Dwight ‘Bo’ Lamar obit

Former USL basketball legend Dwight ‘Bo’ Lamar dies at 74

 

He was not on the list.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (KLFY) — Former University of Southwestern Louisiana (now Louisiana-Lafayette) basketball legend Dwight “Bo” Lamar has died, the school has confirmed. He was 74.

Lamar was a three-time All-American between 1969–1973, and was named first-team All-America in 1972 and 1973, leading the Ragin’ Cajuns to a 90–23 record in his four seasons.

During his college career he averaged 31.2 points a game, amassing 3,493 total points. He was the 1972 NCAA scoring champion, averaging 36.3 points per game.

Drafted by the NBA’s Detroit Pistons in the third round in 1973, Lamar signed instead with the ABA’s San Diego Conquistadors, and was named to the ABA’s All-Rookie first team. He later played with the Indiana Pacers and Los Angeles Lakers.

He returned to the Lafayette area after his playing career ended, and provided color commentary for radio broadcasts of USL games.

In 1984, Lamar was inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame.

He died early this morning in a nursing home in his hometown of Columbus, Ohio.

A graduate of East High School in Columbus, Ohio, Lamar attended Southwestern Louisiana, who transitioned to Division I in 1971–1972. Lamar did not even average 20 points per game as a senior in high school, playing alongside friend and teammate Ed Ratleff, but Southwestern Louisiana coach Beryl Shipley made him the focus of the SLA offense, with free rein to shoot. averaging 22.8 to earn “Freshman of the Year” in the Gulf States Conference. Eventually, the basketball program was given a two-year death penalty by the NCAA during Lamar's senior season, that went into effect the next season.

Lamar was a three-time collegiate All-American between 1969–1973, and was named First team All-America in 1972 and 1973 along with Bill Walton, David Thompson and Ernie DiGregorio. During his college career he averaged 31.2 points a game, a point total of 3,493 points, which remains among the top ranks of NCAA basketball. He is known for his extremely high long-range shot that some coaches say dusted the rafters.

“Bo Lamar is the purest shooter I’ve ever seen,” said Hall of Fame Coach Jerry Tarkanian.

Lamar was a third-round pick by the Detroit Pistons in the 1973 NBA draft. He was the top overall pick in the 1973 American Basketball Association Draft by the San Diego Conquistadors and signed with them.

As a rookie in 1973–1974, Lamar averaged 20.4 points per game for San Diego and made the ABA All-Rookie team, playing for Coach Wilt Chamberlain. He also set the franchise record, scoring 50 points in one game.

Lamar averaged 20.9 points per game in 1974–1975, being reunited with his college coach Beryl Shipley, during the season. After averaging 16.0 in his third season, he ended up playing sparingly for the Lakers in 1976–1977, the final year of his career. Lamar was released by the Lakers after the season.

He played for three American Basketball Association teams: the San Diego Conquistadors (1973–1975), the rebranded San Diego Sails (1975) (who folded after 11 games) and the Indiana Pacers (1975–1976) before moving to the NBA after the ABA–NBA merger. In 1976–1977 Lamar played 71 games for the Los Angeles Lakers. Overall, Lamar averaged 16.4 points and 3.9 assists in 273 career games. His ABA averages were 19.7 points and 4.4 assists in 202 games.