Cervi, Alfred N.
Basketball
b. Feb. 2, 1917, Buffalo, NY
One of the finest defensive players of his era, Cervi dropped out of high school during his junior year and played for a YMCA team before signing for $15 a game with the Buffalo Bisons of the new National Basketball League in 1937. A 5-foot-11 guard, he was named the league's most valuable player in 1938-39.
After serving in the U. S. Army Air Corps from 1940 to 1945, Cervi joined the Rochester Royals of the NBL for the 1945-46 season. He led the league in scoring with a 14.4 average and was named most valuable player in 1946-47. When Rochester moved into the Basketball Association of America in 1948, Cervi joined the NBL's Syracuse team as player-coach.
The two leagues merged into the National Basketball Association the following season. Cervi retired as a player in 1953 but remained with Syracuse as coach through 1955-56. His team won the NBA championship in 1955, when he was named the league's coach of the year. He coached the Philadelphia Warriors in 1957-58.
From 1945/46 through 1952/53, Cervi averaged 10.2 points a game in 381 games. As a coach, he won 350 games and lost 267; his winning percentage of .573 is eleventh best in NBA history.
In an interview with Harold Peterson, Cervi explained his defensive philosophy: "I don't know what they're talking about today when they talk defense. Your hand has to be in your man's face. You don't let him get the ball. The first thing in good defense is to keep the ball from your man."