Greg Kelser
Gregory "Greg" Kelser (born September 17, 1957) is a retired American basketball player and current television color commentator. Kelser played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1979 to 1985 and is best known for his standout college basketball career at Michigan State.
Early life
Kelser grew up in a military family, spending part of his childhood in Okinawa. He credits his exposure to military discipline with contributing to his later success in athletics.[1]
College career
Upon graduating from Detroit Henry Ford High School in 1975, Kelser was brought to Michigan State by Gus Ganakas, who left the head coach position after Kelser's freshman season.[1] His impressive on-court skills earned him the sobriquet "Special K", after the locally-made cereal.[2] In his junior year (the freshman year for Earvin "Magic" Johnson and Jay Vincent) under coach Jud Heathcote, the Spartans squad had an impressive season, racking up a 25–5 record, the Big Ten Conference title, and a berth in the 1978 NCAA tournament,[3] where they made it to the regional finals before losing narrowly to eventual champion Kentucky.[4] As a senior, he along with Johnson led the Spartans to the 1979 NCAA tournament championship, the first in the school's history. He was often on the receiving end of spectacular alley-oop passes from Johnson. He later wrote a book about his basketball experiences at MSU.[5]
Kelser finished his career at Michigan State as a 2-time Academic All-American, something he credits Jud Heathcote for keeping him on task to achieve. He was the very first Big-10 player, and remains the only player in Spartan Basketball history, to score over 2,000 points with over 1,000 rebounds.[6]
NBA career
He was drafted by the Pistons in 1979, but was later traded to the Seattle SuperSonics in exchange for Vinnie Johnson in 1981. Kelser also spent a season with the San Diego Clippers and part of a season with the Indiana Pacers.
Post-NBA career
Since leaving the NBA, Kelser has worked extensively as a sports announcer and/or commentator on radio and television.[2]
He is a commentator for Pistons games on Fox Sports Detroit with his partner George Blaha and on the Big Ten Network.
See also
References
External links
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- Formerly the Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons (1941–1948) and the Fort Wayne Pistons (1948–1957)
- Founded in 1941
- Based in Auburn Hills, Michigan
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