From Peon to Pedestal: Small-College Hoops Contributes Big Time

Robert Thurman played sparingly last season for California after competing as a freshman with Division III Norwich (Conn.). But Cal's chances of reaching the NCAA playoffs from the surprisingly weak Pacific-12 Conference might hinge on Thurman becoming a more vital frontcourter with the Bears after leading rebounder Richard Solomon was declared academically ineligible for the season. Thurman made 25 of his first 34 field-goal attempts (73.5%) but his accuracy fell under 65% as his minutes increased.

Looking ahead to next year, the best redshirt in this peon-to-pedestal category adding to the list of small-college transfers who made significant contributions at the NCAA Division I level could be Weber State swingman Davion Berry, who averaged 18.3 ppg and 4.1 rpg the previous two seasons with Cal State Monterey Bay while twice earning All-CCAA honors. He played for the same AAU program as Weber's Damian Lillard, the nation's leading scorer much of this season.