Hall of Fame
- Induction:
- 2018
- Class:
- 1959
A 6-foot-6 forward, Gene Guarilia was a beast on the boards for GW men's basketball from 1956-59 and parlayed that talent into the most decorated NBA playing career of any Colonial. He averaged a double-double in each of his three seasons, beginning with a team-best 17.1 points and Southern Conference-leading 18.6 rebounds per game in his debut 1956-57 season. His 447 total rebounds that year remain the ninth-most in a single-season in SoCon history. In 1957-58, he provided 15.8 points and 11.1 rebounds over 23 games to earn First Team All-SoCon accolades. As a senior in 1958-59, he provided 14 points and 12 rebounds on a GW team that came within a point of reaching the conference title game, capturing Second Team All-Tournament honors. He's 32nd all-time at GW with 1,136 points and one of three GW players with over 1,000 career rebounds (1,019). He was a second round pick of the Boston Celtics in 1959 and went on to win four NBA Championships with GW legend Red Auerbach's Celtics from 1960-63.
