On This Date: Former College Hoopers Making Mark on July 3 MLB Games

July 1st, 2018 - 7:33

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 hoopers had front-row seats to many of the most notable games, transactions and dates in MLB history.

A couple of small-college players from Michigan - Roger Mason (Saginaw Valley State) and Jim Northrup (Alma) - made MLB news on this date. Unless you habitually pore over the content at baseballlibrary.com, baseballreference.com and nationalpastime.com, following is a July 3 calendar focusing on such versatile MLB athletes:

JULY 3

  • In 1960, LHP Ray Blemker (two-time All-SEC second-team guard led Georgia Tech in scoring each basketball season from 1956-57 through 1958-59) made his lone MLB appearance with the Kansas City Athletics.

  • Kansas City Athletics LF Bob Cerv (ranked fourth on Nebraska's career scoring list in 1949-50 when finishing his career) cracked a grand slam before P Herb Score settled down and fanned 14 in the Cleveland Indians' 8-4 triumph in 1959.

  • In 1994, the Cleveland Indians retired the uniform number of OF Larry Doby (reserve guard for Virginia Union's 1943 CIAA hoops titlist). Doby broke the A.L. color barrier in 1947.

  • Detroit Tigers 1B Darrell Evans (member of Jerry Tarkanian-coached Pasadena City CA club winning 1967 state community college crown) homered in third consecutive contest in 1986.

  • California Angels RHP Dave Frost (averaged 10.5 ppg and 4 rpg for Stanford from 1971-72 through 1973-74) tossed a four-hit shutout against the Oakland Athletics in 1979.

  • Cincinnati Reds 1B Harvey Hendrick (Vanderbilt hoops letterman in 1918) went 4-for-4 in a 4-2 win against the St. Louis Cardinals in 1932.

  • Cleveland Indians CF Kenny Lofton (Arizona's leader in steals for 1988 Final Four team compiling 35-3 record) went 4-for-4 against the Minnesota Twins in a 1994 game.

  • Boston Braves rookie CF Les Mann (Springfield MA hooper in 1913 and 1914) went 5-for-5 against the Brooklyn Superbas in a 1913 game.

  • RHP Roger Mason (multiple-year hoops letterman for Saginaw Valley State MI in late 1970s) traded by the San Diego Padres to the Philadelphia Phillies in 1993.

  • In the midst of smacking six homers in a six-game span in 1974, Detroit Tigers RF Jim Northrup (second-leading scorer and third-leading rebounder for Alma MI in 1958-59) deposited two balls over the outfield fence against the New York Yankees.

  • In 1956, Pittsburgh Pirates 2B Johnny O'Brien (two-time All-American with Seattle was first college player to crack 1,000-point plateau in single season by scoring 1,051 in 37 games in 1951-52) became the last N.L. position player in the 20th Century to earn a victory on the mound.

  • Philadelphia Phillies RHP Ron Reed (Notre Dame's leading rebounder in 1963-64 and 1964-65) permitted an earned run for the only time in a span of 14 relief appearances in 1976.

  • In 1949, Philadelphia Phillies RHP Robin Roberts (Michigan State's second-leading scorer in 1945-46 and 1946-47) tossed his third shutout in less than a month.

  • Montreal Expos RF Ken Singleton (Hofstra freshman hoops squad in mid-1960s) knocked in five runs in a 1973 game against his original team (New York Mets).

  • Minnesota Twins RHP Mike Smithson (teammate of Tennessee All-American Ernie Grunfeld averaged 1.9 ppg and 1.6 rpg under coach Ray Mears in 1974-75 and 1975-76) hurled a five-hit shutout against the Cleveland Indians in 1985. It was the first of five victories in as many decisions for him in July this year.

  • Chicago Cubs LF Riggs Stephenson (Alabama hoops letterman in 1920) contributed five RBI against the St. Louis Cardinals in a 1928 contest. The next day, Stephenson supplied five hits against the Cards in the nightcap of a doubleheader.

  • Boston Red Sox rookie RHP Jim Wilson (hoops letterman for San Diego State's 1942 NAIA Tournament participant) tossed a five-hit shutout against the Detroit Tigers. The whitewash was first of four complete games for him during the month in 1945 when yielding fewer than two earned runs.

  • Tampa Devil Rays rookie OF Randy Winn (Santa Clara backcourtmate of eventual two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Steve Nash in 1993-94) went 4-for-4 against the Toronto Blue Jays in 1998. Eleven years later with the San Francisco Giants, Winn registered his sixth two-hit outing in a seven-game span in 2009.

Shatterproof: Loud and Proud NCAA Standards Never To Be Broken (#8)

July 1st, 2018 - 7:30

What are the school and individual records that will never come close to being matched, let along exceeded? In ensuing blogs, CollegeHoopedia.com will designate the ultimate team and individual standards of excellence. Records were made to be broken, but perhaps not always in our lifetime. Following is #8 in the countdown of most illustrious NCAA achievements:

8. Robert Parish finished among nation's top five in rebounding all four seasons with more than 15 rpg each year.

Parish, attending Centenary College in his hometown of Shreveport, La., finished his career (1972-73 through 1975-76) as the only Division I player ever to rank among the national top five in rebounding for four seasons. He averaged more than 15 rpg each campaign, a figure no one has surpassed since 1979-80 when Alcorn State's Larry "Mr. Mean" Smith led the country with 15.1 rpg.

How in the name of James Naismith did no outlet acknowledge Parish as a first-team All-American? He had 33 games grabbing a minimum of 20 rebounds en route to retrieving an average of 16.9 missed shots per contest. Centenary de-emphasized its program early this decade but Parish's prolific performances won't be forgotten despite the NCAA overlooking them as part of probation sanctions against the Gentlemen. Following is a look at Parish's eight contests with at least 25 rebounds and his game-by-game totals:

33 -- vs. Southern Mississippi (January 27, 1973)
30 -- at Lamar (December 22, 1972)
29 -- vs. Texas-Arlington (February 5, 1973)
27 -- vs. Lamar (February 7, 1973)
27 -- vs. Northwestern State (December 9, 1974)
27 -- at Northeast Louisiana (January 15, 1976)
26 -- vs. Houston (January 17, 1974)
25 -- vs. LSU-New Orleans (January 15, 1973)

1972-73 (Freshman/18.7 rpg)

Game Opponent Reb.
1. Southwestern (TX) 21
2. *Houston Baptist 8
3. *Louisiana Tech 15
4. East Texas Baptist 7
5. Indiana State 8
6. Northern Colorado 20
7. at Lamar 30
8. at Arkansas 21
9. Texas 16
10. at Southern Mississippi 16
11. at Northwestern State 22
12. LSU-New Orleans 25
13. at Texas-Arlington 9
14. Virginia Commonwealth 12
15. at Indiana State 16
16. Southern Mississippi 33
17. at Houston 22
18. Arkansas State 20
19. Texas-Arlington 29
20. Lamar 27
21. at Arizona State 20
22. at Hawaii 23
23. at Hawaii 14
24. at Arkansas State 23
25. at LSU-New Orleans 17
26. Northwestern State 14
27. Houston 17

*Sports Foundation Tournament.

1973-74 (Sophomore/15.3 rpg)

Game Opponent Reb.
1. McNeese State 17
2. Louisiana Tech 8
3. Dallas Baptist 10
4. Henderson State (AR) 21
5. Northwestern State 23
6. at Texas 14
7. at Arkansas 16
8. at Southern Mississippi 23
9. Northeast Louisiana 8
10. at Northwestern State 16
11. Houston 26
12. at Lamar 11
13. at Virginia Commonwealth 12
14. Southern Mississippi 16
15. at Hardin-Simmons (TX) 14
16. at Arizona 14
17. at Indiana State 18
18. at Southern Illinois 10
19. Portland 15
20. at Loyola of Chicago 13
21. Houston Baptist 13
22. Lamar 13
23. at Houston 13
24. at Houston Baptist 18
25. Hardin-Simmons (TX) 20

1974-75 (Junior/15.4 rpg)

Game Opponent Reb.
1. *UNC Charlotte 16
2. *Dartmouth 18
3. at Lamar 17
4. Texas 10
5. Northwestern State 27
6. McNeese State 19
7. at Virginia Commonwealth 15
8. &Pacific 21
9. &North Texas State 15
10. &Oklahoma City 10
11. Wabash 9
12. East Texas Baptist 13
13. Arkansas 17
14. Hawaii 19
15. Lamar 14
16. at Southern Mississippi 8
17. at Indiana State 16
18. at Houston Baptist 16
19. Virginia Commonwealth 16
20. Southern Mississippi 17
21. at Northwestern State 21
22. Houston Baptist 18
23. at Hardin-Simmons (TX) 9
24. Indiana State 15
25. Southern Illinois 20
26. at Hawaii-Hilo 16
27. at Hawaii 15
28. at Hawaii 11
29. Hardin-Simmons (TX) 9

*Hall of Fame Tournament.
&All-College Tournament.

1975-76 (Senior/18.0 rpg)

Game Opponent Reb.
1. at South Alabama 19
2. Northwestern State 21
3. at McNeese State 23
4. at Southwestern Louisiana 14
5. South Alabama 12
6. Texas 19
7. Virginia Commonwealth 19
8. at Northern Illinois 24
9. at Illinois State 15
10. *Bowling Green State 14
11. *Utah State 14
12. *Long Island 21
13. at Texas 14
14. UNC Charlotte 19
15. Hawaii 19
16. Louisiana Tech 23
17. at Northeast Louisiana 27
18. at Northwestern State 14
19. East Texas Baptist 23
20. at Houston Baptist 6
21. Hardin-Simmons (TX) 19
22. Southern Mississippi 20
23. at Nevada-Las Vegas 11
24. at Hardin-Simmons (TX) 22
25. Houston Baptist 17
26. at UNC Charlotte 17
27. at Virginia Commonwealth 20

*All-College Tournament.

9. Kentucky's 129-game homecourt winning streak (under coach Adolph Rupp from Jan. 4, 1943, to Jan. 8, 1955)

10. Bill Chambers' 51 rebounds in a single game (for William & Mary vs. Virginia on Feb. 14, 1953).

On This Date: Former College Hoopers Making Mark on July 2 MLB Games

July 1st, 2018 - 7:27

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 hoopers had front-row seats to many of the most notable games, transactions and dates in MLB history.

Former college hoopers Dale Alexander (Milligan TN) and Dave Winfield (Minnesota) each hit two homers in a single American League game on this date. Unless you habitually pore over the content at baseballlibrary.com, baseballreference.com and nationalpastime.com, following is a July 2 calendar focusing on such versatile MLB athletes:

JULY 2

  • Milwaukee Braves 1B Joe Adcock (Louisiana State's leading basketball scorer in 1945-46) homered in his fourth consecutive contest in 1955.

  • Detroit Tigers rookie 1B Dale Alexander (starting hoops center in mid-1920s for Milligan TN) collected two homers and six RBI in a 10-4 win against the St. Louis Browns in 1929.

  • St. Louis Browns rookie RF Red Badgro (first-five hoops pick on All-Pacific Coast Conference team in 1926-27 as USC's MVP) went hitless for the only time in an 18-game game span from mid-June to mid-July in 1929.

  • INF Jack Barry (hoops letterman for Holy Cross in 1908) purchased from the Philadelphia Athletics by the Boston Red Sox in 1915.

  • Pittsburgh Pirates 1B Donn Clendenon (four-sport letterman with Morehouse GA) went 4-for-4 against the San Francisco Giants in a 1964 game.

  • OF Larry Doby (reserve guard for Virginia Union's 1943 CIAA hoops titlist) signed with the Cleveland Indians in 1947, becoming the first black player in the A.L. and second in MLB history.

  • New York Yankees rookie LHP Al Downing (attended Muhlenberg PA on hoops scholarship but left before ever playing) hurled a one-hit shutout against the Chicago White Sox in 1963. Downing won his first four starts of the month, fanning at least 10 batters in each contest.

  • Texas Rangers rookie 1B Mike Hargrove (Northwestern Oklahoma State hoops letterman) went 4-for-4 against the Minnesota Twins in a 1974 contest.

  • LF Frank Howard (two-time All-Big Ten Conference first-team selection when he led Ohio State in scoring and rebounding in 1956-57 and 1957-58), CF Don Lock (led Wichita State in field-goal percentage in 1956-57 and 1957-58) and teammate Ken McMullen hit back-to-back-to-back homers in the sixth inning to power the Washington Senators to a 10-4 victory over the New York Yankees in 1966. Lock went 5-for-5.

  • Chicago Cubs 3B Davey Lopes (NAIA All-District 15 selection for Iowa Wesleyan averaged 16.9 ppg as freshman in 1964-65 and 12.1 ppg as sophomore in 1965-66 before transferring with his coach to Washburn KS) delivered a game-winning homer in the bottom of the ninth inning against the Montreal Expos in 1986.

  • Los Angeles Dodgers LF Wally Moon (averaged 4.3 ppg with Texas A&M in 1948-49 and 1949-50) went 4-for-4 against the Pittsburgh Pirates in a 1960 game.

  • A two-run pinch homer by RF Bill Nicholson (Washington College MD hoops guard for two years in mid-1930s) propelled the Philadelphia Phillies to a 2-1 win against the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1952.

  • Detroit Tigers RHP Joe Niekro (averaged 8.9 ppg and 3.8 rpg for West Liberty WV from 1963-64 through 1965-66) had his no-hit bid ended in the ninth inning in a 5-0 triumph against the New York Yankees in 1970. Fifteen years later, Niekro posted his 200th career victory when the Houston Astros edged the San Diego Padres.

  • New York Giants RHP Roy Parmelee (hoops letterman for Eastern Michigan in 1924-25 and 1925-26) tossed a 1-0 shutout to beat the St. Louis Cardinals' Dizzy Dean in the nightcap of a 1933 doubleheader. Teammate Carl Hubbell hurled an 18-inning whitewash for the Giants in the opener.

  • Boston Red Sox LHP Gary Peters (Grove City PA hooper in mid-1950s) fired the second of back-to-back shutouts in 1970.

  • In 1983, OF Gary Redus (J.C. hooper for Athens AL and father of Centenary/South Alabama guard) ripped a leadoff homer for the second consecutive game against the Atlanta Braves. Seven years later as a Pittsburgh Pirates 1B, Redus extended his career-high hitting streak to 12 straight outings in 1990.

  • Chicago White Sox C Leo Tankersley (TCU hoops letterman in 1922-23 and 1923-24) appeared in his lone MLB game (against St. Louis Browns in 1925).

  • San Diego Padres OF Will Venable (All-Ivy League first-team selection as junior and second-team choice as senior averaged 9.3 ppg under Princeton coach John Thompson III from 2001-02 through 2004-05) whacked a decisive two-run pinch homer against the St. Louis Cardinals in the top of the 11th inning in 2015.

  • Fourth safety for LF John Wathan (averaged 3.7 ppg in 11 games for San Diego in 1968-69) knocked in the game-winning run in the bottom of the 10th inning of a 4-3 win against the Minnesota Twins in 1980.

  • San Diego Padres RF Dave Winfield (starting forward for Minnesota's first NCAA playoff team in 1972) went 5-for-5 with four RBI against the Los Angeles Dodgers in a 1980 contest. Two years later as a New York Yankees LF, Winfield smacked two homers against the Cleveland Indians, igniting a streak of six round-trippers in a six-game span in 1982.

Shatterproof: Loud and Proud NCAA Standards Never To Be Broken (#9)

July 1st, 2018 - 7:23

What are the school and individual records that will never come close to being matched, let along exceeded? In ensuing blogs, CollegeHoopedia.com will designate the ultimate team and individual standards of excellence. Records were made to be broken, but perhaps not always in our lifetime. Following is #9 in the countdown of most illustrious NCAA achievements:

9. Kentucky's 129-game homecourt winning streak (under coach Adolph Rupp from January 4, 1943, to January 8, 1955).

Kentucky, two nights after losing to Ohio State, 45-40, in its first game in calendar year 1943, started a streak that went 11 years without dropping a homecourt game until bowing to Georgia Tech, 59-58, on January 8, 1954. The setback also snapped a 70-game winning streak in SEC competition. The first 84 of the Wildcats' 129 consecutive homecourt victories were in Alumni Gym. The remainder were in Memorial Coliseum.

