David Lowell Sorenson (July 8, 1948 – July 9, 2002)[1] was a power forward who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA).

Dave Sorenson
Personal information
Born(1948-07-08)July 8, 1948
Findlay, Ohio, U.S.
DiedJuly 9, 2002(2002-07-09) (aged 54)
Rocky River, Ohio, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
Listed weight225 lb (102 kg)
Career information
High schoolFindlay (Findlay, Ohio)
CollegeOhio State (1967–1970)
NBA draft1970: 2nd round, 9th overall pick
Selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers
PositionPower forward
Number15, 25
Career history
19701972Cleveland Cavaliers
1972–1973Philadelphia 76ers
Career highlights and awards
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata

Early life

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He was a standout center at Findlay High School in Findlay, Ohio, graduating in 1966. He scored a single-game high of 44 points and single-season high of 521. He was named the 1966 Associated Press (AP) Ohio Player of the Year.[2]

He was Findlay's all-time leading scorer with 993 points until the record was broken by future NFL quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.[3]

College career

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The 6'9" center attended Ohio State University where he was a three-year starter including, as a sophomore in 1967–68, on the team that won the Big Ten Conference championship and made the Final Four in the 1968 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament. In the Mideast Regional final, he made the winning basket as Ohio State defeated the University of Kentucky at Memorial Coliseum in Lexington, Kentucky, the Wildcats' home arena.[4]

As a junior, he led the Buckeyes in both scoring and rebounding with 23.6 points per game and 10.6 rebounds per game. He was named Honorable Mention All-American and All-Big Ten.

He again led the team in 1969–70 as a senior, averaging 24.2 points and 9.0 rebounds per game. He was again named All-Big Ten.[5]

Sorenson scored 1,622 points, a total that ranked second at the time to Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer Jerry Lucas' total (1,990). He also grabbed 761 career rebounds, again second to Lucas (1,411) at the time. His career scoring average of 21.1 points per game ranks fifth, his career 9.9 rebounds per game ranks sixth.[5]

NBA career

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He was drafted in the second round (26th overall) of the 1970 NBA draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers. His rookie season of 1970-71 was his most productive, as the power forward posted career-high per-game averages of 24.6 minutes played, 11.3 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists.[1] On December 19, 1970, he posted a career single-game high of 34 points against the Buffalo Braves. He also scored 30 points on February 9, 1971, against the Los Angeles Lakers.[6]

In 1971-72 his playing time dipped to 15.3 minutes per game as he averaged, 7.0 points and 4.0 rebounds per game. His high-point game was 22 in the final game of the season against the Cincinnati Royals.[7]

The 1972–73 season was his third and final one in the NBA. After 10 games with the Cavaliers, on November 10, 1972, he was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers, for whom he played another 48 games. For the season, he averaged 13.0 minutes per game, 5.4 points and 3.6 rebounds.[1] His most productive game again came in the final game of the season with 20 points against the Detroit Pistons, which was played at Civic Arena in Pittsburgh.[8]

Personal life

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He died of cancer at age 54 in 2002.[5] He was survived by his wife, Wanda, and sons Andrew and Stephen.[9]

Career statistics

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Legend
  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

Source[1]

Regular season

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% FT% RPG APG PPG
1970–71 Cleveland 79 24.6 .445 .803 6.2 2.1 11.3
1971–72 Cleveland 76 15.3 .448 .779 4.0 1.1 7.0
1972–73 Cleveland 10 12.9 .244 .455 3.7 .5 2.7
1972–73 Philadelphia 48 0 13.0 .456 .747 3.6 .6 5.9
Career 213 0 18.1 .442 .778 4.7 1.3 8.1

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Dave Sorenson NBA stats". Basketball Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved November 29, 2024.
  2. ^ "Sports: Findlay's top sports figures".
  3. ^ Allen, Dwight (March 2008). A Second Look at Sports. ISBN 9780978726805.
  4. ^ "Buckeye big shots".
  5. ^ a b c "OhioStateBuckeyes.com Cancer Takes Life of Former Buckeye Dave Sorenson :: The Ohio State University official athletic site :: Men's Basketball".
  6. ^ "Dave Sorenson 1970-71 Game Log | Basketball-Reference.com".
  7. ^ "Dave Sorenson 1971-72 Game Log | Basketball-Reference.com".
  8. ^ "Dave Sorenson 1972-73 Game Log | Basketball-Reference.com".
  9. ^ Brad Kane (July 10, 2002). "Former Buckeye dies of cancer".