Mike Novak

Michael Donald Novak (April 23, 1915 – August 15, 1978) was an American professional basketball player. He played in the NBL, BAA, and NBA from 1939 to 1954. A 6'9" center from Loyola University Chicago, he was one of the first prominent "big men" to play professional basketball, averaging 8.5 points per game over the course of his career as a member of the Chicago Bruins, Chicago Studebaker Flyers, Sheboygan Red Skins, Syracuse Nationals, Rochester Royals, and Philadelphia Warriors.

Mike Novak
Novak from the 1937 Loyolan
Personal information
Born(1915-04-23)April 23, 1915
Chicago, Illinois
DiedAugust 15, 1978(1978-08-15) (aged 63)
Red Creek, New York
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
Listed weight219 lb (99 kg)
Career information
High schoolTilden (Chicago, Illinois)
CollegeLoyola (Illinois) (1936–1939)
Playing career1939–1954
PositionCenter / Power forward
Number18, 19, 6
Career history
1939–1942Chicago Bruins
1942–1943Chicago Studebaker Flyers
1943–1946Sheboygan Red Skins
1946–1948Syracuse Nationals
19481949Rochester Royals
1949–1950Philadelphia Warriors
1950–1951Louisville Alumnites
1954Syracuse Nationals
Career highlights and awards
Stats  at NBA.com
Stats  at Basketball-Reference.com

Novak was the seventh-highest scorer in the history of the 12-season NBL. Some of his greatest seasons came during his middle years, with the Sheboygan Red Skins. He joined the team in 1943–44, played in all 22 games and helped Sheboygan to a 14-8 record, good for second place in the four-team league. He scored 92 points during the regular season. In the playoffs, Sheboygan advanced to the NBL finals opposite the Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons, who won the title.

In 1944–45, Novak teamed with 6-7 forward Eddie Dancker to form the league's best 1-2 punch in the middle. He increased his scoring to 233 points in 27 games, and Western Division champion Sheboygan (19-11) again advanced to the finals to play Fort Wayne. The Red Skins won the first two games of the best-of-five series, only to get swept in the next three.

The following season, Novak was named a second-team choice on the all-league team. He scored 310 points in 34 games for Hall of Famer Dutch Dehnert's Red Skins, who won the Western Division title with a 21-13 record and advanced to the NBL championship series against the powerful Rochester Royals, who included Hall of Famers Al Cervi, Bob Davies and Red Holzman. Rochester, which would win the NBA championship five years later, swept Sheboygan for the title.

After only three games in 1946–47, Novak was dealt to the Syracuse Nationals. Doxie Moore had replaced Dehnert as Sheboygan's head coach.

Novak scored 2,281 points in nine NBL seasons, 320 in one BAA season and 100 in two NBA seasons.

BAA/NBA career statistics

Legend
  GP Games played  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field-goal percentage  FT%  Free-throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game
 PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

Regular season

Year Team GP MPG FG% FT% RPG APG PPG
1948–49 Rochester 60.342.5811.95.3
1949–50 Rochester 5.0911.000.8.6
1949–50 Philadelphia 55.261.5221.01.7
1953–54 Syracuse 54.8.000.500.4.4.2
Career 1254.8.310.566.41.43.4

Playoffs

Year Team GP MPG FG% FT% RPG APG PPG
1949 Rochester 4.2731.0002.53.3
Career 4.2731.0002.53.3


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