Thomas Alvin Stith (January 21, 1939 – June 13, 2010), born in Greensville County, Virginia, was an American professional basketball player, formerly of the NBA's New York Knicks. A 6' 5" forward, Stith was an All-American at St. Bonaventure University in 1960 and 1961.
College career
Stith attended St. Francis Preparatory School in Brooklyn and committed to St. Bonaventure University, where he and older brother Sam formed a formidable 1-2 punch. The Stith brothers posted a 52.0 points per game combined scoring average for the 1959–1960 season. Tom Stith became St. Bonaventure's first consensus All-American in 1960 and 1961. Stith left St. Bonaventure as the school's all-time leading scorer, ending his career with 2,052 points. Stith finished second in the nation in scoring to Oscar Robertson in 1960, averaging 31.5 points per game, and he then finished third in 1961 with 29.6 points per game.[1]
Professional career
After completing his collegiate eligibility, Stith was selected by the New York Knicks as the second pick overall in the 1961 NBA draft, behind Indiana's Walt Bellamy. He made the team and played in 46 games over the 1961–62 seasons. However, Stith contracted tuberculosis only a month into the season, and his NBA career was cut short at 25 games and 3.2 points per game.[2]
Stith played in the Eastern Professional Basketball League (EPBL) from 1963 to 1966.[3] He was selected to the All-EPBL First Team in 1965.[3]
Death
Stith died on June 13, 2010, at the age of 71.[4][5]
Career statistics
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
NBA
Source[2]
Regular season
| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1962–63 | New York | 25 | 8.4 | .336 | .300 | 1.6 | .7 | 3.1 |
References
- ^ PROFILE OF A LEGEND: THE STITH BROTHERS
- ^ a b "Tom Stith NBA stats". Basketball Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved March 4, 2024.
- ^ a b "Tom Stith minor league basketball statistics". Stats Crew. Retrieved February 16, 2025.
- ^ Ex-St. Bonaventure Legend Tom Stith Dies At 71[permanent dead link]
- ^ Goldstein, Richard (June 17, 2010). "Tom Stith, All-American at St. Bonaventure, Dies at 71 (Published 2010)". The New York Times. Archived from the original on June 2, 2023.
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