J.C. "Nip" McHose
J. Cresco “Nip” McHose began playing basketball about 1912 at the old Ashland Y.M.C.A., where many of our athletes got their start. He played on various young teams through grade school and junior high till reaching high school, where as one Ashland native put it, “He could dribble, shoot, and pass more like the pro’s of today.”
Playing in 1918-19-20, he captained the team at Ashland High, with Paul Curry, Eddie Wells, Weldon Hoot, and Bob Bogniard as teammates.
Enrolling at Stanford University in 1920, “Nip” played on the freshman team in 1921, and the varsity the next three years, captaining the team in 1924. He was elected as a charter member of the Stanford Athletic Hall of Fame in 1955.
Entering law school in 1925, he acted as a non-paid assistant to Coach Andy Kerr, so he could keep amateur status. There being no professional teams in those days, former college players joined company, or club teams, which competed in Amateur Athletic Union sectional championships. The winners would go to the Annual Tournament in Kansas City. “Nip” played with the Olympic Club in San Francisco, winning the Pacific Association, four years.
Opening a law office in Los Angeles in 1929, McHose played with the Los Angeles Athletic Club through 1932, when his law practice left no time for basketball.
As a friend of the legendary John Wooden of U.C.L.A. they met to talk about players they played with and against.
His greatest thrill in sports came in 1928, when the Olympic Club played the Rosse Florists for the Pacific AAU Championship. “Nip” hit a 55-foot shot at the buzzer to go into overtime, his team winning in the extra period.
“Nip” wrote saying, “I hope Ed Wells will be attending. He and I played football, basketball, and baseball at Ashland High. The basketball team was the first “point a minute” team in 1920. A reunion with Ed will be great.”
Nominator: Earl Leed
Presenter: Bob Jones
