Braves New World: Gary Brokaw

(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.)

Gary Brokaw is what fans would call a basketball lifer. He has spent almost his entire life in and around basketball. He began playing as a youngster, was a star in high school and college, was a first round NBA draft choice parlaying that into a four-year NBA career, then spent over 30 years as a basketball coach and executive. His stop in Buffalo was a brief one, as he was stuck in the middle of the turmoil that was a big part of the franchise’s last season.

Gary George Brokaw was born January 11, 1954, in New Brunswick, New Jersey to John and Louise Sadler Brokaw. John served 31 years in the New Brunswick police department and was captain for 13 years before retiring in 1983. They had five children - three sons and two daughters. Gary’s older brother Steve started him playing basketball.

Gary began playing basketball at five years old on a black-topped court in his backyard. He grew up playing three sports, baseball, football and basketball. He played Little League and American Legion baseball as a shortstop and pitcher. He played quarterback for the junior football team. He was a good all-around athlete, but he wanted to focus on basketball, so he quit both other sports.

As a sophomore at New Brunswick high school Brokaw scored 396 points, 16.5 per game, and led the basketball squad to a 17-7 record. He really blossomed his junior year as Brokaw was selected to the 1969-70 All-Middlesex basketball team and was named the Player of the Year by The Home News. As a 16-year old, the 6-2, 170-pound junior led New Brunswick to an undefeated regular season and an overall 24-2 record. Brokaw scored 703 points, averaging over 27 points per game. He eclipsed the school record for points in a career with 1,099, breaking the record of 1,077 held by Bill Boege. Gary scored a school record 51 points in a win over Trenton. The Zebras lost the Central Jersey Group IV championship to Thomas Jefferson, 73-58.

“He really did everything for us, he was our best shooter,” New Brunswick coach Bob Bortstein said about Brokaw. “As a ballplayer he is tremendous. I can use him as a forward and also in the low post as a center.” Rutgers University head coach Bill Foster, who was recruiting Brokaw, said about him, “I think he’s a complete player. He moves well, he can shoot, he has good quickness. He has great temperament and a great attitude. He has showed a lot of poise for a junior. He would be our Number One choice. He’s got so much going for him.”

Brokaw was even better his senior year in scoring 929 points, an average of more than 34 points a game. He broke his own school record for points in a season and for points in a single game when he poured in 60 points in a win over Madison Township. He was named the unanimous Middlesex County Player of the Year. His career total of 2,028 points ranked seventh on the all-time New Jersey scholastic basketball scoring list at the time. Gary’s career ended disappointingly as again New Brunswick came up short for the Central Jersey Group IV championship. Despite Brokaw’s 35 points, New Brunswick was defeated by Neptune, 68-65. He concluded his high school career with a 26.3 points per game scoring average and 14 rebounds per contest.

Bornstein said after Brokaw’s senior season concluded, “Without a doubt, Gary’s the best player I’ve ever coached.” Brokaw was heavily recruited as over 200 colleges showed interest. Brokaw played in the Dapper Dan Classic in Pittsburgh for the United States team and that drew the attention of Notre Dame and head coach Digger Phelps. Brokaw made a campus visit to South Bend the weekend of May 3 and that clinched his decision to attend Notre Dame. His decision was announced at a news conference at New Brunswick high school on May 22. It helped that former New Jersey high school basketball star John Shumate was a freshman basketballer at ND. Brokaw also liked the balance of sports, academics and social life at the South Bend school.

He played on the Notre Dame freshman team and showed fans what to expect from him. He became the second-highest scorer among freshman in Irish history with a 28.3 points per game average. Only Austin Carr had a higher freshman scoring average. Brokaw also averaged 8.5 rebounds per contest.

As a sophomore at Notre Dame, Brokaw helped the Irish under second year head coach Digger Phelps improve from a 6-20 season to 18-12 and a runner-up finish in the National Invitational Tournament. Brokaw was the second leading scorer for the Irish with a 17.4 points per game average, while Shumate was the leader. Brokaw saved his best games for the top-flight opponents. He began his college career with 23 points a loss to No. 19 ranked Michigan, he led the Irish with 26 points in a two-point loss to No. 15 Indiana, he had 20 points in a 73-69 victory over No. 19 South Carolina, and he led Irish to a stunning 71-69 defeat of No. 4 Marquette with 28 points.

