Campbell's Chris Clemons (30 ppg) cruised to national scoring title this past campaign by three points. But the Camels' gifted guard isn't among the most dominant point producers in NCAA history. Two years ago, he finished runner-up to Central Michigan guard Marcus Keene (30 ppg) when he became the first Mid-American Conference player since Bowling Green guard Howard Komives (36.7 in 1963-64) to lead the nation in scoring.

Keene, the most dominant scorer in single season thus far in 21st Century, is only the eighth different individual to pace the country by more than 4.8 ppg in scoring average in the first 72 campaigns since the NCAA began tracking this category in the late 1940s. His entry into the NBA draft as an undergraduate squandered an opportunity to emerge as the only dominating point producer in this select company other than all-time leading scorer Pete Maravich (three of six widest margins with LSU from 1967-68 through 1969-70) to make the following list more than once:

Some gave all as we contemplate honoring authentic heroes with the 75th anniversary of D-Day on the horizon. The fallen didn't have to worry about manipulation of waiting lists and receiving proper medical care from the VA because they didn't make it back home alive. Unless you're an inferiority-complex coward comparable to BSNBC up-tight host Chris Hayes uncomfortable with calling fallen military "heroes", hoops aficionado/despicable NOKO despot Kim Jong Un or presstitute-promoted #ShrillaryRotten telling lies in front of caskets at Air Force base, a Memorial Day weekend generates sobering reminders of what is really important to our freedom. College basketball ultimate-sacrifice contributions are aplenty, magnified in first-class significance when compared to low-class scheming by FBI/CIA/DOJ upper brass. Who do you really believe the memorialized specifically and military in general would and do support more - pushy President Trump or pussy press infested by jet-lagged #CNNSucks, "dynastic" dolts at MSNBC fawning over "Weissmann" Report, #Dimorats dumpster diving with fossil John Dean and weepy Obama lackey "dude" Ben Rhodes on election night?

While Baylor's football program became Animal House, the school's basketball roster developed a reputation the past several seasons for having some "soft" players who played with the fervor of a man holding his female companion's purse at the mall much of a shopping excursion afternoon. But Baylor is believed to be the only non-service academy in America to have two former athletes go on to win the Congressional Medal of Honor. Both men, Jack Lummus and John "Killer" Kane, earned the nation's highest military honor for heroics in World War II. Lummus played football, basketball and baseball for the Bears from 1938 through 1941. He was an All-Southwest Conference center fielder before signing with the NFL's New York Giants.

After one year of pro football, Lummus joined the U.S. Marines and was a platoon leader in the initial days of fighting on Iwo Jima. While leading a charge on enemy positions, Lummus stepped on a land mine and lost both legs. Despite heavy bleeding, he led his platoon to knock out several pockets of Japanese fire, a vital part of the U.S. victory. Alas, Lummus died of his wounds shortly after the battle.

Kane, who also played football and basketball, was one of the survivors on Baylor's ill-fated 1927 basketball squad that lost 10 of its 21-member traveling party in a bus-train wreck en route to Austin, Tex. As a result of the "Immortal Ten" tragedy, the remainder of the first of coach Ralph Wolf's 15 seasons was cancelled, and the first highway overpass in Texas was constructed.

Kane joined the Army Air Corps in 1932 and soon became a bomber commander of legendary proportions. It was said he was the best pilot and toughest commander in the Air Corps. It was often debated who feared him more - the Germans or his own men.

On August 1, 1943, Kane led what at the time was the deadliest air battle in history - a low-level, long-range bombing raid on Hitler's oil-refining complex in Rumania. The site produced a major portion of the Axis' fuel and was one of the most heavily-guarded locations in history.

Letting freedom ring amid bugle playing of "Taps," the heroism exhibited by ex-hoopers doesn't stop there. Al Brown, Creighton's leading scorer in 1925-26, survived the infamous Bataan Death March in the Philippines. Glenn Wilson, captain of Dartmouth's 18-7 team in 1954-55 when averaging around 11 ppg for the third straight season, joined the Air Force, where he served as a fighter pilot and flight instructor during the Cold War and Vietnam War. Wilson was shot down over North Vietnam and taken prisoner in early August 1967. As a POW, he spent 2,047 days in captivity and was tortured repeatedly until his release in early March 1973 as part of Operation Homecoming. More recently, Eric "Nasty Zasty" Zastoupil (2.5 ppg and 1.7 rpg for Army from 2006-07 through 2009-10) was on foot patrol in Kandahar, Afghanistan, in mid-August 2012 when an IED explosion blew off lower half of First Lieutenant's left leg. Amid "Taps" playing in the background and issuing kudos to research by baseballsgreatestsacrifice.com, ex-players warranting we-regret-to-inform-you salutes during Memorial Day weekend for making the supreme sacrifice include:

• All 11 regulars on Pittsburgh's 1941 Final Four team participated in World War II and one of them, guard Bob Artman, was killed in action.

• Kentucky players who competed multiple years for the Wildcats before they were killed during WWII included Mel Brewer (Army Second Lieutenant/died in France), Ken England (Army Captain of ski troop/Italy), James Goforth (Marine First Lieutenant/Marshall Islands) and Jim King (Army Second Lieutenant and co-pilot/Germany). Brewer, England and King were three of the top seven scorers for UK's first NCAA Tournament and Final Four team in 1942.

• Bart Avery, an Alabama letterman in 1942 and 1943, was killed in action on April 6, 1945, as a newly-promoted Captain aiding final push against the Germans.

• Gene Berger, a Syracuse letterman from 1939-40 through 1941-42, was killed in 1961 during flight maneuvers in the Pacific after taking off from the USS Lexington aircraft carrier. He was a Commander in the U.S. Navy and a Naval aviator.

• Archie Buckley, letterman from 1928 to 1930 as a Washington State forward, was a Lieutenant in charge of physical conditioning of Navy pilots aboard the USS Saratoga aircraft carrier on February 21, 1945, when he was among 123 crew members dead or missing after five Kamikaze bomb hits.

• Young Bussey, a letterman for LSU in the late 1930s, participated in numerous landing assaults in the South Pacific during WWII before dying as head beach-master in early January 1945 in the Philippines.

• Bob "Ace" Calkins, UCLA's top scorer in the late 1930s before Jackie Robinson arrived, was navigator on an airplane ("The Flying Fortress") gunned down during WWII. He later died in an Italian prison camp from wounds suffered in the crash.

• John Campbell, a four-year hooper for Dickinson (Pa.), was a Second Lieutenant who failed to return from Army Air Corps sea sweep mission off northeastern Tunisia in late March 1943.

• Edward Christl, a center and Army team captain for the Cadets' unbeaten squad in 1944, was a First Lieutenant during WWII the next year when he was killed in action. Army's arena is named after him.

• Bill Coleman, a Georgia Tech letterman in 1909, was in the Army in 1918 when he perished in plane crash in France during WWI.

• Joe Comer, captain of George Washington's 1940-41 squad, was an Army Lieutenant two years later when he died in a military plane crash.

• Andy Curlee, Auburn's captain in late 1930s, died on April 6, 1943, when the First Lieutenant was leading his squadron in Tunisia.

• Francis "Reds" Daly, a Georgetown letterman from 1938 through 1940, served as a Major in U.S. Marines and as battalion commander was killed in action during the Battle of Iwo Jima on February 22, 1945.

• George Davison, a Washington State letterman in 1943, was a Second Lieutenant on March 18, 1945, when he was killed in action while his infantry regiment was attacking German Siegfried Line positions south of Zweibrucken.

• Jack Dean, a starting forward as freshman for DePaul's 1944 NIT runner-up was assigned to the ill-fated USS Indianapolis, which was sunk by a Japanese submarine and suffered the greatest single loss of life at sea in the history of the U.S. Navy. Out of 1,196 men on board, almost 300 went down with the vessel in late July 1945. The remaining 900 or so men were left floating in shark-infested waters with no lifeboats and most with no food or water. Dean reportedly survived for about 2 1/2 days in the ocean before succumbing.

