Ray Scott
1974 NBA Coach of the Year | NCAA & NBA Head Coach | Michigan & Philadelphia Sports Hall of Famer
Ray Scott was born on July 12, 1938, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As a power forward and center, he played basketball for West Philadelphia High School and later played college basketball for the Portland Pilots men’s basketball of the University of Portland. From 1958 to 1961, Scott played for the Allentown Jets of the Continental Basketball Association (CBA).
Scott was selected with the 4th overall pick in 1st round of the 1961 NBA Draft by the Detroit Pistons. He played for the Detroit Pistons, Baltimore Bullets, and the Virginia Squires of the American Basketball Association (ABA), coached by Al Bianchi. After 13 seasons in the NBA and ABA, Scott retired in 1972
In February 2008, Scott was inducted into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame. Only a few months later in April 2008, Scott was named one of the “30 All-Time Pistons”. In November 2017, Scott was inducted into the Philadelphia Black Basketball Hall of Fame, in its inaugural class, also where Scott is a co-founder of the organization. He also was inducted into the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame in 2017.
- Overall Coaching Record: 176-186
- NBA: 147-134
- NCAA: 29–52
Coaching Career
Ray Scott began his coaching career when he replaced Earl Lloyd as the head coach of the Detroit Pistons. He finished the season with a coaching record of 38-37. Bob Lainer credited Scott for the team’s improvement and turnaround
“He took over and we started playing collectively as a unit,” Lanier said in the Free Press. “We had a good feeling, and we related well with one another.”” – Bob Lainer on Head Coach Ray Scott
In his first full-time season, the Pistons finished with a 52-30 record, qualifying for the playoffs. They were eliminated in the conference semifinals by the Chicago Bulls in 7 games. The following season, the Pistons finished with a 40-42 record, qualifying for the playoffs once again, but were eliminated in 3 games (2-1) by the Seattle SuperSonics. In 1974, Scott won the NBA Coach of the Year award, the first African American coach to win the award.
In 1976, Scott was fired after a 17-25 start and was replaced by Herb Brown.
Notable Players Coached
- Bob Lainer
- 8× NBA All-Star (1972–1975, 1977–1979, 1982)
- 1974 NBA All-Star Game MVP
- 1971 NBA All-Rookie First Team
- No. 16 retired by Detroit Pistons
- No. 16 retired by Milwaukee Bucks
- Dave Bing
- 7× NBA All-Star (1968–1969, 1971, 1973–1976)
- 1976 NBA All-Star Game MVP
- 2× All-NBA First Team (1968, 1971)
- 1967 NBA Rookie of the Year
- 1967 NBA All-Rookie Team
- 1958 NBA scoring champion
- 50th & 75th NBA anniversary team selection
- No. 21 retired by Detroit Pistons
- Archie Clark (2× NBA All-Star (1968, 1972)
- Curtis Rowe (1976 NBA All-Star)
- Roger Brown (1976 ABA All-Star)
- Chris Ford (2× NBA champion (1984, 1986) as an assistant coach)
Coach Scott succeeded Allan Freund as the head coach of the Eastern Michigan men’s basketball team of Eastern Michigan University. In 3 seasons, Scott had an overall coaching record of 29–52 before the team and Scott mutually parted ways.