How Seed It Is!: There Could Only Be One #1 Left Standing After NCAA Final
North Carolina was involved in half of the first eight NCAA Tournament championship contests pitting #1 seeds against each other since the seeding process was introduced in 1979. The Tar Heels won all four national title tilts between top seeds.
| Year | NCAA Title Game Result Between #1 Regional Seeds |
|---|---|
| 1982 | East/North Carolina 63 (James Worthy scored team-high 28 points), West/Georgetown 62 (Patrick Ewing 23) |
| 1993 | East/North Carolina 77 (Donald Williams 25), West/Michigan 71 (Chris Webber 23) |
| 1999 | West/Connecticut 77 (Richard Hamilton 27), East/Duke 74 (Trajan Langdon 25) |
| 2005 | East/North Carolina 75 (Sean May 26), Midwest/Illinois 70 (Luther Head 21) |
| 2007 | Midwest/Florida 84 (Al Horford 18), South/Ohio State 75 (Greg Oden 25) |
| 2008 | Midwest/Kansas 75 (Darrell Arthur 20), South/Memphis 68 (Chris Douglas-Roberts 22) in OT |
| 2015 | South/Duke 68 (Tyus Jones 23), West/Wisconsin 63 (Frank Kaminsky 21) |
| 2017 | South/North Carolina 22 (Joel Berry II), West/Gonzaga 65 (Nigel Williams-Goss 15) |
On This Date: Ex-College Hoopers Make Their Mark on April 3 MLB Games
Extra! Extra! With a new season commencing today, read all about memorable major league baseball achievements, moments and transactions involving former college basketball players! Numerous ex-college hoopsters 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 1996.
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: One-and-Only NCAA Tournament Trivia Challenge (Day #23)
CollegeHoopedia.com hopes the rigors of our daily Q&A didn't give you an inferiority complex. Emphasizing a "one-and-only" theme for a "one-and-only" event, this is the climax of 23 days featuring a treasure-trove of tantalizing NCAA Tournament trivia questions from (10 per day from Selection Sunday until a grand finale added value of 20 on the day of the championship game) 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 automatic qualifier to enter the NCAA playoffs with an overall losing record despite compiling a winning conference mark. Hint: The school lost in first round to nation's top-ranked team, an opponent the school succumbed to four seasons earlier when eventual NBA guard Lindsey Hunter scored a then school-record 48 points.
2. Name the only one of the different teams to twice defeat an eventual NCAA champion in their title season to not appear in the NCAA Tournament that year. Hint: A former NBA coach guided the school to its only NCAA playoff victory against an opponent whose coach also later coached in NBA.
3. Name the only team since seeding started to reach the Final Four without meeting a top eight seed. Hint: The team was eliminated in national semifinals.
4. Name the only school to twice be denied an at-large bid in a 10-year span despite going undefeated in regular-season conference competition. Hint: The school reached a regional final next time it went unbeaten in league play.
5. Name the only school in the 20th Century to compete for the national championship in both football and basketball in the same academic school year. Hint: The school lost both games.
6. Who is the only individual to win tournament games while coaching schools from the three conferences with the top winning percentages in NCAA Tournament competition reflecting actual membership (ACC, Big East and Big Ten)? Hint: He is the only coach to win playoff games with as many as three different schools when they were seeded ninth or worse.
7. Who is the only coach to win national championships in junior college, the NIT and the NCAA. Hint: He won the NIT in his first year as a major college head coach.
8. Who is the only leading scorer in an NCAA Tournament championship game to subsequently serve as an admiral in the U.S. Navy? Hint: He was an NCAA consensus first-team All-America the next season before eventually commanding aircraft carrier Saratoga for two years.
9. Who is the only championship game starter in the 20th Century to be the son of a former NCAA consensus All-American? Hint: The father was a U.S. Olympic team member and the star player for first black coach at a predominantly white Division I school.
10. Name the only teammate twosome to each score more than 25 points in an NCAA final. Hint: They combined for 53 points to lead their school to its first of multiple NCAA Tournament titles.
11. Name the only starting backcourt to combine for more than 50 points in a Final Four game. Hint: They combined to shoot 39 percent from the floor in two Final Four games that year.
12. Who is the only individual to coach teams in the NAIA Tournament, NCAA Division III Tournament, NCAA Division II Tournament, National Invitation Tournament and NCAA Division I Tournament? Hint: He took two different schools to the five levels of national postseason competition in a 13-year span beginning with an appearance as an interim head coach.
13. Who is the only individual to be the team-high scorer for both winning and losing teams in NCAA championship games although his season scoring average was less than half of the team leader each year? Hint: He played in the shadow of an All-American whose total of points and rebounds (4,663) is highest in NCAA history.
14. Who is the only coach to guide teams from the same school to the football Rose Bowl and basketball Final Four? Hint: The Rose Bowl and Final Four appearances were 17 years apart.
15. Name the only son of a member of one of the first classes of baseball Hall of Fame selections to start for a school in its first NCAA Tournament appearance. Hint: The son pitched for four major league teams before becoming a prominent executive. His father was a first baseman.
16. Name the only school to reach the Final Four and College World Series championship game in the same year. Hint: The school advanced to Final Four again the next season.
17. Who is the only coach to win three first-round games with teams seeded 12th or worse? Hint: The former coach was 4-1 in tournament games decided by fewer than five points. He played basketball at Fordham when NFL Hall of Fame coach Vince Lombardi was the Rams' freshman basketball coach.
18. Name the school that won all four of its first-round games despite being seeded eighth or worse each time. Hint: The four victories came in first five tournaments after NCAA introduced seeding.
