Hoop Legacy: Celebrating Three Generations of Basketball on Father's Day
"It is much easier to become a father than to be one." - Letters to My Son: Reflections on Becoming a Man
Undeniably, it is also much easier to talk about becoming a prominent player than putting in the man hours necessary to earn your spurs and have an impact at a single university like the Guokas clan at Saint Joseph's. Matt Sr. and Matt Jr. went on to become the first father-son tandem to win NBA championships as players before Matt III competed four seasons with the Hawks from 1988-89 through 1991-92.
Gifted by having a father and grandfather with hoop credentials is not a prerequisite for becoming a competent basketball player. Although some observers might think the last couple of generations in the following hoop families were groomed from birth, on-court excellence is earned by blood, sweat and tears; not inherited via blood being thicker than water.
Hoosier Hysteria's passion can't be denied when considering Indiana families including All-Americans Steve Alford, Eric Montross and Jack Parkinson plus significant DI contributors with last names such as Dakich, Neal, Plumlee and Shepherd. In deference to Father's Day, following are some of the most accomplished father-son-grandson basketball combinations with at least one of them playing for or coaching a school from a power conference or in national postseason competition:
| Grandfather/Father | Father/Son(s) | Grandson(s)/Son(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Sam Alford (Franklin, IN '64) | Steve Alford (Indiana '87) | Kory Alford (UCLA '16) and Bryce Alford (UCLA '17) |
| Cleophus Banks (Southern, LA '67) | Roman Banks (Northwestern State '92) | Tre'lun Banks (Southern, LA '17) |
| Gary Bradds (Ohio State '64) | David Bradds (Dayton '91) | Evan Bradds (Belmont '17) |
| Tom Dakich (Bowling Green State '56) | Dan Dakich (Indiana '85) | Andrew Dakich (Michigan '17) |
| Lewis D'Antoni (Concord, WV '37) | Dan D'Antoni (Marshall '69) | Nick D'Antoni (William & Mary '05) |
| Don Gatens (Notre Dame '46) | Mike Gatens (Iowa '76) | Matt Gatens (Iowa '12) |
| Leroy "Spike" Gibson (Florida A&M '59) | Isaac Brown Sr. (Florida A&M '82) | Isaac Brown Jr. (Florida A&M '12) |
| Matt Guokas Sr. (St. Joseph's '38) | Matt Guokas Jr. (St. Joseph's '66) | Matt Guokas III (St. Joseph's '92) |
| Bill Hosket Sr. (Ohio State '33) | Bill Hosket Jr. (Ohio State '68) | Brad Hosket (Ohio State '00) |
| Lake Kelly (Georgia Tech '56) | Brian Kelly (Morehead State '86) | Drew Kelly (Morehead State '14) |
| Press Maravich (Davis & Elkins, WV '41) | Pete Maravich (Louisiana State '70) | Jaeson Maravich (Alabama, McNeese State and William Carey, MS '04) and Josh Maravich (Louisiana State '05) |
| Johnny McConathy (Northwestern State '51) | Mike McConathy (Louisiana Tech '77) | Michael McConathy (Northwestern State '10) and Logan McConathy (Northwestern State '11) |
| Stan Neal (Ball State '65) | Craig Neal (Georgia Tech '88) and Shane Neal (Chattanooga '95) | Cullen Neal (New Mexico '17) |
| Jack Parkinson (Kentucky '48) | Bruce Parkinson (Purdue '77) | Austin Parkinson (Purdue '04) |
| Don Parsons (Rutgers '50) | Gary Parsons (Rollins, FL '77) | Chandler Parsons (Florida '11) |
| Albert Schultz (Michigan Tech '44) | Perky Plumlee (Tennessee Tech '83) | Miles Plumlee (Duke '12), Mason Plumlee (Duke '13) and Marshall Plumlee (Duke '16) |
| Bill Reigel (Duquesne/Duke '53/McNeese State '56) | Ernie Reigel (Davidson '80) | Will Reigel (Davidson '12) and Rusty Reigel (Davidson '18) |
| Danny Schultz (Tennessee '64) | Danny Schultz (Tennessee Tech '84) | Dan Schultz (Tennessee '08) |
| Bill Shepherd Sr. (Butler '49) | Billy Shepherd Jr. (Butler '72) | Scott Shepherd (Florida State '96) and Jeff Shepherd (Huntington, IN '99) |
| John Townsend (Michigan '38) | Scott Montross (Michigan '68) | Eric Montross (North Carolina '94) |
If ancestry and genealogy are hot-button hoop topics for you, here is some additional "family tradition" research by CollegeHoopedia.com that can embellish your Father's Day weekend:
Duke's Austin Rivers becomes only the eighth son of an All-American to receive the same national recognition as his dad.
Doug McDermott could join Louisiana State legend Pete Maravich as only the second player to win three conference MVP awards while on his father's roster.
Ranking of the "First Families of Hoops" comprised of players who had at least three sons also go on to make an impact at the collegiate level.
Major-college schools that have had a significant father-son, coach-player combination.