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JUMPSHOT: THE KENNY SAILORS STORY THE HISTORY OF THE JUMP SHOT
JUMPSHOT: THE KENNY SAILORS STORYTHE HISTORY OF THE JUMP SHOT
THE STORY“Jumpshot” uncovers the inspiring true story of Kenny Sailors, the proclaimed developer of the modern day jump shot in basketball, and how the zenith of our lives doesn’t end in our athletic prime. In-troducing this never before seen “leaping one-hander” to the masses on a national level Kenny quickly grew to be a fan favorite while leading his Wyoming Cowboys to the Collegiate National Champi-onship in Madison Square Garden in the 1943. But after playing on several losing teams in an unstable, emerging league now known as the NBA, Kenny disappeared into the Alaskan wilderness only to be forgotten by the sport he helped pioneer. Now, nearly sixty years later, the multitude of people he has touched along the way have forced Kenny’s humble reemergence. This film will follow Kenny’s supporters’ ongoing efforts to not only get him in recognized in the Naismith Hall of Fame, but also, to uncover the man behind the shot and why the sport he helped define never defined him.
“CLICK FOR THE JUMPSHOT TEASER.”
Kenny Sailors grew up on a farm south of Hillsdale, Wyoming, where he developed his effective jump shot while playing against his 6-foot-4-inch older brother Bud. He eventually brought his skills to the University of Wyoming, and in 1943 he led the Cowboys to the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship defeating Georgetown 46-34. Two days after winning the NCAA Championship, Wyo-ming played NIT Champion St. John’s in a Red Cross benefit game for the war effort in Madison Square Garden. Wyoming beat St. John’s in overtime by a score of 52–47, becoming the undisputed national champions on the court.
Kenny was named the NCAA Basketball Tournament Most Outstanding Player for his efforts. He was the unanimous selection as College Basketball Player of the Year in 1943. Kenny is the only player in the history of Wyoming Cowboys basketball to be selected as an All-American three times, in 1942, 1943, and 1946.
From 1946 to 1951, Kenny played professionally in the BAA and NBA as a member of the Cleveland Rebels, Chicago Stags, Phila-delphia Warriors, Providence Steamrollers, Denver Nuggets, Boston Celtics, and Baltimore Bullets. He scored 3,480 points in his professional career. Kenny had a distinguished professional career. He was popular with fans and journalists, but his achievements and skills went largely unnoticed in later years because he had played for only five seasons and then chose to retire in far off Wyo-ming and, eventually, in even more remote Alaska, where he pursued his passion of big game hunting as a guide and outfiter.
Litle did Kenny know that his basketball stardom would follow him to the furthest reaches of civilization. Not long after setling into his homestead, Kenny was asked to coach Glenallen’s first high school women’s basketball team. Having never coached before, Kenny accepted the offer as an opportunity for his daughter to continue to play organized sports and to invest in young people. His freshmen would go undefeated the next four seasons, winning 60+ consecutive games until they reached the State Championship their senior year.
Sailors was inducted into the University of Wyoming Athletics Hall of Fame on October 29, 1993 and returned to Wyoming after the passing of his beloved wife in 1998. In 2012, Sailors was named to the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame, yet still has not been recognized by the Naismith Hall of Fame for his contribution to the game of basketball.
KENNY SAILORS
PROFESSIONAL STATSRegular SeasonSeason Team G AST FGM FTM PTS1946-47 Cleveland Rebels (BAA) 58 134 229 119 5771947-48 Chicago Stags (BAA) 1 0 0 0 01947-48 Phildelphia Warriors (BAA) 2 0 2 0 41947-48 Providence Steamrollers (BAA) 41 59 205 110 5201948-49 Providence Steamrollers (BAA) 57 209 309 281 8991949-50 Denver Nuggets (NBA) 57 229 329 329 9871950-51 Boston Celtics (NBA) 10 8 4 10 181950-51 Baltimore Bullets (NBA) 50 142 177 121 475
Career Total 276 781.00 1255 970 3480
PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENTSStatistical Rankings (Top 10):ASSISTS134 - Cleveland 1946-47 (ranked 2nd)209 - Providence 1948-49 (ranked 8th)
ASSISTS PER GAME2.3 - Cleveland 1946-47 (ranked 2nd)1.3 - Providence, + two other teams' games 1947-48 (ranked tied for 10th)3.7 - Providence 1948-49 (ranked 7th)4.0 - Denver 1949-50 (ranked tied for 5th)
FIELD GOALS MADE309 - Providence 1948-49 (ranked 9th)
FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE30.9% - Cleveland 1946-47 (ranked 9th)
FREE THROWS MADE281 - Providence 1948-49 (ranked 4th)329 - Denver 1949-50 (ranked 7th)
POINTS899 - Providence 1948-49 (ranked 8th)987 - Denver 1949-50 (ranked 8th)
POINTS PER GAME15.8 - Providence 1948-49 (ranked 5th)17.3 - Denver 1949-50 (ranked 4th)
Playoffs: Cleveland 1946-47 * 12.6 Points Per GameAll-BAA: 2nd Team, Providence 1948-49 * 2.8 Assists Per Game
SourcesBasketball-Reference.comThe Sporting News, Official NBA Guide, 1990-91, pp. 493-515
COLLEGE ACCOMPLISHMENTS4 Collegiate Seasons at the University of Wyoming.