19. Name the only school to appear in at least three NCAA Tournaments in the 20th Century and reach a regional final each time. Hint: The school's playoff appearances were in successive years.
20. Who is the only player to obtain NCAA and NBA championship rings without participating in postseason competition for either the college or pro title teams? Hint: The 7-0 center was in his first year with both of championship squads.
One and None: Gonzaga Didn't Reverse Trend of Win Crowd Entering Playoffs
Regal regular-season records persuade pollsters, arm alumni with arrogance and impress Division I committee members dispensing seeds in the NCAA Tournament. In a "teachable moment," Kentucky learned two years ago the acclaim doesn't guarantee postseason success because the "Road to the Final Four" is filled with potholes. There is no evidence Wisconsin made "nasty" actress Ashley Judd cry authentic tears at the 2015 Final Four or whether the dim damsel in distress blamed UK's defeat on #TheDonald helping Russians hack the scoreboard even before running for POTUS.
Over the first 41 seasons since the last undefeated team (Indiana '76), Gonzaga was the 24th school entering the NCAA playoffs undefeated or with one setback. None of the 24 squads in this group went on to win the national title. Only nine previous teams - Indiana State '79, UNLV '87, Temple '88, UNLV '91, Massachusetts '96, Duke '99, St. Joseph's '04, Illinois '05 and Memphis '08 - reached a regional final. Of the 22 entrants in this category since seeding was introduced, only four weren't accorded a #1 seed - Alcorn State '80, La Salle '90, Texas Tech '96 and Princeton '98. The Zags joined the following chronological list of 24 schools entering the NCAA tourney either unbeaten or with only one setback since IU went undefeated in 1975-76:
State Delegates: Majority of NCAA All-Americans Are Out-of-State Products
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 politicians are in, then campaign with the following strategic delegate knowledge: Only three of 16 All-Americans named by AP, NABC and USBWA this season were homegrown in-state products - UCLA's Lonzo Ball, Baylor's Johnathan Motley and Purdue's Caleb Swanigan.
A total of 11 states account for at least 20 All-Americans beyond their borders - New York (89), Illinois (61), Pennsylvania (49), California (42), Indiana (42), New Jersey (40), Maryland (26), Ohio (24), Georgia (23), Texas (21), Michigan (20) and Missouri (20). Following are the players who are from (before attending prep school) or attended high 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), Indiana's D.J. White
Alaska (2) - Duke's Trajan Langdon (1998 and 1999) and Carlos Boozer (2002)
Arizona (2) - Duke's Mark Alarie (1986), 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), 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), 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), 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), Michigan's Henry Wilmore (1971 and 1972)
Delaware (1) - Temple's Terence Stansbury (1984)
District of Columbia (12) - 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), 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), Providence's John Thompson Jr. (1964)
Florida (16) - Duke's Grayson Allen, Houston's Otis Birdsong (1977), 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), 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), North Carolina's Al Wood (1980 and 1981)
Idaho (1) - Brigham Young's Roland Minson (1951)
Illinois (61) - Minnesota's Jim Brewer (1973), Seattle's Charley Brown (1958 and 1959), Indiana's Quinn Buckner (1974 through 1976), Iowa's Carl Cain (1956), Penn's Corky Calhoun (1973), Detroit's Bob Calihan (1939), 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), 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), Georgia Tech's Rich Yunkus (1970 and 1971)
Indiana (42) - Michigan State's Chet Aubuchon (1940), Tennessee State's Dick Barnett (1958 and 1959), 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), 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), 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), 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), 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), South Carolina's Grady Wallace (1957)
Louisiana (13) - Texas' D.J. Augustin (2008), Creighton's Benoit Benjamin (1985), 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), 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), 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), 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), Iowa's Sam Williams (1968)
Minnesota (5) - Kansas' Cole Aldrich (2010), Boston College's Troy Bell (2001 and 2003), Dayton's John Horan (1955), Wisconsin's Jordan Taylor (2011), 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), 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), Memphis State's Win Wilfong (1957)
Montana (3) - Iowa's Chuck Darling (1952), Utah State's Wayne Estes (1964 and 1965), Duke's Mike Lewis (1968)
Nebraska (5) - Kansas State's Bob Boozer (1958 and 1959), George Washington's Bob Faris (1939), Michigan's Mike McGee (1981), Wyoming's Les Witte (1932 and 1934), Iowa's Andre Woolridge (1997)
Nevada (3) - New Mexico's Darington Hobson (2010), Arizona State's Lionel Hollins (1975), 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), Duke's Jason Williams (2001 and 2002)
New Mexico (2) - Kansas' Bill Bridges (1961), West Texas State's Charles Halbert (1942)
New York (89) - 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), 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), 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), Marquette's Sam Worthen (1980)
North Carolina (18) - Fresno State's Courtney Alexander (2000), Indiana's Walt Bellamy (1960), UCLA's Henry Bibby (1972), Kansas State's Mike Evans (1978), Furman's Darrell Floyd (1955 and 1956), Georgetown's Sleepy Floyd (1981 and 1982), 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)
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), 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), 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, Gonzaga's Nigel Williams-Goss (2017) and 1976), Gonzaga's Kyle Wiltjer (2015)
Pennsylvania (49) - 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), 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), North Carolina's Dennis Wuycik (1972)
South Carolina (5) - Connecticut's Ray Allen (1995 and 1996), North Carolina's Raymond Felton (2005), North Carolina's Brice Johnson, Louisiana State's Pete Maravich (1968 through 1970), Wichita State's Xavier McDaniel (1985)
Tennessee (13) - 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), Western Kentucky's Tom Marshall (1954), Kentucky's Ron Mercer (1997), Mississippi's Johnny Neumann (1971), Oral Roberts' Anthony Roberts (1977), Tulsa's Bingo Smith (1969)
Texas (21) - 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), 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), Illinois' Deron Williams (2005)
Utah (3) - Montana State's Cat Thompson (1929 and 1930), Montana State's Frank Ward (1930), 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), Xavier's David West (2002 and 2003)
Washington (5) - Oregon's Aaron Brooks (2007), Arizona's Michael Dickerson (1998), Arizona's Jason Terry (1999), Louisville's Terrence Williams (2009), Oregon's Slim Wintermute (1938 and 1939)
West Virginia (2) - Virginia Tech's Chris Smith (1960), 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), 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 not to supply an All-American for an out-of-state college.
