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Hank Beenders

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Hank Beenders
Personal information
Born(1916-07-02)July 2, 1916
Haarlem, Netherlands
DiedOctober 27, 2003(2003-10-27) (aged 87)
Somerville, New Jersey
NationalityDutch / American
Listed height6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Listed weight185 lb (84 kg)
Career information
High schoolNorth Plainfield
(North Plainfield, New Jersey)
CollegeLIU Brooklyn (1939–1942)
Playing career1945–1950
PositionForward / center
Number6, 15
Career history
1945–1946Paterson Crescents
19461948Providence Steamrollers
1948Philadelphia Warriors
1948Boston Celtics
1949–1950Hartford Hurricanes
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata

Henry Gerald Beenders (June 2, 1916 – October 27, 2003)[1] was a Dutch-American professional basketball player.

Early life

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Beenders was born in Haarlem, Netherlands, and migrated to the United States at age eight. He lived in Brooklyn, New York, and Scotch Plains, New Jersey, before moving to Bridgewater Township, New Jersey, in the late 1960s.[2] He attended North Plainfield High School in North Plainfield, New Jersey.[3]

Playing career

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Beenders played the center position on the 1941 NIT champion Long Island University team, and was team captain during the 1941–42 season under Hall of Fame coach Clair Bee.[4] He served with the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. Beenders was one of the first international basketball players in the Basketball Association of America (BAA), which became the National Basketball Association (NBA). Beenders averaged 12.3 points in his rookie season with Providence, which was 13th best in the league that season.[3] He played for Providence the following season until he was sold to the Philadelphia Warriors on January 15, 1948.[3] On May 1, 1948, Beenders was traded to the Boston Celtics with Chick Halbert for Ed Sadowski.[3]

Later life

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After ending his basketball career, Beenders worked as an international sales representative for a clothing exporting company in New York City for 35 years. He was 87 when he died at the Somerset Medical Center in Somerville, New Jersey.[4]

BAA career statistics

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Legend
  GP Games played  FG%  Field-goal percentage
 FT%  Free-throw percentage  APG  Assists per game
 PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

Regular season

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Year Team GP FG% FT% APG PPG
1946–47 Providence 58 .262 .704 .6 12.3
1947–48 Providence 21 .265 .638 .3 6.8
1947–48 Philadelphia 24 .333 .583 .3 2.5
1948–49 Boston 8 .214 .778 .4 2.4
Career 111 .265 .687 .5 8.4

Playoffs

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Year Team GP FG% FT% APG PPG
1948 Philadelphia 12 .229 .538 .3 1.9
Career 12 .229 .538 .3 1.9

References

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  1. ^ "Hank Beenders". Pro Basketball Encyclopedia. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
  2. ^ "Former Philadelphia Warriors player Hank Beenders dies at 87", Burlington County Times, October 27, 2003.
  3. ^ a b c d Hank Beenders, Basketball-Reference.com. Accessed September 22, 2007.
  4. ^ a b "Beenders played in NBA forerunner", ESPN Classic, October 27, 2003. Accessed July 15, 2007.