Hot or Not: Difference of Opinion About Best Way to Enter Tourney
April 13th, 2012 - 16:58
Which cliche is most accurate? If a team is on a winning streak entering the NCAA Tournament, it has momentum on its side and is peaking at the right time. On the other hand, some observers contend a loss before the start of the playoffs is deemed as a wake-up call.
Since the last undefeated team in Division I (Indiana was 32-0 in 1975-76), there have been 36 national champions. Twenty-one of those teams entered the tourney with a victory; 15 entered with a defeat. The longest winning streak of a champion-to-be in that span was by UCLA, which won 13 in a row in 1995 before posting six more triumphs in the playoffs.
Of the 21 aforementioned squads entering on a winning note, the average winning streak was six in a row. Following in reverse order is how those 36 post-unbeaten IU titlists entered the NCAA playoffs (including conference tournaments):
Land of Plenty: Kentucky is 1st Champ With Five Different Scoring Leaders
April 12th, 2012 - 21:43
Kentucky's well-balanced attack, featuring six players averaging from 9.9 to 14.2 points per game, enabled the Wildcats to become the first NCAA Tournament champion to have five different players lead the team in scoring during the playoffs en route to capturing the crown. Underclassmen Anthony Davis, Terrence Jones, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Doron Lamb and Marquis Teague deserve at least one more plaudit before most or all of the quintesential quintent comprised of three freshmen and two sophomores declare early for the NBA draft.
Prior to UK's young guns, North Carolina '82 is the only one of the following nine NCAA Tournament champions spreading the wealth to have as many as three freshmen and sophomores among four different players leading the team in scoring during the playoffs en route to earning a title:
- UCLA '70 (Henry Bibby, Curtis Rowe, John Vallely, Sidney Wicks)
- UCLA '75 (Dave Meyers, Marques Johnson, Pete Trgovich, Richard Washington)
- Kentucky '78 (Truman Claytor, Jack Givens, Kyle Macy, Mike Phillips)
- North Carolina '82 (Matt Doherty, Michael Jordan, Sam Perkins, James Worthy)
- Louisville '86 (Herbert Crook, Pervis Ellison, Billy Thompson, Milt Wagner)
- Indiana '87 (Steve Alford, Ricky Calloway, Dean Garrett, Keith Smart)
- UCLA '95 (Toby Bailey, Tyus Edney, J.R. Henderson, Ed O'Bannon)
- Florida '07 (Corey Brewer, Taurean Green, Al Horford, Lee Humphrey)
- Kansas '08 (Darrell Arthur, Mario Chalmers, Sasha Kaun, Brandon Rush)
Highs and Lows: Mid-Major Players Dominate Scoring Leadership
April 12th, 2012 - 6:53
Glenn Robinson Jr. (30.3 ppg for Purdue in 1993-94) is the only player from a power six conference to lead the country in scoring in the last 41 years. All-Americans J.J. Redick (Duke), Kevin Durant (Texas), Michael Beasley (Kansas State) and Marshon Brooks (Providence) plus dynamo Devan Downey (South Carolina) placed among the nation's top four scorers in the last seven years but each of them finished behind mid-major players.
Reggie Hamilton, restricted to a season-low 11 points by Arkansas, averaged a modest 13 ppg in Oakland's first three games before erupting for a season-high 41 points against Valparaiso en route to finishing with a national-leading 26.2 ppg. Following is a look at the high and low games for players during the season when they led NCAA Division I in scoring average:
NOTE: Leaders are unofficial from 1935-36 through 1946-47.
Moment in Spotlight: Highest Single-Game Scorers Against NCAA Titlists
April 11th, 2012 - 22:21
Louisville sophomore guard Russ Smith secured the satisfaction of posting the highest single-game output against NCAA champion-to-be Kentucky with 30 points on New Year's Eve. But on the other end of the spectrum, Smith managed only nine points, going 4 for 15 from the floor, in the Cardinals' ballyhooed national semifinal setback against UK.
Since UCLA's first NCAA championship in 1964, Smith has the lowest scoring average (11.5 ppg) for any player who had the single-game high against a titlist. Some of the names probably will be surprising, but following is a look in reverse order at the last 49 individuals who posted the season-high scoring total against the NCAA kingpin:
| Year | Opposing High Scorer Vs. NCAA Titlist | Avg. | Single-Game High |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Russ Smith, G, Soph., Louisville | 11.5 | 30 points at Kentucky |
| 2011 | Dwight Hardy, G, Sr., St. John's | 18.3 | 33 vs. Connecticut |
| 2010 | Trevon Hughes, G, Sr., Wisconsin | 15.3 | 26 vs. Duke |
| 2009 | Kyle McAlarney, G, Sr., Notre Dame | 15.0 | 39 vs. North Carolina at Maui |
| 2008 | Michael Beasley, F-C, Fr., Kansas State | 26.2 | 39 at Kansas |
| 2007 | Al Thornton, F, Sr., Florida State | 19.7 | 28 vs. Florida |
| 2006 | Chris Lofton, G, Soph., Tennessee | 17.2 | 29 vs. Florida |
| 2005 | Will Bynum, G, Sr., Georgia Tech | 12.5 | 35 vs. North Carolina in ACC Tournament |
| 2004 | Chris Thomas, G, Jr., Notre Dame | 19.7 | 31 vs. Connecticut |
| 2003 | Chris Hill, G, Soph., Michigan State | 13.7 | 34 vs. Syracuse |
| 2002 | Jason "Jay" Williams, G, Jr., Duke | 21.3 | 34 vs. Maryland |
| 2001 | J.J. Miller, G, Sr., North Carolina A&T State | 16.0 | 34 at Duke |
| 2000 | A.J. Guyton, G, Sr., Indiana | 19.7 | 34 vs. Michigan State |
| 1999 | Trajan Langdon, G, Sr., Duke | 17.3 | 25 vs. Connecticut |
| 1998 | Brian Williams, G, Jr., Alabama | 16.1 | 28 vs. Kentucky in SEC Tournament |
| 1997 | Isaac Fontaine, G, Sr., Washington State | 21.9 | 32 vs. Arizona |
| 1996 | Marcus Camby, C, Jr., Massachusetts | 20.5 | 32 vs. Kentucky at Great Eight |
| 1995 | Ray Allen, G, Soph., Connecticut | 21.1 | 36 vs. UCLA in NCAA playoffs |
| 1994 | Gary Collier, F, Sr., Tulsa | 22.9 | 35 vs. Arkansas in NCAA playoffs |
| 1993 | Chris Webber, F, Soph., Michigan | 19.2 | 27 vs. North Carolina at Honolulu |
| 1993 | Randolph Childress, G, Soph., Wake Forest | 19.7 | 27 vs. North Carolina |
| 1993 | James Forrest, F, Soph., Georgia Tech | 19.5 | 27 vs. North Carolina in ACC Tournament |
| 1993 | Lester Lyons, G, Jr., East Carolina | 15.4 | 27 vs. North Carolina in NCAA playoffs |
| 1992 | Malik Sealy, F, Sr., St. John's | 22.6 | 37 vs. Duke at Greensboro |
| 1991 | Jeff Webster, F, Fr., Oklahoma | 18.3 | 32 vs. Duke |
| 1990 | Greg "Bo" Kimble, F-G, Sr., Loyola Marymount | 35.3 | 42 vs. UNLV in NCAA playoffs |
| 1989 | Roy Marble, F, Sr., Iowa | 20.5 | 32 vs. Michigan |
| 1988 | Mitch Richmond, G-F, Sr., Kansas State | 22.6 | 35 vs. Kansas |
| 1987 | Freddie Banks, G, Sr., UNLV | 19.5 | 38 vs. Indiana in NCAA playoffs |
| 1986 | Ron Harper, F, Sr., Miami (oh) | 24.4 | 36 vs. Louisville in Big Apple NIT at Cincinnati |
| 1985 | Len Bias, F, Jr., Maryland | 18.9 | 30 vs. Villanova |
| 1984 | Chris Mullin, G-F, Jr., St. John's | 22.9 | 29 vs. Georgetown in Big East Tournament |
| 1983 | Ralph Sampson, C, Sr., Virginia | 19.1 | 33 vs. North Carolina State |
| 1982 | Ralph Sampson, C, Jr., Virginia | 15.8 | 30 at North Carolina |
| 1981 | Mike McGee, F, Sr., Michigan | 24.4 | 29 vs. Indiana |
| 1980 | Jeff Ruland, C, Jr., Iona | 20.1 | 30 vs. Louisville |
| 1979 | Joe Barry Carroll, C, Jr., Purdue | 22.8 | 27 vs. Michigan State |
| 1979 | Calvin Roberts, F-C, Jr., Cal State Fullerton | 15.3 | 27 vs. Michigan State |
| 1978 | Freeman Williams, G, Sr., Portland State | 35.9 | 39 at Kentucky |
| 1977 | Dave Corzine, C, Jr., DePaul | 19.0 | 26 vs. Marquette |
| 1976 | Terry Furlow, F, Sr., Michigan State | 29.4 | 40 vs. Indiana |
| 1975 | Kevin Grevey, F, Sr., Kentucky | 23.5 | 34 vs. UCLA in NCAA final |
| 1974 | Billy Cook, G, Soph., Memphis State | 16.2 | 33 vs. North Carolina State |
| 1973 | Billy Knight, F, Jr., Pittsburgh | 23.7 | 37 vs. UCLA |
| 1972 | Fred Boyd, G, Sr., Oregon State | 19.8 | 37 vs. UCLA |
| 1971 | Austin Carr, G, Sr., Notre Dame | 38.0 | 46 vs. UCLA |
| 1970 | Pete Maravich, G, Sr., Louisiana State | 44.5 | 38 vs. UCLA |
| 1970 | Rich Yunkus, C, Jr., Georgia Tech | 30.1 | 38 vs. UCLA |
| 1969 | Vic Collucci, G, Soph., Providence | 15.4 | 36 vs. UCLA |
| 1968 | Elvin Hayes, F-C, Sr., Houston | 36.8 | 39 vs. UCLA |
| 1967 | Bill Hewitt, F, Jr., Southern California | 19.5 | 39 vs. UCLA |
| 1966 | Jerry Chambers, F-C, Sr., Utah | 28.8 | 38 vs. Texas Western in NCAA playoffs |
| 1965 | Ollie Johnson, C, Sr., San Francisco | 21.6 | 37 vs. UCLA |
| 1964 | Tom Dose, C, Sr., Stanford | 20.0 | 38 vs. UCLA |
We're Back: Five Schools Returning to Old Stomping Grounds
April 10th, 2012 - 22:20
Dominoes seem to fall every time a school seeks greener pastures. The Ivy League is the only Division I conference to remain intact since the late 1980s.
Oddly, some schools such as Boise State (Big West), Charlotte (C-USA), Georgia State (Sun Belt), Pacific (West Coast) and San Diego State (Big West) are going full circle and returning to leagues where they previously were members. They join the following institutions that re-enlisted with a conference after leaving for various durations:
| School | DI Conference (Membership Tenure) | School Status During Interim |
|---|---|---|
| Boise State | Big West (1997-2001 and will rejoin in 2014) | WAC (2002-11) and Mountain West (2012 and 2013) |
| Campbell | Big South (1986-94 and since 2012) | TAAC/Atlantic Sun (1995-2011) |
| Charlotte | Conference USA (1996-2005 and wll rejoin in 2014) | Atlantic 10 (2006-13) |
| Creighton | Missouri Valley (1929-48 and since 1978) | Independent |
| Davidson | Southern (1937-88 and since 1993) | Big South (1991 and 1992) |
| Drake | Missouri Valley (1908-51 and since 1957) | Independent |
| Duquesne | Eastern 8/Atlantic 10 (since 1977 except for 1993) | Midwestern Collegiate (1993) |
| Georgia State | Sun Belt (1977-81 and will rejoin in 2014) | TAAC/Atlantic Sun (1985-2005) and CAA (2006-13) |
| Harvard | EIBL/Ivy League (1902-09 and since 1934) | Independent |
| Lamar | Southland (1969-87 and since 1999) | American South (1988-91) and Sun Belt (1992-98) |
| Murray State | Ohio Valley (since 1949 except for 1962) | Independent |
| New Orleans | Sun Belt (1977-80 and 1992-2010) | Independent and American South (1988-91) |
| Northern Illinois | Mid-American (1976-86 and since 1998) | Mid-Continent (1991-94) and Midwestern Collegiate (1995-97) |
| Oregon | Pacific Coast (1916-59 and since 1965) | Independent |
| Oregon State | Pacific Coast (1916-59 and since 1965) | Independent |
| Pacific | WCAC/West Coast (1953-71 and will rejoin in 2014) | PCAA/Big West (1972-2013) |
| Penn State | Eastern 8/Atlantic 10 (1977-79 and 1983-91) | Independent |
| Prairie View A&M | SWAC (since 1921 except for 1991) | Discontinued program one season |
| San Diego State | Big West (1970-78 and will rejoin in 2014) | WAC (1979-99) and Mountain West (2000-13) |
| Washington State | Pacific Coast (1917-59 and since 1964) | Independent |
Never Never Land: No Duke All-American Has Come From North Carolina
April 10th, 2012 - 22:18
Austin Rivers is the 34th different individual to become an All-American for Duke (23 under coach Mike Krzyzewski). Incredibly, none of them can be counted as in-state recruits from any of North Carolina's 100 counties. It doesn't seem possible, but North Carolina laid a Blue Devils' goose egg while states such as Alaska, Arizona, Connecticut, Louisiana, Montana, Oklahoma and Oregon have contributed to their list of All-Americans.
The official web site of the State of North Carolina says the state is "a better place." But it hasn't been for Duke in regard to securing premium players. Following are the hometowns of Duke's 34 All-Americans coming from 18 different states plus the District of Columbia:
All-American Pos. A-A Year(s) Hometown Mark Alarie F 1986 Phoenix, AZ Tommy Amaker G 1987 Fairfax, VA Gene Banks F 1979 and 1981 Philadelphia, PA Shane Battier F 2000 and 2001 Birmingham, MI Carlos Boozer C 2002 Juneau, AK Elton Brand C 1999 Peekskill, NY Chris Carrawell F 2000 St. Louis, MO Johnny Dawkins G 1985 and 1986 Washington, DC Chris Duhon G 2004 Slidell, LA Mike Dunleavy F 2002 Lake Oswego, OR Danny Ferry F-C 1988 and 1989 Hyattsville, MD Mike Gminski C 1978 through 1980 Monroe, CT Dick Groat G 1951 and 1952 Swissvale, PA Gerald Henderson G-F 2009 Merion, PA Art Heyman F 1961 through 1963 Oceanside, NY Grant Hill F-G 1992 through 1994 Reston, VA Bobby Hurley G 1992 and 1993 Jersey City, NJ Ed Koffenberger F-C 1946 and 1947 Wilmington, PA Christian Laettner C-F 1991 and 1992 Buffalo, NY Trajan Langdon G 1998 and 1999 Anchorage, AK Mike Lewis C 1968 Missoula, MT Jack Marin F 1966 Farrell, PA Jeff Mullins F 1963 and 1964 Lexington, KY DeMarcus Nelson G-F 2008 Elk Grove, CA Jonathan "J.J." Redick G 2004 through 2006 Roanoke, VA Austin Rivers G 2012 Winter Park, FL Jon Scheyer G 2010 Northbrook, IL Kyle Singler F 2011 Medford, OR Nolan Smith G 2011 Upper Marlboro, MD Jim Spanarkel G 1978 and 1979 Jersey City, NJ Jim Thompson F 1934 Washington, DC Bob Verga G 1966 and 1967 Belmar, NJ Jason "Jay" Williams G 2001 and 2002 Plainfield, NJ Shelden Williams C 2005 and 2006 Forest Park, OK
State Budgeting: Majority of All-Americans Are Not Homegrown
April 9th, 2012 - 22:36
Only four of 18 All-Americans named by AP, NABC and USBWA this season were homegrown in-state products - Missouri's Marcus Denmon (Kansas City, MO), Michigan State's Draymond Green (Saginaw, MI), Vanderbilt's John Jenkins (Hendersonville, TN) and Ohio State's Jared Sullinger (Columbus, OH).
