Dean Meminger
From Hoopedia
Dean P. Meminger ("Dean the Dream") (born May 13, 1948, in Walterboro, South Carolina) is an American basketball player and coach. Meminger starred at Rice High School in New York City. He played at Rucker playground growing up.
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Marquette Years
He attended Marquette University, where he played for coach Al McGuire. Al McGuire is quoted as saying Meminger "was quicker than 11:15 Mass at a seaside resort."
Meminger helped Marquette to a 78-9 record over his career including a 46-0 mark at the Milwaukee Arena. He was the team's leading scorer for two years, averaging 21.2 points in 1971 and 18.8 points in 1970, and he was selected by his teammates as the Most Valuable Player of the 1971 team which went undefeated during the regular season (26-0) and advanced to the NCAA Mideast Regional. He closed out his college as the school's No. 2 all-time leading scorer with 1,637 points.
Meminger was the MVP of the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) in 1970, in which Marquette topped St. John's for the championship. He was also named to the All-Tournament team of the NIT and the All-Tournament teams of the 1969 and 1971 NCAA.
He holds the top two school seasonal marks for free throws and his 493 free throws during his career are the most ever by a Marquette player.
Pro Career
He was drafted in the first round (number 16 overall) of the 1971 NBA Draft by the New York Knicks, where he played from 1971 to 1974 and 1976-1977. Meminger played for the Atlanta Hawks from 1974 to 1976.
Coaching Career
In 1979-80 Meminger coached the New York Stars of the Women's Professional Basketball League until the team folded. He coached the Albany Patroons of the Continental Basketball Associatin in 1981. He coached the USBL's Long Island Knights in 1987, and in recent years, spent some time coaching at Manhattanville College in New York.
Meminger has struggled with substance abuse problems for much of his adult life, and has sought treatment for it. As of 2003 Meminger reported that he had been clean for five years.
Dean Meminger is a member of the Marquette M Club Hall of Fame.
