Bassin, Harry

A two-sport star at Georgetown in the 1930s (basketball and baseball), Bassin was a three-year starter at forward on the basketball team. A left-hander, he is a member of the Georgetown Athletic Hall of Fame.

Birth and Death Dates:
d. July 7, 1965

Career Highlights:
Harry was a star at Eastern High School in Washington D.C., and began his varsity career at Georgetown University in the 1935-36 season. A sophomore forward that year, in one of the first games of the season Harry scored a team-high 12 points in a 44-43 overtime loss to Temple (led by future All-America center, Mike Bloom).
Later in the season, Bassin was the star and Georgetown defeated the defending National Champions, NYU (led by Willie Rubenstein, Len Maidman, Irwin Klein, and Milt Schulman) by a score of 36-34. The Georgetown victory, punctuated by Harry's game-high 11 points, ended the Violets' 20-game winning streak. Georgetown went on to finish the season with a poor 7-11 record, but their victory over powerhouse NYU did much for the squad's ego. Bassin was named second team all-district by the Washington Post and second team all-Eastern Conference.
In 1937, Bassin returned to Georgetown's starting line-up as a junior and helped the team improve to a record of 9-8 (3-7 in the Eastern Conference) while being named honorable mention all-conference. During the year, they again defeated NYU -- this time, by a score of 46-40. Harry registered two points in the contest. The game against NYU was played in Madison Square Garden as part of a doubleheader. The other game that night was one of the most famous face-offs in college basketball history: the legendary Hank Luisetti led Stanford to a 45-31 win over LIU, ending LIU's 43-game winning streak.
In 1938, Harry's senior season, Georgetown finished 7-11. That year, he was named second team all-district by the Washington Post After graduating, Bassin signed with the New York Yankees and played in the team's farm system until 1943. Co-owner of a liquor store in Washington D.C., Bassin was inducted into the Georgetown Hall of Fame for both basketball and baseball.

Origin:
Washington D.C.

Career Dates:
Bassin played guard and forward at Georgetown from 1936-1938.

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References:
encyclopedia of JEWS in sports, by Bernard Postal, Jesse Silver, and Roy Silver (New York: Bloch Publishing Co., 1965)
The Washington Post, December 12, 1935
The Washington Post, February 5, 1936
The Washington Post, July 8, 1965