Over the years, nine states supplied at least 20 All-Americans beyond their borders - New York (86), Illinois (54), Pennsylvania (48), Indiana (40), California (39), New Jersey (39), Georgia (22), Ohio (22) and Maryland (20). Following are the players who attended high school in a state other than where they earned All-American recognition while attending a four-year university:
Alabama (11) - Kentucky's DeMarcus Cousins (2010), Jacksonville's Artis Gilmore (1970 and 1971), Kentucky State's Travis Grant (1972), Colorado State's Bill Green (1963), Memphis State's Larry Kenon (1973), Southern Illinois' Joe C. Meriweather (1975), Louisville's Allen Murphy (1975), Kansas' Bud Stallworth (1972), Texas Southern's Ben Swain (1958), Southwestern Louisiana's Andrew Toney (1980), Indiana's D.J. White
Alaska (2) - Duke's Trajan Langdon (1998 and 1999) and Carlos Boozer (2002)
Arizona (2) - Duke's Mark Alarie (1986), Brigham Young's Joe Richey (1953)
Arkansas (8) - Oklahoma State's James Anderson (2010), Texas Western's Jim Barnes (1964), Gonzaga's Frank Burgess (1961), San Diego State's Michael Cage (1984), Memphis State's Keith Lee (1982-83-84-85), Minnesota's Quincy Lewis (1999), Seattle's Eddie Miles (1963), Memphis State's Dexter Reed (1977)
California (39) - UNLV's Stacey Augmon (1991), Oregon's Greg Ballard (1977), Oregon State's Fred Boyd (1982), Arizona State's Joe Caldwell (1963), Oregon State's Lester Conner (1982), New Mexico's Michael Cooper (1978), Penn's Howie Dallmar (1945), Boston College's Jared Dudley (2007), Brigham Young's John Fairchild (1965), Kansas' Drew Gooden (2002), Utah State's [Cornell](schools/cornell) Green (1962), Texas' Jordan Hamilton (2011), Arizona State's James Harden (2009), Brigham Young's Mel Hutchins (1951), Oregon State's Steve Johnson (1980 and 1981), Arizona's Steve Kerr (1988), Weber State's Damian Lillard (2012), Oregon's Stan Love (1971), Oregon State's John Mandic (1942), Utah's Billy McGill (1960-61-62), Utah's Andre Miller (1998 and 1999), Arizona's Chris Mills (1993), Duke's DeMarcus Nelson (2008), Notre Dame's Kevin O'Shea (1947-48-49-50), Oregon State's Gary Payton (1990), Kansas' Paul Pierce (1998), Kentucky's Tayshaun Prince (2001 and 2002), UNLV's J.R. Rider (1993), Creighton's Paul Silas (1962-63-64), Arizona's Miles Simon (1998), Boston College's Craig Smith (2005 and 2006), Brigham Young's Michael Smith (1988), Temple's Terence Stansbury (1984), Oregon's Vic Townsend (1941), Vanderbilt's Jan van Breda Kolff (1974), Utah's Keith Van Horn (1996 and 1997), Kansas' Jacque Vaughn (1995-96-97), Arizona's Derrick Williams (2011), Portland State's Freeman Williams (1977 and 1978)
Colorado (9) - Utah's Art Bunte (1955 and 1956), Purdue's Joe Barry Carroll (1979 and 1980), Iowa's Chuck Darling (1952), Nevada's Nick Fazekas (2006 and 2007), Wyoming's Bill Garnett (1982), Notre Dame's Pat Garrity (1998), Wyoming's Harry Jorgensen (1955), Kansas' Mark Randall (1990), North Carolina State's Ronnie Shavlik (1955 and 1956)
Connecticut (11) - Boston College's John Bagley (1982), Dartmouth's Gus Broberg (1940 and 1941), Massachusetts' Marcus Camby (1996), UCLA's Rod Foster (1981 and 1983), Duke's Mike Gminski (1978-79-80), Providence's Ryan Gomes (2004), Niagara's Calvin Murphy (1968-69-70), Seattle's Frank Oleynick (1975), Villanova's John Pinone (1983), Rhode Island's Sly Williams (1978 and 1979), Michigan's Henry Wilmore (1971 and 1972)
Delaware (1) - Temple's Terence Stansbury (1984)
District of Columbia (12) - Seattle's Elgin [Baylor](schools/baylor) (1957 and 1958), Syracuse's Dave Bing (1965 and 1966), Notre Dame's Austin Carr (1970 and 1971), Utah's Jerry Chambers (1966), Duke's [Johnny Dawkins](coaches/johnny-dawkins) (1985 and 1986), Syracuse's Sherman Douglas (1988 and 1989), San Francisco's Ollie Johnson (1965), North Carolina's Bob Lewis (1966 and 1967), Syracuse's Lawrence Moten (1995), Kansas' Thomas Robinson (2012), Duke's Jim Thompson (1934), Providence's John Thompson (1964)
Florida (14) - Houston's Otis Birdsong (1977), North Carolina's Vince Carter (1998), North Carolina State's Chris Corchiani (1991), Oklahoma State's Joey Graham (2005), Georgia Tech's Tom Hammonds (1989), Illinois' Derek Harper (1983), Wake Forest's Frank Johnson (1981), Vanderbilt's Will Perdue (1988), Villanova's Howard Porter (1969-70-71), Kansas State's Mitch Richmond (1988), Duke's Austin Rivers (2012), Louisville's Clifford Rozier (1994), Minnesota's Mychal Thompson (1977 and 1978), Kansas' Walt Wesley (1966)
Georgia (22) - California's Shareef Abdur-Rahim (1996), Providence's Marshon Brooks (2011), Marquette's Jae Crowder (2012), North Carolina's Hook Dillon (1946 and 1947), Florida State's Toney Douglas (2009), Tennessee's Dale Ellis (1982 and 1983), Louisville's Pervis Ellison (1989), southern Illinois' Walt Frazier (1967), Oklahoma's Harvey Grant (1988), Clemson's Horace Grant (1987), Grambling's Charles Hardnett (1961 and 1962), Utah's Merv Jackson (1968), Tennessee's Reggie Johnson (1980), Mississippi State's Jeff Malone (1983), Kentucky's Jodie Meeks (2009), Auburn's Mike Mitchell (1978), Clemson's Tree Rollins (1977), Kentucky State's Elmore Smith (1971), Kentucky's Bill Spivey (1950 and 1951), Florida State's Al Thornton (2007), Kentucky's Kenny Walker (1985 and 1986), North Carolina's Al Wood (1980 and 1981)
Idaho (1) - Brigham Young's Roland Minson (1951)
Illinois (54) - Minnesota's Jim Brewer (1973), Seattle's Charley Brown (1958 and 1959), Indiana's Quinn Buckner (1974-75-76), Iowa's Carl Cain (1956), Penn's Corky Calhoun (1973), Detroit's Bob Calihan (1939), Kansas' Sherron Collins (2009 and 2010), Wisconsin's Bobby Cook (1947), Kentucky's Anthony Davis (2012), Indiana's Archie Dees (1957 and 1958), Detroit's Bill Ebben (1957), Marquette's Bo Ellis (1975-76-77), California's Larry Friend (1957), William & Mary's Chet Giermak (1950), Michigan's Rickey Green (1976 and 1977), Indiana's A.J. Guyton (2000), Notre Dame's Tom Hawkins (1958 and 1959), Michigan's Juwan Howard (1994), Kentucky's Dan Issel (1969 and 1970), Central Missouri's Earl Keth (1938), Minnesota's Tom Kondla (1967), Notre Dame's Moose Krause (1932-33-34), Iowa's Ronnie Lester (1979 and 1980), Oklahoma A&M's Bob Mattick (1954), Marquette's Jerel McNeal (2009), Colorado's Cliff Meely (1971), Dartmouth's George Munroe (1942), Iowa's Don Nelson (1961 and 1962), Wisconsin's Ab Nicholas (1952), Houston's Gary Phillips (1961), Kansas State's Jacob Pullen (2011), Murray State's Bennie Purcell (1952), Wisconsin's Don Rehfeldt (1950), Notre Dame's Eddie Riska (1941), Marquette's Doc Rivers (1982 and 1983), Wyoming's Flynn Robinson (1965), Kansas' Dave Robisch (1971), Memphis' Derrick Rose (2008), Michigan's Cazzie Russell (1964-65-66), Duke's Jon Scheyer (2010), Evansville's Jerry Sloan (1965), Purdue's Forrest Sprowl (1942), Notre Dame's Jack Stephens (1955), Indiana's [Isiah Thomas](players/isiah-thomas) (1981), Wisconsin's Alando Tucker (2007), Ohio State's Evan Turner (2010), Marquette's Dwyane Wade (2003), Arkansas' Darrell Walker (1983), Marquette's Lloyd Walton (1976), Marquette's Jerome Whitehead (1978), Cincinnati's George Wilson (1963), Kansas' Julian Wright (2007), Arizona's Michael Wright (2001), Georgia Tech's Rich Yunkus (1970 and 1971)
Indiana (40) - Michigan State's Chet Aubuchon (1940), Tennessee State's Dick Barnett (1958 and 1959), Cincinnati's Ron Bonham (1963 and 1964), Denver's Vince Boryla (1949), Louisville's Junior Bridgeman (1975), Wyoming's Joe Capua (1956), Memphis' Rodney Carney (2006), East Tennessee State's Tom Chilton (1961), Kentucky's Louie Dampier (1966 and 1967), North Carolina State's Dick Dickey (1948 and 1950), Kentucky's LeRoy Edwards (1935), Arizona's Jason Gardner (2002 and 2003), Western Michigan's Harold Gensichen (1943), Florida's Joe Hobbs (1958), Georgia Tech's Roger Kaiser (1960 and 1961), Wyoming's Milo Komenich (1943), Texas' Jim Krivacs (1979), Kansas' Clyde Lovellette (1950-51-52), Kentucky's Kyle Macy (1978-79-80), North Carolina's Sean May (2005), Drake's Willie McCarter (1969), Tennessee State's Porter Merriweather (1960), North Carolina State's Vic Molodet (1956), North Carolina's Eric Montross (1993 and 1994), Texas Christian's Lee Nailon (1998), Kentucky's Cotton Nash (1962-63-64), Ohio State's Greg Oden (2007), Kentucky's Jack Parkinson (1946), Louisville's Jim Price (1972), Northwestern's Ray Ragelis (1951), North Carolina State's Sam Ranzino (1950 and 1951), Cincinnati's Oscar Robertson (1958-59-60), Michigan State's Scott Skiles (1986), Wake Forest's Jeff Teague (2009), Tennessee's Gene Tormohlen (1959), North Carolina State's Monte Towe (1974), Michigan's John Townsend (1937 and 1938), Southern California's Ralph Vaughn (1940), UCLA's Mike Warren (1967 and 1968), North Carolina's's Tyler Zeller (2012)
Iowa (8) - North Carolina's Harrison Barnes (2012), Creighton's Ed Beisser (1943), Kansas' Nick Collison (2003), Kansas' Kirk Hinrich (2002 and 2003), Creighton's Kyle Korver (2003), Kansas' Raef LaFrentz (1997, Creighton's Doug McDermott (2012) and 1998), Carleton's Wayne Sparks (1937)
Kansas (5) - Kentucky's Bob Brannum (1944), Vanderbilt's Matt Freije (2004), Army's Dale Hall (1945), Colorado's Jack Harvey (1940), Oklahoma's Gerry Tucker (1943 and 1947)
Kentucky (18) - Navy's Buzz Borries (1934), Florida State's Dave Cowens (1970), Cincinnati's Ralph Davis (1960), Tennessee Tech's Jimmy Hagan (1959), Alabama's Jerry Harper (1956), Tennessee's Allan Houston (1992 and 1993), Virginia's Jeff Lamp (1980 and 1981), Tennessee's Chris Lofton (2006-07-08), Louisiana State's Rudy Macklin (1980 and 1981), Duke's Jeff Mullins (1963 and 1964), Ohio State's Arnie Risen (1945), Tennessee's Danny Schultz (1964), Furman's Frank Selvy (1952-53-54), Army's Mike Silliman (1966), Xavier's Hank Stein (1958), Cincinnati's Tom Thacker (1963), Duquesne's Jim Tucker (1952), South Carolina's Grady Wallace (1957)
Louisiana (13) - Texas' D.J. Augustin (2008), Creighton's Benoit Benjamin (1985), Duke's Chris Duhon (2004), Houston's Louis Dunbar (1974), Iowa State's Marcus Fizer (2000), Vanderbilt's Shan Foster (2008), Houston's Elvin Hayes (1966-67-68), Villanova's Kerry Kittles (1995 and 1996), Georgetown's Greg Monroe (2010), Kentucky's Cotton Nash (1962-63-64), Oklahoma's Hollis Price (2003), Jacksonville's James Ray (1980), Kentucky's Rick Robey (1977 and 1978)
Maryland (20) - Boston College's John Austin (1965 and 1966), Kansas State's Michael Beasley (2008), Wyoming's Charles Bradley (1981), North Carolina State's Kenny Carr (1976 and 1977), San Francisco's Quintin Dailey (1982), Notre Dame's Adrian Dantley (1975 and 1976), Texas' Kevin Durant (2007), Duke's Danny Ferry (1988 and 1989), North Carolina's Joseph Forte (2001), Connecticut's Rudy Gay (2006), Kansas' Tony Guy (1982), Davidson's Fred Hetzel (1963-64-65), North Carolina's Ty Lawson (2009), North Carolina State's Rodney Monroe (1991), Duke's Nolan Smith (2011), Virginia Tech's Dale Solomon (1982), Saint Joseph's Delonte West (2004), North Carolina State's Hawkeye Whitney (1980), Georgetown's Reggie Williams (1987), Pittsburgh's Sam Young (2009)
Massachusetts (11) - Rutgers' James Bailey (1978 and 1979), Villanova's Michael Bradley (2001), Georgetown's Patrick Ewing (1982-83-84-85), Rhode Island State's Chet Jaworski (1939), Yale's Tony Lavelli (1946-47-48-49), Oregon's Ron Lee (1974-75-76), Marshall's Russell Lee (1972), Rhode Island State's Stan Modzelewski (1942), Ohio State's Scoonie Penn (1999 and 2000), Michigan's Rumeal Robinson (1990), Providence's Jimmy Walker (1965-66-67)
Michigan (19) - Duke's Shane Battier (2000 and 2001), Dayton's Bill Chmielewski (1962), Syracuse's Derrick Coleman (1989 and 1990), New Mexico's Mel Daniels (1967), Memphis' Chris Douglas-Roberts (2008), Arizona's Bob Elliott (1977), Canisius' Larry Fogle (1974), Iowa State's Jeff Grayer (1988), Texas Western's Bobby Joe Hill (1966), Florida's Al Horford (2007), Arkansas' George Kok (1948), North Carolina's Tom LaGarde (1977), Alabama State's Kevin Loder (1981), Temple's [Mark Macon](coaches/mark-macon) (1988), Tennessee State's Carlos Rogers (1994), Purdue's Steve Scheffler (1990), Missouri's Doug Smith (1990 and 1991), Bradley's Chet Walker (1960-61-62), Iowa's Sam Williams (1968)
Minnesota (4) - Kansas' Cole Aldrich (2010), Boston College's Troy Bell (2001 and 2003), Dayton's John Horan (1955), Wisconsin's Jordan Taylor (2011)
Mississippi (5) - Missouri's Melvin Booker (1994), Murray State's Isaiah Canaan (2012), Louisiana State's Chris Jackson (1989 and 1990), UC Irvine's Kevin Magee (1981 and 1982), Alabama's Derrick McKey (1987)
