Former Thundering Herd basketball standout Ken Labanowski played professional basketball in Europe and Israel for twenty years. His talents brought him around the world, but he knows he will always hold a special place in his heart for Marshall.
“Labo”, a fan favorite in Huntington, amassed 1,252 points, 751 rebounds, 150 assists and 98 steals during his time with the Thundering Herd. He now ranks in the top 25 for each category in Marshall basketball history.
Labanowski’s senior year in Huntington was the final season before Marshall basketball moved to the Cam Henderson Center.
“I was lucky enough to play in the Memorial Fieldhouse,” says Labanowski. “Just that crowd, the people, and the fans. The people of Huntington, they’re just good people.”
The former basketball standout is very grateful to the Marshall community. He believes they helped him even after he graduated.
“They got me through a lot of tough times in Europe,” says Labanowski. “Just thinking about Marshall and the good memories. I was in a foreign place, in a lonely country, I just thought about Marshall and my fans.”
Labanowski helped the Herd reach the 1979 Southern Conference Finals and then the Semi-finals the following year. He still shows much appreciation for the guys he had around him.
“I was just lucky to have some great teammates,” says Labanowski. “These guys came to practice every day and made us work harder and that really helped us.”
Labanowski has invited former teammate Greg White to the annual Hall of Fame Dinner.
“My favorite teammate was Greg White. He was a great teammate, a lot of fun to play with. Greg was very talented. I knew if I worked hard and got open, Greg would get that assist to me. To this day, he is still a very special friend of mine.”
Labanowski will be inducted on Friday, September 23 and introduced prior to the Herd’s home football game with Virginia Tech on Saturday.