Phil Tollestrup

Philip Tollestrup[2] (born October 21, 1949)[3] is a former Olympic basketball player as a member of the Canadian national men's basketball team during the 1970s.

Phil Tollestrup

Personal information
Born	(1949-10-21)21 October 1949 Raymond, Alberta, Canada
Nationality	Canada
Listed height	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Listed weight	220 lb (100 kg)
Career information
High school	Raymond High School Comets[1]
College	Brigham Young University Cougars and University of Lethbridge Pronghorns
NBA draft	1973: 19th round, 211th overall pick
Selected by the Buffalo Braves
Playing career	1973–1974
Position	Forward
Coaching career	1978–1980
Career history
As player:
1973–1974	Saski Baskonia
As coach:
1978–1980	McMaster University Marauders
1980s	Milk River youth basketball
1980s	Stirling youth basketball
1980s-1990s	Magrath High School
Career highlights and awards
Male Pronghorn Athlete of the Year, 1972-1973 1972-1973 CIAU All-Canadian finished the 1976 Olympics as the tournament's 3rd leading scorer Team Canada finished 4th in the 1976 Montréal Olympic Games Raymond Sports Hall of Fame Pronghorns Hall of Fame Alberta Sports Hall of Fame Canadian Basketball Hall of Fame
Stats  at Basketball-Reference.com
Medals Men's basketball Representing  Canada Pan Am Games World Student Games FIBA World Championship Summer Olympic Games

Six feet, six inches tall forward, Tollestrup attributes the development of his basketball ability to his being able to practice on a daily basis both at his school gym, where his father was janitor, and at the local cultural centre, which has an open gym.[4] The native of Raymond, Alberta was later a member of his local basketball team which won the provincial youth basketball championship in 1967 and '68. He played college basketball at Brigham Young University, and was a teammate of Cougar and Yugoslav legend Krešimir Ćosić. He then played an additional year of college ball with the University of Lethbridge Pronghorns where for 1972-3 he was named Male Pronghorn Athlete of the Year and a CIAU All-Canadian. After college, he was drafted by the Buffalo Braves with their last pick in the 1973 draft (19th round, 211th overall), but never played in the NBA.[5] Instead, he played professionally with a club in the Spanish first division for the 1973-4 season, Saski Baskonia - TAU Cerámica.

Tollestrup participated in the 1971, '75, and '79 Pan Am Games, 1973 World Student Games, the 1974 FIBA World Championship, and the 1976 Summer Olympics. He finished the Olympics as the tournament's 3rd leading scorer as the Canadians finished just out of the medals in fourth place.

Tollestrup coached McMaster University from 1978 to 1980. He then turned to teaching school and coaching youth basketball in the Southern Alberta communities of Milk River, Stirling, and most recently Magrath where he is the Magrath High School head coach. He has been inducted into the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame, Canadian Basketball Hall of Fame,[6] Raymond Sports Hall of Fame, and Pronghorns Hall of Fame