UK's average margin of victory during the streak was 31 points. Vanderbilt was involved in two of the three closest games - one-point loss in '43 and four-point setback in '50. The only other contest settled by fewer than five points during the streak was a 38-35 verdict against DePauw (Ind.) in 1944.

Date/Home Game UK Visiting Team Pts.
Jan. 4, 1943 64 Ft. Knox 43
Jan. 26, 1943 39 Vanderbilt 38
Feb. 6, 1943 67 Alabama 41
Feb. 8, 1943 48 Xavier 36
Feb. 13, 1943 53 Tennessee 29
Feb. 15, 1943 58 Georgia Tech 31
Dec. 1, 1943 51 Ft. Knox 18
Dec. 4, 1943 54 Berea (Naval V-12) 40
Dec. 18, 1943 58 Cincinnati 30
Jan. 15, 1944 61 Wright Field 28
Jan. 31, 1944 76 Ft. Knox A.R.C. 48
Feb. 5, 1944 38 DePauw (Ind.) 35
Feb. 7, 1944 51 Illinois 40
Feb. 26, 1944 51 Ohio University 35
Dec. 2, 1944 56 Ft. Knox 23
Dec. 4, 1944 56 Berea (Ky.) 32
Dec. 9, 1944 66 Cincinnati 24
Dec. 23, 1944 53 Ohio State 48
Jan. 6, 1945 59 Ohio University 46
Jan. 8, 1945 75 Arkansas State 6
Jan. 13, 1945 66 Michigan State 35
Jan. 29, 1945 73 Georgia 37
Feb. 3, 1945 51 Georgia Tech 32
Feb. 17, 1945 40 Tennessee 34
Dec. 1, 1945 59 Ft. Knox 36
Dec. 7, 1945 51 Western Ontario 42
Dec. 8, 1945 71 Western Ontario 28
Dec. 15, 1945 67 Cincinnati 31
Dec. 18, 1945 67 Arkansas 42
Dec. 21, 1945 43 Oklahoma 33
Jan. 5, 1946 57 Ohio University 48
Jan. 7, 1946 81 Ft. Benning 25
Jan. 28, 1946 54 Georgia Tech 26
Feb. 5, 1946 59 Michigan State 51
Feb. 16, 1946 54 Tennessee 34
Feb. 23, 1946 83 Xavier 40
Nov. 28, 1946 78 Indiana Central 36
Nov. 30, 1946 64 Tulane 35
Dec. 2, 1946 68 Ft. Knox 31
Dec. 9, 1946 65 Idaho 35
Dec. 14, 1946 83 Texas A&M 18
Dec. 16, 1946 62 Miami (Ohio) 49
Dec. 23, 1946 75 Baylor 34
Dec. 28, 1946 96 Wabash (Ohio) 24
Jan. 4, 1947 46 Ohio University 36
Jan. 11, 1947 70 Dayton 29
Jan. 25, 1947 71 Xavier 34
Jan. 27, 1947 86 Michigan State 36
Feb. 10, 1947 81 Georgia 40
Feb. 15, 1947 61 Tennessee 46
Feb. 17, 1947 63 Alabama 33
Feb. 22, 1947 83 Georgia Tech 46
Nov. 9, 1947 80 Indiana Central 41
Dec. 1, 1947 80 Ft. Knox 41
Dec. 5, 1947 72 Tulsa 18
Dec. 6, 1947 71 Tulsa 22
Dec. 17, 1947 79 Xavier 37
Jan. 3, 1948 98 Western Ontario 41
Jan. 24, 1948 70 Cincinnati 43
Feb. 14, 1948 69 Tennessee 42
Feb. 16, 1948 63 Alabama 33
Feb. 20, 1948 79 Vanderbilt 43
Feb. 21, 1948 78 Georgia Tech 54
Nov. 29, 1948 74 Indiana Central 38
Dec. 10, 1948 81 Tulsa 27
Dec. 13, 1948 76 Arkansas 39
Feb. 8, 1949 71 Tennessee 56
Feb. 12, 1949 96 Xavier 50
Feb. 14, 1949 74 Alabama 32
Feb. 16, 1949 85 Mississippi 31
Feb. 19, 1949 78 Georgia Tech 32
Feb. 21, 1949 95 Georgia 40
Feb. 26, 1949 70 Vanderbilt 37
Dec. 3, 1949 84 Indiana Central 61
Dec. 10, 1949 90 Western Ontario 18
Jan. 9, 1950 83 North Carolina 44
Jan. 28, 1950 88 Georgia 56
Feb. 11, 1950 79 Tennessee 52
Feb. 13, 1950 77 Alabama 57
Feb. 15, 1950 90 Mississippi 50
Feb. 18, 1950 97 Georgia Tech 62
Feb. 23, 1950 58 Xavier 53
Feb. 25, 1950 70 Vanderbilt 66
Dec. 1, 1950 73 West Texas State 43
Dec. 9, 1950 70 Purdue 52
Dec. 14, 1950 85 Florida 37
Dec. 16, 1950 68 Kansas 39
Jan. 5, 1951 79 Auburn 35
Jan. 8, 1951 63 DePaul 55
Jan. 13, 1951 65 Alabama 48
Jan. 15, 1951 69 Notre Dame 44
Feb. 9, 1951 75 Georgia Tech 42
Feb. 13, 1951 78 Xavier 51
Feb. 17, 1951 86 Tennessee 61
Feb. 23, 1951 88 Georgia 41
Feb. 24, 1951 89 Vanderbilt 57
Mar. 13, 1951 97 Loyola of Chicago 61
Dec. 8, 1951 96 Washington & Lee (Va.) 46
Dec. 17, 1951 81 St. John's 40
Dec. 20, 1951 98 DePaul 60
Dec. 26, 1951 84 UCLA 53
Jan. 5, 1952 57 Louisiana State 47
Jan. 7, 1952 83 Xavier 50
Jan. 12, 1952 99 Florida 52
Feb. 4, 1952 103 Tulane 54
Feb. 6, 1952 81 Mississippi 61
Feb. 9, 1952 93 Georgia Tech 42
Feb. 11, 1952 110 Mississippi State 66
Feb. 16, 1952 95 Tennessee 40
Feb. 21, 1952 75 Vanderbilt 45
Dec. 5, 1952 86 Temple 59
Dec. 14, 1952 101 Wake Forest 69
Dec. 21, 1952 85 Duke 69
Dec. 22, 1952 73 La Salle 60
Dec. 28, 1952 74 Minnesota 59
Jan. 4, 1953 77 Xavier 71
Jan. 9, 1953 105 Georgia Tech 53
Jan. 11, 1953 81 DePaul 63
Jan. 16, 1953 94 Tulane 43
Feb. 4, 1953 106 Georgia 55
Feb. 13, 1953 88 Mississippi 62
Feb. 15, 1953 81 Mississippi State 49
Feb. 18, 1953 90 Tennessee 63
Feb. 22, 1953 100 Vanderbilt 64
Dec. 4, 1953 74 Louisiana State 58
Dec. 18, 1953 79 Temple 61
Dec. 21, 1953 70 Utah 65
Dec. 22, 1953 63 La Salle 54
Dec. 30, 1953 82 St. Louis 65

NOTE: Kentucky was barred from playing competitive basketball during the 1952-53 season because of NCAA probation.

10. Bill Chambers' 51 rebounds in a single game (for William & Mary vs. Virginia on Feb. 14, 1953).

On This Date: Former College Hoopers Making Mark on July 1 MLB Games

July 1st, 2018 - 7:17

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 hoopers had front-row seats to many of the most notable games, transactions and dates in MLB history.

Former hoopers Frank Howard (Ohio State), Buddy Myer (Mississippi State) and Irv Noren (Pasadena City Community College) each supplied multiple extra-base hits in a single game for the Washington Senators on this date. Unless you habitually pore over the content at baseballlibrary.com, baseballreference.com and nationalpastime.com, following is a July 1 calendar focusing on such versatile MLB athletes:

JULY 1

  • Chicago Cubs rookie 2B Glenn Beckert (three-year basketball letterman for Allegheny PA) belted two homers against the Los Angeles Dodgers in a 1965 game.

  • Pittsburgh Pirates LF Carson "Skeeter" Bigbee (Oregon hoops letterman in 1915) collected four hits against the St. Louis Cardinals in a 1919 contest.

  • Brooklyn Dodgers RHP Roger Craig (forward with North Carolina State's 1949-50 freshman hoops team) collected his sixth straight win in 1956 (4-1 nod over Philadelphia Phillies).

  • In 1943, Chicago White Sox LF Guy Curtright (two-time All-MIAA selection led Northeast Missouri State in scoring each of four seasons in early 1930s) set a MLB rookie record (subsequently broken) with a 26-game hitting streak as a 30-year-old newcomer in his only season as a regular.

  • Boston Red Sox C Gene Desautels (Holy Cross hoops letterman in 1929 and 1930) contributed three hits and four runs against the Philadelphia Athletics in a 1938 game.

  • Cleveland Indians CF Larry Doby (reserve guard for Virginia Union's 1943 CIAA hoops titlist) walked five times in a 19-inning, 4-3 victory against the St. Louis Browns in 1952.

  • C-OF Joe Ferguson (hooper for Pacific's 1967 NCAA playoff team) traded by the Houston Astros with cash to the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1978.

  • St. Louis Cardinals 2B Frankie Frisch (Fordham hoops captain) scored four runs for the first of two times in a three-game span in 1930.

  • In his first game back following four years serving in the U.S. military during WWII, Detroit Tigers LF Hank Greenberg (enrolled at NYU on hoops scholarship in 1929 but attended college only one semester) pounded a homer against the Philadelphia Athletics in a 1945 contest.

  • Washington Senators LF Frank Howard (two-time All-Big Ten Conference first-team selection in 1956-57 and 1957-58 when leading Ohio State in scoring and rebounding) homered in both ends of a 1969 doubleheader sweep of the Detroit Tigers.

  • Cleveland Indians LF "Sweet" Lou Johnson (Kentucky State hoops teammate of legendary coach Davey Whitney averaged 5.7 ppg and 2 rpg in 1951-52) whacked back-to-back homers against the Minnesota Twins in 1968.

  • Cleveland Indians CF Kenny Lofton (Arizona's leader in steals for 1988 Final Four team compiling 35-3 record) provided three hits and three stolen bases against the Milwaukee Brewers in a 1998 game.

  • Boston Red Sox 3B Buddy Myer (Mississippi State hoops letterman in 1923-24) supplied multiple hits in seventh consecutive contest, including three extra-base safeties in the opener of a 1928 twinbill against the Washington Senators. Eleven years later as a 2B with the Senators, Myer went 4-for-4 against the Philadelphia Athletics in a 1939 contest.

  • Washington Senators CF Irv Noren (hooper of year for California community college state champion Pasadena City in 1945) collected a homer and two doubles but his output wasn't enough to prevent a 1951 doubleheader loss against the Philadelphia Athletics. The extra-base hits triggered a streak of four games in a row with three safeties.

  • RHP Elmer Ponder (Oklahoma hoops letterman in 1914 and 1916) traded by the Pittsburgh Pirates to the Chicago Cubs in 1921.

  • St. Louis Cardinals rookie C Dave Ricketts (three-year starter led Duquesne in scoring senior season with 17.9 ppg in 1956-57) contributed a career-high three hits against the New York Mets in a 1967 game.

  • Montreal Expos RF Ken Singleton (Hofstra freshman hoops squad in mid-1960s) homered in both ends of a 1973 doubleheader against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

  • LHP Paul Splittorff (runner-up in scoring and rebounding for Morningside IA in 1967-68) retired in 1984. His 166 victories in 13 seasons are the most in Kansas City Royals history.

Shatterproof: Loud and Proud NCAA Standards Never To Be Broken (#10)

July 1st, 2018 - 7:14

The NCAA Tournament commenced in 1939, which was one year after the NIT triggered national postseason competition. An overlooked "versatile athlete" feat occurring in 1938 that never will be duplicated took place at Arkansas, where the quarterback for the football squad (Jack Robbins) repeated as an All-SWC first-team basketball selection, leading the Razorbacks (19-3) to the SWC title. After the season, Robbins became an NFL first-round draft choice by the Chicago Cardinals (5th pick overall) and senior football/basketball teammates Jim Benton (11th pick) and Ray Hamilton (41st pick) went on to become wide receivers for at least six years in the NFL. Yes, three members of a league championship basketball squad promptly were among the top 41 selections in the NFL draft.

What are other school and individual records that will never come close to being matched, let along exceeded? CollegeHoopedia.com is acknowledging an "Untouchables" list regarding the ultimate team and individual standards of excellence. Records were made to be broken, but perhaps not always in our lifetime. Following is #10 in the countdown of most illustrious NCAA achievements:

10. Bill Chambers' 51 rebounds in a single game (for William & Mary vs. Virginia on February 14, 1953).

Chambers, standing a mere 6-4, grabbed an NCAA-record 51 rebounds for William & Mary in a 105-84 victory against Virginia on Valentine's Day. He finished third in the nation in 1952-53 in retrieving missed shots with 21.8 rpg, finishing behind Fordham's Ed Conlin (23.5 rpg) and Seton Hall's Walter Dukes (22.2 rpg). Chambers, who passed away earlier this decade, later became his alma mater's all-time winningest coach in a nine-year coaching career with the Tribe from 1957-58 through 1965-66 (modest win total could be surpassed in 2012-13).

No individual has grabbed more than 35 rebounds in a single NCAA Division I game since Pacific's Keith Swagerty (39 vs. UC Santa Barbara) and East Tennessee State's Tommy Woods (38 vs. Middle Tennessee State) in 1964-65. The last 37 teams leading the nation in rebounding margin averaged 42 rebounds per contest. Following is the line score of Chambers' performance:

WILLIAM & MARY (105): Mahoney 5 6-11 16, Savage 0 0-4 0, Berry 1 1-2 3, Harris 10 0-1 20, Chambers 16 5-6 37 51, Hume 6 4-7 16, Drake 0 0-0 0, Hoitsma 4 5-6 13. Team 42 21-37 (.568) 105.
VIRGINIA (84): Roach 2 2-5 6, Burlage 1 3-4 5, Cooke 2 1-1 5, Esckilsen 6 1-5 13, Gamble 2 5-6 9, Wilkinson 10 8-8 28, Dohner 7 2-2 16, Casey 1 0-0 2. Team 31 22-31 (.710) 84.

On This Date: Former College Hoopers Making Mark on June 30 MLB Games

June 30th, 2018 - 8:32

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 hoopers had front-row seats to many of the most notable games, transactions and dates in MLB history.

Two former hoopers from small colleges in Virginia - Larry Doby (Virginia Union) and Larry Sheets (Eastern Mennonite) - made MLB news on this date. Unless you habitually pore over the content at baseballlibrary.com, baseballreference.com and nationalpastime.com, following is a June 30 calendar focusing on such versatile MLB athletes:

JUNE 30

  • Cincinnati Reds LF Morrie Arnovich (Wisconsin-Superior hooper in early 1930s) went 4-for-4 in a 7-6 win against the Chicago Cubs in the nightcap of a 1940 doubleheader.

  • Chicago Cubs CF Frankie Baumholtz (MVP in 1941 NIT and first player in Ohio University history to score 1,000 career points) banged out four hits against the St. Louis Cardinals in a 1953 game.

  • In 1960, Detroit Tigers 2B Frank Bolling (averaged 7.3 ppg for Spring Hill AL in 1950-51) had a streak of seven straight two-hit games, with an extra-base safety in all but one of them, halted by going hit-less against the Boston Red Sox.

  • Cleveland Indians SS Lou Boudreau (leading scorer for Illinois' 1937 Big Ten Conference co-champion) went 4-for-4 against the Chicago White Sox in a 1942 contest.

  • Philadelphia Athletics C Mickey Cochrane (Boston University hooper in early 1920s) went 4-for-4 against the Detroit Tigers in a 1930 game.

  • In 1978, Larry Doby (reserve guard for Virginia Union's 1943 CIAA hoops titlist) became the second black MLB manager, succeeding Bob Lemon as skipper of the Chicago White Sox.

  • Boston Red Sox C Rick Ferrell (hoop forward for Guilford NC before graduating in 1928) contributed three extra-base hits and four RBI against the Philadelphia Athletics in a 1935 contest.

