Risky Business: Enfield & Musselman Hired Despite Coming Off Losing Years
After his retirement a couple of years ago, could another Special K (from Army to Duke) be in the mix as coaches were hired despite coming off a losing mark the previous season? How often are bench bosses hired coming off a losing campaign? A couple of recent coaching changes - Southern Methodist's Andy Enfield and Southern California's Eric Musselman - joined the following alphabetical list of active mentors hired by their current school despite coming off a season when posting a losing record:
Active DI Coach Current School Losing Season Record With Previous School Rod Barnes Cal State Bakersfield (since 2011-12) 11-18 with Georgia State in 2010-11 John Dunne Marist (since 2018-19) 14-18 with Saint Peter's in 2017-18 Andy Enfield Southern Methodist (since 2024-25) 15-18 with Southern California in 2023-24 John Gallagher Manhattan (since 2023-24) 12-20 with Hartford in 2021-22 (stepped aside shortly before start of school's final NCAA Division I season in 2022-23) Jim Les UC Davis (since 2011-12) 12-20 with Bradley in 2010-11 Tony Madlock Alabama State (since 2022-23) 15-16 with South Carolina State in 2021-22 Greg McDermott Creighton (since 2010-11) 15-17 with Iowa State in 2009-10 Eric Musselman Southern California (since 2024-25) 16-17 with Arkansas in 2023-24 T.J. Otzelberger Iowa State (since 2021-22) 12-15 with UNLV in 2020-21 Richard Pitino New Mexico (since 2021-22) 14-15 with Minnesota in 2020-21 Mark Prosser Winthrop (since 2021-22) 11-16 with Western Carolina in 2020-21 Maurice "Mo" Williams Jackson State (since 2022-23) 9-21 with Alabama State in 2021-22
Happy Birthday! April Celebration Dates For A-As & Hall of Fame Coaches
UCLA (six; four from NCAA Tournament champions in 1960s), Illinois (five) and Kansas (four) are the schools with most All-Americans born this month. North Carolina (April 4) and Ohio State (April 8) each had two All-Americans born on the same day. April 9 is the day to celebrate the most birthdays this month for former All-Americans. It's not an April Fool's joke that Iowa's Dick Ives was born 100 years ago on that day. Adding Dalton Knecht and Tristen Newton, following are birthdates in April for All-Americans and Hall of Fame coaches:
APRIL
1: All-Americans Joel Berry II (born in 1995/attended North Carolina), Bobby Cook (1923/Wisconsin), Mark Jackson (1965/St. John's), Brook Lopez (1988/Stanford) and Etan Thomas (1978/Syracuse).
2: All-Americans Jules Bender (1914/LIU), Jim McDaniels (1948/Western Kentucky) and Les Witte (1911/Wyoming).
3: All-Americans Pervis Ellison (1967/Louisville) and Frank Mason III (1994/Kansas).
4: All-Americans Bill Bridges (1939/Kansas), Bill Garrett (1929/Indiana), Frank Kaminsky (1993/Wisconsin), Sean May (1984/North Carolina), Larry Miller (1946/North Carolina) and George Senesky (1922/St. Joseph's).
5: All-Americans Duane "Skip" Thoren (1943/Illinois) and Scottie Wilbekin (1993/Florida) plus Hall of Fame coaches Alvin "Doggie" Julian (1901/bench boss at Muhlenberg PA, Holy Cross and Dartmouth) and John McLendon (1915/North Carolina Central, Hampton, Tennessee State, Kentucky State and Cleveland State).
6: All-Americans John Shumate (1952/Notre Dame) and Melford "Mel" Waits (1918/Tarkio MO).
7: All-Americans Vinnie Cohen (1936/Syracuse), Dwight "Bo" Lamar (1951/Southwestern Louisiana) and Don Smith (1946/Iowa State).
8: All-Americans Robin Freeman (1934/Ohio State), John Havlicek (1940/Ohio State) and Jimmy Walker (1944/Providence).
9: All-Americans John Adams (1917/Arkansas), Paul Arizin (1928/Villanova), Allen Crabbe (1992/California), Bruce Douglas (1964/Illinois), Greg "Bo" Kimble (1966/Loyola Marymount), Stan Love (1949/Oregon), Kyle Macy (1957/Kentucky), Jack Nichols (1926/Washington) and Jim O'Brien (1950/Boston College).
10: All-Americans Joe Gibbon (1935/Mississippi), Paul Judson (1934/Illinois), Charles "Stretch" Murphy (1907/Purdue), Ferdinand "Fred" Pralle (1916/Kansas) and Terry Teagle (1960/Baylor).
11: All-American LeRoy "Cowboy" Edwards (1914/Kentucky).
12: All-Americans Larry Cannon (1947/La Salle), Dave Scholz (1948/Illinois) and Tyshawn Taylor (1990/Kansas).
13: All-Americans Jim "Bad News" Barnes (1941/Texas Western), Baron Davis (1979/UCLA), Alec Peters (1995/Valparaiso) and Marvin Webster (1952/Morgan State).
14: All-Americans Leo Byrd (1937/Marshall), Larry Friend (1935/California), Joe Hobbs (1936/Florida), Mark Macon (1969/Temple) and Stan Modzelewski (1920/Rhode Island State) plus HOF coach Ken Loeffler (1902/Yale, Denver, La Salle and Texas A&M).
15: All-Americans Rodney Carney (1984/Memphis), Michael Cooper (1956/New Mexico), Walt Hazzard (1942/UCLA), Filip Petrusev (2000/Gonzaga) and Anthony Roberts (1955/Oral Roberts).
16: All-Americans Lew Alcindor (1947/UCLA), Wendell Hudson (1951/Alabama), Rodney Monroe (1968/North Carolina State) and Walt Williams (1970/Maryland).
17: All-Americans Cleanthony Early (1991/Wichita State) and Horace Walker (1937/Michigan State) plus HOF coach John Kresse (1943/College of Charleston).
18: All-Americans Michael Bradley (1979/Villanova), Don Ohl (1936/Illinois), Don Otten (1921/Bowling Green State) and Caleb Swanigan (1997/Purdue).
19: All-Americans Lew Beck (1922/Oregon State), Keith Erickson (1944/UCLA), Mike Evans (1955/Kansas State), Jack Foley (1939/Holy Cross), Dalton Knecht (2001/Tennessee), Kelly Olynyk (1991/Gonzaga) and Russ Smith (1991/Louisville).
20: All-Americans Henry "Hank" Finkel (1942/Dayton), Allan Houston (1971/Tennessee) and Lamond Murray (1973/California).
21: All-Americans Gary Grant (1965/Michigan), Chuck Mencel (1933/Minnesota), Dave Meyers (1953/UCLA) and Bob Patterson (1932/Tulsa).
22: All-Americans DeJuan Blair (1989/Pittsburgh), Bill Garnett (1960/Wyoming), Spencer Haywood (1949/Detroit) and Dennis Hopson (Ohio State).
23: All-Americans John Bagley (1960/Boston College), Gail Goodrich (1943/UCLA), Bobby Joe Mason (1936/Bradley) and Mike Novak (1915/Loyola of Chicago).
24: All-Americans Ernie Grunfeld (1955/Tennessee) and Hank Stein (1936/Xavier).
25: All-Americans Charles Cleveland (1951/Alabama), Dave Corzine (1956/DePaul), Tim Duncan (1976/Wake Forest) and John McCarthy (1934/Canisius).
26: All-Americans Bob Boozer (1937/Kansas State), Dick Ives (1924/Iowa), Tristen Newton (2001/Connecticut) and Delon Wright (1992/Utah).
27: All-American Courtney Alexander (1977/Fresno State).
28: All-Americans John Fairchild (1943/Brigham Young), Paul Hogue (1940/Cincinnati), Josh Howard (1980/Wake Forest) and Flynn Robinson (1941/Wyoming).
29: All-American Andy Wolfe (1925/California).
30: All-Americans Paul Lindemann (1918/Washington State), Isiah Thomas (1961/Indiana) and Brandon Joel "B.J." Tyler (1971/Texas) plus Hall of Fame coach Rick Byrd (1953/Belmont).
Birthdays in January for All-Americans and Hall of Fame Coaches
Birthdays in February for All-Americans and Hall of Fame Coaches
Birthdays in March for All-Americans and Hall of Fame Coaches
Birthdays in April for All-Americans and Hall of Fame Coaches
Birthdays in May for All-Americans and Hall of Fame Coaches
Birthdays in June for All-Americans and Hall of Fame Coaches
Birthdays in July for All-Americans and Hall of Fame Coaches
Birthdays in August for All-Americans and Hall of Fame Coaches
Birthdays in September for All-Americans and Hall of Fame Coaches
Birthdays in October for All-Americans and Hall of Fame Coaches
Birthdays in November for All-Americans and Hall of Fame Coaches
Birthdays in December for All-Americans and Hall of Fame Coaches
On This Date: Former College Hoopers Supplying MLB Headlines on April 1
Extra! Extra! This is no April Fool's prank. Insofar as a new MLB season is underway, you can enhance your knowledge by reading news all about memorable major league baseball achievements, moments and transactions involving former college basketball players! Numerous ex-college hoopers had front-row seats to many of the most notable games and dates in MLB history.
Baseball is portrayed as a thinking man's game but only four percent of active MLB players earned college diplomas. Former college hoopers Tom Dettore (Juniata PA) and Paul Popovich (West Virginia) were traded for each other at MLB level on this date. Ex-HBCU hoopers Larry Doby (Virginia Union) and Lou Johnson (Kentucky State) were also traded on this date. Unless you habitually pore over the content at baseballlibrary.com, baseballreference.com and nationalpastime.com, following is an April 1 calendar of trades focusing on several such versatile MLB athletes:
APRIL 1
OF Larry Doby (reserve guard for Virginia Union's 1943 CIAA basketball titlist) traded by the Baltimore Orioles to the Cleveland Indians in 1958.
LF "Sweet" Lou Johnson (Kentucky State teammate of legendary HBCU coach Davey Whitney averaged 5.7 ppg and 2 rpg in 1951-52) traded by the Chicago Cubs to the Los Angeles Angels in 1961.
OF-1B Len Matuszek (starter for Toledo's 18-7 team in 1975-76) traded by the Philadelphia Phillies to the Toronto Blue Jays in 1985.
OF Lou Piniella (averaged 2.5 ppg and 1.4 rpg for Tampa as freshman in 1961-62) traded by the Seattle Pilots to Kansas City Royals in 1969.
OF-1B John Poff (member of Duke's freshman basketball squad in 1970-71) traded by the Milwaukee Brewers to the Chicago White Sox in 1981.
INF Paul Popovich (averaged 3.3 ppg for West Virginia's 1960 NCAA playoff team) traded by the Chicago Cubs to the Pittsburgh Pirates for RHP Tom Dettore (averaged 14.1 ppg and 9 rpg for Juniata PA in 1965-66) and cash in 1974.
College Exam: Day #16 For One-and-Only NCAA Tournament Trivia Challenge
Unless you're busy hoarding toilet paper to wipe butt of George Soros butt kisser/flunky Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg, seeking translator to try to understand incoherent "visibility" of Plagiarist Biledumb or cowering in fetal position waiting for directive from deity Dr. Fraudci, it's your opportunity to start taking online tests for 23 quarantined days symbolic of normal time frame from Selection Sunday to Monday evening championship contest.
We need something to occupy our minds during quarantine from much of the invective-infected #MessMedia. Emphasizing a "one-and-only" theme for a "one-and-only" event, here is Day 16 of a treasure-trove of tantalizing NCAA Tournament trivia questions from CollegeHoopedia.com 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 school to have four players score more than 14,000 points in the pros after never participating in national postseason competition (NCAA playoffs and NIT). Hint: One member of the foursome left college early after just one season of eligibility when he averaged 30 points per game and another is the highest scorer in NBA history to never participate in NBA playoffs.
2. Name the only father-son combination to be on the rosters of two teams from the same school to win NCAA Tournament championships. Hint: Both of them were underclassmen when their teams captured NCAA titles.
3. Who is the only player never to appear in the NBA or ABA after averaging more than 20 points per game for a team reaching an NCAA Tournament final? Hint: A college teammate was member of the NBA championship team drafting him.
4. Who is the only undergraduate non-center to average more than 23 points per game for a national champion? Hint: He is the last player to score the most points in a single game of an NCAA Tournament and play for championship team.
5. Who is the only player to appear at a minimum of two Final Fours and be game-high scorer in every Final Four contest he played? Hint: His brother is an NFL Hall of Famer.
6. Who is the only coach to win an NBA championship after directing a college to the Final Four? Hint: His college squad was implicated in a game-fixing scandal.
7. Who is the only player to grab more than 41 rebounds at a single Final Four? Hint: He is the only player to retrieve more than 21 missed shots in a championship game and only player to score more than 20 points and grab more than 20 rebounds in back-to-back NCAA finals.
8. Who is the only Final Four Most Outstanding Player to later coach a school other than his alma mater to the playoffs? Hint: He coached for more than 20 years in the same conference against UCLA legend John Wooden. He is also the only Final Four Most Outstanding Player to complete his college playing career attending another university.
