UK and UNC Still Rank 1-2 in Most All-Americans Despite Shutout This Year
Despite being shut out this year, Kentucky and North Carolina still rank 1-2 for most All-American honorees over the years. Duke isn't far behind UK and UNC although none of the Blue Devils' All-Americans came from the state of North Carolina (20 different states plus District of Columbia).
Illinois, Notre Dame and Purdue never have won an NCAA championship despite all three schools supplying more than 20 different individuals as All-Americans. Following is a list of the top 10 universities boasting the most All-Americans since 1928-29 (AP, Converse, NABC, UPI and USBWA):
Rank School (Different Individuals) Rank School (Total # of All-Americans) 1. Kentucky (48) 1. North Carolina (74) 2. North Carolina (45) 2. Kentucky (73) 3. Duke (44) 3. Duke (67) 4. Indiana (41) 4. Kansas (58) 5. Kansas (40) 5. Indiana (56) 6. UCLA (32) 6. UCLA (48) 7. Illinois (31) 7. Ohio State (47) 8. Ohio State (30) 8. Notre Dame (44) 9. Notre Dame (26) 9. Illinois (36) 10. Purdue (22) 10. Purdue (33) T11. Michigan (20) T11. Syracuse (20)
On This Date: Former College Hoopers Make News on April 5 MLB Games
Extra! Extra! As a new season remains in holding pattern, you have time to read news all about memorable major league baseball achievements, moments and transactions involving former college basketball players! Numerous ex-college hoopers had front-row seats to many of the most notable games and dates in MLB history.
Baseball is portrayed as a thinking man's game but only 4% of active MLB players earned college diplomas. Former small-college hoopers Frank Baker (Southern Mississippi), Fred Kipp (Emporia State KS), Roger Mason (Saginaw Valley State MI), Ted Savage (Lincoln MO) and Ken Singleton (Hofstra) were involved in MLB transactions on this date. Unless you habitually pore over the content at baseballlibrary.com, baseballreference.com and nationalpastime.com, following is an April 5 calendar focusing on such versatile MLB athletes:
APRIL 5
INF Frank Baker (Southern Mississippi basketball letterman in 1965-66 and 1966-67) traded by the New York Yankees to the Baltimore Orioles in 1973.
Detroit Tigers 1B Tony Clark (San Diego State's leading scorer in WAC games in 1991-92) smacked two homers among his four hits in a 15-12 win against the Chicago White Sox in 1997. Four years later, Clark contributed four hits against the Minnesota Twins in 2001.
LHP Fred Kipp (two-time all-conference selection for Emporia State KS in early 1950s) traded by the Los Angeles Dodgers to the New York Yankees in 1960.
RHP Roger Mason (multiple-year letterman for Saginaw Valley State MI in late 1970s) traded by the Detroit Tigers to the San Francisco Giants in 1985.
California Angels 3B Bob Oliver (All-Valley Conference basketball choice for American River Community College CA in 1962) supplied four hits in an 8-2 win against the Chicago White Sox in 1974 season opener.
OF Ted Savage (led Lincoln MO in scoring average in 1955-56) purchased from the Cincinnati Reds by the Milwaukee Brewers in 1970.
OF Ken Singleton (Hofstra freshman squad in mid-1960s) traded with Tim Foli and Mike Jorgensen by the New York Mets to the Montreal Expos for Rusty Staub in 1972.
Atlanta Braves reliever Cecil Upshaw (led Centenary in scoring as junior while averaging 13.7 ppg and 6 rpg from 1961-62 through 1963-64) registered the victory in a season-opening 7-4 success at Cincinnati in 1971. Upshaw missed the previous campaign after almost losing the ring finger on his right hand when it got entangled in a net while dunking basketball.
RHP Chris Young (All-Ivy League first-team selection as Princeton's leading scorer and rebounder in 1999-00) became the first hurler in New York Mets history to collect two hits in an inning (pair of singles in third against Philadelphia Phillies in 2011). Young contributed a third single in the fifth in his first start with the Mets.
College Exam: Day #22 of One-and-Only NCAA Tourney Trivia Challenge
Unless you're busy hoarding toilet paper and face-masks or cowering in fetal position from college basketball version of Orson Welles' War of the Worlds, it's your suspended-animation opportunity to start taking online tests for 23 quarantined days symbolic of normal time frame from Selection Sunday to Monday evening championship contest.
We need something to occupy our minds during quarantine from much of the invective-infected #MessMedia. Emphasizing a "one-and-only" theme for a "one-and-only" event, here is Day 22 of a treasure-trove of tantalizing NCAA Tournament trivia questions from CollegeHoopedia.com tracking the only coach, conference, player or school to be linked to a distinguished or dubious achievement (click here for answers or conduct research digesting historical morsels in CollegeHoopedia.com's year-by-year highlights):
1. Name the only player to lead an NCAA Tournament team in season scoring and rebounding before becoming the only NCAA playoff participant to subsequently appear in both the NBA Finals and World Series. Hint: He became his alma mater's athletic director.
2. Name the only championship team to have two guards be its top two scorers for the season. Hint: It's the only school to win an NCAA title the year after losing an NCAA Tournament opener by a double-digit margin.
3. Who is the only individual to play for an NCAA champion, NBA champion and ABA champion? Hint: The 6-2 swingman averaged almost three times as many rebounds per game for back-to-back NCAA titlists as he did points per game in his pro career.
4. Name the only school to lose an NCAA Tournament game in which it connected on at least three-fourths of its field-goal attempts. Hint: The school's leading scorer in that game was a freshman who went on to average at least 22 points per game in four tourneys, including first-round games against No. 3 and No. 4 seeds his last three years.
5. Who is the only player to hit a game-winning basket in an NCAA final one year and become a consensus All-American for another university the next season? Hint: He was a second-team All-American the same season a former teammate was first-team All-American one year after being named Final Four Most Outstanding Player as freshman.
6. Name the only team to defeat three #1 seeds in a single tourney. Hint: The three #1 seeds were three winningest schools in history of major-college basketball. The champion is only team needing at least four games to win NCAA title to have all of its playoff games decided by single-digit margins. It is also the only titlist to finish as low as fifth place in its conference standings.
7. Name the only NCAA championship team to have four freshman starters. Hint: Two of the freshmen were among three starters who also excelled in a sport other than basketball.
8. Who is the only Final Four coach to previously lead the nation in a statistical category as a major-college player? Hint: He coached his alma mater to the NCAA Tournament six years later before guiding another school to Final Four twice in a four-year span.
9. Name the only school to appear in the NCAA Tournament under two coaches who subsequently became NBA coach of the year. Hint: The school participated in NCAA playoffs under these individuals in back-to-back seasons before they earned their NBA awards in a five-year span.
10. Who is the only player to average more than 20 points and 10 rebounds for an NIT semifinalist one year and an NCAA semifinalist the next season? Hint: After earning an NIT Most Valuable Player award, he helped his school become the first member of a first-year conference to reach NCAA Final Four.
Hype Hangover: NBA MVPs With Most Disappointing NCAA Playoff Careers
In a monumental miscarriage of justice, Michael Jordan (North Carolina) and Larry Bird (Indiana State) reached finale stemming from online voting for ESPN's college basketball's greatest of all-time (GOAT) bracket. MJ deserved to be national POY over Virginia senior Ralph Sampson in 1982-83, but the ESPN debacle was an obvious benchmark exhibiting historical level of ignorance and how much ill-informed younger generations are self-absorbed mental midgets completely influenced by TV commercials. Actually, ESPN's politically-correct bracket was flawed from the outset when a race-to-erase masculinity had females comprising 1/4 of the entrants. Where were bathroom-barging transgender candidates?
A more accurate barometer for determining college impact and individual excellence is Collegehoopedia's authoritative "All-Time Top 100 Players." Truth be told when it comes to NCAA Tournament history, MJ and Larry Legend probably rank 1-2 only in assessing a "goat" for most disappointing college playoff performances by individuals eventually earning at least three NBA Most Valuable Player awards. Despite both of them reaching an NCAA championship contest, there is a striking number of other individuals who should be on college basketball's Mount Rushmore after excelling the most as NCAA playoff performers. For instance, UCLA's Lew Alcindor earned three consecutive Final Four Most Outstanding Player awards from 1967 through 1969; Ohio State's Jerry Lucas was a three-time Big Ten Conference MVP who led the nation in FG% all three seasons from 1960 through 1962; Cincinnati's Oscar Robertson amassed 33 consecutive double-doubles en route to pacing country in scoring three times from 1958 through 1960; San Francisco's Bill Russell registered an incredible four-game total of 84 rebounds in back-to-back Final Fours in 1955 and 1956, and UCLA's Bill Walton was the main cog for first school in history to compile back-to-back perfect seasons (1972 and 1973).
It's a simplistic cop-out to accept the one-name icon visibility of Michael, Bird and Magic Johnson (Michigan State) and designate them among the premier players in NCAA tourney history. Compared to their unquestionable NBA exploits (where MJ should rank #1 if wearing uniform No. 23 rather than 45), they were more duds than studs in NCAA playoffs warranting inclusion among the following not-so-super seven NBA MVPs who faltered at times in college postseason competition:
Michael Jordan (North Carolina) - His NBA playoff scoring average with the Chicago Bulls more than doubled the NCAA Tournament scoring average he compiled for Carolina. Jordan averaged 16.5 points per NCAA playoff game with the Tar Heels, scoring 20 or more in just two of 10 postseason games from 1982 through 1984. His Airness scored fewer than 18 points in two of the four playoff contests he led Carolina in scoring. Most people don't remember his inauspicious playoff debut when he collected six points, one rebound, no assists and no steals in 37 minutes of a 52-50 opening-round victory against James Madison in the East Regional. And Jordan's final NCAA Tournament appearance before he left school early for the NBA was nothing to write home about, either. The college player of the year was restricted to six points in the first 35 minutes of his collegiate swan song in the East Regional semifinals against Indiana, finishing with 13 points, one rebound, one assist and one steal in 26 foul-plagued minutes when the top-ranked Tar Heels were eliminated (72-68). A total of 25 different Carolina players - including Ranzino Smith with modest career average of 6.5 ppg - posted NCAA playoff scoring high matching or greater than Jordan's best of 27.
Larry Bird (Indiana State) - Boosted the Sycamores to the 1979 final in his lone NCAA tourney, but put the 'oops' in hoops by committing a Final Four-record 17 turnovers. He hit just 7-of-21 field-goal attempts and had three times as many turnovers (six) as assists (two) against Michigan State in the championship game, which was essentially the equivalent of a boring Super Bowl failing to live up to hype.
James Harden (Arizona State) - Averaged 9.5 points in two NCAA Tournament games in 2009.
Dave Cowens (Florida State) - Collected 11 points and 4 rebounds in one NCAA Tournament game against East Tennessee State in the playoff debuts for both schools in 1968.
Charles Barkley (Auburn) - Lost only NCAA Tournament game as junior in 1984 against mid-major Richmond (#12 seed).
Russell Westbrook (UCLA) - Averaged 8.2 points and 2.2 assists in 10 NCAA Tournament games for Final Four teams in 2007 and 2008.
Magic Johnson (Michigan State) - Shot an anemic 27.8% from the floor (10-of-36) in three 1978 tourney games as a freshman before leading Spartans to NCAA title the next year. He had more turnovers (six) than assists (five) in the over-hyped 1979 final, a mediocre contest paling in comparison to the last eight finals of the 1980s when seven of them were decided by an average of two points. Johnson outscored and outrebounded teammate Greg Kelser in just one of eight playoff games they played together. Kelser simply contributed more than Magic to MSU's cause in NCAA competition.
State Delegates: Majority of All-Americans Performed for Out-of-State Schools
If you are qualified and gotten more interested these days in the vanguard of state-by-state All-American blackboard information than bored by which state petty presidential politicians are apologizing in, then campaign with the following strategic delegate knowledge: Only four of 15 All-Americans named by AP, NABC and USBWA this season are homegrown in-state products.
A total of 12 states have each accounted for at least 20 All-Americans beyond their borders - New York (91), Illinois (64), Pennsylvania (50), Indiana (44), California (42), New Jersey (40), Maryland (26), Ohio (24), Georgia (23), Texas (23), North Carolina (21), Michigan (20) and Missouri (20). This season, Dayton's Obi Toppin and Louisville's Jordan Nwora helped New York extend its all-time A-A supply-chain lead. Following is an alphabetical list of states supplying players who were from or attended high school (some before attending prep school) in a state other than where they earned All-American recognition while attending a four-year university.