• Colorado A&M's Lewis "Dude" Dent, voted the best all-around athlete in the Mountain States Conference in 1943, was an Army Lieutenant among forward observers giving firing coordinates on the radio when killed in action in France in August 1944.

• Edward Drake, who played for Rutgers in 1929-30, died on December 21, 1943, in a plane crash over the Mediterranean Sea shortly after his promotion to Major.

• Bob Duffey, a backup swingman for Georgetown's 1943 NCAA Tournament runner-up, was killed on November 13, 1944, in European theater combat. Teammate Lloyd Potolicchio, who matched DePaul legend George Mikan's 11-point output in the 1943 national semifinals when the Hoyas eliminated the Blue Demons before bowing to Wyoming in title tilt, joined the Air Force. Potolicchio was boom operator Master Sergeant when killed in a refueling mission on January 17, 1966, in a B-52 crash off the coast of southern Spain. His KC-135 tanker was completely destroyed when its fuel load ignited, resulting in the B-52G breaking apart with B28RI hydrogen weapons falling to earth and plutonium contamination occurring near the fishing village of Palomares. In March 2009, Time magazine identified the Palomares accident as one of the world's "worst nuclear disasters."

• Texas' Pete Edmond died on October 11, 1918, charging a German machine-gun position in the Battle of the Argonne Forest, one of the bloodiest campaigns in the history of American warfare.

• Second Lieutenant John Eggleton (Alfred NY) was an Army platoon leader on December 11, 1942, when he died while engaging German tanks and artillery on road outside Tunis in North Africa.

• Charles "Herb" Fash averaged 7.2 ppg for Saint Louis from 1933-34 through 1935-36. On January 21, 1945, the Lieutenant was one of 52 sailors killed when a torpedo bomber, returning from a South Pacific sortie, made a routine landing on the USS Hancock, taxied and disintegrated in an explosion as one of its 500-pound bombs detonated on the aircraft carrier.

• Bob Fischer, letterman in 1941 and 1942 as a Notre Dame guard, was serving with an Army squadron on November 17, 1944, when he was killed while bailing out of his fighter plane as it went down in flames over Italy.

• William Gamber, a hooper for Tri-State (Ind.), was a pilot who died with three aspiring Army Air Corps fliers on November 18, 1942, on a routine training mission after leaving Mather Field in Sacramento. In 1947, it was determined their plane crashed hundreds of miles off course into 13,841-foot-high Mount Darwin in Kings Canyon National Park after a hiker initially discovered some of the wreckage on a glacier. Sixty-three years later, climbers discovered his body entombed in ice.

• Bob Gary, captain for Washington & Lee (Va.), was a navigator on a routine training flight in early February 1944 when his bomber crashed Southeast of El Paso.

• Montana State's Cyrus Gatton, a pilot with the 11th Aero Squadron, was killed in action in Europe the first week in November 1918, a week before the Armistice was signed ending World War I.

• James Gillespie, Georgia letterman in 1939, served in the Navy when killed in action.

• Eddie Grant, who played basketball for Harvard at the turn of the 20th Century before becoming an infielder for 10 years in the majors, died from shelling on October 5, 1918, in the Argonne Forest, France, during WWI while in charge of his battalion after his commanding officer was killed.

• Frank Haggerty, St. John's senior co-captain in 1939-40 who averaged 5 points per game in his three-year career under legendary coach Joe Lapchick, was a Second Lieutenant in Air Force. Haggerty was killed instantly on training mission in fall of 1942 when his plane crashed into the Catawba River in Charlotte area.

• Frank Hill, a Clemson letterman in 1942 and 1943, was an Army First Lieutenant killed in action in Germany on April 10, 1945.

• Henry "Red" Hinkley, a letterman for Southern Illinois from 1940-41 through 1942-43, was fighting with U.S. Army at an island near New Guinea, sought for its strategic location to refuel aircraft, when killed by machine gun fire on June 7, 1944.

• Ernie Holbrook was a three-year letterman as USC forward and hero of 1935 PCC playoff series against Oregon State. He died in mid-December 1944 during opening salvos of the Ardennes offensive in Luxembourg during the Battle of the Bulge.

• Bob Holmes was a forward who helped guide Central Methodist (Mo.) to MCAU title in 1942-43. In the Marines invasion of Iwo Jima in mid-February 1945, he was mortally wounded while spraying the enemy with machine gun fire. Holmes subsequently was buried at sea.

• Thomas P. Hunter, a three-year letterman who was a sophomore member of Kansas' 1940 runner-up, was killed in action against the Japanese on Guam, July 21, 1944, while fighting with the Ninth Marines as a First Lieutenant. Hunter was elected posthumously as captain of the Jayhawks' 1945-46 squad that compiled a 19-2 record.

• Track star Jack Kelleher, who briefly played hoops for Washington State's 1941 NCAA Tournament runner-up, died in mid-September 1944 from wounds the Infantryman incurred in France in an assault of Germany's Siegfried Line.

• Nile Kinnick, Iowa's Heisman Trophy winner as a quarterback-halfback in 1939, played basketball for the Hawkeyes during his sophomore year, averaging 6.1 ppg to finish as their second-leading scorer. After bypassing pro football to attend law school, he was killed in a plane crash on June 2, 1943, on a routine training flight from the aircraft carrier USS Lexington off the coast of Venezuela while serving in the Navy. Kinnick's body never was recovered after his attempt to land in the water following a serious oil leak.

• George Lenc, a four-year letterman for Augustana (Ill.) in the late 1930s, was completing his cadet training as a bombardier and navigator in mid-November 1942 when his bomber crashed near Pasco, Wash.

• Felix Little, a player for Catawba (N.C.) in the late 1930s, was a Navy bomber pilot among nine crew and passengers who perished when a port engine exploded and plane crashed while leaving runway.

• Si Lobello, LIU's leading scorer for 1941 NIT titlist, served in the U.S. Army in the European Theater during WWII. He went missing during the Battle of the Bulge in early March 1945 and was later found to be killed in action.

• James Loenshal, a Dickinson (Pa.) hooper, was co-pilot on a mission to bomb an oil refinery near Vienna when the Lieutenant in Army Air Force's aircraft disintegrated in mid-air upon receiving a direct hit from enemy anti-aircraft artillery.

• Walter "Whitey" Loos, an EIBC honorable mention selection as a Carnegie Tech (Pa.) center, died as a navigator in a B-24 plane crash in Brazil in mid-January 1944 on the final leg of a journey to Europe.

• Harry Martin, who played for Syracuse in 1916-17, was killed in 1923 when his plane crashed during takeoff at Kelly Field, Tex. Lieutenant and Army aviator served in the AEF in France during WWI.

• Center Bill Menke, the third-leading scorer for Indiana's 1940 NCAA champion who supplied a team-high 10 points in the Hoosiers' national semifinal victory over Duquesne, later became a Navy pilot and served in World War II. In January 1945, he was declared missing in action (and presumed dead) when he didn't return from a flight in the Caribbean.

• John Messina, a member of coach Frank Keaney's innovative fast-break system at Rhode Island State in the mid-1930s, was a paratrooper when killed on July 13, 1943, during the invasion of Sicily.

• Joe Minsavage appeared in 12 games for Syracuse before joining the Navy. On June 19, 1943, he was on board the Henry Knox in the Indian Ocean when it was torpedoed by a Japanese ship. He was lost at sea.

• Bob Morris, who averaged 6.5 ppg for Gettysburg in 1964-65, was killed in March of 1972 when U.S. Air Force captain's plane crashed in northeast Spain.

• Harry Mosher, who led Hartwick NY with 23.2 ppg in 1964-65, was a 2nd Lieutenant in U.S. Army in early February 1968 when killed in Vietnam during the Tet Offensive.

