Thomas, Johnson, Chestnut to be inducted into Schenectady City School District Athletic Hall of Fame

Here’s a look at the inductees.

James D. Thomas

Thomas was an extremely valuable player as a junior on the 1998 Schenectady High School State championship basketball team. Schenectady finished 28-1 and he averaged 14 points and 12 rebounds. He was named to the 1998 NYSPHSAA All-Tournament team. Thomas was a four-year basketball starter at the University of Texas. His sophomore team finished 21-12 and reached the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16. He made the NCAA Midwest Regional All-Tournament team. Texas finished 26-7 when he was a junior and was ranked No. 3 in the ESPN/USA Today final coaches’ poll. Thomas led the Big 12 in rebounding and was the 10th leading rebounder in the nation. Texas made its first Final Four appearance (2003) in 56 years. During his collegiate career, he was an All-Big 12 Conference Second Team selection and an All-Big 12 Defensive Team selection. He finished his career with 1,149 points and 1,077 rebounds, which is the Texas career rebounding record. He was the second player in UT history to record 1,000 career points and 1,000 career rebounds. He had 28 career double-doubles and 41 career double-figure rebounding games at UT. Bob Knight once said, “Jim Thomas might be my favorite player in the Big 12. He gives it his all every time he goes on the court.” Thomas was selected as one of the “15 Best Longhorns of All-Time.” He had brief stints in the NBA with the Trailblazers, Hawks, 76ers and Bulls. He was the 2004-05 National Basketball Development League Rookie of the Year and the 2005-06 CBA Newcomer of the Year. Thomas had a successful career playing professionally overseas in Italy, Israel and Turkey. He coached girls’ basketball at Schenectady High School for two years. He is a member of the Upstate New York Basketball Hall of Fame.

Ray Johnson

Johnson was a track standout at Mont Pleasant High School, where he also played football and basketball. He was the Sectional 220-yard champion in 1971 and 1972. He also finished second in the Sectional 100-yard dash in 1971. He finished fifth in the 220-yard dash at the 1971 State Meet. As a senior, Johnson ran a 9.9 100-yard dash. He won the 1972 Eddy Meet 440-yard run, setting a new MPHS record (48.4). He won the 220 and 440 at the Schenectady County Championship Meet. He set a meet record in winning the 440 (49.6) at the 1972 Sectional Qualifier. He also ran the anchor leg on Mont Pleasant’s record-setting Section II Mile Relay team (3.22.8). Johnson was the 1972 State 440-yard champion. He was undefeated in the 440-yard run as a senior. He also ran the third fastest 220-yard run on a turn in Section II history (at the time). Johnson received a scholarship to Manhattan College. As a freshman, he ran the quarter-mile leg on Manhattan’s indoor distance medley relay team that set a world record (9:43.7). The record was set in the final event of the 1973 NCAA Indoor Track Championships at Cobo Arena in Detroit and allowed Manhattan’s indoor track team to stun the track world and win the NCAA team title. Manhattan’s indoor track team also won the 1973 Metropolitan Intercollegiate Track Championship and the 52nd Annual IC4A Indoor Track Championship. Johnson was named an All-American in 1973. His 1973 indoor track team was inducted into the Manhattan College Athletic Hall of Fame.

Tom Chestnut

Chestnut played basketball and tennis at Linton High School. His 1964 tennis team won the Sectional championship. Chestnut graduated a year early and attended Princeton, where he played basketball for Butch von Breda Kolff and Pete Carril. Geoff Petrie, a future NBA All-Star, was a teammate. His 1966-67 Princeton team finished 25-3 and won the Ivy League title. The team finished the year ranked fifth in the country. It lost to North Carolina in overtime in the NCAA Tournament. The following year, Princeton (20-6) lost the Ivy League title in a playoff. His 1968-69 team finished 19-7 and once again won the Ivy League title. Chestnut had 22 points and 13 rebounds in a game vs. Harvard. Chestnut was one of the last players cut by the ABA’s Texas Chaparrals (now the San Antonio Spurs). While playing pro basketball in Europe, he led the Dutch League in scoring twice. He also played semi-pro basketball with the Schaefer Brewers. Chestnut was president and chief operating officer of the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers from 1990-95. He was also the chief operating officer of the Philadelphia 76er during the 1995-96 season. Chestnut was vice president and general manager of SportsChannel New York. In that position, he oversaw production of games involving the Mets, Yankees, Islanders, Devils and Nets. Chestnut has continued to play basketball, winning five World Championships between 2013 and 2019 in Masters Tournaments in Italy (twice), New Zealand, Finland and the United States. He is a member of the Upstate New York Basketball Hall of Fame.

The 2024 Legacy Tribute will honor the cross country teams from the Schenectady City School District that won three consecutive State championships from 1956 through 1958. The 1956 Nott Terrace team was coached by Athletic Hall of Fame Member Bill Leonard. The team was led by Phil Spencer, John O’Sullivan and Ray Westendorp. The three standouts finished in a dead heat for first at the 1956 Class A Sectional Cross Country Championship won by Nott Terrace High School. The team went on to win the State team title at Baldwinsville, with Spencer finishing fourth in the Class A Intersectionals and O’Sullivan finishing sixth. Leonard’s 1957 Nott Terrace cross country team was led by O’Sullivan, the Schenectady Junior Chamber of Commerce Fall Athlete of the Year. He won the Sectionals and finished second in the NYU Interscholastic Run, Proctor Invitational and Grout Run. He also finished third at the St. John’s Interscholastic Run. Westendorp finished second in the Sectionals. The team concluded its season by winning the state title on Long Island, where Westendorp finished second and O’Sullivan finished fourth. The 1958 Mont Pleasant cross country team, coached by Athletic Hall of Fame member Ray Vacca, was led by star Bob Lewkowicz who won the Proctor Run, Grout Run, New York University Interscholastic Cross Country Meet and the Fordham Run. Lewkowicz and teammate Tom Farry finished in a dead-heat for first as Mont Pleasant won the sectional championship. The team went on to win the State cross country meet at Colgate. Lewkowicz finished second, and Farry sixth at the state meet.