  • St. Louis Cardinals 3B Jake Flowers (member of 1923 "Flying Pentagon" championship hoops squad for Washington College MD) capped off the month with five straight multiple-hit games in 1932.

  • In 1940, Washington Senators SS Charlie Gelbert (scored at least 125 points each of last three seasons in late 1920s for Lebanon Valley PA) closed out the month hitting .474 in 11 games (18-of-38).

  • En route to hitting .303 in 1970, St. Louis Cardinals RHP Bob Gibson (Creighton's leading scorer and rebounder in 1955-56 and 1956-57) supplied his fifth multiple-hit game of the month while winning seven starts during that span.

  • San Diego Padres RF Tony Gwynn (All-WAC second-team selection with San Diego State in 1979-80 and 1980-81) and two teammates each socked a three-run homer in a 15-6 rout of the Oakland A's in 1997.

  • Commencing the game by fanning the side on nine pitches in the opening inning, Los Angeles Dodgers LHP Sandy Koufax (Cincinnati's freshman hoops squad in 1953-54) hurled a no-hitter against the New York Mets in 1962.

  • Minnesota Twins LHP Bill Krueger (led WCAC in free-throw percentage as freshman en route to averaging 5.1 ppg for Portland from 1975-76 through 1979-80) tossed a two-hit shutout against the California Angels in 1992.

  • In 1938, New York Giants CF Hank Leiber (Arizona hooper in 1931) launched the final homer at Philadelphia's Baker Bowl before the Phillies moved to Shibe Park. Leiber finished the contest with three extra-base hits and five RBI.

  • Los Angeles Dodgers 2B Davey Lopes (NAIA All-District 15 selection for Iowa Wesleyan averaged 16.9 ppg as freshman in 1964-65 and 12.1 ppg as sophomore in 1965-66 before transferring with his coach to Washburn KS) went 4-for-4 against the San Diego Padres in a 1975 game.

  • In the midst of a 10-game hitting streak, Philadelphia Athletics C Ed Madjeski (Seton Hall letterman from 1928-29 through 1930-31) manufactured five safeties in a 1933 doubleheader split against the St. Louis Browns.

  • RHP Nels Potter (leading scorer during two years attending Mount Morris IL in early 1930s) purchased from the Philadelphia Athletics by the Boston Red Sox in 1941.

  • Baltimore Orioles LF Larry Sheets (All-ODAC hoops selection in 1981-82 and 1982-83 with Eastern Mennonite VA) collected four RBI in a 1987 game against the Boston Red Sox, triggering a career-high 10-game hitting streak.

  • SS Roy Smalley Jr. (one of top scorers for Drury MO in 1942-43 and 1943-44) knocked in all of the Chicago Cubs' runs in a 5-4 win against the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1952.

  • New York Mets LHP George Stone (averaged 14.7 ppg and 6.5 rpg for Louisiana Tech in 1964-65 and 1965-66) hurled his final MLB complete game when defeating the Chicago Cubs, 5-1, in 1975.

  • OF Kite Thomas (averaged 5.1 ppg for Kansas State in 1946-47) awarded on waivers from the Philadelphia Athletics to the Washington Senators in 1953.

  • In 2005, Seattle Mariners LHP Matt Thornton (averaged 5.8 ppg and 2.4 rpg for Grand Valley State MI from 1995-96 through 1997-98) charged with a run for the first time after 14 scoreless relief appearances.

Stately Procession: Jones Joins List Coaching Multiple Schools in Same State

June 30th, 2018 - 8:16

New Texas Southern mentor Johnny Jones previously coached another NCAA Division I university in the Lone Star State (North Texas). But Jones isn't lone individual in this category, joining the following alphabetical list of 16 active coaches presently serving as a bench boss in same state (three in Texas) where they previously piloted another DI school:

Head Coach State Current DI School Previous DI School in Same State
Tad Boyle CO Colorado (since 2010-11) Northern Colorado (2006-07 through 2009-10)
Fran Dunphy PA Temple (since 2006-07) Penn (1989-90 through 2005-06)
Cliff Ellis* SC Coastal Carolina (since 2007-08) Clemson (1984-85 through 1993-94)
John Groce OH Akron (since 2017-18) Ohio University (2008-09 through 2011-12)
Leonard Hamilton FL Florida State (since 2002-03) Miami FL (1990-91 through 1999-00)
Jim Hayford WA Seattle (since 2017-18) Eastern Washington (2011-12 through 2016-17)
Jeff Jones VA Old Dominion (since 2013-14) Virginia (1990-91 through 1997-98)
Johnny Jones TX Texas Southern (since 2018-19) North Texas (2001-02 through 2011-12)
Danny Kaspar TX Texas State (since 2013-14) Stephen F. Austin (2000-01 through 2012-13)
Kevin Keatts NC North Carolina State (since 2017-18) UNC Wilmington (2014-15 through 2016-17)
Bobby McCullum FL Florida A&M (since 2017-18) South Florida (2003-04 through 2006-07)
Porter Moser IL Loyola of Chicago (since 2011-12) Illinois State (2003-04 through 2006-07)
Keith Richard LA Louisiana-Monroe (since 2010-11) Louisiana Tech (1998-99 through 2006-07)
Paul Weir NM New Mexico (since 2017-18) New Mexico State (2016-17)
Willis Wilson TX Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (since 2011-12) Rice (1992-93 through 2007-08)
Reggie Witherspoon NY Canisius (since 2016-17) Buffalo (1999-00 through 2012-13)

*Ellis also coached two DI schools in Alabama (South Alabama and Auburn).

On This Date: Former College Hoopers Making Mark on June 29 MLB Games

June 29th, 2018 - 6:45

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 hoopers had front-row seats to many of the most notable games, transactions and dates in MLB history.

Former Mississippi State hoopers Boo Ferriss and Buddy Myer had significant American League performances on this date. Unless you habitually pore over the content at baseballlibrary.com, baseballreference.com and nationalpastime.com, following is a June 29 calendar focusing on such versatile MLB athletes:

JUNE 29

  • Milwaukee Braves 1B Joe Adcock (Louisiana State's leading basketball scorer in 1945-46) smashed two homers in a 3-1 win against the Chicago Cubs in the nightcap of a 1960 twinbill.

  • RHP Jim Bibby (Fayetteville State NC backup hooper and brother of UCLA All-American Henry Bibby) secured his first win with the Texas Rangers by hurling a one-hit shutout against the Kansas City Royals in 1973.

  • New York Giants 2B Andy Cohen (Alabama hoops letterman in 1924 and 1925) had an 11-game hitting streak snapped by the Philadelphia Phillies in the opener of a 1929 twinbill.

  • Boston Red Sox rookie RHP Boo Ferriss (Mississippi State hoops letterman in 1941) contributed a run-scoring single and two-run, ninth-inning homer in a 4-2 decision over the Chicago White Sox in 1945.

  • Washington Senators SS Charlie Gelbert (scored at least 125 points each of last three seasons in late 1920s for Lebanon Valley PA) collected three hits for the third consecutive contest in 1940.

  • San Francisco Giants rookie LHP Atlee Hammaker (averaged 5.3 ppg as freshman in 1976-77 and 4.9 ppg as sophomore in 1977-78 under East Tennessee State coach Sonny Smith) fired his first MLB shutout, a four-hitter against the Cincinnati Reds in 1982.

  • Chicago Cubs LF Harvey Hendrick (Vanderbilt hoops letterman in 1918) stroked three extra-base hits against the Brooklyn Dodgers in a 1933 outing.

  • Brooklyn Dodgers 1B Gil Hodges (played for St. Joseph's IN in 1943 and Oakland City IN in 1947 and 1948) smacked two homers against the Philadelphia Phillies in a 1956 game.

  • In the midst of 13 straight scoreless relief appearances covering 21 innings in 1954, Cincinnati Reds RHP Howie Judson (Illinois' third-leading scorer in 1944-45) earned a victory against the St. Louis Cardinals.

  • OF David Justice (Thomas More KY assists leader in 1984-85 while averaging 9.3 ppg and 3.5 rpg), acquired by the New York Yankees from the Cleveland Indians in 2000, went on to become the first player to garner more than 50 RBI in a single season with two different clubs.

  • OF Charlie Keller (three-year hoops letterman with Maryland from 1934-35 through 1936-37) homered in the nightcap of a 1941 doubleheader sweep of the Washington Senators by the New York Yankees, extending the Bronx Bombers' streak to a MLB-record 25 consecutive contests with a round-tripper.

  • In 1931, Philadelphia Phillies rookie RF Fred Koster (four-year starting forward from 1923-24 through 1926-27 was Louisville's leading scorer as sophomore and senior) contributed three hits for the second time in three games.

  • Texas Rangers CF Kenny Lofton (Arizona's leader in steals for 1988 Final Four team compiling 35-3 record) went 4-for-4 against the Boston Red Sox in a 2007 contest.

  • St. Louis Cardinals RHP Lindy McDaniel (hooper for Oklahoma's 1954-55 freshman squad) registered his ninth save of the month en route to a league-high 27 in 1960.

  • Cleveland Indians rookie CF Ed Morgan (Tulane hoops letterman from 1923-24 through 1925-26) manufactured fifth outing of the month with at least three hits in his last 13 games.

  • Washington Senators 2B Buddy Myer (Mississippi State hoops letterman in 1923-24) provided multiple hits in seven consecutive contests in 1930.

  • Detroit Tigers RF Jim Northrup (second-leading scorer and third-leading rebounder for Alma MI in 1958-59) set a MLB mark with his third grand slam in a week in 1968. Three years later, Northrup smacked two homers against the Baltimore Orioles in a 1971 outing.

  • In the midst of a 10-game hitting streak after returning to the Chicago Cubs, 2B Paul Popovich (teammate of Jerry West for West Virginia's 1960 NCAA playoff team) scored four runs against the St. Louis Cardinals in the nightcap of a 1969 twinbill.

  • Philadelphia Phillies LHP Eppa Rixey (Virginia hoops letterman in 1912 and 1914) fired a four-hit shutout against the New York Giants. The whitewash was one of 11 straight starts in 1916 where Rixey yielded fewer than three earned runs.

  • Brooklyn Dodgers 2B Jackie Robinson (highest scoring average in Pacific Coast Conference both of his seasons with UCLA in 1939-40 and 1940-41) whacked two homers against the New York Giants in a 1950 game.

  • Baltimore Orioles RHP Tim Stoddard (starting forward opposite All-American David Thompson for North Carolina State's 1974 NCAA champion) finished the month with 10 consecutive scoreless relief appearances. Five years later in 1987 with the New York Yankees, Stoddard allowed his only earned run in a 14-game span until mid-July.

  • New York Yankees RF Dave Winfield (starting forward for Minnesota's first NCAA playoff team in 1972) collected two homers and six RBI in a 1987 contest against the Toronto Blue Jays.

On This Date: Former College Hoopers Making Mark on June 28 MLB Games

June 28th, 2018 - 7:20

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 hoopers had front-row seats to many of the most notable games, transactions and dates in MLB history.

Former Drury MO hoopers Roy Smalley Jr. and Bill Virdon delivered dynamic MLB performances on this date. Unless you habitually pore over the content at baseballlibrary.com, baseballreference.com and nationalpastime.com, following is a June 28 calendar focusing on such versatile MLB athletes:

JUNE 28

  • Chicago Cubs RF George Altman (appeared in 1953 and 1954 NAIA Basketball Tournament with Tennessee State) furnished five extra-base hits, including a homer in each game, in a 1961 doubleheader split against the Cincinnati Reds.

  • Detroit Tigers RHP Elden Auker (All-Big Six Conference first-five selection with Kansas State in 1931-32) won for the fifth time in as many decisions during the month in 1934.

  • In the midst of a career-high 23-game hitting streak, Pittsburgh Pirates LF Carson "Skeeter" Bigbee (Oregon hoops letterman in 1915) went 7-for-10 against the Chicago Cubs in a 1921 twinbill.

  • Detroit Tigers 1B Tony Clark (San Diego State's leading scorer in WAC games in 1991-92) homered in his third consecutive contest in 2000.

  • Brooklyn Robins 3B Wally Gilbert (hoops captain played for Valparaiso from 1918-19 through 1920-21) supplied four hits in a 10-4 win against the St. Louis Cardinals in 1931.

  • First MLB victory for Philadelphia Phillies rookie RHP Dallas Green (Delaware's second-leading scorer and rebounder in 1954-55) was a three-hit shutout against the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1960.

  • Detroit Tigers 1B Hank Greenberg (enrolled at NYU on hoops scholarship in 1929 but attended college only one semester) blasted three homers in a 1935 doubleheader sweep of the St. Louis Browns.

  • LHP Steve Hamilton (All-OVC selection was Morehead State's leading scorer and rebounder in 1956-57 and 1957-58) allowed his only run in first 14 relief appearances with the Chicago Cubs in 1972.

  • In 1951, New York Giants OF Monte Irvin (Lincoln PA hooper 1 1/2 years in late 1930s) swatted two homers off Brooklyn Dodgers RHP Ralph Branca (sixth-leading scorer for NYU in 1943-44) in same game.

  • LF "Sweet" Lou Johnson (Kentucky State hoops teammate of legendary HBCU coach Davey Whitney averaged 5.7 ppg and 2 rpg in 1951-52) traded by the Chicago Cubs to the Cleveland Indians in 1968.

  • Chicago White Sox RHP Howie Judson (Illinois' third-leading scorer in 1944-45) lost his sixth decision of the month in 1949.

  • Detroit Tigers CF Harvey Kuenn (played hoops briefly for Wisconsin in 1951-52 after competing on JV squad previous season) provided four hits against the Boston Red Sox in a 1958 game.

  • Toronto Blue Jays RHP Dave Lemanczyk (averaged 4.5 ppg and 3.5 rpg for Hartwick NY teams compiling 51-21 record from 1969-70 through 1971-72) posted his fifth triumph of the month in 1977.

  • OF Don Lund (two-year hoops starter for Michigan in mid-1940s) awarded on waivers from the Brooklyn Dodgers to the St. Louis Browns in 1948.

  • St. Louis Cardinals RHP Lindy McDaniel (hooper for Oklahoma's 1954-55 freshman squad) saved both ends of a 1959 doubleheader against the Cincinnati Reds, giving him six saves and three victories in his last 12 relief appearances of the month.

  • New York Yankees SS Gene Michael (Kent State's leading scorer with 14 ppg in 1957-58) pulled hidden-ball trick against the Cleveland Indians in a 1969 contest.

  • Chicago Cubs RF Bill Nicholson (Washington College MD hoops guard for two years in mid-1930s) collected two homers and five RBI against the Brooklyn Dodgers in the opener of a 1944 twinbill.

  • St. Louis Cardinals RHP Dick Ricketts (Duquesne's all-time leading scorer was second-team consensus All-American choice as junior in 1953-54 and first-five consensus selection as senior in 1954-55) registered his lone MLB victory (against Cincinnati Reds in 1959).

  • Cincinnati Reds LHP Eppa Rixey (Virginia hoops letterman in 1912 and 1914) banged out four hits, including a homer and two doubles, in a 5-2 triumph over the St. Louis Cardinals in the opener of a 1924 doubleheader.

  • Chicago Cubs SS Roy Smalley Jr. (one of top scorers for Drury MO in 1942-43 and 1943-44) went for the cycle and chipped in with four RBI in a 15-3 romp over the St. Louis Cardinals in 1950.

  • St. Louis Cardinals RHP Lee Smith (averaged 3.4 ppg and 1.9 rpg with Northwestern State in 1976-77) posted a save in all 15 relief appearances of the month and 17th in a row in 1993.

  • In 2014, San Diego Padres LHP Eric Stults (hooper for 1999 NAIA D-II Tournament runner-up and 2000 NCCAA Tournament titlist with Bethel IN) lost for the sixth time in as many starts during the month.

  • Detroit Tigers RF Champ Summers (led SIUE in scoring in 1969-70 after doing same with Nicholls State in 1964-65) socked a homer in his third consecutive contest in 1979.

  • Chicago White Sox LHP Matt Thornton (averaged 5.8 ppg and 2.4 rpg for Grand Valley State MI from 1995-96 through 1997-98) posted his third relief victory during a span going unscored upon in last 12 appearances of the month in 2008.

