Centers of Attention: Debuts Depict Textbook Centers Becoming Rare Breed
Textbook centers, none seem to exist this season, are becoming as rare as a #Dimorat politician criticizing social-distancing violations by protesters/rioters. Regal recruit Dereck Lively II, hampered by back ailment, had a less-than-sterling opening outing with Duke (4 points/2 rebounds/2 blocks in 14 minutes vs. USC Upstate) last year and wound up struggling most of campaign. Time will tell if Gonzaga's Chet Holmgren (14 points/13 rebounds/6 assists/7 blocked shots in debut vs. Dixie State) two years ago eventually deserves to be included among the premier pivotmen in college basketball history. Three years ago, Memphis celebrated center James Wiseman collected 28 points and 11 rebounds in debut vs. South Carolina State. Wiseman's brief three-game stint before declaring pro and signing with an agent didn't help build his case. He already was impacted by a 12-game NCAA suspension due to booster payment covering moving expenses from Nashville (especially when benefactor was current Tigers coach Penny Hardaway). After Wiseman's exit, USC's Evan Mobley was projected to emerge as the nation's premier big man in 2020-21. Mobley contributed 21 points/9 rebound/3 blocked shots in his debut against California Baptist. By almost any measure, centers in the last 50 years other than Kentucky's Anthony Davis don't seem to be anywhere close to duplicating feats luminaries Lew Alcindor, Wilt Chamberlain, Artis Gilmore, Bob Lanier, Jerry Lucas, Bill Russell and Bill Walton achieved in their initial varsity campaigns.
Similar to Navy's David Robinson in 1983-84, Connecticut's Andre Drummond was scoreless in his season debut in 2011-12 against Columbia. In a forgettable debut, Wake Forest's Tim Duncan was also scoreless in a season-opening loss to NCAA Division II Alaska-Anchorage in 1993-94 before rebounding with a 12-point, 12-rebound performance in his next outing against Hawaii. Reigning national player of year Zach Edey (Purdue) had a freshman campaign comparable to Robinson, Duncan and Hakeem Olajuwon (Houston) as they all averaged fewer than 10 ppg.
Alcindor (77: 56 points/21 rebounds) and Chamberlain (83: 52 points/31 rebounds) each totaled more points and rebounds in their college game debut than Drummond, Duncan, Patrick Ewing, Nerlens Noel, Hakeem Olajuwon, Shaquille O'Neal, Robinson and Ralph Sampson amassed collectively. Following is a look at how many of the premier centers in history fared in their varsity debut against a major college and summary of their first season of NCAA Division I competition:
| Celebrated Center | School | First Varsity Season | Debut Game | PPG | RPG | W-L Mark |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zach Edey | Purdue | 2020-21 | 19 points/5 rebounds | 8.7 | 4.4 | 18-10 |
| DeAndre Ayton | Arizona | 2017-18 | 19 points/12 rebounds/3 blocks | 20.1 | 11.6 | 27-8 |
| Mohamed Bamba | Texas | 2017-18 | 15 points/8 rebounds/4 blocks | 12.9 | 10.5 | 19-15 |
| Karl-Anthony Towns | Kentucky | 2014-15 | 8 points/8 rebounds | 10.3 | 6.7 | 38-1 |
| Jahlil Okafor | Duke | 2014-15 | 19 points/6 rebounds | 17.3 | 8.5 | 35-4 |
| Nerlens Noel | Kentucky | 2012-13 | 4 points/9 rebounds | 10.5 | 9.5 | 21-12 |
| Anthony Davis | Kentucky | 2011-12 | 23 points/10 rebounds | 14.2 | 10.4 | 38-2 |
| Greg Oden | Ohio State | 2006-07 | 14 points/10 rebounds | 15.7 | 9.6 | 35-4 |
| Tim Duncan | Wake Forest | 1993-94 | 12 points/12 rebounds | 9.8 | 9.6 | 21-12 |
| Shaquille O'Neal | Louisiana State | 1989-90 | 10 points/5 rebounds | 13.9 | 12.0 | 23-9 |
| Alonzo Mourning | Georgetown | 1988-89 | 10 points/10 rebounds | 13.1 | 7.3 | 29-5 |
| David Robinson | Navy | 1983-84 | scoreless/1 rebound | 7.6 | 4.0 | 24-8 |
| Hakeem Olajuwon | Houston | 1981-82 | 2 points/0 rebounds | 8.3 | 6.5 | 25-8 |
| Patrick Ewing | Georgetown | 1981-82 | 7 points/4 rebounds | 12.7 | 8.5 | 30-7 |
| Ralph Sampson | Virginia | 1979-80 | 4 points/6 rebounds | 14.9 | 11.2 | 24-10 |
| *Bill Walton | UCLA | 1971-72 | 19 points/14 rebounds | 21.1 | 15.5 | 29-1 |
| **Artis Gilmore | Jacksonville | 1969-70 | 35 points/18 rebounds | 26.5 | 22.2 | 17-7 |
| *Bob Lanier | St. Bonaventure | 1967-68 | 23 points/17 rebounds | 26.2 | 15.6 | 23-2 |
| *Lew Alcindor | UCLA | 1966-67 | 56 points/21 rebounds | 29.0 | 15.5 | 30-0 |
| *Jerry Lucas | Ohio State | 1959-60 | 16 points/28 rebounds | 26.3 | 16.3 | 25-3 |
| *Wilt Chamberlain | Kansas | 1956-57 | 52 points/31 rebounds | 29.6 | 18.9 | 24-3 |
| *Bill Russell | San Francisco | 1953-54 | 16 points/17 rebounds | 19.9 | 19.2 | 14-7 |
*Sophomore classification.
**Junior classification after attending junior college.