Missouri (18) - UCLA's Lucius Allen (1968), Princeton's Bill Bradley (1963-64-65), Idaho State's Lawrence Butler (1979), Duke's Chris Carrawell (2000), Notre Dame's Ben Hansbrough (2011), North Carolina's Tyler Hansbrough (2006-07-08-09), Tulsa's Steve Harris (1985), Southern Methodist's Jon Koncak (1985), Southern Methodist's Jim Krebs (1957), Oklahoma A&M's Bob Kurland (1944-45-46), Drake's Red Murrell (1958), Tulsa's Bob Patterson (1955), Kansas' Fred Pralle (1938), Texas-Pan American's Marshall Rogers (1976), Notre Dame's Dick Rosenthal (1954), Kansas' Brandon Rush (2008), Kansas' Jo Jo White (1967-68-69), Memphis State's Win Wilfong (1957)
Montana (3) - Iowa's Chuck Darling (1952), Utah State's Wayne Estes (1964 and 1965), Duke's Mike Lewis (1968)
Nebraska (5) - Kansas State's Bob Boozer (1958 and 1959), George Washington's Bob Faris (1939), Michigan's Mike McGee (1981), Wyoming's Les Witte (1932 and 1934), Iowa's Andre Woolridge (1997)
Nevada (3) - New Mexico's Darington Hobson (2010), Arizona State's Lionel Hollins (1975), Missouri's Willie Smith (1976)
New Jersey (39) - Miami's Rick Barry (1964 and 1965), Temple's Mike Bloom (1938), West Virginia's Da'Sean Butler (2010), DePaul's Clyde Bradshaw (1980), Illinois' Tal Brody (1965), Notre Dame's Gary Brokaw (1974), George Washington's Corky Devlin (1955), Providence's Vinnie Ernst (1963), Morehead State's Kenneth Faried (2011), Dayton's Henry Finkel (1966), Columbia's Chet Forte (1957), Villanova's Randy Foye (2006), South Carolina's Skip Harlicka (1968), Holy Cross' Tom Heinsohn (1955 and 1956), Duke's Bobby Hurley (1992 and 1993), North Carolina's Tommy Kearns (1957 and 1958), Kentucky's Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (2012), Pittsburgh's Brandin Knight (2002), Stanford's Brevin Knight (1997), Southern California's Mo Layton (1971), Villanova's Bill Melchionni (1966), Providence's Eric Murdock (1991), Notre Dame's Troy Murphy (2000 and 2001), Seattle's Eddie O'Brien (1953), Seattle's Johnny O'Brien (1952 and 1953), North Carolina's Mike O'Koren (1978-79-80), Holy Cross' Togo Palazzi (1953 and 1954), Notre Dame's David Rivers (1988), Massachusetts' Lou Roe (1994 and 1995), Iowa's Ben Selzer (1934), Notre Dame's John Shumate (1974), Duke's Jim Spanarkel (1978 and 1979), Kansas' Tyshawn Taylor (2012), Notre Dame's Kelly Tripucka (1979-80-81), Duke's Bob Verga (1966 and 1967), Saint Joseph's Bryan Warrick (1981 and 1982), Xavier's David West (2002 and 2003), Long Island's Sherman White (1950), Duke's Jason Williams (2001 and 2002)
New Mexico (2) - Kansas' Bill Bridges (1961), West Texas State's Charles Halbert (1942)
New York (86) - UCLA's Lew Alcindor (1967-68-69), Georgia Tech's Kenny Anderson (1990 and 1991), Penn State's Jesse Arnelle (1955), Minnesota's Ron Behagen (1973), Kansas State's Rolando Blackman (1980 and 1981), Duke's Elton Brand (1999), North Carolina's Pete Brennan (1958), Dartmouth's Audie Brindley (1944), Utah's Ticky Burden (1975), North Carolina State's Lorenzo Charles (1984), Missouri's Derrick Chievous (1987), New Mexico State's [Jimmy Collins](coaches/jimmy-collins) (1970), Holy Cross' Bob Cousy (1948-49-50), North Carolina's Billy Cunningham (1964 and 1965), Wake Forest's Charlie Davis (1971), Maryland's Len Elmore (1974), Massachusetts' Julius Erving (1971), Georgia's Vern Fleming (1984), Brigham Young's Jimmer Fredette (2010), Louisville's Francisco Garcia (2005), Louisville's Don Goldstein (1959), Louisiana State's Al Green (1979), Duquesne's Sihugo Green (1954-55-56), UNLV's Sidney Green (1983), Tennessee's Ernie Grunfeld (1976 and 1977), North Carolina State's Tom Gugliotta (1992), Penn's Ron Haigler (1975), Loyola of Chicago's Jerry Harkness (1963), Notre Dame's Billy Hassett (1945), Hawaii's Tom Henderson (1974), Villanova's Larry Hennessy (1952 and 1953), Duke's Art Heyman (1961-62-63), North Carolina State's Julius Hodge (2004), Xavier's Tu Holloway (2011), Baylor's Vinnie Johnson (1979), West Virginia's Kevin Jones (2012), South Carolina's Kevin Joyce (1973), Holy Cross' George Kaftan (1947 and 1948), Guilford's Bob Kauffman (1968), Maryland's Albert King (1980 and 1981), Tennessee's Bernard King (1975-76-77), North Carolina's Mitch Kupchak (1975 and 1976), Duke's Christian Laettner (1991 and 1992), North Carolina's York Larese (1959-60-61), Marquette's Butch Lee (1977 and 1978), Davidson's Mike Maloy (1968-69-70), Georgia Tech's Stephon Marbury (1996), Kentucky's Jamal Mashburn (1993), Louisville's Rodney McCray (1983), Richmond's Bob McCurdy (1975), Marquette's Dean Meminger (1970 and 1971), North Carolina's Doug Moe (1961), Notre Dame's John Moir (1936-37-38), Florida's Joakim Noah (2007), Boston College's Jim O'Brien (1971), Kentucky's Bernie Opper (1939), Idaho's Ken Owens (1982), North Carolina's Sam Perkins (1982-83-84), Connecticut's A.J. Price (2008), Villanova's Allan Ray (2006), Arizona's Khalid Reeves (1994), South Carolina's Tom Riker (1972), Kentucky's Pat Riley (1966), South Carolina's John Roche (1969-70-71), North Carolina's Lennie Rosenbluth (1956 and 1957), Georgia Tech's John Salley (1986), North Carolina's Charlie Scott (1968-69-70), Rutgers' Phil Sellers (1975 and 1976), Iowa State's Don Smith (1968), North Carolina's Kenny Smith (1987), Providence's Kevin Stacom (1974), DePaul's Rod Strickland (1988), Miami of Ohio's Wally Szczerbiak (1999), Marquette's Earl Tatum (1976), Princeton's Chris Thomforde (1967), Marquette's George Thompson (1969), Iowa State's Jamaal Tinsley (2001), Marquette's Bernard Toone (1979), Connecticut's Kemba Walker (2011), Providence's Lenny Wilkens (1960), Southern California's Gus Williams (1975), Austin Peay's Fly Williams (1973), Michigan's Henry Wilmore (1971 and 1972), Wyoming's Tony Windis (1959), Tennessee's Howard Wood (1981), Marquette's Sam Worthen (1980)
North Carolina (18) - Fresno State's Courtney Alexander (2000), Indiana's Walt Bellamy (1960), UCLA's Henry Bibby (1972), Kansas State's Mike Evans (1978), Furman's Darrell Floyd (1955 and 1956), Georgetown's Sleepy Floyd (1981 and 1982), Minnesota's Lou Hudson (1965 and 1966), Minnesota's Bobby Jackson (1997), Maryland's John Lucas (1974-75-76), Kansas' Danny Manning (1986-87-88), Louisiana State's Pete Maravich (1968-69-70), Lamar's Mike Olliver (1981), Texas' P.J. Tucker (2006), Kentucky's John Wall (2010), Xavier's David West (2002), Tennessee's Tony White (1987), Georgia's Dominique Wilkins (1981 and 1982), Maryland's Buck Williams (1981)
Ohio (22) - Southern California's Sam Clancy (2002), Washington State's Don Collins (1980), Northwestern's Evan Eschmeyer (1999), Notre Dame's Bob Faught (1942), Michigan's Gary Grant (1987 and 1988), Michigan State's Johnny Green (1958 and 1959), Kentucky's Kevin Grevey (1974 and 1975), Kentucky's Alex Groza (1947-48-49), Michigan's Phil Hubbard (1977), Southwestern Louisiana's Bo Lamar (1972 and 1973), Pittsburgh's Jerome Lane (1987 and 1988), Kentucky's Jim Line (1950), Indiana's Scott May (1975 and 1976), Purdue's Todd Mitchell (1988), Notre Dame's John Paxson (1982 and 1983), Kentucky's Mike Pratt (1970), Long Beach State's Ed Ratleff (1972 and 1973), Arkansas' Alvin Robertson (1984), Davidson's Dick Snyder (1966), North Carolina State's Bobby Speight (1953), Oklahoma Baptist's Albert Tucker (1966 and 1967), Kansas State's Chuckie Williams (1976)
Oklahoma (7) - Texas Western's Jim Barnes (1964), San Francisco's Winford Boynes (1978), Arkansas' Lee Mayberry (1992), Kansas State's Willie Murrell (1964), Georgia Tech's Mark Price (1984-85-86), Syracuse's Etan Thomas (2000), Duke's Shelden Williams (2005 and 2006)
Oregon (7) - Brigham Young's Danny Ainge (1979-80-81), Duke's Mike Dunleavy (2002), UCLA's Kevin Love (2008), Gonzaga's Blake Stepp (2004), Arizona's Damon Stoudamire (1995), Arizona's Salim Stoudamire (2005), UCLA's Richard Washington (1975 and 1976)
Pennsylvania (48) - Duke's Gene Banks (1979 and 1981), Kentucky's Sam Bowie (1981 and 1984), Kansas' Wilt Chamberlain (1957 and 1958), Wake Forest's Len Chappell (1961 and 1962), DePaul's Dallas Comegys (1987), Seton Hall's Bob Davies (1941 and 1942), Cincinnati's Danny Fortson (1996 and 1997), Loyola Marymount's Hank Gathers (1989 and 1990), UNLV's Armon Gilliam (1987), North Carolina's George Glamack (1940), Duke's Dick Groat (1951 and 1952), Connecticut's Richard Hamilton (1998 and 1999), UCLA's Walt Hazzard (1963 and 1964), Duke's Gerald Henderson (2009), Kansas' Wayne Hightower (1960 and 1961), West Texas State's Simmie Hill (1969), George Washington's Joe Holup (1956), Loyola Marymount's Bo Kimble (1990), Duke's Ed Koffenberger (1946 and 1947), Rutgers' Bob Lloyd (1967), Drake's Lewis Lloyd (1980 and 1981), Navy's Elliott Loughlin (1933), Marquette's Maurice Lucas (1974), Duke's Jack Marin (1966), Connecticut's Donyell Marshall (1994), Vanderbilt's Billy McCaffrey (1993), Michigan State's Julius McCoy (1956), Maryland's Tom McMillen (1972-73-74), North Carolina's Larry Miller (1967 and 1968), Winston-Salem State's Earl Monroe (1967), Kansas' Marcus Morris (2011), Syracuse's Billy Owens (1990 and 1991), Virginia's Barry Parkhill (1972 and 1973), North Carolina State's Lou Pucillo (1959), North Carolina State's John Richter (1959), West Virginia's Wil Robinson (1972), North Carolina's Lee Shaffer (1959 and 1960), West Virginia's Lloyd Sharrar (1958), Virginia's Sean Singletary (2007), Utah's Mike Sojourner (1974), Weber State's Willie Sojourner (1971), Cincinnati's Jack Twyman (1955), Michigan State's Horace Walker (1960), Virginia's Wally Walker (1976), North Carolina's Rasheed Wallace (1995), Syracuse's Hakim Warrick (2004 and 2005), North Carolina's Dennis Wuycik (1972)
South Carolina (4) - Connecticut's Ray Allen (1995 and 1996), North Carolina's Raymond Felton (2005), Louisiana State's Pete Maravich (1968-69-70), Wichita State's Xavier McDaniel (1985)
Tennessee (13) - Wake Forest's Skip Brown (1977), Arkansas' Todd Day (1991 and 1992), Kentucky's Tony Delk (1996), Oral Roberts' Richie Fuqua (1972 and 1973), Oklahoma A&M's Bob Harris (1949), Indiana's Kirk Haston (2001), Cincinnati's Paul Hogue (1961 and 1962), Mississippi State's Bailey Howell (1958 and 1959), Western Kentucky's Tom Marshall (1954), Kentucky's Ron Mercer (1997), Mississippi's Johnny Neumann (1971), Oral Roberts' Anthony Roberts (1977), Tulsa's Bingo Smith (1969)
Texas (18) - Oklahoma's Mookie Blaylock (1989), Kentucky's Bob Burrow (1955 and 1956), Wyoming's Fennis Dembo (1988), Arizona State's Ike Diogu (2005), Purdue's Keith Edmonson (1982), UNLV's Larry Johnson (1990 and 1991), Syracuse's Wesley Johnson (2010), Oklahoma State's John Lucas III (2004), Cincinnati's Kenyon Martin (2000), Oklahoma's Eduardo Najera (2000), Connecticut's Emeka Okafor (2003 and 2004), Louisiana State's Shaquille O'Neal (1991 and 1992), UNLV's Eddie Owens (1977), Mississippi State's Lawrence Roberts (2004), Mississippi's Ansu Sesay (1998), Wichita State's Dave Stallworth (1963-64-65), South Carolina's Freddie Tompkins (1934), Illinois' Deron Williams (2005)
Utah (3) - Montana State's Cat Thompson (1929 and 1930), Montana State's Frank Ward (1930), Iowa's Herb Wilkinson (1945)
Virginia (18) - Duke's [Tommy Amaker](coaches/tommy-amaker) (1987), Maryland's Bosey Berger (1932), Kentucky's Keith Bogans (2003), Wake Forest's Randolph Childress (1995), Duke's Grant Hill (1992 through 1994), Georgetown's Allen Iverson (1996), East Tennessee State's Mister Jennings (1991), North Carolina's Kendall Marshall (2012), Georgetown's Alonzo Mourning (1989-90-91-92), Kansas State's Jack Parr (1957 and 1958), Tulsa's Paul Pressey (1982), Duke's J.J. Redick (2004 through 2006), North Carolina's J.R. Reid (1988 and 1989), Villanova's Scottie Reynolds (2010), Navy's David Robinson (1986 and 1987), Georgia Tech's Dennis Scott (1990), Maryland's Joe Smith (1994 and 1995), Xavier's David West (2002 and 2003)
Washington (5) - Oregon's Aaron Brooks (2007), Arizona's Michael Dickerson (1998), Arizona's Jason Terry (1999), Louisville's Terrence Williams (2009), Oregon's Slim Wintermute (1938 and 1939)
West Virginia (2) - Virginia Tech's Chris Smith (1960), Virginia's Buzz Wilkinson (1955)
Wisconsin (8) - St. Louis' Dick Boushka (1955), Iowa's Fred Brown (1981), Connecticut's Caron Butler (2002), Louisville's Reece Gaines (2003), Iowa's John Johnson (1970), Utah's Jeff Jonas (1977), Minnesota's Chuck Mencel (1953 and 1955), Cincinnati's Nick Van Exel (1993)
Wyoming (1) - Utah's Vern Gardner (1948 and 1949)
NOTE: Hawaii, Maine, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota and Vermont are the only states not to supply an All-American for an out-of-state college.
Major Relief: Matt Thornton Went From Hoop Dreams to Field of Dreams
April 9th, 2012 - 21:24
The Chicago White Sox started the baseball season last week with a closer-by-committee. Former college basketball player Matt Thornton, a lefthanded reliever, notched new manager Robin Ventura's first victory, a 4-3 decision over the defending American League champion Texas Rangers. Rangers reliever Mike Adams (Texas A&M-Kingsville) and San Diego Padres outfielder Will Venable (Princeton) are other active major leaguers who played college hoops.
