Kinsbrunner, Mac

Max Kinsbrunner

An outstanding dribbler, Kinsbrunner was a member of the famed “Wonder Five” basketball team that won 68 of 72 games in a three-year span (1929-1931). A five-sport star at St. John’s University Kinsbrunner also played soccer, football, baseball, and ran track, and was the first member of the “Wonder Five” to be named All-America (in 1929-30). Both Nat Holman and Red Auerbach called Kinsbrunner the greatest dribble either had ever seen.

Along with fellow Jewish stars Max Posnack, Rip Gerson, Allie Schuckman, and Polish teammate Matty Begovich, the “Wonder Five” dominated their competition and became one of the most influential teams in college basketball history. Their success and popularity paved the way for a new era of college basketball, with double-headers at Madison Square Garden, and eventually, national post-season tournaments. Their style was deliberate, and at times very slow, but they worked as a team and each player understood his role to perfection. In 1997, St. John's Wonder Five was inducted into the New York City Basketball Hall of Fame.

Birth and Death Dates:
b. March 21, 1909 - d. Feb. 16, 1972

Career Highlights:
Born in Austria, Kinsbrunner what a young child when he and his family emigrated to the United States. After graduating from high school in New York City, Kinsbrunner began his college career at Syracuse University. He then transferred to St. John’s University and with fellow freshmen Max Posnack and Rip Gerson, helped the Redmen win their first eight games of the 1927-28 season. The team eventually finished the season with a record of 18-4. Kinsbrunner, who appeared in 17 games, was the team’s sixth leading scorer with 63 points (3.7 points per game).

As sophomores in 1928-29, Kinsbrunner, Posnack, and Gerson, were joined on the varsity by another Jewish star, Allie Schuckman, who had started his college career at LIU, but transferred to St. John’s. Schuckman, a teammate of Max Posnack's at Thomas Jefferson High School in Brooklyn, became the team’s best outside shooter and offensive weapon. That year, St. John’s lost an early season game to Providence, led by Jewish All-America Ed Wineapple, but then won their next 18 games and finished the season with a record of 23-2 – their 18-game winning streak is still the second longest in school history. Kinsbrunner, who started at guard, played in all 25 games and scored 125 points (5.0 points per game), second on the team (38th in the East).

In 1929-30, the fifth member of the Wonder Five joined the team. The only non-Jewish member of this famed squad, Matt Begovich was a 6'5" center who played a key role in the St. John’s attack. With Begovich’s ability to win the tap (at this time, a center jump followed every succesful basket, including free throws), St. John’s was able to control the ball and work it into the position for Schuckman to shoot from the outside. If he could not get a good shot, the team then launched a brilliant passing attack with the ballhandling of Posnack, or stalled to find an easy shot with the incredible dribbling of Kinsbrunner.

Without a shot clock, midcourt line, or ten-second rule, St. John’s would sometimes hold the ball for over ten minutes at a time while slowly working the ball toward the basket. This style, which was very effective, but also very boring, was not conducive to a spectator sport. Nevertheless, the “Wonder Five” went 23-1, and Kinsbrunner was named first team All-Metropolitan and College Humor third team All-America as the team’s third-leading scorer with 124 points (5.2 points per game). Considered the top team in the East for the second consecutive year, many believed that St. John’s was the best team in the country, although they were ranked behind Pittsburgh, who had finished 23-2.

Prior to the 1930-31 season, Kinsbrunner and his teammates were praised in the newspapers for their exploits and the excitement surrounding their senior season followed them wherever they played. Considered “the strongest group of passers in the East,” the Wonder Five had perfected their team play as each man knew his role. The New York Evening Post wrote that Kinsbrunner, "promises to be every bit as brilliant this year as he was last. Fully recovered from the shoulder injury which kept him off the football field last fall, he is once more the best dribbler in the city…one of the most dangerous scoring threats on the team. His antics when in possession of the ball have saved St. John’s many games where is time left only to freeze the ball."

St. John’s won their final 11 games of the season in 1929-30 and then captured their first 13 games of the 1930-31 season; their 24-game winning streak is the longest in school history. One of the matches during this Depression era streak was played against CCNY (City College of New York) at Madison Square Garden. It was part of a triple-header of New York schools organized as a benefit for the Unemployment Relief Fund, and sponsored by the mayor of New York. Over 15,000 people saw six New York Metropolitan teams (St. John’s, CCNY, NYU, Columbia, Manhattan, and Fordham) square off in the first college basketball games at the famed Garden. The event raised more than $20,000 for the relief fund.

In the CCNY-St. John’s game, City College scored the first basket of the game, but then did not score another field goal until the final minute. St. John’s held them scoreless from the field for 38 minutes of running clock time (the clock was not stopped at this time either, even during free throws, out-of-bounds plays, or center jumps). Kinsbrunner scored one point in the game, and the "Wonder Five" won the game, 17-9. Mac's dribbling also helped foil CCNY’s attempts to get the ball in the last 10-15 minutes of the game when St. John’s went into a stall. Although the Redmen won the game, many fans were upset at their deliberate style of play.

St. John’s lost a mid-season game to NYU (New York University), ending their winning streak, but then won their final eight games of the season to finish 21-1 and win their third consecutive Eastern championship. Kinsbrunner, who appeared in 22 games during the season, was the team’s third-leading scorer with 95 points (4.3 points per game). At the end of the season, he was named second team All-Metropolitan and the New York Post wrote, "Kinsbrunner, St. John’s spark plug and outstanding exponent of the dribble, could very well be given a place on the first team…"

Within two weeks of the final regular season game, a scandal broke in the college basketball ranks in New York City. It was discovered that all the members of the "Wonder Five," as well as players from NYU and other schools, had played professionally under aliases during their college careers, and therefore had forfeited their amateur status. Kinsbrunner, who also played on the baseball team, and his teammates were suspended from all athletic competition. Although they all denied the accusations, which had been following them for two years, it was later discovered that they had, in fact, played professionally in New Jersey during their college career.

The charges of professionalism levied against the “Wonder Five” and other New York City players brought about change in college basketball rules: no longer could student players participate in organized games with professionals, even if they maintained their amateur status. Although Schuckman and Begovich had eligibility remaining, following the suspension of the players, the “Wonder Five” officially turned professional as a group, calling themselves the Brooklyn Jewels.

In 1933, they renamed the team the New York Jewels and entered the American Basketball League, the top pro league in the East. They remained together for five more years in the ABL and played in two championships (1935 and 1938), but lost both. Kinsbrunner was one of the league's top scorers and finished in the top ten twice in his career. In 1937, he finished second in the league in scoring with 10.1 points per game (346 points) and finished sixth (8.5, 329 points) the following year. Mac played in 145 career ABL games and finished his career as the 14th all-time leading scorer in league history with 1213 points (8.4 average).

Origin:
New York

Career Dates:
Kinsbrunner played as a guard at St. John's from 1928-1931.

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