Gotthoffer, Shikey

Joel S. Gotthoffer

A native New Yorker, Gotthoffer was a terrific scorer, and was considered one of the best professional players in the American Basketball League in the 1930s He was a member of the Philadelphia Sphas (the nickname stood for the South Philadelphia Hebrew Association) during a time when the city's best players were Jewish. He said the players were the "darlings of Philadelphia" and "even William Penn's statue on top of City Hall used to bow to us�every time the Sphas came by." During his 11-year career with the Sphas, they won five ABL championships.

In Robert Peterson's book, Cages to Jump Shots, Gotthoffer was quoted as saying, "I guess I started playing basketball before I could read. I can�t recall not playing. We had a unique situation when I moved to the Bronx from Manhattan�we built a court behind the tenements�the regular courts that were primarily used by people like myself, were at public schools. I can�t recall when I didn�t go to school with my basketball clothes underneath my school clothes so that at 3 o�clock I could stay on the playground and play basketball."

Birth and Death Dates:
b. Jan. 1, 1911 - d. unknown

Career Highlights:
While growing up in New York City, Gotthoffer was a high school teammate of baseball great Hank Greenberg, and led his James Monroe High School team to three consecutive city titles (1926-28). Originally accepted to Providence College, Gotthoffer lost his scholarship because he earned $5 playing for a semi-pro team while in high school. Instead, he helped coach the NYU (New York University) basketball team and played for the Yonkers Knights of Columbus club. In 1932, Philadelphia Sphas owner Eddie Gottlieb bought Gotthoffer's contract from Yonkers for $2,500. Gottlieb was revamping the Sphas, a former barnstorming team, for their entry into the ABL. With Gotthoffer a key player, the Sphas would dominate the league for the next 15 years.

In the 1930s, Gotthoffer was one of the best professional basketball players in the ABL and one of the greatest scorers of his time. In 1936, he was the leading scorer on the Sphas with 250 points (6.7 average - sixth in the ABL) and led them to the league championship. During the season, he was praised by the New York Evening Post as one of the, "first five pro basketball players of today." (March 9, 1936). The following season, Gotthoffer remained among the league leaders in scoring (283 points, eighth in the league), and the Sphas won their second straight title.

By the late 1930s, Gotthoffer was still a key member of the Sphas, and they captured three league title in his final five seasons. Between 1938-1942, he appeared in 119 of 124 regular season games while the Sphas won the championship in 1940 and 1941. He played his final season in 1942-43 when the Sphas won the fifth title of Gotthoffer's career, although he appeared in only seven games.

Over his career, Shikey was named team MVP six straight years and was one of the ABL's highest paid stars ($100/game). Gotthoffer played in 150 career ABL games for the Sphas, and finished his career as the 18th all-time leading scorer in league history with 1085 points (7.2 average).

Origin:
Bronx, New York

Career Dates:
In the 1930s Gotthoffer played in the ABL for the Philadelphia Sphas.

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