Background
He was the son of Lithuanian immigrants.
basketball coach basketball player
He was the son of Lithuanian immigrants.
Saint Joseph"s Preparatory School.
Playing career
Guokas played college basketball for hometown Saint Joseph"s University, where he set many school records in assists and steals. After SJU, Guokas played on the 1967 Philadelphia 76ers team, featuring Wilt Chamberlain, Hal Greer, Chet Walker and Billy Cunningham, that ended the eight-year championship streak of the Boston Celtics. He also played with the Buffalo Braves, Chicago Bulls, Cincinnati Royals, Houston Rockets, and Kansas City Kings, all of the National Basketball Association. In the 1972-1973 season, Guokas finished second (to Chamberlain) in the National Basketball Association in field goal percentage with a.570 clip during that season.
Coaching and broadcasting
Guokas later coached the Sixers and was the first coach of the Orlando Magic, compiling a combined 230-305 career record.
He formerly worked as a television color commentator and sports analyst for the Magic on FS Florida and Sun Sports cable channels, teaming with veteran National Basketball Association and college sportscaster David Steele. He has also served as a color commentator for National Basketball Association on National Broadcasting Company broadcasts during the 1990s and was a color commentator for the Cleveland Cavaliers for Fox Sports Ohio cable channel for a number of years in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Three generations of the Guokas family have played basketball for Saint Joseph"s University: Matt Senior (1935-1938), Matt Junior.
(1964-1966), and Matt III (1989-1992).