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John Willis

John Willis is an American-Israeli former basketball player who played 10 seasons in the Israeli Basketball Premier League and for the Israel national team.

born 1952Playing for Hapoel Tel AvivIsrael national basketball teamBloomsburg Huskies school records

Born: 23 September 1952, Newark
Occupation: basketball player
Education: Bloomsburg University

John Willis was born in 1952 in Newark

John Willis was born on September 23, 1952, in Newark, New Jersey, to a Jewish family. He began playing basketball at age 13 and later played for his school and high school teams.

He studied at Bloomsburg University in Pennsylvania and played for the Bloomsburg Huskies from 1971 to 1974. He scored 1,467 points there and holds school records for points in a game (48) and rebounds in a season (389). His jersey was retired, and he entered the school's men's basketball Hall of Fame in 1990.

After graduating in 1974, he tried out for the Philadelphia 76ers but was not signed, and joined the Scranton Apollos of the CBA. In 1975 he moved to Spain and played 2 years for Granollers in the second division, helping the team win promotion.

In August 1977 he immigrated to Israel and joined Hapoel Tel Aviv, and was named to the team of the season in 1977/1978. Over 10 seasons he also played for Hapoel Haifa, Hapoel Holon and Maccabi Rishon LeZion. With the Israel national team he played at the European Championships of 1981, 1983 and 1985.