Fans of the late 1960s and mid-1970s remember Lenny Wilkens as a tenacious, hot-shooting guard but the quietly determined player still earned a scholarship to Providence College. Wilkens had the uncanny court sense to serve as a player and coach simultaneously, logging three seasons with Seattle and one with Portland before moving on to concentrate solely on coaching. Wilkens utilized his knowledge and experience to methodically establish himself as one of the NBAs premier coaches. When the NBA celebrated its 50th Anniversary season in 1996-97, Wilkens was the only honoree lauded for both his coaching and playing talents he was named one of the NBAs Top Ten Coaches in league history as well as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA history.