Sewitch, Myron

Sewitch played basketball at Long Island University in the late 1930s and was a member of LIU's 1939 undefeated (24-0) Helms National Championship team. Among Sewitch's classmates were All-Americans, Irv Torgoff, Danny Kaplowitz, and Jack Bromberg.

Birth and Death Dates:
unknown

Career Highlights:
Also known as Mike, Sewitch joined the LIU (Long Island University) varsity basketball team in 1937 as a sophomore and was the team's backup center during the season. Led by sophomore Irv Torgoff and seniors Julie Bender, Leo Merson, and Ben Kramer, LIU finished the season 28-3 and captured the New York City Metropolitan championship. Although mythical (i.e. unofficial) in nature, New York schools still strove for the title. Sewitch appeared in all 33 games as backup to Art Hillhouse, and finished sixth on the team in scoring with 96 points.

In 1938, the Blackbirds lost three of their top players (Bender, Merson, and Kramer)to graduation , but remained one of the strongest teams in the East behind the stellar performances of Sewitch and his classmates. Myron, who finished eighth on the team in scoring with 109 points (31st in the Metropolitan area), helped lead LIU to a 23-3 record and into the NIT (National Invitational Tournament), the first-ever national postseason tournament.. In the first round, LIU played one of major rival NYU (New York University). Sewitch scored two points in the game and the Blackbirds lost the match, 39-37.

In 1939, Sewitch scored 83 points during the regular season (seventh on the team), and while he remained a backup for much of the early part of the year, he moved into the starting line-up in key games. In the final contest of the season, Sewitch started at center and scored one point as undefeated LIU gained its 21st consecutive victory of the season in a 28-21 win over LaSalle. It was a costly win, however. With nine minutes remaining in the second half, a brawl erupted on the floor between the two teams. The melee had to be broken up by police. Sewitch broke his hand during the fray in found himself out of commisison for the next week.

Without Sewitch in the lineup, the Blackbirds entered the NIT as the top seeded team in the tournament and were considered by many to be the best team in the country. After defeating New Mexico in the first round (52-45), and beating Bradley in the semifinals (36-32), LIU entered the NIT final undefeated at 23-0. Their opponent in the championship game was another unbeaten team, Loyola of Chicago, in a showdown that would feature the only NIT title game face-off of two teams with perfect records. Sewitch returned to the starting lineup for the final, and although he scored one point, he held Loyola's All-America center Mike Novak to only one point in the contest. LIU captured the NIT title by a final score of 44-32. Following their victory, the Blackbirds were recognized as National Champions by the Helms Foundation.

Origin:
unknown

Career Dates:
Sewitch played guard and center at LIU from 1936-1939.

< Previous |  Next >