Budd Bailey and Greg D. Tranter have written a book called "Buffalo Braves From A to Z," published by St. Johann Press. Early in the writing process, they wrote good-sized biographies of all 71 men who played a regular-season game for the Braves during their time in Buffalo from 1970 to 1978. Publishers weren't so enthusiastic about all of that material, so most (59) of the biographies were shortened to about 500 words. However, the authors hated to waste all of that material ... so they are presenting it here. It will appear three times a week. A bibliography is available upon request.)
Has Matt Guokas ever not been within easy reach of a basketball? As the son of a former NBA champion, he’s been around the game for all of his life. That goes from the pick-up games in Philadelphia, through a playing career in college and the pros, followed by coaching along television and radio work. He wasn’t in Buffalo for long, but helped the Braves claim their first playoff berth.
Matthew George Guokas, Jr. was born on February 25, 1944, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Joan Burnham Guokas and Matt Guokas, Sr. He had one sister, Mary Ann. Matt Sr. played college ball at St. Joseph’s and won an NBA championship with the Philadelphia Warriors in 1947, but lost his leg in an automobile accident later that year and turned to broadcasting. He was the sports director at WPEN for 18 years but is best known as the voice of the Philadelphia Eagles from 1953 to 1985. Matt Jr.’s Uncle Al also played at St. Joseph’s and in the NBA. At St. Joe’s, Al was a teammate with future Hall of Fame coach Jack Ramsay. Matt Jr. as a youngster honed his basketball skills on the playgrounds of Philadelphia and with guidance from his Dad and his Uncle. The youngster also spent some time modeling; he was a regular for a while on a television ad for Bachmann’s Pretzels.
Guokas attended St Joseph’s Prep High School in Philadelphia. Some of the sports personalities to come from there are broadcaster Jim McKay, current Cleveland Browns coach Kevin Stefanski, and former NFL quarterback Rich Gannon.
Guokas led the Crimson to the Catholic League championship in his senior year. It was the school’s first league title in 15 years. “He’s a great one,” said Lou Pucillo, the former North Carolina State star who grew up in Philadelphia. “His floor game is like (Tom) Gola’s. And his offensive attack is like Paul Arizin’s. I mean he has that quick stop and jump like Arizin.” Guokas averaged 16.3 points as a senior and was named to the Philadelphia Daily News All-Catholic League first team. The Crimson lost the Philadelphia city championship to West Philadelphia High, 61-52, despite 15 points from Matt. He and his father were recognized by the Touchdown Club of Philadelphia as “the top father-son basketball team” in Philadelphia.
Guokas had 40 college scholarship offers and decided to head for the sand and surf of Miami University in Coral Gables, Florida. He stayed only one year and then transferred to St. Joseph’s College. When Guokas Jr. wanted to transfer, his Dad put in a call to St. Joseph’s head coach Jack Ramsay and just like that Matt Jr. was a Hawk. Guokas Jr. played for the freshman team as a sophomore as he had to sit out one varsity season after transferring. He made his debut with the freshman team on November 22, 1963, the day of the John F. Kennedy assassination.
In the fall of 1964, Guokas finally had the opportunity to join the varsity, and he had a big impact. Matt was third on St. Joseph’s in scoring with a 13.3 average. He also snared 195 rebounds and dished out 155 assists – the third-best total in school history at that time. The Hawks went 25-1 during the regular season with impressive wins over four top-ten ranked teams - No. 2 Wichita State, No. 4 Davidson, No. 6 Illinois and No. 7 St. John’s. St. Joseph’s won the Quaker City tournament with victories over Illinois and Wichita State. Guokas was named to the all-tournament team with his outstanding all-around play. “Guokas looked like a player, shredding Wichita’s zone press with long, accurate passes that led to easy layups,” reported the Philadelphia Daily News, after the Hawks’ win in the championship game over the Shockers.
Guokas had an outstanding game in the Hawks’ first-round NCAA tournament game, a 67-61 victory over Connecticut. Matt led the team in scoring with 19 points. “Poise and class won out, Guokas confidently rallying Dr. Jack Ramsay’s Hawks from an 11-point deficit to their date with Providence,” reported Bill Shefski of the Philadelphia Daily News. The East Regional semifinal pitted St. Joseph’s against the Friars, the Hawks’ only regular season loss. In the back-and-forth game, St. Joseph’s and Providence were tied, 61-61, in the final seconds of regulation, but the Chuck McKenna’s last-second shot to win the game for the Hawks hit the rim and bounced away. In overtime, Hawks lost two starters to fouls, and lost to the Friars, 81-73. Guokas had 14 points. St. Joseph’s also lost to North Carolina State in the consolation game to finish the season with the best record in school history at 26-3. The Hawks’ final ranking was No. 3 in the country by the Associated Press. Guokas was named first team All-Pennsylvania by the Associated Press and he was selected by the NEA to its second team All-American squad.
