Kaselman, Cy

David Kaselman

Once described in print as a "lady-killer," Kaselman was one of the top players out of Philadelphia in the 1920s. During the 1930s and 1940s, he was a stand-out for an all-Jewish professional team, the Philadelphia Sphas (the nickname stood for the South Philadelphia Hebrew Association), Kaselman helped the squad win five titles in the American Basketball League during his career.

Moe Goldman, a former all-America center from CCNY (City College of New York) and an All-league center for the Sphas from 1934-40, said of Kaselman, "he could shoot from anywhere, a two-handed set-shot, and he was a scorer." The Cy Kaselman Trophy is awarded annually to the most accurate free throw shooter among Big 5 (Philadelphia) schools: Temple, Villanova, LaSalle, St. Joe's, and Penn.

Birth and Death Dates:
b. May 1, 1909 - d. July 3, 1971

Career Highlights:
One of the greatest Jewish players to ever come out of Philadelphia, Kaselman played professionally for the Eddie Gottlieb-led Philadelphia Sphas and was one of their top players during his 12-year career. Gottlieb (who would go on to coach and own the Philadelphia Warriors in the NBA and end up in the Basketball Hall of Fame) helped organized the Sphas in the early 1920s as a barnstorming team. Kaselman joined the squad in 1928 (at the age of 19), by which time the Sphas had put their barnstorming days behind them, and now played in the Eastern Pro League. Kaselman helped the Sphas (or "Hebrews," as some newspapers called them) win three league titles in four years.

In 1933, the American Basketball League was reformed after disbanding three seasons earlier due to economic hardships caused by the Depression. In its second incarnation, the ABL was strictly a regional league, but was considered the top pro league in the East for the next decade. The ABL had been founded in 1925 as a national league, but after its dissolution in 1931, no attempt at a national league would occur until 1946.

The Sphas moved to the ABL that first season and immediately dominated the league. In 1933-34, they went undefeated in the second half of the season and won the championship by defeating Trenton, 4-2 in the playoffs. Over the next eight seasons, Kaselman's performance was outstanding. He helped the Sphas win four more titles before retiring after the 1941-42 season (he only played in four games that year). His best scoring season was 1937-38, when he finished seventh in the league in scoring with 327 points (7.8 average).

Origin:
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Career Dates:
Kasselman played for the Philadelphia Sphas from 1928-1940.

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