  • Pittsburgh Pirates CF Bill Virdon (Drury MO hooper in 1949) notched his fifth straight multiple-hit outing in 1963.

On This Date: Former College Hoopers Making Mark on June 27 MLB Games

June 27th, 2018 - 7:19

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 hoopers had front-row seats to many of the most notable games, transactions and dates in MLB history.

Former San Diego State hoopers Tony Gwynn and Graig Nettles supplied significant MLB hitting performances on this date. Unless you habitually pore over the content at baseballlibrary.com, baseballreference.com and nationalpastime.com, following is a June 27 calendar focusing on such versatile MLB athletes:

JUNE 27

  • INF Jack Barry (basketball letterman for Holy Cross in 1908) traded by the Boston Red Sox to the Philadelphia Athletics in 1919.

  • Seattle Mariners 1B Bruce Bochte (starting forward for Santa Clara's NCAA playoff team in 1969-70) supplied his ninth multiple-hit outing during an 11-game hitting streak in 1979.

  • 2B Marv Breeding (hooper for Samford in mid-1950s) traded by the Houston Astros to the Chicago Cubs in 1967.

  • Detroit Tigers 1B Darrell Evans (member of Jerry Tarkanian-coached Pasadena City CA club winning 1967 state community college crown) registered his 2,000th career hit with a first-inning, two-run homer against the Baltimore Orioles in 1987.

  • St. Louis Cardinals 2B Frankie Frisch (Fordham hoops captain) stroked three doubles against the Brooklyn Dodgers in nightcap of a 1931 doubleheader.

  • San Diego Padres RF Tony Gwynn (All-WAC second-team selection with San Diego State in 1979-80 and 1980-81) went 3-for-4 against the Atlanta Braves, raising his batting average in 1987 to .387 en route to finishing at .370.

  • LHP Mark Hendrickson (two-time All-Pacific-10 Conference selection paced Washington State four straight seasons in rebounding from 1992-93 through 1995-96) traded by the Tampa Devil Rays to the Los Angeles Dodgers in a five-player swap in 2006.

  • Brooklyn Dodgers 1B Gil Hodges (hooper for St. Joseph's IN in 1943 and Oakland City IN in 1947 and 1948) smacked two homers against the St. Louis Cardinals in a 1954 game.

  • St. Louis Cardinals LF Danny Litwhiler (member of JV hoops squad with Bloomsburg PA in mid-1930s) cracked two homers in a 3-2 win against the Chicago Cubs in opener of a 1943 twinbill.

  • Chicago White Sox RHP Ted Lyons (two-time All-SWC first-team selection for Baylor in early 1920s) notched his eighth consecutive complete-game victory in 1939.

  • In the midst of a career-high 14-game hitting streak, Chicago Cubs CF Jerry Martin (1971 Southern Conference MVP after finishing as Furman's scoring runner-up in previous season) smashed a homer in fourth consecutive contest in 1979.

  • Cleveland Indians 2B Dutch Meyer (Texas Christian hoops letterman in 1934-35 and 1935-36) collected four hits against the Philadelphia Athletics in a 1945 contest.

  • 3B Graig Nettles (shot 87.8% from free-throw line for San Diego State in 1963-64) belted a 14th-inning, two-run homer to give the New York Yankees a 6-4 victory against the Boston Red Sox in 1978. Two years earlier, Nettles went 4-for-4 with two homers and five RBI against the Milwaukee Brewers in a 1976 game.

  • Chicago Cubs RF Bill Nicholson (Washington College MD hoops guard for two years in mid-1930s) provided his seventh straight two-hit game in 1942.

  • LHP Garry Roggenburk (Dayton scoring leader from 1959-60 through 1961-62 grabbed school-record 32 rebounds in his third varsity game en route to pacing Flyers in rebounding first two years) won his Seattle Pilots debut in 1969 by yielding only four hits and one run in 5 2/3 innings of relief against the California Angels.

  • LHP Matt Thornton (averaged 5.8 ppg and 2.4 rpg for Grand Valley State MI from 1995-96 through 1997-98) made his MLB debut in 2004, toiling four scoreless innings of relief with the Seattle Mariners against the San Diego Padres.

  • Philadelphia Phillies CF Cy Williams (Notre Dame forward in 1909-10) went 4-for-4 against the New York Giants in a 1921 contest.

Honors Court: Dakota's Daum Next Best Bet to Become 3-Time League MVP

June 27th, 2018 - 7:07

South Dakota State's Mike Daum from the Summit League exhibits every indication he will become the next three-time league player of the year. Daum, averaging 24.5 ppg and 9.2 rpg over the last two campaigns, could become the highest scorer in this rare-air category since La Salle's Lionel Simmons nearly 30 years ago. In an era when so many prominent performers leave college early for the NBA, no player from a power conference has achieved the feat since Kansas' Danny Manning in the Big Eight from 1985-86 through 1987-88. Daum could join the following chronological list of standouts who became player of the year in a DI league three or four seasons since the early 1960s:

Player Pos. School Conference (MVP Seasons) League MVP Summary
Jerry Lucas C Ohio State Big Ten (1960 through 1962) Averaged 24.3 ppg and 17.2 rpg while shooting 62.4% from the floor over three-year span.
Fred Hetzel F-C Davidson Southern (1963 through 1965) Averaged 25.7 ppg and 13.8 rpg while shooting 55.4% from the floor over three-year span.
Clem Haskins G-F Western Kentucky Ohio Valley (1965 through 1967) Averaged 22.1 ppg and 10.6 rpg over three-year span.
Pete Maravich G Louisiana State Southeastern (1968 through 1970) Averaged 44.2 ppg, 6.4 rpg and 5.1 apg over three-year span.
Gene Phillips F Southern Methodist Southwest (1969 through 1971) Averaged 26.1 ppg and 7.5 rpg while shooting 81.7% from the free-throw line over three-year span.
David Thompson F North Carolina State Atlantic Coast (1973 through 1975) Averaged 26.8 ppg and 8.1 rpg while shooting 55.3% from the floor over three-year span.
Bernard King F Tennessee Southeastern (1975 through 1977) Averaged 25.8 ppg and 13.2 rpg while shooting 59% from the floor over three-year span.
Bill Cartwright C San Francisco West Coast (1977 through 1979) Averaged 21.5 ppg and 11.5 rpg while shooting 60.4% from the floor over three-year MVP span.
Michael Brooks F La Salle East Coast (1978 through 1980) Averaged 24.1 ppg and 12.5 rpg while shooting 55.4% from the floor over three-year MVP span.
Harry Kelly F Texas Southern Southwestern Athletic (1980 through 1983) Averaged 27.9 ppg and 9.9 rpg over four-year span.
Ralph Sampson C Virginia Atlantic Coast (1981 through 1983) Averaged 17.6 ppg, 11.5 rpg and 3.1 bpg while shooting 57.5% from the floor over three-year MVP span.
Joe Binion F North Carolina A&T Mid-Eastern Athletic (1982 through 1984) Averaged 19.8 ppg and 10.8 rpg while shooting 50.9% from the floor over three-year MVP span.
Willie Jackson F Centenary Trans America Athletic (1982 through 1984) Averaged 23.9 ppg and 9.2 rpg over three-year MVP span.
Alfredrick Hughes F Loyola (Ill.) Midwestern Collegiate (1983 through 1985) Averaged 26.5 ppg and 8.8 rpg over three-year MVP span.
Chris Mullin G-F St. John's Big East (1983 through 1985) Averaged 20.4 ppg and 4.3 rpg while shooting 55.4% from the floor and 86.5% from the free-throw line over three-year MVP span.
Wayman Tisdale C Oklahoma Big Eight (1983 through 1985) Averaged 25.6 ppg and 10.1 rpg while shooting 57.8% from the floor over three-year span.
Larry Krystkowiak F Montana Big Sky (1984 through 1986) Averaged 20.4 ppg and 10.7 rpg while shooting 57.1% from the floor and 80.1% from the free-throw line over three-year MVP span.
Reggie Lewis F Northeastern ECAC North Atlantic (1985 through 1987) Averaged 23.7 ppg and 8.5 rpg over three-year MVP span.
David Robinson C Navy Colonial Athletic (1985 through 1987) Averaged 24.8 ppg, 12.2 rpg and 4.8 bpg while shooting 61.2% from the floor over three-year MVP span.
Danny Manning F Kansas Big Eight (1986 through 1988) Averaged 21.7 ppg and 8.2 rpg while shooting 59.9% from the floor over three-year MVP span.
Lionel Simmons F La Salle Metro Atlantic Athletic (1988 through 1990) Averaged 26 ppg and 11.3 rpg over three-year MVP span.
Clarence Weatherspoon F Southern Mississippi Metro (1990 through 1992) Averaged 19.3 ppg and 10.3 rpg while shooting 58.4% from the floor over three-year MVP span.
Tony Dunkin F Coastal Carolina Big South (1990 through 1993) Averaged 20.7 ppg and 7 rpg while shooting 52.2% from the floor and 41.2% from beyond the three-point arc over four-year span.
Gary Trent F Ohio University Mid-American (1993 through 1995) Averaged 22.7 ppg and 11.3 rpg while shooting 57.3% from the floor over three-year span.
Keith Van Horn F Utah Western Athletic (1995 through 1997) Averaged 21.5 ppg and 8.9 rpg while shooting 52.4% from the floor and 87% from the free-throw line over three-year MVP span.
George Evans F George Mason Colonial Athletic (1999 through 2001) Averaged 17.9 ppg and 8.3 rpg while shooting 58.4% from the floor over three-year MVP span.
David West F-C Xavier Atlantic 10 (2001 through 2003) Averaged 18.8 ppg and 10.8 rpg while shooting 53.1% from the floor over three-year MVP span.
Taylor Coppenrath F Vermont America East (2003 through 2005) Averaged 23.1 ppg and 7.5 rpg over three-year MVP span.
Nick Fazekas F Nevada Western Athletic (2005 through 2007) Averaged 21 ppg and 10.3 rpg while shooting 53.2% from the floor and 82.3% from the free-throw line over three-year MVP span.
Caleb Green F Oral Roberts Mid-Continent (2005 through 2007) Averaged 20.2 ppg and 9.1 rpg while shooting 52.6% from the floor over three-year MVP span.
Jameel Warney F-C Stony Brook America East (2014 through 2016) Averaged 16.9 ppg and 10.2 rpg over three-year MVP span.

On This Date: Former College Hoopers Making Mark on June 26 MLB Games

June 26th, 2018 - 7:11

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 hoopers had front-row seats to many of the most notable games, transactions and dates in MLB history.

Former college hoopers Joe Ferguson (Pacific), Frank Howard (Ohio State) and Jackie Robinson (UCLA) went deep in a big way for the Dodgers on this date. Unless you habitually pore over the content at baseballlibrary.com, baseballreference.com and nationalpastime.com, following is a June 26 calendar focusing on such versatile MLB athletes:

JUNE 26

  • OF Bob Cerv (ranked fourth on Nebraska basketball career scoring list in 1949-50 when finishing his career) purchased from the New York Yankees by the Houston Colt .45's in 1962.

  • Pittsburgh Pirates 1B Donn Clendenon (four-sport letterman with Morehouse GA) collected four hits against the Los Angeles Dodgers in a 1965 contest.

  • A pinch-hit homer in the bottom of the ninth inning by Darrell Evans (member of Jerry Tarkanian-coached Pasadena City CA club winning 1967 state community college crown) propelled the San Francisco Giants to a 6-5 victory against the Atlanta Braves in 1979.

  • Los Angeles Dodgers C Joe Ferguson (hooper in 1967 NCAA playoffs with Pacific) pounded two homers, including a game-tying blast in the bottom of the ninth inning, in a 5-4 win against the Atlanta Braves in 1974.

  • Brooklyn Robins 2B Jake Flowers (member of 1923 "Flying Pentagon" championship hoops squad for Washington College MD) contributed four hits against the Boston Braves in the opener of a 1928 doubleheader.

  • St. Louis Cardinals RHP Bob Gibson (Creighton's leading scorer and rebounder in 1955-56 and 1956-57) hurled his fifth consecutive shutout (3-0 against the Pittsburgh Pirates) in the opener of a 1968 twinbill.

  • San Francisco Giants RHP Ed Halicki (NAIA All-American third-team choice in 1971-72 when leading Monmouth in scoring with 21 ppg after setting school single-game rebounding record with 40 the previous season) hurled a five-hit shutout against the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1975. Two years later, Halicki spun his second shutout of the month that season.

  • In 1983, San Francisco Giants LHP Atlee Hammaker (averaged 5.3 ppg as freshman in 1976-77 and 4.9 ppg as sophomore in 1977-78 under East Tennessee State coach Sonny Smith) fired a four-hit shutout while fanning 12 San Diego Padres batters.

  • Los Angeles Dodgers rookie RF Frank Howard (two-time All-Big Ten Conference first-team selection in 1956-57 and 1957-58 when leading Ohio State in scoring and rebounding) whacked two homers against the Milwaukee Braves in a 1960 contest.

  • In 1966, Los Angeles Dodgers LHP Sandy Koufax (Cincinnati's freshman hoops squad in 1953-54) matched his N.L. record of seven straight strikeouts in back-to-back nine-inning appearances en route to a 2-1 victory at Atlanta.

  • Detroit Tigers 1B-OF Rick Leach (averaged 15.5 ppg for Michigan's JV hoops squad in 1975-76), mired in a 3-for-35 nosedive, broke up a no-hit bid by Baltimore's Storm Davis with a ninth-inning homer in 1983.

  • Milwaukee Braves SS Johnny Logan (Binghamton hooper in 1948-49) assembled his second 14-game hitting streak of the 1958 campaign.

  • Oakland Athletics CF Billy North (played hoops briefly for Central Washington in 1967-68) stole three bases against the California Angels in a 1974 contest.

  • San Diego Padres LHP Dennis Rasmussen (sixth-man for Creighton averaged 5.1 ppg from 1977-78 through 1979-80) tossed a shutout against the Houston Astros before losing nine of his next 10 decisions in the following two months of the 1990 campaign.

  • RHP Paul Reuschel (Western Illinois' leading rebounder in 1966-67 with 15.2 per game) traded by the Chicago Cubs to the Cleveland Indians in 1978.

  • Brooklyn Dodgers 1B Jackie Robinson (highest scoring average in Pacific Coast Conference both of his seasons with UCLA in 1939-40 and 1940-41) launched two homers against the Chicago Cubs in a 1956 game.

On This Date: Former College Hoopers Making Mark on June 25 MLB Games

June 25th, 2018 - 6:15

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 hoopers had front-row seats to many of the most notable games, transactions and dates in MLB history.

Former Missouri State hoopers Mark Bailey and Norm Siebern each hit two homers as MLB rookies on this date. Unless you habitually pore over the content at baseballlibrary.com, baseballreference.com and nationalpastime.com, following is a June 25 calendar focusing on such versatile MLB athletes:

JUNE 25

  • Oakland A's rookie RHP Mark Acre (played basketball in 1990 NCAA Tournament with New Mexico State) earned his third relief victory in 11 days in 1994.

  • Houston Astros rookie C Mark Bailey (Southwest Missouri State rebounding and field-goal shooting leader in 1980-81) blasted two homers in an 8-5 win against the Atlanta Braves in 1984.

  • Baltimore Orioles rookie LF Al Bumbry (Virginia State's runner-up in scoring with 16.7 ppg as freshman in 1964-65) banged out five hits and scored the go-ahead run in the top of the 12th inning of a 4-3 victory against the Milwaukee Brewers in 1973.

  • New York Giants 2B Andy Cohen (Alabama hoops letterman in 1924 and 1925) contributed four hits and scored three runs in a 12-4 triumph against the Philadelphia Phillies in the opener of a 1928 doubleheader.

  • Chicago White Sox 3B Gene Freese (West Liberty WV hoops captain of 1952 NAIA Tournament team) manufactured four hits against the Boston Red Sox in a 1960 game.

  • New York Giants 2B Frankie Frisch (Fordham hoops captain) collected four hits, four runs and three stolen bases against the Philadelphia Phillies in the nightcap of a 1921 twinbill. Eleven years later with the St. Louis Cardinals, Frisch furnished four hits against the Chicago Cubs in a 1932 contest.

