Fred B. Hetzel (born July 21, 1942) is an American former professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player. He was an

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

college player for

Davidson College Davidson College is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Davidson, North Carolina, United States. It was established in 1837 by the Concord Presbytery and named after American Revolutiona ...

. Hetzel was the No. 1 overall pick in the

1965 NBA draft The 1965 NBA draft was the 19th annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on May 6, 1965, before the 1965–66 season. In this draft, nine NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball player ...

by the

San Francisco Warriors The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. Founded in 1946 i ...

and played six seasons in the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

(NBA).

High school career

Hetzel initially attended Woodrow Wilson High School in Washington, D.C., and played for the Tigers in the 1958 season. He then transferred to Landon School in

Bethesda, Maryland Bethesda () is an unincorporated, census-designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. Located just northwest of Washington, D.C., it is a major business and government center of the Washington metropolitan region ...

and was a 3 time All Met. As a sophomore, he averaged 20.5 ppg and 20.4 rebounds per game as a junior. As a 3 time All Met in the '' Washington Daily News'', ''

Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'', and '' Evening Star'', he followed in the footsteps of Lew Luce and George Leftwich as the only 3-peats. He averaged 24.1 ppg in his senior season and finished with 1,210 points during his Bears career. On March 2, 1961, Undefeated Landon and DeMatha Catholic High School (ranked 1–2 in the city) faced off in Cole Field House before a crowd of 6400. Fred Hetzel led Landon that night with 18 points but it was the tandem of John Austin and Gary Ward that led the Stags to victory 57–52.

College career

Hetzel played collegiately at

of the

Southern Conference The Southern Conference (SoCon) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I. Southern Conference College football, football teams c ...

, recruited by Hall of Fame Coach Lefty Driesell. He was the Southern Conference Player of the Year in all three seasons for the Wildcats. Freshmen did not play varsity level, by NCAA rule in Hetzel's era. Davidson lost in the Southern Conference tournament in all three seasons of Hetzel's career, negating NCAA Tournament trips. In 1962–1963, Hetzel averaged 23.7 points and 13.5 rebounds as Davidson finished 20–7. Davidson finished 18th in the AP/UPI polls Davidson was 22–4 in 1963–1964, led by Hetzel's 27.3 points and 13.5 rebounds, winning the Southern Conference. Davidson finished 10th in the AP/UPI polls As a senior, Davidson was 24–2, a perfect 12–0 in the Southern Conference in 1964–1965. behind Hetzel's 26.5 points and 14.8 rebound averages. Hetzel was a consensus All-American in 1965, along with

Bill Bradley William Warren Bradley (born July 28, 1943) is an American politician and former professional basketball player. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he was a United States Senate, United States senator from New ...

of Princeton, Cazzie Russell of Michigan, Gail Goodrich of UCLA and

Rick Barry Richard Francis Dennis Barry III (born March 28, 1944) is an American former professional basketball player who starred at the NCAA, American Basketball Association (ABA) and National Basketball Association (NBA) levels. Barry ranks among the m ...

of Miami (FL). Sports Illustrated projected Davidson as the number one preseason basketball team in the US followed by Michigan.. Davidson ended the year at 6th in the AP/UPI polls. Overall, Hetzel averaged 25.7 032points and 13.8 rebounds in 79 games at Davidson, leading them to a 66–13 record over three seasons. Before Hetzel embarked on his NBA career, he played for Team USA along with Bill Bradley in the 1965 Fifth World University Games in

Budapest, Hungary Budapest is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of Hungary. It is the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, tenth-largest city in the European Union by popul ...

. He helped the United States to a gold medal that he displayed in his living room. He averaged 12.9 points in the eight games.

Professional career

A forward-center from Davidson, Hetzel was selected by the

with the first overall pick of the

on May 6, 1965. As a rookie, Hetzel was named to the 1966

NBA All-Rookie Team The NBA All-Rookie Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) honor given since the 1962–63 NBA season to the top rookies during the regular season. Voting is conducted by the NBA head coaches who are not allowed to vote for play ...

