1941-1942 Automotive Pistons


1941-42 PSAL City Vocational League Finalists!!!


1941-42 Roster:


Ben Schwartz (Captain)
Simon Bakis
Martin Benkowitz
Harry Drogan
Aaron Gordon
George Greco
William Henry
Dolph Latimore
Nat Miller
Dave Munich
George Nieves
Vincent Reig
Manny Schiler
Nick Torowicz

COACH: James S. Tedford

Manager: Aaron Smithheimer

1941-42 League Record: 10-0
1941-42 Overall Record: 15-1



1941-42 Game Results:


Automotive 31 - Manual Training 29 (Non-League)
Automotive 29 - Curtis 26 (Non-League)
Automotive 54 - Metal Trades 19 (League)
Automotive 69 - Woodrow Wilson 11 (League)
Automotive 29 - McKee Vocational 23 (Non-League)
Automotive 41 - Queens Vocational 23 (League)
Automotive 54 - East New York 30 (League)
Automotive 35 - Brooklyn Specialty 33 (League)
Automotive 52 - East New York 30 (League)
Automotive 55 - Metal Trades 23 (League)
Automotive 57 - Abraham Lincoln 30 (Non-League)
Automotive 58 - Woodrow Wilson 18 (League)
Automotive 39 - Curtis 32 (Non-League)
Automotive 74 - Queens Vocational 6 (League)
Automotive 51 - Brooklyn Specialty 41 (League)
Automotive 28 - Gompers Vocational 35 (Playoffs- City Championship Game)


From the June 1942 Automotive HS Yearbook.........



For the eighth consecutive season, Automotive's quintet captured the Brooklyn and Queens vocational high schools basketball tournament and for the second year in a row our cagers met defeat in the city championship game at Madison Square Garden.

Our courment won sixteen games in a row during the course of the season before being stopped by Samuel Gompers Vocational HS, before a crowd of over 13, 000 spectators by a score of 35 to 28 at Madison Square Garden.

Among the most notable of our clubs wins was the victory over an excellent Manual Training team at Manual's court to open the season. Then came triumphs over the Alumni before a packed house in our gym: a trip to Staten Island which resulted in the conquest of Curtis HS, academic high school titleholders of the Island due to Manny Schiler hitting the cords for 12 points in the second half. After defeating Woodrow Wilson and Metal Trades in league contest, we handed McKee Vocational a 29 to 23 beating at the Garden. Queens Vocational was next on the list of conquests and then back to madison Square Garden to drop East New York to the tune of 54 to 30. The first half of the schedule saw our cagers win a thriller from Brooklyn Specialty in the last few seconds of play at the Brooklyn College of Pharmacy due to Nat Miller coming through with two free throws to clinch the contest.

The second half of the the schedule saw us again defeat Curtis HS, this time at our court 39 to 32 and Abraham Lincoln HS was taken into camp 57 to 30. We sewed up the Brooklyn and Queens title with a 51 to 41 triumph over Brooklyn Specialty on our court. Other wins were scored over East NY, Metal trades, Woodrow Wilson and Queens Vocational.

The championship game at the Garden with Gompers Vocational saw the Bronx Club take a lead of 10 to 9 at the end of the first quarter, increase the advantage to 20 to 17 at half time and put the crusher on our hopes for the city honors in the third period by outscoring our team 9 to 5 to run the third period count to 20 to 22. We held our opponents even in the last period 6 to 6 but the damage had been done and the title went to coach Bill Hirzler's quintet.

The brunt of the work in the first half of the season fell to the lot of Captain Schwartz, Manny Schiller, Nat Miller, Lefty Gordon and Red Baktis. With Schollers' graduation in January, Bill Henry, who became eligible to represent the blue and gold stepped in and played a stellar game. Vinny Reig, Nick Torowicz, George Greco, Harry Frogan, DAve Munich, George Nieves, and Dolph Latimore also did their share in running up sixteen consecutive wins. The prospects for next season are good as the only men lost from the squad are Schwartz and Reig.