Posnack, Mac

Max Posnack

Posnack was one of four Jewish starters on the legendary St. John's "Wonder Five" that was inducted into the New York City Basketball Hall of Fame in 1997.

Birth and Death Dates:
unknown

Career Highlights:
Posnack, the sole forward on the "Wonder Five," entered St. John's in 1928 with fellow freshmen, center Matt Begovich, and guards, dribble king Mac Kinsbrunner, quick shooting Allie Schuckman, and defensive specialist Rip Gerson. After a solid freshman season that saw them finish 18-4, the "Wonder Five" began dominating their opponents. In 1929, as sophomores, they racked up an 18-game winning streak and became one of the most popular teams in the country. The next two seasons they also had long winning streaks, including 27 in a row during their junior and senior years! In 1931, Posnack was team captain and named College Humor first team All-America while at St. John's; of the 'Wonder Five,' only he and Mac Kinsbrunner received All-America honors. All told, they compiled a stunning record of 86-8 in their years together with remarkable seasons of 23-2, 24-1, and 21-1, and helped popularize the college game in New York City.

During the 1930-31 season, in the midst of their 27 game winning streak, the "Wonder Five" played Nat Holman's CCNY squad in front of a record 12,000 people! Realizing the popularity of the "Wonder Five", the mayor of New York City called for a triple header at Madison Square Garden to benefit the Unemployment Relief Fund. In the middle of the Depression, 15,000 people came to watch Columbia, Fordham, CCNY, Manhattan, St. John's, and NYU play, and the doubleheaders at MSG were born; the games soon included out-of-state teams and the best teams in the country. The Garden would serve as the mecca of college basketball for the next twenty years and New York City proved to be the center of the college basketball world.

After the 1931 season, the five players turned professional, calling themselves the Brooklyn Jewels, an independent traveling team. 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 in both of them.

Origin:
unknown

Career Dates:
Posnack played forward at St. John's from 1928-1931.

< Previous |  Next >