, along with Rick Barry,

Billy Cunningham William John Cunningham (born June 3, 1943) is an American former professional basketball player and coach, who was nicknamed the Kangaroo Kid for his leaping and record-setting rebounding abilities. He spent a total of 17 seasons with the NBA' ...

, Dick Van Arsdale and Tom Van Arsdale. Hetzel averaged 6. 8 points and 5.2 rebounds for Coach

Alex Hannum Alexander Murray Hannum (July 19, 1923 – January 18, 2002) was an American professional basketball player and coach. As a player, Hannum played for six different teams, most notably with the Milwaukee (later St. Louis) Hawks, where he played ...

and the Warriors, with Hall of Famers Rick Barry, Guy Rodgers and

Nate Thurmond Nathaniel Thurmond (July 25, 1941 – July 16, 2016) was an American professional basketball player who spent the majority of his 14-year career in the National Basketball Association (NBA) with the Golden State Warriors franchise. He played the ...

. In 1966–1967, the Warriors improved to 44–37 under Coach

Bill Sharman William Walton Sharman (May 25, 1926 – October 25, 2013) was an American professional basketball player and coach. He is mostly known for his time with the Boston Celtics in the 1950s, partnering with Bob Cousy in what was then consider ...

and advanced to the 1967 NBA Finals, where they lost to

Wilt Chamberlain Wilton Norman Chamberlain ( ; August21, 1936 – October12, 1999) was an American professional basketball player. Standing tall, he played Center (basketball), center in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for 14 seasons. He was enshrin ...

and the

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, also known colloquially as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlan ...

4–2. Hetzel averaged 9.3 points and 4.0 rebounds in the series as the Warriors' 6th man. During the regular season, Hetzel was the team's 4th leading scorer with 12.2 points per game, along with 8.3 rebounds. In 1967–1968, Hetzel had his finest professional season, averaging 19.0 points and 7.1 rebounds for the Warriors. The team finished 49–39, and defeated the

St. Louis Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home games at S ...

in the playoffs, before being swept by the

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

in the Western Division Finals. On May 6, 1968, Hetzel's Warrior career ended. He was chosen by the new

Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...

from the San Francisco Warriors in the NBA expansion draft. During the 1968–1969 season, after 53 games with the Bucks, with Hetzel averaging 15.9 points and 8.9 rebounds, he was traded. On January 31, 1969, he was traded by the Bucks to the Cincinnati Royals for Donald Smith and cash. He finished the year with averages of 14.4 points and 7.3 rebounds. Just before the start of the 1969–1970 season, on October 4, 1969, Hetzel was traded by the Cincinnati Royals to the

for Craig Raymond and a future draft pick. Playing for Coach Jack Ramsey, Hetzel averaged 6.1 points and 3.3 rebounds in a reserve role for the 76ers. On May 11, 1970, Hetzel was again claimed by a new team, when he was drafted by the new

Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division (N ...

from the Philadelphia 76ers in the NBA expansion draft. Later, on August 28, 1970, he was claimed on waivers by the Los Angeles Lakers from the Trail Blazers. Hetzel played 1970–1971 with the Lakers in his final season. He averaged 4.8 points and 2.9 rebounds in 59 games, playing a reserve role on a team with Hall of Famers

Elgin Baylor Elgin Gay Baylor ( ; September 16, 1934 – March 22, 2021) was an American professional basketball player, coach, and executive. He played 14 seasons as a forward in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lak ...

Jerry West Jerry Alan West (May 28, 1938 – June 12, 2024) was an American basketball player and executive. He played professionally for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA), and is widely regarded as one of the greatest ...

, Gail Goodrich and

Pat Riley Patrick James Riley (born March 20, 1945) is an American professional basketball executive, former coach, and former player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has been the team president of the Miami Heat since 1995, and he also se ...

