Following our countdown of the top 10 moments in each Ivy school’s men’s basketball history this summer, Ivy Hoops Online is delighted to continue celebrating the 60th anniversary of modern Ivy League basketball by honoring the top 60 players in Ivy hoops history throughout the season (in no particular order):
Between 1960 and 2007, Penn and Princeton dominated Ivy League basketball, winning 43 out of 47 championships. However, the first dominant team in the newly formed Ivy League was Dartmouth, led by All-American power forward Rudy LaRusso. Between 1956 and 1959, Dartmouth and LaRusso rendered the Penn-Princeton rivalry stillborn by winning three consecutive championships.
At 6’8″, LaRusso was a powerful rebounder and a proficient scorer. One of the five best players in Ivy League history, he also had an outstanding 10-year NBA career with the Minneapolis and Los Angeles Lakers before retiring in 1970. During the 1960s, he teamed with Hall of Famers Jerry West and Elgin Baylor to help lead the Lakers to four NBA Finals versus Bill Russell and the Boston Celtics. He averaged 16 points and 10 rebounds during his career and was a four-time NBA All-Star. No other Ivy League player was elected to as many NBA All-Star teams, a formidable achievement for a proud New York City native.