In the NIT championship game, a 92-91 overtime loss to Virginia Tech, Brokaw had one of his best college games, scoring 23 points and snaring 10 rebounds. However, he will always remember what he could not do -convert a one-and-one foul shot situation with 18 seconds remaining and Notre Dame clinging to a 91-90 lead. He missed the front end of the one-and-one that could have sealed the win for the Irish. Following the miss, Virginia Tech grabbed the rebound and set up a final shot for Bobby Stephens, who nailed a 20-foot jump shot at the buzzer to give the Hokies the stunning victory and the NIT title.

Brokaw’s junior year was one of the best in Notre Dame’s long basketball history and he was a key factor in the teams’ success. He averaged 17.1 points per game and 3.7 assists while directing the backcourt for the Irish. Notre Dame finished the season with a stellar 26-3 record and a No. 5 national ranking by the Associated Press. The Irish began the season reeling off eight wins, including a 73-67 upset of No. 3 Indiana at Assembly Hall.

On January 19, 1974, No. 2 ranked Notre Dame hosted the 13-0 top-ranked UCLA Bruins, who were sporting an 88-game winning streak. UCLA, led by Bill Walton, Keith Wilkes, Dave Meyers and Marques Johnson, held a 70-59 lead over the Irish with three and half minutes remaining. Notre Dame scored the next nine points with Brokaw making the last two buckets and trailed, 70-69, in the final minute. Following a UCLA turnover Brokaw received the inbounds pass and quickly moved the ball up the court. He drove to the lane and found Dwight Clay open in the deep right corner. Clay fired up a long distance rainbow jumper that hit nothing but net, and Notre Dame pulled ahead by a point with 28 seconds left. UCLA had one last chance, but missed three shots as Shumate secured the final rebound as the buzzer sounded. The Irish had stunned the Bruins. Brokaw was the game’s leading scorer with 25 points in one of the greatest regular season college games of all-time.

Notre Dame finished the regular season with a 24-2 record, with one of the losses coming in a rematch with the Bruins in Los Angeles. The Irish entered the NCAA tournament ranked No. 3 and after routing Austin Peay (Brokaw had 25 points), they were upset by Big Ten champion Michigan, 77-68, in ND’s worst performance of the season. Brokaw had a frustrating game, making only 4 of 16 shots and finished with 10 points in the loss.

At the conclusion of the campaign, Brokaw was named to UPI’s All-American third team and he was an honorable mention selection on the Associated Press All-American team. He declared for the NBA draft, wanting to realize a dream he had as a child to play professional basketball. He ended his Notre Dame career as the 18th player in program history to exceed 1,000 career points with 1,001 in 58 games, a 17.3 per game average. He graduated with a degree in sociology.

Brokaw was selected by the Milwaukee Bucks as the No. 18 selection of the first round in the 1974 NBA Draft. He was also selected by the ABA New York Nets in the sixth round. Bucks head coach Larry Costello said, “I think it was a hell of a pick. He can play with confidence, and he does a lot of things well.” Milwaukee general manager Wayne Embry added, “He’s a good playmaker and can do the kind of things we need. I was surprised to still see him around when our pick came.”

Brokaw signed a multi-year contract with the Bucks on June 29. He joined a talented Milwaukee team that was the NBA runner-up the prior season. They were led by Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Bob Dandridge and Lucius Allen. But All-Pro guard Oscar Robertson had retired, opening an opportunity for Brokaw. Brokaw played in 73 games in his rookie campaign, primarily as a reserve behind Jon McGlocklin. He averaged 8.1 points and 3 assists per game. He made his NBA debut in a 106-101 loss to the Houston Rockets on October 18, 1974, scoring seven points in 19 minutes. His first 20-point game as a pro came on January 8 when he scored 22 points coming off the bench in a 102-92 win over the Detroit Pistons. As the season progressed, he received more playing time. From January 31 to February 23 Gary had nine games out of 11 that he scored in double figures. During that stretch he averaged 15.5 points per game, with a high of 24 in a win over Cleveland. He finished the season on a nice stretch scoring in double figures in the last nine games of the season with a 15.3 scoring average. The Bucks had a disappointing season, finishing with a 38-44 record and out of the playoffs.