Alabama (11) - Kentucky's DeMarcus Cousins (2010), Jacksonville's Artis Gilmore (1970 and 1971), Kentucky State's Travis Grant (1972), Colorado State's Bill Green (1963), Memphis State's Larry Kenon (1973), Southern Illinois' Joe C. Meriweather (1975), Louisville's Allen Murphy (1975), Kansas' Bud Stallworth (1972), Texas Southern's Ben Swain (1958), Southwestern Louisiana's Andrew Toney (1980) and Indiana's D.J. White (2008)
Alaska (2) - Duke's Trajan Langdon (1998 and 1999) and Carlos Boozer (2002)
Arizona (5) - Duke's Mark Alarie (1986), Duke's Marvin Bagley III (2018), Gonzaga's Brandon Clarke (2019), Marquette's Markus Howard (2019 and 2020) and Brigham Young's Joe Richey (1953)
Arkansas (9) - Oklahoma State's James Anderson (2010), Texas Western's Jim Barnes (1964), Gonzaga's Frank Burgess (1961), San Diego State's Michael Cage (1984), Memphis State's Keith Lee (1982-83-84-85), Minnesota's Quincy Lewis (1999), Seattle's Eddie Miles (1963), Kentucky's Malik Monk (2017) and Memphis State's Dexter Reed (1977)
California (42) - UNLV's Stacey Augmon (1991), Oregon's Greg Ballard (1977), Oregon State's Fred Boyd (1982), Arizona State's Joe Caldwell (1963), Oregon State's Lester Conner (1982), New Mexico's Michael Cooper (1978), Penn's Howie Dallmar (1945), Boston College's Jared Dudley (2007), Brigham Young's John Fairchild (1965), Kansas' Drew Gooden (2002), Utah State's Cornell Green (1962), Texas' Jordan Hamilton (2011), Arizona State's James Harden (2009), Brigham Young's Mel Hutchins (1951), Arizona's Stanley Johnson (2015), Oregon State's Steve Johnson (1980 and 1981), Arizona's Steve Kerr (1988), Weber State's Damian Lillard (2012), Oregon's Stan Love (1971), Oregon State's John Mandic (1942), Utah's Billy McGill (1960 through 1962), Utah's Andre Miller (1998 and 1999), Arizona's Chris Mills (1993), Duke's DeMarcus Nelson (2008), Notre Dame's Kevin O'Shea (1947 through 1950), Oregon State's Gary Payton (1990), Kansas' Paul Pierce (1998), Kentucky's Tayshaun Prince (2001 and 2002), UNLV's J.R. Rider (1993), Creighton's Paul Silas (1962 through 1964), Arizona's Miles Simon (1998), Boston College's Craig Smith (2005 and 2006), Brigham Young's Michael Smith (1988), Temple's Terence Stansbury (1984), Oregon's Vic Townsend (1941), Vanderbilt's Jan van Breda Kolff (1974), Utah's Keith Van Horn (1996 and 1997), Kansas' Jacque Vaughn (1995 through 1997), Arizona's Derrick Williams (2011), Portland State's Freeman Williams (1977 and 1978), Kansas' Jeff Withey (2013) and Utah's Delon Wright (2015)
Colorado (9) - Utah's Art Bunte (1955 and 1956), Purdue's Joe Barry Carroll (1979 and 1980), Iowa's Chuck Darling (1952), Nevada's Nick Fazekas (2006 and 2007), Wyoming's Bill Garnett (1982), Notre Dame's Pat Garrity (1998), Wyoming's Harry Jorgensen (1955), Kansas' Mark Randall (1990) and North Carolina State's Ronnie Shavlik (1955 and 1956)
Connecticut (12) - Boston College's John Bagley (1982), Dartmouth's Gus Broberg (1940 and 1941), Massachusetts' Marcus Camby (1996), Providence's Kris Dunn (2016), UCLA's Rod Foster (1981 and 1983), Duke's Mike Gminski (1978 through 1980), Providence's Ryan Gomes (2004), Niagara's Calvin Murphy (1968 through 1970), Seattle's Frank Oleynick (1975), Villanova's John Pinone (1983), Rhode Island's Sly Williams (1978 and 1979) and Michigan's Henry Wilmore (1971 and 1972)
Delaware (1) - Temple's Terence Stansbury (1984)
District of Columbia (13) - Seattle's Elgin Baylor (1957 and 1958), Syracuse's Dave Bing (1965 and 1966), Notre Dame's Austin Carr (1970 and 1971), Utah's Jerry Chambers (1966), Duke's Johnny Dawkins (1985 and 1986), Syracuse's Sherman Douglas (1988 and 1989), Iowa's Luka Garza (2020), San Francisco's Ollie Johnson (1965), North Carolina's Bob Lewis (1966 and 1967), Syracuse's Lawrence Moten (1995), Kansas' Thomas Robinson (2012), Duke's Jim Thompson (1934) and Providence's John Thompson Jr. (1964)
Florida (18) - Duke's Grayson Allen, North Carolina's Joel Berry (2018), Houston's Otis Birdsong (1977), Duke's Vernon Carey Jr. (2020), North Carolina's Vince Carter (1998), North Carolina State's Chris Corchiani (1991), Oklahoma State's Joey Graham (2005), Georgia Tech's Tom Hammonds (1989), Illinois' Derek Harper (1983), Wake Forest's Frank Johnson (1981), Vanderbilt's Will Perdue (1988), Villanova's Howard Porter (1969 through 1971), Kansas State's Mitch Richmond (1988), Duke's Austin Rivers (2012), Louisville's Clifford Rozier (1994), Ohio State's D'Angelo Russell (2015), Minnesota's Mychal Thompson (1977 and 1978) and Kansas' Walt Wesley (1966)
Georgia (23) - California's Shareef Abdur-Rahim (1996), Virginia's Malcolm Brogdon (2015 and 2016), Providence's Marshon Brooks (2011), Marquette's Jae Crowder (2012), North Carolina's Hook Dillon (1946 and 1947), Florida State's Toney Douglas (2009), Tennessee's Dale Ellis (1982 and 1983), Louisville's Pervis Ellison (1989), Southern Illinois' Walt Frazier (1967), Oklahoma's Harvey Grant (1988), Clemson's Horace Grant (1987), Grambling's Charles Hardnett (1961 and 1962), Utah's Merv Jackson (1968), Tennessee's Reggie Johnson (1980), Mississippi State's Jeff Malone (1983), Kentucky's Jodie Meeks (2009), Auburn's Mike Mitchell (1978), Clemson's Tree Rollins (1977), Kentucky State's Elmore Smith (1971), Kentucky's Bill Spivey (1950 and 1951), Florida State's Al Thornton (2007), Kentucky's Kenny Walker (1985 and 1986) and North Carolina's Al Wood (1980 and 1981)
Idaho (1) - Brigham Young's Roland Minson (1951)
Illinois (64) - Ohio State's Keita Bates-Diop (2018), Minnesota's Jim Brewer (1973), Seattle's Charley Brown (1958 and 1959), Villanova's Jalen Brunson (2018), Indiana's Quinn Buckner (1974 through 1976), Iowa's Carl Cain (1956), Penn's Corky Calhoun (1973), Detroit's Bob Calihan (1939), West Virginia's Jevon Carter (2018), Kansas' Sherron Collins (2009 and 2010), Wisconsin's Bobby Cook (1947), Kentucky's Anthony Davis (2012), Indiana's Archie Dees (1957 and 1958), Detroit's Bill Ebben (1957), Marquette's Bo Ellis (1975 through 1977), California's Larry Friend (1957), William & Mary's Chet Giermak (1950), Michigan's Rickey Green (1976 and 1977), Indiana's A.J. Guyton (2000), Wisconsin's Ethan Happ (2017 and 2019), Notre Dame's Tom Hawkins (1958 and 1959), Michigan's Juwan Howard (1994), Kentucky's Dan Issel (1969 and 1970), Wisconsin's Frank Kaminsky (2015), Central Missouri's Earl Keth (1938), Minnesota's Tom Kondla (1967), Notre Dame's Moose Krause (1932 through 1934), Iowa's Ronnie Lester (1979 and 1980), Oklahoma A&M's Bob Mattick (1954), Marquette's Jerel McNeal (2009), Colorado's Cliff Meely (1971), Dartmouth's George Munroe (1942), Iowa's Don Nelson (1961 and 1962), Wisconsin's Ab Nicholas (1952), Duke's Jahlil Okafor (2015), Duke's Jabari Parker (2014), Valparaiso's Alec Peters (2017), Houston's Gary Phillips (1961), Kansas State's Jacob Pullen (2011), Murray State's Bennie Purcell (1952), Wisconsin's Don Rehfeldt (1950), Notre Dame's Eddie Riska (1941), Marquette's Doc Rivers (1982 and 1983), Wyoming's Flynn Robinson (1965), Kansas' Dave Robisch (1971), Memphis' Derrick Rose (2008), Michigan's Cazzie Russell (1964 through 1966), Duke's Jon Scheyer (2010), Evansville's Jerry Sloan (1965), Purdue's Forrest Sprowl (1942), Notre Dame's Jack Stephens (1955), Indiana's Isiah Thomas (1981), Wisconsin's Alando Tucker (2007), Ohio State's Evan Turner (2010), Kentucky's Tyler Ulis (2016), Wichita State's Fred VanVleet (2014), Marquette's Dwyane Wade (2003), Arkansas' Darrell Walker (1983), Marquette's Lloyd Walton (1976), Marquette's Jerome Whitehead (1978), Cincinnati's George Wilson (1963), Kansas' Julian Wright (2007), Arizona's Michael Wright (2001) and Georgia Tech's Rich Yunkus (1970 and 1971)
Indiana (44) - Michigan State's Chet Aubuchon (1940), Tennessee State's Dick Barnett (1958 and 1959), Xavier's Trevon Bluiett (2018), Cincinnati's Ron Bonham (1963 and 1964), Denver's Vince Boryla (1949), Louisville's Junior Bridgeman (1975), Wyoming's Joe Capua (1956), Memphis' Rodney Carney (2006), East Tennessee State's Tom Chilton (1961), Kentucky's Louie Dampier (1966 and 1967), North Carolina State's Dick Dickey (1948 and 1950), Kentucky's LeRoy Edwards (1935), Arizona's Jason Gardner (2002 and 2003), Western Michigan's Harold Gensichen (1943), Virginia's Kyle Guy (2018 and 2019), Florida's Joe Hobbs (1958), Georgia Tech's Roger Kaiser (1960 and 1961), Wyoming's Milo Komenich (1943), Texas' Jim Krivacs (1979), Kansas' Clyde Lovellette (1950 through 1952), Kentucky's Kyle Macy (1978 through 1980), North Carolina's Sean May (2005), Drake's Willie McCarter (1969), Tennessee State's Porter Merriweather (1960), North Carolina State's Vic Molodet (1956), North Carolina's Eric Montross (1993 and 1994), Texas Christian's Lee Nailon (1998), Kentucky's Cotton Nash (1962 through 1964), Ohio State's Greg Oden (2007), Kentucky's Jack Parkinson (1946), Duke's Mason Plumlee (2013), Louisville's Jim Price (1972), Northwestern's Ray Ragelis (1951), North Carolina State's Sam Ranzino (1950 and 1951), Cincinnati's Oscar Robertson (1958 through 1960), Michigan State's Scott Skiles (1986), Wake Forest's Jeff Teague (2009), Ohio State's Deshaun Thomas (2013), Tennessee's Gene Tormohlen (1959), North Carolina State's Monte Towe (1974), Michigan's John Townsend (1937 and 1938), Southern California's Ralph Vaughn (1940), UCLA's Mike Warren (1967 and 1968) and North Carolina's's Tyler Zeller (2012)
Iowa (8) - North Carolina's Harrison Barnes (2012), Creighton's Ed Beisser (1943), Kansas' Nick Collison (2003), Kansas' Kirk Hinrich (2002 and 2003), Creighton's Kyle Korver (2003), Kansas' Raef LaFrentz (1997, Creighton's Doug McDermott (2012 through 2014) and 1998) and Carleton's Wayne Sparks (1937)
Kansas (6) - Kentucky's Bob Brannum (1944), Kentucky's Willie Cauley-Stein (2015), Vanderbilt's Matt Freije (2004), Army's Dale Hall (1945), Colorado's Jack Harvey (1940) and Oklahoma's Gerry Tucker (1943 and 1947)
Kentucky (19) - Navy's Buzz Borries (1934), Florida State's Dave Cowens (1970), Cincinnati's Ralph Davis (1960), Tennessee Tech's Jimmy Hagan (1959), Alabama's Jerry Harper (1956), Tennessee's Allan Houston (1992 and 1993), Virginia's Jeff Lamp (1980 and 1981), Tennessee's Chris Lofton (2006 through 2008), Louisiana State's Rudy Macklin (1980 and 1981), Duke's Jeff Mullins (1963 and 1964), Ohio State's Arnie Risen (1945), Ohio State's D'Angelo Russell (2015), Tennessee's Danny Schultz (1964), Furman's Frank Selvy (1952 through 1954), Army's Mike Silliman (1966), Xavier's Hank Stein (1958), Cincinnati's Tom Thacker (1963), Duquesne's Jim Tucker (1952) and South Carolina's Grady Wallace (1957)
Louisiana (14) - Texas' D.J. Augustin (2008), Creighton's Benoit Benjamin (1985), Baylor's Jared Butler (2020), Duke's Chris Duhon (2004), Houston's Louis Dunbar (1974), Iowa State's Marcus Fizer (2000), Vanderbilt's Shan Foster (2008), Houston's Elvin Hayes (1966 through 1968), Villanova's Kerry Kittles (1995 and 1996), Georgetown's Greg Monroe (2010), Kentucky's Cotton Nash (1962 through 1964), Oklahoma's Hollis Price (2003), Jacksonville's James Ray (1980) and Kentucky's Rick Robey (1977 and 1978)
Maryland (26) - Virginia's Justin Anderson (2015), Boston College's John Austin (1965 and 1966), Kansas State's Michael Beasley (2008), Wyoming's Charles Bradley (1981), North Carolina State's Kenny Carr (1976 and 1977), San Francisco's Quintin Dailey (1982), Notre Dame's Adrian Dantley (1975 and 1976), Texas' Kevin Durant (2007), Syracuse's C.J. Fair (2014), Duke's Danny Ferry (1988 and 1989), North Carolina's Joseph Forte (2001), Washington's Markelle Fultz (2017), Connecticut's Rudy Gay (2006), Notre Dame's Jerian Grant (2015), Kansas' Tony Guy (1982), Villanova's Josh Hart (2016 and 2017), Davidson's Fred Hetzel (1963 through 1965), North Carolina's Ty Lawson (2009), North Carolina State's Rodney Monroe (1991), Indiana's Victor Oladipo (2013), Duke's Nolan Smith (2011), Virginia Tech's Dale Solomon (1982), Saint Joseph's Delonte West (2004), North Carolina State's Hawkeye Whitney (1980), Georgetown's Reggie Williams (1987) and Pittsburgh's Sam Young (2009)
