Bilsky, Steve

Steven J. Bilsky

Bilsky was an All-Ivy League point guard at Penn from 1969-1971, and led the Quakers to two consecutive conference championships and an undefeated regular season in 1971. Steve finished his career with 1,108 points (24th in school history), a 13.9 points per game average, and 388 made free throws (sixth in school history). He also holds the school record for made free throws in a single game (17). Biksly is a member of the Philadelphia Jewish Sports Hall of Fame, the University of Pennsylvania Athletics Hall of Fame, and the Big 5 (Philadelphia) Hall of Fame. He is currently the Athletic Director at his alma mater, the University of Pennsylvania.

Birth and Death Dates:
unknown

Career Highlights:
Born in New York, Bilsky began his college basketball career as a sophomore at the University of Pennsylvania in 1969. That season, he was named All-Ivy League second team and the Quakers finished in third place in the conference with a 10-4 record (15-10 overall). During the season, Bilsky set the school record for free throws made in a single game with 17 (on a record 20 attempts) against Columbia.

As a junior in 1970, Bilsky was named All-Ivy League first team, and led the Quakers in free throw percentage (81% -- 162-200). He also tied his own record with free throws made in game with 17 (the record still stands). That year, Penn captured the conference championship with a perfect 14-0 record. With an overall record of 25-2, the Quakers were ranked No. 13 in the country and earned an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament as Ivy League champs. In the first round of the East Region, Bilsky scored 22 points and added two rebounds, but the Quakers lost to Niagara, 79-69.

In 1971, Bilsky had an outstanding season. He averaged 12.2 points per game and was named All-Ivy League second team, UPI Little All-America, and runner-up for the Naismith Award, given annually to the country's best player under six feet. Penn's floor general, Bilsky was an adept ball handler whose ability helped lead the Quakers to an undefeated regular season 26-0 (14-0 in conference) and a No. 3 ranking in the nation. They returned to the NCAA tournament as the Ivy League champion for the second consecutive year.

Again placed in the East Region, Penn had a more successful tournament in 1971. In the first round, they defeated Duquesne, 70-65. Bilsky, who had been injured in the final regular season game, came off the bench to register ten points, five assists, and three rebounds. He returned to the starting line-up in the East Semifinal against South Carolina and scored eight points in Penn's 79-64 victory. His ballhandling allowed the Quakers to kill the clock with a stall in the final minutes of the game. In the East Regional final, Bilsky struggled to score only two points as Penn lost to Philadelphia-rival Villanova by a score of 90-47.

After graduating, Bilsky was selected in the 19th round by Carolina in the 1971 ABA (American Basketball Association) Draft, but did not play professional basketball. He graduated from the Wharton School with a bachelor of science in economics in 1971 and then earned a Master�s degree in counseling psychology at the University of Oregon in 1975. Four years later, he returned to Penn as the school's Assistant Director of Athletics, a post he held until 1983. Bilsky then became the executive director of the Department of Athletics and Recreation at George Washington University. In 1994, he was named Athletic Director at Penn, a position he still holds.

Origin:
Roslyn, New York

Career Dates:
Bilsky played guard at the University of Pennsylvania from 1969-1971.

Physical description:
5'10"

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