Thornton is the latest among the following lengthy alphabetical list of ex-college cagers who went on to play for the White Sox: Jerry Adair, Bill Almon, Bosey Berger, Tim Cullen, Dick Culler, Guy Curtright, Larry Doby, Walt Dropo, George Earnshaw, Paul Edmondson, Sammy Esposito, Kerby Farrell, Dave Frost, Jim Geddes, Paul Gregory, Frank Grube, Steve Hamilton, Atlee Hammaker, Gail Hopkins, Ron Jackson, Duane Josephson, Howie Judson, Bob Keegan, Don Kessinger, Art Kusnyer, Vance Law, Kenny Lofton, Tony Lupien, Ted Lyons, Jim Lyttle, Ed Madjeski, Sam Mele, Lyle Mouton, Cotton Nash, Tim Nordbrook, Gary Peters, Don Rader, Gary Redus, Ron Reed, Steve Renko, Jeff Shaw, Art Smith, Jimmy Stewart, Tim Stoddard, Billy Sullivan, Cecil Upshaw, Joe Vance, Frank Whitman and Jim Wilson
The 6-6 Thornton averaged 5.8 points and 2.4 rebounds per game for Grand Valley State (MI) from 1995-96 through 1997-98, shooting 54.7% from the floor his last two seasons before becoming a first-round draft choice by the Seattle Mariners. Thornton is among the following alphabetical list of major leaguers who were first-round selections in the amateur baseball draft after playing varsity college basketball:
| First-Round Choice | Position | College | MLB Team Selector | Pick Overall | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bill Almon | SS | Brown | San Diego Padres | 1st | 1974 |
| Andy Benes | RHP | Evansville | San Diego Padres | 1st | 1988 |
| Tony Clark | 1B | Arizona/San Diego State | Detroit Tigers | 2nd | 1990 |
| Cameron Drew | OF | New Haven CT | Houston Astros | 12th | 1985 |
| Atlee Hammaker | LHP | East Tennessee State | Kansas City Royals | 21st | 1979 |
| Rick Leach | 1B-OF | Michigan | Detroit Tigers | 13th | 1979 |
| Jim Lyttle | OF | Florida State | New York Yankees | 10th | 1966 |
| Ben McDonald | RHP | Louisiana State | Baltimore Orioles | 1st | 1989 |
| Dennis Rasmussen | LHP | Creighton | California Angels | 17th | 1980 |
| Jeff Shaw | RHP | Rio Grande OH | Cleveland Indians | 1st | 1986 |
| *Mike Stenhouse | OF-1B | Harvard | Oakland Athletics | 26th | 1979 |
| Matt Thornton | LHP | Grand Valley State MI | Seattle Mariners | 22nd | 1998 |
| Dave Winfield | OF | Minnesota | San Diego Padres | 4th | 1973 |
*Did not sign that year.
Deal or No Deal? Contracts Don't Seem to Mean Squat to Many Coaches
April 8th, 2012 - 14:29
Should I stay or should I go? It's a good thing universities play in mammoth arenas because the egos of their "Pompous Pilots" wouldn't fit any other place.
Much of the excess in the canonization of coaches is perpetuated by coaches-turned-television commentators who shamelessly fawn over their former colleagues. Instead, the analysts should be more concerned about encouraging mentors to spare fans the pious blather about school loyalty and the sanctity of a contract.
Granted, it's survival of the fittest amid the offer-you-can't-refuse backdrop. But in many instances, schools have been little more than convenient steppingstones for "larger-than-life" coaches along their one-way street to success. It's understandable in many instances why mercenaries are leaving the minute they're appointed because coaches are in a distasteful "hired-to-be-fired" vocation, where a pink slip is only one losing season or poor recruiting class away.
Nevertheless, it's a black eye on the sport when loyalty seems to have become too much of a one-way street. At times, it makes one wonder how the bench bosses can look themselves in the mirror. Five of Tulsa's six coaches in one stretch - Nolan Richardson, Tubby Smith, Steve Robinson, Bill Self and Buzz Peterson - abandoned ship for more prestigious positions despite each of them having at least three years remaining on their deals.
More than 70 different active coaches had at least three years remaining on their pacts when leaving for greener pastures. Trent Johnson, slated to leave LSU for TCU, joins the following alphabetical list of coaches who departed three or four schools before their contracts expired:
Trent Johnson - five years remaining on contract when he left Nevada for Stanford; one when left Stanford for Louisiana State, and two when left LSU for Texas Christian
Lon Kruger - four years remaining on contract when he left Kansas State for Florida; five when left Florida for Illinois; four when left Illinois for the Atlanta Hawks, and two when left UNLV for Oklahoma
Ritchie McKay - two years remaining on contract when he left Portland State for Colorado State; four when left Colorado State for Oregon State, and four when left Oregon State for New Mexico
Kevin O'Neill - three years remaining on contract when he left Marquette for Tennessee; four when left Tennessee for Northwestern, and two when left Northwestern for the New York Knicks (assistant)
Buzz Peterson - nine years remaining on contract when he left Appalachian State for Tulsa; four when left Tulsa for Tennessee; two when left Coastal Carolina for the Charlotte Bobcats (director of player personnel), and four when left Appalachian State again for UNC Wilmington
Bill Self - two years remaining on contract when he left Oral Roberts for Tulsa; five when left Tulsa for Illinois, and five when left Illinois for Kansas
Tubby Smith - three years remaining on contract when he left Tulsa for Georgia; six when left Georgia for Kentucky, and four when left Kentucky for Minnesota
Mark Turgeon - two years remaining on contract when he left Jacksonville State for Wichita State; nine when left Wichita State for Texas A&M, and four when left Texas A&M for Maryland
The length of contracts doesn't seem to carry any weight as a factor in the equation. Johnny Jones, a former player and assistant coach under Dale Brown at LSU before averaging 21 victories annually the previous six seasons with North Texas, returned to his alma mater for more green. In doing so, the thumbed his nose at the six years remaining on his Mean Green contract and joined the following striking number of coaches other than Peterson, Smith and Turgeon who virtually ignored contractural obligations of more than five years left on pacts: Rick Barnes, John Beilein, Tony Bennett, Dave Bliss, Mike Brey, John Calipari, Jeff Capel III, Tom Crean, Matt Doherty, Larry Eustachy, Dennis Felton, Tim Floyd (twice), Travis Ford, Billy Gillispie, Brian Gregory, Leonard Hamilton, Ben Howland, Jeff Lebo, Gregg Marshall, Thad Matta, Fran McCaffery, Sean Miller, Dan Monson, Lute Olson, Skip Prosser, Oliver Purnell, Mike Rice Jr., Steve Robinson and Kelvin Sampson.
Jay Spoonhour is Latest NCAA Division I Coach From Junior College Ranks
April 8th, 2012 - 14:27
Jay Spoonhour, commencing his major-college head coaching career similar to his respected father (Charlie Spoonhour), was hired by Eastern Illinois after guiding a pair of junior colleges. Jay and Charlie both coached Moberly Area (MO). Recently-deceased Charlie also coached Southeastern IA. Jay directed Wabash Valley (IL) to the 2001 NJCAA Tournament title before replacing his father on an interim basis with UNLV in 2003-04. Jay will need to win as many games as Charlie did (373) in order for them to crack the Top 10 of all-time winningest father-son head coaching combinations.
There are usually about 40 to 45 active Division I head coaches who previously served in a similar capacity at a junior college. Jay Spoonhour doesn't expect to take EIU to an NCAA Tournament championship like former J.C. coaches Denny Crum (Pierce CA), Lute Olson (Long Beach City CA), Nolan Richardson (Western Texas) and Jerry Tarkanian (Riverside and Pasadena CA) did for more prominent universities.
But it would be a monumental achievement if Jay could duplicate what his dad did along with the following former major-college mentors who guided teams to the NCAA Tournament after coaching at the J.C. level: Mike Deane (Delhi A&T NY), Benny Dees (Abraham Baldwin GA), Bobby Dye (Santa Monica CA), Jack Hartman (Coffeyville KS), Maury John (Moberly MO), Gene Keady (Hutchinson KS), Jim Killingsworth (Cerritos CA), Dick Motta (Weber UT), Ted Owens (Cameron OK), Roy Skinner (Paducah KY), Eddie Sutton (Southern Idaho), Stan Watts (Dixie UT) and Jim Williams (Snow UT).
Hartman had two of his J.C. stars (Paul Henry and Lou Williams) tag along with him to Southern Illinois, where he toiled eight years before becoming Kansas State's all-time winningest coach. Keady, a football player for K-State, signed three J.C. recruits, a high number by a Big Ten Conference institution, for his final season with Purdue in 2004-05.
Ex-juco coaches currently at the DI level who have won multiple NCAA playoff games include Dana Altman, John Beilein, Cliff Ellis, Dick Hunsaker, Kevin O'Neill, Dave Rose and Bob Thomason. Following is an alphabetical list of active major-college coaches who previously held a similar job in junior college:
Division I Coach Current School Junior College(s) Dana Altman Oregon Fairbury (NE) and Moberly (MO) *Gib Arnold Hawaii Southern Idaho Ronnie Arrow South Alabama San Jacinto (TX) Roman Banks Southern Southern-Shreveport (LA) John Beilein Michigan Erie (NY) *Ken Bone Washington State Olympic (WA) Dave Boots South Dakota Anoka-Ramsey (MN) Horace Broadnax Savannah State Valencia (FL) Will Brown Albany Sullivan County (NY) *Joe Callero Cal Poly Highline (WA) Bill Carmody Northwestern Fulton-Montgomery (NY) *Tim Cluess Iona Suffolk (NY) *Kermit Davis Jr. Middle Tennessee State SW Mississippi and Chipola (FL) Tommy Dempsey Binghamton Keystone (PA) and Lackawanna (PA) Howie Dickenman Central Connecticut State Greater Hartford (CT) *Cliff Ellis Coastal Carolina Cumberland (TN) Anthony Evans Norfolk State Ulster County (NY) and Delhi Tech (NY) *Tyler Geving Portland State Edmonds (WA) Dick Hunsaker Utah Valley Utah Valley Brian Katz Sacramento State Lassen (CA) and San Joaquin Delta (CA) Robbie Laing Campbell Jones (MS) Bob Marlin Louisiana-Lafayette Pensacola (FL) Mike McConathy Northwestern State Bossier Parish (LA) Marvin Menzies New Mexico State Santa Monica (CA) *Fang Mitchell Coppin State Gloucester County (NJ) George Nessman San Jose State Porterville (CA) and Bakersfield (CA) Kevin O'Neill Southern California North County (NY) Eddie Payne USC Upstate Truett-McConnell (GA) Steve Payne Tennessee Tech Frank Phillips (TX) Leon Rice Boise State Yakima Valley (WA) *Dave Rose Brigham Young Dixie State (UT) Steve Shields UALR McLennan (TX) Jay Spoonhour Eastern Illinois Wabash (IL) and Moberly Area (MO) Bob Thomason Pacific Columbia (CA) Brooks Thompson Texas-San Antonio Yavapai (AZ) *Donnie Tyndall Morehead State St. Catharine (KY) *Bob Williams UC Santa Barbara Cabrillo (CA) and Menlo (CA) *Reggie Witherspoon Buffalo Erie (NY)
*Attended junior college along with other active Division I head coaches such as Arkansas' Mike Anderson, Saint Mary's Randy Bennett, Texas-Arlington's Scott Cross, Navy's Ed DeChellis, SIU-Edwardsville's Lennox Forrester, Georgia's Mark Fox, Texas Tech's Billy Gillispie, San Diego's Bill Grier, Florida State's Leonard Hamilton, Northern Colorado's B.J. Hill, Sam Houston State's Jason Hooten, UCLA's Ben Howland, Stephen F. Austin's Danny Kaspar, Texas A&M's Billy Kennedy, Utah State's Stew Morrill, Mississippi Valley State's Chico Potts, UNLV's Dave Rice, Alcorn State's Luther Riley, Prairie View A&M's Byron Rimm II, Washington's Lorenzo Romar, Vanderbilt's Kevin Stallings, Fairleigh Dickinson's Greg Vetrone, Cleveland State's Gary Waters and Marquette's Buzz Williams. Pittsburgh's Jamie Dixon, North Florida's Matthew Driscoll, Southern Mississippi's Larry Eustachy, Nebraska-Omaha's Derrin Hansen, Hill, Hooten, Tennessee-Martin's Jason James, Missouri State's Paul Lusk, D. Rice, Riley, Idaho's Don Verlin and Buzz Williams served as assistant coaches with junior colleges.
Young Shall Lead Them: Davis is Fifth Frosh Leading Nation in Blocks
April 7th, 2012 - 22:09
Kentucky center Anthony Davis, the national Player of the Year after setting an NCAA single-season record for most blocked shots by a freshman, is expected to join Kansas State's Michael Beasley (led nation in rebounding in 2007-08) as the only freshmen to declare early for the NBA draft after leading the nation in a major statistical category.
Davis, who posted the lowest scoring average for a national POY since the award was introduced in 1955 (14.2 ppg), became the fifth freshman to lead the nation in blocked shots. Following is a chronological list of the 19 frosh who paced the country in a major statistical category:
Year Freshman School Category (Season Statistic) 1975 Bernard King Tennessee Field-Goal Shooting (62.2%) 1976 Sidney Moncrief Arkansas Field-Goal Shooting (66.5%) 1984 Steve Alford Indiana Free-Throw Shooting (91.3%) 1986 Jim Barton Dartmouth Free-Throw Shooting (94.2%) 1988 Kenny Miller Loyola of Chicago Rebounding Average (13.6 rpg) 1989 Alonzo Mourning Georgetown Blocked Shots Average (5 bpg) 1991 Shawn Bradley Brigham Young Blocked Shots Average (5.2 bpg) 1993 Jason Kidd California Steals Average (3.8 spg) 1995 Keith Closs Central Connecticut State Blocked Shots Average (5.4 bpg) 1997 Joel Hoover Maryland-Eastern Shore Steals Average (3.2 spg) 2002 Jason Conley Virginia Military Scoring Average (29.3 ppg) 2002 T.J. Ford Texas Assists Average (8.3 apg) 2004 Blake Ahearn Southwest Missouri State Free-Throw Shooting (97.5%) 2004 Paul Millsap Louisiana Tech Rebounding Average (12.5 rpg) 2007 Mike Freeman Hampton Field-Goal Percentage (67.8%) 2008 Michael Beasley Kansas State Rebounding Average (12.4 rpg) 2008 Devin Gibson Texas-San Antonio Steals Average (3.3 spg) 2010 Hassan Whiteside Marshall Blocked Shots Average (5.4 bpg) 2012 Anthony Davis Kentucky Blocked Shots Average (4.65 bpg)
Mid-Major Miami (Ohio) Hanging Hoop Hopes With Mr. Cooper From HBCU
April 7th, 2012 - 22:04
Despite talk about former Kentucky guard Sean Woods becoming a candidate at LSU after guiding Mississippi Valley to the NCAA playoffs, no power six conference ever has gone to a historically black college or university to hire its head basketball coach. In fact, very few mid-major Division I schools have attracted a coach from the SWAC and MEAC since the leagues moved up to the major-college level in 1979-80 and 1980-81, respectively.
John Cooper became the fifth coach in this HBCU category when Miami (Ohio) lured him away from Tennessee State after he guided the Tigers to their first 20-win season in 33 years. Cooper joined Jeff Capel Jr. (North Carolina A&T to Old Dominion after 1993-94 campaign), Rob Chavez (Maryland-Eastern Shore to Portland after 1993-94), Steve Merfeld (Hampton to Evansville after 2001-02) and James Green (Mississippi Valley State to Jacksonville State after 2007-08).
It should be noted that John McLendon was the first African-American mentor hired by a predominantly white university when he coached Cleveland State for three seasons in the late 1960s just prior to the institution moving up to DI. After winning three consecutive NAIA titles with Tennessee State in the late 1950s, McLendon had been the first African-American head coach in professional sports when he was hired in the early 1960s by the George Steinbrenner-owned Cleveland Pipers of the short-lived American Basketball League.
Training Ground: K-State Joins Idaho and Penn in Losing Seven Head Coaches
April 6th, 2012 - 21:13
The departure of Frank Martin to South Carolina had Kansas State join Idaho and Penn as schools losing the most head coaches, seven, over the years to other major colleges or the NBA.
South Carolina hasn't won an NCAA Tournament game since 1973 under legendary coach Frank McGuire. But Martin, the fourth K-State mentor to abandon ship in the last 23 years, aspires to duplicate the success enjoyed by his three most recent K-State predecessors - Lon Kruger, Dana Altman and Bob Huggins. Kruger guided Florida to the Final Four, Altman became Creighton's all-time winningest coach and Huggins directed his alma mater (West Virginia) to the Final Four.
Incredibly, Tulsa lost four coaches in a seven-year span from 1995 to 2001. The following lists show Idaho (11 years from 1983 to 1993) and Penn (15 years from 1971 to 1985) losing four coaches in significantly shorter spans than Kansas State:
Idaho - Dave MacMillan (left for Minnesota/1927), Dave Strack (Michigan/1960), Joe Cipriano (Nebraska/1963), Don Monson (Oregon/1983), Tim Floyd (New Orleans/1988), Kermit Davis (Texas A&M/1990), Larry Eustachy (Utah State/1993)
Kansas State - Jack Gardner (Utah/1953), Tex Winter (Washington/1968), Cotton Fitzsimmons (Phoenix Suns/1970), Lon Kruger (Florida/1990), Dana Altman (Creighton/1994), Bob Huggins (West Virginia/2008), Frank Martin (South Carolina/2012)
Penn - Howie Dallmar (Stanford/1954), Jack McCloskey (Wake Forest/1966), Dick Harter (Oregon/1971), Chuck Daly (assistant with Philadelphia 76ers/1977), Bob Weinhauer (Arizona State/1982), Craig Littlepage (Rutgers/1985), Fran Dunphy (Temple/2006)
FIU Craved National Attention but `Zeke' was a Zero as College Coach
April 6th, 2012 - 21:10
When Isiah Thomas was hired by budget-busted FIU (don't call us Florida International), "Zeke" said with his trademark engaging smile he would coach his first collegiate season for free. Based on the ensuing not-worth-a-nickel results (26-65, .286), he should have also coached gratis the next two years before parting ways with the less-than-Golden Panthers.