  • Brooklyn Dodgers 1B Gil Hodges (hooper for St. Joseph's IN in 1943 and Oakland City IN in 1947 and 1948) went for the cycle (including two homers) in a 17-10 triumph at Pittsburgh in 1949.

  • Philadelphia Phillies CF Don Lock (led Wichita State in field-goal percentage in 1956-57 and 1957-58 under coach Ralph Miller) went 6-for-8, homering in both ends of a 1967 twinbill sweep against the St. Louis Cardinals.

  • Pittsburgh Pirates SS Johnny Logan (Binghamton hooper in 1948-49) went 4-for-4 in a 5-4 loss against the Philadelphia Phillies in 1963.

  • Rookie RF Bill Nicholson (two-year hoops guard for Washington College MD in mid-1930s) purchased from the Washington Senators by the Chicago Cubs for $35,000 in 1939.

  • Montreal Expos RHP Steve Renko (averaged 9.9 ppg and 5.8 rpg as Kansas sophomore in 1963-64) tossed a one-hit shutout against the Philadelphia Phillies in 1974.

  • Baltimore Orioles DH Larry Sheets (All-ODAC hoops selection in 1981-82 and 1982-83 with Eastern Mennonite VA) hammered two homers against the California Angels in a 1989 contest.

  • New York Yankees rookie LF Norm Siebern (member of Southwest Missouri State squads capturing back-to-back NAIA Tournament hoop titles in 1952 and 1953) socked two homers against the Kansas City Athletics in a 1956 game.

  • In 1995, RHP Lee Smith (averaged 3.4 ppg and 1.9 rpg with Northwestern State in 1976-77) posted a save in 19 straight relief appearances and was scoreless in his first 20 outings for the California Angels.

  • Los Angeles Dodgers LHP Eric Stults (hooper for 1999 NAIA D-II Tournament runner-up and 2000 NCCAA Tournament titlist with Bethel IN) fired a four-hit shutout against the Chicago White Sox in 2008.

  • Pittsburgh Pirates rookie LHP Bob Veale (scored 1,160 points with Benedictine KS from 1955-56 through 1957-58) didn't allow a run in his first 17 relief appearances in 1963.

  • New York Yankees RF Dave Winfield (starting forward for Minnesota's first NCAA playoff team in 1972) stroked five singles and chipped in with four RBI against the Detroit Tigers in 1984. It was one of three five-hit games for Winfield this month, tying a mark set by legendary Ty Cobb. Two years earlier in 1982 as a LF, Winfield went 4-for-4 against the Cleveland Indians. In 1980 as a San Diego Padres RF, Winfield knocked in five runs in a 7-3 win against the San Francisco Giants.

On This Date: Former College Hoopers Making Mark on June 24 MLB Games

June 24th, 2018 - 7:40

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 hoopers had front-row seats to many of the most notable games, transactions and dates in MLB history.

Former Morehead State hoopers Steve Hamilton and Denny Doyle made MLB news on this date. Unless you habitually pore over the content at baseballlibrary.com, baseballreference.com and nationalpastime.com, following is a June 24 calendar focusing on such versatile MLB athletes:

JUNE 24

  • INF-OF Leo Burke (averaged 9.2 ppg for Virginia Tech basketball teams in 1952-53 and 1953-54) traded by the St. Louis Cardinals to the Chicago Cubs for knuckle-ball reliever Barney Schultz in 1963.

  • Detroit Tigers RHP Ownie Carroll (Holy Cross hoops letterman in 1922), hurling his second shutout, allowed a total of four earned runs in his first eight victories of the 1928 campaign en route to leading the team with 16 triumphs.

  • Boston Braves SS Dick Culler (#9 jersey retired by High Point for Little All-American in 1935 and 1936) went 6-for-7 in a 1945 doubleheader split against the Brooklyn Dodgers.

  • Philadelphia Phillies 2B Denny Doyle (averaged 2.7 ppg for Morehead State in 1962-63) delivered his third three-hit outing in a 12-game span in 1972.

  • 1B Walt Dropo (Connecticut's first hooper ever to average 20 points in single season with 21.7 ppg in 1942-43) awarded on waivers from the Chicago White Sox to the Cincinnati Reds in 1958.

  • Houston Astros C Joe Ferguson (hooper in 1967 NCAA playoffs with Pacific) walked five times, including three intentional bases on balls, against the San Diego Padres in a 1978 game.

  • RHP Eddie Fisher (hooper for Oklahoma's 1954-55 freshman squad) surrendered his only run in first 12 relief appearances with the Baltimore Orioles in 1966.

  • New York Giants 2B Frankie Frisch (Fordham hoops captain) went 5-for-5 and scored four runs against the Philadelphia Phillies in the opener of a 1926 doubleheader.

  • St. Louis Cardinals RHP Bob Gibson (Creighton's leading scorer and rebounder in 1955-56 and 1956-57) ended a personal five-game losing streak with his final of 56 career shutouts (four-hitter against Pittsburgh Pirates in nightcap of 1974 twinbill).

  • New York Yankees LHP Steve Hamilton (Morehead State's leading scorer and rebounder in 1956-57 and 1957-58) struck out Cleveland Indians 1B Tony Horton with a couple of "Folly Floaters" as a reliever in the nightcap of a 1970 doubleheader.

  • Philadelphia Athletics 1B Tom Hamilton (member of Texas' 1947 Final Four team was SWC's leading scorer in league competition in 1949-50) supplied a career-high two hits in a 6-3 setback against the Detroit Tigers in 1953.

  • Brooklyn Dodgers 1B Gil Hodges (hooper for St. Joseph's IN in 1943 and Oakland City IN in 1947 and 1948) homered three times in a 1951 doubleheader against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Seven years later, Hodges hammered a round-tripper in both ends of a 1958 twinbill sweep of the Cincinnati Reds.

  • In 1944, Cincinnati Reds rookie RHP Jim Konstanty (member of 1937-38 and 1938-39 Syracuse hoop teams) tossed a shutout in his second MLB start (1-0 against Chicago Cubs).

  • In 1958, New York Yankees INF Jerry Lumpe (member of Southwest Missouri State's 1952 NAIA Tournament championship hoops team) smacked his first MLB homer (at Chicago off Early Wynn of White Sox).

  • New York Yankees RF Bud Metheny (William & Mary hoops letterman from 1935-36 through 1937-38) amassed two homers and six RBI in a 13-5 win against the Philadelphia Athletics in the opener of a 1945 twinbill.

  • Detroit Tigers RF Jim Northrup (second-leading scorer and third-leading rebounder for Alma MI in 1958-59) powered a grand slam in back-to-back innings (fifth and sixth) against the Cleveland Indians in 1968.

  • Cincinnati Reds LHP Eppa Rixey (Virginia hoops letterman in 1911-12 and 1913-14) went into the eighth inning with a perfect game but wound up losing to the Pittsburgh Pirates, 4-3, in 1924.

  • In 1947, Brooklyn Dodgers 1B Jackie Robinson (highest scoring average in PCC both of his seasons with UCLA in 1939-40 and 1940-41) swiped home in the fifth inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates. It was the first of 19 times in Robinson's career he pilfered home. The next year, he went 7-for-9 in a 1948 doubleheader sweep of the Pirates.

  • Brooklyn Dodgers LHP Preacher Roe (Harding AR hooper in late 1930s) twirled a shutout against the St. Louis Cardinals in the opener of a 1952 twinbill, giving him 30 victories in his last 33 decisions going back to the end of the 1950 campaign.

  • New York Giants C Wes Westrum (hooper for Bemidji State MN one season before serving in military) contributed a career game, hitting three homers plus a triple and scoring five runs in a 12-2 triumph against the Cincinnati Reds in 1950.

  • In 1991, California Angels RF-DH Dave Winfield (starting forward with Minnesota's first NCAA playoff team in 1972) went 5-for-5 with three extra-base hits against the Kansas City Royals to become the oldest player in MLB history to go for the cycle (39).

One and Done: First Eight U.S. Picks in Last Two NBA Drafts Were Freshmen

June 23rd, 2018 - 14:24

The newcomers are the latest not to give themselves sufficient time at the college level to amass one-for-the-books or one-for-the-ages career records. Deandre Ayton (Arizona) was the 10th freshman in the last 12 years to become the first overall choice in the NBA draft. But be careful out there with any focus on freshman fascination! Greg Oden, the first pick in the 2007 NBA draft, scored a grand total of 30 playoff points in three injury-plagued campaigns compared to Kevin Durant, the second selection in the 2007 draft, dominating in the last two NBA Finals. Washington's Markelle Fultz, last year's first overall pick before inexplicably misplacing his shooting touch, averaged only 7.1 ppg in 14 contests as a rookie with the Philadelphia 76ers.

Incredibly, all of coach John Calipari's 29 frosh defectors (4 with Memphis and 25 with Kentucky) became first-round picks in the NBA draft after four one-and-done Wildcats were chosen this season. An all-time record 16 first-round choices in 2017 before 14 this year are among the following alphabetical list of 155 freshmen, only 29 hanging around long enough to become an All-American (five in 2017), leaving universities since troubled Dontonio Wingfield became the first major-college "one 'n done" frosh upon departing from Cincinnati in 1994:

Freshman Draftee Pos. College NBA Team Drafted By Year Round Overall Pick
Shareef Abdur-Rahim F-C California Vancouver Grizzlies 1996 1st 3rd
Steven Adams F Pittsburgh Oklahoma City Thunder 2013 1st 12th
Edrice "Bam" Adebayo F Kentucky Miami Heat 2017 1st 14th
Jarrett Allen C Texas Brooklyn Nets 2017 1st 22nd
Ike Anigbogu C UCLA Indiana Pacers 2017 2nd 47th
Kostas Antekokounmpo F-C Dayton Philadelphia 76ers 2018 2nd 60th
Carmelo Anthony F Syracuse Denver Nuggets 2003 1st 3rd
Trevor Ariza F UCLA New York Knicks 2004 2nd 43rd
Deandre Ayton C Arizona Phoenix Suns 2018 1st 1st
Marvin Bagley III F-C Duke Sacramento King 2018 1st 2nd
Lonzo Ball G UCLA Los Angeles Lakers 2017 1st 2nd
Mohamed Bamba C Texas Orlando Magic 2018 1st 6th
Jerryd Bayless G Arizona Indiana Pacers 2008 1st 11th
Bradley Beal G-F Florida Washington Wizards 2012 1st 3rd
Malik Beasley G Florida State Denver Nuggets 2016 1st 19th
Michael Beasley F Kansas State Miami Heat 2008 1st 2nd
Anthony Bennett F UNLV Cleveland Cavaliers 2013 1st 1st
Eric Bledsoe G Kentucky Oklahoma City Thunder 2010 1st 18th
Devin Booker G Kentucky Phoenix Suns 2015 1st 13th
Chris Bosh F Georgia Tech Toronto Raptors 2003 1st 4th
Avery Bradley G Texas Boston Celtics 2010 1st 19th
Tony Bradley C North Carolina Los Angeles Lakers 2017 1st 28th
Jaylen Brown F California Boston Celtics 2016 1st 3rd
Troy Brown Jr. G Oregon Washington Wizards 2018 1st 15th
Wendell Carter Jr. F-C Duke Chicago Bulls 2018 1st 7th
Marquese Chriss F Washington Sacramento Kings 2016 1st 8th
Zach Collins F-C Gonzaga Sacramento Kings 2017 1st 10th
Mike Conley Jr. G Ohio State Memphis Grizzlies 2007 1st 4th
Daequan Cook G Ohio State Philadelphia 76ers 2007 1st 21st
Omar Cook G St. John's Orlando Magic 2001 2nd 32nd
Jamal Crawford G Michigan Cleveland Cavaliers 2000 1st 8th
Javaris Crittenton G Georgia Tech Los Angeles Lakers 2007 1st 19th
Anthony Davis C Kentucky New Orleans Hornets 2012 1st 1st
Deyonta Davis F-C Michigan State Boston Celtics 2016 2nd 31st
Ricky Davis F Iowa Charlotte Hornets 1998 1st 21st
Luol Deng F Duke Phoenix Suns 2004 1st 7th
DeMar DeRozan F Southern California Toronto Raptors 2009 1st 9th
Cheick Diallo F-C Kansas Los Angeles Clippers 2016 2nd 33rd
Hamidou Diallo G Kentucky Brooklyn Nets 2018 2nd 45th
Andre Drummond C Connecticut Detroit Pistons 2012 1st 9th
Kevin Durant F Texas Seattle SuperSonics 2007 1st 2nd
Henry Ellenson F Marquette Detroit Pistons 2016 1st 18th
Joel Embiid C Kansas Philadelphia 76ers 2014 1st 3rd
Tyler Ennis G Syracuse Phoenix Suns 2014 1st 18th
Tyreke Evans G Memphis Sacramento Kings 2009 1st 4th
Derrick Favors F Georgia Tech New Jersey Nets 2010 1st 3rd
Alton Ford F Houston Phoenix Suns 2001 2nd 51st
De'Aaron Fox G Kentucky Sacramento Kings 2017 1st 5th
Markelle Fultz G Washington Philadelphia 76ers 2017 1st 1st
Keith "Tiny" Gallon C Oklahoma Milwaukee Bucks 2010 2nd 47th
Harry Giles C Duke Portland Trail Blazers 2017 1st 20th
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander G Kentucky Charlotte Hornets 2018 1st 11th
Dion Glover G Georgia Tech Atlanta Hawks 1999 1st 20th
Archie Goodwin G-F Kentucky Oklahoma City Thunder 2013 1st 29th
Aaron Gordon F Arizona Orlando Magic 2014 1st 4th
Eric Gordon G Indiana Los Angeles Clippers 2008 1st 7th
Donte Greene F Syracuse Memphis Grizzlies 2008 1st 28th
Eddie Griffin F Seton Hall New Jersey Nets 2001 1st 7th
Maurice Harkless F St. John's Philadelphia 76ers 2012 1st 15th
Tobias Harris F Tennessee Charlotte Bobcats 2011 1st 19th
Donnell Harvey F Florida New York Knicks 2000 1st 22nd
Spencer Hawes C Washington Sacramento Kings 2007 1st 10th
Xavier Henry G Kansas Memphis Grizzlies 2010 1st 12th
J.J. Hickson F North Carolina State Cleveland Cavaliers 2008 1st 19th
Jrue Holiday G UCLA Philadelphia 76ers 2009 1st 17th
Larry Hughes G Saint Louis Philadelphia 76ers 1998 1st 8th
Kris Humphries F Minnesota Utah Jazz 2004 1st 14th
Brandon Ingram F Duke Los Angeles Lakers 2016 1st 2nd
Jonathan Isaac F-C Florida State Orlando Magic 2017 1st 6th
Frank Jackson G Duke Charlotte Hornets 2017 2nd 31st
Jaren Jackson F Michigan State Memphis Grizzlies 2018 1st 4th
Josh Jackson G-F Kansas Phoenix Suns 2017 1st 4th
Grant Jerrett F Arizona Portland Trail Blazers 2013 2nd 40th
DerMarr Johnson G Cincinnati Atlanta Hawks 2000 1st 6th
Stanley Johnson G Arizona Detroit Pistons 2015 1st 8th
Tyus Jones G Duke Cleveland Cavaliers 2015 1st 24th
DeAndre Jordan C Texas A&M Los Angeles Clippers 2008 2nd 35th
Cory Joseph G Texas San Antonio Spurs 2011 1st 29th
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist F Kentucky Charlotte Bobcats 2012 1st 2nd
Brandon Knight G Kentucky Detroit Pistons 2011 1st 8th
Kevin Knox F Kentucky New York Knicks 2018 1st 9th
Kosta Koufos C Ohio State Utah Jazz 2008 1st 23rd
Skal Labissiere F-C Kentucky Phoenix Suns 2016 1st 28th
Zach LaVine G UCLA Minnesota Timberwolves 2014 1st 13th
TJ Leaf F UCLA Indiana Pacers 2017 1st 18th
Ricky Ledo G Providence Milwaukee Bucks 2013 2nd 43rd
Kevon Looney F UCLA Golden State Warriors 2015 1st 30th
Kevin Love F UCLA Memphis Grizzlies 2008 1st 5th
Trey Lyles F Kentucky Utah Jazz 2015 1st 12th
Corey Maggette F Duke Seattle SuperSonics 1999 1st 13th
Stephon Marbury G Georgia Tech Milwaukee Bucks 1996 1st 4th
Lauri Markkanen F Arizona Minnesota Timberwolves 2017 1st 7th
O.J. Mayo G Southern California Minnesota Timberwolves 2008 1st 3rd
Chris McCullough F Syracuse New Jersey Nets 2015 1st 29th
Ben McLemore G-F Kansas Sacramento Kings 2013 1st 7th
Quincy Miller F Baylor Denver Nuggets 2012 2nd 38th
Malik Monk G Kentucky Charlotte Hornets 2017 1st 11th
Shabazz Muhammad G UCLA Utah Jazz 2013 1st 14th
B.J. Mullens C Ohio State Dallas Mavericks 2009 1st 24th
Dejounte Murray G Washington San Antonio Spurs 2016 1st 29th
Jamal Murray G Kentucky Denver Nuggets 2016 1st 7th
Nerlens Noel C Kentucky New Orleans Pelicans 2013 1st 6th
Greg Oden C Ohio State Portland Trail Blazers 2007 1st 1st
Jahlil Okafor C Duke Philadelphia 76ers 2015 1st 3rd
Daniel Orton C-F Kentucky Orlando Magic 2010 1st 29th
Kelly Oubre F Kansas Atlanta Hawks 2015 1st 15th
Jabari Parker F Duke Milwaukee Bucks 2014 1st 2nd
Justin Patton C Creighton Chicago Bulls 2017 1st 16th
Michael Porter Jr. F Missouri Denver Nuggets 2018 1st 14th
Julius Randle F Kentucky Los Angeles Lakers 2014 1st 7th
Anthony Randolph F Louisiana State Golden State Warriors 2008 1st 14th
Zach Randolph C Michigan State Portland Trail Blazers 2001 1st 19th
Malachi Richardson G Syracuse Charlotte Hornets 2016 1st 22nd
Austin Rivers G Duke New Orleans Hornets 2012 1st 10th
Mitchell Robinson C Western Kentucky New York Knicks 2018 2nd 36th
Derrick Rose G Memphis Chicago Bulls 2008 1st 1st
D'Angelo Russell G Ohio State Los Angeles Lakers 2015 1st 2nd
Jamal Sampson F-C California Utah Jazz 2002 2nd 47th
Josh Selby G Kansas Memphis Grizzlies 2011 2nd 49th
Collin Sexton G Alabama Cleveland Cavaliers 2018 1st 8th
Ben Simmons F Louisiana State Philadelphia 76ers 2016 1st 1st
Dennis Smith Jr. G North Carolina State Dallas Mavericks 2017 1st 9th
Zhaire Smith F Texas Tech Phoenix Suns 2018 1st 16th
Omari Spellman F Villanova Atlanta Hawks 2018 1st 30th
Lance Stephenson F Cincinnati Indiana Pacers 2010 2nd 40th
Diamond Stone C Maryland New Orleans Pelicans 2016 2nd 40th
Jayson Tatum F Duke Boston Celtics 2017 1st 3rd
Marquis Teague G Kentucky Chicago Bulls 2012 1st 29th
Tim Thomas F Villanova New Jersey Nets 1997 1st 7th
Tyrus Thomas F Louisiana State Portland Trail Blazers 2006 1st 4th
Tristan Thompson F Texas Cleveland Cavaliers 2011 1st 4th
Karl-Anthony Towns C Kentucky Minnesota Timberwolves 2015 1st 1st
Gary Trent Jr. G-F Duke Sacramento Kings 2018 2nd 37th
Myles Turner C Texas Indiana Pacers 2015 1st 11th
Jarred Vanderbilt F Kentucky Orlando Magic 2018 2nd 41st
Rashad Vaughn G UNLV Milwaukee Bucks 2015 1st 17th
Noah Vonleh F Indiana Charlotte Bobcats 2014 1st 9th
Dajuan Wagner G Memphis Cleveland Cavaliers 2002 1st 6th
Bill Walker F Kansas State Washington Wizards 2008 2nd 47th
Lonnie Walker G Miami (Fla.) San Antonio Spurs 2018 1st 18th
John Wall G Kentucky Washington Wizards 2010 1st 1st
Gerald Wallace F Alabama Sacramento Kings 2001 1st 25th
Rodney White F Charlotte Detroit Pistons 2001 1st 9th
Hassan Whiteside C Marshall Sacramento Kings 2010 2nd 33rd
Andrew Wiggins G-F Kansas Cleveland Cavaliers 2014 1st 1st
Marvin Williams F North Carolina Atlanta Hawks 2005 1st 2nd
Shawne Williams F Memphis Indiana Pacers 2006 1st 17th
Dontonio Wingfield F Cincinnati Seattle SuperSonics 1994 2nd 37th
Justice Winslow G-F Duke Miami Heat 2015 1st 10th
Brandan Wright F North Carolina Charlotte Hornets 2007 1st 8th
Tony Wroten Jr. G Washington Memphis Grizzlies 2012 1st 25th
James Young G-F Kentucky Boston Celtics 2014 1st 17th
Thaddeus Young F Georgia Tech Philadelphia 76ers 2007 1st 12th
Trae Young G Oklahoma Atlanta Hawks 2018 1st 5th
Stephen Zimmerman F UNLV Orlando Magic 2016 2nd 41st