Result Reversal: NCAA Champions Rebounding From Regular-Season Defeat
When North Carolina defeated Kentucky, 75-73, in the South Regional final, the Tar Heels positioned themselves to join 12 previous NCAA Tournament titlists rebounding from a non-league defeat to upend the same opponent in the playoffs. UK outlasted UNC, 103-100, during the regular season. Every full decade of NCAA playoff competition had at least one of the following champions in this category (in reverse order):
| Year | Round | Champion Reversing Result | Earlier Margin of Defeat vs. Same Non-League Foe |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Regional Final | North Carolina 75, Kentucky 73 | two points at Las Vegas |
| 2016 | National Semifinals | Villanova 95, Oklahoma 51 | 23 points at Honolulu |
| 2012 | Regional Semifinals | Kentucky 102, Indiana 90 | one point at Indiana |
| 2004 | National Final | Connecticut 82, Georgia Tech 73 | 16 points at New York |
| 1996 | National Semifinals | Kentucky 81, Massachusetts 74 | 10 points at Springfield, MA |
| 1993 | National Final | North Carolina 77, Michigan 71 | one point at Honolulu |
| 1988 | National Semifinals | Kansas 66, Duke 59 | four points at home |
| 1981 | National Final | Indiana 63, North Carolina 50 | nine points at North Carolina |
| 1977 | First Round | Marquette 66, Cincinnati 51 | independent lost by one point at Cincy |
| 1974 | National Semifinals | North Carolina State 80, UCLA 77 (2OT) | 18 points at St. Louis |
| 1968 | National Semifinals | UCLA 101, Houston 69 | two points vs. independent at Astrodome |
| 1953 | Regional Final | Indiana 79, Notre Dame 66 | one point at independent Notre Dame |
| 1945 | Regional Final | Oklahoma A&M 68, Arkansas 41 | three points at Arkansas |
| 1941 | Regional Final | Wisconsin 36, Pittsburgh 30 | two points vs. independent at home |
On This Date: Ex-College Hoopers Make Their Mark on April 2 MLB Games
Extra! Extra! As a new season is on the horizon, read all about memorable major league baseball achievements, moments and transactions involving former college basketball players! Numerous ex-college hoopsters 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: One-and-Only NCAA Tournament Trivia Challenge (Day #22)
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 (10 per day from Selection Sunday through the championship game) 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.
Breaking New Ground: Gonzaga and USC First F4 Newbie Duo in 21 Years
When Gonzaga and South Carolina met at the 2017 Final Four, they joined the 1996 tandem of Massachusetts and Mississippi State as only the second "fresh-blood" duo in 38 years to each reach the national semifinals for the first time in the same season. The Zags and Gamecocks were the first set of newcomers to oppose each other at the F4 in 40 years since UNLV defeated UNC Charlotte in the 1977 national third-place game. Newbies Memphis State and Providence clashed in the 1973 semis.
Prior to Connecticut in 1999, the last team to win a championship in its initial national semifinal appearance was Texas Western (now Texas-El Paso) in 1966. Following in reverse order are the schools - two of them coached by Hugh Durham - making their first impression on the Final Four since 1970 when three colleges - Jacksonville, New Mexico State and St. Bonaventure - each made their only national semifinal appearance:
| Year | Final Four Newcomer | Appearance | Head Coach | Final Four Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Gonzaga | 20th | Mark Few | Reached championship game. |
| 2017 | South Carolina | 9th | Frank Martin | Lost in semifinal. |
| 2011 | Virginia Commonwealth | 10th | Shaka Smart | Lost in semifinal. |
| 2010 | Butler* | 10th | Brad Stevens | Lost in final. |
| 2006 | George Mason | 4th | Jim Larranaga | Lost in semifinal. |
| 2001 | Maryland* | 18th | Gary Williams | Lost in semifinal. |
| 1999 | Connecticut* | 21st | Jim Calhoun | Won NCAA championship. |
| 1997 | Minnesota | 7th | Clem Haskins | Lost in semifinal. |
| 1996 | Massachusetts | 6th | John Calipari | Lost in semifinal. |
| 1996 | Mississippi State | 4th | Richard Williams | Lost in semifinal. |
| 1994 | Florida* | 4th | Lon Kruger | Lost in semifinal. |
| 1990 | Georgia Tech* | 7th | Bobby Cremins | Lost in semifinal. |
| 1989 | Seton Hall | 2nd | P.J. Carlesimo | Lost in final. |
| 1988 | Arizona* | 7th | Lute Olson | Lost in semifinal. |
| 1983 | Georgia | 1st | Hugh Durham | Lost in semifinal. |
| 1981 | Virginia* | 2nd | Terry Holland | Won third-place game. |
| 1979 | Indiana State | 1st | Bill Hodges | Lost in final. |
| 1979 | Penn | 9th | Bob Weinhauer | Lost consolation game. |
| 1978 | Notre Dame | 15th | Digger Phelps | Lost consolation game. |
| 1977 | UNC Charlotte | 1st | Lee Rose | Lost consolation game. |
| 1977 | UNLV* | 3rd | Jerry Tarkanian | Won third-place game. |
| 1976 | Rutgers | 2nd | Tom Young | Lost consolation game. |
| 1975 | Syracuse* | 5th | Roy Danforth | Lost consolation game. |
| 1974 | Marquette* | 9th | Al McGuire | Lost in final. |
| 1973 | Memphis State* | 4th | Gene Bartow | Lost in final. |
| 1973 | Providence* | 5th | Dave Gavitt | Lost consolation game. |
| 1972 | Florida State | 2nd | Hugh Durham | Lost in final. |
| 1971 | Western Kentucky | 7th | John Oldham | Won third-place game. |
*School subsequently returned to Final Four.
