1971–72 Virginia Squires season

1971–72 Virginia Squires season
Head coach	Al Bianchi
Arena	Norfolk Scope Hampton Coliseum Richmond Coliseum Roanoke Civic Center
Results
Record	45–39 (.536)
Place	Division: 2nd (Eastern)
Playoff finish	Lost in Division Finals

The 1971–72 Virginia Squires season was the second season of the Virginia Squires in the American Basketball Association. This was the debut season of future Hall of Famer Julius Erving. In the first half of the season, the Squires were 26–16, with a season-high five-game losing streak and one five-game winning streak in that half. In the second half, they went 19–23. The Squires finished 2nd in points scored at 118.9 per game, but 9th in points allowed at 118.0 per game. Just before the season ended, Charlie Scott left the team and joined the NBA's Phoenix Suns, completing a trade with the Boston Celtics (who held his original draft rights) for Paul Silas. Scott set the all-time ABA individual single-season scoring record by averaging 34.6 points per game. In the playoffs, the Squires swept the Floridians (with Game 2 even being broadcast on CBS), but the Squires lost to the New York Nets in the Division Finals. After the season, the Squires stopped playing in Roanoke, electing to focus on Norfolk, Hampton, and Richmond only.

Roster

1971–72 Virginia Squires roster

Players

Coaches

Pos. No. Player Height Weight DOB From PG Mike Barrett 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 155 lb (70 kg) September 5, 1943 West Virginia Tech SF 16 Bill Bunting 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 200 lb (91 kg) August 26, 1947 North Carolina C 42 Jim Eakins 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 215 lb (98 kg) May 24, 1946 BYU SF 32 Julius Erving 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 210 lb (95 kg) February 22, 1950 UMass SF 30 George Irvine 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 200 lb (91 kg) February 1, 1948 Washington PF 24 Neil Johnson 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 220 lb (100 kg) April 17, 1943 Creighton PF 34 Mike Maloy 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 215 lb (98 kg) May 10, 1949 Davidson SF 15 Doug Moe 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 215 lb (98 kg) September 21, 1938 North Carolina G 21 Dana Pagett 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 180 lb (82 kg) March 29, 1949 USC SG 33 Charlie Scott 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 175 lb (79 kg) December 15, 1948 North Carolina C 22 Ray Scott 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 215 lb (98 kg) July 12, 1938 Portland SG 0 Adrian Smith 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 180 lb (82 kg) October 5, 1936 Kentucky C 35 Willie Sojourner 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 225 lb (102 kg) September 10, 1948 Weber State PG 14 Roland Taylor 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 175 lb (79 kg) March 13, 1946 La Salle SG 11 Bernie Williams 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 175 lb (79 kg) December 30, 1945 La Salle

Head coach Al Bianchi Legend (DP) Unsigned draft pick (FA) Free agent (S) Suspended Injured Roster

Final standings

Eastern Division

Team	W	L	%	GB
Kentucky Colonels	68	16	.810	–
Virginia Squires	45	39	.536	23
New York Nets	44	40	.524	24
The Floridians	36	48	.429	32
Carolina Cougars	35	49	.417	33
Pittsburgh Condors	25	59	.298	43

Playoffs

Eastern Division Semifinals

Game	Date	Location	Score	Record	Attendance
1	April 2	Norfolk (Virginia)	114–107 (OT)	1–0	3,770
2	April 4	Hampton (Virginia)	125–100	2–0	2,921
3	April 6	Florida	118–113	3–0	2,965
4	April 8	Florida	115–106	4–0	3,117

Squires win series, 4–0

Eastern Division Finals vs. New York Nets

Game	Date	Location	Score	Record	Attendance
1	April 13	Richmond (Virginia)	138–91	1–0	5,526
2	April 15	Norfolk (Virginia)	115–106	2–0	10,410
3	April 24	New York	117–119	2–1	11,893
4	April 26	New York	107–118	2–2	11,164
5	April 29	Hampton (Virginia)	116–107	3–2	6,309
6	May 1	New York	136–146	3–3	11,152
7	May 4	Norfolk (Virginia)	88–94	3–4	10,410

Squires lose series, 4–3

Awards and honors

1972 ABA All-Star Game selections (game played on January 29, 1972)

• Julius Erving
• Charlie Scott

References

• Squires on Basketball Reference

External links

• RememberTheABA.com 1971–72 regular season and playoff results
• Virginia Squires page