NOTE: Manute Bol (DII Bridgeport in 1985) and Shawn Kemp (JC Trinity Valley in 1989) were the first two non-NCAA DI players selected as freshmen. Ledo did not play with PC for academic reasons.

On This Date: Former College Hoopers Making Mark on June 23 MLB Games

June 23rd, 2018 - 7:39

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 hoopers had front-row seats to many of the most notable games, transactions and dates in MLB history.

Current SEC members Alabama (Jim Tabor), LSU (Al Dark), Texas A&M (Beau Bell) and Vanderbilt (Harvey Hendrick) had former hoopers provide significant MLB performances on this date. Unless you habitually pore over the content at baseballlibrary.com, baseballreference.com and nationalpastime.com, following is a June 23 calendar focusing on such versatile MLB athletes:

JUNE 23

  • Pittsburgh Pirates RF Clyde Barnhart (played basketball for Shippensburg PA predecessor Cumberland Valley State Normal School prior to World War I) went 4-for-4 against the Cincinnati Reds in a 1923 game.

  • St. Louis Browns RF Beau Bell (two-year hoops letterman for Texas A&M in early 1930s) banged out four hits in a 6-3 win against the New York Yankees in 1937.

  • In 1975, Chicago Cubs RHP Ray Burris (two-sport standout in Southwestern Oklahoma State Hall of Fame) tossed his first MLB shutout (against Montreal Expos).

  • Cincinnati Reds 1B George Crowe (four-year letterman from 1939-40 through 1942-43 for Indiana Central after becoming first high school player named state's Mr. Basketball) went 4-for-4 with four RBI in a 5-3 victory against the Pittsburgh Pirates in the opener of a 1957 doubleheader.

  • SS Alvin Dark (hoops letterman for LSU and USL during World War II) traded by the Philadelphia Phillies to the Milwaukee Braves in 1960.

  • OF Larry Doby (reserve guard for Virginia Union's 1943 CIAA hoops titlist), retired from the Cleveland Indians, joined P Don Newcombe in 1962 as the first former MLB players to compete for a Japanese team. Doby's season batting average overseas will be a modest .225.

  • 1B Walt Dropo (Connecticut's first player ever to average 20 points in season with 21.7 ppg in 1942-43) and C Sammy White (All-PCC Northern Division first-five selection for Washington in 1947-48 and 1948-49) each homered when 12 consecutive Boston Red Sox players reached base in an 11-run, fourth-inning outburst at Detroit in 1952. Seven years later, Dropo was traded by the Cincinnati Reds to the Baltimore Orioles in 1959.

  • San Francisco Giants 1B Darrell Evans (member of Jerry Tarkanian-coached Pasadena City CA club winning 1967 state community college crown) homered in both ends of a 1976 doubleheader sweep against the San Diego Padres.

  • INF Howard Freigau (Ohio Wesleyan hooper) purchased from the Brooklyn Robins by the Boston Braves in 1928.

  • St. Louis Cardinals SS Charlie Gelbert (scored at least 125 points each of last three seasons in late 1920s for Lebanon Valley PA) went 5-for-5 against the Boston Braves in a 1930 game.

  • New York Mets OF Jimmy Piersall celebrated by running around the bases backwards in 1963 after the free spirit pounded the 100th homer of his MLB career and only one in the N.L. The round-tripper was yielded by Philadelphia Phillies RHP Dallas Green (Delaware's second-leading scorer and rebounder in 1954-55).

  • Cleveland Indians rookie 2B Jack Hammond (four-year hoops letterman for Colgate from 1909-10 through 1912-13) supplied a career-high three hits against the Chicago White Sox in the nightcap of a 1915 doubleheader.

  • Boston Red Sox rookie RHP Herb Hash (three-year letterman averaged 6.4 ppg as junior center for Richmond's undefeated team in 1934-35) hurled his lone MLB shutout (2-0 against Cleveland Indians in 1940).

  • Chicago Cubs INF-OF Harvey Hendrick (Vanderbilt hoops letterman in 1918) hammered a game-winning, pinch-hit grand slam in the 10th inning against the Philadelphia Phillies in the opener of a 1933 doubleheader.

  • Brooklyn Dodgers 1B Gil Hodges (hooper for St. Joseph's IN in 1943 and Oakland City IN in 1947 and 1948) homered twice against the Cincinnati Reds in a 1956 contest.

  • LHP Bill Krueger (led WCAC in free-throw percentage as Portland freshman in 1975-76) traded by the Oakland Athletics to the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1987.

  • In the midst of hitting safely in six of first eight contests with the Minnesota Twins in 1983, CF Rusty Kuntz (played J.C. hoops for Cuesta CA) led off the game against his original team (Chicago White Sox) with first MLB homer.

  • OF Sam Mele (NYU's leading scorer in 1943 NCAA playoffs) purchased from the Boston Red Sox by the Cincinnati Reds in 1955. Six years later, Mele became manager of the Minnesota Twins.

  • Boston Red Sox 1B Ed Morgan (Tulane hoops letterman from 1923-24 through 1925-26) collected three hits and scored four runs in a 10-2 win against the Chicago White Sox in 1934.

  • Jim Riggleman (two-year hoops letterman for Frostburg State MD averaged 7.2 ppg in early 1970s) resigned as Washington Nationals manager in 2011 on the heels of them winning 11 of 12 games when the franchise failed to give him a contract extension.

  • LHP Garry Roggenburk (Dayton scoring leader from 1959-60 through 1961-62 grabbed school-record 32 rebounds in third varsity game en route to pacing Flyers in rebounding his first two years) purchased from the Boston Red Sox by the Seattle Pilots in 1969.

  • Boston Red Sox 3B Jim Tabor (Alabama hoops letterman in 1936-37) blasted two homers against the Cleveland Indians in the nightcap of a 1940 twinbill.

Better Early Than Never: 32 Undergrad NBA Picks for UK in Last Nine Years

June 22nd, 2018 - 19:31

With four selections this year, Kentucky has a stunning 32 undergraduates selected in the NBA draft in the last nine seasons under coach John Calipari. The remainder of the SEC supplied 21 such selections during that span. Big Blue's total under Coach Cal is at least six higher than any other school since the early 1970s. As a further means of comparison, in-state rival Louisville had only nine such undergrad picks in the last 48 years after Montrezl Harrell, Chinanu Onuaku, Donovan Mitchell and Ray Spalding bolted early for the pros the past four campaigns.

On the opposite end of the spectrum from Kentucky is Northwestern, which is the lone power-league member never having an undergraduate selection after Penn State's Tony Carr was chosen in the second round this year. UK, despite failing to have an undergrad selected in 16-year span from 1972 through 1987, is expected to increase its lead over runner-up North Carolina in this "defector" category in 2019 when the Wildcats should have multiple players leave school with eligibility remaining for the 10th straight season to declare for the NBA draft. It is debatable whether the undergrads should have returned to school for additional seasoning or even taken up classroom space in the first place. The following list of 13 schools have more than a dozen defectors since the introduction of hardship cases in 1971:

Kentucky (40) - Tom Payne (1971), Rex Chapman (1988), Jamal Mashburn (1993), Antoine Walker (1996), Ron Mercer (1997), Nazr Mohammed (1998), Rajon Rondo (2006), Jodie Meeks (2009), Eric Bledsoe (2010), DeMarcus Cousins (2010), Daniel Orton (2010), Patrick Patterson (2010), John Wall (2010), Brandon Knight (2011), DeAndre Liggins (2011), Anthony Davis (2012), Terrence Jones (2012), Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (2012), Doron Lamb (2012), Marquis Teague (2012), Archie Goodwin (2013), Nerlens Noel (2013), Julius Randle (2014), James Young (2014), Devin Booker (2015), Willie Cauley-Stein (2015), Andrew Harrison (2015), Dakari Johnson (2015), Trey Lyles (2015), Karl-Anthony Towns (2015), Skal Labissiere (2016), Jamal Murray (2016), Tyler Ulis (2016), Bam Adebayo (2017), De'Aaron Fox (2017), Malik Monk (2017), Hamidou Diallo (2018), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2018), Kevin Knox (2018), Jarred Vanderbilt (2018)

North Carolina (26) - Bob McAdoo (1972), James Worthy (1982), Michael Jordan (1984), J.R. Reid (1989), Jerry Stackhouse (1995), Rasheed Wallace (1995), Jeff McInnis (1996), Antawn Jamison (1998), Vince Carter (1998), Joseph Forte (2001), Raymond Felton (2005), Sean May (2005), Rashad McCants (2005), Marvin Williams (2005), Brandan Wright (2007), Wayne Ellington (2009), Ty Lawson (2009), Ed Davis (2010), Harrison Barnes (2012), John Henson (2012), Kendall Marshall (2012), Reggie Bullock (2013), P.J. Hairston (2014), J.P. Tokoto (2015), Tony Bradley (2017), Justin Jackson (2017)

Duke (24) - William Avery (1999), Elton Brand (1999), Corey Maggette (1999), Carlos Boozer (2002), Mike Dunleavy Jr. (2002), Jay Williams (2002), Luol Deng (2004), Josh McRoberts (2007), Gerald Henderson (2009), Kyrie Irving (2011), Austin Rivers (2012), Rodney Hood (2014), Jabari Parker (2014), Tyus Jones (2015), Jahlil Okafor (2015), Justise Winslow (2015), Brandon Ingram (2016), Harry Giles (2017), Frank Jackson (2017), Luke Kennard (2017), Jayson Tatum (2017), Marvin Bagley III (2018), Wendell Carter (2018), Gary Trent Jr. (2018)

UCLA (24) - Richard Washington (1976), Stuart Gray (1984), Tracy Murray (1992), Jelani McCoy (1998), Baron Davis (1999), Jerome Moiso (2000), Trevor Ariza (2004), Jordan Farmar (2006), Arron Afflalo (2007), Kevin Love (2008), Luc Mbah a Moute (2008), Russell Westbrook (2008), Jrue Holiday (2009), Tyler Honeycutt (2011), Malcolm Lee (2011), Shabazz Muhammad (2013), Jordan Adams (2014), Kyle Anderson (2014), Zach LaVine (2014), Kevon Looney (2015), Ike Anigbogu (2017), Lonzo Ball (2017), TJ Leaf (2017), Aaron Holiday (2018)

Kansas (21) - Norm Cook (1976), Darrin Hancock (1994), Paul Pierce (1998), Drew Gooden (2002), Julian Wright (2007), Darrell Arthur (2008), Mario Chalmers (2008), Brandon Rush (2008), Cole Aldrich (2010), Xavier Henry (2010), Marcus Morris (2011), Markieff Morris (2011), Josh Shelby (2011), Thomas Robinson (2012), Ben McLemore (2013), Joel Embiid (2014), Andrew Wiggins (2014), Kelly Oubre (2015), Cheick Diallo (2016), Josh Jackson (2017), Billy Preston (2018)

