which included a 14-year-old sophomore who would become one of the legendary players in Reading High history. “He was a holy terror! He was really, really good,” said Gano. Jackson went on to score 1,563 points for the Red Knights. Jackson, Gano, and Lakers’ guard Lonnie Walker were at the Miller Center for the Arts on Monday. They took part in a special program presented by the Reading Education Foundation. Former Reading head coaches Rick Binder, Mike Miller, Pat Tulley, and Tim Redding were in attendance along with numerous former players. Gano won 83% of his games while coaching at the “Castle on the Hill” from 1971-‘81. He finished with the most victories in school history and a sparkling record of (251-50). Gano loved Jackson’s competitive nature. “He was always the type of guy that reacted to challenges. He gave you what he had, and above all he was pretty darn smart too,” he said. The Red Knights went (28-2) in 1973 which was Jackson’s senior season. They had an incredible run in the state playoffs. Cliff Durham sank a shot at the buzzer from beyond half-court to beat Upper Merion 34-33 in the Eastern quarterfinals. Reading knocked off perennial power Chester 59-53 in the Eastern final. Jackson was ejected for fighting in the fourth quarter of that thriller. The 6’6 forward erupted for 38 points in the state championship game against General Braddock, but it wasn’t enough. Daryl Washington made a free throw with no time left to topple the Red Knights 63-62. “Just a crushing blow, an opportunity lost, but that night they were a little better than we were,” Jackson acknowledged. The Geigle Complex didn’t open until after Jackson had graduated from Reading. His home games were held at Northwest Junior High. “When I played in high school, every game was sold out. We brought a lot of good teams in. We kicked their butts at home and it was just a great atmosphere,” he reminisced. Jackson played his first three seasons of college basketball at Oregon before transferring to Seattle for his final year. He was an assistant coach at Providence, Washington State, and Oregon. Jackson was only 33 when he became the head coach of the Knicks in 1989. He returned to college hoops as the head coach at Wisconsin from 1992-‘94. Jackson was then hired as the General Manager of the Vancouver Grizzlies. He served as head coach briefly during the 1996-‘97 season. After his time in Canada, Jackson took the role of executive vice president of basketball operations for the NBA. Gano joked, “I started to wonder if the guy can hold a damn job.” Jackson is currently the executive associate commissioner of the Big East men’s basketball conference. He’s also the director of basketball operations for a professional team in France. Gano mentioned that Jackson is a reflection of his father who was always smiling. Gano closed by saying that he’s very proud of Jackson’s legacy and the city of Reading should be as well.

Lonnie Walker/Stu Jackson in Reading

Paul Roberts — Tue, 19 Jul 2022 20:36:00 +0000

Two legendary Reading High School basketball players were on the same stage for the first time on Monday. Lonnie Walker and Stu Jackson got together with former Reading coaches and players, as well as numerous fans, at the Miller Center for the Arts. The special event was presented by the Reading Education Foundation. I was fortunate to serve as the emcee. I asked Walker what the city of Reading has meant to him. He replied, “This city is my heart. I’ve been through it all. Learned a ton of lessons through it all. This is what made me, me. I take big pride on that. If it wasn’t for Reading, I wouldn’t be shaped like this. It took a village to build me up.” Walker gave credit to his parents and grandparents for keeping him away from trouble as a kid. The 6’4 shooting guard led the Red Knights to their first state championship in 2017. The three-time all-state selection averaged 18 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 steals as a senior. On Monday, Walker revealed that he played through a torn meniscus which he suffered in the state final. He finished with 22 points and 8 boards in a thrilling 64-60 victory over Pine-Richland. “Something about that crowd and everyone that was there; it gave me some sort of superpowers. I was hurting really bad,” he said. More than 9,500 fans were in attendance at the Giant Center in Hershey to see the Red Knights make history. Because of the adversity that he overcame and what was on the line, Walker told me that was the best game of his career. There were a lot to choose from. Walker has the most points in school history with 1,828. He poured in 35 points in the state semifinals that year versus Archbishop Ryan at Temple University. As a junior, Walker established a career high with 37 points in a 78-73 overtime win against Carlisle in the District 3 quarterfinals. Earlier that season, he piled up 32 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists in a 103-51 rout of McCaskey at the Geigle Complex. The McDonald’s All-American selection spent one year at Miami. His relationship with head coach Jim Larranaga was a big factor in his decision to commit to the Hurricanes. Walker went to the Spurs with the 18th overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft. The 23-year-old spent the past four seasons with San Antonio. He averaged 12 points in 23 minutes per game this year. In late June, Walker agreed to a 1-year, $6.5 million contract with the Lakers. He marveled at the work ethic of 37-year-old LeBron James. We talked about who’s the greatest player of all-time. Walker sided with James, while Jackson went with Michael Jordan. “To me, mentally, maybe the greatest competitor of any sport that we’ve ever seen,” said Jackson. The former general manager of the Vancouver Grizzlies told a very memorable story of an encounter with Jordan and the Bulls during the 1995-‘96 season when Chicago won 72 games. Jordan was well known for his electrifying dunks. Walker and I discussed if he would ever compete in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest. Walker continues to give back to the community. He held a youth basketball camp at the Geigle this week. All of the proceeds from Monday’s event went to the Reading Education Foundation.

Stu – Berks Sports Report

Jim Gano-Reading Basketball

Lonnie Walker/Stu Jackson in Reading