All-America center
was first to recommend Jayhawk coaches recruit Chamberlain
Lots of high-powered
people helped recruit
Philadelphian Wilt Chamberlain to play basketball at Kansas. The list of
heavyweights on that project is awesome. But it was a Jayhawk hall of famer who
first experienced firsthand Wilt's great capabilities and notified Phog Allen
and assistant Dick Harp that Uncle Dippy was worth a good, hard rush.
That was
B.H. Born, now of Peoria, Ill., who says his first encounters with The Big
Dipper were "almost terrifying."
Bert, at
the time a 6-foot-9, 190-pound willow in Medicine Lodge, created quite a stir by
announcing in the spring of 1951 that he was KU-bound. He'd been recruited by
countless schools. Phog Allen so coveted the slender trophy that he brought him
up here several weeks early and boarded him at the home of some influential KU
alums. Wanted to keep the kid from being spirited away by some marauding gypsy,
like maybe Kansas State's Black Jack Gardner?
"In
effect, he semi-kidnapped me," laughed Bert when he was here for the recent
50th anniversary of the 1952 KU national title team, on which he was a sophomore
backup to Clyde Lovellette. "But I can't imagine enjoying a college career
more anywhere else."
In the
early 1950s, many college court standouts spent summers working for resort
hotels in New York's Borscht Belt up in the Catskills. The players would have
day jobs, then play games against teams from other hotels to the delight of
their guests — many of them New York area folks who loved good basketball.
As a
high schooler, Chamberlain with his great height and agility was grabbed by the
Kutsher's resort. Born was summering up there, too, playing for another hotel.
He chuckles about that first night his team played Kutshers and Wilt. His coach
indicated it might be prudent for the established Born to go a little easy on
the high school kid.
"He
turned me inside out," said Bert. "I'd never seen college guys do some
of the things he did, dunking, blocking, running along with the speediest little
guys ... it was almost terrifying. Go easy? Several times I just wanted to save
my life. I think he got something like 29 off me, and I was supposed to be able
to play defense."
Forthwith,
B.H. notified the Phogger and Harp of this phenomenon. Not that many others
weren't after Chamberlain, but Born could speak from firsthand combat
experience. Right away, Bert started recruiting Wilt — quite legal then. They
wound up with a good relationship. KU heeded the advice, and The Dipper spent
three heralded seasons here.
Born had
tough early times, and the devilish All-American Lovellette made it particularly
hard on him. You sense there still may be some hard feelings, understandably.
For example, during practices in old Robinson Gym, Clyde would walk over to a
window pole and address it with something like: "Gee, B.H., you've gained a
little weight lately, right?
In
practices his freshman and sophomore years, the gutty Born often got pounded to
a pulp by the strong, physical Jelly-Belly, which some critics called Lovellette
because of his ever-present abdominal watermelon. Phog perhaps had encouraged
Clyde to "get him (Born) ready." Clyde needed no urging.
Came the
end of the 1952 season and student manager Wayne Louderback was told to collect
KU team ballots for the all-opponent team. At center on Born's list was
Lovellette.
"There's
nobody in the world better or tougher than he is," responded Born when
questioned. He refused to change it.
Talk
about determination and guts, the plucky Born had all anyone could assemble. He
rose from a 1.6 per game scorer as a sophomore to an 18.9-point, rebounding and
defensive All-American on the 1953 NCAA runner-up club. He was the first player
ever to be named tourney MVP playing for the losing team in the title game. Had
he not fouled out, KU might have won instead of losing by a point to Indiana.
B.H.
joined the AAU powerhouse Peoria Caterpillar-Diesels and played five years.
"It
reached the point where the front office began to ask how long I'd be gone this
trip, and 'when can you get that work done?' It was basketball or a
career," B.H. says. "I quit earlier than I needed to physically, but
it sure helped my career."
Now
retired, Bert is no longer a slenderella. During the 1952 reunion, he was
wearing a heavy back brace after recent spinal surgery and was in considerable
pain. But he and his wife and family enjoyed the occasion to the fullest. He and
Clyde are sociable but not bosom buddies, which you can understand if you know
how the impish Monster of the Music Hall used to ride Bert.
Born, by
the way, helped set up a fund at the local Boys and Girls Club in memory of Kent
Heitholt, son of Bill and Dorothy. Kent was born here during Bill's KU cage
career (1952-55).
Not long
ago, Kent was sports editor of the Columbia, Mo., Tribune and went to his car in
the company parking lot one night after work, about 1:30 a.m. when lots of
morning paper people go home. He was accosted by two guys (there were casual
witnesses who haven't identified anyone) who beat him to death and took his car.
Police haven't found the killers.
But that's the kind of thing Bert Born has long done as a good citizen on top of his brilliant career in college and AAU ball. His No. 23 jersey deservedly hangs in Allen Fieldhouse. If Wayne Simien, KU's current No. 23, does as well by KU and society as B.H. Born, his shirt should go up someday, too.