1989-90 NBA Hoops Series 1

OK, this is one of my favorite basketball card sets: an earlier set unmarred by inserts, flashy design, and subsets--sort of the anti-1993-94 Upper Deck. So when I ended up at Madison-Bouckville last summer, I found a full box for $10. A call-out on the side of the box actually highlighted the fact that coach cards were randomly inserted in packs, and they're not a subset or an insert, just cards of the head coaches around the league. Pretty fantastic.

Here's the breakdown, in order, from the first pack:

1. Michael Adams, Denver Nuggets
2. Greg Anderson, San Antonio Spurs
3. Willis Reed, NJ Nets (my first randomly-inserted coach card!)
4. Alton Lister, Supersonics
5. Jose Ortiz, Jazz
6. Greg Kite, Charlotte Hornets
7. Kenny Walker, Knicks
8. Larry Nance, All-Star
9. Mychal Thompson, LA Lakers
10. Frank Johnson, Rockets
11. Terry Catledge, Bullets
12. Dale Ellis, All-Star
13. Bob Hansen, Jazz
14. Rik Smits, Pacers
15. Spud Webb, Hawks (dunking)

Not a bad pack. No truly great players (except for Willis Reed), but Adams (scored 51 in a game and was drafted in the 3rd round), Smits, Webb, Sky Walker, and Thompson make it worthwhile, not to mention me-first Dale Ellis and the other half of one of the most even trades in the 1980s, Larry Nance (for Kevin Johnson, Suns-Cavs). But what really makes this a good pack is Jose Ortiz. I'm sorry, but who exactly is Jose Ortiz?