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Kent Washington

This article is about the basketball player. For the city, see Kent, Washington. For the neighborhood, see Kent (Washington, D.C.).

Kent "Ken" Washington (born January 10, 1956; nicknamed "Nut")[1][2] is an American former professional basketball player. He was the first American as well as the first black professional basketball player to play behind the Iron Curtain. He played professional basketball in the Polish People's Republic from 1979–83. He was the PLK Most Valuable Player in 1980. He won the Polish Cup in 1983. In total, he played professional basketball in Europe for 14 years. He is the author of the 2021 memoir Kentomania: A Black Basketball Virtuoso in Communist Poland.

Kent Washington
Personal information
Born (1956-01-10) January 10, 1956 (age 68)
New Rochelle, New York, United States
Listed height178 cm (5 ft 10 in)
Career information
High schoolNew Rochelle High School
CollegeSouthampton College (1974–1978)
Playing career1974–1995
PositionPoint guard
Career history
As player:
1978–81Start Lublin
1981–83Zagłębie Sosnowiec
1983–8?IFK Linköping
198?–19??Plannja Basket Luleå
19??–1995BC Växjö
As coach:
00000000IFK Linköping
00000000Luleå BBK
1997–?Iona Gaels
2000–04Mercy College

Early and personal life

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Washington was born in New Rochelle, New York, to Ralph (New Rochelle’s first black police detective) and Cloteal Washington.[1][3][4] He has an older brother, Kurt.[5][3] He attended New Rochelle Public Schools.[3] He was New Rochelle High School’s starting point guard, was All-Conference and All-County, and was MVP of the Westchester Holiday Tournament.[1] He graduated in 1973.[1][6]

He received a four-year scholarship to NCAA Division II Southampton College (now Stony Brook Southampton).[7] There, he majored in sociology and scored 1,082 points for the Colonials.[8][9][1] He was team captain in 1976 and 1977.[6] In his junior year in college Washington averaged 15 points and 8 assists per game, shooting 54% from the floor.[10] He completed his career as the school's career assists leader.[11] He was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers in the 10th round in 1977.[1] He was 5 feet 8 inches tall.[4]

Playing in Sweden, Washington met his future wife, Susanne.[1][12] Their daughter, Kehli, was born in Sweden, became a star softball player for New Rochelle High School, Rider University, and the Swedish national softball team, and played softball professionally in the Netherlands.[1]

Basketball career

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Poland

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In 1979, at the age of 23, Washington became the first American as well as the first black professional basketball player to play behind the Iron Curtain.[13][1][10] He played professional basketball in the Polish People's Republic from 1978–83.[3] In Poland, he played for Start Lublin from 1979–81, with the team winning bronze medals in 1979 and 1980, and for Zagłębie Sosnowiec from 1981–83.[14][15] In total, he played professional basketball in Europe for 14 years.[1]

In 1986, between seasons in Poland, Washington played for the New Jersey Jammers in the United States Basketball League, which were coached by Nate Archibald.[16]

In Poland, Washington averaged 20 points per game, and playing in the Polish Basketball League (PLK) was the PLK Most Valuable Player in 1980.[1][10] He won the Polish Cup in 1983 with Zagłębie Sosnowiec.[17][18]

His popularity was so great in PRL-era Poland during his five seasons there between 1978 and 1983 that it was dubbed "Kentomania".[19][20][13][10][21] Washington, a black man, was a novelty for Polish fans; he said: "They touched my hair and my skin out of curiosity."[22] One time a two-year-old bit Washington on his finger, thinking he was chocolate.[22] Reportedly soldiers assigned to crack down on public gatherings as part of a national martial law decree would abandon their tanks to seek his autograph.[1] Washington also appeared in the 1981 Polish comedy cult film Miś.[23]

Sweden

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Washington later played professionally for 10 years in Sweden.[24] He played for three teams in its top league—IFK Linköping, Plannja Basket Luleå, and BC Växjö, led the league in scoring in 1985–86, and averaged 23 points per game in his Swedish career.[1] At 38 years of age he retired.[1]

Coaching

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Washington coached women's basketball in Sweden for two years. In 1997, he and his wife and daughter returned to New Rochelle.[1]

Washington then coached the women's basketball teams at Iona University (beginning in 1997) and Mercy College in Westchester (2000–04), and worked as a teacher's assistant at Washington Irving School in Tarrytown, New York.[25][11][26][1][27]

