Jack DeFares Inducted in 2001
Jack DeFares
Jackie M. DeFares (1934- 2018) was inducted into the NYC Basketball Hall of Fame at a Gala ceremony in 2001.
He was born and raised in Harlem, New York. Known as Jack to most, his first organized basketball game was at the Harlem Y.M.C.A., where he attended Frederick Douglass Junior High School. At Commerce High School, in his Junior and Senior years, he was selected to the All-City Teams, while averaging 21.9 ppg in his final season. Jack scored two forty-point games in high school, played in the Hearld-Tribune Fresh Air Fund All-Star Game in 1953 for the Bronx-Manhattan squad, and was inducted into the Amsterdam News Hall of Fame the same year.
Jack continued his basketball career under the guidance of legendary coach Clarence “Big House” Gaines at Winston-Salem College in North Carolina. A dynamic playmaker and prolific scorer, he was named to the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (C.I.A.A.) All-StarTeam for four consecutive years and led his team in scoring from 1953 to 1957.
During his junior and senior years, Jack was unanimously selected as C.I.A.A. Player of the Year. In 1957, he led his team to a conference championship, averaging an outstanding 24.9 points per game. Over the course of his collegiate career, his leadership carried the team to the C.I.A.A. tournament each season.
In 1970, his legacy was further cemented when he was named to the All-Time C.I.A.A. Tournament Team, a distinction recognizing him as one of the ten greatest players in the history of the conference. After graduation, Jack played in the Eastern Professional Basketball League, with the Williamsport team in Pennsylvania, the Chicago Great Lakers, the Snookies Sugar Bowl, and held his own with and against the best players at the Rucker league in Harlem, NY.
In addition the hoopshallny.org, Jack has been inducted into the:
Jack is mentioned in various sports history books, newspapers, and magazines.
(Bio and Photos Courtesy of the DeFares family)
He was born and raised in Harlem, New York. Known as Jack to most, his first organized basketball game was at the Harlem Y.M.C.A., where he attended Frederick Douglass Junior High School. At Commerce High School, in his Junior and Senior years, he was selected to the All-City Teams, while averaging 21.9 ppg in his final season. Jack scored two forty-point games in high school, played in the Hearld-Tribune Fresh Air Fund All-Star Game in 1953 for the Bronx-Manhattan squad, and was inducted into the Amsterdam News Hall of Fame the same year.
Jack continued his basketball career under the guidance of legendary coach Clarence “Big House” Gaines at Winston-Salem College in North Carolina. A dynamic playmaker and prolific scorer, he was named to the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (C.I.A.A.) All-StarTeam for four consecutive years and led his team in scoring from 1953 to 1957.
During his junior and senior years, Jack was unanimously selected as C.I.A.A. Player of the Year. In 1957, he led his team to a conference championship, averaging an outstanding 24.9 points per game. Over the course of his collegiate career, his leadership carried the team to the C.I.A.A. tournament each season.
In 1970, his legacy was further cemented when he was named to the All-Time C.I.A.A. Tournament Team, a distinction recognizing him as one of the ten greatest players in the history of the conference. After graduation, Jack played in the Eastern Professional Basketball League, with the Williamsport team in Pennsylvania, the Chicago Great Lakers, the Snookies Sugar Bowl, and held his own with and against the best players at the Rucker league in Harlem, NY.
In addition the hoopshallny.org, Jack has been inducted into the:
- Winston Salem Hall of Fame
- Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association Conference Hall of Fame
- Don Bosco Hall of Fame in Brooklyn, USA
- Bob Douglas Hall of Fame
- The Daily News/Rucker Professionals Hall of Fame
- National Black Legends of Professional Basketball Hall of Fame
Jack is mentioned in various sports history books, newspapers, and magazines.
(Bio and Photos Courtesy of the DeFares family)