A former star of the IU basketball program has passed away.
The Phoenix Suns reported Monday Indiana native and former Hoosier Dick Van Arsdale has died at the age of 81 years old.
Along with his twin brother Tom, Dick played basketball at IU under head coach Branch McCracken from 1963-65. He was the team’s co-Most Valuable Player in both 1964 and 1965, along with Tom.
Dick was All-Big Ten and an All American in 1965. He also earned Academic All-American in both 1964 and 1965. He finished his IU career with 1,240 points and 719 rebounds.
He went on to successful career in the NBA and was a member of the NBA All-Star Team on three occasions.
A second-round pick (10th overall) by the New York Knicks in 1965, he joined Phoenix via expansion draft for the Suns’ debut season in 1968-69. He made his first All-Star team that year and the next two seasons as well.
Dick is regarded in Phoenix as the “Original Sun” and scored the franchise’s first points.
“We are deeply saddened by the passing of Suns legend Dick Van Arsdale, the Original Sun and a member of our Ring of Honor,” the Suns said in a statement Monday.
He played 12 total seasons in the NBA, three with the Knicks and nine with the Suns. He averaged 16.4 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.3 assists a game for his pro career.
Dick remained a part of the Suns franchise after his retirement. He acted as general manager, senior vice president of player personnel and an interim head coach (1986-87).
After basketball Dick remained in Phoenix, as did Tom. After suffering a stroke in 2005, Dick got involved in art, and the brothers opened a studio near their homes in Scottsdale.
The identical Van Arsdale twins were born in 1943 in Indianapolis. They starred at Manual H.S. in Indianapolis before heading to Bloomington. They shared the Indiana Mr. Basketball Award and the Trester Award for Mental Attitude as seniors in 1961.
