[Announcer] Ernie in forecourt, spinning, going into the right corner, there's that shot from there, and in.

- [Pamela] Ernie DiGregorio, a Providence College Friars phenom.

(announcer shouting) (crowd cheering) - [Announcer] Layup is good!

- I was very creative and imaginative when I played.

I would anticipate what someone would do, and I would throw the ball ahead of them.

And that came from hours and hours of just bouncing a basketball.

- [Pamela] And a half century later, he's still bouncing a basketball, and putting up some of his trick shots.

It was 1973 when DiGregorio led the Friars to the Final Four, with skills such as this, a long court behind the back pass, that stunned the crowd.

- And like my coach Gavin used to say, it was an extension of my arm.

And so when I dribbled the ball, I didn't have to look at the ball.

I could look down there and see who was open, and I would make split second decisions, just spontaneously, instinctively, mostly.

And that's what made me a little different than everybody else.

- [Pamela] Different and legendary.

Affectionately known by fans as Ernie D, DiGregorio is enshrined in the Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame, and here at his alma mater.

- There's some great coaches and great players in this hall.

- Mm-hmm.

And then there's Ernie D. - [Ernie] Yeah, the little kid from North Providence who made good.

(both chuckling) (crowd chanting and clapping) - That local kid not only fired up Friar Fever, he also defied the odds.

At just six feet tall, he was selected first team all American, the number three NBA draft pick his senior year, and 1974 Rookie of the Year.

You're a little guy from a little school, from the littlest state in the union, and you went all the way to become Rookie of the Year in the NBA.

- Yeah.

- How'd you do it?

- Confidence and practice.

I knew if God gave me anything, it gave me that mindset where I knew where to go, and how to get there.

You know, when I was a little kid, I had a dream, and the dream was to be a professional basketball player.

And I think the reason I became a professional basketball player is I never listened to someone tell me I couldn't be one.

- Do you remember the point as a child that you said, "I got game"?

- When I was 12 years old, I knew I was good.

You know, I had confidence the first day I stepped on the court.

But what I did was I didn't practice shooting long three point shots.

I just stood under the basket and shot little close shots, little close shots, that I made them.

I would play eight hours a day.

And if you played one hour a day, I knew I was a better player.

So when I stepped on the court, I had confidence, and I developed a left hand and a right hand.

You put that in for 15 years, you should be a good player.

Being Rookie of the Year was a great, great, great honor because that proved to everyone that I wasn't lucky.

You can't be lucky to win that award.

You have to, you know, produce.

(crowd cheering) - [Pamela] Radio color commentator for Providence College basketball games is Joe Hassett, another former Friar who went on to play in the NBA.

He was a high school freshman at LaSalle Academy.

When DiGregorio was a PC senior, - I watched him score 30 points in a game a number of times, but he could also pass the ball and make everybody else better.

He just had a great never say die attitude, you know.

He was only six feet, but he dominated the game.

He dominated a game of giants, basically.

So everybody, every young kid who came up, wanted to be like Ernie.

You know, I said, "Okay, so you wanna play division one?

You gotta be as good as him."

And you started to play more, because you saw him play on TV a lot.

- [Announcer] Ernie D Fires and hits his first point, and it was a pretty shot.

- [Pamela] Ernie D's first pro team was the old Buffalo Braves, where he became Rookie of the Year by leading the league with assists, free throw percentages, and average 15 points a game.

Eventually traded to the LA Lakers, DiGregorio played his fifth and final year with the Boston Celtics.

What was it like to wear the Celtics jersey?

- It was a thrill because I got to play with my childhood hero, John Havlicek, who was a great teammate and a great mentor.

- [Pamela] Yet after the Celtics, and dealing with a knee injury from his days with the Braves, DiGregorio threw in his last basket.

- It wasn't fun anymore.

And so that's why I decided to retire and spend time with my four daughters, and my wife.

- [Pamela] And spending time staying close to the Providence College Friars basketball program.

DiGregorio also worked as a host at Foxwoods Casino, and did some motivational speaking.

Now he's written a book that gives a play by play of his success story, "Star with a Broken Heart".

But as the title suggests, it's not just about basketball, it's about the synergy and tragedy he experienced with his standout PC teammate, Marvin Barnes, and the legacy of PC coach, Dave Gavitt, founding force of the Big East Conference.

- He knew he had two great players, and he let us do what we could do.

- A player's coach?

- Yeah.

Oh, everybody would love to play for a coach like that.

- Every loose ball in St. Louis is ours.

(all shouting) - We used to laugh and have fun.

And I think that's what's missing a lot of times in sports today.

You know, people don't have fun.

They're just so serious and nervous and tight.

We were loosey goosey, and we just had a ball - [Pamela] DiGregorio says he and Barnes formed a bond on and off the court, a deep friendship he believes bridged the racial divide of the early 1970s.

(crowd cheering) - [Announcer] And wouldn't you know it, it was Marvin Barnes who finally got- - [Pamela] While Barnes also went on to become a Rookie of the Year and play for the pros, he was dogged by drug addiction that ultimately led to his death.

DiGregorio says they were like brothers.

- He was such a beautiful guy, and he was so special on the court.

He was so unselfish.

He was a team player.

He could rebound, he could pass.

I mean, block shots.

He was a perfect complement to what I did.

- [Announcer] Ready with the ball, beating high and low, Barnes' turnaround shot is good.

Hit him right on target.

- Then the product was so exciting that we used to sell out the Civic Center.

There'd be standing room only crowds, and we would put on a show.

We never lost a game there.

- [Pamela] DiGregorio says losing both Barnes and Coach Gavitt within a few years of each other left him with a broken heart, and he hopes his book will help it heal.

- I want their memories to be alive again.

I want people to know how special that team was.

I want people to know how great a person Marvin was, and how special Coach was in my life.

(upbeat band music playing) - [Pamela] You can still find DiGregorio at the Providence College home games where he remains a hero.

- Thank you.

- Oh, thank you.

- Oh, thank you.

- I've been waiting to meet you for 51 years.

- 51 years!

Geez.

- [Pamela] This fan, showing him a scrapbook she made of his triumphs all those years ago.

And when he looks up and sees his retired jersey in the rafters next to Marvin Barnes?

- Oh, it makes you, it gives you the goosebumps, puts tears in your eyes.

It's, you know, I lost a piece of me.

A big part of my basketball family is no longer there again, so it'll never be the same.

- [Pamela] But what remains are the memories of the era when Ernie D, Marvin Barnes, and Coach Dave Gavitt took hoops and dreams to the Final Four.

- Reality surpassed everything.

I surpassed even my wildest dreams, what we've accomplished, and the relationship, and the love and friendship we've had.