9. Who is the only junior college player to later be selected Final Four Most Outstanding Player? Hint: He won the award when Final Four was held in his home state and eventually became an NBA head coach.
10. Name the only school with a losing league record to defeat a conference rival by more than 20 points in a season the opponent wound up winning the national championship. Hint: The school with a losing league mark participated in NCAA playoffs the next season for first time since reaching Final Four more than 20 years earlier when a consensus first-team All-American became only player in school history to average more than 25 points in a season.
Answers (Day 16)
Day 15 Questions and Answers
Day 14 Questions and Answers
Day 13 Questions and Answers
Day 12 Questions and Answers
Day 11 Questions and Answers
Day 10 Questions and Answers
Day 9 Questions and Answers
Day 8 Questions and Answers
Day 7 Questions and Answers
Day 6 Questions and Answers
Day 5 Questions and Answers
Day 4 Questions and Answers
Day 3 Questions and Answers
Day 2 Questions and Answers
Day 1 Questions and Answers
Sizzling Scorers: Edey Fails to Duplicate Lovellette's Scoring Feat in 1951-52
Purdue's Zach Edey (25 ppg) had an opportunity to become the first player in more than 70 years to pace the country in scoring for an NCAA champion but the Boilermakers bowed in the championship contest against Connecticut. Edey and Oklahoma's Buddy Hield (25.4 ppg in 2016) are the only players to average more than 25 ppg for a Final Four participant since Georgia Tech's Dennis Scott (27.7 in 1989-90).
Hield came close to duplicating one of the most overlooked achievements in NCAA Tournament history. In 1951-52, Clyde Lovellette of champion Kansas became the only player to lead the nation in scoring average (28.4 ppg) while competing for a squad reaching the NCAA tourney title game. Final Four luminaries averaging more than 30 ppg include Elvin Hayes (36.8/Houston '68), Oscar Robertson (33.7/Cincinnati '60 and 32.6/Cincinnati '59), Rick Mount (33.3/Purdue '69), Elgin Baylor (32.5/Seattle '58), Bill Bradley (30.5/Princeton '65) and Len Chappell (30.1/Wake Forest '62).
Lovellette, an 11-year NBA center who passed away four years ago, served as sheriff of Vigo County in his native Indiana (noted for raid on Terre Haute brothels). Edey aspired to "raid" the Final Four by joining Lovellette as the only other player cracking the 30-point plateau in the national semifinals and championship contest in the same season (33 against both Santa Clara and St. John's).
Only two other Final Four players notched higher scoring averages than Edey, Hield and Scott since the playoff field expanded to at least 32 teams in 1975 - Larry Bird (28.6 ppg for Indiana State '79 and Glen Rice (25.6 for Michigan '89). Rice scored 59 points in two Final Four games. The highest F4 total since him was accrued by Arizona guard Miles Simon with 54 in 1997 until Edey supplied 57. Edey joined the following list of individuals in the last 33 tourneys amassing the highest scoring average from a Final Four club since Scott's mark of 27.7 ppg in 1989-90:
Season Top Scorer Among Final Four Participants School Average Final Four's Two-Game Top Scorer 1989-90 Dennis Scott Georgia Tech 27.7 ppg Duke's Phil Henderson/UNLV's Anderson Hunt (49 points) 1990-91 Larry Johnson UNLV 22.7 ppg Duke's Christian Laettner (46 points) 1991-92 Christian Laettner Duke 21.5 ppg Duke's Bobby Hurley (35 points) 1992-93 Jamal Mashburn Kentucky 21.0 ppg Michigan's Chris Webber/ UNC's Donald Williams (50 points) 1993-94 Khalid Reeves Arizona 24.2 ppg Arkansas' Corliss Williamson (52 points) 1994-95 Bryant Reeves Oklahoma State 21.5 ppg UCLA's Ed O'Bannon (45 points) 1995-96 John Wallace Syracuse 22.2 ppg Wallace (50 points) 1996-97 Antawn Jamison North Carolina 19.1 ppg Arizona's Miles Simon (54 points) 1997-98 Antawn Jamison North Carolina 22.2 ppg Kentucky's Jeff Sheppard (43 points) 1998-99 Richard Hamilton Connecticut 21.5 ppg Hamilton (51 points) 1999-00 Morris Peterson Michigan State 16.8 ppg Peterson (41 points) 2000-01 Jay Williams Duke 21.6 ppg Duke's Shane Battier (43 points) 2001-02 Juan Dixon Maryland 20.4 ppg Dixon (51 points) 2002-03 Carmelo Anthony Syracuse 22.2 ppg Anthony (53 points) 2003-04 Ben Gordon Connecticut 18.5 ppg UConn's Emeka Okafor (42 points) 2004-05 Sean May North Carolina 17.5 ppg May (48 points) 2005-06 Glen Davis Louisiana State 18.6 ppg Florida's Lee Humphrey (34 points) 2006-07 Arron Affalo UCLA 16.9 ppg Ohio State's Greg Oden (38 points) 2007-08 Tyler Hansbrough North Carolina 22.6 ppg Memphis' Chris Douglas-Roberts (50 points) 2008-09 Tyler Hansbrough North Carolina 20.7 ppg UNC's Ty Lawson (43 points) 2009-10 Jon Scheyer Duke 18.2 ppg Duke's Kyle Singler (40 points) 2010-11 Kemba Walker Connecticut 23.5 ppg Butler's Shelvin Mack (37 points) 2011-12 Thomas Robinson Kansas 17.7 ppg Robinson (37 points) 2012-13 Russ Smith Louisville 18.7 ppg Louisville's Luke Hancock (42 points) 2013-14 Shabazz Napier Connecticut 18.0 ppg Kentucky's James Young (37 points) 2014-15 Frank Kaminsky Wisconsin 18.8 ppg Kaminsky (41 points) 2015-16 Buddy Hield Oklahoma 25.4 ppg Villanova's Josh Hart (35 points) 2016-17 Sindarius Thornwell South Carolina 21.6 ppg UNC's Justin Jackson/Gonzaga's Nigel Williams-Goss (38 points) 2017-18 Jalen Brunson Villanova 19.2 ppg Villanova's Donte DiVincenzo (46 points) 2018-19 Jarrett Culver Texas Tech 18.9 ppg Virginia's De'Andre Hunter (41 points) 2018-19 Cassius Winston Michigan State 18.9 ppg Virginia's De'Andre Hunter (41 points) 2020-21 Drew Timme Gonzaga 19 ppg Baylor's Jared Butler (39 points) 2021-22 Ochai Agbaji Kansas 18.9 ppg Kansas' David McCormack (40 points) 2022-23 Adama Sanogo Connecticut 17.1 ppg Sanogo (38 points) 2023-24 Zach Edey Purdue 25 ppg Edey (57 points)
Unfinished Business: Bama Leaves List of "Susan Lucci" Schools Without F4
Weep On It/Think On It/Sleep On It/Drink On It. That could have been the motto for Alabama until the Crimson Tide left the list of "Susan Lucci" schools in NCAA Division I by finally advancing to the Promised Land in its 25th tournament appearance. Brigham Young, Missouri and Xavier are the only three schools participating in more than 25 NCAA Tournaments but never advancing to a Final Four (cumulative 88 playoff appearances).
Missouri has reached a regional final on four occasions but fell short in advancing to the Final Four. Four years ago, Xavier joined Mizzou (1994) as the only schools never reaching the national semifinals despite earning a #1 seed at some point during their NCAA playoff participation. Boston College is another bridesmaid multiple times comparable to Xavier, losing three regional finals (1967, 1982 and 1994) in 18 tourney appearances (22-19 record) since the field expanded beyond eight teams in 1950.
The following "Forlorn Four" frustrated institutions remain in quagmire because they've made at least 24 appearances without reaching the Final Four:
School Tourney Appearances (Playoff Record Through 2024) Regional Final Losses Utah State 24 (7-26 mark, .212) 1970 Brigham Young 31 (15-34, .306) 1951 and 1981 Missouri 29 (23-29, .442) 1976, 1994, 2002 and 2009 Xavier 29 (30-29, .508) 2004, 2008 and 2017
Lords of No Rings: Painter Leaves Category of Top Coaches Failing to Reach F4
Purdue's Matt Painter has gotten the monkey off his back. The Final Four missing-in-action microscope in recent years focused on a pair of pilots from Indiana universities - Notre Dame's Mike Brey and Painter) - as the most prominent active power-league coaches participating in more than a dozen tourneys never to reach the national semifinals. Brey, prior to departing to the NBA as an assistant, and Painter were in same AWOL category with all-time greats John Chaney, Fran Dunphy, Lefty Driesell, Gene Keady and Norm Stewart - retired luminaries failing to advance to the national semifinals in a total of 81 NCAA Tournaments before Dunphy returned to coaching ranks at his alma mater (La Salle). "It's so difficult not being able to make that final step," said Chaney, who lost five regional finals with Temple.
Recently-deceased Driesell made 11 NCAA playoff appearances with Davidson and Maryland from 1966 through 1986. "I always wanted to get to the Final Four, but not as much as some people think," said Driesell, who lost four regional finals. "I'm not obsessed with it."
Only four schools - North Carolina, Duke, Georgetown and Syracuse - supplied more NCAA consensus first- and second-team All-Americans from 1982 through 1992 than Stewart-coached Missouri (seven). It was particularly frustrating for Mizzou fans when the Tigers compiled a 4-8 NCAA tourney worksheet in that span.
Some mentors never will receive the accolades they deserve because of failing to reach the Promised Land. Exhibit A much of this century was Purdue, where Keady and Painter combined for 32 NCAA tourney appearances without advancing to national semifinals until Painter took care of business this year in his 15th trip to the playoffs with the Boilermakers. There were 100,000 reasons Sean Miller joined this dubious list after dismal first-round loss against Buffalo in 2018 despite bringing freshman phenom Deandre Ayton to Arizona in some form or fashion (cause or no cause). Miller needed a safe space on campus to curl up in fetal position stemming from eventual fallout from FBI probe prior to returning to Xavier, but the following "Generation Hex" list - with Painter exiting - includes prominent coaches without a Final Four berth on their resume despite more than 10 NCAA Tournament appearances:
Coach | NCAA Tourneys | Playoff Record (Pct.) | Closest to Reaching Final Four |
---|---|---|---|
Gene Keady | 18 | 19-18 (.514) | regional runner-up with Purdue in 1994 and 2000 |
John Chaney | 17 | 23-17 (.575) | regional runner-up with Temple five times (1988-91-93-99-01) |
Fran Dunphy | 17 | 3-17 (.150) | won three opening-round games with Penn and Temple (1994, 2011 and 2013) |
Norm Stewart | 16 | 12-16 (.429) | regional runner-up with Missouri in 1976 and 1994 |
Mike Brey | 15 | 15-15 (.500) | regional runner-up with Notre Dame in 2015 and 2016 |
Jamie Dixon | 14 | 14-14 (.500) | regional runner-up with Pittsburgh in 2009 |
Steve Alford | 13 | 11-13 (.458) | Sweet 16 on four occasions (once with Southwest Missouri State and three times with UCLA) |
Lefty Driesell | 13 | 16-14 (.533) | regional runner-up four times with Davidson and Maryland (1968-69-73-75) |
Sean Miller | 12 | 21-12 (.636) | four regional final losses (with Arizona previous decade) |
Dave Bliss | 11 | 8-11 (.421) | regional semifinals with Oklahoma in 1979 |
Pete Carril | 11 | 4-11 (.267) | won two games with Princeton in 1983 |
Gale Catlett | 11 | 7-11 (.389) | regional semifinals with West Virginia in 1998 |
Tom Davis | 11 | 18-11 (.621) | regional runner-up with Boston College in 1982 and Iowa in 1987 |
Mark Gottfried | 11 | 10-11 (.476) | regional runner-up with Alabama in 2004 |
Tom Penders | 11 | 12-11 (.522) | regional runner-up with Texas in 1990 |
We Shall Return: Purdue & NCSU Back At Final Four Following Long Droughts
Try, try again! History repeats itself but can take longer than anyone wants or expects. Purdue, making its 32nd NCAA playoff appearance since its last Final Four in 1980, and North Carolina State, a Cinderella story champion in 1983, each returned to the national semifinals this year. No school was anywhere close to the Boilermakers in volume of tourney frustration between F4 appearances.