• Dick "Hook" Nein, who played for Navy in 1950-51, was a Lieutenant upon perishing on routine gunnery mission when his F86 crashed on November 8, 1954, as student pilot flew from Nellis AFB in Nevada.

• Army Air Force Lieutenant Ralph Nutter, who played for McNeese State's first basketball team when the school was a junior college, died in a plane crash in June 1943.

• Mortimer "Whitey" O'Connell, who played a couple of seasons for Rutgers in the early 1930s, died on March 15, 1945, in a hospital in France.

• Kenneth Omley, who played for Rutgers in the late 1930s and early 1940s, died while in England on November 25, 1944, as a result of wounds received in a plane crash.

• Harry "Porky" O'Neill paced Gettysburg (Pa.) to two Eastern Pennsylvania Conference championships in the late 1930s and caught one game for the Philadelphia Athletics in 1939. After surviving the worst of the horrific fighting at Iwo Jima, the Marine first lieutenant was killed instantly on March 6, 1945, by a sniper's bullet piercing his throat and severing his spinal cord as he prepared to bed down on a starlit night. Gettysburg teammate Gerst Buyer, a First Lieutenant, had died on May 25, 1944, in Italy amid heavy Armored Division tank losses.

• First Lieutenant Jim O'Sullivan (Bates ME) was killed in action in the South Pacific on April 3, 1943, when Marine pilot crash landed at Guadalcanal after returning from a task force coverage mission.

• Captain Scott Pace, who played for Army in 2002-03, died in Afghanistan on June 6, 2012, when the helicopter he was piloting on patrol crashed after riddled by Taliban machine-gun fire.

• Charles "Stubbie" Pearson, captain of Dartmouth's 1942 national runner-up and valedictorian of his class the same year, was killed in action on March 30, 1945, while dive-bombing a Japanese ship off the Palau Islands. Pearson, who also served as captain of the school's football squad, was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.

• Clyde Pennington, a Clemson letterman in 1935 and 1936, was an Army First Lieutenant who died in a non-battle accident in North Africa on July 23, 1943.

• Four-sport letterman Tommy Peters, who averaged 17.5 ppg to lead the Southern Conference in scoring in 1942-43, died during WWII after only one season with Davidson.

• San Diego State's Milton "Milky" Phelps, the NAIA Tournament's first bona fide standout when he sparked the Aztecs to the 1941 title after two runner-up finishes, gave his life for his country during WWII in the crash of a Navy torpedo bomber.

• Curtis Popham, Texas' co-captain in 1943, was killed during WWII.

• Les Powell, who averaged 11.1 ppg and 6.1 rpg for Utah State in 1965-66 and 1966-67, was a Corporal killed in action in Vietnam by a land mine in April 1969.

• Charles Richardson, a three-year letterman for Gettysburg PA from 1963-64 through 1965-66, was a First Lieutenant piloting a Cessna Super Skymaster that crashed in South Vietnam on October 8, 1968. He was with a psychological air unit equipped with a loudspeaker used to urge Viet Cong and North Vietnamese troops to defect.

• Robert Roach, a member of Omaha's squad before entering the military, was a Second Lieutenant in the Army Air Forces in July 1945 when he died in the crash of his plane in Arizona, where he was an instructor.

• Foy Roberson Jr., a three-year letterman for North Carolina from 1938 through 1940, was killed in a collision at sea on December 21, 1941, while Second Lieutenant in Army Air Corps piloted a military aircraft.

• Jim Robertson was an All-Northwest Conference selection for Willamette (Ore.) in 1941-42. The Marine Corps airman's bomber, damaged by Japanese anti-aircraft fire in the South Pacific, overshot an island runway attempting a landing in heavy rain and crashed into a lagoon.

• Glenn Sanford, who enrolled at Hillsdale (Mich.) in the late 1930s, was an Army Second Lieutenant stationed in Oakland area in early November 1943 when his plane spiraled into the ocean on a routine patrol along the coast.

• James Scondras, a Holy Cross letterman in 1941 and 1942, was a First Lieutenant in U.S. Marines when killed by Japanese mortar fire on February 25, 1945, during the Battle of Iwo Jima.

• Don Scott, who made a free throw for Ohio State's national runner-up in inaugural NCAA Tournament championship contest in 1939, died on October 1, 1943, when U.S. Army Air Forces captain's B-26 Marauder bomber crashed in England while in training after football All-American halfback already completed nine bombing missions during WWII.

• Wilmeth Sidat-Singh, Syracuse's first African-American athlete in the late 1930s, became a fighter pilot in unit known as the Tuskegee Airmen. On May 9, 1943, Sidat-Singh was on a training run over Lake Huron when he radioed his engine was on fire. He ejected from the plane but, upon striking the water, Sidat-Singh's parachute pulled him down and caused drowning.

• Eber Simpson, who played for Army in 1941-42 and 1942-43, was the son of an Army Colonel who followed in his father's footsteps, serving in the Air Corps flying 102 missions and 193 sorties in the European Theater. Still in the service in mid-September 1946, he was returning home to Eau Claire, Wis., when his flight was grounded due to bad weather. Following a delay, the plane was cleared to depart but crashed shortly after takeoff, killing Captain Simpson and the four other men on board.

• Carleton (MN) forward Wayne Sparks, a "Little All-American" in 1936-37, died in a bomber crash during WWII.

• Len Supulski, a standout end who also played basketball for Dickinson (Pa.), died in the crash of a B-17 bomber during a routine Army Air Corps training flight near Kearney, Neb., in late August 1943.

• Charles Taggart, who played in 39 games for Syracuse in the early 1930s, was in the Navy on board the USS Frederick C. Davis on April 24, 1945, when the destroyer escort was torpedoed by a German U-boat.

• Burton "Stretch" Thomson, a 6-6 letterman for Iowa State in 1936 and 1937, was an Army Captain in early 1942 when the Japanese captured Corregidor in the Philippines. In mid-May, he was bound after traitorous sergeant in his unit betrayed him to the enemy, taken to a remote area and executed. His remains were recovered in 1946.

• Ed Tuttle, a forward for Lenior-Rhyne (N.C.), was an Air Cadet in the spring of 1942 when his plane collided head-on with another during training in Florida.

• Jimmy Walker was an All-SEC Tournament selection in 1934 and 1935 as an Alabama forward. While on duty as first lieutenant with the Navy, he was seriously wounded in an accident and died on December 22, 1943, in Brazil.

• Four-time All-MCAU forward Eugene "Peaches" Westover, class of '38 for Drury (MO), was killed December 12, 1944, at the Battle of the Bulge while private first class served in Armored Division.

• Claude Whitney, an Indiana letterman in 1910 and 1911, was killed during World War I.

• W.C. Williams, a Clemson letterman in 1940, was an Army Air Corps Major who died while piloting personnel on a ferrying mission in a plane accident in Alaska's Aleutian Islands on August 29, 1944.

• Billy Wohn, a guard for Rice in 1952-53, died in a plane accident in August 1953 while on active duty in the Naval ROTC.

• Henry Woodward, a Clemson letterman from 1933 through 1935, was an Army Major killed in non-battle jeep accident on the Pennsylvania turnpike during maneuvers late in 1943.

• Gene Wright played for Georgia Tech in 1943-44 before he was called into the Navy between the regular season and SEC Tournament. He died months later on Utah Beach in the D-Day invasion on June 6, 1944.

• Gene Ziesel, who also played football for Creighton, was the co-pilot on a bomber shot down by the Germans at high altitude on January 11, 1943, over Italy. Previously, he was a POW in Turkey after his plane was grounded there, but this time he did not survive.

Numerous standout players had their college playing careers sidetracked by WWII. Following is a list of All-Americans who had their college days interrupted in the mid-1940s while serving in the U.S. Armed Forces:

Air Force - Charles Black (Kansas) and Jack Parkinson (Kentucky).