. The Lakers finished 48–34, losing to Lew Alcindor and the Milwaukee Bucks in the Western Division Finals. Overall, Hetzel played six seasons in the

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

(1965–1971), averaging 11.2 points and 5.9 rebounds in 416 games.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

, - , align="left" , 1965–66 , align="left" ,

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

, 56 , , – , , 12.9 , , .399 , , – , , .685 , , 5.2 , , 0.5 , , – , , – , , 6.8 , - , align="left" , 1966–67 , align="left" ,

, 77 , , – , , 27.6 , , .400 , , – , , .810 , , 8.3 , , 1.4 , , – , , – , , 12.2 , - , align="left" , 1967–68 , align="left" ,

, 77 , , – , , 31.1 , , .414 , , – , , .833 , , 7.1 , , 1.7 , , – , , – , , 19.0 , - , align="left" , 1968–69 , align="left" ,

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

, 53 , , – , , 30.0 , , .416 , , – , , .837 , , 8.9 , , 1.6 , , – , , – , , 15.9 , - , align="left" , 1968–69 , align="left" ,

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...

, 31 , , – , , 22.1 , , .488 , , – , , .838 , , 4.5 , , 0.9 , , – , , – , , 11.9 , - , align="left" , 1969–70 , align="left" ,

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, 63 , , – , , 12.0 , , .483 , , – , , .835 , , 3.3 , , 0.7 , , – , , – , , 6.1 , - , align="left" , 1970–71 , align="left" ,

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, 59 , , – , , 10.4 , , .434 , , – , , .779 , , 2.5 , , 0.6 , , – , , – , , 4.8 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 416 , , – , , 21.4 , , .421 , , – , , .817 , , 5.9 , , 1.1 , , – , , – , , 11.2

Playoffs

, - , align="left" , 1966–67 , align="left" ,

, 13 , , – , , 23.7 , , .383 , , – , , .786 , , 7.2 , , 1.8 , , – , , – , , 9.5 , - , align="left" , 1967–68 , align="left" ,

, 10 , , – , , 32.1 , , .460 , , – , , .820 , , 6.6 , , 1.6 , , – , , – , , 18.8 , - , align="left" , 1969–70 , align="left" ,

, 5 , , – , , 15.0 , , .520 , , – , , .818 , , 3.6 , , 0.6 , , – , , – , , 7.0 , - , align="left" , 1970–71 , align="left" ,

, 7 , , – , , 5.4 , , .333 , , – , , 1.000 , , 1.0 , , 0.3 , , – , , – , , 1.7 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 35 , , – , , 21.2 , , .427 , , – , , .814 , , 5.3 , , 1.3 , , – , , – , , 10.3

Personal life

Hetzel resides in Virginia and Florida. *Starting in 1980 he owned and operated Fred Hetzel & Associates a Real Estate and Development Company in Leesburg, Virginia. In 1985 he was elected the President of the Virginia Association of Realtors. Reflecting on his career, Hetzel said “I was injured and had some problems that impacted my pro career,” he said.“However, I am happy to have had the experience of the NBA, to meet such great personalities and to have relationships with such great people is very special." Hetzel's brother Will Hetzel played at Maryland from 1967 to 1970, averaging 18.0 points and 9.1 rebounds in his career. Will Hetzel played for Coach Lefty Drisell in his senior year at Maryland. Hetzel's father, Fred Sr, played basketball at Maryland from 1928 to 1930.

Honors

* In 1985, Hetzel was inducted into the Washington D.C. Metropolitan Basketball Hall of Fame. *1990 Recipient of the NABC Balfour Silver Anniversary Award *Inducted into the Davidson Hall of Fame in 1990. *1996 SoCon 75th All Time All Star Team erry West, Hot Rod Hundley, Fred Hetzel, Dick Groat, Frank Selvy* In 2010, Hetzel was inducted into the Southern Conference Hall of Fame.

References

External links

Career stats
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hetzel, Fred 1942 births Living people All-American college men's basketball players American men's basketball players Basketball players from Washington, D.C. Centers (basketball) Cincinnati Royals players Davidson Wildcats men's basketball players Los Angeles Lakers players Milwaukee Bucks expansion draft picks Milwaukee Bucks players Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) People from Bonita Springs, Florida Sportspeople from Lee County, Florida Philadelphia 76ers players Portland Trail Blazers expansion draft picks Power forwards San Francisco Warriors draft picks San Francisco Warriors players First overall NBA draft picks 20th-century American sportsmen