Three seasons ago, Baylor participated in the Final Four for the first time since 1950. The Bears' 71-year absence between national semifinal appearances is exceeded only by Oregon (78). Purdue joined the following 15 institutions going more than 35 years before returning to the Promised Land:
Final Four School | Famine Years | Coaches Between Final Fours | NCAA Tournament Appearances During Lapse |
---|---|---|---|
Oregon | 78 | Howard Hobson (1939) to Dana Altman (2017) | 13: 1945-60-61-95-00-02-03-07-08-13-14-15-16 |
Baylor | 71 | Bill Henderson (1950) to Scott Drew (2021) | nine: 1988-08-10-12-14-15-16-17-19 |
Wisconsin | 59 | Bud Foster (1941) to Dick Bennett (2000) | four: 1947-94-97-99 |
Stanford | 56 | Everett Dean (1942) to Mike Montgomery (1998) | five: 1989-92-95-96-97 |
Texas | 56 | Jack Gray (1947) to Rick Barnes (2003) | 17: 1960-63-72-74-79-89-90-91-92-94-95-96-97-99-00-01-02 |
Loyola of Chicago | 54 | George Ireland (1964) to Porter Moser (2017) | four: 1964-66-68-85 |
Wichita State | 48 | Gary Thompson (1965) to Gregg Marshall (2013) | seven: 1976-81-85-87-88-06-12 |
Oklahoma State | 44 | Hank Iba (1951) to Eddie Sutton (1995) | nine: 1953-54-58-65-83-91-92-93-94 |
Purdue | 43 | Lee Rose (1980) to Matt Painter (2024) | 31: 1983-84-85-86-87-88-90-91-93-94-95-96-97-98-99 and 2000-03-07-08-09-10-11-12-15-16-17-18-19-21-22-23 |
Oklahoma | 41 | Bruce Drake (1947) to Billy Tubbs (1988) | six: 1979-83-84-85-86-87 |
North Carolina State | 40 | Jim Valvano (1983) to Kevin Keatts (2024) | 17: 1985-86-87-88-89-91 and 2002-03-04-05-06-12-13-14-15-18-23 |
Georgetown | 39 | Elmer Ripley (1943) to John Thompson Jr. (1982) | five: 1975-76-79-80-81 |
Houston | 37 | Guy Lewis (1984) to Kelvin Sampson (2021) | six: 1987-90-92-10-18-19 |
Illinois | 37 | Harry Combes (1952) to Lou Henson (1989) | eight: 1963-81-83-84-85-86-87-88 |
DePaul | 36 | Ray Meyer (1943) to Ray Meyer (1979) | seven: 1953-56-59-60-65-76-78 |
Star Light: Teams Can Still Thrive Despite Losing Undergrads to NBA Draft
For the 14th straight tourney, at least one team reached the Final Four after losing a vital player who could have still been eligible if not defecting to make himself available for the NBA draft or turn pro overseas. Alabama and Connecticut each lost two undergrads in 2023 NBA draft. Bama's Brandon Miller (2nd selection overall) joined Kentucky's John Wall (1st in 2010) and Duke's Jabari Parker (2nd in 2014) as highest picks to miss out on Final Four the next year and is having a regal rookie campaign. Former Bama teammate Noah Clowney and UConn's Jordan Hawkins plus Andre Jackson are spare parts as NBA yearlings. Last year's MOP Adama Sanogo (Connecticut) went undrafted after leaving school with eligibility remaining although he did sign as a free agent with the Chicago Bulls and played in a handful of games this season. Guard Terquavion Smith abandoned ship after two seasons with North Carolina State and also wasn't drafted although he hooked on with the Philadelphia 76ers as a free agent.
Among schools losing a prominent undergraduate early, UConn last year (after losing guard James Bouknight) joined [Kentucky](schools/kentucky '98) (Ron Mercer), Duke '10 (Gerald Henderson) and UK '12 (Brandon Knight) as the only teams still capturing a crown sans such a standout early departure. In a once-in-a-lifetime achievement, UK returned to the national semifinals in 2011 after losing five undergraduates who became NBA first-round draft choices.
The Final Four has had at least one team arrive after losing a prominent undergraduate to the NBA draft 21 times in the last 22 tourneys. Following is a list of the 44 squads unfazed by the early loss of key player(s) who left college the previous year with eligibility still remaining:
Final Four Team Prominent Undergraduate Defection in Previous Year Marquette '74 Larry McNeill, F (25th pick overall in 1973 NBA draft) Louisiana State '81 DeWayne Scales, F (36th pick in 1980 draft) Georgia '83 Dominique Wilkins, F (3rd pick in 1982 draft) Houston '83 Rob Williams, G (19th pick in 1982 draft) Houston '84 Clyde Drexler, G-F (14th pick in 1983 draft) Louisiana State '86 Jerry "Ice" Reynolds, G-F (22nd pick in 1985 draft) Syracuse '87 Pearl Washington, G (13th pick in 1986 draft) Kentucky '97 Antoine Walker, F-G (6th pick in 1996 draft) North Carolina '97 Jeff McInnis, G (37th pick in 1996 draft) Kentucky '98 Ron Mercer, G-F (6th pick in 1997 draft) Indiana '02 Kirk Haston, F (16th pick in 2001 draft) Kansas '03 Drew Gooden, F (4th pick in 2002 draft) Georgia Tech '04 Chris Bosh, F (4th pick in 2003 draft) Louisiana State '06 Brandon Bass, F (33rd pick in 2005 draft) UCLA '07 Jordan Farmar, G (26th pick in 2006 draft) North Carolina '08 Brandan Wright, F (8th pick in 2007 draft) Kansas '08 Julian Wright, F (13th pick in 2007 draft) UCLA '08 Arron Afflalo, G (27th pick in 2007 draft) Duke '10 Gerald Henderson, G (12th pick in 2009 draft) Kentucky '11 John Wall, G (1st pick in 2010 draft) Kentucky '11 DeMarcus Cousins, F (5th pick in 2010 draft) Butler '11 Gordon Hayward, F (9th pick in 2010 draft) Kentucky '11 Patrick Patterson, F (14th pick in 2010 draft) Virginia Commonwealth '11 Larry Sanders, F (15th pick in 2010 draft) Kentucky '11 Eric Bledsoe, G (18th pick in 2010 draft) Kentucky '11 Daniel Orton, C-F (29th pick in 2010 draft) Kentucky '12 Brandon Knight, G (8th pick in 2011 draft) Kansas '12 Markieff Morris, F (13th pick in 2011 draft) Kansas '12 Marcus Morris, F (14th pick in 2011 draft) Kansas '12 Josh Selby, G (49th pick in 2011 draft) Syracuse '13 Dion Waiters, G (4th pick in 2012 draft) Syracuse '13 Fab Melo, C (22nd pick in 2012 draft) Kentucky '14 Nerlens Noel, C (6th pick in 2013 draft) Kentucky '14 Archie Goodwin, G-F (29th pick in 2013 draft) Michigan State '15 Gary Harris, G (19th pick in 2014 draft) Duke '15 Rodney Hood, G-F (23rd pick in 2014 draft) Duke '15 Jabari Parker, F (2nd pick in 2014 draft) Kentucky '15 Julius Randle, F (7th pick in 2014 draft) Kentucky '15 James Young, G (17th pick in 2014 draft) North Carolina '16 J.P. Tokoto, F-G (58th pick in 2015 draft) Syracuse '16 Chris McCullough, G (29th pick in 2015 draft) Gonzaga '17 Domantas Sabonis, F-C (11th pick in 2016 draft) Kansas '18 Josh Jackson, G-F (4th pick in 2017 draft) Michigan '18 D.J. Wilson, F (17th pick in 2017 draft) Michigan State '19 Miles Bridges, F (12th pick in 2018 draft) Michigan State '19 Jaren Jackson, F (4th pick in 2018 draft) Texas Tech '19 Zhaire Smith, F (16th pick in 2018 draft) Gonzaga '21 Filip Petrusev, C (withdrew from draft and returned to native Serbia) Houston '21 Nate Hinton, G-F (played in NBA G League after going undrafted) Duke '22 Matthew Hurt, F (undrafted before playing in NBA G League until incurring season-ending injury) Duke '22 Jalen Johnson, F (20th pick in 2021 draft) Duke '22 D.J. Steward, G (undrafted before playing in G League for Sacramento Kings) North Carolina '22 Day'Ron Sharpe, F (29th pick in 2021 draft) Villanova '22 Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, F (32nd pick in 2021 draft) Connecticut '23 James Bouknight, G (11th pick in 2021 draft) Alabama '24 Noah Clowney, F (21st pick in 2023 draft) Connecticut '24 Jordan Hawkins, G (14th pick in 2023 draft) Connecticut '24 Andre Jackson, G (36th pick in 2023 draft) Alabama '24 Brandon Miller, F (2nd pick in 2023 draft)
College Exam: Day #15 For One-and-Only NCAA Tournament Trivia Challenge
Unless you're busy hoarding toilet paper to wipe big butts of George Soros NY flunkies (Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg and State AG Letitia James), seeking translator to try to understand Plagiarist Biledumb's Easter message or cowering in fetal position seeking medical directive from Dr. Fraudci, it's your opportunity to start taking online tests for 23 quarantined days symbolic of normal time frame from Selection Sunday to Monday evening championship contest.
We need something to occupy our minds during quarantine from much of the invective-infected #MessMedia. Emphasizing a "one-and-only" theme for a "one-and-only" event, here is Day 15 of a treasure-trove of tantalizing NCAA Tournament trivia questions from CollegeHoopedia.com 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. Who is the only individual to play for two NCAA champions, play for more than two NBA champions and coach two NBA champions. Hint: He was the first of four players to be a member of an NCAA championship team one year and an NBA titlist the next season as a rookie. He won the high jump in the West Coast Relays his senior year.
2. Who is the only individual to average fewer than four points per game as a freshman and then be selected Final Four Most Outstanding Player the next season as a sophomore. Hint: He had more three-point baskets in two Final Four games than contributing his entire freshman season.
3. Who is the only player named to an All-NCAA Tournament team not to score a total of more than 10 points in two Final Four games? Hint: He had the same point total in each Final Four game for a team whose star had same last name.
4. Who is the only Final Four Most Outstanding Player to later coach his alma mater in the NCAA Tournament? Hint: The guard was named Most Outstanding Player although he was his team's fourth-leading scorer at Final Four that year.
5. Name the only school to have two of the six eligible teams ranked among the top five in the AP and/or UPI final polls to not participate in either the NCAA Tournament or the NIT in the days before teams other than the conference champion could be chosen to the NCAA playoffs as at-large entrants. Hint: The school lost three regional finals in one four-year span and hasn't reached Final Four in last 50-plus years.
6. Who is the only coach to lose more than five regional final games? Hint: His regional final defeats were by an average margin of 10 points and his biggest nemesis was the Big Ten Conference.
7. Who is the only individual to become NBA Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player to participate in the NCAA Tournament but never win an NCAA playoff game? Hint: He shared the NBA Rookie of the Year award with another player who was on the losing end in his only NCAA Tournament appearance. Two years later, he was NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player the same season named league MVP.
8. Of the more than 40 different players to be named NBA Most Valuable Player, score more than 20,000 points in the pros or be selected to an All-NBA team at least five times after participating in the NCAA Tournament, who is the only one to average fewer than 10 points per game in the NCAA playoffs? Hint: He is believed to be the youngest Hall of Famer to appear in an NCAA championship game at the tender age of 16 and subsequently was named to 12 consecutive All-NBA teams.
9. Who is the only guard to score more than 35 points in an NCAA final? Hint: He led his team in scoring in back-to-back Final Fours but wasn't named Final Four Most Outstanding Player either year. He is the only championship team player to have a two-game total of at least 70 points at the Final Four and is the shortest undergraduate to average more than 20 points per game for an NCAA titlist.
10. Who is the only player to have as many as 20 field goals in an NCAA championship game? Hint: He scored fewer than seven points in both his tourney debut and final playoff appearance.
Answers (Day 15)
Day 14 Questions and Answers
Day 13 Questions and Answers
Day 12 Questions and Answers
Day 11 Questions and Answers
Day 10 Questions and Answers
Day 9 Questions and Answers
Day 8 Questions and Answers
Day 7 Questions and Answers
Day 6 Questions and Answers
Day 5 Questions and Answers
Day 4 Questions and Answers
Day 3 Questions and Answers
Day 2 Questions and Answers
Day 1 Questions and Answers
Glad to See You Again: Duke/NCSU Was ACC's 11th Intra-League Tourney Tilt
NCAA Tournament confrontations between members from the same power league are relatively rare. The Duke/North Carolina State matchup in South Regional final this year is 32nd such intra-conference tourney tilt and first-ever between these ACC rivals in the playoffs. Seven seasons ago, SEC rivals Florida and South Carolina met in the East Regional final. It was the first such contest between SEC members in a 31-year span.
The Big Ten Conference, which hasn't supplied an NCAA champion since 2000, accounted for seven of the first 18 NCAA Tournament games pitting league members against each other. Eight campaigns ago marked the first time a league (ACC) generated three intra-conference playoff confrontations in a single tourney. The Duke/NCSU tilt is the ACC's 11th such playoff pairing.