Army - Don Barksdale (UCLA), Lew Beck (Oregon State), A.L. Bennett (Oklahoma A&M), Gale Bishop (Washington State), Vince Boryla (Notre Dame/Denver), Harry Boykoff (St. John's), Bob Brannum (Kentucky), Arnie Ferrin (Utah), Alex Groza (Kentucky), Ralph Hamilton (Indiana), Walt Kirk (Illinois), Allie Paine (Oklahoma), Don Rehfeldt (Wisconsin), Jack Smiley (Illinois), Odie Spears (Western Kentucky) and Gerry Tucker (Oklahoma).

Marine Corps - Aud Brindley (Dartmouth), John Hargis (Texas), Mickey Marty (Loras), Andy Phillip (Illinois), Gene Rock (southern California) and Kenny Sailors (Wyoming).

Navy - Bobby Cook (Wisconsin), Howie Dallmar (Stanford/Penn), Dick Dickey (North Carolina State), Bob Faught (Notre Dame), Harold Gensichen (Western Michigan), Wyndol Gray (Bowling Green State), Hal Haskins (Hamline), Leo Klier (Notre Dame), Dick McGuire (St. John's) and John Oldham (Western Kentucky).

In an incredible achievement, Phillip and Tucker returned to first-team All-American status in 1946-47 after missing three seasons while serving in the military. Black and Sailors also returned to All-American acclaim after missing two seasons. Meanwhile, Whitey Skoog served in the U.S. Navy before becoming a three-time All-American with Minnesota in the late 1940s and early 1950s.

Gus Broberg, an aviator with the Marines after being named an NCAA consensus first-team All-American for Dartmouth in 1940 and 1941, lost his right arm in a plane crash. He went on to study law and become a respected judge in Florida. Eventual Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas Maurice Britt was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor after suffering numerous wounds, including one causing his right arm to be amputated. In an intense fire fight during WWII, Britt personally killed five and wounded an unknown number of Germans, wiped out one enemy machine gun crew, fired five clips of carbine and an undetermined amount of M1 rifle ammunition plus threw 32 fragmentation grenades.

Fallen heroes also emerged post-WWII. Don Holleder, who averaged 9.3 ppg as a junior and 6.8 ppg as a senior for Army in the mid-1950s, was a major during the Vietnam War in October, 1967, when he was killed by a sniper's bullet in an ambush 40 miles from Saigon as he hurled himself into enemy fire attempting to rescue wounded comrades. Three months earlier, Don Steinbrunner, who averaged 3.9 ppg for Washington State in 1951-52 before playing with the NFL's Cleveland Browns, was an Air Force navigator shot down and killed over Vietnam.

Proud Americans honor and remember after they went from the playing field to battlefield! For instance, former Dayton standout Bucky Buckhorn had older brothers killed in WWII and the Korean War. That's why right-thinking Americans are disgusted when a Demonrat-controlled Senate several years ago had time for signing a letter encouraging the NFL to have the Washington Redskins change their "bigoted" nickname but wasn't "big" enough or sufficiently honorable to prevent stalling of a three-page veterans health bill. Perpetually-perplexing petty political parasites, transitioning from Tear Down This Wall to Tear Down This Stall, may forget their "sacred obligation" similar to previous POTUS' lame emphasis on climate change rather than military salutes at a Coast Guard ceremony. However, the remainder of us will be "Rolling Thunder" and not forget genuine heroes while tolerating kneeling knuckleheads/social scholars in the NFL, petty politicians (#SickWillie, #ShrillaryRotten, Schmucky Schumer, #NannyPathetic, #MadMaxine, #ShiftySchiff, fake squaw Liz-lies-a-lotta War(whoop)ren, #AlBore, #BasementJoe, Governor Half-Whitmer, avowed socialist Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Know-Nothing "Biggest Loser" Nadler, et al), lame-stream #MessMedia misfits such as textbook "Meathead" Rob Reiner and humiliated heavyset Hollyweird heavyweight Harvey Swinestein plus putrid press like "hacked" Joy-less Reid more invested in denying #TheDonald any success than inching closer to world peace. If haggard Michael Moore is going to put his fine body on the line and God is on side of know-nothing naggers #MadMaxine and wacky "Get Out of My Butt" Whoopi, then this view is we'd be in deep spit if not for supreme sacrifices made by authentic heroes honored during Memorial Day celebration.

Only eight individuals have coached at least 14 All-Americans with one major college. Six years ago, Duke's Mike Krzyzewski broke a tie with Kentucky's Adolph Rupp and moved atop this list. This season, Coach K became the first with more than 30 after two freshmen were honored.

In one of the most overlooked achievements in NCAA history newest Champaign bench boss Brad Underwood should know about, Harry Combes amassed 16 different All-Americans in his first 19 of 20 seasons as Illinois' mentor from 1947-48 through 1966-67. No other coach accumulated more than 13 All-Americans in his first 20 campaigns with a single school - North Carolina's Dean Smith (13 in first 20 seasons), Indiana's Bob Knight (12), Krzyzewski (12), Rupp (12), Indiana's Branch McCracken (11), Arizona's Lute Olson (11), UCLA's John Wooden (10) and Syracuse's Jim Boeheim (eight) - until Bill Self bypassed them a couple of years ago. Recruiting the Chicago metropolitan area isn't a panacea for the struggling Illini, which should remember how 22 different major-college All-Americans in less than 30 years in an earlier era came from Illinois high schools located in towns featuring populations smaller than 20,000.

As a means of comparison, keep in mind inactive NCAA Division I national coaches of the year P.J. Carlesimo, Perry Clark, Tom Davis, Eddie Fogler, Jim Harrick, Marv Harshman, Clem Haskins, Maury John, Jim O'Brien, George Raveling, Charlie Spoonhour and Butch van Breda Kolff combined for 17 All-Americans in a cumulative 251 years coaching at the major-college level. Moreover, prominent active coaches Tommy Amaker, Mike Anderson, Randy Bennett, Brad Brownell, Mick Cronin, Ed DeChellis, Scott Drew, Travis Ford, Frank Haith, Jim Larranaga, Fran McCaffery, Bob McKillop, Dan Monson and Tubby Smith have combined for fewer All-Americans than both Combes and Self. John Calipari has collected 11 A-As in his first 10 campaigns with Kentucky. Indiana boasts two of the following eight coaches with the most different All-Americans at one university:

NOTE: Respected retired mentors Gale Catlett, Mike Deane, Bill Henderson, Shelby Metcalf, Stan Morrison, Bob Polk, Charlie Spoonhour and Ralph Willard never had an All-American despite at least 18 seasons coaching at the major-college level.

Patrick Ewing, who won more than 84% of his games with Georgetown the first half of the 1980s (121-23 record) assumed control of coaching position at his alma mater two years ago with an immensely impressive player pedigree as four-time All-American. But the odds are overwhelmingly against Ewing compiling a higher winning percentage as a bench boss than he did as premium player. He would need to supplant UCLA's John Wooden (.808) atop the coaching list in this category. Coincidentally, Wooden assembled the same winning percentage as an A-A player with Purdue as Ewing did for the Hoyas. As a means of comparison after already losing more games in DC as coach than as player, GU would need to win its next 119 contests under Ewing for him to exceed his winning percentage as a celebrated center.

