The 1946 World Professional Basketball Tournament was the 8th edition of the World Professional Basketball Tournament. It was held in Chicago, Illinois, during the days of 25 March - 8 April 1946 and featured 14 teams. It was won by the Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons who defeated the Oshkosh All-Stars 2–1 in the championship series.[1] The Chicago American Gears came in third after beating the Baltimore Bullets 2–0 in the third-place best-of-three series. George Mikan of the American Gears was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player after finishing as its top scorer with 100 points in five games.[2]
| 1946 | |
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Location | Chicago, Illinois |
| Dates | 25 March–8 April |
| Teams | 14 |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons |
| 1st runner-up | Oshkosh All-Stars |
| 2nd runner-up | Chicago American Gears |
| Tournament statistics | |
| MVP | George Mikan |
| Top scorer(s) | George Mikan |
Results
editFirst round
edit- 25 March - Chicago American Gears 69, Pittsburgh Raiders 58[3][4]
- 25 March - Anderson Duffey Packers 59, Cleveland Allmen Transfers 46
- 25 March - Midland Dow Chemicals 72, Indianapolis Kautskys 59
- 25 March - Oshkosh All-Stars 60, Detroit Mansfields 32
- 25 March - New York Rens 82, Toledo White Huts 39
- 25 March - Baltimore Bullets 61, Dayton Mickeys 58
Quarter-finals
edit- 29 March - Oshkosh All-Stars 50, New York Rens 44
- 29 March - Chicago American Gears 52, Sheboygan Redskins 51
- 29 March - Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons 65, Midland Dow Chemicals 62
- 29 March - Baltimore Bullets 67, Anderson Duffey Packers 65
Semi-finals
edit- 3 April - Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons 50, Baltimore Bullets 49
- 3 April - Oshkosh All-Stars 72, Chicago American Gears 66
Third place series
edit5 April 1946
|
| Chicago American Gears 59, Baltimore Bullets 54 | ||
| Pts: G. Mikan – 17 | ||
Chicago Stadium
Attendance: 11,131 |
6 April 1946
|
| Chicago American Gears 65, Baltimore Bullets 50 | ||
| Pts: G. Mikan – 27 | Pts: S. Stutz – 11 | |
Chicago Stadium
Attendance: 17,782 |
Championship series
edit5 April 1946
|
| Oshkosh All-Stars 61, Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons 59 | ||
| Scoring by half: 40–25, 21–34 | ||
| Pts: B. Carpenter – 19 | Pts: B. McDermott – 17 | |
6 April 1946
|
| Oshkosh All-Stars 47, Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons 56 | ||
| Scoring by half: 24–32, 23–24 | ||
| Pts: L. Edwards – 24 | Pts: B. McDermott – 13 | |
8 April 1946
|
| Oshkosh All-Stars 57, Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons 73 | ||
| Scoring by half: 32–39, 25–34 | ||
| Pts: L. Edwards – 24 | Pts: B. McDermott – 20 | |
Individual awards
editAll-Tournament First team
edit- F - Jerry Bush, Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons
- F - Leroy Edwards, Oshkosh All-Stars
- C - George Mikan, Chicago American Gears (MVP)
- G - Bobby McDermott, Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons
- G - Bob Feerick, Oshkosh All-Stars
All-Tournament Second team
editReferences
edit- ^ "Zollners win deciding game in Pro Tourney". The Oshkosh Northwestern. April 9, 1946. p. 13. Retrieved April 5, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "George Mikan Most Valuable in Pro Tourney". Quad-City Times. April 7, 1946. p. 34. Retrieved April 5, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Mikan leads Gears' win in pro meet". Nashville Banner. March 26, 1946. p. 14. Retrieved April 5, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Jerry Liska (March 26, 1946). "George Mikan just another player as high-priced star shows in pro event". Chillicothe Gazette. p. 8. Retrieved April 5, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Jimmy Jordan (April 6, 1946). "Zollners face uphill fight to retain title". The Indianapolis News. p. 4. Retrieved April 5, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Oshkosh five 61-59 winner". The Des Moines Register. April 6, 1946. p. 11. Retrieved April 5, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Fort Wayne ties series on 56-74 win". Democrat and Chronicle. April 7, 1946. p. 31. Retrieved April 5, 2022.
External links
edit- WPBT 1939-48 on apbr.org