Phillip, "Andy" (Andrew P.)
Basketball
b. March 7, 1922, Granite City, IL
d. April 29, 2001
In the 1941-42 season, all five of the University of Illinois basketball starters were sophomores. They became known as the "Whiz Kids." Phillip was the best player of the five, a Helms Athletic Foundation All-American both as a sophomore and a junior. A 6-foot-2, 195-pound guard, he led the team to 17 victories in 18 games when the "Whiz Kids" were juniors, and he set Big Ten records for points with 255, field goals with 111, and points in a game with 40.
After that season, Phillip served in the Marine Corps during World War II. Ironically, he and three other former "Whiz Kids" returned to Illinois in 1946 as somewhat over-aged seniors. Unlike the others, Phillip became a professional star after graduating. Though not a big scorer as a pro, he was an outstanding play-maker, and his quick hands and extra-long fingers also made him a fine defender and ball-stealer.
Phillip joined the Chicago Stags of the Basketball Association of America in 1947. The BAA merged with the National Basketball League to form the NBA in 1949 and the Chicago franchise folded a year later. Phillip went to Philadelphia Warriors and led the NBA in assists in both 1950-51 and 1951-52.
Philadelphia traded him to the Ft. Wayne Pistons in 1952. Phillip finished among the top four in assists each of the next four seasons. In 1951-52, he became the first player in NBA history to record more than 500 assists in a season.
Phillip planned to retire after the 1955-56 season, but Coach Red Auerbach of the Celtics talked him into coming to Boston instead. He played for the Celtics' first championship team in 1957 and spent another season with the Celtics before retiring.
In 701 professional games, Phillip scored 6,384 points, an average of 9.1 a game. He was named to the Associated Press all-time All-American team in 1950. Phillip coached the St. Louis Hawks briefly at the beginning of the 1958-59 season but was replaced by Ed Macauley after only 10 games.