Ewing and Jerry Stackhouse have more in common than experience being tested by "The Gold(en) Club Rules." The odds of succeeding on Vanderbilt's sideline on the heels of a winless SEC campaign in 2018-19 are even more remote for former North Carolina A-A Stackhouse, who has zero experience as head coach at the collegiate or NBA level. Ditto Juwan Howard (Michigan) at his alma mater coping with his Fab Five historical expectations and her bees buzzing about him being unqualified. They feature the same amount of head-coach seasoning that Penny Hardaway had when hired by his alma mater last season. But commercial comrade Lil' Penny could lounge in a Memphis Mafia sideline chair and assemble a better differential at Big Penny's alma mater than St. John's luminary Chris Mullin regarding winning percentage as a A-A player compared to coaching acumen. Mullin's winning percentage in his four seasons as coach of alma mater was 31.9% lower than as a player. Other All-Americans who posted significantly worst winning percentages as a DI coach than as a player include Sidney Moncrief (69.3% lower), Bo Ellis (67.1%), Juan Dixon (58%), Corliss Williamson (52.2%), Tony Yates (50.9%), Mark Macon (48.2%), Darrell Walker (47.9%), Clyde Drexler (46.6%), Butch Beard (45.7%), Isiah Thomas (44.8%), Monte Towe (44.6%), Henry Bibby (44.1%), Damon Stoudamire (39.8%), Jason Gardner (37.9%) and Donyell Marshall (35.9%).

Stackhouse and Howard, combining to win 80% of their college games as A-A selections, face an uphill battle as bench bosses resembling Hardaway's 31-point defeat with Tigers against Cincinnati in 1992 regional final. Indiana's Branch McCracken, who directed the Hoosiers to NCAA tourney titles in 1940 and 1953, is the only one of the first 62 All-Americans who became major-college mentors to compile a higher winning percentage as coach. Fewer than half of the following alphabetical list of All-American players posted winning career records as a DI mentor:

*Active coaches.

Extra! Extra! Read all about memorable major league baseball achievements and moments involving former college basketball players! Baseball is portrayed as a thinking man's game but only 4% of active MLB players earned college diplomas. Nonetheless, numerous ex-college hoopsters had front-row seats to many of the most notable games, transactions and dates in MLB history.

Former Duke basketball All-Americans Dick Groat and Billy Werber provided significant MLB performances on this date. Unless you habitually pore over the content at baseballlibrary.com, baseballreference.com and nationalpastime.com, following is a May 21 calendar focusing on such versatile MLB athletes:

MAY 21

• Toronto Blue Jays 2B Danny Ainge (three-time Brigham Young All-American and national basketball player of year as senior in 1980-81) stroked three hits and scored three runs against the Cleveland Indians in his MLB debut in 1979.

• LF Ethan Allen (Cincinnati hoops letterman in 1924-25 and 1925-26) traded by the Philadelphia Phillies to the Chicago Cubs in 1936.

• Seattle Mariners RHP Jim Beattie (Dartmouth's top rebounder in 1974-75 when selected team MVP and honorable mention All-Ivy League) notched his third victory in 11 days in 1980.

• Hall of Fame C Mickey Cochrane (Boston University hooper in early 1920s) clobbered three homers as a Philadelphia Athletics rookie in a 20-4 rout of the St. Louis Browns in 1925. Six years later, Cochrane collected five hits and four RBI against the Detroit Tigers in a 1931 contest.

• New York Giants 2B Pat Crawford (Davidson hoops captain in early 1920s) contributed two extra-base hits and four RBI for the second time in a 10-game span in 1930.

• Atlanta Braves 3B Darrell Evans (member of Jerry Tarkanian-coached Pasadena City CA club winning 1967 state community college crown) homered twice in a 1975 outing against the Montreal Expos.

• In 1962, Pittsburgh Pirates SS Dick Groat (two-time All-American with Duke in 1950-51 and 1951-52 when finishing among nation's top five scorers each season) went 4-for-4 against the Chicago Cubs in the midst of a career-high 15-game hitting streak.

• LHP Don Gross (Michigan State freshman hooper in 1949-50) permitted his lone run in first 10 relief appearances with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1958.

• San Diego Padres RF Tony Gwynn (All-WAC second-team selection with San Diego State in 1979-80 and 1980-81) went 4-for-4 against the Philadelphia Phillies en route to a N.L.-high 211 hits in 1986.

• New York Yankees LHP Steve Hamilton (Morehead State's leading scorer and rebounder in 1956-57 and 1957-58) registered a save by getting the last two outs to preserve a 2-0 shutout against the Washington Senators in 1970 after starter Mel Stottlemyre issued 11 walks.

• Cleveland Indians RHP Wynn Hawkins (Little All-American was all-time leading hoops scorer for Baldwin-Wallace OH upon graduation in 1957) hurled his lone MLB shutout (9-0 against Minnesota Twins in opener of 1961 twinbill).

• INF-OF Rick Herrscher (led SMU with 17.5 ppg in 1957-58 when he was an All-SWC first-team selection) shipped by the Milwaukee Braves to the New York Mets in 1962 to complete an earlier deal.

• Boston Red Sox C Duane Josephson (Northern Iowa's scoring leader in 1962-63 and 1963-64 under coach Norm Stewart) jacked two homers in an 8-4 victory against the Baltimore Orioles in 1971.

• Cincinnati Reds RF Danny Litwhiler (member of JV hoops squad with Bloomsburg PA in mid-1930s) smacked a pinch three-run homer to break a 6-6 deadlock against the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1950.

• CF Don Lock (led Wichita State in field-goal percentage in 1956-57 and 1957-58) ended an 18-inning marathon in 1967 when his two-out single gave the Philadelphia Phillies a 2-1 win against the Cincinnati Reds.

• San Francisco Giants LF Terrell Lowery (two-time All-WCC first-team selection and league-leading scorer for Loyola Marymount in 1990-91 and 1991-92) banged out five hits, including three doubles, in a 16-10 victory against the Milwaukee Brewers in 2000.

• Boston Red Sox 1B Ed Morgan (Tulane hoops letterman from 1923-24 through 1925-26) had five hits against the Chicago White Sox in a 1934 outing.

• Hall of Fame RHP Robin Roberts (Michigan State's second-leading scorer in 1945-46 and 1946-47) signed by Baltimore Orioles in 1962 after he was released by the New York Yankees.

• Brooklyn Dodgers INF Jackie Robinson (highest scoring average in Pacific Coast Conference both of his seasons with UCLA in 1939-40 and 1940-41) supplied six RBI in a 15-6 romp over the St. Louis Cardinals in 1949.

• Boston Red Sox 3B Billy Werber (first Duke hoops All-American in 1929-30) collected three stolen bases and scored four runs against the Chicago White Sox in a 1934 game.

• RHP Jim Wilson (hoops letterman for San Diego State's 1942 NAIA Tournament participant) traded by the Baltimore Orioles to the Chicago White Sox in 1956.

Was Big Ben a freshman phenom or flop? Three seasons ago, LSU's Ben Simmons was the first NCAA consensus All-American in 38 years (since Minnesota's Mychal Thompson and Portland State's Freeman Williams in 1978) to leave college after failing to appear in either of the two principal national postseason tournaments during their career. After previously occurring frequently, Army's Kevin Houston (1987) had been the last All-American of any type to miss the NCAA tourney and NIT. Houston, Thompson and Williams comprise three of 23 four-year players among all A-As in this dubious category. Thompson is among a total of 50 such players from Big Ten Conference members.

