NEW YORK -- Alan Seiden, a starting guard on St. John's 1959 NIT championship team who was selected as one of the school's greatest players, has died. He was 71.
Seiden died Saturday in a hospital after a long illness, according to his family.
Seiden led the Redmen in scoring with a 20.4 average as a junior when they lost in the NIT semifinals. As a senior under coach Joe Lapchick, he averaged 21.9 points, second on the team to sophomore Tony Jackson. Seiden had 22 points in the NIT title game, a double-overtime victory against Bradley.
He was one eight players honored by St. John's in 2006 as a "Basketball Legacy." He finished his three-year career with 1,374 points and still holds some school records for free throw shooting.
Seiden was drafted by the St. Louis Hawks but never played in the NBA although he did have a long playing career in the Eastern League. A big collector of sports memorabilia, Seiden operated a ticket agency in Fort Lee, N.J., for many years.
He is survived by his mother, Dora, a sister and a brother.
Services are Monday at Sinai Chapel in Flushing.