Walter Vernon "Vern" Hatton (born January 13, 1936) is an American basketball player who won a national championship as a player at the University of Kentucky and played professionally in the National Basketball Association.
 Hatton from the 1958 Kentuckian | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 13, 1936 Owingsville, Kentucky |
| Nationality | American |
| Listed height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
| Listed weight | 195 lb (88 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Lafayette (Lexington, Kentucky) |
| College | Kentucky (1955–1958) |
| NBA draft | 1958: 2nd round, 9th overall pick |
| Selected by the Cincinnati Royals | |
| Playing career | 1958–1962 |
| Position | Guard |
| Number | 11, 20, 52, 17 |
| Career history | |
| 1958 | Cincinnati Royals |
| 1958–1961 | Philadelphia Warriors |
| 1961 | Chicago Packers |
| 1961–1962 | St. Louis Hawks |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Career NBA statistics | |
| Points | 1,244 (5.5 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 531 (2.4 rpg) |
| Assists | 318 (1.4 apg) |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball Reference | |
Kentucky career
editHatton played under Kentucky coach Adolph Rupp. He is considered a Kentucky basketball legend largely due to a memorable half-court shot he made to force a third overtime in a victory over Temple University.[1] He was voted an honorable mention All-American his senior year and scored 30 points to lead the Kentucky Wildcats over Elgin Baylor-led Seattle in winning the 1958 NCAA men's basketball championship. Hatton was named a member of the NCAA All-Tournament team for 1958 along with Baylor, Johnny Cox, and Guy Rodgers.[2] Hatton said of playing for Rupp, "It takes you six to eight years to get over playing for Adolph Rupp, but once you get over it, you get to like him."[3]
Professional career
edit
He was drafted 9th overall in the 1958 NBA draft by the Cincinnati Royals.[4]
Personal life
editHatton is married with three sons and is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.[5]
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[6]
Regular season
edit| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1958–59 | Cincinnati | 22 | 29.9 | .319 | .667 | 3.7 | 1.4 | 7.5 |
| 1958–59 | Philadelphia | 42 | 10.8 | .393 | .796 | 2.3 | 1.0 | 5.0 |
| 1959–60 | Philadelphia | 67 | 15.7 | .357 | .609 | 2.4 | 1.2 | 4.6 |
| 1960–61 | Philadelphia | 54 | 11.3 | .319 | .821 | 1.7 | 1.1 | 4.4 |
| 1961–62 | Chicago | 15 | 26.4 | .308 | .754 | 3.0 | 2.9 | 9.5 |
| 1961–62 | St. Louis | 25 | 20.1 | .362 | .821 | 2.3 | 2.2 | 7.2 |
| Career | 225 | 16.3 | .344 | .735 | 2.4 | 1.4 | 5.5 | |
Playoffs
edit| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | Philadelphia | 6 | 2.8 | .308 | .333 | .5 | .2 | 1.5 |
References
edit- ^ "Hatton Saves Game Twice for Wildcats and Wins It in Third Overtime". The New York Times. December 8, 1957. Retrieved April 24, 2021.
- ^ "All-Tournament Teams". The Washington Post. 1998. Retrieved April 24, 2021.
- ^ "Kentucky's Tortured Champions". The New York Times. March 29, 1978. Retrieved April 24, 2021.
- ^ Hampton, Jeff (March 15, 2016). "7 Mormons Who Made March Madness History". LDS Living. Retrieved April 24, 2021.
- ^ Hummer, Steve (April 2, 2013). "In the beginning". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved April 24, 2021.
- ^ "Vern Hatton NBA stats". Basketball Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
Additional reading
edit- Clark, Ryan (2007), Game of my Life: Kentucky – Memorable Stories of Wildcats Basketball, Champaign, Illinois: Sports Publishing
External links
edit- Basketball Reference Vern Hatton
- BigBlueHistory.net Vernon Hatton