Arizona (18) - Eric Money (1974), Coniel Norman (1974), Brian Williams (1991), Mike Bibby (1998), Gilbert Arenas (2001), Richard Jefferson (2001), Michael Wright (2001), Andre Iguodala (2004), Marcus Williams (2006), Jerryd Bayless (2008), Derrick Williams (2011), Grant Jerrett (2013), Aaron Gordon (2014), Nick Johnson (2014), Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (2015), Stanley Johnson (2015), Lauri Markkanen (2017), Deandre Ayton (2018)

Louisiana State (18) - DeWayne Scales (1980), Jerry Reynolds (1985), John Williams (1986), Chris Jackson (1990), Stanley Roberts (1991), Shaquille O'Neal (1992), Ronnie Henderson (1996), Randy Livingston (1996), Stromile Swift (2000), Brandon Bass (2005), Tyrus Thomas (2006), Glen Davis (2007), Anthony Randolph (2008), Justin Hamilton (2012), Johnny O'Bryant (2014), Jarell Martin (2015), Jordan Mickey (2015), Ben Simmons (2016)

Connecticut (17) - Donyell Marshall (1994), Ray Allen (1996), Richard Hamilton (1999), Khalid El-Amin (2000), Caron Butler (2002), Ben Gordon (2004), Emeka Okafor (2004), Charlie Villanueva (2005), Josh Boone (2006), Rudy Gay (2006), Marcus Williams (2006), Hasheem Thabeet (2009), Kemba Walker (2011), Andre Drummond (2012), Jeremy Lamb (2012), DeAndre Daniels (2014), Daniel Hamilton (2016)

Michigan (17) - Campy Russell (1974), Tim McCormick (1984), Sean Higgins (1990), Chris Webber (1993), Jalen Rose (1994), Juwan Howard (1994), Maurice Taylor (1997), Robert Traylor (1998), Jamal Crawford (2000), Darius Morris (2011), Trey Burke (2013), Tim Hardaway Jr. (2013), Mitch McGary (2014), Glenn Robinson III (2014), Nik Stauskas (2014), D.J. Wilson (2017), Moe Wagner (2018)

Texas (15) - LaSalle Thompson (1982), Chris Mihm (2000), T.J. Ford (2003), LaMarcus Aldridge (2006), Daniel Gibson (2006), P.J. Tucker (2006), Kevin Durant (2007), D.J. Augustin (2008), Avery Bradley (2010), Jordan Hamilton (2011), Cory Joseph (2011), Tristan Thompson (2011), Myles Turner (2015), Jarrett Allen (2017), Mohamed Bamba (2018)

Syracuse (14) - Pearl Washington (1986), Billy Owens (1991), Carmelo Anthony (2003), Donte Greene (2008), Johnny Flynn (2009), Wesley Johnson (2010), Fab Melo (2012), Dion Waiters (2012), Michael Carter-Williams (2013), Tyler Ennis (2014), Jerami Grant (2014), Chris McCullough (2015), Malachi Richardson (2016), Tyler Lydon (2017)

Memphis (13) - Larry Kenon (1973), William Bedford (1986), Vincent Askew (1987), Sylvester Gray (1988), Penny Hardaway (1993), David Vaughn III (1995), Lorenzen Wright (1996), Dajuan Wagner (2002), Shawne Williams (2006), Chris Douglas-Roberts (2008), Derrick Rose (2008), Elliot Williams (2010), Will Barton (2012)

Ohio State (13) - Clark Kellogg (1982), Jim Jackson (1992), Michael Redd (2000), Mike Conley Jr. (2007), Daequan Cook (2007), Greg Oden (2007), Kosta Koufos (2008), B.J. Mullens (2009), Evan Turner (2010), Jared Sullinger (2012), Deshaun Thomas (2013), D'Angelo Russell (2015), Keita Bates-Diop (2018)

On This Date: Former College Hoopers Making Mark on June 22 MLB Games

June 22nd, 2018 - 7:16

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 hoopers had front-row seats to many of the most notable games, transactions and dates in MLB history.

Former Guilford NC hoopers Rick Ferrell and Tom Zachary supplied significant MLB games on this date. Unless you habitually pore over the content at baseballlibrary.com, baseballreference.com and nationalpastime.com, following is a June 22 calendar focusing on such versatile MLB athletes:

JUNE 22

  • San Diego Padres RHP Mike Adams (played basketball for Texas A&M-Kingsville in 1996-97) surrendered his only run (against Tampa Bay Rays) in a span of 20 relief appearances from mid-May to early July in 2010.

  • Philadelphia Phillies 1B-LF Harry Anderson (averaged 7.7 ppg and 8.9 rpg for West Chester PA in 1951-52) homered in both ends of a 1958 doubleheader against the San Francisco Giants.

  • Cleveland Indians SS Lou Boudreau (leading scorer for Illinois' 1937 Big Ten Conference co-champion) banged out four hits against the Boston Red Sox in a 1940 contest.

  • OF Billy Cowan (hoops co-captain for Utah's 1960 NCAA playoff team) traded by the Chicago Cubs to the Philadelphia Phillies in 1966.

  • Cleveland Indians OF Larry Doby (reserve hoops guard for Virginia Union's 1943 CIAA titlist) homered in both ends of a 1953 doubleheader against the Washington Senators.

  • St. Louis Browns C Rick Ferrell (forward for Guilford NC before graduating in 1928) furnished four hits and four RBI against the New York Yankees in a 1931 game.

  • San Francisco Giants RHP Eddie Fisher (hooper for Oklahoma's 1954-55 freshman squad) won his MLB debut by allowing only three hits and one run in seven innings in a 4-1 victory against the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1959.

  • St. Louis Cardinals 2B Frankie Frisch (Fordham hoops captain) stroked three extra-base hits against the Philadelphia Phillies in a 1933 outing. The next year, Frisch went 5-for-5 against the Brooklyn Dodgers in a 1934 contest.

  • SS Dick Groat (NCAA unanimous first-team All-American for Duke in 1951-52 when national runner-up in scoring) purchased from the Philadelphia Phillies by the San Francisco Giants in 1967.

  • Los Angeles Dodgers C Tom Haller (backup forward for Illinois in 1956-57 and 1957-58 under coach Harry Combes) collected four hits against the Cincinnati Reds in a 1969 contest.

  • Pittsburgh Pirates 3B Lee Handley (Bradley hoops letterman from 1932-33 through 1934-35) provided four hits against the New York Giants in a 1939 game.

  • In 2003, LHP Mark Hendrickson (two-time All-Pacific-10 Conference selection paced Washington State four straight seasons in rebounding from 1992-93 through 1995-96) became the first Toronto Blue Jays hurler to hit a home run (against Montreal Expos).

  • In the midst of a career-high 11-game hitting streak, Chicago Cubs 2B Jerry Kindall (averaged 6.9 ppg for Minnesota as junior in 1955-56) contributed two doubles against the Philadelphia Phillies in a 1960 contest.

  • Setting a new record for a night game, Los Angeles Dodgers LHP Sandy Koufax (Cincinnati's freshman hoops squad in 1953-54) fanned 16 Philadelphia Phillies in a 6-2 triumph in 1959.

  • RHP Dave Leonhard (averaged 4.8 ppg with Johns Hopkins MD in 1961-62), joining the Baltimore Orioles on a weekend leave from the National Guard, tossed a three-hit shutout against the Cleveland Indians in the nightcap of a 1969 doubleheader.

  • Cincinnati Reds CF Greasy Neale (hooper graduated from West Virginia Wesleyan College in 1915) provided three hits in both ends of a 1918 twinbill split against the St. Louis Cardinals.

  • Pittsburgh Pirates rookie 2B Johnny O'Brien (consensus All-American second-team choice as junior and consensus first-team selection as senior averaged 25.8 ppg for Seattle from 1950-51 through 1952-53) manufactured back-to-back three-hit outings to cap off a nine-game hitting streak in 1953.

  • In 1971, Atlanta Braves RHP Ron Reed (Notre Dame's leading rebounder in 1963-64 and 1964-65) spun a three-hit shutout against the Montreal Expos, igniting a streak where he permitted more than two earned runs only once in a span of nine starts to early August.

  • In 1944, Pittsburgh Pirates INF Al Rubeling (Towson hooper in early 1930s) ripped his second pinch-hit homer in a four-game span.

  • In 1982, St. Louis Cardinals RHP John Stuper (two-time all-conference junior college hooper in mid-1970s for Butler County PA) surrendered Pete Rose's 3,772nd career hit. The third-inning double moved Rose past Hank Aaron into second place on MLB's all-time list.

  • Chicago White Sox RF Evar Swanson (five-position hooper for Knox IL) collected four hits against the Boston Red Sox in a 1934 game.

  • Toronto Blue Jays DH Dave Winfield (starting forward for Minnesota's first NCAA playoff team in 1972) knocked in five runs in a 1992 outing against the Texas Rangers.

  • In 1969, Chicago White Sox rookie RHP Billy Wynne (one of prime Pfeiffer NC hoopers in mid-1960s) hurled his lone MLB shutout (1-0 against California Angels).

  • Washington Senators LHP Tom Zachary (Guilford NC hoops letterman in 1916) notched his first of eight consecutive complete games in 1920.

Bruised Egos: All-Americans Berry, Bluiett and Landale Shunned in NBA Draft

June 22nd, 2018 - 7:10

All-Americans Joel Berry II (North Carolina), Trevon Bluiett (Xavier) and Jock Landale (Saint Mary's) weren't among the chosen few in this year's NBA draft. Of course, the NBA is a difficult nut to crack. Although Bluiett and Landale were NCAA consensus second-team All-Americans, there was no guarantee they would be selected this year; primarily because of the continued emphasis on international players. Thus they took a crash-to-earth course at the school of hard knocks along with the following undrafted undergrads: Deng Adel (Louisville), Rawle Alkins (Arizona), Leron Black (Illinois), Brian Bowen (South Carolina), Eric Davis (Texas), Tyler Davis (Texas A&M), Trevon Duval (Duke), Drew Eubanks (Oregon State), Wenyen Gabriel (Kentucky), DJ Hogg (Texas A&M), Terry Larrier (Connecticut), Brandon McCoy (UNLV), Doral Moore (Wake Forest), Malik Newman (Kansas), Ajdin Penava (Marshall), Billy Preston (Kansas), Corey Sanders (Rutgers), Tavarius Shine (Oklahoma State), David Skara (Clemson) and Allonzo Trier (Arizona).

With or without a college diploma in tow, what were these misguided hoopers thinking? Denied sneaker honorariums during an FBI probe, undrafted scholars may be swayed to join lunatic leftist leeches seeking reparations or boycotting "one-percenter" NBA foreigners stealing their jobs. Amid truly smelly progressive puke convulsing after Justice Kennedy announced his retirement from the Supreme Court essentially so bloodthirsty Planned Murderhood continue to butcher innocent babies in womb, it could blossom into one of those get in line behind the other kneeling mindless "diverse" robot routines and stand by for further "Strzok-out" instruction.

Bluiett and Landale became the 11th and 12th NCAA consensus All-American to go undrafted in a nine-season span. Do you need any more evidence that the quality of play at the collegiate level has diminished in recent years? The NBA draft was reduced to seven rounds in 1985, three rounds in 1988 and to its present two rounds in 1989. Centers Bill Spivey of Kentucky and Sherman White of LIU, All-Americans in the early 1950s, went undrafted by the NBA allegedly because of possible repercussions stemming from a game-fixing scandal. A total of 35 All-Americans, five in 2011, have gone undrafted by the NBA thus far in the 21st Century.

Eight years ago, Sherron Collins (Kansas) and Scottie Reynolds (Villanova) became the initial NCAA consensus first-team All-Americans not to be selected in the NBA draft. They're not a motley crew, but following is an alphabetical list of All-Americans who weren't selected in an NBA draft:

Undrafted All-American Pos. School A-A Year(s)
Charlie Bell G Michigan State 2001
Joel Berry II G North Carolina 2018
Trevon Bluiett G Xavier 2018**
Melvin Booker G Missouri 1994**
Joe Capua G Wyoming 1956
Sherron Collins G Kansas 2009** and 2010*
Erwin Dudley F-C Alabama 2002
Melvin Ejim F Iowa State 2014**
Perry Ellis F Kansas 2016
C.J. Fair F Syracuse 2014**
Yogi Ferrell G Indiana 2016
Jason Gardner G Arizona 2002 and 2003**
Ben Hansbrough G Notre Dame 2011**
Udonis Haslem C Florida 2001 and 2002
Bobby Joe Hill G Texas Western 1966
Terrell "Tu" Holloway G Xavier 2011
Kevin Houston G Army 1987
Keith "Mister" Jennings G East Tennessee State 1991**
Kevin Jones F West Virginia 2012**
Sean Kilpatrick G Cincinnati 2014**
Brandin Knight G Pittsburgh 2002
Jock Landale C-F Saint Mary's 2018**
Byron Larkin G Xavier 1988
Chris Lofton G Tennessee 2007** and 2008**
John Lucas III G Oklahoma State 2004
Billy McCaffrey G Vanderbilt 1993**
Jerel McNeal G Marquette 2009
Johnathan Motley F Baylor 2017
DeMarcus Nelson G-F Duke 2008
Kevin Pittsnogle F West Virginia 2006
Mike Pratt F Kentucky 1974
Hollis Price G Oklahoma 2003**
Jacob Pullen G Kansas State 2011
Allan Ray G Villanova 2006**
Dexter Reed G Memphis State 1977
Scottie Reynolds G Villanova 2010*
Bill Ridley G Illinois 1956
Juan "Pepe" Sanchez G Temple 2000
Jon Scheyer G Duke 2010**
Shea Seals F-G Tulsa 1997
Ron Slay F Tennessee 2003
Charles E. Smith G Georgetown 1989
Jordan Taylor G Wisconsin 2011
Seth Tuttle F-C Northern Iowa 2015**
Jarrod Uthoff F Iowa 2016
Fred VanVleet G Wichita State 2016
Scottie Wilbekin G Florida 2014
Max Williams G Southern Methodist 1960
Kyle Wiltjer F Gonzaga 2016
Andre Woolridge G Iowa 1997

*NCAA consensus first-team All-American.
**NCAA consensus second-team All-American.
NOTE: Bell, Booker, Collins, Ferrell, Hansbrough, Haslem, Jennings, Jones, Kilpatrick, Lucas, McNeal, Ray, Sanchez, Smith, VanVleet and Wiltjer went on to play in the NBA after signing as free agents. Pratt played in the ABA.

On This Date: Former College Hoopers Making Mark on June 21 MLB Games

June 21st, 2018 - 6:34

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 Alabama hoopers Riggs Stephenson (Chicago Cubs) and Jim Tabor (Boston Red Sox) had significant MLB outings on this date. Unless you habitually pore over the content at baseballlibrary.com, baseballreference.com and nationalpastime.com, following is a June 21 calendar focusing on such versatile MLB athletes:

JUNE 21

  • Pittsburgh Pirates 3B Clyde Barnhart (played basketball for Shippensburg PA predecessor Cumberland Valley State Normal School prior to World War I) and LF Carson Bigbee (hoops letterman with his brother on Oregon's squad in 1915) combined for nine hits against the Brooklyn Robins in a 1922 contest.

  • Detroit Tigers 1B Tony Clark (San Diego State's leading scorer in WAC games in 1991-92) collected five RBI against the Boston Red Sox in a 1997 outing. Two years later, Clark cracked three extra-base hits against the Oakland Athletics in a 1999 contest.

  • Chicago Cubs 3B Alvin Dark (hoops letterman for Louisiana State and Louisiana-Lafayette in mid-1940s) posted his third four-hit outing in a five-game span in 1958.

  • After registering five saves in less than a month, Cincinnati Reds LHP Joe Gibbon (two-time All-SEC forward for Ole Miss was nation's second-leading scorer as senior in 1956-57) notched his 11th straight scoreless relief appearance.

  • RHP Walt Huntzinger (All-EIBL second-five selection in 1921-22 with Penn) awarded on waivers from the St. Louis Cardinals to the Chicago Cubs in 1926.

  • OF Rusty Kuntz (J.C. hooper for Cuesta CA) traded by the Chicago White Sox to the Minnesota Twins in 1983.

