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50 The Courier sun • june 6, 2013 for breaking news visit www.couriersun.com ▶sports NETTING YEARS OF BASKETBALL TRADITION BROOKLYN NATIVE COMES FULL CIRCLE LOVE of NBA score keeper legend reflects on career, Bayside ties BY MELISA STUMPF formed relationships with superstars like Shaquille mstumpf@homereporter.com O’Neal, Michael Jordan and Julius “Dr. J” Erving. Teretsky has also racked up points in the literary Herb Teretsky, 67, does not think of himself as a world, writing about the experiences and acquaintances superstar. he has made during his journeys. He has kept score for the Nets for the past 47 In his 2010 book “Basketball and Life,” he years and plans to work four more years to reach a wrote about the people who mattered to them career benchmark. going back to when he became involved in basketball The dedicated score keeper has not missed a at age 21. game since 1984. “It was a great undertaking and a lot of fun,” He was born and raised in Brownsville, Brooklyn Teretsky said of the book. He also wrote 200 poems and now lives in Bayside. in a period of two months. He described that publication “Being a scorekeeper for the Nets is like a box of as “simply private and personal thoughts.” chocolates. You never know what you’re going to Teretsky said he tried his best to make readers get,” he said, quoting the famous line from “Forrest feel like they are sitting courtside and working with Gump.” some of the greatest athletes in the world. His career has included many ups and downs “I’m not the player, I’m just there to keep score,” along the way. He has traveled the world and he added. Teretsky’s career highlights include mentions in numerous halls of fame. But his career has seen its share of tragedy, as when his friend the Croatian professional basketball player Drazen Petrovic died in a car accident at the age 28. Teretsky said the death of Petrovic, who was also Teretsky’s son’s hero, created a “horrible situation for the team.” During his more than four decades so far with the Nets, Teretsky has been the official scorer for NBA games in Japan, Mexico City and Canada. He has scored the NBA Hall of Fame’s exhibition game in Springfield, Massachusetts. While building his career as the NBA’s preeminent official scorer, Teretsky also coached touring teams in Israel, Greece, Belgium and France, winning the prestigious Tournoi Internationals in 1984. “This last year may have been the best year of my career,” Teretsky said. Herb Teretsky, the official scorekeeper for the Nets, in his Bayside home. THE COURIER/Photo by Terence M. Cullen theGAME


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