Kenny Heitz dies at 65

Kenny Heitz, 65, who played on three teams in the NCAA basketball championships at UCLA in 1960, died Monday at home in Pacific Palisades, after a battle with cancer, the school announced.

In an era when freshmen were not eligible for college athletics, he joined Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (then Lew Alcindor), Lucius Allen and Lynn Shackelford first year in the 1965-1966 team that defeated twice national champion varsity champion in the first game played at Pauley Pavilion.

For the next three seasons, Heitz is a 6-foot-3 forward and protection for the Varsity team coach John Wooden. The Bruins finished with a 88-2 record in his career and became the first Heitz school to win three consecutive titles in 1967, '68 and '69.

In Santa Maria native, Heitz came to UCLA as a preparation for the All-American center of the Righetti High School in Santa Maria.

Heitz was an Academic All-American in his senior year and graduated summa cum laude in 1969. Drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks of the NBA, Heitz chose Harvard Law School and became a lawyer in Los Angeles.