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Mike Sylvester
Michael Joseph "Mike" Sylvester (born December 10, 1951) is an American and Italian former professional baseball player, professional basketball player, and basketball coach. During his basketball playing career, at a height of 1.97 m (6 ft 5+1⁄2 in), he was known as an accurate shooter. Due to the United States boycotting the 1980 Summer Olympics, he was the only American to win a medal at those games, using a dual citizenship to play for the senior Italian national basketball team.
Sylvester was born December 10, 1951, in Cincinnati, Ohio. He graduated from Moeller High School, where he competed in the sports of baseball and basketball, with All-American honors. After high school he played college basketball at the University of Dayton, with the Dayton Fyers.
Sylvester's college basketball career highlight with the Dayton Flyers, happened at the 1974 NCAA championship, in a game in which he scored 36 points, in a match where the Flyers forced three overtimes, and nearly upset Bill Walton's UCLA Bruins.
Following his college basketball career, Sylvester declared for both the NBA draft and the American Basketball Association draft. He was chosen in the sixth round, with the 105th pick overall, by the Detroit Pistons, in the 1974 NBA draft. He was also chosen with the tenth pick, by the Carolina Cougars, in the ABA draft. After those drafts, Cesare Rubini, the head coach of Italian League team Olimpia Milano, invited him to play for the team in the European-wide 3rd-tier level 1974–75 FIBA Korać Cup competition.
The President of Olimpia Milano at that time, had directed Rubini to seek-out American basketball players of Italian descent, who wished to become naturalized citizens of Italy, and to play for Italy's senior national team. Sylvester qualified, due to one his grandfathers being an Italian immigrant. Sylvester (known in Italy by the spelling of "Silvester"), ended up signing with Milano. Sylvester was a major part of the Milano team that won the European-wide 2nd-tier level 1975–76 FIBA European Cup Winners' Cup championship. Milano's victorious years with Sylvester would end in 1980, as after he had a heated argument with teammate C. J. Kupec, the team's head coach Dan Peterson, would request that Sylvester leave the team. Sylvester would eventually be transferred to the Italian club VL Pesaro, for a then-Italian basketball league record transfer fee of $500,000 US Dollars.
Sylvester spent six seasons with the Italian club Scavolini Pesaro. He helped lead Pesaro to achieve two Italian League Runner-Up finishes, in the 1981–82 and 1984–85 seasons, the 1982–83 FIBA Saporta Cup title, the 1983–84 FIBA Saporta Cup Semifinals, the 1985 Coppa Italia (Italian Cup) title, and the 1985–86 FIBA Saporta Cup Finals.
Sylvester's Italian league basketball career, also included playing stints with Basket Rimini and Virtus Bologna, and Basket Marsala.
Sylvester was naturalized as Italian citizen in 1977. Three years later, he would be called on to represent the senior Italy national basketball team, and he had a great performance at the 1980 FIBA European Olympic Qualifying Tournament, that gave the Italians a spot at the 1980 Moscow Summer Olympic Games. However, as soon as Sylvester heard the United States was leading the 1980 Summer Olympics boycott, Sylvester wondered if he needed to adhere, particularly as an Italian player, refusing an Olympic invitation could potentially cause a ban from playing professionally.
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Mike Sylvester
Michael Joseph "Mike" Sylvester (born December 10, 1951) is an American and Italian former professional baseball player, professional basketball player, and basketball coach. During his basketball playing career, at a height of 1.97 m (6 ft 5+1⁄2 in), he was known as an accurate shooter. Due to the United States boycotting the 1980 Summer Olympics, he was the only American to win a medal at those games, using a dual citizenship to play for the senior Italian national basketball team.
Sylvester was born December 10, 1951, in Cincinnati, Ohio. He graduated from Moeller High School, where he competed in the sports of baseball and basketball, with All-American honors. After high school he played college basketball at the University of Dayton, with the Dayton Fyers.
Sylvester's college basketball career highlight with the Dayton Flyers, happened at the 1974 NCAA championship, in a game in which he scored 36 points, in a match where the Flyers forced three overtimes, and nearly upset Bill Walton's UCLA Bruins.
Following his college basketball career, Sylvester declared for both the NBA draft and the American Basketball Association draft. He was chosen in the sixth round, with the 105th pick overall, by the Detroit Pistons, in the 1974 NBA draft. He was also chosen with the tenth pick, by the Carolina Cougars, in the ABA draft. After those drafts, Cesare Rubini, the head coach of Italian League team Olimpia Milano, invited him to play for the team in the European-wide 3rd-tier level 1974–75 FIBA Korać Cup competition.
The President of Olimpia Milano at that time, had directed Rubini to seek-out American basketball players of Italian descent, who wished to become naturalized citizens of Italy, and to play for Italy's senior national team. Sylvester qualified, due to one his grandfathers being an Italian immigrant. Sylvester (known in Italy by the spelling of "Silvester"), ended up signing with Milano. Sylvester was a major part of the Milano team that won the European-wide 2nd-tier level 1975–76 FIBA European Cup Winners' Cup championship. Milano's victorious years with Sylvester would end in 1980, as after he had a heated argument with teammate C. J. Kupec, the team's head coach Dan Peterson, would request that Sylvester leave the team. Sylvester would eventually be transferred to the Italian club VL Pesaro, for a then-Italian basketball league record transfer fee of $500,000 US Dollars.
Sylvester spent six seasons with the Italian club Scavolini Pesaro. He helped lead Pesaro to achieve two Italian League Runner-Up finishes, in the 1981–82 and 1984–85 seasons, the 1982–83 FIBA Saporta Cup title, the 1983–84 FIBA Saporta Cup Semifinals, the 1985 Coppa Italia (Italian Cup) title, and the 1985–86 FIBA Saporta Cup Finals.
Sylvester's Italian league basketball career, also included playing stints with Basket Rimini and Virtus Bologna, and Basket Marsala.
Sylvester was naturalized as Italian citizen in 1977. Three years later, he would be called on to represent the senior Italy national basketball team, and he had a great performance at the 1980 FIBA European Olympic Qualifying Tournament, that gave the Italians a spot at the 1980 Moscow Summer Olympic Games. However, as soon as Sylvester heard the United States was leading the 1980 Summer Olympics boycott, Sylvester wondered if he needed to adhere, particularly as an Italian player, refusing an Olympic invitation could potentially cause a ban from playing professionally.