  • Washington Senators CF Don Lock (led Wichita State in field-goal percentage in 1956-57 and 1957-58 under coach Ralph Miller) smashed two homers against the Kansas City Athletics in the opener of a 1964 doubleheader.

  • Chicago White Sox RHP Ted Lyons (two-time All-SWC first-team selection for Baylor in early 1920s) notched his 250th career win in 1942. Lyons finished the season hurling complete games in all 20 starts, led the A.L. with a 2.10 ERA, and then entered the U.S. Marine Corps at age 42.

  • Washington Senators rookie CF Irv Noren (hoops player of year for California community college state champion Pasadena City in 1945) knocked in five runs against the Detroit Tigers in a 1950 contest.

  • Detroit Tigers RF Jim Northrup (second-leading scorer and third-leading rebounder for Alma MI in 1958-59) amassed two homers and five RBI against the Cleveland Indians in the nightcap of a 1970 twinbill.

  • Brooklyn Dodgers LHP Preacher Roe (Harding AR hooper in late 1930s) won his first 10 decisions in 1951.

  • New York Yankees 3B Red Rolfe (played hoops briefly with Dartmouth in 1927-28 and 1929-30) provided five hits against the Detroit Tigers in a 1940 outing.

  • As a pinch-hitter, New York Mets C John Stephenson (scored 1,361 points for William Carey MS in early 1960s) was the final out of P Jim Bunning's perfect game for the Philadelphia Phillies in 1964.

  • Chicago Cubs LF Riggs Stephenson (Alabama hoops letterman in 1920) supplied four hits against the Philadelphia Phillies in a 1932 contest.

  • Boston Red Sox 3B Jim Tabor (Alabama hoops letterman in 1936-37) knocked in five runs in a 1941 outing against the St. Louis Browns.

  • In 1973, San Diego Padres rookie LF Dave Winfield (starting forward with Minnesota's first NCAA playoff team in 1972) whacked his first of 465 MLB homers (off Ken Forsch of Houston Astros).

Caught in Draft: Total of 14 Head Coaches Were Former NBA 1st-Round Picks

June 21st, 2018 - 6:10

A striking number of NCAA Division I coaches probably will be a mite more interested in the NBA draft than their counterparts because they were selected themselves. Following is an alphabetical list of the 32 active DI mentors chosen in an NBA draft (including 21 in first or second round):

Division I Coach Current School Alma Mater NBA Team Draft Year Round
Steve Alford UCLA Indiana Dallas Mavericks 1987 2nd
Tommy Amaker Harvard Duke Seattle SuperSonics 1987 3rd
Tony Bennett Virginia Wisconsin-Green Bay Charlotte Hornets 1992 2nd
Johnny Dawkins UCF Duke San Antonio Spurs 1986 1st
Jamie Dixon Texas Christian Texas Christian Washington Bullets 1987 7th
Juan Dixon Coppin State Maryland Washington Wizards 2002 1st
Bryce Drew Vanderbilt Valparaiso Houston Rockets 1998 1st
Mike Dunleavy Sr. Tulane South Carolina Philadelphia 76ers 1976 6th
Patrick Ewing Georgetown Georgetown New York Knicks 1985 1st
Steve Henson Texas-San Antonio Kansas State Milwaukee Bucks 1990 2nd
Bobby Hurley Jr. Arizona State Duke Sacramento Kings 1993 1st
Lewis Jackson Alabama State Alabama State Golden State Warriors 1984 3rd
Jeff Jones Old Dominion Virginia Indiana Pacers 1982 4th
Lon Kruger Oklahoma Kansas State Atlanta Hawks 1974 9th
Larry Krystkowiak Utah Montana Chicago Bulls 1986 2nd
Jim Larranaga Miami (Fla.) Providence Detroit Pistons 1971 6th
Jim Les UC Davis Bradley Atlanta Hawks 1986 3rd
Dan Majerle Grand Canyon Central Michigan Phoenix Suns 1988 1st
Danny Manning Wake Forest Kansas Los Angeles Clippers 1988 1st
Donyell Marshall Central Connecticut State Connecticut Minnesota Timberwolves 1994 1st
Cuonzo Martin Missouri Purdue Atlanta Hawks 1995 2nd
Walter McCarty Evansville Kentucky New York Knicks 1996 1st
Mike McConathy Northwestern State Louisiana Tech Chicago Bulls 1977 4th
Chris Mullin St. John's St. John's Golden State Warriors 1985 1st
Fran O'Hanlon Lafayette Villanova Philadelphia 76ers 1970 8th
Scott Padgett Samford Kentucky Utah Jazz 1999 1st
Mark Pope Utah Valley Kentucky Indiana Pacers 1996 2nd
Terry Porter Portland Wisconsin-Stevens Point Portland Trail Blazers 1985 1st
Al Skinner Kennesaw State Rhode Island Boston Celtics 1974 9th
Damon Stoudamire Pacific Arizona Toronto Raptors 1995 1st
Darrell Walker UALR Arkansas New York Knicks 1983 1st
Corey Williams Stetson Oklahoma State Chicago Bulls 1992 2nd

On This Date: Former College Hoopers Making Mark on June 20 MLB Games

June 20th, 2018 - 7:21

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 hoopers had front-row seats to many of the most notable games, transactions and dates in MLB history.

Former small-college hoopers Dick Siebert (Concordia-St. Paul MN/Minnesota) and Bobby Winkles (Illinois Wesleyan/Arizona State) guided major universities to College World Series championships on this date in the 1960s. Unless you habitually pore over the content at baseballlibrary.com, baseballreference.com and nationalpastime.com, following is a June 20 calendar focusing on such versatile MLB athletes:

JUNE 20

  • Boston Red Sox 1B Dale Alexander (starting basketball center in mid-1920s for Milligan TN) contributed four hits in a 9-5 win against the Cleveland Indians in 1933.

  • LF Howie Bedell (averaged 3.5 ppg and 3.5 rpg for West Chester PA in 1955-56) traded by the Milwaukee Braves to the St. Louis Cardinals for P Bobby Tiefenauer in 1963.

  • Montreal Expos RHP Ray Burris (two-sport standout in Southwestern Oklahoma State Hall of Fame) tossed a three-hit shutout against the Philadelpia Phillies in 1983.

  • RHP Bob Chlupsa (led Manhattan in rebounding in 1965-66 and 1966-67) traded by the St. Louis Cardinals to the San Diego Padres in 1972.

  • 1B Tony Clark (San Diego State's leading scorer in WAC games in 1991-92) clobbered two of Detroit's team-record eight homers in the Tigers' 18-6 victory against the Toronto Blue Jays in 2000.

  • Hall of Fame C Mickey Cochrane (Boston University hooper in early 1920s) collected four of the Philadelphia Athletics' 26 hits in an 18-11 decision over the Chicago White Sox in 1932.

  • Lone MLB triumph for RHP Paul Edmondson (averaged 12.4 ppg and 6.6 rpg with Cal State Northridge from 1962-63 through 1964-65) came in his debut in 1969 when hurling a two-hitter for the Chicago White Sox against the California Angels.

  • Detroit Tigers rookie 1B Hank Greenberg (enrolled at NYU on hoops scholarship in 1929 but attended college only one semester) went 4-for-4 against the Philadelphia Athletics in a 1933 contest.

  • RHP Ed Halicki (NAIA All-American third-team choice in 1971-72 when leading Monmouth in scoring with 21 ppg after setting school single-game rebounding record with 40 the previous season) awarded on waivers from the San Francisco Giants to the California Angels in 1980.

  • Los Angeles Dodgers 1B Gil Hodges (hooper for St. Joseph's IN in 1943 and Oakland City IN in 1947 and 1948) homered twice against the Cincinnati Reds in a 1959 game.

  • New York Yankees LF Charlie Keller (three-year hoops letterman with Maryland from 1934-35 through 1936-37) homered in his fourth consecutive contest in 1941. Two years later, Keller connected for a circuit clout in both ends of a 1943 twinbill split against the Washington Senators.

  • San Francisco Giants OF Harvey Kuenn (played hoops briefly for Wisconsin in 1951-52 after competing on JV squad previous season) collected five hits against the St. Louis Cardinals in a 1964 contest.

  • Chicago Cubs RF Bill Nicholson (Washington College MD hoops guard for two years in mid-1930s) smacked two homers against the St. Louis Cardinals in the opener of a 1943 doubleheader.

  • In 1961 outing, Baltimore Orioles rookie RF Earl Robinson (three-time All-PCC second-team selection for California under coach Pete Newell from 1955-56 through 1957-58) ripped first MLB homer, which was among his three hits against the Minnesota Twins.

  • New York Yankees 3B Red Rolfe (Dartmouth hooper in 1927-28 and 1929-30) registered three extra-base hits against the Chicago White Sox in a 1939 game.

  • Baltimore Orioles 1B Norm Siebern (member of Southwest Missouri State squads capturing back-to-back NAIA Tournament hoops titles in 1952 and 1953) stroked three extra-base hits and scored four runs against the Washington Senators in a 1965 game.

  • Eleven-year MLB 1B Dick Siebert (Concordia-St. Paul MN hooper in 1929 and 1930) coached Minnesota to his second of three College World Series championships with the Gophers by outlasting Southern California, 2-1, in 10 innings in 1960.

  • Chicago Cubs SS Roy Smalley Jr. (one of top scorers for Drury MO in 1942-43 and 1943-44) supplied three extra-base hits off Johnny Sain in a 4-3 triumph against the Boston Braves in a 1950 contest.

  • RHP Lee Smith (averaged 3.4 ppg and 1.9 rpg with Northwestern State in 1976-77) preserved the California Angels' 3-2 verdict over the Kansas City Royals in 1995, setting a MLB mark with his 18th save in 18 opportunities (record subsequently broken).

  • Boston Red Sox 3B Jim Tabor (Alabama hoops letterman in 1936-37) jacked two homers against the Philadelphia Athletics in the opener of a 1943 twinbill.

  • Former MLB manager Bobby Winkles (All-College Conference of Illinois first-team selection led Illinois Wesleyan in scoring with 12 ppg as senior in 1950-51) coached Arizona State to his third of three College World Series championships with the Sun Devils by trouncing Tulsa, 10-1, in 1969.

Men For All Seasons: College Cagers Dominated Formative Seasons of CWS

June 20th, 2018 - 7:16

Long before the ping was the electronic thing, college cagers brought their electrifying Hoop Dreams to the eclectic Field of Dreams. For instance, Lowell "Lefty" Davis averaged 19.3 ppg as an All-ACC second-team selection before the lefthander hurled a shutout in the NCAA College World Series for 1955 baseball champion Wake Forest. The next year, hoops regular Jerry Kindall hit for the cycle with eventual kingpin Minnesota against Ole Miss before eventually coaching Arizona to three CWS titles in an 11-year span (1976-80-86).

Among the eventual big leaguers selected to an All-CWS Team after also competing as college hoopers were Sonny Siebert (Missouri in 1958), Bob Garibaldi (Santa Clara in 1962), Gary Holman (Southern California in 1963), Bill Davis (Minnesota in 1964), Gary Sutherland (Southern California in 1964), Dave Winfield (Minnesota in 1973), Lyle Mouton (Louisiana State in 1990 and 1991) and Ryan Minor (Oklahoma in 1994). Siebert, a 12-year MLB pitcher, also played 1B for Mizzou, hitting three triples in six postseason games for CWS runner-up. Mouton smacked two homers for eventual champion LSU in 1991 CWS opener against Florida.

Three of the first four individuals earning the NCAA College World Series Most Outstanding Player award were also basketball players for the school. Following are athletic achievement summaries during the school year in question for this trio plus versatile performers Garibaldi and Winfield in the ultimate hoops regular/CWS MOP category:

Year CWS MOP College Pos. School Year Summary for Multi-Sport Athlete
1949 Tom Hamilton Texas 1B #2 scorer for 17-7 hoops team before contributing home run and four RBI in CWS title-game victory against Wake Forest
1950 Ray Van Cleef Rutgers OF averaged 2.8 ppg for 13-15 hoops team before going 7-for-9 in first two CWS outings for eventual 3rd-place finisher
1952 Jim O'Neill Holy Cross P averaged 6.2 ppg for 24-4 NIT participant before 6-5 righthander tossed three CWS complete-game wins, striking out nine in championship contest
1962 Bob Garibaldi Santa Clara P #2 scorer/rebounder for 19-6 hoops team before workhorse fanned 38 batters while appearing in five of six CWS games (27 2/3 innings after hurling eight frames in relief in 15-inning final-game loss against Michigan)
1973 Dave Winfield Minnesota OF-P averaged 10.5 ppg and 6.1 rpg for 21-5 hoops team before eventual HOF outfielder fanned 29 batters in two pitching starts (14 vs. Oklahoma and 15 vs. USC) with club tying for third-place finish; in perhaps the most amazing game in CWS history, Winfield allowed only an infield single through eight innings before defending champion Trojans erased 7-0 deficit with eight runs in ninth frame

On This Date: Former College Hoopers Making Mark on June 19 MLB Games

June 19th, 2018 - 6:55

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 hoopers had front-row seats to many of the most notable games, transactions and dates in MLB history.

Former small-college hoopers Dale Alexander (Milligan TN) and Larry Biittner (Buena Vista IA) each went 4-for-4 in a MLB game on this date. Unless you habitually pore over the content at baseballlibrary.com, baseballreference.com and nationalpastime.com, following is a June 19 calendar focusing on such versatile MLB athletes:

JUNE 19

  • Detroit Tigers 1B Dale Alexander (starting basketball center in mid-1920s for Milligan TN) had a 29-game hitting streak snapped by the New York Yankees in 1932. Two years later, Alexander was with the Boston Red Sox when he went 4-for-4 against the Cleveland Indians in the opener of a doubleheader.

  • Cleveland Indians RHP Jim Bibby (Fayetteville State NC backup hooper and brother of UCLA All-American Henry Bibby) tossed a four-hit shutout against the Detroit Tigers in the nightcap of a 1977 twinbill.

  • Chicago Cubs 1B Larry Biittner (runner-up in scoring and rebounding for Buena Vista IA in 1966-67) went 4-for-4 in the nightcap of a 1976 doubleheader against the Atlanta Braves.

  • New York Mets 1B Donn Clendenon (four-sport letterman with Morehouse GA) contributed three extra-base hits against the Philadelphia Phillies in a 1971 game.

  • New York Giants OF Hoot Evers (starter for Illinois in 1939-40) climaxed a four-run, ninth-inning rally with a pinch-hit homer against the St. Louis Cardinals in 1954.

  • Los Angeles Dodgers C Joe Ferguson (hooper in 1967 NCAA playoffs with Pacific) provided a game-winning, pinch homer in the bottom of the 10th inning in a 5-3 win against the Montreal Expos in 1980.

  • Nine-year MLB INF Jerry Kindall (averaged 6.9 ppg for Minnesota as junior in 1955-56) coached Arizona to his first of three College World Series championships with the Wildcats by upending Eastern Michigan, 7-1, in 1976.

  • Washington Senators 2B Buddy Myer (Mississippi State hoops letterman in 1923-24) notched at least three hits for the fourth time in six-game span in 1935.

  • San Diego Padres 3B Graig Nettles (shot 87.8% from free-throw line for San Diego State in 1963-64) smacked two homers against the San Francisco Giants in a 1986 outing.

  • Brooklyn Dodgers LF Jackie Robinson (highest scoring average in Pacific Coast Conference both of his seasons with UCLA in 1939-40 and 1940-41) ripped two homers against the Chicago Cubs in a 1954 contest.

  • Baltimore Orioles RHP Tim Stoddard (starting forward opposite All-American David Thompson for North Carolina State's 1974 NCAA champion) yielded his only run in an 11-game stretch of relief appearances in 1979.

  • Detroit Tigers C Birdie Tebbetts (Providence hooper in 1932) manufactured three hits for the third time in a four-game span in 1940.

  • St. Louis Cardinals RHP Ray Washburn (led Whitworth WA in scoring when named All-Evergreen Conference in 1958-59 and 1959-60) hurled a two-hit shutout against the Philadelphia Phillies in the opener of a 1966 doubleheader.

  • St. Louis Cardinals 1B Bill White (two-year hooper for Hiram OH in early 1950s) knocked in five runs in a 1963 contest against the New York Mets.

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