98 Total Games. Won 82. Overall Winning Percentage 83%Won 31 out of 33 home games. Two losses came final season in ’46.Won 51 out of 66 away games. Winning Percentage on the road 77%1943 NCAA Champions – Defeated Georgetown1943 National Champions – Defeated NIT Champion team St. Johns3 Big 7 Conference Championships3 time All-American – ’42, ’43, ‘46NCAA Player of the Year – ’43 AAU Player of the Year - Basketball1946 Sullivan Award Finalist – Overall Amateur Athlete of the Year
PRO ACCOMPLISHMENTS
MAJOR NAMES IN THE FILMFILM PRESS/MEDIA
KENNY PRESS/MEDIA
Wyoming Short Film Competition2012 Texas Filmmakers Production FundFaithit.comUnscriptd.com
USA Today – “The game still goes on for the NCAA’s oldest MVP” Mar 31, 2009.NCAA – “The Inventor of the Jump Shot” Feb. 5, 2013.ESPN – “A Stroll Down NCAA Title Memory Lane” April 2, 2013.Sports Illustrated – Article unknown. March 6, 2013.Dick Vitale Twiter – “Kenny Sailors ex-Wyoming star invented the jump shot. Should be in the HOF as contributor says Bob Knight & I agree!”CBS Sports – February2, 2015
JUD HEATHCOTE JIM BR ANDENBURG BOBBY KNIGHT
JERRY KR AUSE LARRY SHYATT SENATOR AL SIMPSON
KIKI VANDEWEGHE TIM LEGLER CHIP ENGELLAND
MARK PRICE
JAY BILAS
JOHN CHRISTGAU
BR AD BOTKIN ALBERT CHEN JOHN FISH SHAWN FURY
CLICK THE VIDEO TO WATCH THE SHORT FILM
KENNY’S INFLUENCE IS HISTORIC
“IN 1945-46 WYOMING UNIVERSITY CAME INTO THE GARDEN WITH A KID NAMED KENNY SAILORS, WHO UNVEILED A NEW WEAPON – THE JUMP SHOT. THE SHOT WAS A SENSATION AND HAS BEEN BASKETBALL’S CHIEF SCORING WEAPON EVER SINCE . . . . THE ONE-HAND JUMP SHOT IS THE MOST POPULAR SHOT IN THE HISTORY OF THE GAME”
HALL OF FAME COACH AND PLAYER, JOE LAPCHICK
“KENNY, YOU WERE THE FIRST ONE I SAW WHO REALLY HAD A ONE HANDED JUMP SHOT. THERE WERE VARIATIONS, BUT I NEVER SAW ONE WHO ACTUALLY USED THE TRUE ONE HANDED SHOT . . . . KENNY, I DON’T SPEAK OR WRITE AS AN AUTHORITY, BUT YOU WERE THE FIRST I SAW WITH THE TRUE JUMP SHOT AS WE KNOW IT TODAY.”
HALL OF FAME COACH R AY MEYER
“ I SAW KENNY SAILORS PL AY T WO G A ME S IN THE 1946 A AU TOURNA MENT IN DENVER . . . I WA S MESMERIZED BY HIS SHOT AND FOOTWORK, ESPECIALLY HIS ABILITY TO COME TO A TWO-FOOT STOP OFF THE DRIBBLE AND GO STRAIGHT UP IN THE AIR – ALL WHILE FACING THE BASKET. I HAD NEVER SEEN ANYONE BEFORE WHO COULD DO THAT. THAT SHOT CHANGED THE GAME OF BASKETBALL”
HALL OF FAME COACH JUD HEATHCOTE
“THERE ARE A COUPLE PEOPLE WHO CLAIM IT, BUT I THINK THE PERSON PROBABLY MOST LIKELY TO HAVE ACTUALLY USED THE JUMP SHOT WAS A GUY NAMED KENNY SAILORS, WHO PLAYED AT THE UNIVERSITY OF WYOMING”
HALL OF FAME COACH HALL OF FAME COACH BOB KNIGHT
“KENNY SAILORS EX-WYOMING STAR INVENTED THE JUMP SHOT. SHOULD BE IN THE HALL OF FAME”
HALL OF FAME COACH AND BROADCASTER DICK VITALE
1940’S- KENNY SAILORS
NCA A 50TH ANNIVERSARY ALL DECADE PLAYERS
1950’S- BILL RUSSELL
1960’S- LEW ALCINDOR
1970’S- MAGIC JOHNSON
1980’S- PATRICK EWING
Austin, TX
[email protected]@kuaistudios.com
Director: Jacob Hamilton 512 289 3731Basketball Consultant: Ty Clark 972 322 2833
www.jumpshotmovie.com