Ray Scott
A Philadelphia native, John Raymond (Ray) Scott began his college basketball career at the University of Portland. Then, after three seasons in the professional Eastern Basketball League, he was chosen as the 4th pick in the 1961 National Basketball Association draft by the Detroit Pistons. He spent six years with the Pistons as a stand-out rebounder and deadly shooter from the perimeter, and another five years playing for the Baltimore Bullets and the Virginia Squires. Then, in October 1972, Scott was promoted from Assistant to Head Coach of the Detroit Pistons, thanks in part to strong support from former coach Earl Lloyd who, a decade earlier, had scouted Scott and recommended that he be the Pistons top pick. Two years later he became the first Black coach to be named NBA Coach of the Year. From 1976 to 1979, Scott was Men’s Basketball Head Coach at Eastern Michigan University. After his coaching career, Scott went into private business. He also has held the position of ambassador for children and families for the Wellspring Lutheran service agency in Michigan. In 2008, Scott was inducted into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame and was named one of the “30 All-Time Pistons.”
