Phil Sellers GoFundMe

[SKWC]

The above video demonstrates the impact Phill Sellers had on Rutgers. He lead the greatest season in the history of RU basketball. Rutgers achieved national recognition and Phil brought pride in Rutgers to the entire state of NJ. It happened when Rutgers lack resources, national recognition, and played in a building with parts of the ceiling falling during games.

The best way to thank Phil is to support the GoFundMe initiative at a level within your financial means. Hope we all help Phil to the best of our ability.

 

[RUTGERS95]

open your wallets you cheap fks!

 

[RUTGERS95]

top

 

[runrutgersrun]

open your wallets you cheap fks!

Well, we made it to $105, 000...for Phil, I hope we can make the $150k goal. He was much more than just numbers in a record book.

From a 1975 SI article:

As Rutgers now flirts with an unaccustomed spot in the Top 20, Sellers' efforts at self-modulation are apparent. Called for technicals, he apologizes promptly. He also has become less severe with teammates. "Now I pat them on the rear when I criticize them," he says. "I want them to know I don't mean anything personal." At a team meeting Sellers listened sheepishly as Young pointedly said, "Phil isn't the one who makes out the starting lineup around here." But the coach also says, "One of Phil's problems is that he's such a smart player. He picks on the other guys out of frustration. While they're still trying to understand what I'm talking about, he's already learned it."

Sellers' basketball sense also impresses Southern Cal Coach Bob Boyd, who attributes the Rutgers player's abrasive style partly to "outstanding gamesmanship." Specifically, Boyd has in mind Sellers' success at drawing offensive fouls, an art requiring courage, good floor position and, what can scarcely fail to interest an observer from Los Angeles, inspired acting. During the Holiday Festival games at Madison Square Garden, in which Rutgers took third behind upset winner Fordham and USC, Sellers scored 76 points and, amazingly, drew nine charging fouls in three games. In a subsequent 97-87 win over Long Island University, Sellers drew three more offensive fouls. Early in the game he warned Nate Revels, the LIU forward guarding him, "I'm going to foul you out." Then he proceeded to do exactly that.

The boasting was forgivable. Later Revels admitted that it was he who actually started the verbal sparring. One of Revels' fouls occurred when he slammed into Sellers as Sellers was driving for the basket. Stepping to the free-throw line, Sellers grinned hugely. Significantly, he was looking at Revels, not at the referee. As the Scarlet Knights' does-it-all forward says, "I'm starting to realize it's not smart to make the refs look bad." Maybe he has things more under control than it appears.

Go Phil! GO SCARLET NATION!!!! USC Coach Boyd was a pretty big fan of Phil's...he'd contribute a few bucks for Phil, I think, if he was still here! He was a really, really good coach.

 

[RUTGERS95]

Well, we made it to $105, 000...for Phil, I hope we can make the $150k goal. He was much more than just numbers in a record book.

From a 1975 SI article:

As Rutgers now flirts with an unaccustomed spot in the Top 20, Sellers' efforts at self-modulation are apparent. Called for technicals, he apologizes promptly. He also has become less severe with teammates. "Now I pat them on the rear when I criticize them," he says. "I want them to know I don't mean anything personal." At a team meeting Sellers listened sheepishly as Young pointedly said, "Phil isn't the one who makes out the starting lineup around here." But the coach also says, "One of Phil's problems is that he's such a smart player. He picks on the other guys out of frustration. While they're still trying to understand what I'm talking about, he's already learned it."

Sellers' basketball sense also impresses Southern Cal Coach Bob Boyd, who attributes the Rutgers player's abrasive style partly to "outstanding gamesmanship." Specifically, Boyd has in mind Sellers' success at drawing offensive fouls, an art requiring courage, good floor position and, what can scarcely fail to interest an observer from Los Angeles, inspired acting. During the Holiday Festival games at Madison Square Garden, in which Rutgers took third behind upset winner Fordham and USC, Sellers scored 76 points and, amazingly, drew nine charging fouls in three games. In a subsequent 97-87 win over Long Island University, Sellers drew three more offensive fouls. Early in the game he warned Nate Revels, the LIU forward guarding him, "I'm going to foul you out." Then he proceeded to do exactly that.