Hiring Thomas, a 12-time NBA All-Star with the Detroit Pistons, was the ultimate desperate move for attention - good, bad or ugly; mainly bad and ugly. It occurred not long after a jury decided in the fall of 2007 that Thomas sexually harassed a former New York Knicks team executive, subjecting the former Northwestern women's basketball player to unwanted advances and a barrage of vulgarity (Madison Square Garden eventually settled with the married mother of three for $11.5 million and Thomas maintained his innocence). Thomas, in a deposition he claims was edited in a manner misconstruing his remarks, said it is more offensive for a white man to call a black woman a _itch than for a black man to use the same insult describing the same female.
Smiling or not, Thomas can't possibly plead innocent to his black-and-white anemic record with FIU being even worse than his 56-108 mark as coach of the Knicks in his two seasons with them in 2006-07 and 2007-08 amid the tawdry trial. Previously, the CBA almost disbanded after Thomas purchased the minor league before selling his interest in 2000. CBA executives said Thomas was "rude. . . . very poor business person. . . . doesn't listen to people. . . . makes poor decisions."
At this stage, FIU resembles the McDonald's worker who claims she lost the winning Mega Millions ticket. Hitching its wagon to Thomas, who failed to generate any meaningful increase in attendance and seemed more interested in trying to keep his ties with the NBA as a Knicks consultant before backing off, made it the acronym equivalent to Foolish Idolatry U.
Prior to delusionally handing control over to the culture of personality, FIU and other schools should realize that Indiana's Branch McCracken is the only one of the following 47 All-Americans who became major-college mentors to compile a higher winning percentage as a coach:
*Active coaches.
Tweety Blurbs From the Fan Cave: Hot Topics in College Basketball
April 4th, 2012 - 22:03
Many tweets convey more than we want to know such as when and how long you were in the bathroom enabling you to feel like you're entitled to a brand new wardrobe. On the other hand, concise capsules can quickly get to the heart of a subject.
Following is a regurgitation of pithy postings of up to 140 characters summarizing this season after they were designed to "tell it the way it is" and trigger some watercooler cussin' and discussin':
Jim Boeheim's money-motivated defense of 'Cuse Abuse sure isn't "fine" when considering "high" number of suspect students he recruited.
Need for eye exams may explain Syracuse's previous faulty free-throw shooting if players had inappropriate relations with ex-Orange aide wife.
Is accuser Bobby Davis lying about him being noticed in Bernie Fine's road hotel room or will SU Coach Boeheim have more backtracking to do?
Boeheim's 850-plus wins for alma mater is amazing when one considers Miami of Ohio's Charlie Coles was active runner-up with 250 before retiring.
Hugs Thugs mentality must still exist at Cincinnati for coach Mick Cronin, a former aide under Bob Huggins' parade of pestilent UC players.
UC Coach Mick Cronin's post-melee speech was Xcellent. But the problem is he recruited the UFC tryouts strutting their "Want Some?" stuff.
To a certain degree, the televised UC-Xavier fisticuffs were blown out of proportion. There was plenty of blood shed in pre-ESPN donnybrooks.
Dicky V's four-year stint at Detroit is vastly overblown. UD's court should be named after an A-A such as Dave DeBusschere or Spencer Haywood.
Is Dicky V finally off Pitt's bandwagon proclaiming the Panthers will overcome an 0-7 start in Big East play and reach the NCAA playoffs?
Whenever NFL analyst Mike Ditka shows some passion, one can't help but wonder how "hard" his picks were while playing basketball for Pitt.
ESPN's farming out of NBA analysts to college games during the pro lockout was a disaster. They resembled know-nothing, union-busting scabs.
Occasionally condescending Dookie Jay Bilas needs to refrain from infatuation with wingspan during his normally commendable commentary.
Jay Bilas is nation's premier hoop analyst but year late in his support of mid-major Wichita State. An apology to VCU is also still in order.
ESPN should give Joe Lunardi a shot as a game analyst rather than limiting him to racket as Walmart-like greeter citing first in/first out.
Whether they're female eye candy or not, most of the TV sideline reporters are virtually worthless in futile bids to offer incisive input.
Curing cancer is fantastic but ESPN should tone down its fawning over Jim Valvano, a PTP (Placed Twice on Probation) coach for Iona & NCSU.
Neither Carolina nor Indiana will be "all they can be" until the Zeller brothers hit the weight room and quit being stripped inside so often.
Illinois would be a lock for Big Ten first division if promising center Meyers Leonard was used properly by running offense through him down low.
Butler can bounce back next year if Arkansas transfer Rotnei Clarke is unleashed. Long-range bomber could become the Bulldogs' first A-A.
Kansas can't keep whining via caustic comments about scheduling Mizzou if the Jayhawks also won't extend similar welfare to Wichita State.
Is KU selfless or self-centered? It's disconcerting that the Jayhawks' freshman class was littered with marginal academic credentials.
UK might have still won NCAA title if Terrence Jones turned pro early. He clearly shouldn't have been selected as SEC preseason player of year.
Coach Cal will need to change his last name to Calicrapi if UK joins two previous outposts (UMass and Memphis) as schools vacating NCAA play.
Uneasy about Pitino's HOF nomination so soon after Slick Rick moonlighted as porn star satisfying his appetite in a restaurant. Did this go on at UK, too?
Cuonzo Martin inherited a "Rocky Top" mess from Bruce Pearl. Hope Martin doesn't get so upset he forgets what his home looks like inside.
A Temptations tune "Ball of Confusion" comes to mind each time Mississippi State's Renardo Sidney is tempted to get his grey matter in gear.
If some of brightest coaching minds were conned out of $50M by an AAU guru, then how do we expect immature teenagers to cope with such fraud?
The public can be fooled occasionally but UConn's conniving under Jim Calhoun claiming its roster has textbook student-athletes is laughable.
Frustrated fans complain about the chemistry among UConn's players but some observers wonder if any of them ever took a legit Chemistry course.
Andre Drummond's scoreless game for UConn vs. Columbia duplicated debut goose eggs by Tim Duncan (Alaska-Anchorage) and David Robinson (Yale).
Notre Dame deserves plaudits for success sans Tim Abromaitis but it stems more than anything from Big East being way down from a year ago.
Only three years removed from a Final Four, Villanova might be worst team this season among the six Philly universities (Big 5 plus Drexel).
Excluding Syracuse, the first division of the underrated Atlantic 10 Conference is as competent as the first division of the Big East.
Is it political correctness run amok to give Oregon State coach Craig Robinson a benefit of the doubt because he is POTUS's brother-in-law?
If ex-Weber State coach Ben Howland can guide UCLA to three straight Final Fours, why didn't NBA-crazed Utah lure Randy Rahe away from Weber?
Did you know ex-Arizona mentor Fred Snowden is only black coach to win at least 60% of 100 or more DI games decided by fewer than 6 points?
No way former A-A guards Mark Macon (Temple/Binghamton) & Isiah Thomas (IU/FIU) can be guardedly optimistic about their coaching prospects.
Eight best bets as this year's VCU are Wichita State, Saint Mary's, Creighton, Drexel, Gonzaga, Harvard, Long Beach State and Murray State.
Should the MEAC and SWAC de-emphasize to DII? Hampton is the only HBCU not to have at least one 20-loss season in the previous eight years.
OSU's Jared Sullinger is outstanding but how many millions of dollars did he cost himself by returning to college after A-A freshman year?
How can neither the NCAA nor elite DI conferences have guidelines in place for what penalty to enforce if a player is caught doing drugs?
It's difficult to follow in daddy's footsteps. There never has been a father/son combination earn All-American status for the same university.
Was Kevin Jones, the Big East's leading scorer and rebounder, denied conference MVP award because West Virginia is leaving for Big 12?
If voters knew impact of Flip Pressey, Mizzou playmaker and dad Paul would be 8th set of A-A father-son honorees rather than just All-Big 12 3rd-teamer.
ESPN should call its bracket prediction segment with POTUS "Audacity of Hype." Ditto for CBS interview with Clark Kellogg. Please focus on economy!
"Ohio," Neil Young's protest song in reaction to Kent State shootings, should be anthem for OSU/UC game as protest they don't play regularly.
Indiana's Branch McCracken is the only one of more than 30 All-Americans who became DI mentors to compile higher winning percentage as coach.
Stanford shouldn't be optimistic because no defending NIT champion advanced to an NCAA regional final since field expanded to 64 in 1985.
Overdosing on TV visual makes Frank Martin's glaring switch from K-State to South Carolina the most overrated coaching change in memory.
Never underestimate gall of boob tuber. ESPN's Doug Gottlieb thought he could assist K-State. How about starting craft at Kansas Wesleyan?
The grass is always greener elsewhere. An average of four coaches per year leave NCAA playoff teams since seeding was introduced in 1979.
Kentucky freshman phenom Anthony Davis shows there is more to game than scoring as he has lowest scoring average of any national POY in history.
Kentucky is only the fourth school in last 30 years atop AP poll at end of regular season to go ahead and capture the NCAA Tournament championship.
Despite UK's crown, California (30) moved ahead of Kentucky (29) as state with most men's national titles among all levels of four-year hoops.
Average of only two seniors among top seven scorers for NCAA Division I champions since field expanded to at least 64 schools in 1985.
Anyone implying in any way, shape or form that a college team can win a legitimate game against an NBA squad is in dire need of a brain scan.
Is there anything more ridiculous than national forecast for next year before recruiting is complete and undergrads finish declaring for NBA draft?
Christian's Crusade: Return to Mid-American and Win With Ohio University
April 3rd, 2012 - 21:25
Jim Christian, a perennial 20-game winner when he coached at Kent State, is returning to the Mid-American Conference in a similar capacity at Ohio University. After the retirement of Charlie Coles at Miami (Ohio), Christian departed TCU to join Akron's Keith Dambrot (ex-Central Michigan mentor) as second-time around coaches in the MAC. Nationally, they are among the following alphabetical list of active coaches who were bench bosses of two different schools in the same conference:
States of Success: California Moves Ahead of Kentucky for Most Titles
April 2nd, 2012 - 23:29
California, buoyed by Stanford (NIT) and Concordia (DII), moved ahead of Kentucky as the state with the most national titles from each level of four-year college men's basketball - NCAA Division I, NIT, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA - despite UK's title in this year's NCAA Division I Tournament.
Illinois and Ohio are the only states to boast at least one champion from all five levels. Among the 12 states amassing a total of more than 10 national crowns, Missouri is the only one in that group without a Division I championship.
The biggest surprise among states never to capture a national title is Iowa. Following is how states stack up by national titles including the NIT and various levels of small-college basketball:
State DI NIT DII DIII NAIA Total California 15 7 5 0 3 30 Kentucky 10 3 10 0 6 29 Ohio 3 6 3 5 2 19 North Carolina 11 2 3 0 1 17 Illinois 1 6 1 6 1 15 New York 2 10 0 3 0 15 Oklahoma 2 2 1 0 10 15 Indiana 5 2 6 0 1 14 Pennsylvania 2 6 2 3 0 13 Wisconsin 2 1 0 10 0 13 Missouri 0 1 1 2 8 12 Kansas 3 1 1 0 6 11 Virginia 0 4 5 1 0 10 Texas 1 1 0 0 7 9 Michigan 3 3 0 2 0 8 Minnesota 0 2 2 1 3 8 Tennessee 0 2 1 1 4 8 Alabama 0 0 3 0 3 6 Georgia 0 0 1 0 5 6 Connecticut 3 1 1 0 0 5 Maryland 1 1 2 0 1 5 Massachusetts 1 1 1 2 0 5 Arizona 1 0 0 0 3 4 South Carolina 0 2 0 0 2 4 Utah 1 3 0 0 0 4 West Virginia 0 2 0 0 2 4 Colorado 0 1 2 0 0 3 District of Columbia 1 0 1 1 0 3 Florida 2 0 1 0 0 3 Louisiana 0 0 0 0 3 3 New Jersey 0 2 0 1 0 3 Arkansas 1 0 0 0 1 2 Rhode Island 0 2 0 0 0 2 South Dakota 0 0 2 0 0 2 Washington 0 0 2 0 0 2 Hawaii 0 0 0 0 1 1 Mississippi 0 1 0 0 0 1 Montana 0 0 0 0 1 1 Nebraska 0 1 0 0 0 1 Nevada 1 0 0 0 0 1 New Mexico 0 0 0 0 1 1 Oregon 1 0 0 0 0 1 Wyoming 1 0 0 0 0 1
NOTE: Eight states - Alaska, Delaware, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, New Hampshire, North Dakota and Vermont - have never had a four-year school win a men's national championship.
Senior Moments: Only One of Champion UK's Top Seven Scorers is a Senior
April 2nd, 2012 - 23:27
A senior-laden lineup is not a prerequisite for capturing a national championship. An average of only two seniors were among the top seven scorers for NCAA Tournament titlists since the playoff field expanded to at least 64 teams in 1985.
Eight of the 16 NCAA champions from 1991 through 2006 boasted no more than one senior among its top seven scorers, which is what Kentucky had this year. Only three NCAA champions since Indiana '87 - UCLA (1995), Michigan (2000) and Maryland (2002) - had seniors as their top two scorers. Following is a look at the vital seniors for the last 28 basically youthful championship teams:
2012 - Kentucky (one of top seven scorers was a senior/Darius Miller was fifth-leading scorer).
2011 - Connecticut (none of top six scorers was a senior).
2010 - Duke (three of nine-man rotation were seniors/Jon Scheyer was leading scorer, Brian Zoubek was fourth and Lance Thomas was sixth).
2009 - North Carolina (two of top eight in scoring average were seniors/Tyler Hansbrough was leading scorer and Danny Green was fourth).
2008 - Kansas (one of top six scorers was a senior/Darnell Jackson was fourth-leading scorer).
2007 - Florida (two of nine-man rotation were seniors/Lee Humphrey was fifth and Chris Richard was sixth).
2006 - Florida (none of top seven scorers was a senior).
2005 - North Carolina (one of top five scorers was a senior/Jawad Williams was third).
2004 - Connecticut (one of top eight scorers was a senior/Taliek Brown was sixth).
2003 - Syracuse (one of top eight scorers was a senior/Keith Duany was fourth).
2002 - Maryland (three of top eight regulars were seniors/Juan Dixon was top scorer, Lonny Baxter was second and Byron Mouton was fourth).
2001 - Duke (two of top nine scorers were seniors/Shane Battier was second and Nate James was fifth).
2000 - Michigan State (three of top 11 scorers were seniors/Morris Peterson was first, Mateen Cleaves was second and A.J. Granger was fifth).
1999 - Connecticut (one of top seven scorers was a senior/Ricky Moore was fifth).
1998 - Kentucky (two of top seven scorers were seniors/Jeff Sheppard was first and Allen Edwards was fifth).
1997 - Arizona (none of top seven scorers was a senior).
1996 - Kentucky (three of top 10 scorers were seniors/Tony Delk was first, Walter McCarty was third and Mark Pope was sixth).
1995 - UCLA (three of top seven scorers were seniors/Ed O'Bannon was first, Tyus Edney was second and George Zidek was fourth).
1994 - Arkansas (one of top 10 scorers was a senior/Roger Crawford was eighth).
1993 - North Carolina (one of top seven scorers was a senior/George Lynch was second).
1992 - Duke (two of top 10 scorers were seniors/Christian Laettner was first and Brian Davis was fifth).
1991 - Duke (one of top 10 scorers was a senior/Greg Koubek was seventh).
1990 - UNLV (two of top eight scorers were seniors/David Butler was third and Moses Scurry was sixth).
1989 - Michigan (two of top 11 scorers were seniors/Glen Rice was first and Mark Hughes was sixth).