Youth Movement: Lonzo Ball Does Something Best Ballers Never Achieved
UCLA guard Lonzo Ball achieved something luminaries Mark Aguirre, Carmelo Anthony, Stephen Curry, Patrick Ewing, Phil Ford, Tyler Hansbrough, James Harden, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Bernard King, Alonzo Mourning, Shaquille O'Neal, Derrick Rose, Ralph Sampson and Russell Westbrook failed to do. Ball became a first-team All-American as a freshman. Thirteen of the 19 yearlings on the following chronological list in this rare-air category were named first-team A-A in the last 11 seasons:
| Freshman First-Team All-American | Pos. | College | Year | Freshman All-American Recognition |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arnie Ferrin | F | Utah | 1944 | C1 |
| Tom Gola | C-F | La Salle | 1952 | C1 |
| Keith Lee | C | Memphis State | 1982 | C1, AP2 |
| Wayman Tisdale | F-C | Oklahoma | 1983 | AP1, C1, USBWA1, UPI2, NABC3 |
| Chris Jackson | G | Louisiana State | 1989 | AP1, UPI1, USBWA1, NABC2 |
| Kenny Anderson | G | Georgia Tech | 1990 | NABC1, AP3 |
| Kevin Durant | F | Texas | 2007 | AP1, NABC1, USBWA1 |
| Greg Oden | C | Ohio State | 2007 | AP1, NABC2, USBWA2 |
| Michael Beasley | F | Kansas State | 2008 | AP1, NABC1, USBWA1 |
| Kevin Love | C | UCLA | 2008 | AP1, USBWA1, NABC2 |
| DeMarcus Cousins | C | Kentucky | 2010 | AP1, NABC2, USBWA2 |
| John Wall | G | Kentucky | 2010 | AP1, NABC1, USBWA1 |
| Jared Sullinger | F-C | Ohio State | 2011 | AP1, NABC1, USBWA1 |
| Anthony Davis | C | Kentucky | 2012 | AP1, NABC1, USBWA1 |
| Jabari Parker | F | Duke | 2014 | USBWA1 |
| Jahlil Okafor | C | Duke | 2015 | AP1, NABC1, USBWA1 |
| D'Angelo Russell | G | Ohio State | 2015 | AP1, NABC1, USBWA1 |
| Ben Simmons | F-G | Louisiana State | 2016 | NABC1, USBWA1, AP2 |
| Lonzo Ball | G | UCLA | 2017 | AP1, NABC1, USBWA1 |
Instant Success: Ball's Prompt Production at UCLA Can Make Parent Proud
Fresh men. As in fresh blood or brand spanking new. Comparable to an excess of one thousand male teenagers who attempt each season to survive in the dog-eat-dog world of major-college basketball less than one year after being a top dog at the high school level. For many of the yearlings, it is a risk-filled voyage where "rookies" are thrown in the Division I ocean and asked to sink or swim. Some of the can't-miss prospects become studs such as UCLA's guard Lonzo Ball and forward TJ Leaf this year while others turn into duds. And some are somewhere inbetween such as North Carolina's Harrison Barnes, the first freshman ever named a preseason All-American by the AP.
Complicating the high-expectations transition are misguided rush-to-judgment comments from experts such as Dick Vitale who hype recruits beyond reason during their senior season in high school. According to the effervescent ESPN analyst, Delray Brooks (Indiana/Providence) was going to be the next Oscar Robertson, Tito Horford (Louisiana State/Miami FL) was going to be the next Hakeem Olajuwon, Jeff Lebo (North Carolina) was going to be the next Jerry West, ad nauseam. Brooks, Horford and Lebo went on to become fine college players, but the only historical basketball byproduct they had in common with the Big O, the Dream and Mr. Clutch was they played in the same half century.
Freshmen played varsity college basketball in wartime years during the 1940s and early '50s because of manpower shortages, and at earlier times when eligibility requirements were lax. But for the most part prior to the 1972-73 campaign, colleges fielded freshman teams requiring extra scholarships and operating expenses. Consequently, the introduction of freshman eligibility trimmed costs and, of course, gave eager coaches instant access to high school phenoms who are immediately placed under the glare of the spotlight to help keep elite programs on a pedestal or possibly give struggling teams a chance to climb the ladder of success.