Year | Conference | Playoff Round | NCAA Tourney Result Between Members of Same League |
---|---|---|---|
1976 | Big Ten | national championship | Indiana 86 (May scored team-high 26 points), Michigan 68 (Green 18) |
1980 | Big Ten | regional semifinals | Purdue 76 (Edmonson/Morris 20), Indiana 69 (I. Thomas 30) |
1980 | Big Ten | national third-place | Purdue 75 (Carroll 35), Iowa 58 (Arnold 19) |
1981 | ACC | national semifinals | North Carolina 78 (Wood 39), Virginia 65 (Lamp 18) |
1983 | ACC | regional final | North Carolina State 63 (Whittenburg 24), Virginia 62 (Sampson 23) |
1985 | Big East | national semifinals | Georgetown 77 (Williams 20), St. John's 59 (Glass 13) |
1985 | Big East | national championship | Villanova 66 (McClain 17), Georgetown 64 (Wingate 16) |
1986 | SEC | regional semifinals | Kentucky 68 (Walker 22), Alabama 63 (Coner 20) |
1986 | SEC | regional final | Louisiana State 59 (Williams 16), Kentucky 57 (Walker 20) |
1987 | Big East | regional final | Providence 88 (Donovan/D. Wright 20), Georgetown 73 (Williams 25) |
1987 | Big East | national semifinals | Syracuse 77 (Monroe 17), Providence 63 (Screen 18) |
1988 | Big Eight | regional final | Kansas 71 (Manning 20), Kansas State 58 (Scott 18) |
1988 | Big Eight | national championship | Kansas 83 (Manning 31), Oklahoma 79 (Sieger 22) |
1989 | Big Ten | national semifinals | Michigan 83 (Rice 28), Illinois 81 (Battle 29) |
1992 | Big Ten | regional final | Michigan 75 (Webber 23), Ohio State 71 (Jackson 20) |
1992 | Great Midwest | regional final | Cincinnati 88 (Jones 23), Memphis State 57 (Hardaway 12) |
2000 | Big Ten | regional final | Wisconsin 64 (Bryant 18), Purdue 60 (Cardinal/Cunningham 13) |
2000 | Big Ten | national semifinals | Michigan State 53 (Peterson 20), Wisconsin 41 (Boone 18) |
2001 | ACC | national semifinals | Duke 95 (Battier 25), Maryland 84 (Dixon 19) |
2002 | Big 12 | regional final | Oklahoma 81 (Price 18), Missouri 75 (Paulding 22) |
2009 | Big East | regional final | Villanova 78 (Anderson 17), Pittsburgh 76 (Young 28) |
2013 | Big East | regional final | Syracuse 55 (Southerland 16), Marquette 39 (Blue 14) |
2015 | ACC | regional semifinals | Louisville 75 (Harrell 24), North Carolina State 65 (Lacey 18) |
2016 | ACC | regional final | North Carolina 88 (Johnson 25), Notre Dame 74 (Jackson 26) |
2016 | ACC | regional final | Syracuse 68 (Richardson 23), Virginia 62 (Perrantes 18) |
2016 | ACC | national semifinals | North Carolina 83 (Jackson/Johnson 16), Syracuse 66 (Cooney 22) |
2017 | SEC | regional final | South Carolina 77 (Thornwell 26), Florida 70 (Leon 18) |
2018 | ACC | regional semifinals | Duke 69 (Bagley 22), Syracuse 65 (Battle 19) |
2019 | Big Ten | second round | Michigan State 70 (Tillman 14), Minnesota 50 (Coffey 27) |
2019 | ACC | regional semifinals | Duke 75 (Williamson 23), Virginia Tech 73 (Blackshear 18) |
2019 | SEC | regional final | Auburn 77 (Harper 26), Kentucky 71 (Washington 28) |
2021 | Pac-12 | regional semifinals | Southern California 82 (White 22), Oregon 68 (Omoruyi 28) |
2022 | ACC | national semifinals | North Carolina 81 (Love 28), Duke 77 (Banchero 20) |
2024 | ACC | regional final | North Carolina State 76 (Burns 29), Duke 64 (McCain 32) |
Fresh Faces: NCAA Final Four is Virgin Territory For Keatts, Oats and Painter
Three Final Four coaching newbies are at the Final Four for the second straight season. All four coaches last year could have been Final Four newcomers if Rodney Terry's Texas squad didn't squander a 10-point lead midway through the second half in regional final against Miami (Fla.). The last time all four coaches were F4 newbies was in 1959 (California's Pete Newell/West Virginia's Fred Schaus/Cincinnati's George Smith/Louisville's Peck Hickman). This year marks the first time since 1979 for multiple coaches to make their F4 debuts with fewer than seven seasons of experience as a Division I head coach.
Hubert Davis realized coaching nirvana as rookie head coach by reaching national semifinals in inaugural campaign two years ago similar to fellow North Carolina mentor Bill Guthridge in 1998. In the previous 60 years, the F4 college rookie class also includes Steve Fisher (Michigan interim in 1989), Larry Brown (UCLA in 1980), Bill Hodges (Indiana State in 1979) and Gary Thompson (Wichita in 1965). Kansas State's Jerome Tang could have joined group but the Wildcats were upset in 2023 regional final by Florida Atlantic.
Final Four debuts were a long time coming the previous decade for Dana Altman (Oregon), Mark Few (Gonzaga) and Big Ten Conference coaches John Beilein (Michigan) and Bo Ryan (Wisconsin). Since the start of the NCAA Tournament in 1939, no coach ever took longer in his four-year college career to reach the DI Final Four than Beilein (31 seasons; 21 at major-college level). Ryan (30) and Altman (28) joined five other coaches to take more than Matt Painter's 20 years at Purdue to achieve the milestone - Jim Calhoun (27), Dick Bennett (24), Gary Williams (23), Jim Larranaga (22 with George Mason) and Norm Sloan (22).
There was at least one fresh face among bench bosses at the national semifinals all but once (1993) in a 27-year span from 1985 through 2011. Connecticut's Kevin Ollie joined Indiana's Mike Davis and VCU's Shaka Smart as coaches only in their second campaign to steer squads to the Final Four in the 21st Century. North Carolina State's Kevin Keatts, Alabama's Nate Oats and Purdue's Matt Painter joined the following list of coaches advancing to the Final Four for first time since legendary John Wooden's first F4 in 1962 (in reverse order):
- 2024 - Kevin Keatts (North Carolina State/10th season as head coach), Nate Oats (Alabama/9th season as head coach) and Matt Painter (Purdue/20th).
- 2023 - Brian Dutcher (San Diego State/6th), Danny Hurley* (Connecticut/13th) and Dusty May (Florida Atlantic/4th).
- 2022 - Hubert Davis (North Carolina/1st).
- 2021 - Mick Cronin (UCLA/18th) and Scott Drew (Baylor/19th).
- 2019 - Chris Beard (Texas Tech/7th season overall and fourth with DI school at four-year college level), Tony Bennett (Virginia/13th) and Bruce Pearl (Auburn/24th overall and 15th at DI).
- 2018 - Porter Moser (Loyola of Chicago/15th).
- 2017 - Dana Altman (Oregon/28th), Mark Few* (Gonzaga/18th) and Frank Martin (South Carolina/10th).
- 2016 - All returnees.
- 2015 - All returnees.
- 2014 - Kevin Ollie (Connecticut/2nd) and Bo Ryan* (Wisconsin/30th).
- 2013 - John Beilein* (Michigan/21st at major-college level and 31st overall) and Gregg Marshall (Wichita State/15th).
- 2012 - All returnees.
- 2011 - Shaka Smart (Virginia Commonwealth/2nd).
- 2010 - Brad Stevens* (Butler/3rd).
- 2009 - Jay Wright* (Villanova/15th).
- 2008 - Bill Self* (Kansas/15th).
- 2007 - Thad Matta* (Ohio State/7th) and John Thompson III (Georgetown/7th).
- 2006 - John Brady (Louisiana State/15th), Ben Howland* (UCLA/12th) and Jim Larranaga* (George Mason/22nd).
- 2005 - Bruce Weber (Illinois/6th).
- 2004 - Paul Hewitt (Georgia Tech/7th).
- 2003 - Rick Barnes (Texas/16th) and Tom Crean (Marquette/4th).
- 2002 - Mike Davis (Indiana/2nd) and Kelvin Sampson* (Oklahoma/20th).
- 2001 - Gary Williams* (Maryland/23rd).
- 2000 - Dick Bennett (Wisconsin/24th) and Billy Donovan* (Florida/6th).
- 1999 - Jim Calhoun* (Connecticut/27th), Tom Izzo* (Michigan State/4th) and Jim O'Brien (Ohio State/17th).
- 1998 - Bill Guthridge* (North Carolina/1st), Rick Majerus (Utah/14th) and Tubby Smith (Kentucky/7th).
- 1997 - Clem Haskins (Minnesota/17th).
- 1996 - John Calipari* (Massachusetts/8th) and Richard Williams (Mississippi State/10th).
- 1995 - Jim Harrick (UCLA/16th).
- 1994 - Lon Kruger* (Florida/12th).
- 1993 - All returnees.
- 1992 - Bob Huggins* (Cincinnati/8th at major-college level and 11th overall).
- 1991 - Roy Williams* (Kansas/3rd).
- 1990 - Bobby Cremins (Georgia Tech/15th) and Nolan Richardson* (Arkansas/10th).
- 1989 - P.J. Carlesimo (Seton Hall/14th) and Steve Fisher* (Michigan/1st).
- 1988 - Billy Tubbs (Oklahoma/12th at major-college level and 14th overall).
- 1987 - Jim Boeheim* (Syracuse/11th) and Rick Pitino* (Providence/7th).
- 1986 - Mike Krzyzewski* (Duke/11th).
- 1985 - Lou Carnesecca (St. John's/17th), Dana Kirk (Memphis State/9th season at major-college level and 14th overall) and Rollie Massimino (Villanova/12th season at major-college level and 14th overall).
- 1984 - All returnees.
- 1983 - Jim Valvano (North Carolina State/11th at major-college level and 12th overall).
- 1982 - John Thompson Jr.* (Georgetown/9th).
- 1981 - Dale Brown* (Louisiana State/9th) and Terry Holland* (Virginia/12th).
- 1980 - Larry Brown* (UCLA/1st) and Robert "Lute" Olson* (Iowa/7th).
- 1979 - George "Jud" Heathcote (Michigan State/8th), Bill Hodges (Indiana State/1st) and Bob Weinhauer (Penn/2nd).
- 1978 - Bill E. Foster (Duke/18th), Richard "Digger" Phelps (Notre Dame/8th) and Eddie Sutton* (Arkansas/9th).
- 1977 - Lee Rose* (UNC Charlotte/2nd at major-college level and 10th overall) and Jerry Tarkanian* (UNLV/9th).
- 1976 - Johnny Orr (Michigan/11th) and Tom Young (Rutgers/16th).
- 1975 - Joe B. Hall* (Kentucky/6th at major-college level and 9th overall) and Roy Danforth (Syracuse/7th).
- 1974 - Al McGuire* (Marquette/10th at major-college level and 17th overall) and Norm Sloan (North Carolina State/18th at major-college level and 22nd overall).
- 1973 - Bobby "Gene" Bartow* (Memphis State/3rd at major-college level and 12th overall), Dave Gavitt (Providence/6th) and Bob Knight* (Indiana/8th).
- 1972 - Denny Crum* (Louisville/1st) and Hugh Durham* (Florida State/6th).
- 1971 - Jack Kraft (Villanova/10th), John Oldham (Western Kentucky/16th) and Ted Owens* (Kansas/7th).
- 1970 - Lou Henson* (New Mexico State/8th), Larry Weise (St. Bonaventure/9th) and Joe Williams (Jacksonville/4th at major-college level and 6th overall).
- 1969 - Maury John (Drake/11th) and George King (Purdue/9th at major-college level and 10th overall).
- 1968 - All returnees.
- 1967 - Don Donoher (Dayton/3rd), Guy Lewis* (Houston/11th) and Dean Smith* (North Carolina/6th).
- 1966 - Don Haskins (Texas Western/5th).
- 1965 - Gary Thompson (Wichita/1st) and Willem "Butch" van Breda Kolff (Princeton/7th at major-college level and 14th overall).
- 1964 - Dave Strack* (Michigan/5th).
- 1963 - Vic Bubas* (Duke/4th) and George Ireland (Loyola of Chicago/12th).
- 1962 - Horace "Bones" McKinney (Wake Forest/5th) and John Wooden* (UCLA/14th at major-college level and 16th overall).
*Subsequently returned to the Final Four.
First-Year Flash: High Point's Huss Atop List of Winningest First-Year Coaches
High Point's Alan Huss (27-9), despite inheriting a program with losing record last season, was runaway leader this year for winningest "first-time" head coach after winning Big South Conference regular-season crown and finishing runner-up in CBI. Huss, a former assistant at New Mexico and Creighton, came close to joining select circle of first-year bench bosses cracking the 30-win plateau but sustained seven defeats by fewer than six points. If Arizona had reached the 2022 Final Four, former Gonzaga assistant Tommy Lloyd would have become the all-time winningest rookie head coach.