1988 - Kansas (two of top 11 scorers were seniors/Danny Manning was first and Chris Piper was fourth).
1987 - Indiana (two of top eight scorers were seniors/Steve Alford was first and Daryl Thomas was second).
1986 - Louisville (three of top nine scorers were seniors/Billy Thompson was first, Milt Wagner was second and Jeff Hall was fifth).
1985 - Villanova (three of top eight scorers were seniors/Ed Pinckney was first, Dwayne McClain was second and Gary McLain was fourth).
Victory Map: More Than 40 NCAA Champions Posted Higher Win Margins Than Kentucky '12
April 2nd, 2012 - 23:25
There has been some smooth sailing, but it is usually a rugged road en route to becoming NCAA kingpin. Talk of this year's Kentucky squad being one of the all-time greatest teams is somewhat silly insofar as 41 previous NCAA champions posted higher average victory margins in the tournament.
North Carolina '09 became the 12th NCAA Tournament champion to win all of its playoff games by double-digit margins. The first nine champions in this category came before the NCAA field was expanded to at least 64 teams in 1985.
Most titlists have near-death experiences and are severely tested at least once on the serpentine tourney trail. In 1997, Arizona won each of its playoff contests by a single-digit margin.
A total of 48 champions won a minimum of one playoff game by four points or less, including 22 titlists to win at least one contest by just one point. Wyoming '43 would have become the only champion to trail at halftime in every tournament game if the Cowboys didn't score the last three baskets of the first half in the national final to lead Georgetown at intermission (18-16). Four titlists trailed at intermission in both of their Final Four games - Kentucky '51, Louisville '86, Duke '92 and Kentucky '98.
UCLA '67, the first varsity season for Lew Alcindor (became Kareem Abdul-Jabbar), set the record for largest average margin of victory for a champion when the Bruins started a dazzling streak of 10 consecutive Final Four appearances. They won their 12 NCAA playoff games with Alcindor manning the middle by an amazing average margin of 21.5 points.
Which of John Wooden's 10 national champion UCLA teams did the Wizard of Westwood perceive as his best?
"I've never come out and said it," Wooden said before passing away last year, "but it would be hard to pick a team over the 1968 team. I will say it would be the most difficult team to prepare for and play against offensively and defensively. It created so many problems. It had such great balance. We had the big center (Alcindor) who is the most valuable player of all time. Mike Warren was a three-year starter who may have been the most intelligent floor leader ever, going eight complete games once without a turnover. Lucius Allen was a very physical, talented individual who was extremely quick. Lynn Shackleford was a great shooter out of the corner who didn't allow defenses to sag on Jabbar. Mike Lynn didn't have power, but he had as fine a pair of hands around the boards as I have ever seen."
The roster for UCLA's 1968 national champion included six players with double-digit season scoring averages, but senior forward Edgar Lacey dropped off the team with an 11.9-point average following a dispute with Wooden after a ballyhooed mid-season defeat against Houston before 52,693 fans at the Astrodome. Lacey, assigned to defend Cougars star Elvin Hayes early in the game, was annoyed with Wooden for singling him out following Hayes' 29-point first-half outburst. Lacey, the leading rebounder for the Bruins' 1965 NCAA titlist when he was an All-Tournament team selection, missed the 1966-67 campaign because of a fractured left kneecap.
The three Lew-CLA teams rank among the seven NCAA champions with average margins of victory in a tournament of more than 19 points per game. It's no wonder a perceptive scribe wrote the acronym NCAA took on a new meaning during the plunderous Alcindor Era - "No Chance Against Alcindor."
"Bill Walton might have been a better all-around player (than Alcindor)," Wooden said. "If you were grading a player for every fundamental skill, Walton would rank the highest of any center who ever played. But Alcindor is the most valuable, owing to the pressure he put on the other team at both ends of the court."
North Carolina won all six of its playoff contests by double digits in 2009 but the only titlist to win all of its tournament games by more than 15 points was Ohio State '60. Center Jerry Lucas, a first-team All-American as a sophomore, averaged 24 points and 16 rebounds in four playoff contests for the Buckeyes. He collected 36 points and 25 rebounds to help them erase a six-point halftime deficit in their Mideast Regional opener against Western Kentucky.
Following is a breakdown of the point differential and average margin of victory in the NCAA playoffs for the first 74 national champions:
Championship Team Coach G. Largest Smallest Average UCLA '67 John Wooden 4 49 15 23.75 Loyola of Chicago '63 George Ireland 5 *69 2 23.0 Indiana '81 Bob Knight 5 35 13 22.6 Kentucky '96 Rick Pitino 6 38 7 21.5 UCLA '68 John Wooden 4 32 9 21.25 Michigan State '79 Jud Heathcote 5 34 11 20.8 North Carolina '09 Roy Williams 6 43 12 20.17 Ohio State '60 Fred Taylor 4 22 17 19.5 UCLA '69 John Wooden 4 38 3 19.5 UNLV '90 Jerry Tarkanian 6 30 2 18.67 Oklahoma State '45 Hank Iba 3 27 4 18.67 UCLA '70 John Wooden 4 23 11 18.0 UCLA '72 John Wooden 4 32 5 18.0 Kentucky '58 Adolph Rupp 4 33 1 17.5 Kentucky '49 Adolph Rupp 3 29 10 17.33 Indiana '40 Branch McCracken 3 24 9 17.0 Duke '01 Mike Krzyzewski 6 43 10 16.67 Florida '06 Billy Donovan 6 26 4 16.0 UCLA '73 John Wooden 4 21 11 16.0 Kentucky '48 Adolph Rupp 3 23 8 15.67 North Carolina '93 Dean Smith 6 45 6 15.67 UCLA '65 John Wooden 4 24 8 15.5 Michigan State '00 Tom Izzo 6 27 11 15.33 Oregon '39 Howard Hobson 3 18 13 15.33 Kansas '52 Phog Allen 4 19 4 14.75 Duke '10 Mike Krzyzewski 6 29 2 14.5 UCLA '95 Jim Harrick 6 36 1 14.33 North Carolina State '74 Norman Sloan 4 28 3 14.25 Florida '07 Billy Donovan 6 43 7 14.17 Kansas '08 Bill Self 6 24 2 14.17 Duke '91 Mike Krzyzewski 6 29 2 14.0 Maryland '02 Gary Williams 6 30 8 14.0 San Francisco '56 Phil Woolpert 4 18 11 14.0 North Carolina '05 Roy Williams 6 28 1 13.83 San Francisco '55 Phil Woolpert 5 23 1 13.8 Connecticut '04 Jim Calhoun 6 20 1 13.33 Kentucky '98 Tubby Smith 6 27 1 13.3 Indiana '76 Bob Knight 5 20 5 13.2 Cincinnati '62 Ed Jucker 4 20 2 12.75 Duke '92 Mike Krzyzewski 6 26 1 12.5 Cincinnati '61 Ed Jucker 4 23 5 12.0 Connecticut '99 Jim Calhoun 6 25 3 11.83 Kentucky '12 John Calipari 6 16 8 11.83 Louisville '86 Denny Crum 6 20 3 11.83 Oklahoma State '46 Hank Iba 3 17 3 11.67 Holy Cross '47 Doggie Julian 3 15 8 11.33 California '59 Pete Newell 4 20 1 11.25 La Salle '54 Ken Loeffler 5 16 2 11.2 Arkansas '94 Nolan Richardson 6 19 4 11.17 Stanford '42 Everett Dean 3 15 6 10.67 Indiana '87 Bob Knight 6 34 1 10.5 Connecticut '11 Jim Calhoun 6 29 1 10.33 Michigan '89 Steve Fisher 6 37 1 9.83 Georgetown '84 John Thompson Jr. 5 14 1 9.8 Kentucky '51 Adolph Rupp 4 16 2 9.75 Louisville '80 Denny Crum 5 20 2 9.2 Kentucky '78 Joe B. Hall 5 22 3 9.0 Syracuse '03 Jim Boeheim 6 16 1 9.0 Kansas '88 Larry Brown 6 13 3 8.83 UCLA '71 John Wooden 4 18 2 8.5 North Carolina '57 Frank McGuire 5 16 1 8.4 Marquette '77 Al McGuire 5 15 1 8.0 UCLA '64 John Wooden 4 15 4 7.5 UCLA '75 John Wooden 5 14 1 7.4 Indiana '53 Branch McCracken 4 13 1 7.25 Utah '44 Vadal Peterson 3 10 2 7.0 Texas Western '66 Don Haskins 5 15 1 6.4 Wyoming '43 Everett Shelton 3 12 3 6.33 Arizona '97 Lute Olson 6 8 3 5.33 North Carolina State '83 Jim Valvano 6 19 1 5.33 Villanova '85 Rollie Massimino 6 12 2 5.0 North Carolina '82 Dean Smith 5 10 1 4.6 Wisconsin '41 Bud Foster 3 6 1 4.0 CCNY '50 Nat Holman 3 5 1 3.0
*All-time tournament record (111-42 first-round victory over Tennessee Tech).
NOTE: Fifteen teams participated in a total of 20 overtime games en route to national titles - Utah (1944), North Carolina (two triple overtime Final Four games in 1957), Cincinnati (1961), Loyola of Chicago (1963), Texas Western (two in 1966, including a double overtime), North Carolina State (double overtime in 1974), UCLA (two in 1975), Louisville (two in 1980), North Carolina State (double overtime in 1983), Michigan (1989), Duke (1992), North Carolina (1993), Arizona (two in 1997), Kentucky (1998) and Kansas (2008).
Big Blue Takes Care of Business Despite Nobody Looking Out for No. 1
April 2nd, 2012 - 23:21
There is a clear and present danger for pole sitters. Kentucky became only the fourth of 30 schools atop the national rankings entering the NCAA playoffs since 1983 to capture the national championship.
In 2006, Duke became the ninth No. 1 team in 17 years to fail to advance to a regional final when the Blue Devils were eliminated by LSU. In 1992, Duke defied a trend by becoming the first top-ranked team in 10 years entering the NCAA Tournament to win a national title. The previous five top-ranked teams failed to reach the championship game. UNLV lost twice in the national semifinals (1987 and 1991) and Temple '88, Arizona '89 and Oklahoma '90 failed to reach the Final Four.
Temple, a 63-53 loser against Duke in the 1988 East Regional final, and Kansas State, an 85-75 loser against Cincinnati in the 1959 Midwest Regional final, are the only teams ranked No. 1 by both AP and UPI entering the tourney to lose by a double-digit margin before the Final Four.
The school gaining the sweetest revenge against a top-ranked team was St. John's in 1952. Defending NCAA champion Kentucky humiliated the Redmen by 41 points (81-40) early in the season when the Catholic institution became the first to have a black player on the floor at Lexington, Ky. The player, Solly Walker, played only a few minutes before he took a hit sidelining him for three weeks. But St. John's, sparked by center Bob Zawoluk's 32 points, avenged the rout by eliminating the Wildcats (64-57) in the East Regional, ending their 23-game winning streak. The Redmen, who then defeated second-ranked Illinois in the national semifinals, lost against Kansas in the NCAA final.
In the 1982 championship game, North Carolina needed a basket with 16 seconds remaining from freshman Michael Jordan to nip Georgetown, 63-62, and become the only top-ranked team in 13 years from 1979 through 1991 to capture the NCAA title. It was a particularly bitter pill to swallow for seven of the 11 top-ranked teams to lose in the NCAA championship game in overtime or by two or three points in regulation.
It's win or go home. Following is analysis sizing up how the No. 1 teams fared in the NCAA playoffs since the Associated Press introduced national rankings in 1949:
20 - Won national title (Kentucky '49; Kentucky '51; Indiana '53; San Francisco '56; North Carolina '57; UCLA '64; UCLA '67; UCLA '69; UCLA '71; UCLA '72; UCLA '73; North Carolina State '74; UCLA '75; Indiana '76; Kentucky '78; North Carolina '82; Duke '92; UCLA '95, Duke '01, and Kentucky '12).
13 - Finished as national runner-up (Bradley '50/defeated by CCNY; Ohio State '61/Cincinnati; Ohio State '62/Cincinnati; Cincinnati '63/Loyola of Chicago; Michigan '65/UCLA; Kentucky '66/Texas Western; Indiana State '79/Michigan State; Houston '83/North Carolina State; Georgetown '85/Villanova; Duke '86/Louisville; Duke '99/Connecticut; Illinois '05/North Carolina, and Ohio State '07/Florida).
7 - Lost in national semifinals (Cincinnati '60/defeated by California; Houston '68/UCLA; UNLV '87/Indiana; UNLV '91/Duke; Massachusetts '96/Kentucky; North Carolina '98/Utah, and North Carolina '08/Kansas).
8 - Lost in regional finals (Kentucky '52/defeated by St. John's; Kansas State '59/Cincinnati; Kentucky '70/Jacksonville; Michigan '77/UNC Charlotte; Temple '88/Duke; Indiana '93/Kansas, and Kentucky '03/Marquette, and Louisville '09/Michigan State).
7 - Lost in regional semifinals (North Carolina '84/defeated by Indiana; Arizona '89/UNLV; Kansas '97/Arizona; Duke '00/Florida; Duke '02/Indiana); Duke '06/Louisiana State, and Ohio State '11/Kentucky).
6 - Lost in second round (DePaul '80/defeated by UCLA; DePaul '81/St. Joseph's; Oklahoma '90/North Carolina; North Carolina '94/Boston College; Stanford '04/Alabama, and Kansas '10/Northern Iowa).
1 - Lost in first round (West Virginia '58/defeated by Manhattan).
1 - Declined a berth (Kentucky '54).
NOTE: After United Press International started ranking teams in 1951, UPI had just three different No. 1 teams entering the national playoffs than AP - Indiana lost in the 1954 East Regional semifinals against Notre Dame, California finished as 1960 national runner-up to Ohio State and Indiana lost in 1975 Mideast Regional final against Kentucky.
College Exam: NCAA Tournament One-and-Only Challenge (Day 23)
April 2nd, 2012 - 1:01
We hope the rigors of our daily Q&A didn't give you an inferiority complex. Emphasizing a "one-and-only" theme for a "one-and-only" event, this is final of 23 days featuring a treasure-trove of tantalizing NCAA Tournament trivia questions from CollegeHoopedia.com (10 per day from Selection Sunday until a grand finale added value of 20 on the day of the championship game) tracking the only coach, conference, player or school to be linked to a distinguished or dubious achievement (click here for answers or conduct research digesting historical morsels in CollegeHoopedia.com's year-by-year highlights):
1. Name the only automatic qualifier to enter the NCAA playoffs with an overall losing record despite compiling a winning conference mark. Hint: The school lost in the first round to the nation's top-ranked team, an opponent the school succumbed to four seasons earlier when eventual NBA guard Lindsey Hunter scored a then school-record 48 points.
2. Name the only one of the different teams to twice defeat an eventual NCAA champion in their title season to not appear in the NCAA Tournament that year. Hint: A former NBA coach guided the school to its only NCAA playoff victory against an opponent whose coach also later coached in the NBA.
3. Name the only team since seeding started to reach the Final Four without meeting a top eight seed. Hint: The team was eliminated in the national semifinals.
4. Name the only school to twice be denied an at-large bid in a 10-year span despite going undefeated in regular-season conference competition. Hint: The school reached a regional final the next time it went unbeaten in league play.
5. Name the only school in the 20th Century to compete for the national championship in both football and basketball in the same academic school year. Hint: The school lost both games.
6. Who is the only individual to win tournament games while coaching schools from the three conferences with the top winning percentages in NCAA Tournament competition reflecting actual membership (ACC, Big East and Big Ten)? Hint: He is the only coach to win playoff games with as many as three different schools when they were seeded ninth or worse.
7. Who is the only coach to win national championships in junior college, the NIT and the NCAA. Hint: He won the NIT in his first year as a major college head coach.
8. Who is the only leading scorer in an NCAA Tournament championship game to subsequently serve as an admiral in the U.S. Navy? Hint: He was an NCAA consensus first-team All-America the next season before eventually commanding the aircraft carrier Saratoga for two years.
9. Who is the only championship game player to be the son of a former NCAA consensus All-American? Hint: The father was a U.S. Olympic team member and the star player for the first black coach at a predominantly white Division I school.
10. Name the only teammate twosome to each score more than 25 points in an NCAA final. Hint: They combined for 53 points to lead their school to its first of multiple NCAA Tournament titles.
