Newsday's Long Island All-Decade boys basketball players: The 1950s
The high school yearbooks of, from left, Jim Brown (Manhasset), Larry Brown (Long Beach) and Carl Yastrzemski (Bridgehampton).
There is a rich history of Long Island boys basketball, from the 1950s with superstars such as Jim Brown of Manhasset and Carl Yastrzemski of Bridgehampton. Both went on to spectacular Hall of Fame careers in football and baseball, respectively, but they also left their mark on the hardwood.
The decisions on selections of players were made based on the totality of their careers, not just their high school accomplishments.
And that's where Newsday begins its look at Long Island's best basketball players for each decade, a series that will take you through seven decades for the boys and five decades for the girls.
The selection committee consisted of two longtime sportswriters, Gregg Sarra and Mike Candel. Sarra has covered high school sports for 40 years. Candel covered high school and college sports from 1976 until his retirement in 2002.
Joe Blocker, Hempstead
Sensational four-sport athlete who was a four-year starter on powerful basketball teams. Not only a gifted scorer but one of the best defenders in the county. Always drew the opponent's best player. All-County first team. Aside from Jim Brown, the most versatile athlete of the decade.
Jim Brown, Manhasset
Yes, that Jim Brown. One of the greatest players in NFL history and a sensational high school basketball player. Remains the only player in Nassau history to score more than 50 points (55 and 53) in consecutive games. Two-time first-team All-County pick. He still holds the Long Island season record of 38.1 points per game.
Larry Brown, Long Beach
He was the best point guard on Long Island in 1958, a great shooter and passer. He played for North Carolina and in the ABA, was one of the most successful coaches in college and the NBA, and was named to the National Basketball Hall of Fame.
Mike Cingiser played for Brown from 1959-62. Credit: Brown Athletics
Mike Cingiser, West Hempstead
Cingiser was the greatest player in school history, a two-time first-team All-Nassau selection, and scored a school-record 39 points in leading West Hempstead to the 1957 county title. He was a three-time first-team All-Ivy League pick at Brown, was drafted by the Celtics and coached Brown to an Ivy League title in 1986.
Connie Dierking, Valley Stream Central
At 6-10, he was the best Long Island big man of the decade. An All-Nassau top five player who led his team to the county title. He was an All-American at Cincinnati and had a 12-year NBA career with the Cincinnati Royals.
George Emma, Freeport
The two-time All-Nassau selection and two-time county scoring champion averaged 28.6 points per game. He played basketball for Villanova and minor league baseball for the Yankees and led the New York-Penn League in home runs.
Reggie Giddens, Oyster Bay
A superb all-around player who led the Baymen to three consecutive Nassau titles in 1950, '51 and '52. A two-time first-team All-County basketball player who also was a standout in football, baseball and track.
Art Heyman's 1963 Sports Illustrated cover on display at Oceanside High School. Credit: Michael A. Rupolo Sr.
Art Heyman, Oceanside
Heyman was the best Long Island player of the decade and a first-team Parade All-American. After leading the Sailors to the county crown, he was a three-time All-American, national player of the year and Final Four MVP at Duke. He played in the NBA and the ABA.
Bill Thieben at Sayville High School Credit: Sayville High School
Bill Thieben, Sayville
He was an elite high school player who scored a then-Suffolk record 48 points in a single game. He set school scoring and rebounding records at Hofstra, was a two-time All-American and won the Haggerty Award as the best player in the metropolitan area. He played for the Fort Wayne Pistons of the NBA.
Carl Yastrzemski, Bridgehampton
Yes, that Carl Yastrzemski, the Hall of Fame baseball player. He averaged 31.4 points per game as a senior after setting the Suffolk single-season scoring record in 1955. He's one of the best high school basketball players in Suffolk history.
Coach: Dick Crawley, Oyster Bay
Crawley made the Baymen into a Nassau power, winning three straight county titles from 1950 to 1952. That included unbeaten seasons in both 1950 and 1952. Crawley’s teams won 38 straight games during that span, which remains a Nassau record 73 years later.