The boasting was forgivable. Later Revels admitted that it was he who actually started the verbal sparring. One of Revels' fouls occurred when he slammed into Sellers as Sellers was driving for the basket. Stepping to the free-throw line, Sellers grinned hugely. Significantly, he was looking at Revels, not at the referee. As the Scarlet Knights' does-it-all forward says, "I'm starting to realize it's not smart to make the refs look bad." Maybe he has things more under control than it appears.

Go Phil! GO SCARLET NATION!!!! USC Coach Boyd was a pretty big fan of Phil's...he'd contribute a few bucks for Phil, I think, if he was still here! He was a really, really good coach.

I've spent a good bit of time talking with him and he's a great guy. Just a fantastic storyteller and good human being who bleeds scarlet

 

[runrutgersrun]

We’re up to $106,134 in the fund site for Phil today. One of the recent donors listed is Eugene Armstead...if it’s who I think it is, that donation comes from the starting senior center on Phil’s freshman RU squad...that would be very cool.

I went looking for an update on Phil’s health. I could only come up with this article. Hopefully, the link works:

Phil Sellers’ biggest battle: Not on the court (brooklyneagle.com)

To many fans, especially younger fans, Phil is a mountain of statistics. He was, however, much more than that. He was the first and most transcendent ‘bigtime’ recruit ever at RU in a major sport. No player has ever paid more dividends for a program for which they played. He did not build his statistics only against soft opponents. His sophomore year, he scored 32 points against Syracuse and 43 points against Southern Cal. I could never find the article again but the USC coach said, pretty much, that he was glad the Trojans didn’t have to see Sellers very often. In his junior year, two of his best games were again against ranked USC (32 points) and ranked Syracuse (I believe a double-double, like 20 & 12) in an RU win at Manley Fieldhouse where the Orange rarely lost. That junior year ended in an NCAA loss to Louisville, but I think Phil had 29 points in a losing cause.

In Phil’s senior year, history seems to promote a bit the thought that Phil did not always play well...and even that others on his own team were better players. NOT the case...the run in the NCAA Tournament does not even happen without Phil taking over the end of the ECAC Championship game vs. St. John’s (the “give me the ball” game).

In August, we can hit the $150,000 fundraising goal! Go Scarlet Nation! GO PHIL! Go RU!

 

[RUTGERS95]

open up your wallets you cheap fuks!

 

[runrutgersrun]

open up your wallets you cheap fuks!

Well, we're up to $109,416 in donations! What do they always say...the first $109,416 are the most difficult in fundraising?

I found an interesting column on NYC court stars from the past. Phil's in pretty good company in this article. Shows the regard in which he was/is/should be held. As usual with me, I hope this is a good link:

The Top 60 Basketball Players to Come From New York City (slamonline.com)

"Phil Sellers

Brooklyn native Phil Sellers had just about every college coach in the nation fawning over him in the early ’70s. Sellers was an All-American as a senior at Thomas Jefferson High School and then he was a problem at Rutgers, putting up 20 points and 10 rebounds per game."

LOL....Phil was indeed a problem for the opposition!

Every bit helps Phil Sellers, I'll bet my senior year (and Phil's) in $$$ on it this afternoon.
We can make that 150k goal for Phil! GO Scarlet Nation! :CHOP: Go RU! GO PHIL!

 

[runrutgersrun]

Donations have reached $115,927 this morning!

Phil’s influence at Rutgers is almost like a story book tale about a real Knight. This is the guy we are talking about here:

He joined a team that played in a 2,800-seat gymnasium, that had several successful seasons, but gained little prominence. ”All of a sudden there was this explosion,” said Les Unger, then the school’s sports information director. ”There was a large number of black players that Rutgers never had before. There was a change in personality in basketball. Phil Sellers was the most highly recruited athlete that Rutgers ever got. He just had a charisma when he walked on the court.”

All true!

I was not sure how gofundme works, so I made a donation this morning and donations are still going through. I saw a substantial contribution from Team Hill Foundation just last week. I am not familiar with the Foundation, but I will be looking into them further after such a wonderful gesture.

I hope everyone will keep chopping at the S150k target for Phil, as much as you can. Hopefully, we will receive some positive information on his health soon. Go Phil! Go RU! Go Scarlet Nation!