Massachusetts (14) - Rutgers' James Bailey (1978 and 1979), Villanova's Michael Bradley (2001), Notre Dame's Bonzie Colson (2017), Georgetown's Patrick Ewing (1982 through 1985), Rhode Island State's Chet Jaworski (1939), Yale's Tony Lavelli (1946 through 1949), Oregon's Ron Lee (1974 through 1976), Marshall's Russell Lee (1972), Rhode Island State's Stan Modzelewski (1942), Connecticut's Shabazz Napier (2014), Iowa State's Georges Niang (2015 and 2016), Ohio State's Scoonie Penn (1999 and 2000), Michigan's Rumeal Robinson (1990) and Providence's Jimmy Walker (1965 through 1967)
Michigan (20) - Duke's Shane Battier (2000 and 2001), Dayton's Bill Chmielewski (1962), Syracuse's Derrick Coleman (1989 and 1990), New Mexico's Mel Daniels (1967), Memphis' Chris Douglas-Roberts (2008), Arizona's Bob Elliott (1977), Canisius' Larry Fogle (1974), Iowa State's Jeff Grayer (1988), Texas Western's Bobby Joe Hill (1966), Florida's Al Horford (2007), Kansas' Josh Jackson (2017), Arkansas' George Kok (1948), North Carolina's Tom LaGarde (1977), Alabama State's Kevin Loder (1981), Temple's Mark Macon (1988), Tennessee State's Carlos Rogers (1994), Purdue's Steve Scheffler (1990), Missouri's Doug Smith (1990 and 1991), Bradley's Chet Walker (1960 through 1962) and Iowa's Sam Williams (1968)
Minnesota (6) - Kansas' Cole Aldrich (2010), Boston College's Troy Bell (2001 and 2003), Dayton's John Horan (1955), Duke's Tre Jones (2020), Wisconsin's Jordan Taylor (2011) and South Dakota State's Nate Wolters (2013)
Mississippi (5) - Missouri's Melvin Booker (1994), Murray State's Isaiah Canaan (2012), Louisiana State's Chris Jackson (1989 and 1990), UC Irvine's Kevin Magee (1981 and 1982) and Alabama's Derrick McKey (1987)
Missouri (20) - UCLA's Lucius Allen (1968), Princeton's Bill Bradley (1963 through 1965), Idaho State's Lawrence Butler (1979), Duke's Chris Carrawell (2000), Notre Dame's Ben Hansbrough (2011), North Carolina's Tyler Hansbrough (2006 through 2009), Tulsa's Steve Harris (1985), Southern Methodist's Jon Koncak (1985), Southern Methodist's Jim Krebs (1957), Oklahoma A&M's Bob Kurland (1944 through 1946), Kansas' Ben McLemore (2013), Drake's Red Murrell (1958), Tulsa's Bob Patterson (1955), Georgetown's Otto Porter Jr. (2013), Kansas' Fred Pralle (1938), Texas-Pan American's Marshall Rogers (1976), Notre Dame's Dick Rosenthal (1954), Kansas' Brandon Rush (2008), Kansas' Jo Jo White (1967 through 1969) and Memphis State's Win Wilfong (1957)
Montana (3) - Iowa's Chuck Darling (1952), Utah State's Wayne Estes (1964 and 1965) and Duke's Mike Lewis (1968)
Nebraska (6) - Kansas State's Bob Boozer (1958 and 1959), South Dakota State's Mike Daum (2019), George Washington's Bob Faris (1939), Michigan's Mike McGee (1981), Wyoming's Les Witte (1932 and 1934) and Iowa's Andre Woolridge (1997)
Nevada (3) - New Mexico's Darington Hobson (2010), Arizona State's Lionel Hollins (1975) and Missouri's Willie Smith (1976)
New Jersey (40) - Miami's Rick Barry (1964 and 1965), Temple's Mike Bloom (1938), West Virginia's Da'Sean Butler (2010), DePaul's Clyde Bradshaw (1980), Illinois' Tal Brody (1965), Notre Dame's Gary Brokaw (1974), George Washington's Corky Devlin (1955), Providence's Vinnie Ernst (1963), Morehead State's Kenneth Faried (2011), Dayton's Henry Finkel (1966), Columbia's Chet Forte (1957), Villanova's Randy Foye (2006), South Carolina's Skip Harlicka (1968), Holy Cross' Tom Heinsohn (1955 and 1956), Duke's Bobby Hurley (1992 and 1993), North Carolina's Tommy Kearns (1957 and 1958), Kentucky's Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (2012), Pittsburgh's Brandin Knight (2002), Stanford's Brevin Knight (1997), Southern California's Mo Layton (1971), Villanova's Bill Melchionni (1966), Providence's Eric Murdock (1991), Notre Dame's Troy Murphy (2000 and 2001), Seattle's Eddie O'Brien (1953), Seattle's Johnny O'Brien (1952 and 1953), North Carolina's Mike O'Koren (1978 through 1980), Holy Cross' Togo Palazzi (1953 and 1954), Notre Dame's David Rivers (1988), Massachusetts' Lou Roe (1994 and 1995), Iowa's Ben Selzer (1934), Notre Dame's John Shumate (1974), Duke's Jim Spanarkel (1978 and 1979), Kansas' Tyshawn Taylor (2012), Kentucky's Karl-Anthony Towns (2015), Notre Dame's Kelly Tripucka (1979 through 1981), Duke's Bob Verga (1966 and 1967), Saint Joseph's Bryan Warrick (1981 and 1982), Xavier's David West (2002 and 2003), Long Island's Sherman White (1950) and Duke's Jason Williams (2001 and 2002)
New Mexico (2) - Kansas' Bill Bridges (1961) and West Texas State's Charles Halbert (1942)
New York (91) - UCLA's Lew Alcindor (1967 through 1969), Georgia Tech's Kenny Anderson (1990 and 1991), Penn State's Jesse Arnelle (1955), Minnesota's Ron Behagen (1973), Kansas State's Rolando Blackman (1980 and 1981), Duke's Elton Brand (1999), North Carolina's Pete Brennan (1958), Dartmouth's Audie Brindley (1944), Utah's Ticky Burden (1975), North Carolina State's Lorenzo Charles (1984), Missouri's Derrick Chievous (1987), New Mexico State's Jimmy Collins (1970), Holy Cross' Bob Cousy (1948 through 1950), North Carolina's Billy Cunningham (1964 and 1965), Wake Forest's Charlie Davis (1971), Wichita State's Cleanthony Early (2014), Maryland's Len Elmore (1974), Massachusetts' Julius Erving (1971), Georgia's Vern Fleming (1984), Brigham Young's Jimmer Fredette (2010), Louisville's Francisco Garcia (2005), Louisville's Don Goldstein (1959), Louisiana State's Al Green (1979), Duquesne's Sihugo Green (1954 through 1956), UNLV's Sidney Green (1983), Tennessee's Ernie Grunfeld (1976 and 1977), North Carolina State's Tom Gugliotta (1992), Penn's Ron Haigler (1975), Loyola of Chicago's Jerry Harkness (1963), Notre Dame's Billy Hassett (1945), Hawaii's Tom Henderson (1974), Villanova's Larry Hennessy (1952 and 1953), Duke's Art Heyman (1961 through 1963), North Carolina State's Julius Hodge (2004), Xavier's Tu Holloway (2011), Baylor's Vinnie Johnson (1979), West Virginia's Kevin Jones (2012), South Carolina's Kevin Joyce (1973), Holy Cross' George Kaftan (1947 and 1948), Guilford's Bob Kauffman (1968), Cincinnati's Sean Kilpatrick (2014), Maryland's Albert King (1980 and 1981), Tennessee's Bernard King (1975 through 1977), North Carolina's Mitch Kupchak (1975 and 1976), Duke's Christian Laettner (1991 and 1992), North Carolina's York Larese (1959 through 1961), Marquette's Butch Lee (1977 and 1978), Davidson's Mike Maloy (1968 through 1970), Georgia Tech's Stephon Marbury (1996), Kentucky's Jamal Mashburn (1993), Louisville's Rodney McCray (1983), Richmond's Bob McCurdy (1975), Marquette's Dean Meminger (1970 and 1971), North Carolina's Doug Moe (1961), Notre Dame's John Moir (1936-37-38), Florida's Joakim Noah (2007), Louisville's Jordan Nwora (2020), Boston College's Jim O'Brien (1971), Kentucky's Bernie Opper (1939), Idaho's Ken Owens (1982), North Carolina's Sam Perkins (1982 through 1984), Connecticut's A.J. Price (2008), Villanova's Allan Ray (2006), Arizona's Khalid Reeves (1994), South Carolina's Tom Riker (1972), Kentucky's Pat Riley (1966), South Carolina's John Roche (1969 through 1971), North Carolina's Lennie Rosenbluth (1956 and 1957), Georgia Tech's John Salley (1986), North Carolina's Charlie Scott (1968 through 1970), Rutgers' Phil Sellers (1975 and 1976), Iowa State's Don Smith (1968), North Carolina's Kenny Smith (1987), Louisville's Russ Smith (2013 and 2014), Providence's Kevin Stacom (1974), DePaul's Rod Strickland (1988), Miami of Ohio's Wally Szczerbiak (1999), Marquette's Earl Tatum (1976), Princeton's Chris Thomforde (1967), Marquette's George Thompson (1969), Iowa State's Jamaal Tinsley (2001), Marquette's Bernard Toone (1979), Dayton's Obi Toppin (2020), Connecticut's Kemba Walker (2011), Providence's Lenny Wilkens (1960), Southern California's Gus Williams (1975), Austin Peay's Fly Williams (1973), Michigan's Henry Wilmore (1971 and 1972), Wyoming's Tony Windis (1959), Tennessee's Howard Wood (1981) and Marquette's Sam Worthen (1980)
North Carolina (21) - Fresno State's Courtney Alexander (2000), Indiana's Walt Bellamy (1960), UCLA's Henry Bibby (1972), Kansas' Devon Dotson (2020), Kansas State's Mike Evans (1978), Furman's Darrell Floyd (1955 and 1956), Georgetown's Sleepy Floyd (1981 and 1982), Kansas' Devonte' Graham (2018), Minnesota's Lou Hudson (1965 and 1966), Minnesota's Bobby Jackson (1997), Maryland's John Lucas (1974 through 1976), Kansas' Danny Manning (1986 through 1988), Louisiana State's Pete Maravich (1968 through 1970), Lamar's Mike Olliver (1981), Texas' P.J. Tucker (2006), Kentucky's John Wall (2010), Xavier's David West (2002), Tennessee's Tony White (1987), Georgia's Dominique Wilkins (1981 and 1982), Maryland's Buck Williams (1981) and Tennessee's Grant Williams (2019)
Ohio (24) - Michigan's Trey Burke (2013), Southern California's Sam Clancy (2002), Washington State's Don Collins (1980), Northwestern's Evan Eschmeyer (1999), Notre Dame's Bob Faught (1942), Michigan's Gary Grant (1987 and 1988), Michigan State's Johnny Green (1958 and 1959), Kentucky's Kevin Grevey (1974 and 1975), Kentucky's Alex Groza (1947 through 1949), Michigan's Phil Hubbard (1977), Duke's Luke Kennard (2017), Southwestern Louisiana's Bo Lamar (1972 and 1973), Pittsburgh's Jerome Lane (1987 and 1988), Kentucky's Jim Line (1950), Indiana's Scott May (1975 and 1976), Purdue's Todd Mitchell (1988), Notre Dame's John Paxson (1982 and 1983), Kentucky's Mike Pratt (1970), Long Beach State's Ed Ratleff (1972 and 1973), Arkansas' Alvin Robertson (1984), Davidson's Dick Snyder (1966), North Carolina State's Bobby Speight (1953), Oklahoma Baptist's Albert Tucker (1966 and 1967) and Kansas State's Chuckie Williams (1976)
Oklahoma (7) - Texas Western's Jim Barnes (1964), San Francisco's Winford Boynes (1978), Arkansas' Lee Mayberry (1992), Kansas State's Willie Murrell (1964), Georgia Tech's Mark Price (1984 through 1986), Syracuse's Etan Thomas (2000) and Duke's Shelden Williams (2005 and 2006)
Oregon (9) - Brigham Young's Danny Ainge (1979 through 1981), Duke's Mike Dunleavy (2002), UCLA's Kevin Love (2008), Gonzaga's Blake Stepp (2004), Arizona's Damon Stoudamire (1995), Arizona's Salim Stoudamire (2005), UCLA's Richard Washington (1975 and 1976), Gonzaga's Nigel Williams-Goss (2017) and Gonzaga's Kyle Wiltjer (2015)
Pennsylvania (50) - Duke's Gene Banks (1979 and 1981), Kentucky's Sam Bowie (1981 and 1984), Kansas' Wilt Chamberlain (1957 and 1958), Wake Forest's Len Chappell (1961 and 1962), Syracuse's Rakeem Christmas (2015), DePaul's Dallas Comegys (1987), Seton Hall's Bob Davies (1941 and 1942), Cincinnati's Danny Fortson (1996 and 1997), Loyola Marymount's Hank Gathers (1989 and 1990), UNLV's Armon Gilliam (1987), North Carolina's George Glamack (1940), Duke's Dick Groat (1951 and 1952), Connecticut's Richard Hamilton (1998 and 1999), UCLA's Walt Hazzard (1963 and 1964), Duke's Gerald Henderson (2009), Kansas' Wayne Hightower (1960 and 1961), West Texas State's Simmie Hill (1969), George Washington's Joe Holup (1956), Virginia's De'Andre Hunter (2019), Loyola Marymount's Bo Kimble (1990), Duke's Ed Koffenberger (1946 and 1947), Rutgers' Bob Lloyd (1967), Drake's Lewis Lloyd (1980 and 1981), Navy's Elliott Loughlin (1933), Marquette's Maurice Lucas (1974), Duke's Jack Marin (1966), Connecticut's Donyell Marshall (1994), Vanderbilt's Billy McCaffrey (1993), Michigan State's Julius McCoy (1956), Maryland's Tom McMillen (1972 through 1974), North Carolina's Larry Miller (1967 and 1968), Winston-Salem State's Earl Monroe (1967), Kansas' Marcus Morris (2011), Syracuse's Billy Owens (1990 and 1991), Virginia's Barry Parkhill (1972 and 1973), North Carolina State's Lou Pucillo (1959), North Carolina State's John Richter (1959), West Virginia's Wil Robinson (1972), North Carolina's Lee Shaffer (1959 and 1960), West Virginia's Lloyd Sharrar (1958), Virginia's Sean Singletary (2007), Utah's Mike Sojourner (1974), Weber State's Willie Sojourner (1971), Cincinnati's Jack Twyman (1955), Michigan State's Horace Walker (1960), Virginia's Wally Walker (1976), North Carolina's Rasheed Wallace (1995), Syracuse's Hakim Warrick (2004 and 2005) and North Carolina's Dennis Wuycik (1972)
South Carolina (7) - Connecticut's Ray Allen (1995 and 1996), North Carolina's Raymond Felton (2005), North Carolina's Brice Johnson (2016), Louisiana State's Pete Maravich (1968 through 1970), Wichita State's Xavier McDaniel (1985), Murray State's Ja Morant (2019) and Duke's Zion Williamson (2019)
