By Tom Rowe

Sun Contributing Writer

EDITOR’S NOTE: Today Norwich Sports Hall of Fame profile on Bobby Lazor is the third in a series of six articles on this year’s induction class. This year’s banquet is scheduled for Saturday, May 11 at Canasawacta Country Club.

Although 15 years removed from Bobby Lazor’s birth in 1976 and Ricky Nelson’s top-selling single ‘Travelin’ Man’ in 1961, there are similarities between Lazor’s life and that of Nelson’s protagonist, known for his sojourning ways. As the opening line to Nelson’s ditty notes, “I’m a travelin’ man, made a lot of stops all over the world….” That, in essence, could be Lazor’s anthem, too. But while Nelson’s wayfaring hero of song was winning the hearts of girls to and fro, Lazor was dazzling basketball aficionados on three continents – Asia, Europe and North America.

Born in Phoenix, Bobby was four years old when his family moved to Norwich in 1980. Norwich would continue to be their home for the next 14 years, until Bobby matriculated at Syracuse University, while his family relocated to Cincinnati. After two years at Syracuse, Lazor transferred to Arizona State University in Tempe, while his family picked up roots again and headed to Rio Verde, just northeast of Scottsdale.

Following an exceptional two years with the Sun Devils, Bobby was on the move once more as he began a nine-year professional career that would touch down on those aforementioned three continents. In Asia, he played for teams in Japan and South Korea, while suiting up for European clubs in France, Germany and Italy. His North American stopovers included Puerto Rico and a pair of CBA (Continental Basketball Association) stints in Albuquerque, NM and Bismarck, ND.

By now I think you get the picture – Lazor was indeed a world traveler when it came to his time on the hardwoods. And when his career ended in 2008, he hung his hat in Gilbert, AZ, a fast-growing community southeast of Phoenix. He has come full circle back to his roots, where appropriately enough he is a licensed real estate salesman. But it is his longest stint anywhere – Norwich – that has earned him a spot in the Norwich High School Sports Hall of Fame as a member of its third induction class.

As a Tornado cager, Lazor established himself as the all-time scoring leader (1,444 points), rebounder (720) and shot blocker (173), while during his three-year varsity career Norwich won back-to-back NYSPHSAA (New York State Public High School Athletic Association) Class B titles and one Federation Class B championship in going a gaudy 72-7 (.911) between 1991-94.

“Bobby showed the uncanny ability to post up in the paint on one trip down the court and then come back to knock down a 20-footer the next,” recalled former NHS coach Mark Abbott. “He could see the floor well and hit the open man for a bucket. He also swatted away an-almost-countless number of opponents’ shots.

“Scoring was more an afterthought for him in the beginning. We were most interested in his rebounding and shot blocking then. But he really diversified his game over the three years he played. Despite all of this, he’ll likely be remembered 50 years from now for those high-percentage shots of his – the thunderous slam dunks.”

Indeed!

Lazor is also the all-time Norwich leader in two-point field goals with 497, and his 615 points as a senior and 586 as a junior rank him one-two in seasonal scoring statistics. And it was during those two seasons that the Purple captured those aforementioned state titles in going 29-0 and 27-2, respectively, during his junior and senior seasons. As a sophomore, he scored 241 points as Norwich went 16-5.

“Physically I became much stronger between my sophomore and junior years,” noted the 6-foot, 9-inch Lazor when queried about how his game developed. “I grew about three inches, but more importantly I grew into my body. I was never very fast, but I became quicker and more athletic.”

Without exception, Norwich and Lazor had their greatest success during the back-to-back campaigns of 1992-93 and 1993-94. During that stretch, the Purple won 37 straight games and a whopping 46 in a row versus Section IV clubs.