John Wetzel (basketball)

John Francis Wetzel (born October 22, 1944) is an American former professional basketball player and coach. A 6'5" guard, he attended Wilson Memorial High School in Fishersville, VA, and played collegiately at Virginia Tech and was selected by the Los Angeles Lakers in the 8th round of the 1966 NBA draft.^[1] Over a seven-year career, Wetzel played for three teams: the Lakers, the Phoenix Suns, and the Atlanta Hawks.^[2] He later coached the Suns during the 1987-88 NBA season.^[3] He served as an assistant for several other teams, retiring from basketball in 2004. Wetzel currently splits time in Tucson, Arizona and Maui, Hawaii.

John Wetzel

Wetzel in 1987
Personal information
Born	(1944-10-22) October 22, 1944 (age 80) Waynesboro, Virginia, U.S.
Listed height	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Listed weight	190 lb (86 kg)
Career information
High school	Wilson Memorial (Fishersville, Virginia)
College	Virginia Tech (1963–1966)
NBA draft	1966: 8th round, 75th overall pick
Drafted by	Los Angeles Lakers
Playing career	1967–1976
Position	Small forward / shooting guard
Number	24, 25, 33
Career history
As a player:
1967–1968	Los Angeles Lakers
1970–1972	Phoenix Suns
1972–1975	Atlanta Hawks
1975–1976	Phoenix Suns
As a coach:
1976–1977	Virginia Tech
1979–1987	Phoenix Suns (assistant)
1987–1988	Phoenix Suns
1988–1994	Portland Trail Blazers (assistant)
1994–1995	New Jersey Nets (assistant)
1995–1997	Golden State Warriors (assistant)
1998–2004	Sacramento Kings (assistant)
Career NBA statistics
Points	1,215 (3.4 ppg)
Rebounds	682 (1.9 rpg)
Assists	494 (1.4 apg)
Stats at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball Reference

Career statistics

Legend

GP	Games played	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game
FG%	Field goal percentage	3P%	3-point field goal percentage	FT%	Free throw percentage
RPG	Rebounds per game	APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game
BPG	Blocks per game	PPG	Points per game	Bold	Career high

NBA

Source^[2]

Regular season

Year	Team	GP	MPG	FG%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
1967–68	L.A. Lakers	38	11.4	.437	.761	2.2	1.3			3.7
1970–71	Phoenix	70	15.6	.431	.822	2.2	1.6			4.7
1971–72	Phoenix	51	8.2	.378	.800	1.3	1.1			1.7
1972–73	Atlanta	28	18.0	.447	.824	2.1	1.4			3.5
1973–74	Atlanta	70	17.6	.425	.719	2.4	2.0	1.0	.3	3.6
1974–75	Atlanta	63	12.5	.426	.883	1.8	1.2	.8	.1	3.8
1975–76	Portland	37	6.7	.478	.833	1.0	.5	.2	.1	1.7
Career		357	13.2	.429	.810	1.9	1.4	.8	.2	3.4

Playoffs

Year	Team	GP	MPG	FG%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
1973	Atlanta	3	11.0	.429	–	.7	1.3			2.0
1976	Phoenix	2	2.5	–	1.000	1.0	.0	.0	.0	1.0
Career		5	7.6	.429	1.000	.8	.8	.0	.0	1.6

Head coaching record

Legend

Regular season	G	Games coached	W	Games won	L	Games lost	W–L %	Win–loss %
Playoffs	PG	Playoff games	PW	Playoff wins	PL	Playoff losses	PW–L %	Playoff win–loss %

Team	Year	G	W	L	W–L%	Finish	PG	PW	PL	PW–L%	Result
Phoenix	1987–88	82	28	54	.341	4th in Pacific	—	—	—	—	Missed playoffs

Source^[3]