More than half of the winningest first-year head coaches since Gonzaga's Mark Few in 1999-00 subsequently moved on to other similar jobs. Following are rookie NCAA Division I head coaches with the best winning percentages going back to 1963-64 when Tates Locke became Bob Knight's predecessor at Army:
Season | First-Year Head Coach | School | W-L | Pct. | Predecessor |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1963-64 | Tates Locke | Army | 19-7 | .731 | George Hunter |
1964-65 | Gary Thompson | Wichita State | 21-9 | .700 | Ralph Miller |
1965-66 | Lou Carnesecca | St. John's | 18-8 | .692 | Joe Lapchick |
1965-66 | Bob Knight | Army | 18-8 | .692 | Tates Locke |
1966-67 | Tommy Bartlett | Florida | 21-4 | .840 | Norm Sloan |
1967-68 | John Dromo | Louisville | 21-7 | .750 | Peck Hickman |
1968-69 | Tom Gola | La Salle | 23-1 | .958 | Jim Harding |
1969-70 | Terry Holland | Davidson | 22-5 | .815 | Lefty Driesell |
1970-71 | Richard "Digger" Phelps | Fordham | 26-3 | .897 | Ed Conlin |
1971-72 | Chuck Daly | Penn | 25-3 | .893 | Dick Harter |
1972-73 | Norm Ellenberger | New Mexico | 21-6 | .778 | Bob King |
1973-74 | Lute Olson | Long Beach State | 24-2 | .923 | Jerry Tarkanian |
1974-75 | Tom Apke | Creighton | 20-7 | .741 | Eddie Sutton |
1974-75 | Wayne Yates | Memphis State | 20-7 | .741 | Gene Bartow |
1975-76 | Bill Blakeley | North Texas State | 22-4 | .846 | Gene Robbins |
1976-77 | Jim Boeheim | Syracuse | 26-4 | .867 | Roy Danforth |
1976-77 | Charlie Schmaus | Virginia Military | 26-4 | .867 | Bill Blair |
1977-78 | Gary Cunningham | UCLA | 25-3 | .893 | Gene Bartow |
1978-79 | Bill Hodges | Indiana State | 33-1 | .971 | Bob King |
1979-80 | Bob Dukiet | St. Peter's | 22-9 | .710 | Bob Kelly |
1979-80 | Dave "Lefty" Ervin | La Salle | 22-9 | .710 | Paul Westhead |
1980-81 | Pat Foster | Lamar | 25-5 | .833 | Billy Tubbs |
1981-82 | Jim Boyle | St. Joseph's | 25-5 | .833 | Jim Lynam |
1982-83 | Ed Tapscott | American University | 20-10 | .667 | Gary Williams |
1983-84 | Rick Huckabay | Marshall | 25-6 | .806 | Bob Zuffelato |
1984-85 | Newton Chelette | Southeastern Louisiana | 18-9 | .667 | Ken Fortenberry |
1985-86 | Pete Gillen | Xavier | 25-5 | .833 | Bob Staak |
1986-87 | Pete Herrmann | Navy | 26-6 | .813 | Paul Evans |
1987-88 | Rick Barnes | George Mason | 20-10 | .667 | Joe Harrington |
1988-89 | Kermit Davis | Idaho | 25-6 | .806 | Tim Floyd |
1989-90 | Jim Anderson | Oregon State | 22-7 | .759 | Ralph Miller |
1990-91 | Alan LeForce | East Tennessee State | 28-5 | .848 | Les Robinson |
1991-92 | Blaine Taylor | Montana | 27-4 | .871 | Stew Morrill |
1992-93 | Fran Fraschilla | Manhattan | 23-7 | .767 | Steve Lappas |
1993-94 | Kirk Speraw | Central Florida | 21-9 | .700 | Joe Dean Jr. |
1994-95 | George "Tic" Price | New Orleans | 20-11 | .645 | Tim Floyd |
1995-96 | Mike Heideman | Wisconsin-Green Bay | 25-4 | .862 | Dick Bennett |
1996-97 | Bill Carmody | Princeton | 24-4 | .857 | Pete Carril |
1997-98 | Bill Guthridge | North Carolina | 34-4 | .895 | Dean Smith |
1998-99 | Tevester Anderson | Murray State | 27-6 | .818 | Mark Gottfried |
1999-00 | Mark Few | Gonzaga | 26-9 | .743 | Dan Monson |
2000-01 | Thad Matta | Butler | 24-8 | .750 | Barry Collier |
2001-02 | Stan Heath | Kent State | 29-6 | .829 | Gary Waters |
2002-03 | Brad Brownell | UNC Wilmington | 24-7 | .774 | Jerry Wainwright |
2003-04 | Jamie Dixon | Pittsburgh | 31-5 | .861 | Ben Howland |
2004-05 | Mark Fox | Nevada | 25-7 | .781 | Trent Johnson |
2005-06 | Rob Jeter | Wisconsin-Milwaukee | 22-9 | .710 | Bruce Pearl |
2006-07 | Anthony Grant | Virginia Commonwealth | 28-7 | .800 | Jeff Capel III |
2007-08 | Brad Stevens | Butler | 30-4 | .882 | Todd Lickliter |
2008-09 | Ken McDonald | Western Kentucky | 25-9 | .735 | Darrin Horn |
2009-10 | Shaka Smart | Virginia Commonwealth | 27-9 | .750 | Anthony Grant |
2010-11 | B.J. Hill | Northern Colorado | 21-11 | .656 | Tad Boyle |
2011-12 | Steve Prohm | Murray State | 31-2 | .939 | Billy Kennedy |
2012-13 | Kevin Ollie | Connecticut | 20-10 | .667 | Jim Calhoun |
2013-14 | Brad Underwood | Stephen F. Austin | 32-3 | .914 | Danny Kaspar |
2014-15 | David Richman | North Dakota State | 23-10 | .697 | Saul Phillips |
2015-16 | Matt McCall | Chattanooga | 29-5 | .853 | Will Wade |
2016-17 | Paul Weir | New Mexico State | 28-6 | .824 | Marvin Menzies |
2017-18 | Bob Richey | Furman | 23-10 | .697 | Niko Medved |
2018-19 | Sam Scholl | San Diego | 21-15 | .583 | Lamont Smith |
2019-20 | Eric Henderson | South Dakota State | 22-10 | .688 | T.J. Otzelberger |
2020-21 | Terrence "TJ" Johnson | Texas State | 18-7 | .720 | Danny Kaspar |
2021-22 | Tommy Lloyd | Arizona | 33-4 | .892 | Sean Miller |
2022-23 | Jon Scheyer | Duke | 27-9 | .750 | Mike Krzyzewski |
2023-24 | Alan Huss | High Point | 27-9 | .750 | G.G. Smith |
College Exam: Day #14 For One-and-Only NCAA Tournament Trivia Challenge
Unless you're busy hoarding toilet paper again to wipe butts of Manhattan NYC Mayor Eric Adams, DA Alvin Bragg, NY Governor Kathy Hochul and NY State AG Letitia James after they were told to leave funeral by family of slain police officer, it's your opportunity to start taking online tests for 23 quarantined days symbolic of normal time frame from Selection Sunday to Monday evening championship contest.
We need something to occupy our minds during quarantine from much of the invective-infected #MessMedia. Emphasizing a "one-and-only" theme for a "one-and-only" event, here is Day 14 of a treasure-trove of tantalizing NCAA Tournament trivia questions from CollegeHoopedia.com 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 school to compile a losing record in a season it won on the road against a conference rival later capturing the NCAA championship. Hint: The school is a former national titlist itself, but had just one winning league mark in 12 years from 1977-78 through 1988-89.
2. Name the only school to compile a conference record of more than 10 games below .500 in a season it defeated a league rival becoming NCAA champion. Hint: The school, which finished in first or second place in league competition four consecutive seasons in early 1930s, had 44 consecutive non-winning records in conference play before securing its first tourney appearance.
3. Name the only school to trail by at least 10 points at halftime of a tournament game and end up winning the contest by more than 20. Hint: A prominent network broadcaster played for the team. The next year, the school became the only one in tourney history to win back-to-back overtime games by double-digit margins.
4. Who is the only coach to lose in back-to-back seasons to teams seeded 14th or worse? Hint: He captured an NCAA championship later that decade.
5. Name the only double-digit seeded team to reach the Final Four until Virginia Commonwealth achieved the feat last year. Hint: It's the worst-seeded school to defeat a #1 seed, a conference rival that defeated the team a total of three times that year during the regular season and postseason league tournament. The next year, the university became only school to reach back-to-back regional finals as a double-digit seed.
6. Name the only school to win a regional final game it trailed by more than 15 points at halftime. Hint: The school lost its next game at the Final Four to a team that dropped a conference game against the regional final opponent by a double-figure margin. Three years later, it became the only school to score more than 100 points in a championship game and win national final by more than 21 points.
7. Who is the only team-leading scorer to be held more than 25 points under his season average in a Final Four game? Hint: He scored 39 points against the same opponent earlier in the season to help end the third-longest winning streak in major-college history. He is the only player to lead the playoffs in scoring and rebounding in back-to-back seasons although he wasn't named to the All-Tournament team one of those years despite becoming the only player to lead a tourney in scoring by more than 60 points. In addition, he is the only player in tournament history to collect more than 40 points and 25 rebounds in same game.
8. Name the only school to lead the nation in scoring offense and win the NCAA title in the same season. Hint: The top four scorers were undergraduates for the only titlist to win all of its NCAA Tournament games by more than 15 points.
9. Name the only school to play in as many as three overtime games in a single tournament. Hint: One of the three overtime affairs was a national third-place game.
10. Who is the only Final Four Most Outstanding Player to go scoreless in two NCAA Tournament games in a previous year? Hint: His NBA scoring average decreased each of last nine seasons in the league after becoming Rookie of the Year.
Answers (Day 14)
Day 13 Questions and Answers
Day 12 Questions and Answers
Day 11 Questions and Answers
Day 10 Questions and Answers
Day 9 Questions and Answers
Day 8 Questions and Answers
Day 7 Questions and Answers
Day 6 Questions and Answers
Day 5 Questions and Answers
Day 4 Questions and Answers
Day 3 Questions and Answers
Day 2 Questions and Answers
Day 1 Questions and Answers
Breaking New Ground: Alabama Turns Tide Making 1st Final Four Appearance
West Regional winner Alabama advanced to Final Four for the first time in school history. Last year, Florida Atlantic, Miami (Fla.) and San Diego State became the first trio to participate in their first Final Four since Jacksonville, New Mexico State and St. Bonaventure each made their only national semifinal appearance in 1970.
When Gonzaga and South Carolina met at the 2017 Final Four, they were the first set of newcomers to oppose each other at the F4 in 40 years since UNLV defeated UNC Charlotte in the 1977 national third-place game. Newbies Memphis State and Providence clashed in the 1973 semis.
Prior to Connecticut in 1999, the last team to win a championship in its initial national semifinal appearance was Texas Western (now Texas-El Paso) in 1966. Following in reverse order are the "first-timer" schools - two of them coached by Hugh Durham setting standard for Jim Larranaga to duplicate - making their first impression on the Final Four since 1970:
Year | Final Four Newcomer | NCAA Tourney Appearance | Head Coach | Final Four Outcome |
---|---|---|---|---|
2024 | Alabama | 25th | Nate Oats | Lost in semifinal. |
2023 | Florida Atlantic | 2nd | Dusty May | Lost in semifinal. |
2023 | Miami (Fla.) | 12th | Jim Larranaga | Lost in semifinal. |
2023 | San Diego State | 15th | Brian Dutcher | Lost in final. |
2019 | Auburn | 10th | Bruce Pearl | Lost in semifinal. |
2019 | Texas Tech | 17th | Chris Beard | Lost in final. |
2017 | Gonzaga* | 20th | Mark Few | Lost in final. |
2017 | South Carolina | 9th | Frank Martin | Lost in semifinal. |
2011 | Virginia Commonwealth | 10th | Shaka Smart | Lost in semifinal. |
2010 | Butler* | 10th | Brad Stevens | Lost in final. |
2006 | George Mason | 4th | Jim Larranaga | Lost in semifinal. |
2001 | Maryland* | 18th | Gary Williams | Lost in semifinal. |
1999 | Connecticut* | 21st | Jim Calhoun | Won NCAA championship. |
1997 | Minnesota | 7th | Clem Haskins | Lost in semifinal. |
1996 | Massachusetts | 6th | John Calipari | Lost in semifinal. |
1996 | Mississippi State | 4th | Richard Williams | Lost in semifinal. |
1994 | Florida* | 4th | Lon Kruger | Lost in semifinal. |
1990 | Georgia Tech* | 7th | Bobby Cremins | Lost in semifinal. |
1989 | Seton Hall | 2nd | P.J. Carlesimo | Lost in final. |
1988 | Arizona* | 7th | Lute Olson | Lost in semifinal. |
1983 | Georgia | 1st | Hugh Durham | Lost in semifinal. |
1981 | Virginia* | 2nd | Terry Holland | Won third-place game. |
1979 | Indiana State | 1st | Bill Hodges | Lost in final. |
1979 | Penn | 9th | Bob Weinhauer | Lost consolation game. |
1978 | Notre Dame | 15th | Digger Phelps | Lost consolation game. |
1977 | UNC Charlotte | 1st | Lee Rose | Lost consolation game. |
1977 | UNLV* | 3rd | Jerry Tarkanian | Won third-place game. |
1976 | Rutgers | 2nd | Tom Young | Lost consolation game. |
1975 | Syracuse* | 5th | Roy Danforth | Lost consolation game. |
1974 | Marquette* | 9th | Al McGuire | Lost in final. |
1973 | Memphis State* | 4th | Gene Bartow | Lost in final. |
1973 | Providence* | 5th | Dave Gavitt | Lost consolation game. |
1972 | Florida State | 2nd | Hugh Durham | Lost in final. |
1971 | Western Kentucky | 7th | John Oldham | Won third-place game. |
*School subsequently returned to Final Four.