Former Marquette coach Al McGuire coined the phrase: "The best thing about freshmen is that they become sophomores." But a striking number of sudden impact freshmen combined sufficient physical maturity with quick adjustments to the speed and complexity of the college game. Where will Ball and Leaf rank among the all-time best freshmen? It's not as if Ball's father needs more fodder to help his self-esteem, but UCLA improved by 14 games from the previous campaign (15-17 to 31-5) compared to 4 1/2 for North Carolina when Michael Jordan came on board to help UNC capture 1982 NCAA title. Following is a list of freshman phenom seasons improving their school records from the previous year more than Jordan but fewer than Ball and Leaf:
On This Date: Ex-College Hoopers Make Their Mark on April 1 MLB Games
Extra! Extra! As a new season commences this weekend, read 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: One-and-Only NCAA Tournament Trivia Challenge (Day #21)
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 (10 per day from Selection Sunday through the championship game) 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 leading 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.
Oh Canada: Dillon Brooks Continued Parade of North-of-Border All-Americans
Showing the nation is more than a hockey hotbed, Oregon's Dillon Brooks (Ontario) extended streak of Canadians earning All-American status to six seasons in a row. Canada's previous five-year basketball bounty went from Syracuse's Kris Joseph (Quebec) to Gonzaga's Kelly Olynyk (British Columbia) to three All-Americans three seasons ago in Iowa State's Melvin Ejim (Toronto), Michigan's Nik Stauskas (Ontario) and Kansas' Andrew Wiggins (Ontario) to Gonzaga guard Kevin Pangos (Ontario) in 2014-15 to Kentucky's Jamal Murray (Ontario) in 2015-16.
Foreigners such as Louisiana State swingman Ben Simmons (Australia) last season and Arizona center Lauri Markkanen (Finland) were much more than bit freshmen in a modern-day immigrant version of "Coming to America." Following is an alphabetical list of hoop princes of sorts after Brooks and Markkanen became 27th and 28th 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andrew Bogut* | C | Utah | Australia | 2005 | 1st pick overall by Milwaukee |
| Dillon Brooks | F | Oregon | Ontario | 2017 | TBD |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| Lauri Markkanen | C | Arizona | Finland | 2017 | TBD |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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.
Frank Mason Becomes Sixth Big 12 Conference Product Named National POY
Kansas' Frank Mason III, a unanimous selection, became the sixth Big 12 Conference product to become national player of the year. In the latest tribute to players who keep improving, Mason is the fifth consecutive national POY who wasn't a Top 75 recruit coming out of high school.
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 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 eight 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 (16) - 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).
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 (5) - Ray Allen (Connecticut), Walter Berry (St. John's), 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).
Playing Race Card: Duke and Gonzaga Feature Most White A-As This Century
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. Many white-privilege provocateurs 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 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, 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 this season 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).
College Exam: One-and-Only NCAA Tournament Trivia Challenge (Day #20)
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 (10 per day from Selection Sunday through the championship game) 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.
False Start: NIT Championship Won't Mean Too Much For TCU Next Season
Don't mean to hurt "wittle" feelings of safe-space snowflakes sympathetic to Emory students terrified by Trump chalk talk. But if history means anything, a National Invitation Tournament crown won't serve as a springboard to NCAA playoff success for Texas Christian. Defending NIT champions combined for a 12-17 NCAA Tournament record from 1986 through 2017 with the previous three kingpins not participating at all in NCAA tourney or NIT.
The NIT titlists from 1985 through 2004 combined for a losing national postseason tournament record (15-17) the year after capturing an NIT championship - NCAA (8-13) and NIT (7-4) - with three of them not reaching national postseason play. Four more NIT champions in the last 11 years - South Carolina '06, Penn State '09, Minnesota '14 and Stanford '16 - also failed to appear in NCAA playoffs or NIT the next season. West Virginia '08, Ohio State '09 and Wichita State '12 combined for a 2-3 NCAA playoff mark the years after winning an NIT title.
Only three schools in the last 33 years reached an NCAA regional semifinal the year after capturing an NIT title - (Virginia '93, West Virginia '08) and Baylor '14. Following is a breakdown of how the NIT champions fared the next season since the NCAA Tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985:
Year NIT Champion Season Summary the Following Campaign 1985 UCLA 15-14 record in 1985-86; 9-9 in Pacific-10 (4th place); no postseason 1986 Ohio State 20-13 in 1986-87; 9-9 in Big Ten (6th); lost in NCAA 2nd round 1987 Southern Mississippi 19-11 in 1987-88; 5-7 in Metro (7th); lost in NIT 2nd round 1988 Connecticut 18-13 in 1988-89; 6-10 in Big East (T7th); lost in NIT 3rd round 1989 St. John's 24-10 in 1989-90; 10-6 in Big East (4th); lost in NCAA 2nd round 1990 Vanderbilt 17-13 in 1990-91; 11-7 in SEC (4th); lost in NCAA 1st round 1991 Stanford 18-11 in 1991-92; 10-8 in Pacific-10 (4th); lost in NCAA 1st round 1992 Virginia 21-10 in 1992-93; 9-7 in ACC (5th); lost in NCAA regional semifinal 1993 Minnesota 21-12 in 1993-94; 10-8 in Big Ten (T4th); lost in NCAA 2nd round 1994 Villanova 25-8 in 1994-95; 14-4 in Big East (2nd); lost in NCAA 1st round 1995 Virginia Tech 23-6 in 1995-96; 13-3 in Atlantic 10 (T1st/W); lost in NCAA 2nd round 1996 Nebraska 19-14 in 1996-97; 7-9 in