Tennessee (14) - Wake Forest's Skip Brown (1977), Arkansas' Todd Day (1991 and 1992), Kentucky's Tony Delk (1996), Oral Roberts' Richie Fuqua (1972 and 1973), Oklahoma A&M's Bob Harris (1949), Indiana's Kirk Haston (2001), Cincinnati's Paul Hogue (1961 and 1962), Mississippi State's Bailey Howell (1958 and 1959), Kansas' Dedric Lawson (2019), Western Kentucky's Tom Marshall (1954), Kentucky's Ron Mercer (1997), Mississippi's Johnny Neumann (1971), Oral Roberts' Anthony Roberts (1977) and Tulsa's Bingo Smith (1969)
Texas (23) - Oklahoma's Mookie Blaylock (1989), Kentucky's Bob Burrow (1955 and 1956), Wyoming's Fennis Dembo (1988), Arizona State's Ike Diogu (2005), Purdue's Keith Edmonson (1982), Purdue's Carsen Edwards (2018 and 2019), North Carolina's Justin Jackson (2017), UNLV's Larry Johnson (1990 and 1991), Syracuse's Wesley Johnson (2010), Oklahoma State's John Lucas III (2004), Cincinnati's Kenyon Martin (2000), Oklahoma's Eduardo Najera (2000), Connecticut's Emeka Okafor (2003 and 2004), Louisiana State's Shaquille O'Neal (1991 and 1992), UNLV's Eddie Owens (1977), Kentucky's Julius Randle (2014), Mississippi State's Lawrence Roberts (2004), Mississippi's Ansu Sesay (1998), Oklahoma State's Marcus Smart (2013 and 2014), Wichita State's Dave Stallworth (1963 through 1965), South Carolina's Freddie Tompkins (1934), Kentucky's P.J. Washington (2019) and Illinois' Deron Williams (2005)
Utah (3) - Montana State's Cat Thompson (1929 and 1930), Montana State's Frank Ward (1930) and Iowa's Herb Wilkinson (1945)
Virginia (19) - Duke's Tommy Amaker (1987), Maryland's Bosey Berger (1932), Kentucky's Keith Bogans (2003), Wake Forest's Randolph Childress (1995), Duke's Grant Hill (1992 through 1994), Georgetown's Allen Iverson (1996), East Tennessee State's Mister Jennings (1991), North Carolina's Kendall Marshall (2012), Kansas' Frank Mason III (2017), Georgetown's Alonzo Mourning (1989 through 1992), Kansas State's Jack Parr (1957 and 1958), Tulsa's Paul Pressey (1982), Duke's J.J. Redick (2004 through 2006), North Carolina's J.R. Reid (1988 and 1989), Villanova's Scottie Reynolds (2010), Navy's David Robinson (1986 and 1987), Georgia Tech's Dennis Scott (1990), Maryland's Joe Smith (1994 and 1995) and Xavier's David West (2002 and 2003)
Washington (6) - Oregon's Aaron Brooks (2007), Arizona's Michael Dickerson (1998), San Diego State's Malachi Flynn (2020), Arizona's Jason Terry (1999), Louisville's Terrence Williams (2009) and Oregon's Slim Wintermute (1938 and 1939)
West Virginia (2) - Virginia Tech's Chris Smith (1960) and Virginia's Buzz Wilkinson (1955)
Wisconsin (8) - St. Louis' Dick Boushka (1955), Iowa's Fred Brown (1981), Connecticut's Caron Butler (2002), Louisville's Reece Gaines (2003), Iowa's John Johnson (1970), Utah's Jeff Jonas (1977), Minnesota's Chuck Mencel (1953 and 1955) and Cincinnati's Nick Van Exel (1993)
Wyoming (1) - Utah's Vern Gardner (1948 and 1949)
NOTE: Hawaii, Maine, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota and Vermont are the only states failing to supply an All-American for an out-of-state college.
On This Date: Former College Hoopers Make News on April 4 MLB Games
Extra! Extra! As a new season still needs to unfold, you have time to read news all about memorable major league baseball achievements, moments and transactions involving former college basketball players! Numerous ex-college hoopers had front-row seats to many of the most notable games and dates in MLB history. Small-school hoopers Chuck Hinton (Shaw NC) and "Sweet" Lou Johnson (Kentucky State) were traded for each other in 1969.
Baseball is portrayed as a thinking man's game but only 4% of active MLB players earned college diplomas. Unless you habitually pore over the content at baseballlibrary.com, baseballreference.com and nationalpastime.com, following is an April 4 calendar focusing on such versatile MLB athletes:
APRIL 4
OF-INF Chuck Hinton (played multiple sports for Shaw NC before serving two years in U.S. Army in mid-1950s) traded in 1969 by the California Angels to the Cleveland Indians.
LF "Sweet" Lou Johnson (Kentucky State basketball teammate of legendary HBCU coach Davey Whitney averaged 5.7 ppg and 2 rpg in 1951-52) traded in 1969 by the Cleveland Indians to the California Angels.
Seattle Mariners RF Leon Roberts (grabbed one rebound in four basketball games for Michigan in 1970-71 under coach Johnny Orr) smacked a go-ahead, two-run homer off Frank Tanana in sixth inning of 5-4 win against the California Angels in 1979 season opener.
College Exam: Day #21 of One-and-Only NCAA Tourney Trivia Challenge
Unless you're busy hoarding toilet paper and face-masks or cowering in fetal position from college basketball version of Orson Welles' War of the Worlds, it's your suspended-animation opportunity to start taking online tests for 23 quarantined days symbolic of normal time frame from Selection Sunday to Monday evening championship contest.
We need something to occupy our minds during quarantine from much of the invective-infected #MessMedia. Emphasizing a "one-and-only" theme for a "one-and-only" event, here is Day 21 of a treasure-trove of tantalizing NCAA Tournament trivia questions from CollegeHoopedia.com tracking the only coach, conference, player or school to be linked to a distinguished or dubious achievement (click here for answers or conduct research digesting historical morsels in CollegeHoopedia.com's year-by-year highlights):
1. Who is the only player to post the highest-scoring game in a single tournament the same year he also played major league baseball? Hint: He is a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
2. Who is the only Final Four player to become AAU national champion in the decathlon in the same year? Hint: The Final Four team's third-leading scorer and second-leading rebounder finished third in decathlon the previous year.
3. Who is the only Final Four player to finish among the top two high jumpers in four NCAA national track meets? Hint: The starting center for a national championship team is first athlete to place in the NCAA high jump four consecutive years.
4. Name the only coach in NCAA history to reach an NCAA Division I Tournament regional final in back-to-back years with different schools. Hint: He also reached a regional final in his first season at next coaching outpost.
5. Name the only top-ranked team entering the tournament to be eliminated by an opponent it defeated by more than 40 points during the regular season. Hint: The school avenging the embarrassing defeat upended nation's second-ranked team in its next playoff game.
6. Who is the only individual to play in the NCAA Tournament before setting several major league fielding records for a second baseman? Hint: He was the second-leading scorer for his school's playoff team and one of his teammates was a prominent college basketball coach for more than 20 years.
7. Who is the only member of the College Football Hall of Fame to participate in back-to-back Final Fours? Hint: He is one of the few athletes to earn consensus football All-American honors at two positions.
8. Who is the only individual to lead a school in scoring in an NCAA Tournament before pacing a major league in doubles as a player and manage a team in a World Series? Hint: The outfielder drove in six runs in one inning of an American League game.
9. Name the only university to win a minimum of two games in four different postseason national tournaments - NAIA, NCAA Division II, NIT and NCAA Division I. Hint: Of the schools to win at least one game in all four national tourneys, it is only one with an overall losing record in postseason competition.
10. Name the only school to win back-to-back basketball championships the same academic school years it participated in New Year's Day football bowl games. Hint: One of the two basketball title teams is the only school to have as many as 26 different players appear in its games in a season winning an NCAA crown. The two titlists helped school become only university to reach NCAA championship game in its first three playoff appearances.
Foreign Invasion: Three More All-Americans From Outside Mainland U.S.
Foreigners such as All-Americans Udoka Azubuike (Kansas/from Nigeria), Jordan Nwora (Louisville/Nigeria) and Filip Petrusev (Gonzaga/Serbia) are much more than bit players in a modern-day immigrant version of "Coming to America." Following is an alphabetical list of more than 30 hoop-prince All-Americans spending most or all of their formative years in a country outside mainland U.S.:
| Foreigner | Pos. | College | Native Country | Year(s) All-American | NBA Draft Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deandre Ayton | C | Arizona | Bahamas | 2018 | 1st pick overall by Phoenix |
| Udoka Azubuike | C | Kansas | Nigeria | 2020 | TBD |
| R.J. Barrett | G-F | Duke | Toronto, Ontario | 2019 | 3rd by New York |
| Andrew Bogut* | C | Utah | Australia | 2005 | 1st by Milwaukee |
| Dillon Brooks | F | Oregon | Ontario | 2017 | 2nd by Houston |
| Kresimir Cosic | C | Brigham Young | Yugoslavia | 1972 and 1973 | 66th by L.A. Lakers |
| Tim Duncan* | C | Wake Forest | Virgin Islands | 1995 through 1997 | 1st by San Antonio |
| Melvin Ejim | F | Iowa State | Ontario | 2014 | undrafted |
| Patrick Ewing* | C | Georgetown | Jamaica | 1982 through 1985 | 1st by New York |
| Adonal Foyle | C | Colgate | West Indies | 1997 | 8th by Golden State |
| Rui Hachimura | F | Gonzaga | Japan | 2019 | 9th by Washington |
| Buddy Hield | G | Oklahoma | Bahamas | 2015 and 2016 | 6th by New Orleans |
| Al Horford | F-C | Florida | Dominican Republic | 2007 | 3rd by Atlanta |
| Kris Joseph | F | Syracuse | Quebec | 2012 | 51st by Boston |
| Jock Landale | C | Saint Mary's | Australia | 2018 | undrafted |
| Lauri Markkanen | C | Arizona | Finland | 2017 | 1st by Minnesota |
| Jamal Murray | G | Kentucky | Ontario | 2016 | 7th by Denver |
| Dikembe Mutombo | C | Georgetown | Zaire | 1991 | 4th by Denver |
| Eduardo Najera | F | Oklahoma | Mexico | 2000 | 38th by Houston |
| Jordan Nwora | F | Louisville | Nigeria | 2020 | TBD |
| Hakeem Olajuwon | C | Houston | Nigeria | 1983 and 1984 | 1st by Houston |
| Kelly Olynyk | C | Gonzaga | British Columbia | 2013 | 13th by Dallas |
| Kevin Pangos | G | Gonzaga | Ontario | 2015 | undrafted |
| Filip Petrusev | C | Gonzaga | Serbia | 2020 | TBD |
| Jakob Poeltl | C | Utah | Austria | 2016 | 9th by Toronto |
| Juan "Pepe" Sanchez | G | Temple | Argentina | 2000 | undrafted |
| Detlef Schrempf | F | Washington | Germany | 1985 | 8th by Dallas |
| Rony Seikaly | C | Syracuse | Greece | 1988 | 9th by Miami |
| Doron Sheffer | G | Connecticut | Israel | 1996 | 36th by L.A. Clippers |
| Ben Simmons | F | Louisiana State | Australia | 2016 | 1st by Philadelphia |
| Nik Stauskas | G | Michigan | Ontario | 2014 | 8th by Sacramento |
| Hasheem Thabeet | C | Connecticut | Tanzania | 2009 | 2nd by Memphis |
| Mychal Thompson | F-C | Minnesota | Bahamas | 1977 and 1978 | 1st by Portland |
| Greivis Vasquez | G | Maryland | Venezuela | 2010 | 28th by Memphis |
| Andrew Wiggins | G-F | Kansas | Ontario | 2014 | 1st by Cleveland |
*Named National Player of the Year.
On This Date: Former College Hoopers Make News on April 3 MLB Games
Extra! Extra! With a new season still not underway, you have time to read news about memorable major league baseball achievements, moments and transactions involving former college basketball players! Numerous ex-college hoopers had front-row seats to many of the most notable games and dates in MLB history. Baseball is portrayed as a thinking man's game but only 4% of active MLB players earned college diplomas. Unless you habitually pore over the content at baseballlibrary.com, baseballreference.com and nationalpastime.com, following is an April 3 calendar focusing on such versatile MLB athletes:
APRIL 3
1B Donn Clendenon (played basketball for Morehouse GA) ended his retirement and reported to the Montreal Expos in 1969.
San Diego Padres RF Tony Gwynn (All-WAC second-team selection with San Diego State in 1979-80 and 1980-81) went 4-for-4 against the Chicago Cubs in a 1996 game. He provided three hits in each of his next two outings.
1B Bill White (played two years of hoops with Hiram OH in early 1950s) traded by the Philadelphia Phillies to the St. Louis Cardinals in 1969.
