Kasner, Jules

Kasner played guard at Brooklyn College from 1939-1941. He was an All-Metropolitan, and one of the top scorers in New York City history in the first half of the 20th Century. Jules later played professionally in the Professional Basketball League of America (a league formed for George Mikan), the ABL (American Basketball League), and the New York State Basketball League.

Birth and Death Dates:
b. 1920

Career Highlights:
One of the top scorers in New York City during his career at Brooklyn College, Kasner played under former CCNY (City College of New York) star, Art Musicant. As a sophomore in 1939, Jules led the team in scoring with 147 points (10th in the Metropolitan area) and Brooklyn finished with a record of 9-8.

The following year, Kasner notched up a whopping 46 points in a game against Yeshiva University (16 field goals, 14-21 free throws). He scored 43 points in the first half and his total of 46 was the fifth-highest single-game scoring mark in college basketball history at that time. Once again, Kasner finished the season in the top ten in scoring in the New York Metropolitan area with 173 points and was named All-Metropolitan honorable mention.

In 1941, Kasner's senior season, he led Brooklyn to an 11-6 record and was the leading scorer in the New York Metropolitan area with 264 points. After graduating, Kasner served as an assistant coach at Brooklyn College and also coached at Fort Monmouth during World War II.

In the mid 1940s, Jules resumed his career as a player, turning pro. He played in the ABL (American Basketball League); and, according to sparse records, Kasner appeared in five games for the Philadelphia SPHAs (the nickname stood for the South Philadelphia Hebrew Association) in 1945-46 and registered 7.6 points per game. The following year, he played in 31 games for the Troy Celtics and scored 9.5 points per game (293 points -- second on the team). Troy finished the season with a record of 13-22, third in the Northern Division.

In 1947-48, Kasner played in two different professional leagues. In the short-lived PBLA (Professional Basketball League of America), Kasner played for the Chattanooga Majors, coached by Dutch Dehnert (a teammate on Nat Holman's Original Celtics. In the first few weeks of the season, Jules was the team's leading scorer with 12.6 points per game, his free throw percentage (81.8) was second in the league, and the Majors went 3-3. Unfortunately, the PBLA (formed by Maurice White to showcase his best player, George Mikan), lasted only three weeks before it folded due to economic hardships; many of the owners had overextended themselves with contracts. Nevertheless, Kasner was named second team All-League (unofficial).

That same season, Kasner also played in the New York State League for the Cohoes Mastodons and served as the team's player/coach. They finished 29-7 during the regular season and won the Eastern Division. Kasner and his squad (which included Jewish stars Paul Schmones, Hank Rosenstein, and Nat Militzok) went on to win the playoffs and capture the league championship. Kasner also played for Cohoes the following year.

Origin:
New York

Career Dates:
Kasner played at Brooklyn College from 1939-1941.

Physical description:
6'1", 170 pounds

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