Larry Finch
| Sport(s) | Basketball |
|---|---|
| Biographical details | |
| Born |
February 16, 1951 Memphis, Tennessee |
| Died | April 2, 2011 (aged 60) Memphis, Tennessee |
| Playing career | |
| 1969–1973 | Memphis |
| 1973−1975 | Memphis Tams/Sounds |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1975–1979 | UAB (assistant) |
| 1979–1986 | Memphis (assistant) |
| 1986–1997 | Memphis |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 220–130 |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Awards | |
| No. 21 retired by the University of Memphis | |
Larry Finch (February 16, 1951 – April 2, 2011) was a player and coach for the University of Memphis men's basketball team. He is perhaps most famous for leading the Memphis State Tigers to the NCAA men's basketball championship game in 1973 in a heroic loss to the UCLA Bruins, led by Bill Walton.
Finch was born in Memphis, and played basketball for Melrose High School (Memphis, Tennessee) in the Orange Mound section of Memphis. He then entered Memphis State and played basketball under famed basketball coach Gene Bartow. This decision was somewhat controversial for both Memphis' black and white communities, given the recent assassination of Martin Luther King and the resultant heightened strain on race relations in Memphis, not to mention so few local African-American prep stars had been able to wear a Tiger uniform to that point. Some had advised Finch not to go, but whether or not he saw it as an opportunity to do something even more meaningful than playing for his local university, Finch loved his hometown team. As he led the Tigers to new heights of success, at least during basketball games, Memphians had a chance to see things less in black and white and more in Tiger blue and gray.
In his senior year at Memphis State, 1972–1973, he and Larry Kenon led the basketball team to the Final Four. In the championship game, Finch scored 29 points, but lost to John Wooden's UCLA Bruins, a game where Bill Walton went 21 of 22 from the floor. Finch graduated the all-time leading scorer in Memphis history, and is currently the second all-time leading scorer for the University of Memphis.
Finch was drafted on the fourth round by the Los Angeles Lakers in 1973, but opted to join the local American Basketball Association team, the Memphis Tams. Finch played professionally for two years with the Tams, the Memphis Sounds and the Baltimore Hustlers and Baltimore Claws.
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