RHP Chris Young (All-Ivy League first-team selection as Princeton's leading scorer and rebounder in 1999-00) traded by the Montreal Expos to the Texas Rangers in 2004.
College Exam: Day #20 of One-and-Only NCAA Tourney Trivia Challenge
Unless you're busy hoarding toilet paper and face-masks or cowering in fetal position from college basketball version of Orson Welles' War of the Worlds, it's your suspended-animation opportunity to start taking online tests for 23 quarantined days symbolic of normal time frame from Selection Sunday to Monday evening championship contest.
We need something to occupy our minds during quarantine from much of the invective-infected #MessMedia. Emphasizing a "one-and-only" theme for a "one-and-only" event, here is Day 20 of a treasure-trove of tantalizing NCAA Tournament trivia questions from CollegeHoopedia.com tracking the only coach, conference, player or school to be linked to a distinguished or dubious achievement (click here for answers or conduct research digesting historical morsels in CollegeHoopedia.com's year-by-year highlights):
1. Who is the only athlete to rank among the top five in scoring average in an NCAA Tournament and later start for an NFL champion? Hint: He was a five-time Pro Bowl selection who played in back-to-back Super Bowls. His brother was the first black player for major leagues' last integrated team.
2. Who is the only player to lead an NCAA championship game in scoring while playing for his father? Hint: The son has the lowest game-high point total in NCAA final history.
3. Who comprise the only father/son combination to twice reach the Final Four together as coach and player? Hint: The son was a starter for team undefeated entering Final Four.
4. Who is the only active coach to have played in the NCAA Tournament and College World Series in the same year? Hint: He served as captain on the baseball and basketball teams as a college senior. After graduation, he played minor league baseball before becoming an outstanding fast-pitch softball player named to a couple of national All-Star teams.
5. Name the only school to have a single coach guide the same group of players to victories in the NAIA Tournament, NIT and NCAA Tournament. Hint: It's the only school in last 60-plus years entering the NIT with an undefeated record. One of the five regulars from the three national postseason tournament winners was one of NBA's premier rebounders before becoming an assistant coach in the league and head coach of his alma mater.
6. Who is the only coach to guide teams to the championship game in both the Division I and Division II Tournaments? Hint: He is the only coach to have a career NCAA Division I Tournament record as many as eight games below the .500 mark, only title-team coach compiling a non-winning career playoff mark and only coach to lose three consecutive regional final games.
7. Who is the only player to score more than 60% of his team's points in an NCAA Tournament game and be on the losing end of the score? Hint: It was a first-round contest and the individual was national player of the year.
8. Who is the only player to score more than two-thirds of his team's points in an NCAA Tournament game? Hint: He scored more than 50% of his squad's points over three playoff outings.
9. Name the only school to win a small college national postseason tournament before capturing at least one NCAA Division I title. Hint: The school opposed same coach in championship game of small-college tournament and NCAA Final Four. The school also supplied only team to win an NCAA crown after setting or tying an existing school record for most defeats previous season.
10. Who is the only individual to participate in the Final Four before playing and coaching in the NFL at least five seasons apiece? Hint: He was a member of an NFL team moving to another city the year after capturing league title.
Shootouts at NCAA Corrals: UK vs. UND Only Game With Two Players Over 40
The coronavirus is culprit for a massive national slowdown, but can't be connected to quarantine for scoring outbreaks in NCAA Tournament thus far this Century. There hasn't been an NCAA playoff game since 1998 where an individual scored at least 40 points and opponent had team-high scorer with at least 30 points.
The only playoff game in history when each squad had a player score more than 40 points was Kentucky beating Notre Dame in 1970 regional semifinals. It doesn't seem possible, but Irish All-American guard Austin Carr erupted for at least 45 points in three NCAA tourney defeats in 1970 and 1971.
A couple of relatively-obscure guards - Michigan's Garde Thompson (career scoring average of 7.2 ppg) and Fairleigh Dickinson's Elijah Allen (10 ppg) - are included among the 13 NCAA playoff shootouts - three in 1990 - when an individual scored at least 40 points while an opponent had team-high scorer with at least 30 points:
| Year (Tourney Round) | Result of Playoff Game When Player Scored At Least 40 and Foe Tallied Over 30 |
|---|---|
| 1953 (National Third) | Washington 88 (Bob Houbregs game-high 42), Louisiana State 69 (Bob Pettit team-high 36) |
| 1961 (National Third) | St. Joseph's 127 (Jack Egan 42), Utah 120 (Billy McGill 34)**** |
| 1970 (Regional Semifinals) | Kentucky 109 (Dan Issel 44), Notre Dame 99 (Austin Carr 52) |
| 1970 (Regional Third) | Iowa 121 (Chad Calabria/John Johnson 31), Notre Dame 106 (Austin Carr 45) |
| 1971 (Regional Third) | Houston 119 (James "Poo" Welch 38), Notre Dame 106 (Austin Carr 47) |
| 1984 (Second Round) | #10 seed Dayton 89 (Roosevelt Chapman 41), #2 Oklahoma 85 (Wayman Tisdale 36) |
| 1987 (First Round) | #9 Michigan 97 (Garde Thompson 33), #8 Navy 82 (David Robinson 50) |
| 1988 (First Round) | #8 Auburn 90 (Chris Morris 36), #9 Bradley 86 (Hersey Hawkins 44) |
| 1989 (Second Round) | #5 North Carolina State 102 (Rodney Monroe 40), #4 Iowa 96 (Ed Horton 32)** |
| 1990 (First Round) | #10 Texas 100 (Travis Mays 44), #7 Georgia 88 (Alec Kessler 33) |
| 1990 (Regional Final) | #4 Georgia Tech 93 (Dennis Scott 40), #6 Minnesota 91 (Willie Burton 35) |
| 1990 (Regional Final) | #1 UNLV 131 (Stacey Augmon 33), #11 Loyola Marymount 101 (Greg "Bo" Kimble 42) |
| 1998 (First Round) | #2 Connecticut 93 (Richard "Rip" Hamilton 30), #15 Fairleigh Dickinson 85 (Elijah Allen 43) |
**Double Overtime.
****Four Overtimes.
In 1963, St. Joseph's became the only school to win back-to-back NCAA tourney contests despite an individual opponent erupting for at least 40 points. Last year, Purdue guard Carsen Edwards became the ninth different all-in-vain scoring machine to be on the losing end despite supplying at least 40 points in a single playoff game. In addition to the five players acknowledged in summary above, following is a list including Edwards and three other such all-for-naught individuals:
| Year (Tourney Round) | Result of NCAA Playoff Game When Player on Losing Team Scored At Least 40 Points |
|---|---|
| 1963 (First Round) | St. Joseph's 82 (Steve Courtin 21), Princeton 81 (Bill Bradley 40)* |
| 1963 (Regional Semifinals) | St. Joseph's 97 (Jim Boyle/Tom Wynne 23), West Virginia 88 (Rod Thorn 44) |
| 1976 (Regional Final) | Michigan 95 (Rickey Green 23), Missouri 88 (Willie Smith 43) |
| 2019 (Regional Final) | Virginia 80 (Kyle Guy 25), Purdue 75 (Carsen Edwards 42)* |
*Overtime.
Playing Race Card: Second Time Two White First-Team A-As in Last 12 Years
Since MJ couldn't handle him one-and-one, heaven knows how Daddy Ball Game would treat average white player. If not a generous dose of humility, "Slow" Hoops Daddy Lavar Ball probably needs a history lesson. The hoop lowdown might not rise to the level of aggressive African-American commentary on presidential prowess of Donald Trump or previous POTUS lecturing Christians rather than unprincipled marauders, but it could be time to proclaim white players matter after there were two white NCAA consensus first-team All-Americans for only the second time in last 12 campaigns. Many white-privilege provocateurs, who should seek reparations of their own for being exposed to race hustlers such as "Not So" Sharpton clamoring for "R-E-S-P-I-C-T," seem to care as much about the basketball topic, however, as far-left zealots are outraged about Muslim terrorists murdering saints and believers.
A milestone didn't trigger White History Month several seasons ago, but 2013 marked the first time in 34 years at least half of the list of NCAA consensus first- and second-team All-Americans were white players. From 1980 through 2012, less than one-fifth of the NCAA consensus first- and second-team All-Americans were Caucasian. "Resist We Much" RevAl and (Mad)Maxine Waters may consider this repulsive racist research but he probably should be more concerned about paying his fair share of taxes on filing deadline day and she should return to concocting conspiratorial claptrap more worthy of April Fool's Day about CIA planting drugs in the hood.
Unless there are some closet Rachel Dolezals in the identity mix or Jussie Smollett's air-head attorney is accurate about an outbreak of white-face escapades, Gonzaga (Dan Dickau, Blake Stepp, Adam Morrison, Kelly Olynyk and Kyle Wiltjer) was alone boasting the most white consensus All-Americans thus far in 21st Century with five until Duke tied the Zags several seasons ago when Luke Kennard was anointed.
It might not reign purple important as a photograph of Prince in a junior high basketball uniform but we could be in the midst of a modest resurgence for the white player represented each year thus far this century. After all, Duke was the nation's only school to supply a white first-team All-American in a nine-year span from 1987-88 through 1995-96 (Danny Ferry in 1989, Christian Laettner in 1992 and Bobby Hurley in 1993). For those keeping track of such demographics or who might be a dues-paying member of another NAACP (National Association for Advancement of Caucasian Players), following is a list of white NCAA consensus first- and second-team All-Americans since Indiana State's Larry Bird was unanimous national player of the year in 1979:
1979 (6 of 12) - Indiana State's Larry Bird (1st), Duke's Mike Gminski (1st), North Carolina's Mike O'Koren (2nd), Dayton's Jim Paxson (2nd), Duke's Jim Spanarkel (2nd) and Notre Dame's Kelly Tripucka (2nd)
1980 (3 of 10) - Duke's Mike Gminski (2nd), Kentucky's Kyle Macy (1st) and North Carolina's Mike O'Koren (2nd)
1981 (4 of 11) - Brigham Young's Danny Ainge (1st), Virginia's Jeff Lamp (2nd), Notre Dame's Kelly Tripucka (2nd) and Utah's Danny Vranes (2nd)
1982 (1 of 10) - Notre Dame's John Paxson (2nd)
1983 (4 of 14) - Notre Dame's John Paxson (2nd), Missouri's Steve Stipanovich (2nd), Missouri's Jon Sundvold (2nd) and Indiana's Randy Wittman (2nd)
1984 (2 of 11) - Brigham Young's Devin Durrant (2nd) and St. John's Chris Mullin (2nd)
1985 (3 of 11) - Southern Methodist's Jon Koncak (2nd), St. John's Chris Mullin (1st) and Georgia Tech's Mark Price (2nd)
1986 (2 of 11) - Indiana's Steve Alford (1st) and Michigan State's Scott Skiles (2nd)
1987 (1 of 10) - Indiana's Steve Alford (1st)
1988 (2 of 11) - Duke's Danny Ferry (2nd) and Brigham Young's Michael Smith (2nd)
1989 (2 of 11) - Duke's Danny Ferry (1st) and Stanford's Todd Lichti (2nd)
1990 (0 of 12)
1991 (1 of 10) - Duke's Christian Laettner (2nd)
1992 (2 of 10) - Duke's Christian Laettner (1st) and UCLA's Don MacLean (2nd)
1993 (3 of 12) - Duke's Bobby Hurley Jr. (1st), Vanderbilt's Billy McCaffrey (2nd) and North Carolina's Eric Montross (2nd)
1994 (1 of 11) - North Carolina's Eric Montross (2nd)
1995 (0 of 10)
1996 (1 of 11) - Utah's Keith Van Horn (2nd)
1997 (2 of 10) - Kansas' Raef LaFrentz (1st) and Utah's Keith Van Horn (1st)
1998 (2 of 10) - Notre Dame's Pat Garrity (2nd) and Kansas' Raef LaFrentz (1st)
1999 (2 of 10) - Northwestern's Evan Eschmeyer (2nd) and Miami of Ohio's Wally Szczerbiak (2nd)
2000 (2 of 12) - Texas' Chris Mihm (1st) and Notre Dame's Troy Murphy (1st)
2001 (3 of 10) - Villanova's Michael Bradley (2nd), Stanford's Casey Jacobsen (1st) and Notre Dame's Troy Murphy (1st)
2002 (3 of 10) - Gonzaga's Dan Dickau (1st), Duke's Mike Dunleavy (2nd) and Stanford's Casey Jacobsen (2nd)
2003 (2 of 10) - Kansas' Nick Collison (1st) and Creighton's Kyle Korver (2nd)
2004 (2 of 10) - Oregon's Luke Jackson (2nd) and Gonzaga's Blake Stepp (2nd)
2005 (2 of 11) - Utah's Andrew Bogut (1st) and Duke's J.J. Redick (1st)
2006 (3 of 12) - North Carolina's Tyler Hansbrough (2nd), Gonzaga's Adam Morrison (1st) and Duke's J.J. Redick (1st)
2007 (2 of 10) - Nevada's Nick Fazekas (2nd) and North Carolina's Tyler Hansbrough (1st)
2008 (3 of 11) - North Carolina's Tyler Hansbrough (1st), Notre Dame's Luke Harangody (2nd) and UCLA's Kevin Love (1st)
2009 (2 of 11) - North Carolina's Tyler Hansbrough (1st) and Notre Dame's Luke Harangody (2nd)
2010 (3 of 11) - Kansas' Cole Aldrich (2nd), Notre Dame's Luke Harangody (2nd) and Duke's Jon Scheyer (2nd)
2011 (2 of 11) - Brigham Young's Jimmer Fredette (1st) and Notre Dame's Ben Hansbrough (2nd)
2012 (2 of 10) - Creighton's Doug McDermott (1st) and North Carolina's Tyler Zeller (2nd)
2013 (5 of 10) - Creighton's Doug McDermott (1st), Gonzaga's Kelly Olynyk (1st), Duke's Mason Plumlee (2nd), Kansas' Jeff Withey (2nd) and Indiana's Cody Zeller (2nd)
2014 (2 of 11) - Creighton's Doug McDermott (1st) and Michigan's Nik Stauskas (2nd)
2015 (3 of 11) - Wisconsin's Frank Kaminsky (1st), Northern Iowa's Seth Tuttle (2nd) and Gonzaga's Kyle Wiltjer (2nd)
2016 (2 of 11) - Utah's Jakob Poeltl (2nd) and Iowa's Jarrod Uthoff (2nd).
