Ralph McPherson

Ralph McPherson
Player information
Full name	Ralph David McPherson
birthday	December 9, 1958
place of birth	, UNITED STATES
size	205 cm
position	Power Forward / Center
college	Texas (Arlington)
NBA draft	1982 , 188. Pick, Dallas Mavericks
Clubs as active
1977–1979 Texas Tech Red Raiders ( NCAA ) 1980–1982 UTA Mavericks (NCAA) 1982–1985 Albany Patroons ( CBA ) 1985–1986 ASC 1846 Göttingen 1986–1987 1. FC Bamberg 1987–1988 BSC Saturn Cologne 1988–1990 Taugrés Vitoria 1990–1993 Juver Murcia 1993–1994 Rochester Renegade (CBA) 1994–1995 MTV 1846 Gießen 1995–1996 ABC Merkur Graz

Ralph David McPherson (born December 9, 1958 ) is a retired American basketball player . After completing his studies, McPherson first played in the " Minor League " CBA , before playing in the German basketball league from 1985 and becoming German champions in 1988 with the BSC Saturn from Cologne. From 1988 he played for five years in the Spanish ACB league for the clubs from Vitoria-Gasteiz and Murcia . After further positions in the CBA and Germany, he played in the 1995/96 season for ABC Merkur from Graz in the Austrian A-League . McPherson then returned to his home in Arlington (Texas) and worked for an international pharmaceutical company .

Career

McPherson went to school in Arlington and moved to Texas Tech University in Lubbock in 1977 , where he also played for two years for the Red Raiders team in what was then the "Southwest Conference" of the NCAA . After two years he returned to his hometown and continued his studies at the University of Texas at Arlington . According to the rules of the NCAA, he was not eligible to play championship games for a year after the university change and from 1980 played two seasons for the university team called Mavericks, at that time still in the Southland Conference . The UT Arlington took McPherson in 2002 in their "Athletic Hall of Honor" ( German  Sports Hall of Honor ).

In the 1982 NBA draft he was also selected by the Mavericks, but this time by the professional team from neighboring Dallas . Only selected in the penultimate round in 188th place McPherson had little hope of an engagement in the highest endowed US professional league NBA and so he finally began his professional career in the CBA with the new Albany Patroons franchise on the east coast. Under new coach Phil Jackson , previously only assistant coach with the New Jersey Nets , but later record coach with most NBA championships, the Patroons won their first championship in the CBA in the second season in 1984. After the third season with the Patroons, McPherson left the CBA in 1985 for the time being.

For the 1985/86 season , McPherson moved to the former German champion ASC 1846 from Göttingen , who had previously lost his championship title to TSV Bayer 04 Leverkusen . Under his compatriot Terence Schofield as coach, the Göttingen team did not succeed in knocking the Rhinelander off the throne in 1986, instead they landed on a disappointing eighth place in the final table and were eliminated in the play-off quarter-finals. For the following season he was then obliged by the league competitor from Bamberg. With this he reached a fourth place after the main round and play-offs, after losing in the semifinals against defending champion Leverkusen and the series for third place against MTV Giessen. For the following season 1987/88 McPherson was then committed by the new master BSC Saturn Cologne. There the foreigner position was already occupied by Bryan Warrick , so that McPherson was mainly used in games in the European Cup , where two foreigners were eligible to play in contrast to the Bundesliga. In this European competition they showed strong performances and reached the main round of the best eight teams. Also in the national championship one could defend the championship title for the club. In 1988 the main sponsor of the Cologne team got out and McPherson left the club.

For the 1988/89 season McPherson was obliged by the Spanish first division club Taugrés from the Basque Vitoria. By winning the group in the second group stage, they reached the play-offs for the Spanish championship, in which they were eliminated in the quarter-finals against eventual runners-up Real Madrid . After another season at Taugrés, he moved to league rivals Juver Murcia in 1990. In his third season with this club, he was only used as a standby professional who was committed after injuries to compatriots. For the following season 1993/94 he returned again to the CBA and played for the Renegade from Rochester . The previously unsuccessful team was briefly resuscitated under coach Bill Musselman together with the former Leverkusen Clinton Wheeler , with whom McPherson had played together at the Albany Patroons in 1985, before it ceased playing in the following season.

For the 1994/95 season , McPherson returned to the German Bundesliga and reached the play-offs with MTV 1846 Gießen, where his ex-club from Bamberg was defeated in the first round. McPherson spent a final season in the first Austrian A-League, but could not place in the front field with his team, ABC Merkur Graz.

Web links

• LTi Gießen 46ers: History - Player: Ralph McPerson ( sic !) - Profile in the player archive of the Gießen 46ers
• R. McPherson - player profile on the websites of the Liga ACB (Spanish)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ UTA Magazine Online: Four inducted into Athletic Hall of Honor. University of Texas at Arlington , accessed August 4, 2012 (English, reproduction of an article, Issue No. 2 Winter 2003, Vol. XXV).