Junior Achievement: Knecht is 1st Juco Named NCAA Consensus A-A Since '91
Tennessee forward Dalton Knecht became the seventh junior college recruit in the 21st Century to earn All-American status for a four-year institution. Highlighting achievement further, Knecht is the first juco (Northeastern CO) to become an NCAA consensus first-team All-American since UNLV forward Larry Johnson in 1990-91. In the aftermath of watered down academic requirements, that's a stark contrast to an era when at least one former J.C. player was named an NCAA All-American 21 consecutive seasons from 1963-64 through 1983-84.
There were four years when a minimum of four former jucos became NCAA Division I All-Americans the same campaign (1955, 1970, 1971 and 1982). A total of only 13 two-time All-Americans are represented on the following alphabetical list of NCAA All-Americans who previously played for a junior college:
All-American | Pos. | Four-Year University | Junior College(s) |
---|---|---|---|
Don Barksdale | C | UCLA '47 | Marin (Calif.) |
Jim Barnes | C | Texas Western '64 | Cameron (Okla.) |
Ron Behagen | F | Minnesota '73 | Southern Idaho |
Walter Berry | F-C | St. John's '86 | San Jacinto (Tex.) |
Gale Bishop | F-C | Washington '36 | Yakima (Wash.) Valley |
Daron "Mookie" Blaylock | G | Oklahoma '89 | Midland (Tex.) |
Ron Brewer | G | Arkansas '78 | Westark (Ark.) |
Fred Brown | G | Iowa '81 | Southeastern (Iowa) |
Don Burness | F | Stanford '42 | Menlo Park (Calif.) |
Bob Burrow | C | Kentucky '55 and '56 | Lon Morris (Tex.) |
Lawrence Butler | G | Idaho State '79 | Western Texas |
Jerry Chambers | F-C | Utah '66 | Trinidad State (Colo.) |
Lester Conner | G | Oregon State '82 | Los Medanos (Calif.)/Chabot (Calif.) |
Michael Cooper | G | New Mexico '78 | Pasadena (Calif.) City |
Jae Crowder | F | Marquette '12 | South Georgia Tech/Howard County (TX) |
Howie Dallmar | G | Pennsylvania '45 | Menlo Park (Calif.) |
Mel Daniels | C | New Mexico '67 | Burlington (Iowa) |
Walt "Corky" Devlin | F | George Washington '55 | Potomac State (W.Va.) |
Chris Duarte | G | Oregon '21 | Northwest Florida State |
Cleanthony Early | F | Wichita State '14 | Sullivan County (N.Y.) |
Keith Erickson | F | UCLA '65 | El Camino (Calif.) |
John Fairchild | C-F | Brigham Young '65 | Palomar (Calif.) |
Ken Flower | G | Southern California '53 | Menlo (Calif.) |
Darrell Floyd | G-F | Furman '55 and '56 | Wingate (N.C.) |
Steve Francis | G | Maryland '99 | Allegany (Md.) |
Dick Garmaker | F | Minnesota '54 and '55 | Hibbing (Minn.) |
Armon Gilliam | F-C | UNLV '87 | Independence (Kan.) |
Artis Gilmore | C | Jacksonville '70 and '71 | Gardner-Webb (N.C.) |
Harvey Grant | F | Oklahoma '88 | Independence (Kan.) |
Ed Gray | G | California '97 | Southern Idaho |
Jack Gray | F | Texas '34 and '35 | North Texas Agricultural |
Al Green | G | Louisiana State '79 | Arizona Western |
Cornell Green | F | Utah State '62 | Contra Costa (Calif.) |
Rickey Green | G | Michigan '76 and '77 | Vincennes (Ind.) |
Bob Harris | C | Oklahoma A&M '49 | Murray State (Okla.) |
Spencer Haywood | F-C | Detroit '69 | Trinidad State (Colo.) |
Tom Henderson | G | Hawaii '74 | San Jacinto (Tex.) |
Bobby Joe Hill | G | Texas Western '66 | Burlington (Iowa) |
Simmie Hill | F | West Texas State '69 | Cameron (Okla.) |
Darington Hobson | G-F | New Mexico '10 | Eastern Utah |
Lionel Hollins | G | Arizona State '75 | Dixie (Utah) |
Bobby Jackson | G | Minnesota '97 | Western Nebraska |
John Johnson | F | Iowa '70 | Northwest (Wyo.) |
Larry Johnson | F | UNLV '90 and '91 | Odessa (Tex.) |
Vinnie Johnson | G | Baylor '79 | McLennan (Tex.) |
Larry Kenon | F | Memphis State '73 | Amarillo (Tex.) |
Dalton Knecht | F | Tennessee '24 | Northeastern (Colo.) |
Dennis "Mo" Layton | G | Southern California '71 | Phoenix (Ariz.) |
Lewis Lloyd | F | Drake '80 and '81 | New Mexico Military Institute |
Don Lofgran | F-C | San Francisco '49 and '50 | Grant Tech (Calif.) |
Kevin Magee | F | UC Irvine '81 and '82 | Saddleback (Calif.) |
Bob McAdoo | F-C | North Carolina '72 | Vincennes (Ind.) |
Cliff Meely | F-C | Colorado '71 | Northeastern (Colo.) |
Phil "Red" Murrell | F | Drake '58 | Moberly (Mo.) Area |
Willie Murrell | F | Kansas State '64 | Eastern Oklahoma A&M |
Ken Norman | F | Illinois '87 | Wabash Valley (Ill.) |
Ken Owens | G | Idaho '82 | Treasure Valley (Calif.) |
Ricky Pierce | F | Rice '82 | Walla Walla (Wash.) |
Chris Porter | F | Auburn '99 | Chipola (Fla.) |
Paul Pressey | G-F | Tulsa '82 | Western Texas |
Jesse "Cab" Renick | G | Oklahoma A&M '40 | Murray State (Okla.) |
Mitch Richmond | F-G | Kansas State '88 | Moberly (Mo.) Area |
Isaiah "J.R." Rider | F | UNLV '93 | Allen County (Kan.)/Antelope Valley (Calif.) |
Alvin Robertson | G | Arkansas '84 | Crowder (Mo.) |
Flynn Robinson | G | Wyoming '65 | Casper (Wyo.) |
John Rudometkin | C-F | Southern California '61 and '62 | Allan Hancock (Calif.) |
Danny Schultz | G | Tennessee '64 | Hiwassee (Tenn.) |
Willie Smith | G | Missouri '76 | Seminole (Okla.) |
George Stanich | G | UCLA '50 | Sacramento (Calif.) |
Ray Steiner | G | St. Louis '52 | Moberly (Mo.) Area |
John "Cat" Thompson | F | Montana State '29 and '30 | Dixie (Utah) |
Jamaal Tinsley | G | Iowa State '01 | Mount San Jacinto (Calif.) |
Vic Townsend | G-F | Oregon '41 | Compton (Calif.) |
John Vallely | G | UCLA '70 | Orange Coast (Calif.) |
Nick Van Exel | G | Cincinnati '93 | Trinity Valley (Tex.) |
Darrell Walker | G | Arkansas '83 | Westark (Ark.) |
Grady Wallace | F | South Carolina '57 | Pikeville (Ky.) |
Lloyd Walton | G | Marquette '76 | Moberly (Mo.) Area |
Sidney Wicks | F-C | UCLA '70 and '71 | Santa Monica (Calif.) |
Sam Williams | F | Iowa '68 | Burlington (Iowa) |
Sam Worthen | G | Marquette '80 | McLennan (Tex.) |
Delon Wright | G | Utah '15 | CC of San Francisco (Calif.) |
College Exam: Day #13 For One-and-Only NCAA Tournament Trivia Challenge
Unless you're busy hoarding toilet paper to wipe George Soros flunky Alvin Bragg's attorney butt, seeking translator to try to understand Plagiarist Bidumb or cowering in fetal position from listening to #TheView's self-anointed vixens, it's your opportunity to start taking online tests for 23 quarantined days symbolic of normal time frame from Selection Sunday to Monday evening championship contest.
We need something to occupy our minds during quarantine from much of the invective-infected #MessMedia. Emphasizing a "one-and-only" theme for a "one-and-only" event, here is Day 13 of a treasure-trove of tantalizing NCAA Tournament trivia questions from CollegeHoopedia.com 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. Who is the only team-leading scorer of a Final Four team to go scoreless when the school was eliminated from championship contention at the national semifinals? Hint: He was a center who along with four teammates averaged between 11 and 12.5 points per game.
2. Who is the only player to twice lead the nation in scoring average while playing for teams advancing to the Final Four? Hint: He is the only team-leading scorer to twice be more than 10 points below his season scoring mark when his school was eliminated at the Final Four.
3. Name the only school to lose two national championship games by at least 18 points after leading the finals at halftime. Hint: The two opponents, 17 years apart, combined to win 66 of 68 games those seasons.
4. Name the only school to make as many as eight consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances from the year it participated in the event for the first time. Hint: The school's last playoff victory wasn't during this streak, but it later handed UCLA its first West Regional defeat in 14 years.
5. Name the only school to lose as many as 15 opening-round games in the NCAA Tournament. Hint: The university also lost a first-round game in 1984 after winning a qualifying round contest when playoff field was 53 teams.
6. Who is the only athlete to collect more than 3,000 major league hits, including 465 homers, after playing the entire basketball game for a school when it appeared in the NCAA Tournament for the first time. Hint: The outfielder appeared in 12 All-Star Games and two World Series after never playing in minors.
7. Who is the only player to have a single-digit point total in a national semifinal game and then increase his output by more than 20 points in the championship game? Hint: The center for two years between two three-time consensus first-team All-Americans shot just over 40% from the floor for the season entering title game where he had a game-high and career-high point total.
8. Who is the only player to have a decrease of more than 25 points from his national semifinal game scoring total to his championship game output? Hint: He was a member of the first undefeated NCAA champion and subsequently became an NBA first-round draft choice.
9. Name the only school to defeat two eventual Final Four teams by double-digit margins in their conference tournament. Hint: The school was handily eliminated in the NCAA playoffs by one of the two Final Four teams it decisively defeated in their league tourney.
10. Name the only school to reach the NCAA championship game in back-to-back seasons it was defeated by double-digit margins in its conference tournament. Hint: The school swept its home-and-home series in regular-season conference competition against the teams defeating it in league tourney.
Answers (Day 13)
Day 12 Questions and Answers
Day 11 Questions and Answers
Day 10 Questions and Answers
Day 9 Questions and Answers
Day 8 Questions and Answers
Day 7 Questions and Answers
Day 6 Questions and Answers
Day 5 Questions and Answers
Day 4 Questions and Answers
Day 3 Questions and Answers
Day 2 Questions and Answers
Day 1 Questions and Answers
Playing Race Card: Second Time in Last 45 Years Half of A-As Are Caucasian
Since MJ couldn't handle him one-and-one, heaven knows how Daddy Ball Game would treat average white player. If not a generous dose of humility, "Slow" Hoops Daddy Lavar Ball probably needs a history lesson. The hoop lowdown might not rise to the level of aggressive African-American commentary on Donald Trump or previous POTUS #AudacityofHype lecturing Christians rather than unprincipled marauders. Nonetheless, it could be time to proclaim white players matter. Many white-privilege provocateurs, who should seek reparations of their own for being exposed to race hustlers such as MSDNC's Joyless Reid and "Not So" Sharpton clamoring for "R-E-S-P-I-C-T," seem to care as much about the basketball topic, however, as far-left zealots are outraged about Muslim terrorists murdering saints and believers. Perhaps they should dwell a mite more on how in hell giving $1,400 to jailed prisoner helped with COVID-19 relief.
Is this DEI in reverse? A milestone won't trigger White History Month, but 2023-24 marked the second time in 45 seasons at least half of the list of NCAA consensus first- and second-team All-Americans were white players. From 1980 through 2012, less than one-fifth of the NCAA consensus first- and second-team All-Americans were Caucasian. Struggling as much as Marxist BLM founder purchasing luxury homes in white neighborhoods, Plagiarist Biledumb ascending Stair Farce One, #MSLSD's "Resist We Much" RevAl and #JoylessReid plus confused Congresswoman #(Mad)Maxine Waters may consider this repulsive racist research. However, they probably should be more concerned about paying fair share of taxes on filing deadline day, candor about hacked computer and concocting conspiratorial claptrap more worthy of April Fool's Day about CIA planting drugs in the hood.
All of America needs more critical thinking than critical race theory. Unless there are some closet Rachel Dolezals in the identity mix or Jussie Smollett's air-head attorney is accurate about an outbreak of white-face escapades, Gonzaga (Dan Dickau, Blake Stepp, Adam Morrison, Kelly Olynyk, Kyle Wiltjer, Corey Kispert, Drew Timme and Chet Holmgren) was alone boasting the most white consensus All-Americans thus far in 21st Century with eight. It might be accurate-but-unacceptable information to cancel-culture leftists indoctrinating students in public schools with critical race theory, but the Zags in each of the last two seasons are the first school to feature a set of white consensus All-Americans in same season since Missouri's Steve Stipanovich and Jon Sundvold in 1982-83.
