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James Krebs (September 8, 1935 – May 6, 1965) was an American basketball player. A 6'8" (2.03 m) power forward/center, he starred for the SMU Mustangs during the mid-1950s and later played with the Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lakers of the NBA. He died in a freak tree falling accident at the age of 29. == Early life and college == Krebs was born in Webster Groves, Missouri. While representing Webster Groves High School in a St. Louis-area all-star game, he attracted the attention of Doc Hayes, the men's basketball coach at Southern Methodist University in Texas. Hayes convinced Krebs to sign with SMU, and recruited two fellow Missourans to play alongside him.〔"(Feed It To the Big Man )". ''Time''. January 21, 1957.〕 Described as a "cautious, careful player"〔"(Odd Assortment )." ''Time''. March 4, 1957.〕 with an "unstoppable hook shot,"〔Rick Alonzo. "SMU will retire No. 32 worn by late Jim Krebs." ''The Dallas Morning News''. February 23, 2003.〕 Krebs became the star of the Mustangs and one of the best players in the nation. He scored 1,753 points in his three varsity seasons (1954–1957), led the Mustangs to three consecutive Southwest Conference championships, and was named to three All-SWC teams.〔 Coach Hayes' strategy was simple: "()hen Jim is free, feed it to the big man."〔 In 1956, Krebs' team reached the NCAA National Semifinals, where they faced Bill Russell and the University of San Francisco. SMU lost 68–86, but Krebs did outscore future Hall of Famer Russell 24–17. The next year, Krebs earned consensus All-American honors and appeared on the cover of ''Sports Illustrated'' with the headline: "Big Jim and the Texas Boom". His team reached the NCAA Tournament once again that spring, but they were defeated 73–65 by Wilt Chamberlain and the University of Kansas in the Midwestern semifinals.〔(1957 NCAA Tournament ). DatabaseSports.com. Retrieved September 1, 2007.〕 During Krebs' collegiate career, basketball became so popular at SMU that the school constructed a new, $2.25 million basketball arena in 1956 — Moody Coliseum, which the Mustangs use to this day. Other schools in the Southwest Conference, who had mainly emphasized college football, took notice of Krebs' success and increased funding for their own basketball programs.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Jim Krebs」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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