Honors

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Washington was inducted into the New Rochelle Sports Hall of Fame in 2002.[28] He was inducted into the Westchester Sports Hall of Fame in 2021.[29]

Memoir

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Washington is the author of the 2021 memoir Kentomania: A Black Basketball Virtuoso in Communist Poland.[30][3]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Haggerty, Nancy (June 12, 2020). "Breaking barriers: Washington first American to play pro basketball behind Iron Curtain". The Journal News.
  2. ^ "Historia Polskiej Ligi Koszykówki Mężczyzn". plkhistory.ugu.pl. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Kent Washington". Wilson Center.
  4. ^ a b "Kent Washington Player Profile". RealGM Basketball.
  5. ^ Daylin Salas (March 9, 2022). "Former New Rochelle High School Basketball Star Writes Book". New Rochelle High School.
  6. ^ a b Cox, Robert (October 16, 2022). "New Rochelle High School Retires Jerseys of 3 All-Time Great Basketball Players". Talk of the Sound.
  7. ^ "New Rochelle HS Retires Jerseys Of 3 Of Its All-Time Greatest Players". New Rochelle, NY Patch. October 17, 2022.
  8. ^ "9 December 1976". Southampton Press.
  9. ^ "College Wins Four". The East Hampton Star. February 24, 1977. p. 8.
  10. ^ a b c d "Cut By the NBA, He Found Fame In Communist Poland". Sports History Weekly. January 8, 2023.
  11. ^ a b "Huguenot Sports Legends Washington and Rice Join Hall of Fame"
  12. ^ "Młody Ochódzki, czyli czarodziej z Harlemu". Rzeczpospolita.
  13. ^ a b Jakub Wojczyński (May 2, 2023), "Amerykanie są jednocześnie zbawieniem i przekleństwem. Podbili świat. Nie ma innego wyjścia?", Przegląd Sportowy (in Polish)
  14. ^ Nowacki, Krzysztof (September 1, 2023). "Kiedyś czarował na boisku i grał w "Misiu". Po 40 latach Kent Washington wrócił do Lublina". Kurier Lubelski.
  15. ^ "Kent Washington". polskikosz.pl. November 10, 2009.
  16. ^ "1986 Jersey Jammers minor league basketball Roster". StatsCrew.
  17. ^ Maris Noviks (July 12, 2022). "Welcome MKS Start Lublin!". European North Basketball League.
  18. ^ Marek Kępa (June 29, 2021), I Felt Polish: A Chat with American Basketball Pro Kent Washington, culture.pl
  19. ^ Kurasiewicz, Krzysztof (November 3, 2018). "Kurczak z frytkami, mały piesek i koszykówka". PROBASKET.
  20. ^ "Start Lublin – Polonia Warszawa. Debiut Kenta Washingtona".
  21. ^ Kent Washington (2021). Kentomania: A Black Basketball Virtuoso in Communist Poland. independent. pp. 1–247. ISBN 9798786557979.
  22. ^ a b Anderson, Sheldon (March 27, 2023). "Kentomania: A Black Basketball Virtuoso in Communist Poland by Kent Washington (review)". Journal of Cold War Studies. 25 (2): 255–257 – via Project MUSE.
  23. ^ Żelazko, Basia (May 15, 2020). "Kent Washington: pamiętacie koszykarza z "Misia"?". WP Film (in Polish). Retrieved May 2, 2023.
  24. ^ Haggerty, Nancy (November 18, 2021). "Ray Rice headlines five-member class inducted into Westchester Sports Hall of Fame". The Journal News. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
  25. ^ "Transactions," The New York Times.
  26. ^ "All-time Coaching Records," Mercy College Women's Basketball.
  27. ^ "New Rochelle High School retires numbers of 3 basketball legends". News 12. October 17, 2022.
  28. ^ "2002". New Rochelle Sports Hall of Fame.
  29. ^ Jeff Edwards (July 27, 2021). "2 New Rochelle Athletes Inducted To Westchester Hall Of Fame; NFL legend Ray Rice and former Iona basketball coach Kent Washington earned their places in Westchester sports history". New Rochelle, NY Patch.
  30. ^ "'Kentomania': American basketball player recounts his life in communist Poland; A book newly published in Poland recounts the story of Kent Washington, an American basketball player who lived in communist Poland from 1979 to 1983". Polskie Radio. April 9, 2023.

Bibliography

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  • Autobiography: Kent Washington (2021). Kentomania: A Black Basketball Virtuoso in Communist Poland. independent. pp. 1–247. ISBN 9798786557979.
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