Simmons, unable to reach conference finals in his first two full NBA regular seasons, plus fellow All-Americans Kay Felder (Oakland) and Markelle Fultz (Washington freshman two years ago) might have made bigger names for themselves in college if they had participated in national postseason competition prior to declaring early for the NBA draft. Fultz, briefly a teammate of Simmons with the Philadelphia 76ers, became the 126th standout from a member of an existing power league (26 of them consensus) on the following alphabetical list of All-Americans, including Kevin Love's father (Stan Love/Oregon A-A in 1971), who never competed in the NCAA playoffs or NIT since the national-tourney events were introduced in the late 1930s:

No Postseason All-American	Position	School	Year(s) All-American
Alvan Adams	C	Oklahoma	1974 and 1975
Jim Ashmore	G	Mississippi State	1957
Chet Aubuchon	G	Michigan State	1940
*Don Barksdale	C	UCLA	1947
Leo Barnhorst	F-C-G	Notre Dame	1949
John Barr	G	Penn State	1941
*Walt Bellamy	C	Indiana	1961
Gale Bishop	F-C	Washington State	1943
Bruno Boin	F-C	Washington	1957
George BonSalle	C	Illinois	1957
Wally Borrevik	C	Oregon State	1944
*Vince Boryla	F-C	Notre Dame/Denver	1949
Fred Boyd	G	Oregon State	1972
*Frank Burgess	G	Gonzaga	1961
Jim Burns	G	Northwestern	1967
Lawrence Butler	G	Idaho State	1979
*Leo Byrd	F	Marshall	1959
Bob Calihan	C	Detroit	1939
Dan Callandrillo	G	Seton Hall	1982
Joe Capua	G	Wyoming	1956
Tom Chilton	F	East Tennessee State	1961
*Doug Collins	G	Illinois State	1973
Russ Critchfield	G	California	1967
Billy Cunningham	F	North Carolina	1964 and 1965
*Chuck Darling	C	Iowa	1952
A.W. Davis	F	Tennessee	1965
Charlie Davis	G	Wake Forest	1971
***Terry Dischinger	C-F	Purdue	1960 through 1962
Bill Ebben	F	Detroit	1957
Paul Ebert	C	Ohio State	1952 through 1954
Frank Ehmann	F	Northwestern	1955
Bob Faris	F	George Washington	1939
Bob Faught	C	Notre Dame	1942
Kay Felder	G	Oakland	2016
Ken Flower	G	Southern California	1953
**Darrell Floyd	G-F	Furman	1955 and 1956
*Chet Forte	G	Columbia	1957
Don Freeman	F	Illinois	1966
**Robin Freeman	G	Ohio State	1955 and 1956
Markelle Fultz	G	Washington	2017
Terry Furlow	F	Michigan State	1976
*Dave Gambee	F	Oregon State	1958
*Dick Garmaker	F	Minnesota	1954 and 1955
Bill Garrett	C	Indiana	1951
Ed Gayda	F	Washington State	1950
Harold Gensichen	F	Western Michigan	1943
Ralph "Toddy" Giannini	G	Santa Clara	1940
Joe Gibbon	F	Mississippi	1957
Chester "Chet" Giermak	C	William & Mary	1950
**Otto Graham	F	Northwestern	1943 and 1944
**Dick Groat	G	Duke	1951 and 1952
**Dale Hall	F	Army	1944 and 1945
*Ralph Hamilton	F	Indiana	1947
Bill Hanson	F-C	Washington	1962
Vince Hanson	C	Washington State	1945
Bill Hapac	F	Illinois	1940
Jules "Skip" Harlicka	G	South Carolina	1968
Jerry Harper	C-F	Alabama	1956
*Spencer Haywood	F-C	Detroit	1969
**Fred Hetzel	F-C	Davidson	1963 through 1965
Joe Hobbs	G	Florida	1958
Paul Hoffman	F-C	Purdue	1947
Kevin Houston	G	Army	1987
Frank Howard	C-F	Ohio State	1957
**Bailey Howell	F-C	Mississippi State	1958 and 1959
Lou Hudson	G-F	Minnesota	1965 and 1966
*Dick Ives	F	Iowa	1944 and 1945
*Chester "Chet" Jaworski	G	Rhode Island State	1939
Ron Johnson	C	Minnesota	1959 and 1960
Vinnie Johnson	G	Baylor	1979
Paul Judson	G	Illinois	1956
Rich Kelley	C	Stanford	1975
*Walt Kirk	G	Illinois	1945
**Leo Klier	F	Notre Dame	1944 and 1946
Ed Koffenberger	C-F	Duke	1946 and 1947
Tom Kondla	C	Minnesota	1967
Ron Kramer	C	Michigan	1957
Dennis "Mo" Layton	G	Southern California	1971
Kevin Loder	F	Alabama State	1981
Stan Love	C	Oregon	1971
Jeff Malone	G	Mississippi State	1983
John Mandic	C	Oregon State	1942
Julius McCoy	F	Michigan State	1956
Banks McFadden	C	Clemson	1939
George McGinnis	F	Indiana	1971
*Jim McIntyre	C	Minnesota	1948 and 1949
Mark McNamara	C	California	1982
Carl McNulty	C	Purdue	1952
Chuck Mencel	G	Minnesota	1953 and 1955
Mike Mitchell	F	Auburn	1978
*Bill Mlkvy	F	Temple	1951
**Glen Max Morris	C-F	Northwestern	1945 and 1946
Jack Murdock	G	Wake Forest	1957
Phillip "Red" Murrell	F	Drake	1958
Don Nelson	F-C	Iowa	1961 and 1962
*Johnny Neumann	F-G	Mississippi	1971
Paul Neumann	G	Stanford	1959
Albert "Ab" Nicholas	G	Wisconsin	1952
Don Ohl	G	Illinois	1958
Frank Oleynick	G	Seattle	1975
Dick O'Neal	C	Texas Christian	1957
Bernie Opper	G	Kentucky	1939
**Kevin O'Shea	G	Notre Dame	1947 through 1950
Robert Parish	C	Centenary	1974 through 1976
Roger Phegley	G-F	Bradley	1978
Ricky Pierce	F-G	Rice	1982
Lou Pucillo	G	North Carolina State	1959
Dave Quabius	G	Marquette	1939
Ray Ragelis	F-C	Northwestern	1951
Jimmy Rayl	G	Indiana	1962 and 1963
Bob Rensberger	G	Notre Dame	1943
John Richter	C	North Carolina State	1959
Bill Ridley	G	Illinois	1956
Eddie Riska	F	Notre Dame	1941
Flynn Robinson	G	Wyoming	1965
Mike Robinson	G	Michigan State	1974
Wil Robinson	G	West Virginia	1972
Gene Rock	F-G	Southern California	1943
Marshall Rogers	G	Pan American	1976
Joe Ruklick	C	Northwestern	1959
**Dave Schellhase	F	Purdue	1965 and 1966
Harv Schmidt	F	Illinois	1957
Dave Scholz	F	Illinois	1969
Danny Schultz	G	Tennessee	1964
**Frank Selvy	F	Furman	1952 through 1954
*George Senesky	F-G	St. Joseph's	1943
*Bill Sharman	G	Southern California	1950
Gene Shue	F	Maryland	1953 and 1954
*Ben Simmons	F-G	Louisiana State	2016
Gary Simmons	G	Idaho	1958
Ralph Simpson	F-G	Michigan State	1970
Meyer "Whitey" Skoog	F-G	Minnesota	1949 through 1951
Doug Smart	C-F	Washington	1957 through 1959
Chris Smith	C	Virginia Tech	1960
Don Smith	C	Iowa State	1968
Glen Smith	F	Utah	1952
Forrest "Frosty" Sprowl	F	Purdue	1942
Bill Stauffer	F-C	Missouri	1952
Terry Teagle	G-F	Baylor	1982
Gary Thompson	G	Iowa State	1957
**Mychal Thompson	F-C	Minnesota	1977 and 1978
Rudy Tomjanovich	F	Michigan	1969 and 1970
Gene Tormohlen	C	Tennessee	1959
Walt Torrence	G-F	UCLA	1959
John Townsend	F	Michigan	1938
Vic "Slick" Townsend	G-F	Oregon	1941
Dick Van Arsdale	F	Indiana	1965
Tom Van Arsdale	F	Indiana	1965
Ernie Vandeweghe	F	Colgate	1949
*Grady Wallace	F	South Carolina	1957
Lou Watson	F-G	Indiana	1950
Nick Werkman	F	Seton Hall	1963
Paul Westphal	G	Southern California	1971 and 1972
*Murray Wier	G-F	Iowa	1948
Richard "Buzz" Wilkinson	G	Virginia	1955
*Freeman Williams	G	Portland State	1977 and 1978
Max Williams	G	Southern Methodist	1960
Sam Williams	F	Iowa	1968
*Mark Workman	C	West Virginia	1951 and 1952
George Yardley	F	Stanford	1950
Rich Yunkus	C	Georgia Tech	1970 and 1971

*Number of times named an NCAA consensus All-American.