Milwaukee was a vastly different team in 1975 as Abdul-Jabbar was dealt to the Los Angeles Lakers for Elmore Smith, Dave Meyers, Brian Winters, and Junior Bridgeman. Brokaw played behind Winters throughout the 1975-76 season. He had a similar performance to his rookie year, averaging 8.4 points and 3.3 assists per game. The Bucks again finished with a 38-44 record but that was good enough to win the Midwest Division and qualify for the playoffs. Brokaw had a regular season career-high 28 points on December 17 in a five-point loss to the Phoenix Suns. He also had a 25 point game against the Washington Bullets in a one-point loss on February 17.

The Bucks met the Detroit Pistons in the first round of the playoffs in a three-game series. Brokaw had his best game as a pro in the opener as he dazzled the Pistons with 36 points, leading the Bucks to 110-107 victory. Milwaukee dropped the next two games by three points each with Brokaw scoring 17 points with 12 assists in Game Two and then 10 points with seven assists in the final game.

Brokaw was back with the Bucks in 1976 but was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers on January 13, 1977. He and Elmore Smith were dealt for Rowland Garrett and first round draft choices in 1977 and 1978. Prior to the trade Brokaw played in 41 games with Milwaukee, averaging 8.9 points and 2.7 assists per game. After joining Cleveland his numbers dipped a little in 39 games, he averaged 7.2 points and 3.0 assists. The Cavaliers snuck into the playoffs with a 43-39 record.

The Cavaliers lost the three-game playoff series to Washington, two games to one. Brokaw scored 20 points and had seven assists in a limited role in the three games.

Gary was traded on October 17, 1977, by the Cavaliers to the Buffalo Braves for future considerations. He played 13 games for Buffalo before a back injury affected his play and he was released by the Braves on December 14. In his 13 games with the Braves, he scored 54 points and averaged 10 minutes per game.

He made his debut with the Braves in the 1977 season opener, a 112-108 win over the Kansas City Kings. He contributed six points in the victory. His best game as a Brave came on October 25 when he scored 16 points and had five assists, but it was in a 107-85 loss to the Portland Trailblazers. He had his last double-figure game with 10 points in a 102-95 loss to Seattle on December 3. His last NBA game came on December 11 in a loss to the Lakers and he did not score. Three days later Brokaw was released. He was unable to catch on with another team and his pro basketball career was over.

Following his NBA career, he joined Digger Phelps’ coaching staff as an assistant in 1980 and was with the Irish until he was named head coach at Iona College on April 8, 1986. He spent five years leading the Gaels. His overall record was 72-74, with a 17-13 season his best in 1990-91. He had a second-place MAAC regular season finish and two third places, but never made the NCAA tournament. Brokaw resigned at the end of the 1990-91 season, saying he did not have the full support of the Iona administration.

He took a position as NBA Director of Basketball Operations and served in that capacity for four years under David Stern. In 1995 Brokaw became Director of Player Personnel for the Orlando Magic. In 2003 he joined the Charlotte Bobcats in the same capacity and helped them prepare for the expansion draft. In 2004 he became the lead assistant coach on Bernie Bickerstaff’s Bobcats staff and served in that capacity for two seasons. Gary later coached Division II ball at Lees-McRae College in North Carolina, prior to relocating to Tampa where he was involved with the YMCA. Then he joined Coach-Up to help athletes maximize their performance with help from experienced coaches.

Brokaw is now retired and married to Renee. They have three adult children, daughters Sommer and Natalie and son Brendan. They are living in Lake Mary, Florida.

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