11. Name the only starting backcourt to combine for more than 50 points in a Final Four game. Hint: They combined to shoot 39 percent from the floor in the two Final Four games that year.
12. Who is the only individual to coach teams in the NAIA Tournament, NCAA Division III Tournament, NCAA Division II Tournament, National Invitation Tournament and NCAA Division I Tournament? Hint: He took two different schools to the five levels of national postseason competition in a 13-year span beginning with an appearance as an interim head coach.
13. Who is the only individual to be the team-high scorer for both winning and losing teams in NCAA championship games although his season scoring average was less than half of the team leader each year? Hint: He played in the shadow of an All-American whose total of points and rebounds (4,663) is the highest in NCAA history.
14. Who is the only coach to guide teams from the same school to the football Rose Bowl and basketball Final Four? Hint: The Rose Bowl and Final Four appearances were 17 years apart.
15. Name the only son of a member of one of the first classes of baseball Hall of Fame selections to start for a school in its first NCAA Tournament appearance. Hint: The son pitched for four major league teams before becoming a prominent executive. His father was a first baseman.
16. Name the only school to reach the Final Four and College World Series championship game in the same year. Hint: The school advanced to the Final Four again the next season.
17. Who is the only coach to win three first-round games with teams seeded 12th or worse? Hint: The former coach was 4-1 in tournament games decided by fewer than five points. He played basketball at Fordham when NFL Hall of Fame coach Vince Lombardi was the Rams' freshman basketball coach.
18. Name the school that won all four of its first-round games despite being seeded eighth or worse each time. Hint: The four victories came in the first five tournaments after the NCAA introduced seeding.
19. Name the only school to appear in at least three NCAA Tournaments in the 20th Century and reach a regional final each time. Hint: The school's playoff appearances were in successive years.
20. Who is the only player to obtain NCAA and NBA championship rings without participating in postseason competition for either the college or pro title teams? Hint: The 7-0 center was in his first year with both of the championship squads.
The Mouths That Bore: Coaching Wannabee Gottlieb's Got Gargantuan Gall
April 1st, 2012 - 18:13
Never underestimate the occasional astonishing absence of perspective among TV pundits. Amid the boob tube personality-driven showmanship, PT Barnum continues to chortle, "I was right all along!" about "there's a sucker born every minute."
ESPN's Doug Gottlieb, ranked among the Top 20 analysts by CollegeHoopedia.com, never has coached a game of college basketball - even as an assistant. Yet the legend in his own mind proclaimed he was fit to serve at Kansas State as Frank Martin's successor. The Wildcats weren't suckered, ignoring such ego chicanery and hiring former SIU and Illinois mentor Bruce Weber.
Who does Gottlieb think he is? The collegiate version of Pat Riley? Saying he is "self aware" (a/k/a "full of himself"), Gottlieb must have thought the coaching acumen of his father and brother would rub off on him. Before becoming head coach at Jacksonville and Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Gottlieb's father (Bob) was an assistant at K-State in the early 1970s at a time when the program was in the midst of capturing 11 Big Eight Conference championships in an 18-year span. In a battle of Wildcats, mighty Kentucky was the only school at that point to boast more final Top 20 rankings than KSU.
Gottlieb, a Notre Dame transfer who led the nation in assists in 1998-99 and finished runner-up the next season with Oklahoma State, thought he could assist K-State basically because of the visibility of his mug being on TV. Well, criminals have their head shots at the post office. Would that help them recruit suspect student-athletes? How about throwing his hat in the ring and learning the trade first at Kansas Wesleyan?
The sports TV culture frequently fosters hero worshiped such as ESPN original Keith Olbermann who think the world revolves around them and they develop a sordid sense of "out-of-bounds" entitlement. Gottlieb was no different than Larry "Grandmama" Johnson, who was upset and probably lost "her" wig and outfit when he didn't inherit the UNLV coaching job.
"When you are among the high-flying adored, your view of the world becomes blurred," wrote psychologist Stanley Teitelbaum of the flouting-of-the-law behavior in the book "Sports Heroes, Fallen Idols: How Star Athletes Pursue Self-Destructive Paths and Jeopardize Their Careers."
"Off the field, some act as if they are above the rules of society; hubris and an attitude of entitlement become central to the psyche of many athletes. They may deny that they are vulnerable to reprisals and feel omnipotent and grandiose as well as entitled."
If Gottlieb's resume does eventually enable him to go straight to a DI head coaching assignment, he'll need to also break ground by hiring an assistant devoted exclusively to free-throw shooting. After all, he is a lifetime member on the All-Gang That Can't Shoot Straight Team (abysmal 45.3% mark from the "foul" line with OSU).
Moreover, if Gottlieb is qualified to go straight to accepting the K-State reins in a conference where he previously competed, it seems his ESPN colleagues should be treated in the same fashion. Andy Katz should be next in line for the Fresno State position in his old stomping grounds; Alabama grad Rece Davis should be able to anchor any SEC opening; Doris Burke should become the first full-time female coach of a men's program at her alma mater (Providence) or some other Big East member; Stephen Bardo should have been hired by Illinois (not John Groce); Adrian Branch should be Maryland's coach (not Mark Turgeon); Miles Simon should be at Arizona's helm (not Sean Miller); Sean Farnham should be groomed as Ben Howland's replacement at UCLA; LaPhonso Ellis should be designated as Mike Brey's successor at Notre Dame, and Kara Lawson should be the odds-on favorite to succeed Pat Summitt.
Where does the self-aggrandizement stop? Should former Florida dance-team member Erin Andrews strut her stuff on the Gators' sideline as Billy Donovan's successor? On second thought, maybe Erin can offer more incentive to UF players to win close contests (perhaps a cool Mountain Dew or dance lessons) than Donovan (woeful 62-74 record in games decided by fewer than six points).
In some ways, Gottlieb's gall emanating from the Worldwide Leader is almost as offensive as Dana Jacobson's inebriated onstage anti-Jesus rant at a roast for a couple of her colleagues or Jailin' Rose's "Uncle Tom" denigration of Duke's Dynasty. At least ESPN doesn't have to worry about Gottlieb needing to take a class to work on his self-esteem.
College Exam: NCAA Tournament One-and-Only Challenge (Day 22)
April 1st, 2012 - 1:01
Emphasizing a "one-and-only" theme for a "one-and-only" event, here is Day 22 of a treasure-trove of tantalizing NCAA Tournament trivia questions from CollegeHoopedia.com (10 per day from Selection Sunday through the championship game) tracking the only coach, conference, player or school to be linked to a distinguished or dubious achievement (click here for answers or conduct research digesting historical morsels in CollegeHoopedia.com's year-by-year highlights):
1. Name the only player to lead an NCAA Tournament team in season scoring and rebounding before becoming the only NCAA playoff participant to subsequently appear in both the NBA Finals and World Series. Hint: He became his alma mater's athletic director.
2. Name the only championship team to have two guards be its top two scorers for the season. Hint: It's the only school to win an NCAA title the year after losing an NCAA Tournament opener by a double-digit margin.
3. Who is the only individual to play for an NCAA champion, NBA champion and ABA champion? Hint: The 6-2 swingman averaged almost three times as many rebounds per game for back-to-back NCAA titlists as he did points per game in his pro career.
4. Name the only school to lose an NCAA Tournament game in which it connected on at least three-fourths of its field-goal attempts. Hint: The school's leading scorer in that game was a freshman who went on to average at least 22 points per game in four tourneys, including first-round games against No. 3 and No. 4 seeds his last three years.
5. Who is the only player to hit a game-winning basket in an NCAA final one year and become a consensus All-American for another university the next season? Hint: He was a second-team All-American the same season a former teammate was first-team All-American one year after being named Final Four Most Outstanding Player as a freshman.
6. Name the only team to defeat three #1 seeds in a single tourney. Hint: The three #1 seeds were the three winningest schools in the history of major-college basketball. The champion is the only team needing at least four games to win the NCAA title to have all of its playoff games decided by single-digit margins. It is also the only titlist to finish as low as fifth place in its conference standings.
7. Name the only NCAA championship team to have four freshman starters. Hint: Two of the freshmen were among three starters who also excelled in a sport other than basketball.
8. Who is the only Final Four coach to previously lead the nation in a statistical category as a major-college player? Hint: He coached his alma mater to the NCAA Tournament six years later before guiding another school to the Final Four twice in a four-year span.
9. Name the only school to appear in the NCAA Tournament under two coaches who subsequently became NBA coach of the year. Hint: The school participated in the NCAA playoffs under these individuals in back-to-back seasons before they earned their NBA awards in a five-year span.
10. Who is the only player to average more than 20 points and 10 rebounds for an NIT semifinalist one year and an NCAA semifinalist the next season? Hint: After earning an NIT Most Valuable Player award, he helped his school become the first member of a first-year conference to reach the NCAA Final Four.
Last Man Standing: Who Will Be Next Final Four Most Outstanding Player?
March 31st, 2012 - 23:38
"I'm gonna make it to heaven, Light up the sky like a flame. I'm gonna live forever. Baby, remember my name." - Theme from 1980s film and TV series Fame
Consensus National Player of the Year Anthony Davis of Kentucky appeared well on his way to becoming Final Four Most Outstanding Player with a sterling performance in the national semifinals. But that was before Thomas Robinson put Kansas on his back and helped the Jayhawks erase a 13-point deficit to defeat Ohio State in the other semifinal. As it should be, the two players who have been 1 and 1A most of the season as the nation's premier player will duel in the national final.
At any rate, a post-playing days vocation is probably the last thing either Davis or Robinson is thinking about. But what happens when the ball stops bouncing? What did the brightest stars do in the real world? The following individuals weren't always defined solely as basketball standouts who earned acclaim as the Most Outstanding Player at a Final Four:
Year(s) - Most Outstanding Player, School
1939 - Jimmy Hull, Ohio State
Employed as a dentist.
1940 - Marv Huffman, Indiana
Played one season with Goodyear in the National Industrial League in 1940-41 (5.1 ppg) and four with the Akron Collegians. After he stopped playing basketball, he was a special assistant to the president of Goodyear. He died in 1984 of multiple sclerosis.
1941 - John Kotz, Wisconsin
Retired in 1980 after working his way up from shipping clerk to president and majority stockholder of Badger Sporting Goods Company.
1942 - Howie Dallmar, Stanford
Averaged 9.6 ppg with the Philadelphia Warriors in three NBA seasons from 1946-47 through 1948-49. Compiled a 105-51 record (.673) for Penn in six seasons from 1948-49 through 1953-54 before posting a 264-264 record (.500) for Stanford in 21 seasons from 1954-55 through 1974-75. His best season was a 22-5 mark in 1952-53.
1943 - Ken Sailors, Wyoming
Averaged 12.6 ppg and 2.8 apg with seven different NBA teams in five seasons from 1946-47 through 1950-51. Lived in Gakona, Alaska, where he owned a guided big-game hunting business with his son. Had a winter home in Arizona.
1944 - Arnie Ferrin, Utah
Averaged 5.8 ppg with the Minneapolis Lakers in three NBA seasons from 1948-49 through 1950-51. General Manager of the ABA's Utah Stars, athletic director for his alma mater and chairman of the NCAA Tournament selection committee in 1988.
1945 and 1946 - Bob Kurland, Oklahoma A&M
Retired Phillips Petroleum executive had a retirement home in Florida.
1947 - George Kaftan, Holy Cross
Averaged 7.5 ppg with the Boston Celtics, New York Knicks and Baltimore Bullets in five NBA seasons from 1948-49 through 1952-53. Graduated from Georgetown Dental School, coached C.W. Post for 17 seasons and maintained a dental practice.
1948 and 1949 - Alex Groza, Kentucky
Averaged 22.5 ppg with the Indianapolis Olympians in two NBA seasons in 1949-50 and 1950-51 before his pro career ended because of a college point-shaving scandal. Got a job at General Electric in Louisville before returning to his hometown (Martin's Ferry, Ohio) and running his mother's tavern. Compiled a 91-77 record (.542) as coach for Bellarmine College in seven seasons from 1959-60 through 1965-66. Executive with two ABA franchises (Kentucky Colonels and San Diego Conquistadors) before getting involved with professional volleyball. Joined Reynolds Metals in 1977 and traveled around the country as Pacific Coast manager of its chemical division.
1950 - Irwin Dambrot, CCNY
Became a dentist.
1951 - Bill Spivey, Kentucky
After 16 years in the bush leagues with assorted nondescript teams, he extended his nomadic existence with a series of jobs - salesman, insurance agent, real estate developer, government official (Kentucky's deputy insurance commissioner) and restaurant and bar owner - before relocating to Costa Rica.
1952 - Clyde Lovellette, Kansas
Averaged 17 ppg and 9.5 rpg with the Minneapolis Lakers, Cincinnati Royals, St. Louis Hawks and Boston Celtics in 11 NBA seasons from 1953-54 through 1963-64. Assistant coach for the Indiana Pacers in 1967 when they started their ABA franchise. Served as a sheriff in his native Indiana and taught and coached at White's Institute, a school for troubled youngsters in Wabash, before moving to Munising, Mich.
1953 - B.H. Born, Kansas
Played AAU basketball until the late 1950s with the Peoria (Ill.) Caterpillars before going to work in the personnel office for Caterpillar Bulldozers. He spent his entire career working for Caterpillar until his retirement.
1954 - Tom Gola, La Salle
Averaged 11.3 ppg and 8 rpg with the Philadelphia/San Francisco Warriors and New York Knicks in 11 NBA seasons from 1955-56 through 1965-66. He invested in driving ranges, apartment complexes, recycling companies and residential sites. Gola owned his own insurance company and a skating rink. He was a spokesman for Texaco, Vitalis and the Army Reserve. In 1966, Gola began a two-term career as a state legislator while coaching his alma mater before becoming Philadelphia's city controller. He later became a vice president of the Valley Forge Investment Corporation and served on the board of the Philadelphia Convention Center.
1955 - Bill Russell, San Francisco
Twelve-time All-Star averaged 15.1 ppg, 22.5 rpg and 4.3 apg with the Boston Celtics in 13 NBA seasons from 1956-57 through 1968-69. Five-time MVP was named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History (1996). Compiled a 341-290 record (.540) with the Celtics (1966-67 through 1968-69), Seattle SuperSonics (1973-74 through 1976-77) and Sacramento Kings (1987-88) in eight seasons. Network analyst dabbled with acting but retreated to the quiet life on Mercer Island in Washington, and has a clothing line company called Center Court.
1956 - Hal Lear, Temple
Played in three games for the NBA's Philadelphia Warriors in 1956-57 before playing 10 seasons in the Eastern Basketball League, becoming MVP in 1956-57 and averaging 39.7 ppg for Easton in 1960-61. Also averaged 13.1 ppg for Los Angeles and Cleveland in the ABL in 1961-62.
1957 - Wilt Chamberlain, Kansas
Averaged 30.1 ppg, 22.9 rpg and 4.4 apg with the Philadelphia/San Francisco Warriors, Philadelphia 76ers and Los Angeles Lakers in 14 NBA seasons from 1959-60 through 1972-73. Made a fortune in the restaurant business, designed homes, owned racehorses and played professional volleyball. Also wrote four books: Wilt; A View From Above; Chamberlain House: The Possible Dream, and Who's Running the Asylum: The Insane World of Sports Today.
1958 - Elgin Baylor, Seattle
Averaged 27.4 ppg, 13.5 rpg and 4.3 apg with the Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lakers in 14 seasons from 1958-59 through 1971-72. Coached the New Orleans Jazz for four seasons in the late 1970s (86-135 record). Executive with the Los Angeles Clippers.
1959 - Jerry West, West Virginia
Averaged 27 ppg, 5.8 rpg and 6.7 apg with the Los Angeles Lakers in 14 NBA seasons from 1960-61 through 1973-74. Long-time executive with the Lakers before accepting a similar position with the Memphis Grizzlies.
1960 and 1961 - Jerry Lucas, Ohio State
Seven-time All-Star averaged 17 ppg and 15.6 rpg with the Cincinnati Royals, San Francisco Warriors and New York Knicks in 11 NBA seasons from 1963-64 through 1973-74. One of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History (1996). Memory expert and motivational speaker lived in Templeton, Calif., while working on revolutionary educational programs. Taught his memory and learning technique to many Fortune 500 companies and countless churches. He authored more than 60 books on learning, including The Memory Book, which was on the New York Times' best-seller list for 50 weeks and reached the No. 2 position behind All the President's Men, the investigative story that uncovered the Watergate scandal.
