Eugene Lavon Banks (born May 15, 1959) was an American professional basketball player and coach. He was born and grew up in Philadelphia.

Early life and education

Banks was born in Philadelphia. He attended West Philadelphia High School, where he played as a 6'7" forward. He was nicknamed "Tinkerbell" and was named to high school All-American teams during his final three years of high school. By his senior year, he was considered one of the best players in the country, along with Albert King and Magic Johnson. Banks was voted MVP of the 1977 Dapper Dan and named to the first McDonald's All-American team, which played in the 1977 Capital Classic. He was also voted MVP of that game.

Banks attended Duke University, where he played college basketball for the Duke Blue Devils. Many other NCAA Division I college basketball programs, including UCLA and Villanova, also wanted to recruit him. Banks said that a high school teacher often reminded him about Duke’s strong academic programs, which led him to visit the school.

At Duke, Banks started playing as a freshman with players like Mike Gminski, Jim Spanarkel, and Kenny Dennard. After finishing last in the conference the previous year, the Blue Devils rose to the top 10 by the end of the regular season. The team qualified for the NCAA tournament for the first time in 12 years and reached the championship game in 1978, losing to Kentucky, 94–88. During that season, Banks became the first Duke freshman to record a triple double and was named Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Rookie of the Year.

Banks’ teams did not reach the Final Four again, though they entered the NCAA tournament in two of the next three years. Over his four years at Duke, the team had a record of 90 wins and 37 losses. During his college career, Banks averaged 16.8 points and 7.9 rebounds per game, shooting 53% from the field. In his final three seasons, he was named team MVP each year.

During his senior season, playing under Coach Mike Krzyzewski, Banks won the ACC scoring title, outperforming players like James Worthy and Ralph Sampson. He was named to All-American teams after two of his seasons.

Banks is widely recognized as a key recruit during Duke’s transition to integrated college basketball. As the sixth African American player in Duke’s history, he was the school’s first Black All-American, helping set the stage for Coach Krzyzewski’s future recruiting success.

Banks earned his BA in English from Duke in May 1981. He was one of two graduation speakers chosen from the student body.

Professional basketball

Gene Banks played six seasons and 468 games in the National Basketball Association. He played for the San Antonio Spurs and the Chicago Bulls, scoring an average of 11.3 points per game. His highest score of 44 points was against the Los Angeles Lakers in 1983. He recorded his first NBA triple-double while playing for the Chicago Bulls.

During the 1988–89 season, Banks played in Italy for Arimo Bologna. After Italy, he continued his career with the Maccabi Rishon Lezion basketball club in Israel. In 1993, he joined Hapoel Herzliya in Israel and led them to the Israeli Cup Championship game.

Between these periods, Banks played the 1989–90 season with the La Crosse Catbirds in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA), scoring 15.3 points per game in 40 games. The Catbirds won the CBA title that year.

In 2009, Gene Banks became an assistant coach for the Washington Wizards. In 2012, he moved to a scouting position in the southern region of the eastern Atlantic Coast. He is known for helping develop players such as JaVale McGee, Andray Blatche, and Kevin Seraphin.

Honors

Banks was added to the Duke Basketball Hall of Fame in 1994 and to the Duke Hall of Honors in 1996. In 2007, Banks was called the best foreign player who ever played for Maccabi Rishon LeZion.