Lucas represented the U.S. and won a bronze medal at the FIBA World Basketball Championships in 1974 and a gold medal at the Pan American Games in 1975. In spite of his extraordinary success on the basketball court by the time he graduated from Maryland, Lucas was still undecided as to which of the two sports he would pursue. However, when he was chosen in the first round of the 1976 National Basketball Association (NBA) draft by the Houston Rockets he chose to pursue a full-time professional basketball career.  Lucas played in the NBA for 14 years and was a member of the 1986 Houston Rockets team that made it to the NBA finals, where they lost to the Boston Celtics.  He is also currently 24^th on the all-time career assists list. Lucas served as the head coach of the San Antonio Spurs (1992-1994); vice president and general manager of the Philadelphia 76ers (1994-1996); assistant coach of the Denver Nuggets (1999-2002); and, head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers (2002-2004).

Lucas did play some professional tennis during the off-season of his pro basketball career. In addition to serving on the Black Tennis & Sports Foundation Board, he competed in seven Grand Prix professional tennis tournaments. In 1973, in the Louisville, Kentucky Grand Prix tournament, Lucas lost in the round of 64 to Geoff Masters of Australia 1-6, 0-6. In the same tournament, Lucas and John Whitlinger lost to Bill Bowrey and Dick Crealy of Australia 1-6, 4-6 in the round of 32. In the 1973 Merion, PA Grand Prix tournament he lost to Jeff Austin 4-6, 4-6. In that same tournament, in the round of 16 doubles event, Lucas and Vic Seixas lost to John Paish of Britain and Jeff Simpson of Australia 6-3, 1-6, 3-6. In the 1979 San Jose Grand Prix tournament, he lost in the Round of 32 to John James of Australia 3-6, 2-6. In the 1979 Raleigh Grand Prix tournament, he lost in the round of 64 to Gordon Jones of the US 1-6, 1-6. In that same tournament, Lucas and Fred McNair IV lost in the semifinals to John Austin and Billy Martin 5-7, 1-6.

Lucas had success playing World Team Tennis with the San Francisco Golden Gaters in 1976 and the New Orleans Sun Belt Nets in 1978. In addition, in 1975, he was the head coach of the Houston Wranglers, a team that included tennis legend Steffi Graf as their star player. In the 1980s, Lucas also coached legendary professional tennis player and 2011 Black Tennis Hall of Fame Inductee Lori McNeal.

Glass served on the ATA’s junior development committee and as a board member of the Black Tennis & Sports Foundation.   Over the last 70 plus years, she has volunteered at virtually every level of organized tennis both in the ATA and the USTA. In addition to her volunteer work, Glass was a very successful tennis parent who is the proud mother of Sidney and Luis Glass who were top junior players in the USTA Eastern Section. Sidney Glass played tennis at the University of Wisconsin and Luis Glass went on to be an All-American tennis player at UCLA. In 2010, Glass was inducted into the San Diego Tennis Hall of Fame.

 Pioneer

Contributors

Llewellyn played an important role as Althea Gibson’s touring manager and coach. He helped to guide her to five Grand Slam titles (1956 French, 1957 and 1958 Wimbledon, and, 1957 and 1958 US). He also started her professional tennis career by arranging for her to get paid to play matches before the Harlem Globetrotters basketball games. In 1983 Llewellyn married Althea Gibson. However, their marriage ended in divorce in 1988.

Llewellyn was a tennis innovator in every sense of the word. He wrote a fascinating article called “The Theory of Correct Returns” which described a unique winning strategy for tennis.  Llewellyn was an inventor who developed a product called “Equiform.” This elastic cable device helped players produce ideal stroke production.  In addition, he founded the first prize money tournament for African Americans in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Llewellyn also originated the “Turkey Tournament,” an event designed for players that had never won a tournament. He made history by becoming the first black United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA) certified teaching professional. Llewellyn received a lot of awards throughout his life. However, one of the most prestigious was his induction into the USTA Eastern Tennis Hall of Fame in 1993.

STC is legendary for more than its tennis programs. In 1998, Harvard University’s Men’s Tennis Team made history by playing its first match in the poorest section of Boston against Penn State at Sportsman’s Tennis Club. It is estimated that more than 40,000 youngsters have benefitted from the STC activities and events. These unique programs helped participants learn valuable lessons about tennis and life.  When growing up in Boston, Jimmy played just about every sport, except tennis.  He learned to love the game the game later in life and became determined to play tennis even though it was almost unheard of among urban blacks at the time. He described tennis as “Opening the doors to a whole new world.” His focus and determination opened those doors to tens of thousands of children whose lives have been enriched due to his vision.

Both Jim and Gloria have passed away, but the Sportsman’s Tennis Club continues to provide leadership and guidance to the children of Boston. Jimmy Smith received a lot of awards throughout his life. However, his induction into the USTA New England Tennis Hall of Fame in 1993 was one of his greatest honors.

Lucille Freeman’s nomination and induction into the Black Tennis Hall of Fame is particularly pleasing to many of the black tennis legends who are still alive because they were among the hundreds of beneficiaries of her hospitality and generosity.