Tom Nordland was the star among standouts for the Minneapolis Roosevelt teams that won consecutive one-class boys basketball titles in 1956 and 1957. Nordland was part of the record-breaking 101-54 rout of Blue Earth in the '56 final and then scored 31 points in a 59-51 win over Red Wing as the Teddies repeated in '57.
Tom Nordland, Roosevelt basketball star famed for his jump shot, has died
Nordland played for Stanford and went on to teach the "Swish" method of shooting.
January 5, 2023 at 1:19AM
Nordland, 83, died on Dec. 28. He was living in the Twin Cities with his wife, Jeanne.
Dave Mona, a Roosevelt Teddie-to-be, would take in Roosevelt games to watch those teams that also included star center Jerry Butler and Greg Larson, a playmaking guard who would become an All-Pro center for the New York Giants.
During a 1999 review of 20th century sports in Minnesota, the Star Tribune placed Nordland on the all-time starting five for high school boys basketball.
Mona's review then: "He was even fun to watch in warmups as the crowd kept track of his consecutive made long-range jumpers.'' He also made 19 of 20 free throws in a state tournament game.
Nordland attended Stanford, lived in California for many years and developed shooting videos with his "Swish'' method. His Twitter handle was @SwishCoach.
Mona on Wednesday said: "Tom wasn't a great athlete, as such, so he didn't play a big role at Stanford, but as a shooter … you couldn't find anybody better in Minnesota.
"Maybe ever.''
Nordland was voted into the Minnesota Basketball Hall of Fame in 2020. The ceremony was postponed by COVID-19, and he was inducted in 2022.
Six players plus head coach Garrett Raboin and assistant coach Ben Gordon are from Minnesota. The tournament’s games will be televised starting Monday.
