HBCU Players Matter: Daniel in Lion's Den Known as Power-Conference SEC

A total of seven MEAC and SWAC schools comprise the bottom seven of 351 ranked NCAA Division I squads for 2017-18 as projected by The Forecast Factory. We're a long way from "the good ole days" when Historically Black College and University hoopers included standouts such as Darrell Armstrong (Fayetteville State NC), Al Attles (North Carolina A&T), Ken Bannister (St. Augustine's NC), Dick Barnett (Tennessee State), John Barnhill (Tennessee State), Billy Ray Bates (Kentucky State), Zelmo Beaty (Prairie View A&M), Waite Bellamy (Florida A&M), Joe Binion (North Carolina A&T), Randy Bolden (Texas Southern), Alonzo Bradley (Texas Southern), Michael Britt (UDC), Cleveland Buckner (Jackson State), Bob Dandridge (Norfolk State), Mike Davis (Virginia Union), Monti Davis (Tennessee State), Terry Davis (Virginia Union), Tom Davis (Delaware State), A.J. English (Virginia Union), Lester Fonville (Jackson State), Alphonso Ford (Mississippi Valley State), Mike Gale (Elizabeth City State NC), Travis Grant (Kentucky State), Tommie Green (Southern), Charlie Hardnett (Grambling), Marques Haynes (Langston OK), Cleo Hill (Winston-Salem State), Fred Hilton (Grambling), Bob Hopkins (Grambling), Lindsey Hunter (Alcorn State/Jackson State), Jackie Jackson (Virginia Union), Lewis Jackson (Alabama State), Aaron James (Grambling), Jerome James (Florida A&M), Avery Johnson (Southern), Clemon Johnson (Florida A&M), George Johnson (Dillard LA), Caldwell Jones (Albany State GA), Charles Jones (Albany State GA), Earl Jones (UDC), Jimmy Jones (Grambling), Major Jones (Albany State GA), Sam Jones (North Carolina Central), Wil Jones (Albany State GA), Harry Kelly (Texas Southern), Julius Keye (Alcorn State), Pee Wee Kirkland (Norfolk State), Earnest Lee (Clark GA), Earl Lloyd (West Virginia State), Kevin Loder (Alabama State), Bob Love (Southern), Rick Mahorn (Hampton), Ed Manning (Jackson State), Anthony Mason (Tennessee State), Ted McClain (Tennessee State), Porter Merriweather (Tennessee State), Earl "The Pearl" Monroe (Winston-Salem State), Tony Murphy (Southern), Flip Murray (Shaw NC), Lloyd Neal (Tennessee State), Audie Norris (Jackson State), Willie Norwood (Alcorn State), Charles Oakley (Virginia Union), Joe Pace (Maryland-Eastern Shore), Bobby Phills (Southern), Timothy Pollard (Mississippi Valley State), David Pope (Norfolk State), Willie Porter (Tennessee State), Willis Reed (Grambling), Truck Robinson (Tennessee State), Carlos Rogers (Tennessee State), Frankie Sanders (Southern), Woody Sauldsberry (Texas Southern), Bruce Seals (Xavier LA), Eugene Short (Jackson State), Purvis Short (Jackson State), Tal Skinner (Maryland-Eastern Shore), Elmore Smith (Kentucky State), Larry Smith (Alcorn State), Adarrial Smylie (Southern), Larry Spriggs (Howard University), Larry Stewart (Coppin State), Stephen Stewart (Coppin State), Ben Swain (Texas Southern), Ralph Tally (Norfolk State), Carlos Terry (Winston-Salem State), Ben Wallace (Virginia Union), Ben Warley (Tennessee State), Cornell Warner (Jackson State), Trooper Washington (Cheyney State PA), Slick Watts (Xavier LA), Marvin Webster (Morgan State), Earl Williams (Winston-Salem State), Kenny Williams (Elizabeth City State NC), Tarvis Williams (Hampton), Travis Williams (South Carolina State), Bob Wilson (West Virginia State), Terrence Woods (Florida A&M), Damian Woolfolk (Norfolk State) and Larry Wright (Grambling).

Nevertheless, HBCU players such as Tennessee State's Robert Covington (Philadelphia 76ers) still matter. Guard James Daniel III led the nation in scoring in 2015-16 before playing only two games last season prior to a chipped bone in left ankle ending his campaign. What will he achieve after transferring from Howard University to Tennessee?

Perhaps the premier player ever to transfer from a HBCU to a major university was Tom Boswell. The 6-9 forward averaged 18 ppg and 13 rpg for South Carolina State in 1971-72 and 1972-73 before switching to South Carolina, an independent school at the time where he averaged 16.5 ppg and 8.7 rpg in 1974-75. Daniel joined the following alphabetical list of rare players, including ex-Howard product Xavier Singletary, transferring from a HBCU to NCAA DI power-league member in the previous 20 years: