In early 1964, Wiconisco High School basketball star George Long, made regional sports headlines with his record-setting bid to be the top scholastic scorer in Pennsylvania.
Recently, George Long, was inducted into the Capital Area Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame. See: Hall of Fame – George L. Long – Wiconisco High School Basketball Star.
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From the Pocono Record, Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, February 28, 1964:
‘OUTPOST’ WICONISCO COMES LONG, LONG WAY — BY GEORGE
Harrisburg (AP) — It was just a dot on the map until George Long came along. Now college basketball scouts are making the tiny community of Wiconisco a “must” stop in their travels.
Long, who plays for one of the smallest high schools in the state (enrollment 60), is making a bid for the 1964 scholastic basketball scoring championship in Pennsylvania.
With one game left, he has a total of 749 points in 20 games, second only to Larry Miller of Catasauqua. He leads with a lusty 37.4 points a game average.
National Acclaim
Long attracted national recognition last January 28 [1963] by pouring in 70 points in a single game.
Since then, his coach, Curt Eberly reports that every college in Pennsylvania and many from out of state have come to take a look at the 6-1 senior.
“George has the ability to be a great scorer in any basketball game,” says Eberly. “He shoots with either hand. He follows his shots better that any boy I’ve seen, and he out jumps every boy he’s been up against”
Long was unable to play basketball as a freshman because of the death of his father. But he made up for the lost year by continuous practice during the summer months, wearing ankle weights to strengthen his legs.
Long’s favorite shots are the jumper from the pivot and corner.
Hopes to Coach
Long, a “B” student at the Class C school, hopes to be a teacher-coach after college….
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A similar story appeared in the Pottstown Mercury, Pottstown, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, February 28, 1964. One of the paragraphs in the wire service story was modified to refer to him as the “Wiconisco Sharpshooter.” The headline for the Pottstown article: HOT-SHOOTING GEORGE LONG PUTS WICONISCO ON MAP.
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News articles from Newspapers.com.
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