1962 - Paul Hogue, Cincinnati
Averaged 6.3 ppg and 7.1 rpg with the New York Knicks and Baltimore Bullets in two NBA seasons in 1962-63 and 1963-64. Worked with the Tennessee juvenile program before moving back to Cincinnati to work at a milling machine firm. He served as a physical therapist at a state mental hospital, a counselor at a neighborhood youth center and as a counselor in a local school system before becoming the division supervisor for the Postal Services' Employee Assistance Program.
1963 - Art Heyman, Duke
Averaged 10.3 ppg and 2.8 rpg with the New York Knicks, Cincinnati Royals and Philadelphia 76ers in three NBA seasons from 1963-64 through 1965-66 before averaging 15.4 ppg and 6.4 rpg with the New Jersey Americans, Pittsburgh/Minnesota Pipers and Miami Floridians in three ABA seasons from 1967-68 through 1969-70. Owned and operated several restaurants.
1964 - Walt Hazzard, UCLA
Averaged 12.6 ppg, 3 rpg and 4.9 apg with five different NBA teams in 10 seasons from 1964-65 through 1973-74. Worked in the Los Angeles Lakers' front office and coached his alma mater and Chapman College before suffering a stroke and undergoing open-heart surgery in 1996.
1965 - Bill Bradley, Princeton
Rhodes Scholar averaged 12.4 ppg, 3.2 rpg and 3.4 apg with the New York Knicks in 10 NBA seasons from 1967-68 through 1976-77. Three-term U.S. Senator (Democrat-N.J.) until 1995 was a tax and trade expert with a strong voice on race issues and campaign finance reform. The presidential candidate against Al Gore in 2000 authored two basketball books (Life on the Run in 1976 and Values of the Game in 1998).
1966 - Jerry Chambers, Utah
Averaged 8.3 ppg and 3.2 rpg with the Los Angeles Lakers, Phoenix Suns, Atlanta Hawks, Buffalo Braves, San Diego Conquistadors and San Antonio Spurs in six NBA/ABA seasons from 1966-67 to 1973-74. Worked for the L.A. city parks and recreation department for many years.(323/732-0391 or 323/939-8874)
1967, 1968 and 1969 - Lew Alcindor, UCLA
Six-time league MVP averaged 24.6 ppg and 11.2 rpg in 20 NBA seasons with the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers from 1969-70 through 1988-89. Nineteen-time All-Star is one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History (1996). In 1999, he worked with a high school team at White Mountain Apache Reservation in Whiteriver, Ariz. He was an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Clippers in 2000 and then worked in training camp with the Indiana Pacers before becoming head coach of the USBL's Oklahoma Storm for one season. Hired by the New York Knicks as a scout in March, 2004 before serving as a Lakers aide helping develop center Andrew Bynum. In January 2012, he was appointed a Cultural Ambassador for the U.S. Department of State.
1970 - Sidney Wicks, UCLA
Averaged 16.8 ppg and 8.7 rpg with the Portland Trail Blazers, Boston Celtics and San Diego Clippers in 10 NBA seasons from 1971-72 through 1980-81. Worked in property management. Served as an assistant coach at his alma mater under Walt Hazzard for four seasons in the mid-1980s. At the completion of his coaching stint with the Bruins, Wicks has been in private business.
1971 - Howard Porter, Villanova
Averaged 9.2 ppg and 4.1 rpg with the Chicago Bulls, New York Knicks, Detroit Pistons and New Jersey Nets in seven NBA seasons from 1971-72 through 1977-78. Senior probation officer for Ramsey County (Minn.) after getting clean from drugs with the help of a colleague working with him loading furniture for a construction firm in Orlando. Earlier, Porter failed at running a club in Florida and a convenience store. He was trying to trade money and crack cocaine for sex with a prostitute in St. Paul in May, 2007, when the probation officer was beaten to death, according to murder charges filed several months later.
1972 and 1973 - Bill Walton, UCLA
Averaged 13.3 ppg, 10.5 rpg and 3.4 apg with the Portland Trail Blazers, San Diego/Los Angeles Clippers and Boston Celtics in 10 NBA seasons from 1974-75 to 1986-87. Network commentator for both the NBA and NCAA after and while working in a similar capacity for the Clippers.
1974 - David Thompson, North Carolina State
Averaged 22.7 ppg and 4.1 rpg with the Denver Nuggets and Seattle SuperSonics in nine ABA/NBA seasons from 1975-76 through 1983-84. Motivational speaker with Unlimited Sports Management was also community relations director for the Charlotte Hornets.
1975 - Richard Washington, UCLA
Averaged 9.8 ppg and 6.3 rpg with the Kansas City Kings, Milwaukee Bucks, Dallas Mavericks and Cleveland Cavaliers in six NBA seasons from 1976-77 through 1981-82. Contractor in Portland.
1976 - Kent Benson, Indiana
Averaged 9.1 ppg and 5.7 rpg with four different NBA teams in 11 seasons from 1977-78 through 1987-88. Resided in Bloomington, where he worked with Diversified Benefit Services.
1977 - Butch Lee, Marquette
Averaged 8.1 ppg and 3.2 apg with the Atlanta Hawks, Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Lakers in two NBA seasons in 1978-79 and 1979-80. Owned two restaurants, coached pro ball in Puerto Rico and had a sign business in San Juan.
1978 - Jack Givens, Kentucky
Averaged 6.7 ppg and 2.9 rpg with the Atlanta Hawks in two NBA seasons in 1978-79 and 1979-80. Announcer for the Orlando Magic.
1979 - Magic Johnson, Michigan State
Averaged 19.5 ppg, 7.2 rpg and 11.2 apg with the Los Angeles Lakers in 13 NBA seasons from 1979-80 through 1990-91 and 1995-96. Business entrepreneur emphasized attempting to revitalize a number of minority neighborhoods. He owned the Magic Theatres, an L.A. restaurant chain (Fatburgers), a TGI Friday's and some Starbucks coffee shops. Johnson was a principal in a local black-owned bank and delved into the entertainment business as a concert promoter and owner of the Magic Johnson Record label. Part of ownership group that purchased the Los Angeles Dodgers in the spring of 2012.
1980 - Darrell Griffith, Louisville
Averaged 16.2 ppg and 3.3 rpg with the Utah Jazz in 11 NBA seasons from 1980-81 through 1990-91. Resides in Louisville where he has several real estate investments and business interests. Father-in-law of NBA standout Derek Anderson established a foundation in his hometown.
1981 - Isiah Thomas, Indiana
Twelve-time All-Star averaged 19.2 ppg, 3.6 rpg and 9.3 apg with the Detroit Pistons in 13 NBA seasons from 1981-82 through 1993-94. One of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History (1996) served as president of the New York Knicks from 2003-04 through 2007-08. Executive and part owner of the Toronto Raptors, owner of the CBA and coach of the Indiana Pacers (131-115 record in three seasons from 2000-01 through 2002-03). Served as coach for Florida International the last three seasons.
1982 - James Worthy, North Carolina
Averaged 17.6 ppg, 5.1 rpg and 3 apg with the Los Angeles Lakers in 12 NBA seasons from 1982-83 through 1993-94. Network TV analyst.
1983 - Hakeem Olajuwon, Houston
Twelve-time All-Star averaged 21.8 ppg, 11.1 rpg and 3.1 bpg with the Houston Rockets and Toronto Raptors in 18 seasons from 1984-85 through 2001-02. Six-time All-NBA first-team selection was named as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History (1996). NBA Most Valuable Player in 1993-94 is one of only eight players in league history to amass more than 20,000 points and 12,000 rebounds.
1984 - Patrick Ewing, Georgetown
Eleven-time All-Star averaged 21 ppg, 9.8 rpg and 2.4 bpg with the New York Knicks, Seattle SuperSonics and Orlando Magic in 17 seasons from 1985-86 through 1991-02. One of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History (1996) became an assistant coach with the Washington Wizards and Houston Rockets.
1985 - Ed Pinckney, Villanova
Averaged 6.8 ppg and 5 rpg with seven different NBA teams in 12 seasons from 1985-86 through 1996-97. Miami Heat TV analyst while trying to cope with an overactive thyroid.
1986 - Pervis Ellison, Louisville
Averaged 9.7 ppg and 6.8 rpg with the Sacramento Kings, Washington Bullets and Boston Celtics in 10 NBA seasons from 1989-90 through 1997-98 and 1999-2000. Lives in Atlanta.
1987 - Keith Smart, Indiana
Played in two games with the San Antonio Spurs in 1988-89 before basketball took him to the Philippines, Venezuela and France. After playing and coaching in the CBA with the Fort Wayne (Ind.) Fury, he joined the Cleveland Cavaliers as director of player development and assistant coach. Smart was named interim head coach of the Cavs midway through the 2002-03 campaign, replacing John Lucas. Also coach the Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings.
1988 - Danny Manning, Kansas
Two-time All-Star averaged 14 ppg and 5.2 rpg with seven different franchises in 15 NBA seasons from 1988-89 through 2002-03. Assistant coach at his alma mater for nine seasons before accepting head coaching position with Tulsa.
1989 - Glen Rice, Michigan
Averaged 18.3 ppg and 4.4 rpg with six different NBA franchises in 15 seasons from 1989-90 through 2003-04. Three-time All-Star is still the Heat's all-time leading scorer.
1990 - Anderson Hunt, UNLV
Pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges in connection with marijuana found in his possession during a traffic stop in October 1993. Worked in real estate in Detroit.
1991 - Christian Laettner, Duke
All-Star in 1996-97 averaged 12.8 ppg, 6.7 rpg and 2.6 apg with six different NBA franchises in 13 seasons from 1992-93 through 2004-05. He and Duke teammate Brian Davis faced huge financial and legal hurdles stemming from a loan their real estate company failed to repay nearly $700,000 to former Duke captain and current Stanford coach Johnny Dawkins. Court documents obtained by the Wall Street Journal indicated that Laettner and Davis were defendants in several civil lawsuits seeking repayment of about $30 million.
1992 - Bobby Hurley, Duke
Averaged 3.8 ppg and 3.3 apg with the Sacramento Kings and Vancouver Grizzlies in five NBA seasons from 1993-94 through 1997-98. Owned race horses and did TV commentary on the ACC for Fox Sports. Assistant coach under his brother, Danny, with Wagner and Rhode Island.
1993 - Donald Williams, North Carolina
Played professional basketball overseas in Germany and Greece and with the Harlem Globetrotters.
1994 - Corliss Williamson, Arkansas
Averaged 11.1 ppg and 3.9 rpg with the Sacramento Kings, Toronto Raptors, Detroit Pistons and Philadelphia 76ers in 12 NBA seasons from 1995-96 through 2006-07. Scored a career-high 40 points against the Pistons on 3-4-98. Coached for Arkansas Baptist College and Central Arkansas.
1995 - Ed O'Bannon, UCLA
Averaged 5 ppg and 2.5 rpg with the New Jersey Nets and Dallas Mavericks in two NBA seasons in 1995-96 and 1996-97. After his NBA career, he played in several other professional leagues and is currently playing in Poland.
1996 - Tony Delk, Kentucky
Averaged 9.1 ppg, 2.5 rpg and 1.9 apg with eight different franchises in 10 NBA seasons from 1996-97 through 2005-06. Scored a career-high 53 points against the Kings on 1-2-01.
1997 - Miles Simon, Arizona
Appeared in five games with the NBA's Orlando Magic in 1998-99. Played professionally in Israel in 2000 and Italy in 2001 before joining the Dakota Wizards of the CBA where he earned 2002 Newcomer of the Year and MVP honors. Also played in Venezuela and Turkey before joining his alma mater's staff as an assistant under Lute Olson in 2005. Served as a commentator for ESPN.
1998 - Jeff Sheppard, Kentucky
After playing the 1998-99 season with the Atlanta Hawks, he played professionally in Italy. Married former UK women's player Stacey Reed.
1999 - Richard Hamilton, Connecticut
Averaged 17.5 ppg, 3.2 rpg, and 3.5 apg with the Washington Wizards, Detroit Pistons and Chicago Bulls in 13 seasons from 1999-2000 to 2011-12.
2000 - Mateen Cleaves, Michigan State
Averaged 3.6 ppg and 1.9 apg with four different NBA franchises in six seasons from 2000-01 through 2005-06.
2001 - Shane Battier, Duke
Averaged 9.3 ppg, 4.6 rpg and 1.9 apg with four different NBA franchises in 11 seasons from 2001-02 to 2011-12.
2002 - Juan Dixon, Maryland
Averaged 8.4 ppg with five different NBA franchises in seven seasons from 2002-03 through 2008-09 before playing overseas in Greece, Spain and Turkey.
2003 - Carmelo Anthony, Syracuse
Averaged 24.6 ppg, 6.3 rpg and 3.1 apg with the Denver Nuggets and New York Knicks in nine seasons from 2003-04 to 2011-12.
2004 - Emeka Okafor, Connecticut
Averaged 12.7 ppg, 10.1 rpg and 1.8 bpg with the Charlotte/New Orleans Hornets in eight seasons from 2004-05 to 2011-12.
2005 - Sean May, North Carolina
Averaged 6.9 ppg and 4 rpg with the Charlotte Hornets and Sacramento Kings in four injury-plagued seasons from 2005-06 through 2009-10 before playing overseas.
2006 - Joakim Noah, Florida
Averaged 8.8 ppg and 8.6 rpg with the Chicago Bulls in five seasons from 2007-08 to 2011-12.
2007 - Corey Brewer, Florida
Averaged 8.9 and 3.2 rpg with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Dallas Mavericks and Denver Nuggets in five seasons from 2007-08 to 2011-12.
2008 - Mario Chalmers, Kansas
Averaged 8.3 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 3.6 apg and 1.5 spg with the Miami Heat in four seasons from 2008-09 to 2011-12.
2009 - Wayne Ellington, North Carolina
Averaged 6.4 ppg with the Minnesota Timberwolves in three seasons from 2009-10 to 2011-12.
2010 - Kyle Singler, Duke
Second-round draft choice by the NBA's Detroit Pistons has played overseas the past two seasons in Spain.
2011 - Kemba Walker, Connecticut
Averaging 12.2 ppg, 3.4 rpg and 4.1 apg as a rookie with the Charlotte Bobcats in 2011-12.
College Exam: Day 21
March 31st, 2012 - 1:01
1. Who is the only player to post the highest-scoring game in a single tournament the same year he also played major league baseball? Hint: He is a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
2. Who is the only Final Four player to become AAU national champion in the decathlon in the same year? Hint: The Final Four team's third-leading scorer and second-leading rebounder finished third in the decathlon the previous year.
3. Who is the only Final Four player to finish among the top two high jumpers in four NCAA national track meets? Hint: The starting center for a national championship team is the first athlete to place in the NCAA high jump four consecutive years.
4. Name the only coach in NCAA history to reach an NCAA Division I Tournament regional final in back-to-back years with different schools. Hint: He also reached a regional final in his first season at his next coaching outpost.
5. Name the only top-ranked team entering the tournament to be eliminated by an opponent it defeated by more than 40 points during the regular season. Hint: The school that avenged the embarrassing defeat upended the nation's second-ranked team in its next playoff game.
6. Who is the only individual to play in the NCAA Tournament before setting several major league fielding records for a second baseman? Hint: He was the second-leading scorer for his school's playoff team and one of his teammates has been a prominent college basketball coach for more than 20 years.
7. Who is the only member of the College Football Hall of Fame to participate in back-to-back Final Fours? Hint: He is one of the few athletes to earn consensus football All-American honors at two positions.
8. Who is the only individual to lead a school in scoring in an NCAA Tournament before leading a major league in doubles as a player and manage a team in a World Series? Hint: The outfielder drove in six runs in one inning of an American League game.
9. Name the only university to win a minimum of two games in four different postseason national tournaments - NAIA, NCAA Division II, NIT and NCAA Division I. Hint: Of the schools to win at least one game in all four national tourneys, it is the only one with an overall losing record in postseason competition.
10. Name the only school to win back-to-back basketball championships the same academic school years it participated in New Year's Day football bowl games. Hint: One of the two basketball title teams is the only school to have as many as 26 different players appear in its games in a season it won an NCAA crown. The two titlists helped the school become the only university to reach the NCAA championship game in its first three playoff appearances.
Answers: Day 21
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