2017 (1 of 10) - Duke's Luke Kennard (2nd).
2018 (1 of 11) - Saint Mary's Jock Landale (2nd).
2019 (1 of 10) - Wisconsin's Ethan Happ (2nd).
2020 (2 of 10) - Iowa's Luka Garza (1st) and Oregon's Payton Pritchard (1st).
On This Date: Former College Hoopers Make News on April 2 MLB Games
Extra! Extra! As a new season was delayed due to coronavirus outbreak, you have time to read news all about memorable major league baseball achievements, moments and transactions involving former college basketball players! Numerous ex-college hoopers had front-row seats to many of the most notable games and dates in MLB history.
Baseball is portrayed as a thinking man's game but only four percent of active MLB players earned college diplomas. Unless you habitually pore over the content at baseballlibrary.com, baseballreference.com and nationalpastime.com, following is an April 2 calendar focusing on such versatile MLB athletes:
APRIL 2
In 2001, San Diego Padres RF Tony Gwynn (All-WAC basketball second-team selection with San Diego State in 1979-80 and 1980-81) became the fifth player in N.L. history to spend 20-plus years playing his entire career with one franchise.
New York Mets manager Gil Hodges (hooper for St. Joseph's IN in 1943 and Oakland City IN in 1947 and 1948), two days shy of his 48th birthday, suffered a fatal heart attack in 1972 after playing a round of golf in West Palm Beach with his coaches on Easter Sunday.
RHP Bobby Humphreys (four-year hoops letterman for Hampden-Sydney VA in mid-1950s) traded by the Chicago Cubs to the Washington Senators in 1966.
LF David Justice (led Thomas More KY in assists in 1984-85), debuting with the Cleveland Indians, whacked a tie-breaking two-run homer in the seventh inning in a 9-7 decision over the Oakland A's in 1997.
College Exam: Day #19 of One-and-Only NCAA Tourney Trivia Challenge
Unless you're busy hoarding toilet paper and face-masks or cowering in fetal position from college basketball version of Orson Welles' War of the Worlds, it's your suspended-animation opportunity to start taking online tests for 23 quarantined days symbolic of normal time frame from Selection Sunday to Monday evening championship contest.
We need something to occupy our minds during quarantine from much of the invective-infected #MessMedia. Emphasizing a "one-and-only" theme for a "one-and-only" event, here is Day 19 of a treasure-trove of tantalizing NCAA Tournament trivia questions from CollegeHoopedia.com tracking the only coach, conference, player or school to be linked to a distinguished or dubious achievement (click here for answers or conduct research digesting historical morsels in CollegeHoopedia.com's year-by-year highlights):
1. Name the only Final Four team to have a trio all average more than 20 points per game in the same season. Hint: The school won its conference tournament that year although none of threesome shot better than 50% from floor over the three games.
2. Name the only duo to twice reach the Final Four and both players average more than 20 points per game each season. Hint: Their team lost each year at the Final Four by same score. One of the pair is only player to score more than 25 points in Final Four defeats in back-to-back years.
3. Who is the only one of UCLA's eight first-team All-Americans from 1964 through 1975 to fail to earn a spot on an All-NCAA Tournament team when the Bruins won 10 national titles? Hint: He averaged more than 15 points per game in two of his three varsity seasons and went on to coach the Bruins' crosstown rival to a regional final.
4. Who is the only NCAA baseball championship coach to direct a basketball team from the same school to the Final Four? Hint: He is the school's all-time winningest basketball coach.
5. Who is the only championship team senior to average seven points per game or less entering the national semifinals before seizing the moment and averaging double digits in scoring in his last two games with an increase of at least six points per game from his pre-Final Four scoring mark? Hint: He was the seventh-leading scorer for the season on a team with only two seniors among its top eight point producers.
6. Who is the only player to score more than half of a championship team's points in a single NCAA Tournament? Hint: He was the team's only player to compile a double-digit season scoring average and no teammate scored more than seven points in either of two Final Four games.
7. Name the only school to lose three national championship games in a city where it enjoyed a distinct homecourt advantage. Hint: The school lost two of the three title games by one point before capturing title there in a season it became the only NCAA champion to lose four consecutive conference contests.
8. Name the only team to fail to have at least one player score in double figures in the championship game. Hint: It was the school's only NCAA Tournament appearance until university started appearing regularly in tourney since 1975.
9. Name the only Division II school to have three of its former head coaches go on to direct major-college teams to the NCAA Division I Tournament championship game. Hint: None of the three coaches compiled a losing record in any of the total of 11 seasons they coached at small school, which won Division II Tournament in 1984 and captured first two NAIA Tournament titles.
10. Who is the only one of the individuals named NBA Most Valuable Player, score more than 20,000 pro points or be selected to at least five All-NBA teams after participating in more than six NCAA Division I Tournament games and not compile a winning tourney record? Hint: He left college with eligibility remaining, but was involved in two NCAA playoff defeats when the tournament conducted regional third-place games.
Happy Birthday! April Celebration Dates for All-Americans and HOF Coaches
UCLA (six; four from NCAA Tournament champions in 1960s), Illinois (five) and Kansas (five) are the schools with most All-Americans born this month. North Carolina (April 4) and Ohio State (April 8) each had two All-Americans born on the same day. April 9 is the day to celebrate the most birthdays this month for former All-Americans. Following are birthdates in April for All-Americans and Hall of Fame coaches:
APRIL
1: All-Americans Joel Berry II (born in 1995/attended North Carolina), Bobby Cook (1923/Wisconsin), Mark Jackson (1965/St. John's), Brook Lopez (1988/Stanford) and Etan Thomas (1978/Syracuse).
2: All-Americans Max Abmas (2001/Oral Roberts), Jules Bender (1914/LIU), Jim McDaniels (1948/Western Kentucky) and Les Witte (1911/Wyoming).
3: All-Americans Pervis Ellison (1967/Louisville) and Frank Mason (1994/Kansas).
4: All-Americans Bill Bridges (1939/Kansas), Bill Garrett (1929/Indiana), Frank Kaminsky (1993/Wisconsin), Sean May (1984/North Carolina), Larry Miller (1946/North Carolina) and George Senesky (1922/St. Joseph's).
5: All-Americans Duane "Skip" Thoren (1943/Illinois) and Scottie Wilbekin (1993/Florida) plus Hall of Fame coaches Alvin "Doggie" Julian (1901/bench boss at Muhlenberg PA, Holy Cross and Dartmouth) and John McLendon (1915/North Carolina Central, Hampton, Tennessee State, Kentucky State and Cleveland State).
6: All-Americans John Shumate (1952/Notre Dame) and Melford "Mel" Waits (1918/Tarkio MO).
7: All-Americans Vinnie Cohen (1936/Syracuse), Dwight "Bo" Lamar (1951/Southwestern Louisiana) and Don Smith (1946/Iowa State).
8: All-Americans Robin Freeman (1934/Ohio State), John Havlicek (1940/Ohio State) and Jimmy Walker (1944/Providence).
9: All-Americans John Adams (1917/Arkansas), Paul Arizin (1928/Villanova), Allen Crabbe (1992/California), Bruce Douglas (1964/Illinois), Greg "Bo" Kimble (1966/Loyola Marymount), Stan Love (1949/Oregon), Kyle Macy (1957/Kentucky), Jack Nichols (1926/Washington) and Jim O'Brien (1950/Boston College).
10: All-Americans Joe Gibbon (1935/Mississippi), Paul Judson (1934/Illinois), Charles "Stretch" Murphy (1907/Purdue), Ferdinand "Fred" Pralle (1916/Kansas) and Terry Teagle (1960/Baylor).
11: All-American LeRoy "Cowboy" Edwards (1914/Kentucky).
12: All-Americans Larry Cannon (1947/La Salle), Dave Scholz (1948/Illinois) and Tyshawn Taylor (1990/Kansas).
13: All-Americans Jim "Bad News" Barnes (1941/Texas Western), Baron Davis (1979/UCLA), Alec Peters (1995/Valparaiso) and Marvin Webster (1952/Morgan State).
14: All-Americans Leo Byrd (1937/Marshall), Larry Friend (1935/California), Joe Hobbs (1936/Florida), Mark Macon (1969/Temple) and Stan Modzelewski (1920/Rhode Island State) plus HOF coach Ken Loeffler (1902/Yale, Denver, La Salle and Texas A&M).
15: All-Americans Rodney Carney (1984/Memphis), Michael Cooper (1956/New Mexico), Walt Hazzard (1942/UCLA), Filip Petrusev (2000/Gonzaga) and Anthony Roberts (1955/Oral Roberts).
16: All-Americans Lew Alcindor (1947/UCLA), Wendell Hudson (1951/Alabama), Rodney Monroe (1968/North Carolina State) and Walt Williams (1970/Maryland).
17: All-Americans Cleanthony Early (1991/Wichita State) and Horace Walker (1937/Michigan State) plus HOF coach John Kresse (1943/College of Charleston).
18: All-Americans Michael Bradley (1979/Villanova), Don Ohl (1936/Illinois), Don Otten (1921/Bowling Green State) and Caleb Swanigan (1997/Purdue).
19: All-Americans Lew Beck (1922/Oregon State), Keith Erickson (1944/UCLA), Mike Evans (1955/Kansas State), Jack Foley (1939/Holy Cross), Kelly Olynyk (1991/Gonzaga) and Russ Smith (1991/Louisville).
20: All-Americans Ochai Aagbaji (2000/Kansas), Henry "Hank" Finkel (1942/Dayton), Allan Houston (1971/Tennessee) and Lamond Murray (1973/California).
21: All-Americans Gary Grant (1965/Michigan), Chuck Mencel (1933/Minnesota), Dave Meyers (1953/UCLA) and Bob Patterson (1932/Tulsa).
22: All-Americans DeJuan Blair (1989/Pittsburgh), Bill Garnett (1960/Wyoming), Spencer Haywood (1949/Detroit) and Dennis Hopson (Ohio State).
23: All-Americans John Bagley (1960/Boston College), Gail Goodrich (1943/UCLA), Bobby Joe Mason (1936/Bradley) and Mike Novak (1915/Loyola of Chicago).
24: All-Americans Ernie Grunfeld (1955/Tennessee) and Hank Stein (1936/Xavier).
25: All-Americans Charles Cleveland (1951/Alabama), Dave Corzine (1956/DePaul), Tim Duncan (1976/Wake Forest) and John McCarthy (1934/Canisius).
26: All-Americans Bob Boozer (1937/Kansas State), Dick Ives (1924/Iowa) and Delon Wright (1992/Utah).
27: All-American Courtney Alexander (1977/Fresno State).
28: All-Americans John Fairchild (1943/Brigham Young), Paul Hogue (1940/Cincinnati), Josh Howard (1980/Wake Forest) and Flynn Robinson (1941/Wyoming).
29: All-American Andy Wolfe (1925/California).
30: All-Americans Paul Lindemann (1918/Washington State), Isiah Thomas (1961/Indiana) and Brandon Joel "B.J." Tyler (1971/Texas) plus Hall of Fame coach Rick Byrd (1953/Belmont).
On this Date: Former College Hoopers Make News on April 1 MLB Games
Extra! Extra! This is no April Fool's prank. Although a new season has been delayed due to coronavirus outbreak, you have time to read news all about memorable major league baseball achievements, moments and transactions involving former college basketball players! Numerous ex-college hoopers had front-row seats to many of the most notable games and dates in MLB history.
Baseball is portrayed as a thinking man's game but only four percent of active MLB players earned college diplomas. Former college hoopers Tom Dettore (Juniata PA) and Paul Popovich (West Virginia) were traded for each other at MLB level on this date. Unless you habitually pore over the content at baseballlibrary.com, baseballreference.com and nationalpastime.com, following is an April 1 calendar of trades focusing on several such versatile MLB athletes:
APRIL 1
OF Larry Doby (reserve guard for Virginia Union's 1943 CIAA basketball titlist) traded by the Baltimore Orioles to the Cleveland Indians in 1958.
LF "Sweet" Lou Johnson (Kentucky State teammate of legendary HBCU coach Davey Whitney averaged 5.7 ppg and 2 rpg in 1951-52) traded by the Chicago Cubs to the Los Angeles Angels in 1961.
OF-1B Len Matuszek (starter for Toledo's 18-7 team in 1975-76) traded by the Philadelphia Phillies to the Toronto Blue Jays in 1985.
INF Paul Popovich (averaged 3.3 ppg for West Virginia's 1960 NCAA playoff team) traded by the Chicago Cubs to the Pittsburgh Pirates for RHP Tom Dettore (averaged 14.1 ppg and 9 rpg for Juniata PA in 1965-66) and cash in 1974.
College Exam: Day #18 of One-and-Only NCAA Tourney Trivia Challenge
Unless you're busy hoarding toilet paper or cowering in fetal position from college basketball version of Orson Welles' War of the Worlds, it's your suspended-animation opportunity to start taking online tests for 23 quarantined days symbolic of normal time frame from Selection Sunday to Monday evening championship contest.
