1957–58_Seattle_Chieftains_men's_basketball_team
1957–58 Seattle Chieftains men's basketball team
American college basketball season
The 1957–58 Seattle Chieftains men's basketball team (now known as Redhawks) represented Seattle University during the 1957–58 NCAA University Division men's basketball season. Led by future top draft pick Elgin Baylor, Seattle was the runner-up in the NCAA tournament, falling to Kentucky in the finals in Louisville, Kentucky.[1][2]
| 1957–58 Seattle Chieftains men's basketball | |
|---|---|
NCAA tournament, runner-up | |
| Conference | Independent |
| Ranking | |
| Coaches | No. 19 |
| AP | No. 18 |
| Record | 24–7 |
| Head coach |
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Seasons ← 1956–57 1958–59 → | |
| 1957–58 Seattle Chieftains men's basketball team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date time, TV |
Rank# | Opponent# | Result | Record | Site city, state | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular season | |||||||||||
| Dec 20, 1957* |
No. 12 | vs. No. 7 San Francisco Bluegrass Festival |
L 51–60 | 3–2 |
Freedom Hall Louisville, Kentucky | ||||||
| Dec 21, 1957* |
No. 12 | vs. Army Bluegrass Festival |
W 80–51 | 4–2 |
Freedom Hall Louisville, Kentucky | ||||||
| Dec 26, 1957* |
No. 15 | vs. Connecticut ECAC Holiday Festival |
W 87–83 | 5–2 |
Madison Square Garden New York, New York | ||||||
| Dec 28, 1957* |
No. 15 | vs. Temple ECAC Holiday Festival |
L 73–91 | 5–3 |
Madison Square Garden New York, New York | ||||||
| Dec 30, 1957* |
No. 15 | vs. Dayton ECAC Holiday Festival |
L 75–81 | 5–4 |
Madison Square Garden New York, New York | ||||||
| NCAA tournament | |||||||||||
| Mar 14, 1958* |
No. 18 | vs. No. 4 San Francisco West Regional semifinal |
W 69–67 | 19–4 |
Cow Palace (16,382) Daly City, California | ||||||
| Mar 15, 1958* |
No. 18 | vs. California West Regional final |
W 66–62 OT | 20–4 |
Cow Palace Daly City, California | ||||||
| Mar 21, 1958* |
No. 18 | vs. No. 3 Kansas State National semifinal – Final Four |
W 73–51 | 21–4 |
Freedom Hall Louisville, Kentucky | ||||||
| Mar 22, 1958* |
No. 18 | vs. No. 9 Kentucky National Championship Game |
L 72–84 | 21–5 |
Freedom Hall Louisville, Kentucky | ||||||
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. W=West. All times are in Pacific Time. | |||||||||||
- West
- Seattle 69, San Francisco 67
- Seattle 66, California 62
- Final Four
- Seattle 73, Kansas State 51
- Kentucky 84, Seattle 72
Source:[3]
NCAA Championship
The NCAA Final Four was played at Freedom Hall in Louisville, Kentucky.[1] Seattle had an integrated team, and played in front of an all-white crowd of 18,803.[4] Elgin Baylor was the nation's second-best scorer (32.5) behind Cincinnati's Oscar Robertson.[4] The Chieftains led Kentucky by 11 points in the first half, and were leading 60–58, with seven minutes in the game. Seattle lost the game 84–72,[2] for a 23–6 season.[4]
After the championship game, Baylor hinted that he might return for his senior season. Castellani had two recruits with him from the South Bend area, forwards Don Piasecki and Don Ogorek. The Chieftains also added a transfer from Indiana, guard Charlie Brown.[4] The feeling was that the team would have a bright future.
| Round | Pick | Player | NBA Club |
| 1 | 1 | Elgin Baylor | Minneapolis Lakers |
Source:[8]
- "Seattle gains NCAA finals; to battle Kentucky tonight". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). Associated Press. March 22, 1958. p. 8.
- ""Nothing wrong with 2d;" Seattle is beaten in finals". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). Associated Press. March 24, 1958. p. 18.
- Raley, Dan (March 27, 2007). "Where Are They Now? John Castellani, Seattle U basketball coach". Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
- ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia: The Complete History of the Men's Game. Random House. 2009. pp. 661–662. ISBN 978-0-345-51392-2.
- "1957-58 College Basketball Polls". Sports Reference. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
- "Final Four Most Outstanding Players". cbs.sportsline.com. Archived from the original on September 7, 2008. Retrieved March 31, 2008.
- "1958 NBA Draft on databaseBasketball.com". Archived from the original on April 4, 2012. Retrieved April 3, 2012.
- Sports Press Northwest – Wayback Machine – Seattle U.'s 1958 Final 4 run