Wednesday, April 24,
2002
Philadelphia — Former Kansas
University basketball great Wayne Hightower, the 29th leading scorer in
Jayhawk history, died of a heart attack last Thursday at the age of 62.
Hightower,
a slender 6-foot-8 forward out of Philadelphia's famed Overbrook High, was an
all-Big Eight selection at Kansas in both 1960 and '61.
He
averaged a league-leading 21.8 points and grabbed 11.6 boards in 1959-60 for the
19-9 Jayhawks, then finished his two-year career with averages of 20.7 ppg and
11.6 rebounds in 1960-61 for 17-8 KU.
"He
was a very good athlete, a very good player," said Jerry Waugh, an
assistant coach for Dick Harp during Hightower's KU career. "At that time
to find a kid 6-8 who could move around like he could was pretty significant.
Today almost all the kids can do that, not then.
"He
was not a strong post player as we know today, but he was very nifty around the
goal. He could turn over, face up, jump and put it in. He could score,"
Waugh added.
Hightower
went on to play with five ABA teams in five years, averaging 14.9 points a game.
He played with five NBA teams in three seasons, averaging 9.0 points.
"He
was really an outstanding player at Kansas," said former KU athletic
director Bob Frederick, a college teammate of Hightower. "He had a lot of
ability. He was a legitimate 6-8, 6-9 who could score inside, rebound, a very
good athlete."
Hightower
hit 40.4 percent of his shots and 67.4 percent of his free throws at KU.
"I
remember he was a very skilled big man at a time when KU had some pretty good
teams," said Bill Mayer, former executive editor of the Journal-World who
has regularly written a sports column since the fall of 1950 and covered KU
basketball during Hightower's career.
"He
and Bill Bridges teamed together. They were outstanding players. He (Hightower)
was 6-foot-8, but thin. In modern days he'd have been a small forward. He was
pretty frail. He was a talent. He had good skills. He played street ball in
Philadelphia with Wilt (Chamberlain) and had a good background. In those days,
big men from the East were able to move around a lot and do things your
traditional forwards didn't. He could take his man, go outside, go inside and
rebound pretty well," Mayer added.
Hightower
was a member of two of Overbrook's greatest teams — the 1957 and '58 squads
that went 20-1 and 22-0, respectively. Both won the city title, and the latter
produced three NBA players — Hightower, Wali Jones and Walt Hazzard.
In April
1991, the Daily News selected that '58 squad as the No. 2 team of all time,
behind Wilt Chamberlain's 1955 Overbrook team.
"He
was one of the three best players to ever play at Overbrook," said Howie
Horenstein, who captained both the '57 and '58 teams. "Wilt was No. 1.
Jackie Moore, who went on to play for the (Philadelphia) Warriors, was No. 2.
And I'd put Wayne third. I think he was one of the first big men who could
handle the ball well. He could pass and he could dribble. He was the Magic
Johnson-type player of his day."
Hightower
left KU after his junior year of college, electing to play pro ball in Spain to
support his wife and new baby daughter.
"He
was kind of a loner. He came to practice, kind of did his job and then
left," Waugh noted. "I would say he left his mark on Kansas
basketball. I don't think he finished. He had the potential to be one of the
very good players we had here, but perhaps he didn't stay focused. I think he
became disenchanted here. His last year he was not a happy camper and I don't
know why that was the case."
On May
10, the Overbrook High School Hall of Fame will honor its championship teams
from the late 1950s. Now, instead of an award, Hightower will receive a moment
of silence.
"He
was a very soft-spoken man," said Jim Sadler, a member of the alumni's
board of directors. "We were planning the event last Thursday and someone
said that they'd heard that Wayne died. We later found out that he'd died that
morning. He'll be missed."
Hightower
had some medical problems the past several years. He did not return to KU often,
if at all, during his post-college days.
"I've
been in touch with him the last four or five years. I'd get a postcard from
him," Frederick said. "He said he was coming to two different reunions
we'd have, but did not attend."
Hightower
is survived by a daughter, Paula; sons Wayne Jr. and Anthony; one sister; two
brothers; and four grandchildren. His former wife, Pearl, from whom he was
divorced for many years, also survives.
Services
will be held at 11 a.m. on Thursday at St. Matthew African Methodist Episcopal
Church, 57th and Summer Streets. Friends may call at 10 a.m. Burial is private.
Memorial
donations may be made to the American Heart Association, 625 W. Ridge Pike,
Building A, Suite 100, Conshohocken, Pa. 19428.