Big 12 (4th/N); lost in NIT 3rd round 1997 Michigan 25-9 in 1997-98; 11-5 in Big Ten (4th); lost in NCAA 2nd round 1998 Minnesota 17-11 in 1998-99; 8-8 in Big Ten (6th); lost in NCAA 1st round 1999 California 18-15 in 1999-00; 7-11 in Pacific-10 (7th); lost in NIT 3rd round 2000 Wake Forest 19-11 in 2000-01; 8-8 in ACC (T5th); lost in NCAA 1st round 2001 Tulsa 27-7 in 2001-02; 15-3 in WAC (T1st); lost in NCAA 2nd round 2002 Memphis 23-7 in 2002-03; 13-3 in C-USA (1st/National); lost in NCAA 1st round 2003 St. John's 6-21 in 2003-04; 1-15 in Big East (14th); no postseason 2004 Michigan 13-18 in 2004-05; 4-12 in Big Ten (9th); no postseason 2005 South Carolina 23-15 in 2005-06; 6-10 in SEC (5th/East); won NIT championship 2006 South Carolina 14-16 in 2006-07; 4-12 in SEC (6th/Eastern); no postseason 2007 West Virginia 26-11 in 2007-08; 11-7 in Big East (T5th); lost in NCAA regional semifinals 2008 Ohio State 22-11 in 2008-09; 10-8 in Big Ten (T4th); lost in NCAA 1st round 2009 Penn State 11-20 in 2009-10; 3-15 in Big Ten (11th); no postseason 2010 Dayton 22-14 in 2010-11; 7-9 in Atlantic 10 (T8th); lost in NIT 1st round 2011 Wichita State 27-6 in 2011-12; 16-2 in Missouri Valley (1st); lost in NCAA 1st round 2012 Stanford 19-15 in 2012-13; 9-9 in Pac-12 (T6th); lost in NIT 2nd round 2013 Baylor 26-12 in 2013-14; 9-9 in Big 12 (T6th); lost in NCAA regional semifinals 2014 Minnesota 18-15; 6-12 in Big Ten (T10th); no postseason 2015 Stanford 15-15; 8-10 in Pac-12 (9th); no postseason 2016 George Washington 20-15; 10-8 in Atlantic 10 (6th); lost in CBI 2nd round 2017 Texas Christian To be determined in 2017-18
Melting Pot: Eight Different Foreign Nations Represented at 2017 Final Four
College basketball has taken on an increasingly international flavor with an average of more than 400 foreign athletes annually competing for NCAA Division I men's teams over the last 13 seasons. An all-time high of eight different foreign nations outside North America are represented at this year's Final Four as the search for talent knows no borders.
You've heard of a trade deficit. How about the trade surplus at the national semifinals? All but two Final Four since 1993 had an international flavor with at least one player from outside North America in the regular rotation of a team reaching the national semifinals.
"If communism hadn't fallen, I would have had to make the most difficult decision in my life," said center George Zidek, the starting center for UCLA's 1995 national champion who once was yelped at by dogs and arrested during a riot in Prague. "I would have had to leave to play basketball and never come back to my country or my family. I don't know if I could have done that."
An old adage claimed that fans couldn't tell the players without a roster. Now, it's at the point where fans can't pronounce the names on rosters without taking a couple of Berlitz language courses. Following is a chronological look at Final Four regulars in the last 25 years coming from 32 different foreign nations (in reverse order):
2017 - Oregon F-C Kavell Bigby-Williams (England), South Carolina F-C Khadim Gueye (Senegal), Gonzaga F Rui Hachimura (Japan), Gonzaga C Przemek Karnowski (Poland), South Carolina F-C Mak Kotsar (Estonia), South Carolina F Chris Silva (Gabon), Oregon F Roman Sorkin (Israel) and Gonzaga F-C Killian Tillie (France)
2016 - Oklahoma G Buddy Hield (Bahamas)
2015 - None
2014 - Connecticut C Amida Brimah (Ghana), F Kentan Facey (Jamaica) and G-F Niels Giffey (Germany) and Florida F Will Yeguete (Ivory Coast)
2013 - Louisville C Gorgui Dieng (Senegal), Syracuse C Baye Moussa Keita (Senegal) and Wichita State C Ehimen Orukpe (Nigeria)
2012 - Kentucky C Eloy Vargas (Dominican Republic) and Louisville C Gorgui Dieng (Senegal)
2011 - Connecticut G-F Niels Giffey (Germany) and C Charles Okwandu (Nigeria) and Kentucky C Eloy Vargas (Dominican Republic)
2010 - West Virginia F Deniz Kilicli (Turkey)
2009 - Connecticut C Hasheem Thabeet (Tanzania) and Michigan State C Idong Ibok (Nigeria)
2008 - UCLA F-C Alfred Aboya (Cameroon), F Nikola Dragovic (Serbia) and F Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (Cameroon)
2007 - UCLA F-C Alfred Aboya (Cameroon) and F Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (Cameroon)
2006 - Florida G Walter Hodge (Puerto Rico), F-C Al Horford (Dominican Republic) and G David Huertas (Puerto Rico), Louisiana State F Magnum Rolle (Bahamas) and UCLA F-C Alfred Aboya (Cameroon) and F Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (Cameroon)
2005 - Louisville F-G Francisco Garcia (Dominican Republic), F-C Otis George (Dominica) and Juan Palacios (Columbia)
2004 - Duke F Luol Deng (Sudan) and Georgia Tech C Luke Schenscher (Australia)
2003 - Texas G Sydmill Harris (The Netherlands)
2002 - Oklahoma C Jabahri Brown (Virgin Islands) and C Jozsef Szendrei (Hungary)
2001 - None
2000 - Wisconsin G Kirk Penney (New Zealand)
1999 - Connecticut C Souleymane Wane (Senegal) and Ohio State G Boban Savovic (Yugoslavia)
1998 - Utah F Hanno Mottola (Finland) and North Carolina C Makhtar Ndiaye (Nigeria)
1997 - North Carolina F Ademola Okulaja (Germany) and C Serge Zwikker (Netherlands)
1996 - Syracuse G Marius Janulis (Lithuania) and Massachusetts G Edgar Padilla (Puerto Rico) and G Carmelo Travieso (Puerto Rico)
1995 - UCLA C George Zidek (Czechoslovakia), Arkansas G Davor Rimac (Yugoslavia) and North Carolina C Serge Zwikker (Netherlands)
1994 - Arkansas G Davor Rimac (Yugoslavia) and Florida F Martti Kuisma (Finland)
1993 - North Carolina G Henrik Rodl (Germany)
Williams-Goss Becomes Gonzaga's Sixth NCAA Consensus A-A This Century
NBA success in several years likely will reveal voter shortcomings after Gonzaga guard Nigel Williams-Goss became the only mid-major player anointed as an NCAA consensus All-American. Williams-Goss, a transfer from Washington, is the sixth Zags consensus All-American in 21st Century. Following is a chronological list of mid-level NCAA consensus first- and second-team All-Americans since the ACC was introduced in 1953-54:
College Exam: One-and-Only NCAA Tournament Trivia Challenge (Day #19)
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 (10 per day from Selection Sunday through the championship game) 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.