What the the odds that Virginia, after hit hard by undergraduate defectors, runs the risk of joining Stanford '42 and Michigan State '79 as the only defending NCAA champions compiling a losing record the next season? Following is a chronological list of reigning titlists suffering more than a dozen setbacks or posting a losing mark overall coming off a national crown:

NOTE: Everett Shelton-coached Wyoming '43 went 10-18 in 1944-45 after failing to field a team in 1943-44 during World War II.

Time will tell if it was worth the wait for hand-picked Belmont successor Casey Alexander after serving as an aide to Rick Byrd for 16 seasons (prior to six campaigns as bench boss of Lipscomb) plus coach-in-waiting Aaron McKie replacing Phil Martelli at St. Joseph's. Much is made of the struggles for an individual when succeeding a coaching legend such as active mentors as Purdue's Matt Painter (Gene Keady), Maryland's Mark Turgeon (Gary Williams) and Florida's Michael White (Billy Donovan). But only nine of the successors on the following list posted losing marks during their tenures compared to twice as many of the predecessors.

Syracuse, where Mike Hopkins previously was coach-in-waiting to replace Jim Boeheim, was likely the next example showing how celebrated coaches lay a solid foundation that can't possibly be messed up. But Hopkins got antsy waiting for Boeheim to finally hang 'em up and chose to become Washington's bench boss. Rick Pitino joined Gene Bartow, John Brady, Mike Davis, Bill Guthridge, Joe B. Hall, Dick Harp, Jack Kraft, Pete Newell, John Oldham and Lou Rossini as coaches who took teams from the same institution to the Final Four after replacing an icon.

While Alexander hopes some of Byrd's magic rubs off on him at Belmont, it's not all peaches and cream inheriting a stable program. Before guiding South Florida to the NCAA playoffs in 2012, Stan Heath compiled a modest 82-71 record with Arkansas in five seasons from 2002-03 through 2006-07 after succeeding Nolan Richardson. Richardson (389-169 mark with the Hogs from 1986-2002), John Beilein (278-150 with Michigan from 2008-19) and Steve Fisher (386-209 with San Diego State from 2002-17) and their successors didn't quite make the following list regarding the level of success for successors of legends who won more than 400 games for a single school:

*CCNY de-emphasized its program after the 1952-53 season.

NOTE: Olson formally announced his retirement less than a month before the 2008-09 season when the Wildcats compiled a 21-14 record under Russ Pennell.

Brandon Ingram (Kinston, NC) came close to becoming an All-American selection for Duke three years ago but fell short; especially following a 10-turnover outing at Louisville. A couple of years ago, Harry Giles (Winston-Salem, NC) was hyped as a freshman phenom but averaged an anemic 3.9 ppg and 3.8 rpg while contributing only nine assists in 26 games after incurring a knee injury. Neither Giles nor Ingram achieved a distinction generated by no other A-A in the school's illustrious history.

This season, South Carolina product Zion Williamson (born in NC) and Canadian R.J. Barrett became the 41st and 42nd different individual to become an All-American for Duke (31 under coach Mike Krzyzewski). Incredibly, none of them spent their formative years in any of North Carolina's 100 counties and can be counted as in-state recruits. It doesn't seem possible, but North Carolina laid a Blue Devils' goose egg while states such as Alaska, Connecticut, Louisiana, Montana, Oklahoma and Oregon also contributed to their list of All-Americans.

By contrast, the North Carolina Tar Heels had in-state talent account for multiple-year All-Americans such as Phil Ford, Antawn Jamison, Michael Jordan, Rashad McCants and James Worthy. The official web site of the State of North Carolina says the state is "a better place." But it hasn't been for Duke in regard to securing premium players prior to Ingram. Following is an alphabetical list detailing the hometowns of Duke's 42 All-Americans coming from 21 different states plus the District of Columbia and Canada:

Departing John Beilein (278 victories with Michigan) fell way short (comparable to group-think #MessMedia), but more than 40 current NCAA Division I schools feature all-time winningest coaches boasting in excess of 400 triumphs. The length of tenure necessary to win so many games makes it almost impossible to remember their predecessors. Anyone who can name 1/4 of the mentors they succeeded goes straight to the Trivia Hall of Fame.

Beilein's success with the Wolverines after current Harvard coach Tommy Amaker posted a 108-84 record in six seasons from 2001-02 through 2006-07 triggers a question as to what other individuals are completely overshadowed as successor to a coaching legend. Beilein combined with fellow record holders Phog Allen, Dale Brown, Gale Catlett, Denny Crum, Ed Diddle, Hec Edmundson, Jack Friel, Don Haskins, Lou Henson, Hank Iba, Frank Keaney, Bob Knight, Bob McKillop, Ray Meyer, Lute Olson, Alex Severance, Norm Stewart, Bob Thomason, John Thompson Jr., Gary Williams, John Wooden and Ned Wulk for more than 12,500 victories at their respective schools where they established new standards. Who would have thought such achievements were in store after their predecessors collaborated to go more than 300 games below .500 over a collective 100-plus seasons?

One of the predecessor names in particular should surprise you. Incredibly, the only one of Kansas' 10 head coaches with a career losing record is the inventor of the sport (Dr. James Naismith). Naismith is among the following coaches who were succeeded by individuals posting more than 400 wins to become the all-time winningest mentor at the same institution:

*Carnesecca succeeded Joe Lapchick when he served his first stint with St. John's from 1965-66 through 1969-70

Should I stay or should I go? It's a good thing universities play in mammoth arenas because the egos of their "Pompous Pilots" wouldn't fit any other place.

Much of the excess in the canonization of coaches is perpetuated by coaches-turned-television commentators who shamelessly fawn over their former colleagues. Instead, the analysts should be more concerned about encouraging mentors to spare fans the pious blather about school loyalty and the sanctity of a contract.

Granted, it's survival of the fittest amid the offer-you-can't-refuse backdrop. But in many instances, schools have been little more than convenient steppingstones for "larger-than-life" coaches along their one-way street to success. It's understandable in many instances why mercenaries are leaving the minute they're appointed because coaches are in a distasteful "hired-to-be-fired" vocation, where a pink slip is only one losing season or poor recruiting class away.

Nevertheless, it's a black eye on the sport when loyalty seems to have become too much of a one-way street. At times, it makes one wonder how the bench bosses can look themselves in the mirror. Five of Tulsa's six coaches in one stretch - Nolan Richardson, Tubby Smith, Steve Robinson, Bill Self and Buzz Peterson - abandoned ship for more prestigious positions despite each of them having at least three years remaining on their deals.

