Kaminsky, Rick

Robert Isadore Kaminsky

Kaminsky played basketball at Yale University in the early 1960s, and is still considered one of Yale's greatest players. He was a three-time All-Ivy League selection and the second best player in the conference in 1963 and 1964 behind the legendary Bill Bradley. Kaminsky led Yale to the conference title in 1962, the last time the Bulldogs won the Ivy League championship. Kaminsky said of the 1962 team, "We just wanted to win so bad, we never backed off. We weren't afraid of any team. It was infectious...There were no egos. We never cared about how we won our games, as long as we won. There was a tremendous cohesion."

Birth and Death Dates:
b. Dec. 7, 1942

Career Highlights:
Kaminsky made his presence felt immediately as a sophomore in 1962, when he was named second team All-Ivy League. The team's sole all-conference representative, Rick led Yale to the Ivy League championship with a 13-1 conference record (18-5 overall). They received an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. but lost in overtime to Wake Forest, an eventual Final Four team, 92-82. Kaminsky -- who played magnificently, scoring 23 points and hauling in 10 rebounds -- fouled out early in the overtime, although he felt there was no foul. He later said, "I was ready to cry. I think we would have beaten them."

In his junior year in 1963, Kaminsky improved his previous season's performance, finishing second in the conference in scoring with 20.2 points per game (Hall of Famer Bill Bradley led the conference), and was named first team All-Ivy League. Yale and Princeton (led by Bradley) finished tied for first in the conference in the regular season with a record of 11-3 (Yale was 13-10 overall), and were forced into a playoff game to determine the conference champion. In the playoff, Kaminsky led Yale with 21 points (on 8-23 shooting from the field), but was outscored by Bradley (who registered a game-high 23 points), and Yale lost the game, 65-53.

In 1964, Kaminsky remained one of the conference's best players, repeating as the Ivy League's second leading scorer with a career-high 25.5 points per game (he again finished behind Bradley). Named first team All-Ivy League for the second straight year, Kaminsky added Helms first team All-America honors. That year, Yale finished second in the conference to Princeton with a 11-3 mark (16-8 overall). After graduating, Kaminsky was selected by the Philadelphia 76ers in the sixth round of 1964 NBA Draft (49th overall), but did not to play in the NBA.

Origin:
Houston, Texas

Career Dates:
Kaminsky played at Yale University from 1962-1964.

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