It might not reign purple important as a photograph of Prince in a junior high basketball uniform to African-American Studies majors but we could be in the midst of a modest resurgence for the white player represented each year thus far this century. After all, Duke was the nation's only school to supply a white first-team All-American in a nine-year span from 1987-88 through 1995-96 (Danny Ferry in 1989, Christian Laettner in 1992 and Bobby Hurley in 1993). For those monitoring such identity demographics or who might be a dues-paying member of an alternative version of NAACP (National Association for Advancement of Caucasian Players), following is a list of white NCAA consensus first- and second-team All-Americans since Indiana State's Larry Bird was unanimous national player of the year in 1979:
MAC Attacks Streak: No Member in 66 Years Compiled Unbeaten League Mark
Two years ago, South Dakota State (18-0) became the first Summit League member to compile an unblemished conference record since the league's inaugural season in 1982-83. Oral Roberts duplicated SDSU's feat in the SL in 2022-23.
Indiana, the last NCAA Division I school to go undefeated (32-0 in 1975-76), is also the last team to go unbeaten in Big Ten Conference play. The Mid-American (66 straight years) is the only league posting a longer active streak than the Big Ten without an undefeated team in conference competition.
Analyst Dick Vitale, rather than chronically currying favor with the big boys energizing ESPN elitism, should always be promoting the MAC. After all, he has firsthand experience dealing with league rigors, losing his first six games against MAC members when coaching independent Detroit.
After SDSU's success in the SL in 2021-22, the Big East Conference and Northeast Conference remained as leagues never having an undefeated club since their alliances were formed in the early 1980s. Upon the Pac-12 bowing out with no undefeated league team during its final 46 seasons of existence, following are the other five longest current streaks of at least 40 campaigns without a member going unbeaten in league competition:
Conference (Years) | Last Unbeaten Team in League Play | Coach (Overall Record) |
---|---|---|
Mid-American (66) | Miami (Ohio) in 1957-58 | Dick Shrider (18-9) |
Big Ten (48) | Indiana in 1975-76 | Bob Knight (32-0) |
Pac-12 (46) | UCLA in 1977-78 | Gary Cunningham (25-3) |
Big East (45) | None since inaugural season (1979-80) | never achieved in league |
Northeast (43) | None since inaugural season (1981-82) | never achieved in league |
Coastal Athletic Association (41) | William & Mary in 1982-83 | Bruce Parkhill (20-9) |
Buyer's Remorse: Will Mark Pope and Kyle Smith Succeed at New Outposts?
It isn't "just a knife fight (according to social scholars)" and doesn't always pan out for a big-time university after hiring a coach from a fellow power-league member. Poaching within a conference (say John Calipari from Kentucky to Arkansas in the SEC), takes things to an even higher level. Naturally, it's too early to judge whether Mark Pope (Brigham Young to alma mater Kentucky) and Kyle Smith (Washington State to Stanford) this year plus Ed Cooley (Providence to Georgetown) and Micah Shrewsberry (Penn State to Notre Dame) last year will thrive at their new outposts. If not, they'll "fall" in line with the following alphabetical list of prominent coaches who struggled at their new digs after bolting one power conference member for another?
Coach Summary of Career After Switching Jobs Between Current Power-League Members Tom Davis 58-59 record with Stanford from 1982-83 through 1985-86 after leaving Boston College Bill E. Foster 54-141 with Northwestern from 1986-87 through 1992-93 after leaving South Carolina Pat Kennedy 67-85 with DePaul from 1997-98 through 2001-02 after leaving Florida State Dave Leitao 63-60 with Virginia from 2005-06 through 2008-09 after leaving DePaul Kevin O'Neill 36-47 with Tennessee from 1994-95 through 1996-97 after leaving Marquette Oliver Purnell 54-105 with DePaul from 2010-11 through 2014-15 after leaving Clemson George Raveling 115-118 with Southern California from 1986-87 through 1993-94 after leaving Iowa Tubby Smith 46-50 with Texas Tech from 2013-14 through 2015-16 after leaving Minnesota Kevin Stallings 24-41 with Pittsburgh in 2016-17 and 2017-18 after leaving Vanderbilt Bob Weltlich 77-98 with Texas from 1982-83 through 1987-88 after leaving Mississippi
Dribble Handoff: Power-League Members Keeping Coaching Chain In-House
In a typical season, about 1/5 of the NCAA DI head coaches are "next man up" in-house promotions. After Jake Diebler was elevated by Ohio State prior to the Buckeyes bowing in NIT quarterfinals, the following eight active mentors serve as promoted bench boss for a power-conference member:
Head Coach (Years as Aide) | Power-League School | Stint as Assistant at Same University Under Predecessor |
---|---|---|
Matt Painter (1) | Purdue | 2004-05 under Gene Keady |
Rodney Terry (2) | Texas | 2021-22 and 2022-23 under Chris Beard |
Jake Diebler (5) | Ohio State | 2019-20 under Chris Holtmann |
Hubert Davis (9) | North Carolina | 2012-13 through 2020-21 under Roy Williams |
Jon Scheyer (9) | Duke | 2013-14 through 2021-22 under Mike Krzyzewski |
Adrian Autry (12) | Syracuse | 2011-12 through 2022-23 under Jim Boeheim |
Tom Izzo (12) | Michigan State | 1983-84 through 1994-95 under Jud Heathcote |
Greg Gard (15) | Wisconsin | 2001-02 to 2015-16 under Bo Ryan |
NOTE: Terry served as interim head coach for more than half of 2022-23 campaign and Diebler was in similar capacity final month of 2023-24.
College Exam: Day #12 For One-and-Only NCAA Tournament Trivia Challenge
Unless you're busy hoarding toilet paper to wipe derriere of George Soros butt boy NYC attorney Alvin Bragg, trying to help Supreme Court Justice define a woman or cowering in fetal position awaiting directive from deity Dr. Fraudci, it's your opportunity to start taking online tests for 23 quarantined days symbolic of normal time frame from Selection Sunday to Monday evening championship contest.
We need something to occupy our minds during quarantine from much of the invective-infected #MessMedia. Emphasizing a "one-and-only" theme for a "one-and-only" event, here is Day 12 of a treasure-trove of tantalizing NCAA Tournament trivia questions from CollegeHoopedia.com 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. Who is the only championship team player to have a season scoring average of less than six points per game entering a Final Four but tally more than 30 points in the national semifinals and final? Hint: He is the only player with a single-digit season scoring average to score more than 25 points in an NCAA championship game.
2. Who is the only player to score at least 25 points in eight consecutive NCAA playoff games? Hint: He is the only player to rank among top five in scoring average in both NCAA Tournament and NBA playoffs. He was denied a championship ring in his only Final Four appearance when a player who would become an NBA teammate tipped in decisive basket in the closing seconds.
3. Name the only Final Four Most Outstanding Player who wasn't among the top five scorers on his team. Hint: The only other player to earn the award who wasn't among top four scorers on his team attended same university.
4. Who is the only individual to be named the NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player and NIT Most Valuable Player? Hint: As a freshman, he shared one of the awards with a teammate.
5. Who is the only U.S. Congressman to become chairman of the House Judiciary Committee after playing in the NCAA Tournament championship game? Hint: Starting out as a Democrat, he became a 12-term Republican Congressman from Illinois.
6. Who is the only individual to be named Final Four Most Outstanding Player and NBA Finals Most Valuable Player in back-to-back seasons? Hint: He holds the NBA Finals single-game record for most points by a rookie.
7. Name the freshman who had the highest season scoring average for a team to reach the NCAA Tournament championship game until Carmelo Anthony achieved the feat for 2003 champion Syracuse. Hint: The word "Boss" is tattooed to his chest for a good reason because he also led his team in assists as freshman.
8. Who is the only freshman to score more than 30 points in a national semifinal or championship game before failing to score more than half that total in his next four playoff outings? Hint: He didn't score more than 15 points in any of his next four NCAA playoff games, all defeats, and averaged a modest 8.2 points per game in an eight-year NBA career with an all-time pro season high of 11.4 ppg and game high of 28.
9. Who is the only freshman on a Final Four team to score more than 20 points in as many as four tournament games? Hint: He did not play in the national championship game and his school lost in the NCAA playoffs to opponents with double-digit seeds each of four seasons before he arrived.
10. Name the only season-leading scorer of a titlist to be held more than 14 points below his average in the NCAA championship game. Hint: He was named national player of the year by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association. He is one of four Final Four Most Outstanding Players held scoreless in their NCAA Tournament debuts in a previous season. He is also the only individual to become a member of three NCAA titlists after playing one season in junior college.
Answers (Day 12)
Day 11 Questions and Answers
Day 10 Questions and Answers
Day 9 Questions and Answers
Day 8 Questions and Answers
Day 7 Questions and Answers
Day 6 Questions and Answers
Day 5 Questions and Answers
Day 4 Questions and Answers
Day 3 Questions and Answers
Day 2 Questions and Answers
Day 1 Questions and Answers
Personal Items: Did You Knows Regarding 2024 Tourney Sweet 16 Coaches
There is a tendency to overindulge at an all-you-can-eat buffet. Anyone digesting the following assortment of incisive facts on the 16 NCAA Division I Tournament regional semifinalist 16 coaches should find that variety is the spice of this occasionally irreverent smorgasbord. Remember: If a morsel isn't appetizing, don't be a glutton for punishment in trying to comprehend what makes the coaching community tick. Just proceed directly to the next tidbit. Sooner or later, there's bound to be a few factoids you can savor among the following 2024 Sweet 16 mentors:
ALABAMA: Detroit-area prep coach Nate Oats joined Bobby Hurley's Buffalo staff directly with junior college recruit Justin Moss in 2013 before Moss became Mid-American Conference Player of the Year the next season and one year before center Raheem Johnson aligned with the Bulls as another J.C. signee. Moss and Johnson played under Oats at Romulus H.S.
ARIZONA: Tommy Lloyd's son, Liam, averaged 1.5 ppg for Grand Canyon the previous two seasons before transferring to Northern Arizona and averaging 6 ppg plus 2.2 apg as a starter. During the construction of their home in Spokane while Gonzaga's associate head coach, his family lived in the childhood residence of Zags legend and Hall of Famer John Stockton. Lloyd, known for his international recruiting, spent several months backpacking on several continents before commencing his coaching career in the late 1990s.
CLEMSON: Brad Brownell played for DePauw University (Ind.) under former Indiana State coach Royce Waltman.
CONNECTICUT: One of Dan Hurley's assistants at previous pitstops Wagner and Rhode Island was brother Bobby Hurley, an All-American guard for Duke's back-to-back NCAA titlists in 1991 and 1992 and current Arizona State coach.
CREIGHTON: Following graduation from Northern Iowa, Greg McDermott played one season of professional basketball in Switzerland. McDermott led the Panthers in field-goal shooting three consecutive seasons from 1985-86 through 1987-88 when he was a combined 59.5% from the floor. He ranked 16th in the nation in that category as a junior.
DUKE: Jon Scheyer was raised in his father's Jewish religion and became a Bar Mitzvah. Scheyer was known as the "Jewish Jordan" and his Illinois high school state championship squad (Glenbrook North; prep alma mater of Northwestern coach and fellow Blue Devils guard Chris Collins) is the nation's only one known to have included an all-Jewish starting lineup. He received a scholarship offer from then Marquette coach Tom Crean as an eighth-grader before playing in high school under former Illini coach Bruce Weber's brother.
GONZAGA: Mark Few never was a head coach at any level before inheriting that position after Dan Monson departed for Minnesota. Few was an assistant for two different Oregon high schools before becoming an aide with the Zags under Dan Fitzgerald and Monson. Few's wedding vows in 1994 were exchanged with Rev. Norm Few, the father of the groom.
HOUSTON: Kelvin Sampson was a three-year baseball letterman for Pembroke (N.C.) State.
ILLINOIS: Brad Underwood, as a juco recruit, took a visit to Oklahoma State, where his player host at the time was current Kansas bench boss Bill Self. Underwood's son, Tyler, played sparingly under his father with OSU and the Illini.
IOWA STATE: T.J. Otzelberger was an assistant coach with the Cyclones under his three predecessors - Greg McDermott, Fred Hoiberg and Steve Prohm. Otzelberger's wife, Alison Lacey, was a three-time All-Big 12 Conference selection for ISU women's basketball program.
MARQUETTE: When Shaka Smart graduated, he was the career assists leader for Kenyon College, a liberal arts school in Ohio.
NORTH CAROLINA: Hubert Davis is the nephew of Walter Davis, another Tar Heel and NBA player. NBA first-round draft choices 15 years apart combined to play for nine different pro franchises. Hubert's rookie campaign (1992-93) came the year after Walter retired. Each of them was runner-up in scoring a UNC Final Four squad (Hubert in 1991 and Walter in 1977). Hubert averaged 13.6 ppg in 12 playoff games while Walter averaged 14.1 ppg in eight tourney contests.
