Joseph F. "Bells" Colone (January 23, 1924 – July 1, 2009) was an American professional
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...
player for the
New York Knicks
The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the National Basketball Associa ...
Berwick, Pennsylvania
Berwick is a borough in Columbia County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of Northeastern Pennsylvania and is located southwest of Wilkes-Barre. As of the 2020 census, Berwick had a population of 10,355. It is one of the two principal co ...
NBA
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United ...
but still managed to make the Knicks' roster for the 1948–49 season. At 6 feet 5 inches tall and 210 pounds, Joe played the forward position. He only played for one season in the NBA and appeared in 15 games while averaging 5.5 points.
Personal
After his brief stint in the NBA, Colone migrated to
Woodbury, New Jersey
Woodbury is the county seat of Gloucester County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is part of the South Jersey region of the state.Woodbury Junior-Senior High School from 1954 to 1986. He was an assistant coach for the football and basketball teams there. Colone mentored rising basketball star
Dave Budd
David L. Budd (born October 28, 1938) is a retired American basketball player who played for the National Basketball Association's New York Knicks.
Early life
Budd grew up in Woodbury and attended Woodbury Junior-Senior High School. By sophom ...
, who later went on to play at
Wake Forest University
Wake Forest University is a private university, private research university in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Founded in 1834, the university received its name from its original location in Wake Forest, North Carolina, Wake Forest, north of Rale ...
and then, coincidentally, the
New York Knicks
The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the National Basketball Associa ...
. Budd is still the only Woodbury High School graduate to ever reach the NBA. Budd's career lasted five seasons and he was also responsible in sharing the duty of guarding
Wilt Chamberlain
Wilton Norman Chamberlain (; August 21, 1936 – October 12, 1999) was an American professional basketball player who played as a center. Standing at tall, he played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for 14 years and is widely reg ...
during his 100-point game. Budd and Colone stayed friends throughout the rest of Colone's life.
Joe "Bells" Colone died at age 83 on July 1, 2009 after many years of fighting various illnesses. He had been married to his wife Genevieve for 57 years and had five children – four sons and one daughter.