Xavier University Athletics
Xavier Remembers Hank Stein, 1959 Graduate And MVP Of 1958 NIT Championship Team
08.26.17 | Men's Basketball, Athletic Department
Stein earned All-America honors as a Musketeer guard.
CINCINNATI --- Henry "Hank" Stein, a 1959 Xavier University graduate and MVP of Xavier's 1958 NIT Championship team, passed away this morning at the age of 81. Stein, a 1983 inductee into the Xavier University Athletic Hall of Fame, was inducted in the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame earlier this year.
Xavier fans best remember Hank Stein as the MVP of Xavier's 1958 National Invitation Tournament Championship Team. But the Xavier co-captain was a great performer for three years for the Musketeers. Stein was Xavier's first recognized All-American. After the great 1958 season, Stein was named Second Team All-American by Converse and was also named to the Dell Magazine All-America squad. After his senior season in 1959, Stein earned UPI Third Team All-America honors.
Stein, a 6-3 guard, scored 90 points in four games in the 1958 NIT to lead the Musketeers into the finals and a 78-74 overtime victory over Dayton for the championship. Stein, who scored 23 points, led a 7-2 run in overtime that gave XU the victory. Xavier's 1958 NIT Championship marked the first major basketball national championship for any Ohio team and came at a time when many felt the NIT was the elite postseason basketball tournament.
Stein, a two-time All-Midwest selection, scored 13.5 points a game as a sophomore. He pumped in 15.5 ppg. as a junior and 13.7 ppg. as a senior. He was a great foul shooter, pumping in 86 percent as a senior.
The former Xavier co-captain came to Xavier from Flaget High School in Louisville after earning All-City, All-Region, and All-State honors as a prepster. Stein was a great performer for three years, but he will always be remembered for wearing the NIT MVP bowl on his head immediately after winning the 1958 National Invitation Tournament Championship.
Stein finished his career with 1,144 points, which still ranks 32nd in XU history. After graduation from Xavier, Stein was selected in the third round of the 1959 NBA Draft by the St. Louis Hawks.