NORTH CAROLINA STATE: Kevin Keatts joined Rick Pitino's staff directly with George Mason transfer Luke Hancock in 2011. Hancock had played for him at Hargrave Military Academy (Va.). The next season, forward Montrezl Harrell aligned with the Cardinals after the Hargrave product de-committed from Virginia Tech following coach Seth Greenberg's firing.
PURDUE: Matt Painter's father attended Big Ten Conference rival Indiana.
SAN DIEGO STATE: Brian Dutcher's contract buyout is only $1 million, not in the $6 million range for any other college, if he has a chance to coach his alma mater (Minnesota). His three sisters and wife also attended Minnesota, where his father, Jim, coached for 11 seasons from mid-1970s to mid-1980s and still resides.
TENNESSEE: Texas' turnaround in 1998-99 (19-13 record after going 14-17 in 1997-98 under Tom Penders) enabled Rick Barnes to become the only active coach to take two different schools to the NCAA playoffs in his maiden voyage with them after they posted a losing mark the previous campaign. He previously achieved the feat with Providence in the late 1980s. Barnes posted the nation's best winning percentage by a first-year major college head coach in 1987-88 when he went 20-10 (.667) in his lone season with George Mason.
Familiar Territory: Cuonzo Martin Returns to Old Stomping Grounds at MSU
Cuonzo Martin, rehired by Missouri State, boasts an opportunity to achieve something rare in the major-college coaching community. The Bears reeled Martin back in despite a trend where resurrected mentors failed to come anywhere close to duplicating success during previous tenure. Although eight of them posted losing marks during initial stint, Ronnie Arrow (South Alabama), Jim McCafferty (Loyola LA) and Ritchie McKay (Liberty) are the only three of the 41 mentors a total of 43 times in this "Comeback Club" category over the last 60-plus years to compile a higher winning percentage the second time around.
A couple of years ago, Xavier's Sean Miller reupped to align with Lou Carnesecca (St. John's) and Lake Kelly (Austin Peay State) as the only coaches to win NCAA playoff games in two different stints with the same school. Martin is the seventh active coach on the following alphabetical list of coaches returning to their former major-college stomping grounds if their tenures weren't interrupted solely by World War II:
Two-Time Coach | DI College | First Stint | W-L | Pct. | Second Stint | W-L | Pct. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ronnie Arrow | South Alabama | 1988-95 | 114-93 | .551 | 2008-13 | 97-68 | .588 |
Tom Asbury | Pepperdine | 1989-94 | 125-59 | .679 | 2009-11 | 28-68 | .292 |
Lou Carnesecca | St. John's | 1966-70 | 104-35 | .748 | 1974-92 | 422-165 | .719 |
Ed Conroy | The Citadel | 2007-10 | 49-76 | .392 | since 2023 | 21-42 | .333 |
Paul Cormier | Dartmouth | 1985-91 | 87-95 | .478 | 2011-16 | 55-116 | .322 |
Kermit Davis | Idaho | 1989 and 1990 | 50-12 | .806 | 1997 | 13-17 | .433 |
Mike Dement | UNC Greensboro | 1992-95 | 55-56 | .495 | 2006-12 | 69-125 | .356 |
Joe Dooley | East Carolina | 1996-99 | 57-52 | .523 | 2019-22 | 44-67 | .396 |
Homer Drew | Valparaiso | 1989-2002 | 235-185 | .560 | 2004-11 | 136-120 | .531 |
Marshall Emery | Delaware State | 1977-79 | 30-50 | .375 | 1986-88 | 18-66 | .214 |
Dan Fitzgerald | Gonzaga | 1979-81 | 51-29 | .638 | 1986-97 | 203-140 | .592 |
Blair Gullion | Washington (Mo.) | 1948-52 | 65-41 | .613 | 1954-59 | 69-61 | .531 |
Lou Henson | New Mexico State | 1967-75 | 173-71 | .709 | 1998-2005 | 136-105 | .564 |
Ben Jobe | Southern (La.) | 1987-96 | 191-100 | .656 | 2002 and 2003 | 16-40 | .286 |
Phil Johnson | San Jose State | 1999 | 12-16 | .429 | 2003-05 | 19-67 | .221 |
Donald Kellett | Penn | 1944 and 1945 | 22-9 | .710 | 1947 and 1948 | 24-22 | .522 |
Lake Kelly | Austin Peay State | 1972-77 | 110-52 | .679 | 1986-90 | 79-70 | .530 |
Joe Lapchick | St. John's | 1937-47 | 181-54 | .770 | 1957-65 | 154-75 | .672 |
Dave Leitao | DePaul | 2003-05 | 58-34 | .630 | 2016-21 | 66-113 | .369 |
Abe Lemons | Oklahoma City | 1956-73 | 309-181 | .631 | 1984-90 | 123-84 | .594 |
Cuonzo Martin | Missouri State | 2009-11 | 61-41 | .598 | since 2025 | TBD | TBD |
Thad Matta | Butler | 2001 | 24-8 | .750 | since 2023 | 32-33 | .492 |
Jim McCafferty | Loyola (La.) | 1950 | 9-15 | .375 | 1955-57 | 38-36 | .514 |
Dave McDowell | Kent State | 1949-51 | 56-20 | .737 | 1956 and 1957 | 15-29 | .341 |
Ritchie McKay | Liberty | 2008 and 2009 | 39-28 | .582 | since 2016 | 205-99 | .674 |
Doc Meanwell | Wisconsin | 1912-17 | 92-9 | .911 | 1921-34 | 154-90 | .631 |
Sean Miller | Xavier | 2005-09 | 120-47 | .719 | since 2023 | 43-28 | .606 |
Robert Moreland | Texas Southern | 1976-2001 | 399-352 | .531 | 2008 | 7-25 | .219 |
Joe Mullaney | Providence | 1956-69 | 271-94 | .742 | 1982-85 | 48-70 | .407 |
Buzz Peterson | Appalachian State | 1997-2000 | 79-39 | .669 | 2010 | 24-13 | .649 |
Steve Prohm | Murray State | 2012-15 | 104-29 | .782 | since 2023 | 29-34 | .460 |
Bill Reinhart | George Washington | 1936-42 | 100-38 | .725 | 1950-66 | 216-201 | .518 |
Elmer Ripley | Georgetown | 1928 and 1929 | 24-6 | .800 | 1939-43 | 68-39 | .636 |
Elmer Ripley | Georgetown | 1939-43 | 68-39 | .636 | 1947-49 | 41-37 | .526 |
Jack Rohan | Columbia | 1962-74 | 154-161 | .489 | 1991-95 | 43-87 | .331 |
Lorenzo Romar | Pepperdine | 1997-99 | 42-44 | .488 | 2019-24 | 76-112 | .404 |
Glen Rose | Arkansas | 1934-42 | 154-47 | .766 | 1953-66 | 171-154 | .526 |
John "Honey" Russell | Seton Hall | 1937-43 | 101-32 | .759 | 1950-60 | 194-97 | .647 |
Joe Scott | Air Force | 2001-04 | 51-63 | .447 | since 2021 | 39-77 | .336 |
Larry Shyatt | Wyoming | 1998 | 19-9 | .679 | 2012-16 | 98-69 | .587 |
Norm Sloan | Florida | 1961-66 | 85-63 | .574 | 1981-89 | 150-131 | .534 |
Ken Trickey | Oral Roberts | 1970-74 | 118-23 | .837 | 1988-93 | 96-93 | .508 |
Billy Tubbs | Lamar | 1977-80 | 75-46 | .620 | 2004-06 | 46-43 | .517 |
Butch van Breda Kolff | Lafayette | 1952-55 | 68-34 | .667 | 1985-88 | 64-51 | .557 |
Butch van Breda Kolff | Hofstra | 1956-62 | 112-43 | .723 | 1989-94 | 79-81 | .494 |
Donald White | Rutgers | 1946-56 | 98-145 | .403 | 1963 | 7-16 | .304 |
Davey Whitney | Alcorn State | 1971-89 | 395-199 | .665 | 1997-2003 | 115-93 | .553 |
NOTES: VBK also had two stints at Hofstra, but Hofstra wasn't at the major-college level his first stint there. . . . OCU de-emphasized its program to the NAIA level after Lemons returned. . . . ORU wasn't always at the Division I level for either of Trickey's stints.
Foreign Invasion: Zach Edey is Latest All-American From Beyond U.S. Borders
Foreign All-American Zach Edey (Purdue/Ontario, Canada) is much more than bit player in a modern-day immigrant version of "Coming to America." Edey might not be a lottery pick in the NBA draft, but he is expected to be selected unlike recent foreign All-Americans Kofi Cockburn (Illinois), Azuolas Tubelis (Arizona) and Oscar Tshiebwe (Kentucky). Following is an alphabetical list of more than 40 hoop-prince All-Americans spending most or all of their formative years in a country beyond U.S. borders:
Foreigner | Pos. | College | Native Country | Year(s) All-American | NBA Draft Status |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Deandre Ayton | C | Arizona | Bahamas | 2018 | 1st pick overall by Phoenix |
Udoka Azubuike | C | Kansas | Nigeria | 2020 | 27th by Utah Jazz |
R.J. Barrett | G-F | Duke | Ontario, Ontario | 2019 | 3rd by New York |
Charles Bassey | C | Western Kentucky | Nigeria | 2021 | 53rd by Philadelphia |
Andrew Bogut* | C | Utah | Australia | 2005 | 1st by Milwaukee |
Dillon Brooks | F | Oregon | Ontario, Canada | 2017 | 2nd by Houston |
Kofi Cockburn | C | Illinois | Jamaica | 2021 and 2022 | undrafted |
Kresimir Cosic | C | Brigham Young | Yugoslavia | 1972 and 1973 | 66th by L.A. Lakers |
Chris Duarte | G | Oregon | Dominican Republic | 2021 | 13th by Indiana |
Tim Duncan* | C | Wake Forest | Virgin Islands | 1995 through 1997 | 1st by San Antonio |
Zach Edey | C | Purdue | Ontario, Canada | 2023 and 2024 | TBD |
Melvin Ejim | F | Iowa State | Ontario | 2014 | undrafted |
Patrick Ewing* | C | Georgetown | Jamaica | 1982 through 1985 | 1st by New York |
Adonal Foyle | C | Colgate | West Indies | 1997 | 8th by Golden State |
Rui Hachimura | F | Gonzaga | Japan | 2019 | 9th by Washington |
Buddy Hield | G | Oklahoma | Bahamas | 2015 and 2016 | 6th by New Orleans |
Al Horford | F-C | Florida | Dominican Republic | 2007 | 3rd by Atlanta |
Kris Joseph | F | Syracuse | Quebec | 2012 | 51st by Boston |
Jock Landale | C | Saint Mary's | Australia | 2018 | undrafted |
Lauri Markkanen | C | Arizona | Finland | 2017 | 1st by Minnesota |
Bennedict Mathurin | G | Arizona | Quebec | 2022 | 6th by Indiana |
Jamal Murray | G | Kentucky | Ontario | 2016 | 7th by Denver |
Dikembe Mutombo | C | Georgetown | Zaire | 1991 | 4th by Denver |
Eduardo Najera | F | Oklahoma | Mexico | 2000 | 38th by Houston |
Jordan Nwora | F | Louisville | Nigeria | 2020 | 45th by Milwaukee Bucks |
Hakeem Olajuwon | C | Houston | Nigeria | 1983 and 1984 | 1st by Houston |
Kelly Olynyk | C | Gonzaga | British Columbia | 2013 | 13th by Dallas |
Kevin Pangos | G | Gonzaga | Ontario | 2015 | undrafted |
Filip Petrusev | C | Gonzaga | Serbia | 2020 | withdrew and returned to Serbia |
Jakob Poeltl | C | Utah | Austria | 2016 | 9th by Toronto |
Juan "Pepe" Sanchez | G | Temple | Argentina | 2000 | undrafted |
Detlef Schrempf | F | Washington | Germany | 1985 | 8th by Dallas |
Rony Seikaly | C | Syracuse | Greece | 1988 | 9th by Miami |
Doron Sheffer | G | Connecticut | Israel | 1996 | 36th by L.A. Clippers |
Ben Simmons | F | Louisiana State | Australia | 2016 | 1st by Philadelphia |
Nik Stauskas | G | Michigan | Ontario | 2014 | 8th by Sacramento |
Hasheem Thabeet | C | Connecticut | Tanzania | 2009 | 2nd by Memphis |
Mychal Thompson | F-C | Minnesota | Bahamas | 1977 and 1978 | 1st by Portland |
Oscar Tshiebwe* | C | Kentucky | Congo | 2022 and 2023 | undrafted |
Azuolas Tubelis | F-C | Arizona | Lithuania | 2023 | undrafted |
Greivis Vasquez | G | Maryland | Venezuela | 2010 | 28th by Memphis |
Andrew Wiggins | G-F | Kansas | Ontario | 2014 | 1st by Cleveland |
*Named National Player of the Year.
Pages
