1948–49 Tri-Cities Blackhawks season

1948–49 Tri-Cities Blackhawks season
1948–49 Tri-Cities Blackhawks season
Head coach	Bobby McDermott
Arena	Wharton Field House
Results
Record	36–28 (.563)
Place	Division: 2nd (Western)
Playoff finish	Lost Division Semifinals (All-Stars) 1–3
	Stats at Basketball Reference

The 1948–49 season was the Tri-Cities Blackhawks' third season of play and the last of the National Basketball League (NBL) before its merger with the Basketball Association of America (BAA). Led by league MVP Don Otten, the Blackhawks experienced the first winning season in team history.^[1]

Roster

1948–49 Tri-Cities Blackhawks roster

Players

Coaches

Pos.	No.	Player	Height	Weight	DOB	From
F/C	–	Joe Camic	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	1922-11-18	Duquesne
G/F	–	Dee Gibson	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	1923-08-25	Bradley
F/C	–	Hoot Gibson	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	198 lb (90 kg)	1921-12-05	Creighton (Minnesota)
G/F	–	Luther Harris	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	1923-08-27	East Alton–Wood River HS (IL)
G	–	Billy Hassett	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	1921-10-21	Notre Dame
F	–	Earl Hawkins	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	225 lb (102 kg)	1920-09-23	Auburn
F/C	–	Ed Lewinski	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	1918-09-10	Bowen HS (IL)
F/C	–	Bobby Lowther	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	1923-12-14	LSU
G	–	Bobby McDermott	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	1914-01-07	—
C	–	Don Otten	6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)	240 lb (109 kg)	1921-04-18	Bowling Green
F/C	–	George Ratkovicz	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	1922-11-13	Lindblom HS (IL)
F/C	–	Don Ray	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	1921-07-08	Western Kentucky
G/F	–	Whitey Von Nieda	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	1922-06-19	Penn State
G	–	Murray Wier	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)	155 lb (70 kg)	1926-12-12	Iowa

Head coach

Bobby McDermott

Legend

(DP) Unsigned draft pick
(FA) Free agent
(S) Suspended
Injured

Regular season

Western Division standings

Pos.	Western Division	Wins	Losses	Win %
1	Oshkosh All-Stars	37	27	.578
2		36	28	.563
3	Sheboygan Red Skins	35	29	.547
4	Waterloo Hawks	30	32	.484
5	Denver Nuggets	18	44	.290

Playoffs

Won Opening Round (Sheboygan Red Skins) 2–0
Lost Division Semifinals (Oshkosh All-Stars) 1–3

Awards and records

Don Otten – MVP, All-NBL First Team
Whitey Von Nieda – All-NBL Second Team
Hoot Gibson – All-NBL Second Team

^[2]

References

[1] 1948–49 Tri-Cities Blackhawks records and stats

[2] 1948–49 NBL Awards and Honors

[1]

[2]