We need something to occupy our minds during quarantine from much of the invective-infected #MessMedia. Emphasizing a "one-and-only" theme for a "one-and-only" event, here is Day 18 of a treasure-trove of tantalizing NCAA Tournament trivia questions from CollegeHoopedia.com tracking the only coach, conference, player or school to be linked to a distinguished or dubious achievement (click here for answers or conduct research digesting historical morsels in CollegeHoopedia.com's year-by-year highlights):
1. Who is the only major-college coach to finish his career with more than 500 victories and never participate in the NCAA playoffs? Hint: The coach spent his entire four-year school coaching career at one institution and had nine consecutive winning seasons at Division I level from 1972-73 through 1980-81.
2. Who is the only player to average more than 26 points per game for an undefeated NCAA champion before averaging less than five points per game in his NBA career? Hint: He averaged the same number of points in NCAA Tournament as he did for entire season.
3. Who is the only coach to win three national third-place games? Hint: No coach accumulated as many different All-Americans as he did (16) in his first 20 campaigns at a single school.
4. Who is the only former major-college player to score more than 23,000 points in the NBA after never participating in the NCAA Tournament or NIT? Hint: His alma mater returned to small-college status after being at the Division I level for more than 50 years but never appearing in NCAA playoffs or NIT.
5. Of the 10 different players to compile season scoring averages of more than 23 points per game for a national champion, who is the only individual in this group to tally fewer than 40 points in two games at the Final Four? Hint: His team won both Final Four games that year by a minimum of 20 points.
6. Who is the only individual to coach a team to the Final Four after becoming an NCAA consensus first-team All-American and NBA first-round draft choice? Hint: He joined Chet Walker and Bob Love as 20-points-per-game scorers for the Chicago Bulls in 1969-70 after becoming the first African-American to earn a league MVP while attending Southern school.
7. Who is the only national player of the year to score less than 10 points when his school was eliminated in a Final Four contest the same season? Hint: He averaged more than 25 points per game in his four previous playoff contests that year.
8. Name the only Final Four team to have as many as six players still on its roster with double-digit season scoring averages. Hint: All six individuals played in the NBA as did another player on squad who averaged eight points per game.
9. Who is the only All-Tournament selection to finish his college playing career at another major university? Hint: His brother was a wide receiver for a Super Bowl champion.
10. Who is the only leading scorer for a Final Four team to also play for the school's football squad in a New Year's Day bowl game and win a silver medal in the Olympics as a high jumper? Hint: The Olympics climaxed a superb academic school year for the versatile athlete who won NCAA high jump crown and led his school's football and basketball teams in scoring. He also appeared in the first two NBA All-Star Games.
Unsung Heroes: Saving Ryan's Somewhat Private NCAA Tournament Tale
Since they usually weren't the focal point of offense, their postseason competition achievement can get lost in normal All-American traffic for the 14 schools boasting multiple national championships. Despite never participating in a Final Four themselves, there are often-overlooked players who exhibited authentic "One Shining Moment" in NCAA Tournament for a blue-blood program. Two undervalued guards from prominent programs deserving special mention are:
- Ryan Robertson - 31-point outburst for Kansas against Kentucky in overtime in 1999 is higher than all-time tourney best for any of his more-publicized teammates during four-year career (including Raef LaFrentz, Paul Pierce, Scot Pollard and Jacque Vaughn). KU's Robertson, taking only 10 field-goal attempts, is one of six opposing players (including Dayton's Henry Finkel in 1966, Notre Dame's Austin Carr in 1970, Indiana's Kent Benson in 1975, Iowa State's Justus Thigpen Jr. in 1992 and Wichita State's Cleanthony Early in 2014) to score more than 30 points in defeat amid UK's NCAA tourney-high 131 victories. Among the 14 schools with multiple NCAA titles, Academic All-American Robertson has the lowest career scoring average (7.4 ppg) for an individual meeting the challenge and registering more than 30 points in a single NCAA playoff game.
- Ranzino Smith - 27-point uprising for North Carolina in only 18 minutes against Loyola Marymount in 1988 matches Michael Jordan's NCAA playoff high (against Temple in 1984). Among the 14 NCAA titlists in question, Smith has the lowest career scoring average (6.5 ppg) for an individual supplying more than 25 points in a single NCAA playoff game.
Twelve of the 14 tourney games summarized below occurred in first or second round. Restricting alphabetical list to schools capturing more than one NCAA title, the following individuals tallied more than 20 points in an NCAA playoff game despite college career scoring average lower than 13 ppg and subsequently not selected in first round of NBA draft:
| Multiple-Title School | Unsung Hero (Career Avg.) | HG | NCAA Playoff Opponent | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati | Leonard Stokes (10.2) | 39 | UCLA (Second Round) | 3-17-02 |
| Duke | Doug Kistler (11.5) | 26 | Princeton (First Round) | 3-8-60 |
| Florida | KeVaughn Allen (12.1) | 35 | Wisconsin (Regional Semifinals) | 3-24-17 |
| Indiana | Andrae Patterson (11.3) | 26 | Oklahoma (First Round) | 3-12-98 |
| Kansas | Ryan Robertson (7.4) | 31 | Kentucky (Second Round) | 3-14-99 |
| Kentucky | Joe Crawford (11.3) | 35 | Marquette (First Round) | 3-20-08 |
| Louisville | Edgar Sosa (9.7) | 31 | Texas A&M (Second Round) | 3-17-07 |
| Michigan State | Darryl Johnson (12.9) | 22 | Washington (First Round) | 3-13-86 |
| North Carolina | Ranzino Smith (6.5) | 27 | Loyola Marymount (Second Round) | 3-19-88 |
| North Carolina State | Ilian Evtimov (9.3) | 28 | Vanderbilt (Second Round) | 3-21-04 |
| Oklahoma State | Corey Williams (10.3) | 27 | Tulane (Second Round) | 3-22-92 |
| San Francisco | Mike Quick (12.6) | 25 | Long Beach State (Regional Semifinals) | 3-15-73 |
| UCLA | Tony Parker (8.3) | 28 | UAB (Second Round) | 3-21-15 |
| Villanova | Alvin Williams (10.9) | 31 | California (Second Round) | 3-15-97 |
Topping Out: Dayton's Obi Toppin First Mid-Major Player of Year in 10 Seasons
Dayton's Obi Toppin became the first mid-major named national player of the year since BYU's Jimmer Fredette in 2011. Excluding specialty publications, there are five nationally-recognized Player of the Year awards. None of them, however, comes anywhere close to being the equivalent to college football's undisputed most prestigious honor, the Heisman Trophy. The basketball stalemate stems from essentially the same people voting on the major awards (writers or coaches or a combination) and the announcements usually coming one after another right around the Final Four when the playoff games dominate the sports page.
United Press International, which was a sixth venue for major awards through 1996, got all of this back slapping started in 1955. Four years later, the United States Basketball Writers Association, having chosen All-American teams in each of the two previous seasons, added a Player of the Year award to its postseason honors. In recent years, the USBWA award was sponsored by Mercedes and then RCA.
The third oldest of the awards comes from the most dominant wire service, the Associated Press. Perhaps because of its vast network of media outlets, the AP award gets more print and broadcast attention than the other honors. The AP award started in 1961 before affiliating in 1972 with the Commonwealth Athletic Club of Lexington, Ky., which was looking for a way to honor Hall of Fame Kentucky coach Adolph Rupp. The result of their merger is the Rupp Trophy.
The Atlanta Tipoff Club initially was associated with UPI before starting its own Naismith Award in 1969. Six years later, the National Association of Basketball Coaches initiated its award, which was sponsored from the outset by the Eastman Kodak Company. In 1977, the Los Angeles Athletic Club began honoring Hall of Fame UCLA coach John Wooden with the Wooden Award sponsored by Wendy's.
Duke has nine different national player of the year winners, including seven of them in a 21-year span from 1986 through 2006. UCLA is runner-up with six individuals earning POY acclaim. Incredibly, perennial power Kentucky never had a representative win one of the six principal national player of the year awards until freshman center Anthony Davis achieved the feat in 2012.
In 2015, Wisconsin's Frank Kaminsky became the fourth Big Ten Conference player to capture national POY honors in a six-year span. The Big East, Pac-10 and SEC combined to go 15 straight seasons from 1996-97 through 2010-11 without a national POY. Following is a look at the seven conferences with at least three different individuals capturing one of the six principal national player of the year awards since UPI's initial winner in 1955:
ACC (17) - Shane Battier (Duke), Elton Brand (Duke), Johnny Dawkins (Duke), Tim Duncan (Wake Forest), Danny Ferry (Duke), Phil Ford (North Carolina), Tyler Hansbrough (North Carolina), Art Heyman (Duke), Antawn Jamison (North Carolina), Michael Jordan (North Carolina), Christian Laettner (Duke), J.J. Redick (Duke), Ralph Sampson (Virginia), Joe Smith (Maryland), David Thompson (North Carolina State), Jason Williams (Duke), Zion Williamson (Duke).
Big Ten (14) - Gary Bradds (Ohio State), Trey Burke (Michigan State), Dee Brown (Illinois), Calbert Cheaney (Indiana), Draymond Green (Michigan State), Jim Jackson (Ohio State), Frank Kaminsky (Wisconsin), Jerry Lucas (Ohio State), Scott May (Indiana), Shawn Respert (Michigan State), Glenn Robinson Jr. (Purdue), Cazzie Russell (Michigan), Evan Turner (Ohio State), Denzel Valentine (Michigan State).
Pacific-12 (7) - Lew Alcindor (UCLA), Sean Elliott (Arizona), Walt Hazzard (UCLA), Marques Johnson (UCLA), Ed O'Bannon (UCLA), Bill Walton (UCLA), Sidney Wicks (UCLA).
Big 12 (6) - Nick Collison (Kansas), Kevin Durant (Texas), T.J. Ford (Texas), Blake Griffin (Oklahoma), Buddy Hield (Oklahoma), Frank Mason III (Kansas).
Big East (6) - Ray Allen (Connecticut), Walter Berry (St. John's), Jalen Brunson (Villanova), Patrick Ewing (Georgetown), Doug McDermott (Creighton), Chris Mullin (St. John's).
Missouri Valley (3) - Larry Bird (Indiana State), Hersey Hawkins (Bradley), Oscar Robertson (Cincinnati).
SEC (3) - Anthony Davis (Kentucky), Pete Maravich (Louisiana State), Shaquille O'Neal (Louisiana State).
College Exam: Day #17 of One-and-Only NCAA Tourney Trivia Challenge
Unless you're busy hoarding toilet paper or cowering in fetal position from college basketball version of Orson Welles' War of the Worlds, it's your suspended-animation opportunity to start taking online tests for 23 quarantined days symbolic of normal time frame from Selection Sunday to Monday evening championship contest.
We need something to occupy our minds during quarantine from much of the invective-infected #MessMedia. Emphasizing a "one-and-only" theme for a "one-and-only" event, here is Day 17 of a treasure-trove of tantalizing NCAA Tournament trivia questions from CollegeHoopedia.com tracking the only coach, conference, player or school to be linked to a distinguished or dubious achievement (click here for answers or conduct research digesting historical morsels in CollegeHoopedia.com's year-by-year highlights):
1. Which school had the only trio to each score at least 20 points in two Final Four games? Hint: All three players finished their college careers with more than 2,000 points and were on roster the next year when school lost its playoff opener. The school is only national runner-up to score more than 85 points in an NCAA final.
2. Name the only school to have three players score more than 20 points in a Final Four game. Hint: The school lost championship game that year by more than 20 points although score was tied at halftime.
3. Who is the only player to score 40 or more points in a Final Four game and not eventually play in the NBA? Hint: He was held under 10 points in his other Final Four game that year.
4. Who is the only coach to go more than 40 years from his first to his last appearance in the playoffs? Hint: He and his son, who succeeded him, both compiled a losing tourney record.
5. Who is the only player to compile an NBA playoff scoring average more than 15 points per game higher than his NCAA Tournament average? Hint: He scored just six points in his NCAA playoff debut against a school participating in the tourney for just second time.
6. Who is the only player to lead an NCAA tournament in scoring with more than 120 points and not eventually play in the NBA? Hint: He averaged 32.3 points per game in his three-year college career.
7. Who is the only player from 1957 through 1996 to lead a tournament in rebounding and not eventually play in the NBA? Hint: His school was making just its second tourney appearance the year he led in rebounding.
8. Who is the only non-guard to be the undisputed leading scorer of an NCAA Tournament and not participate in the Final Four? Hint: He never played in the NBA.
9. Who is the first coach to make more than a dozen NCAA playoff appearances before reaching the Final Four? Hint: He was coach of the first team to win national championship in its first Final Four appearance since Texas Western in 1966.
10. Who is the only player to take more than 40 field-goal attempts in a playoff game his team lost? Hint: The guard was the nation's leading scorer with more than 36 points per game for only school to reach national semifinals of a small-college tournament one year and participate in NCAA Tournament the next season.
Penthouse to Outhouse: F4 Appearance Doesn't Guarantee Success Next Year
Texas Tech was a borderline at-large selection this season after reaching the Final Four last year. If denied, the Red Raiders would have become the 36th school since the NCAA Tournament field expanded to at least 48 teams in 1980 to fail to qualify for the NCAA playoffs the ensuing season after advancing to the national semifinals. Despite the disappointment of not participating in the NCAA playoffs, the previous 19 schools in this category averaged 20 victories.
