Mel Peterson
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | March 23, 1938 Thief River Falls, Minnesota | ||||||||||||||
| Nationality | American | ||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 185 lb (84 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school | Stephenson (Stephenson, Michigan) | ||||||||||||||
| College | Wheaton (1956–1960) | ||||||||||||||
| NBA draft | 1960: 11th round, 78th overall pick | ||||||||||||||
| Selected by the Detroit Pistons | |||||||||||||||
| Playing career | 1963–1970 | ||||||||||||||
| Position | Shooting guard / small forward | ||||||||||||||
| Number | 16, 40, 44 | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
| 1963–1964 | Baltimore Bullets | ||||||||||||||
| 1967–1969 | Oakland Oaks | ||||||||||||||
| 1969–1970 | Los Angeles Stars | ||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | |||||||||||||||
| Points | 1,032 (7.7 ppg) | ||||||||||||||
| Rebounds | 635 (4.7 rpg) | ||||||||||||||
| Assists | 160 (1.2 apg) | ||||||||||||||
| Stats at NBA.com | |||||||||||||||
| Stats at Basketball Reference | |||||||||||||||
Medals
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Melvin Lowell Peterson (born March 23, 1938) is an American former National Basketball Association (NBA) and American Basketball Association (ABA) player.
Collegiate career
[edit]Mel attended Wheaton College. While at Wheaton College, Mel was selected as a three-time All-American basketball player.[1] He was also selected as the Most Outstanding Player of the 1957 NCAA Men's Division II basketball tournament, as Wheaton College won the inaugural NCAA Division II tournament.[2] Mel finished his career at Wheaton College, averaging 22.7 points and 15.8 rebounds per game. He still ranks as Wheaton College's all-time leader in points per game, career points, field goals made, and career rebounds.[3]
Professional career
[edit]Mel was drafted with the fourth pick in the 11th round of the 1960 NBA draft by the Detroit Pistons. On August 15, 1963, Mel signed as a free agent with the Baltimore Bullets. In two games with the Bullets, Mel recorded a total of two points and one rebound. Peterson did not play for the following three seasons. Mel made his ABA debut on October 13, 1967, for the Oakland Oaks.[4]
Career statistics
[edit]| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
| † | Denotes seasons in which Peterson's team won an ABA championship |
NBA/ABA
[edit]Source[4]
Regular season
[edit]| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1963–64 | Baltimore | 2 | 1.5 | 1.000 | – | .5 | .0 | 1.0 | |
| 1967–68 | Oakland (ABA) | 77 | 20.6 | .427 | .265 | .817 | 5.9 | 1.4 | 9.5 |
| 1968–69† | Oakland (ABA) | 51 | 13.9 | .502 | .000 | .800 | 3.3 | 1.1 | 5.4 |
| 1969–70 | L.A. Stars (ABA) | 4 | 13.3 | .286 | .000 | 1.000 | 3.3 | .3 | 5.8 |
| Career (ABA) | 132 | 17.8 | .441 | .225 | .820 | 4.8 | 1.2 | 7.8 | |
| Career (overall) | 134 | 17.6 | .442 | .225 | .820 | 4.7 | 1.2 | 7.7 | |
Playoffs
[edit]| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1969† | Oakland (ABA) | 14 | 7.0 | .600 | .500 | .583 | 2.0 | .3 | 3.1 |
| 1970 | L.A. Stars (ABA) | 4 | 5.5 | .500 | – | .500 | 1.5 | .5 | 1.8 |
| Career | 18 | 6.7 | .583 | .500 | .571 | 1.9 | .3 | 2.8 | |
References
[edit]- ^ "Wheaton College Athletics – Men's Basketball All-Americans". athletics.wheaton.edu. Retrieved July 13, 2012.
- ^ "2010 NCAA Men's Basketball Championship Tournament Records and Statistics: Division II men's basketball Championship" (PDF). Retrieved July 13, 2012.
- ^ "Wheaton College Athletics – Men's Basketball Career Records". athletics.wheaton.edu. Retrieved July 13, 2012.
- ^ a b "Mel Peterson NBA & ABA statistics". Basketball Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
- 1938 births
- Living people
- American men's basketball players
- Baltimore Bullets (1963–1973) players
- Basketball players at the 1963 Pan American Games
- Basketball players from Minnesota
- Detroit Pistons draft picks
- Los Angeles Stars players
- Medalists at the 1963 Pan American Games
- Oakland Oaks players
- People from Thief River Falls, Minnesota
- Shooting guards
- Small forwards
- United States men's national basketball team players
- Wheaton Thunder men's basketball players
- Wilmington Blue Bombers players
- 1963 FIBA World Championship players
- Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States in basketball