Reid Grayson Gettys (born 1963) is an American lawyer and a former college and professional basketball player, best known as a member of the

Houston Cougars men's basketball The Houston Cougars men's basketball team represents the University of Houston in Houston, Texas, in National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA Division I (NCAA), Division I men's College basketball, basketball competition. They compete as mem ...

team during the early 1980s.

Biography

Gettys played high school basketball at Houston's Memorial High School, but chose to stay home to attend college and play for

Guy Lewis Guy Vernon Lewis II (March 19, 1922 – November 26, 2015) was an American basketball player and coach. He served as the head men's basketball coach at the University of Houston from 1956 to 1986. Lewis led his Houston Cougars to five appearan ...

, rather than following in his father footsteps in attending and playing for

Texas Tech University Texas Tech University (Texas Tech, Tech, or TTU) is a public university, public research university in Lubbock, Texas, United States. Established on February 10, 1923, and called Texas Technological College until 1969, it is the flagship instit ...

. A "set up man" in large part, Gettys played a pivotal role in the success of the powerhouse

Phi Slama Jama Phi Slama Jama was a name given to the men's college basketball teams of the Houston Cougars from 1981 to 1984. Coined by former ''Houston Post'' sportswriter Thomas Bonk, the nickname was quickly adopted by the players and even appeared on team w ...

basketball teams at the

University of Houston The University of Houston (; ) is a Public university, public research university in Houston, Texas, United States. It was established in 1927 as Houston Junior College, a coeducational institution and one of multiple junior colleges formed in ...

during the early to mid-1980s. Gettys, who ranks as Houston's all-time leader in assists with 740, was responsible for distributing the ball to teammates

Hakeem Olajuwon Hakeem Abdul Olajuwon ( ; ; born January 21, 1963), nicknamed "the Dream", is a Nigerian and American former professional basketball player. From 1984 to 2002, he played Center (basketball), center in the National Basketball Association (NB ...

Clyde Drexler Clyde Austin Drexler (born June 22, 1962) is an American former professional basketball player who currently works as the commissioner of the Big3 3-on-3 basketball league. Nicknamed "Clyde the Glide", he played 15 seasons in the National Bask ...

Benny Anders Benny Michael Anders (born October 3, 1963) is an American former basketball player. Anders was a forward on the Guy Lewis-coached Houston Cougars teams during the early 1980s. The team featured a set of players called the Phi Slama Jama basketba ...

Michael Young Michael Young may refer to: Academics * Michael Young, Baron Young of Dartington (1915–2002), British life peer, sociologist and social activist * Michael Young (educationalist), British educational theorist and sociologist * Michael K. Youn ...

, Larry Micheaux and, later,

Rickie Winslow Rickie O'Neal Winslow (born July 26, 1964) is an American former professional basketball player. He has a Turkish passport under the name Kartal Reşat Fırıncıoğlu. Winslow, who was selected by the Chicago Bulls, with the 28th overall pick, ...

. Gettys had a 17-assist game against

Rice University William Marsh Rice University, commonly referred to as Rice University, is a Private university, private research university in Houston, Houston, Texas, United States. Established in 1912, the university spans 300 acres. Rice University comp ...

on February 17, 1985. He also handed out 15 assists in a November 26, 1983, game against the

University of Kansas The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States. Two branch campuses are in the Kansas City metropolitan area on the Kansas side: the university's medical school and hospital ...

. He was also an accurate shooter from long distance (although he played prior to the three-point line) and virtually "automatic" from the free throw line. During the 1982 NCAA Tournament, on March 21, 1982, Gettys sunk 10 consecutive free throws down the stretch to move Houston past Boston College and into the

Final Four In sports, the final four is the last four teams remaining in a playoffs, playoff tournament. Usually the final four compete in the two games of a single-elimination tournament's semi-final (penultimate) round. Of these teams, the two who win in ...

. The Gettys was drafted by the

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference. The team was founded on January 16 ...

in the fifth round of the

1985 NBA draft The 1985–86 NBA season, 1985 NBA draft took place on June 18, 1985. It was also the first NBA draft of the "NBA draft lottery, lottery" era. It was also around this time where the league decreased the amount of rounds the draft spent, with the ...

, but never played in the NBA. He was a member of

Bill Musselman William Clifford Musselman (September 13, 1940 – May 5, 2000) was an American basketball coach in the NCAA, the ABA, the WBA, the CBA, and the NBA. Early life Musselman was the second of five children. His father, Clifford Musselman, was an ...

's 1987–88

Albany Patroons The Albany Patroons are a professional basketball team that plays in The Basketball League (TBL). Previously, the team competed in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) and in the United States Basketball League (USBL). The Patroons won ...

team of the

Continental Basketball Association The Continental Basketball Association (CBA), originally known as the Eastern Pennsylvania Basketball League, and later as the Eastern Professional Basketball League and the Eastern Basketball Association, was a men's professional basketball m ...

(CBA) that posted a record on its way to winning the CBA championship. Gettys spent one season as an assistant coach for the Houston Cougars under his former teammate, Drexler. He has also worked as an

ESPN ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...

basketball analyst and has been a commentator for

Houston Rockets The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA) ...

games. Gettys later earned a J.D. degree and has worked as an attorney in Texas.Robert Weintraub.
Jamfest for the Ages
. ESPN.com. Retrieved on August 5, 2010. He and his wife, Lisa, have two sons and a daughter.

University of Houston Cougars records

*Most assists, career: 740 (in 120 games) (14 in 1981–82; 209 in 1982–83; 309 in 1983–84; 208 in 1984–85) *Highest average, assists per game, career: 6.2 (740/120) *Most assists, season: 309 (in 37 games; 1983–84) *Highest average, assists per game, season: 8.4 (309/37, 1983–84) *Most assists, game: 17, vs. Rice, February 17, 1985

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gettys, Reid 1963 births Living people Memorial High School (Hedwig Village, Texas) alumni Albany Patroons players Basketball coaches from Texas Basketball players from Houston Chicago Bulls draft picks College basketball announcers in the United States Houston Cougars men's basketball players Houston Cougars men's basketball coaches Point guards Texas lawyers American men's basketball coaches American men's basketball players 20th-century American sportsmen