Final Four Team Record Next Year League Finish Indiana State '79 16-11 in 1979-80 T5th in MVC Michigan State '79 12-15 in 1979-80 9th in Big Ten Purdue '80 21-11 in 1980-81 4th in Big Ten Louisiana State '81 14-14 in 1981-82 T4th in SEC Georgia '83 17-13 in 1983-84 T7th in SEC North Carolina State '83 19-14 in 1983-84 7th in ACC Houston '84 16-14 in 1984-85 T5th in SWC Virginia '84 17-16 in 1984-85 8th in ACC Louisville '86 18-14 in 1986-87 1st in Metro Providence '87 11-17 in 1987-88 8th in Big East Kansas '88 19-12 in 1988-89 6th in Big Eight Seton Hall '89 12-16 in 1989-90 T7th in Big East UNLV '91 26-2 in 1991-92 1st in Big West Duke '94 13-18 in 1994-95 9th in ACC Oklahoma State '95 17-10 in 1995-96 T4th in Big Eight Mississippi State '96 12-18 in 1996-97 T3rd in SEC Western Syracuse '96 19-13 in 1996-97 T4th in Big East 7 Minnesota '97 20-15 in 1997-98 8th in Big Ten Marquette '03 19-12 in 2003-04 8th in C-USA Louisville '05 21-13 in 2005-06 T11th in Big East George Mason '06 18-15 in 2006-07 T5th in CAA Louisiana State '06 17-15 in 2006-07 6th in SEC Western Florida '07 24-12 in 2007-08 4th in SEC Eastern Ohio State '07 24-13 in 2007-08 5th in Big Ten Connecticut '09 18-16 in 2009-10 T11th in Big East North Carolina '09 20-17 in 2009-10 T9th in ACC Butler '11 22-15 in 2011-12 T3rd in Horizon League Kentucky '12 21-12 in 2012-13 T2nd in SEC Connecticut '14 20-15 in 2014-15 T5th in AAC Florida '14 16-17 in 2014-15 T8th in SEC Oklahoma '16 11-20 in 2016-17 9th in Big 12 Syracuse '16 19-15 in 2016-17 T7th in ACC Oregon '17 23-13 in 2017-18 T6th in Pac 12 South Carolina '17 17-16 in 2017-18 T11th in SEC Loyola of Chicago '18 20-14 in 2018-19 T1st in Missouri Valley NOTES: Kansas and UNLV were on NCAA probation. . . . Duke, Florida '14, George Mason, Indiana State, Louisiana State '07, Louisville '87, Michigan State, Mississippi State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Providence and Seton Hall were eligible schools also failing to participate in the NIT.
College Exam: Day #16 of One-and-Only NCAA Tourney Trivia Challenge
Unless you're busy hoarding toilet paper or cowering in fetal position from college basketball version of Orson Welles' War of the Worlds, it's your suspended-animation opportunity to start taking online tests for 23 quarantined days symbolic of normal time frame from Selection Sunday to Monday evening championship contest.
We need something to occupy our minds during quarantine from much of the invective-infected #MessMedia. Emphasizing a "one-and-only" theme for a "one-and-only" event, here is Day 16 of a treasure-trove of tantalizing NCAA Tournament trivia questions from CollegeHoopedia.com tracking the only coach, conference, player or school to be linked to a distinguished or dubious achievement (click here for answers or conduct research digesting historical morsels in CollegeHoopedia.com's year-by-year highlights):
1. Name the only school to have four players score more than 14,000 points in the pros after never participating in national postseason competition (NCAA playoffs and NIT). Hint: One member of the foursome left college early after just one season of eligibility when he averaged 30 points per game and another is the highest scorer in NBA history to never participate in NBA playoffs.
2. Name the only father-son combination to be on the rosters of two teams from the same school to win NCAA Tournament championships. Hint: Both of them were underclassmen when their teams captured NCAA titles.
3. Who is the only player never to appear in the NBA or ABA after averaging more than 20 points per game for a team reaching an NCAA Tournament final? Hint: A college teammate was member of the NBA championship team drafting him.
4. Who is the only undergraduate non-center to average more than 23 points per game for a national champion? Hint: He is the last player to score the most points in a single game of an NCAA Tournament and play for championship team.
5. Who is the only player to appear at a minimum of two Final Fours and be game-high scorer in every Final Four contest he played? Hint: His brother is an NFL Hall of Famer.
6. Who is the only coach to win an NBA championship after directing a college to the Final Four? Hint: His college squad was implicated in a game-fixing scandal.
7. Who is the only player to grab more than 41 rebounds at a single Final Four? Hint: He is the only player to retrieve more than 21 missed shots in a championship game and only player to score more than 20 points and grab more than 20 rebounds in back-to-back NCAA finals.
8. Who is the only Final Four Most Outstanding Player to later coach a school other than his alma mater to the playoffs? Hint: He coached for more than 20 years in the same conference against UCLA legend John Wooden. He is also the only Final Four Most Outstanding Player to complete his college playing career attending another university.
9. Who is the only junior college player to later be selected Final Four Most Outstanding Player? Hint: He won the award when Final Four was held in his home state and eventually became an NBA head coach.
10. Name the only school with a losing league record to defeat a conference rival by more than 20 points in a season the opponent wound up winning the national championship. Hint: The school with a losing league mark participated in NCAA playoffs the next season for first time since reaching Final Four more than 20 years earlier when a consensus first-team All-American became only player in school history to average more than 25 points in a season.
Elite Hate: Seven Power-Conference Members Never Reached Regional Final
First things first! This admonition for handful of prominent schools is finally winning an NCAA playoff regional semifinal game. Some fans hate that their university never has been in a position to secure one more victory and reach the Final Four love-fest. A total of seven existing power-conference members have failed to advance to an NCAA Tournament regional final. Arizona State was the only one of these seven schools slated to be invited to the 2020 party. Combining for 75 NCAA playoff appearances and 63-78 record (.447), following is an alphabetical list of the "Elite Eight" no-shows from top six leagues:
| Power-League Member | App. | Record | Pct. | Premier Players for Previous NCAA Tournament Teams |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona State | 16 | 14-17 | .452 | Larry Armstrong, Isaac Austin, Art Becker, Mario Bennett, Joe Caldwell, Jahii Carson, Tony Cerkvenik, Ike Diogu, Jamal Faulkner (transferred to Alabama), James Harden, Lionel Hollins, Alton Lister, Scott Lloyd, Kurt Nimphius, Ron Riley, Byron Scott and Rudy White |
| Boston College | 18 | 22-19 | .537 | Danya Abrams, Michael Adams, Steve Adelman, John Bagley, Troy Bell, Bob Carrington, Bill Curley, Terry Driscoll, Jared Dudley, Howard Eisley, John Garris, Jay Murphy, James "Scoonie" Penn (transferred to Ohio State), Tyrese Rice and Craig Smith |
| Miami (Fla.) | 10 | 8-10 | .444 | Johnny Hemsley, Dick Hickox, Tim James, Shane Larkin, Sheldon McClellan, Jack McClinton, Darius Rice and Angel Rodriguez |
| Mississippi | 9 | 5-9 | .357 | Keith Carter, Carlos Clark, Aaron Harper, Marshall Henderson, Marcus Hicks, Stefan Moody, Justin Reed, Ansu Sesay and Elston Turner |
| Nebraska | 7 | 0-7 | .000 | Cookie Belcher, Jaron Boone, Derrick Chandler, Bernard Day, Venson Hamilton, Carl Hayes, Rich King, Tyronn Lue, Terran Petteway, Eric Piatkowski, Shavon Shields, Erick Strickland and Andre Woolridge (transferred to Iowa) |
| Northwestern | 1 | 1-1 | .500 | Vic Law, Scottie Lindsey, Bryant McIntosh and Dererk Pardon |
| Texas A&M | 14 | 13-15 | .464 | Billy Bob Barnett, John Beasley, Josh Carter, Winston Crite, Barry Davis, Tyler Davis, Mike Heitmann, Danuel House, Jalen Jones, Joseph Jones, Acie Law IV, Bennie Lenox, Khris Middleton, Steve Niles, Sonny Parker, Ronnie Peret, Claude Riley, Vernon Smith, Robert Williams, Rudy Woods and Rynn Wright |
Slow Start: Kansas A-A Udoka Azubuike Averaged Only 5 PPG as Freshman
In a microwave atmosphere of instant expectations, Kansas' Udoka Azubuike (5 points per game in 2016-17) failed to generate national headlines in his freshman season before blossoming into an All-American. He is a textbook example why fans shouldn't put too much stock in freshman statistics.
Azubike isn't the only All-American who endured growing pains. The following alphabetical list of players averaged fewer than three points per game as a freshman before eventually earning All-American acclaim:
Eventual All-American Pos. School Freshman Scoring Average Cole Aldrich C Kansas 2.8 ppg in 2007-08 Lorenzo Charles F North Carolina State 2.2 ppg in 1981-82 Rakeem Christmas F Syracuse 2.8 ppg in 2011-12 Keith Edmonson G Purdue 1.3 ppg in 1978-79 Aaron Gray C Pittsburgh 1.7 ppg in 2003-04 Erick Green G Virginia Tech 2.6 ppg in 2009-10 Tom Gugliotta F North Carolina State 2.7 ppg in 1988-89 Rui Hachimura F Gonzaga 2.6 ppg in 2016-17 Roy Hamilton G UCLA 1.2 ppg in 1975-76 Jeff Jonas G Utah 2.8 ppg in 1973-74 Frank Kaminsky C-F Wisconsin 1.8 ppg in 2011-12 Ted Kitchel F Indiana 1.7 ppg in 1979-80 Bob Kurland C Oklahoma A&M 2.5 ppg in 1942-43 Tom LaGarde C North Carolina 2.2 ppg in 1973-74 Jock Landale C Saint Mary's 2.1 ppg in 2014-15 Kenyon Martin C Cincinnati 2.8 ppg in 1996-97 Luke Maye F North Carolina 1.2 ppg in 2015-16 John Pilch G Wyoming 2.4 ppg in 1946-47 Thomas Robinson F Kansas 2.5 ppg in 2009-10 Steve Scheffler C Purdue 1.5 ppg in 1986-87 Russ Smith G Louisville 2.2 ppg in 2010-11 Earl Tatum G-F Marquette 1.5 ppg in 1972-73 Kurt Thomas F-C Texas Christian 0.8 ppg in 1990-91 Al Thornton F Florida State 2.8 ppg in 2003-04 B.J. Tyler G DePaul 2.9 ppg in 1989-90 Scottie Wilbekin G Florida 2.4 ppg in 2010-11 Jeff Withey C Kansas 1.3 ppg in 2009-10 NOTES: Oregon's Wally Borrevik (1.8 ppg in 1940-41), Wisconsin's Gene Englund (2.3 ppg in 1938-39), California's Darrall Imhoff (0.9 ppg in 1957-58), Kansas' Dean Kelley (0.8 in 1950-51), Purdue's Bob Kessler (2.3 ppg in 1933-34), Notre Dame's Leo Klier (2.7 in 1942-43), Oklahoma A&M's Gale McArthur (2.96 ppg in 1948-49), Notre Dame's Bob Rensberger (1.5 ppg in 1940-41) and Stanford's George Yardley (2.9 ppg in 1947-48) averaged fewer than three points per game as sophomores when freshmen weren't eligible to play varsity basketball before becoming All-Americans. . . . Tyler became an All-American with Texas after transferring to his home state. . . . Withey originally attended Arizona.
College Exam: Day #15 of One-and-Only NCAA Tourney Trivia Challenge
Unless you're busy hoarding toilet paper or cowering in fetal position from college basketball version of Orson Welles' War of the Worlds, it's your suspended-animation opportunity to start taking online tests for 23 quarantined days symbolic of normal time frame from Selection Sunday to Monday evening championship contest.
We need something to occupy our minds during quarantine from much of the invective-infected #MessMedia. Emphasizing a "one-and-only" theme for a "one-and-only" event, here is Day 15 of a treasure-trove of tantalizing NCAA Tournament trivia questions from CollegeHoopedia.com tracking the only coach, conference, player or school to be linked to a distinguished or dubious achievement (click here for answers or conduct research digesting historical morsels in CollegeHoopedia.com's year-by-year highlights):
1. Who is the only individual to play for two NCAA champions, play for more than two NBA champions and coach two NBA champions. Hint: He was the first of four players to be a member of an NCAA championship team one year and an NBA titlist the next season as a rookie. He won the high jump in the West Coast Relays his senior year.
2. Who is the only individual to average fewer than four points per game as a freshman and then be selected Final Four Most Outstanding Player the next season as a sophomore. Hint: He had more three-point baskets in two Final Four games than contributing his entire freshman season.
3. Who is the only player named to an All-NCAA Tournament team not to score a total of more than 10 points in two Final Four games? Hint: He had the same point total in each Final Four game for a team whose star had same last name.
4. Who is the only Final Four Most Outstanding Player to later coach his alma mater in the NCAA Tournament? Hint: The guard was named Most Outstanding Player although he was his team's fourth-leading scorer at Final Four that year.
5. Name the only school to have two of the six eligible teams ranked among the top five in the AP and/or UPI final polls to not participate in either the NCAA Tournament or the NIT in the days before teams other than the conference champion could be chosen to the NCAA playoffs as at-large entrants. Hint: The school lost three regional finals in one four-year span and hasn't reached Final Four in last 50-plus years.
6. Who is the only coach to lose more than five regional final games? Hint: His regional final defeats were by an average margin of 10 points and his biggest nemesis was the Big Ten Conference.
7. Who is the only individual to become NBA Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player to participate in the NCAA Tournament but never win an NCAA playoff game? Hint: He shared the NBA Rookie of the Year award with another player who was on the losing end in his only NCAA Tournament appearance. Two years later, he was NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player the same season named league MVP.
8. Of the more than 40 different players to be named NBA Most Valuable Player, score more than 20,000 points in the pros or be selected to an All-NBA team at least five times after participating in the NCAA Tournament, who is the only one to average fewer than 10 points per game in the NCAA playoffs? Hint: He is believed to be the youngest Hall of Famer to appear in an NCAA championship game at the tender age of 16 and subsequently was named to 12 consecutive All-NBA teams.
9. Who is the only guard to score more than 35 points in an NCAA final? Hint: He led his team in scoring in back-to-back Final Fours but wasn't named Final Four Most Outstanding Player either year. He is the only championship team player to have a two-game total of at least 70 points at the Final Four and is the shortest undergraduate to average more than 20 points per game for an NCAA titlist.
10. Who is the only player to have as many as 20 field goals in an NCAA championship game? Hint: He scored fewer than seven points in both his tourney debut and final playoff appearance.
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