Charlie Criss
Criss as a senior at NMSU | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 6, 1948 Valhalla, New York, U.S. |
| Listed height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) |
| Listed weight | 165 lb (75 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Gorton (Yonkers, New York) |
| College |
|
| NBA draft | 1970: undrafted |
| Playing career | 1972–1985 |
| Position | Point guard |
| Number | 14, 1, 15 |
| Career history | |
| As a player: | |
| 1972–1974 | Hartford Capitols |
| 1974–1975 | Cherry Hill Pros |
| 1975–1977 | Scranton Apollos |
| 1977–1981 | Atlanta Hawks |
| 1981–1982 | San Diego Clippers |
| 1982–1984 | Milwaukee Bucks |
| 1984–1985 | Atlanta Hawks |
| As a coach: | |
| 1991 | Atlanta Eagles |
| Career highlights | |
| |
| Career NBA statistics | |
| Points | 3,534 (8.5 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 592 (1.4 rpg) |
| Assists | 1,335 (3.2 apg) |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball Reference | |
Charles Washington Criss Jr. (born November 6, 1948) is an American former professional basketball player and coach.
A 5'8" guard from New Mexico State University, Criss began his professional career in the Eastern Basketball Association (EBA). He won an EBA championship with the Hartford Capitols in 1974. He earned league Most Valuable Player honors with the Scranton Apollos in 1976 and 1977. Criss won a second EBA championship with the Apollos in 1977. He then played for the Washington Generals. He joined the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association the following year, and played eight seasons in the league with the Hawks, San Diego Clippers and Milwaukee Bucks. When he entered the NBA, Criss was the league's shortest active player.
In his NBA career, Criss averaged 8.5 points and 3.2 assists per game, with perhaps his best year being his first in 1978, posting averages of 11 points and 4 assists in 77 matches. During the 1980 NBA playoffs, Criss averaged 14 points and 4.4 assists per game, as the Hawks eventually lost to the Philadelphia 76ers in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. On February 20, 1982, while on the Clippers, Criss scored a career-best 34 points and recorded 8 assists during a 118–101 win over the San Antonio Spurs. After retiring as a player, he worked as a golf instructor, an Atlanta Hawks television color commentator and a basketball summer camp coordinator. Criss was head coach of the Atlanta Eagles in the United States Basketball League (USBL) during the 1991 season.