A lot was expected from the Hawks for the 1965-66 season as Sports Illustrated’s preseason preview ranked them No. 1. St. Joseph’s had an excellent regular season finishing with a 22-4 record and another NCAA tournament berth. Guokas raised his level of play as he improved his scoring to 17.5 points per game while still being a dominant defensive player and creative floor general. “He’s the key,” said Ramsay. “Everything revolves around him. He’s a tremendous playmaker. He’s strong on defense and his play on the fast break is really great. Mechanically there are very few things he doesn’t do well.” Praise came from other sources as well. “Guokas is the best all-around player I’ve seen in my time as a Big Five coach (ten years),” said Penn head coach Jack McCloskey. “I’ve never seen a college player who can pass with such precision,” Dolph Schayes, the Philadelphia 76ers coach said. “He could play for me right now.”
The Hawks and Guokas got some sweet revenge over Providence. St. Joseph’s defeated the No. 8 Friars in the final regular season game, 86-67, but more importantly they repeated the result in the first round of the NCAA tournament with a 65-48 victory. Guokas contributed 11 points and flawless backcourt play in the victory.
In the regional semifinals the Hawks faced No. 2 Duke from the ACC. St. Joseph’s played the Blue Devils evenly, but Guokas fouled out with 25 seconds remaining and Duke held on for a 76-74 win. Matt contributed 19 points and led the Hawks in a rally when they were down 10 points with less than seven minutes remaining, but couldn’t quite take the lead. It was a disappointing end to Matt’s junior season. St. Joseph’s finished with a No. 5 national ranking and a 24-5 record. The 1965-66 team was the highest scoring squad in school history, averaging 91.1 points per game. Guokas was a consensus All-American. He ended his St. Joseph’s career with 893 points and a 48.2 percent field goal percentage, one of the best in school history, while leading the Hawks to a 50-8 overall record.
The Philadelphia 76ers selected Guokas with the ninth pick in the first round of the 1966 NBA Draft. Guokas decided to leave school (he had one year of eligibility remaining) after his junior season since he was drafted by his hometown team. He joined a 76ers team that was loaded with star power including Wilt Chamberlain, Hal Greer, Chet Walker and Billy Cunningham.
Matt made his NBA debut in the 76ers’ opening game of the 1966-67 season against the New York Knicks on October 15. He was the second guard off the bench as he played 16 minutes while scoring seven points. The best game of his rookie season came on March 2 in a 136-128 win over the San Francisco Warriors. Guokas had his season high in points with 14 and dished out five assists in 20 minutes. For the season he played in 69 games with a 3.0 points per game average, but he only played an average of 11.7 minutes per contest. The 76ers finished the regular season with a 68-13 record, the league’s best.
Philadelphia dominated the playoffs, ending the Boston Celtics’ run of eight consecutive NBA titles streak as they eliminated the Celtics in the Conference Finals, 4-1. They then went on and beat the San Francisco Warriors, 4-2, to secure the NBA title. Guokas played a bit part, appearing in all 15 playoff games but only averaging 17 minutes per game. He scored his playoff high of 13 points in a 15-point win over Cincinnati in Game Three of the Conference semifinals. Guokas and his father, Matt Sr., became the first father-son duo to both win NBA championships as players. The feat has since been matched by Rick and Brent Barry, Bill and Luke Walton, and Mychel and Klay Thompson.
Guokas played three more full seasons with the 76ers. He was still a bench player for Philadelphia, though his minutes increased in two of those seasons when he averaged over 19 per game and his scoring average went up to 6.1. He was reunited with Jack Ramsay in his third year with Philadelphia, but that did not affect his reserve role. Each season the 76ers were eliminated in the playoffs, the first two seasons by the Celtics and then the Milwaukee Bucks in 1969-70. "If there was one problem with his game it's that he wasn't selfish,” teammate Cunningham remembered about Guokas. “Matty played for one reason - to help the team win. He prided himself on making a pass rather than trying to score himself. He'd do anything to blend in."