Juco Jewels: Junior College Impact on F4 Despite Absence of Chris Boucher
Junior college products have made a significant difference for NCAA Tournament titlists. Keith Erickson (El Camino CA), Jack Hirsch (Los Angeles Valley CA), Larry Hollyfield (Compton CA), Terry Schofield (Santa Monica CA), John Vallely (Orange Coast CA) and Sidney Wicks (Santa Monica CA) were instrumental in helping UCLA win seven of its NCAA championships (1964, 1965, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973) and mighty mite Bobby Joe Hill (Burlington IA) was the spark-plug for Texas Western when the Miners captured the 1966 title. Wicks is the only individual to become a member of three NCAA champions after playing in junior college.
Chris Boucher, a J.C. jewel for a pair of two-year schools (in New Mexico and Wyoming) is sidelined by a knee injury but Oregon has another former juco shot-blocking sensation (Kavell Bigby-Williams) bolstering the Ducks' frontcourt. South Carolina also has a J.C. product on its first Final Four roster (guard Hassani Gravett). Bigby-Williams and Gravett are among the following alphabetical list of key Final Four team members who previously played for junior colleges:
| J.C. Recruit | Pos. | Final Four Team(s) | Junior College(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| George Ackles | C | UNLV '91 | Garden City (Kan.) |
| Tony Allen | G | Oklahoma State '04 | Wabash Valley (Ill.) |
| Malcolm Armstead | G | Wichita State '13 | Chipola (Fla.) |
| Rex Bailey | G | Western Kentucky '71 | Vincennes (Ind.) |
| Jarvis Basnight | F | UNLV '87 | Mount San Antonio (Calif.) |
| Warren Baxter | G | San Francisco '55 & '56 | San Francisco City |
| Corey Beck | G | Arkansas '94 & '95 | South Plains (Tex.) |
| Walter Berry | F | St. John's '85 | San Jacinto (Tex.) |
| Kavell Bigby-Williams | F-C | Oregon '17 | Gillette (Wyo.) |
| Daron "Mookie" Blaylock | G | Oklahoma '88 | Midland (Tex.) |
| Corie Blount | C | Cincinnati '92 | Rancho Santiago (Calif.) |
| Carl Boldt | F | San Francisco '56 | Glendale (Calif.) |
| Kenny Booker | F-G | UCLA '70 & '71 | Long Beach (Calif.) |
| Roy Boone | G | Wisconsin '00 | Coffeyville (Kan.) |
| Ron Brewer | G | Arkansas '78 | Westark (Ark.) |
| Karl Brown | G | Georgia Tech '90 | Chipola (Fla.) |
| Terry Brown | G | Kansas '91 | Erie (Pa.) & Northeastern Oklahoma A&M |
| Pembrook Burrows | F | Jacksonville '70 | Brevard (Fla.) |
| David Butler | C | UNLV '90 | San Jacinto (Tex.) |
| Chet Carr | F | Southern California '54 | Vallejo (Calif.) |
| Jerry Chambers | F-C | Utah '66 | Trinidad (Colo.) |
| Jason Cipolla | G | Syracuse '96 | Tallahassee (Fla.) |
| Charlie Criss | G | New Mexico State '70 | New Mexico J.C. |
| Howie Dallmar | G | Stanford '42 | Menlo (Calif.) |
| Bennett Davison | F | Arizona '97 | West Valley (Calif.) |
| Art Day | C | San Francisco '57 | Hannibal-LaGrange (Mo.) |
| Jason Detrick | G | Oklahoma '02 | Southwest Missouri State-West Plains |
| Alex Dillard | G | Arkansas '94 & '95 | Southern Union (Ala.) |
| Don Draper | G | Drake '69 | Coffeyville (Kan.) |
| Al Dunbar | G | San Francisco '57 | Hannibal-LaGrange (Mo.) |
| Jerry Dunn | F | Western Kentucky '71 | Vincennes (Ind.) |
| Cleanthony Early | F | Wichita State '13 | Sullivan County (N.Y.) |
| Ebi Ere | G | Oklahoma '02 | Barton County (Kan.) |
| Denny Fitzpatrick | G | California '59 | Orange Coast (Calif.) |
| Jerry Frizzell | F | Seattle '58 | Grays Harbor (Wash.) |
| Dean Garrett | C | Indiana '87 | City College of San Francisco |
| Alex Gilbert | C | Indiana State '79 | Coffeyville (Kan.) |
| Armon Gilliam | F-C | UNLV '87 | Independence (Kan.) |
