Richard Congo

Richard S. Congo
Born	(1961-05-17) May 17, 1961 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Occupation	Basketball player
Years active	1979–1984 (college)
Known for	East Coast Conference Player of the Year (1984)

Richard S. Congo (born May 17, 1961) is a retired American basketball athlete who competed collegiately for Lafayette College and Drexel University. During his senior year, he earned the distinction of East Coast Conference Player of the Year in 1984 and was recognized twice as an all-conference selection.

Early life

A Philadelphia, Pennsylvania native, Congo attended Overbrook High School. In his final year, he posted averages of 10 points and 10 rebounds per game.

College career

Congo initiated his collegiate basketball journey at Lafayette College, where as a freshman in the 1979–80 season he averaged 8.3 points alongside 4.4 rebounds per contest. He briefly stepped away mid-season due to personal matters but returned to contribute to Lafayette’s qualification for the 1980 National Invitation Tournament, where they were eliminated in the opening round by Virginia. Cultural adaptation difficulties influenced his decision to depart from Lafayette after just one season.

Following his transfer to Drexel University, Congo observed a mandatory redshirt year during his sophomore season in accordance with NCAA regulations. Over the subsequent three years, he was a consistent starter in all 88 games he participated in. His junior campaign earned him All-East Coast Conference Second Team honors, while his senior year saw him elevated to the First Team and set a Drexel record for single-season field goal percentage at .563. That season, he averaged 16.6 points and 8.1 rebounds per game and was honored as the East Coast Conference Player of the Year in 1984.

Concluding his college tenure with a combined total of 1,453 points and 735 rebounds from both institutions, Congo was inducted into Drexel’s athletics hall of fame in 1989.

Professional career

In the 1984 NBA draft, the Philadelphia 76ers selected Congo as the 160th overall pick in the seventh round. He was released following rookie camp without appearing in any regular season contests and subsequently pursued professional opportunities in Birmingham, England.

External links

• Richard Congo @ sports-reference.com