More than 70 different active coaches had at least three years remaining on their pacts when leaving for greener pastures. Recently-departed John Beilein (Michigan to Cleveland Cavaliers) is among the following alphabetical list of mentors departing three or four schools before their contracts expired:

• Steve Alford - three years remaining on contract when he left Southwest Missouri State for Iowa; four when left Iowa for New Mexico, and 10 when left New Mexico for UCLA

• John Beilein - six years remaining on contract when he left Richmond for West Virginia; five when left West Virginia for Michigan, and four when left Michigan for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

• Trent Johnson - five years remaining on contract when he left Nevada for Stanford; one when left Stanford for Louisiana State, and two when left LSU for Texas Christian

• Lon Kruger - four years remaining on contract when he left Kansas State for Florida; five when left Florida for Illinois; four when left Illinois for the Atlanta Hawks, and two when left UNLV for Oklahoma

• Cuonzo Martin - four years remaining on contract when he left Missouri State for Tennessee; two when left Tennessee for California, and four when left Cal for Missouri

• Ritchie McKay - two years remaining on contract when he left Portland State for Colorado State; four when left Colorado State for Oregon State, and four when left Oregon State for New Mexico

• Kevin O'Neill - three years remaining on contract when he left Marquette for Tennessee; four when left Tennessee for Northwestern, and two when left Northwestern for the New York Knicks (assistant)

• Buzz Peterson - nine years remaining on contract when he left Appalachian State for Tulsa; four when left Tulsa for Tennessee; two when left Coastal Carolina for the Charlotte Bobcats (director of player personnel), and four when left Appalachian State again for UNC Wilmington

• Bill Self - two years remaining on contract when he left Oral Roberts for Tulsa; five when left Tulsa for Illinois, and five when left Illinois for Kansas

• Tubby Smith - three years remaining on contract when he left Tulsa for Georgia; six when left Georgia for Kentucky; four when left Kentucky for Minnesota, and three when left Texas Tech for Memphis

• Mark Turgeon - two years remaining on contract when he left Jacksonville State for Wichita State; nine when left Wichita State for Texas A&M, and four when left Texas A&M for Maryland

Deal or no deal? The length of contracts doesn't seem to carry any weight as a factor in the equation as long as your brain cells or ethical standards don't put any stock into length of an existing pact. Following is an alphabetical list detailing coaches such as Beilein reportedly still having contractual obligations of more than five seasons when they left a school for greener pastures during their careers:

• Steve Alford (10 years remaining on contract) - left New Mexico (following 2012-13 season)/hired by UCLA
• Rick Barnes (6) - Clemson (1997-98)/Texas
• John Beilein (6) - Richmond (2001-02)/West Virginia
• Tony Bennett (6) - Washington State (2008-09)/Virginia
• Dave Bliss (6) - New Mexico (1998-99)/Baylor
• Mike Brey (7) - Delaware (1999-00)/Notre Dame
• John Calipari (10) - Massachusetts (1995-96)/New Jersey Nets
• Jeff Capel III (6) - Virginia Commonwealth (2005-06)/Oklahoma
• Tom Crean (9) - Marquette (2007-08)/Indiana
• Keith Dambrot (6) - Akron (2016-17)/Duquesne
• Kermit Davis (6) - Middle Tennessee State (2017-18)/Mississippi
• Jamie Dixon (7) - Pittsburgh (2015-16)/Texas Christian
• Matt Doherty (6) - Florida Atlantic (2005-06)/Southern Methodist
• Bryce Drew (7) - Valparaiso (2015-16)/Vanderbilt
• Larry Eustachy (6) - Utah State (1997-98)/Iowa State
• Dennis Felton (6) - Western Kentucky (2002-03)/Georgia
• Tim Floyd (6) - New Orleans (1993-94)/Iowa State
• Tim Floyd (8) - Iowa State (1997-98)/Chicago Bulls
• Travis Ford (7) - Massachusetts (2007-08)/Oklahoma State
• Billy Gillispie (8) - Texas A&M (2006-07)/Kentucky
• Brian Gregory (7) - Dayton (2010-11)/Georgia Tech
• Leonard Hamilton (7) - Miami (Fla.) (1999-00)/Washington Wizards
• Fred Hoiberg (8) - Iowa State (2014-15)/Chicago Bulls
• Chris Holtmann (8) - Butler (2016-17)/Ohio State
• Ben Howland (6) - Pittsburgh (2002-03)/UCLA
• Danny Hurley (6) - Rhode Island (2017-18)/Connecticut
• Jeff Lebo (8) - Chattanooga (2003-04)/Auburn
• Gregg Marshall (8) - Winthrop (2006-07)/Wichita State
• Thad Matta (9) - Xavier (2003-04)/Ohio State
• Fran McCaffery (7) - Siena (2009-10)/Iowa
• Sean Miller (9) - Xavier (2008-09)/Arizona
• Dan Monson (10) - Gonzaga (1998-99)/Minnesota
• Lute Olson (7) - Iowa (1982-83)/Arizona
• Buzz Peterson (9) - Appalachian State (1999-00)/Tulsa
• Skip Prosser (6) - Xavier (2000-01)/Wake Forest
• Oliver Purnell (6) - Clemson (2009-10)/DePaul
• Mike Rice Jr. (7) - Robert Morris (2009-10)/Rutgers
• Steve Robinson (7) - Tulsa (1996-97)/Florida State
• Kelvin Sampson (6) - Washington State (1993-94)/Oklahoma
• Shaka Smart (8) - Virginia Commonwealth (2014-15)/Texas
• Tubby Smith (6) - Georgia (1996-97)/Kentucky
• Mark Turgeon (9) - Wichita State (2006-07)/Texas A&M
• Brad Underwood (6) - Stephen F. Austin (2015-16)/Oklahoma State
• Will Wade (7) - Virginia Commonwealth (2016-17)/Louisiana State

Will John Beilein, who directed Michigan to Final Fours in 2013 and 2018, find out it's a star-crossed crossing over from college to the NBA (Cleveland Cavaliers)? Did he ask eventual successor Juwan Howard for his opinion on the lowly Cavs while serving as an assistant much of this decade with the Miami Heat? Will Beilein be more like Nebraska's Fred Hoiberg, who returned to his old college stomping grounds (previously with Iowa State) following a mediocre NBA stint with the Chicago Bulls, or a rarity such as Larry Brown. Just ask Detroit dumpster-diver director Dick Vitale if it takes more than a fresh or "pretty" face to make a successful transition. Only a handful of NBA coaches boast tenures as long as Beilein's new contract with the Cavs (five seasons). Brad Stevens, who guided Butler to back-to-back NCAA playoff championship games in 2010 and 2011, has a losing NBA playoff record with the Boston Celtics (27-29). Ditto Billy Donovan with the Oklahoma City Thunder (15-19) after piloting Florida to back-to-back NCAA titles in 2006 and 2007.

Brown, one of the first six men to be hired by an NBA team after winning an NCAA championship, is the only individual in this category to compile a winning NBA playoff record. Three other coaches directed teams to the NCAA Final Four and the NBA championship series - Jack Ramsay (St. Joseph's 1961 and Portland Trail Blazers 1977), Fred Schaus (West Virginia 1959 and the Los Angeles Lakers 1962, 1963, 1965, 1966) and Butch van Breda Kolff (Princeton 1965 and the Lakers 1968, 1969). Neither Ramsay (8-11) nor Schaus (6-7) finished their collegiate coaching careers with winning NCAA playoff records, however.

Only Phil Jackson and Pat Riley coached in and won more NBA playoff games than Brown. Following is an alphabetical list summarizing the NBA careers of Brown and 17 additional individuals who aligned with NBA franchises as head coaches (10 of them lasting fewer than four seasons in the pros) after guiding at least one college team to the Final Four:

*Feerick's NBA record includes one season with the Washington Capitols (1949-50) before he was named coach at Santa Clara.

NOTES: Jucker (Rollins), Julian (Dartmouth), Kruger (UNLV and Oklahoma), McGuire (South Carolina), Olsen (Northwestern), Pitino (Kentucky and Louisville), Schaus (Purdue), Tarkanian (Fresno State), van Breda Kolff (Lafayette and Hofstra) and Winter (Northwestern and Long Beach State) returned to college as head coaches after their stints in the NBA. . . . Ken Loeffler was coach of the St. Louis Bombers and Providence Steamrollers for three seasons (1946-47 through 1948-49) before directing La Salle to back-to-back Final Fours (1954 champion and 1955 runner-up). . . . Phil Woolpert, coach of San Francisco's back-to-back NCAA champions (1955 and 1956), coached the San Francisco Saints for one season in the old American Basketball League.