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Former Miami hoops star dies

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By Pete Conrad, Staff Writer 12:34 AM Wednesday, November 4, 2009

OXFORD — Former Miami University basketball player Phil Lumpkin, who according to Darrell Hedric “was one of the smartest point guards I ever coached,” has died at age 57.

Lumpkin was found dead in his Seattle apartment by police on Monday, Nov. 2, according to news reports from the Seattle area.

Hedric said he received a call Monday morning from Lumpkin’s uncle, Fred Lumpkin, who told him his nephew had suffered a bout of pneumonia and had been hospitalized recently.

Lumpkin was inducted into the Miami Athletic Hall of Fame in 1983 and is one of only a handful of Miami players to be drafted into the NBA in the first round.

He was selected by Portland in 1974 and played the following season with Phoenix before an ankle injury ended his NBA career after just two seasons.

Lumpkin played three seasons at Miami, 1971-74. He ranks fourth at the school in career assists, is tied for eighth in career scoring average (16.1 points per game) and was a three-time All-Mid-American Conference selection.

Hedric, who coached at Miami from 1970-84, said Lumpkin was part of his first recruiting class.

“I recruited him out of Dayton Roth High School, where he was a teammate of Donald Smith,” Hedric said; Smith went to the University of Dayton and still holds the Flyers’ single-game scoring record.

Lumpkin played in one of the biggest upsets in Miami history, a 102-92 victory at fourth-ranked North Carolina on Feb. 21, 1973.

Hedric said Lumpkin would bring the ball up court and get double-teamed. “Phil would just thread that ball to other players on the team for lay-up after lay-up.”

Lumpkin became a coach at O’Dea High School in Seattle, where he won five state championships.

Lumpkin returned to Miami several years after his playing career was over to finish his education, Hedric said, and received his degree in 1981.

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