Matt played one game with the 76ers the following season before being shipped to the Chicago Bulls for a 1971 second-round draft choice. He played 78 games for the Bulls and raised his scoring average to 6.6 per game while also increasing his minutes to 28.3 per game. Chicago was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the Los Angeles Lakers. At the conclusion of the season, the Bulls sent Guokas to the Cincinnati Royals for a future draft pick. He played two seasons and part of a third with the franchise, but they moved from Cincinnati to Kansas City after his first season and became the Kansas City-Omaha Kings.
Guokas, playing for Bob Cousy, became a starter for the first time in his professional career in 1971-72. He improved his scoring average to 7.3 ppg, his first year with the team, to go along with his career high of 5.3 assists per game while playing 30.2 minutes. Matt followed that up with an even better season in 1972-73. He increased his scoring average to 9.1, a career high, and his assist average was 5.1 per game and he played 36 minutes per game, also a career high. Guokas finished second in the entire league with a 57 percent field goal shooting percentage, only trailing Wilt Chamberlain. But the Royals/Kings had limited success and failed to make the playoffs in either season.
Guokas was on the move again during the 1973-74 season as he played for three different teams. He started with the Kings and played nine games before being shipped to Houston on October 29. He participated in 39 games for a poor Rockets squad before finding his way to Buffalo. The Rockets sent Matt along with Jack Marin to the Braves for Kevin Kunnert and Dave Wohl. Guokas was again reunited with Ramsay who was fighting for a first-time playoff berth for Buffalo. Matt was brought in for reinforcements and to provide depth in the backcourt.
Guokas contributed nicely as the first guard off the bench behind Ernie DiGregorio and Randy Smith. He played in 27 games down the stretch while scoring 4.9 points and 2.1 assists per game in 20.3 minutes while playing solid defense. The Braves finished 42-40 and qualified for the franchise’s first playoff series. Matt’s best game for the Braves was a 23-point output against Phoenix on March 22. The Braves lost a hard-fought playoff series to the Celtics, 4-2, with limited impact from Guokas. He scored 19 points in the six-game series.
Following the season, Guokas was traded with two draft picks to Chicago for Bob Weiss. Matt played a full season and part of the 1975-76 season with the Bulls, and then he was traded for the sixth time in his career as he headed back to Kansas City. He played 38 games for the Kings and then was waived following the season. That ended his NBA playing career. Guokas played in 735 regular season games, scoring 4,285 points, in 10 seasons and was an NBA champion once.
Guokas was away from the game for seven years, returning as an assistant coach for the Philadelphia 76ers under Cunningham. When Cunningham retired in 1985, Matt was promoted to head coach. He led Philadelphia to a 54-28 record in his first season and a second-place regular season finish in the Atlantic Division, but the Sixers were ousted in the second round of the playoffs. Guokas led the 76ers to another second-place finish the following season but was defeated in the first round of the playoffs. After a slow start to the 1987-88 season Guokas was fired.
He took a year off and then returned as the first head coach in the history of the Orlando Magic in 1989. He led the Magic for the first four seasons of their existence and laid a solid foundation for the franchise. General manager Pat Williams joked that Guokas remained cool and calm at all times – good qualities to coach an expansion team. “As far as flamboyant, bizarre, wild happenings, you're not going to find it in Matty. I kid him: 'You're great fun to be with if you like to yawn,'" he said.
Guokas steered them to a .500 season in his last year as he had rookie Shaquille O’Neill, but they missed the playoffs by one game. He ended his head coaching career having coached 535 games with a 230-305 record. He then made the transition into television and radio broadcasting. He has worked as a sports analyst and commentator for the Magic and Cleveland Cavaliers. He also was part of NBC’s broadcasts of the NBA during the 1990’s. In 2016, Guokas showed he still wanted to be around the game, turning up as a freshman coach at an Orlando-area high school.
Matt married Jane E. Thompson in 1966, Their son Matt III also followed in the family footsteps and played basketball for the St. Joseph’s Hawks. Matt later remarried, and he and Barbara also had two children.
Guokas was enshrined in the St. Joseph’s Hawks Athletic Hall of Fame in 2000.
Jack McKinney, longtime coach at St. Joseph’s, gave Guokas the highest of compliments in a book he authored in 2005, “I look on Matty Guokas as the precursor to Magic Johnson, and I coached them both. Though Matty stood 6-6, he was a precision passer who could shoot, penetrate, and take charge of a game. He changed the paradigm. He played point guard and turned out to be a prototype big guard – the kind of guy who was instrumental in changing the professional game. The things Matt Guokas was doing in the Sixties were the kinds of things that Magic notched up years later when he played for me on the Lakers.”
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