| Artis Gilmore | C | Jacksonville '70 | Gardner-Webb (N.C.) |
| Ricky Grace | G | Oklahoma '88 | Midland (Tex.) |
| Harvey Grant | F | Oklahoma '88 | Independence (Kan.) |
| Jeff Graves | F-C | Kansas '03 | Iowa Western |
| Hassani Gravett | G | South Carolina '17 | Pensacola State (Fla.) |
| Evric Gray | F | UNLV '91 | Riverside (Calif.) |
| Rickey Green | G | Michigan '76 | Vincennes (Ind.) |
| Carl Hall | F | Wichita State '13 | Middle Georgia & Northwest Florida State |
| Arnette Hallman | F | Purdue '80 | Joliet (Ill.) |
| Dick Hammer | G | Southern California '54 | Fullerton (Calif.) |
| Darrin Hancock | F | Kansas '93 | Garden City (Kan.) |
| Josh Harrellson | C | Kentucky '11 | Southwestern Illinois |
| Bobby Joe Hill | G | Texas Western '66 | Burlington (Iowa) |
| Larry Hollyfield | G-F | UCLA '72 & '73 | Compton (Calif.) |
| Lenzie Howell | F | Arkansas '90 | San Jacinto (Tex.) |
| Othello Hunter | F | Ohio State '07 | Hillsborough (Fla.) |
| Roy Irvin | C | Southern California '54 | Fullerton (Calif.) |
| Bobby Jackson | G | Minnesota '97 | Western Nebraska |
| Alonzo Jamison | F | Kansas '91 | Rancho Santiago (Calif.) |
| David Johanning | C | Kansas '91 | Hutchinson (Kan.) |
| Larry Johnson | F | UNLV '90 & '91 | Odessa (Tex.) |
| Dontae' Jones | F | Mississippi State '96 | Northeast Mississippi |
| Herb Jones | F | Cincinnati '92 | Butler County (Kan.) |
| John Keller | F-G | Kansas '52 | Garden City (Kan.) |
| Larry Kenon | F | Memphis State '73 | Amarillo (Tex.) |
| Weldon Kern | F | Oklahoma A&M '45 & '46 | Cameron (Okla.) |
| Charlie Koon | G | Washington '53 | Olympic (Wash.) |
| Don Kruse | C | Houston '67 | Kilgore (Tex.) |
| Vern Lewis | G | Houston '67 & '68 | Tyler (Tex.) |
| Chadrack Lufile | F | Wichita State '13 | Chipola (Fla.), Vincennes (Ind.) & Coffeyville (Kan.) |
| Akolda Manyang | C | Oklahoma '16 | Indian Hills (Iowa) |
| Archie Marshall | F | Kansas '86 | Seminole (Okla.) |
| Erik Martin | F | Cincinnati '92 | Rancho Santiago (Calif.) |
| Bob McAdoo | C | North Carolina '72 | Vincennes (Ind.) |
| Bill McClintock | F | California '59 & '60 | Monterey Peninsula (Calif.) |
| Aaron McGhee | F-C | Oklahoma '02 | Vincennes (Ind.) |
| Johnny McNeil | C | Georgia Tech '90 | Chowan (N.C.) |
| Lincoln Minor | G | Kansas '88 | Midland (Tex.) |
| Wat Misaka | G | Utah '44 | Weber (Utah) |
| Casey Mitchell | G | West Virginia '10 | Chipola (Fla.) |
| Larry Moffett | C | UNLV '77 | Compton (Calif.) |
| Rex Morgan | G | Jacksonville '70 | Lake Land (Ill.) |
| Roger Morningstar | F | Kansas '74 | Olney (Ill.) Central |
| Willie Murrell | F | Kansas State '64 | Eastern Oklahoma A&M |
| Swen Nater | C | UCLA '72 & '73 | Cypress (Calif.) |
| Carl Nicks | G | Indiana State '79 | Gulf Coast (Fla.) |
| Jim Nielsen | F | UCLA '67 & '68 | Pierce (Calif.) |
| Charles Okwandu | C | Connecticut '11 | Harcum (Pa.) |
| Ehimen Orukpe | C | Wichita State '13 | Three Rivers (Mo.) |
| V.C. "Buck" Overall | F | Texas '43 | Tyler (Tex.) |
| Andre Owens | G | Oklahoma State '95 | Midland (Tex.) |
| Gerald Paddio | F | UNLV '87 | Kilgore (Tex.) & Seminole (Okla.) |
| Hal Patterson | F | Kansas '53 | Garden City (Kan.) |
| Mike Preaseau | F | San Francisco '56 & '57 | Menlo (Calif.) |
| Ryan Randle | F-C | Maryland '02 | Allegany (Md.) |
| George Reese | F | Ohio State '99 | Independence (Kan.) |
| George Reynolds | G | Houston '68 | Imperial Valley (Calif.) |
| Morris "Moe" Rivers | G | North Carolina State '74 | Gulf Coast (Fla.) |
| Dave Rose | G | Houston '83 | Dixie State (Utah) |
| Lynden Rose | G | Houston '82 | North Harris County (Tex.) |
| Terrell Ross | G | Texas '03 | Allegany (Md.) |
| Randy Rutherford | G | Oklahoma State '95 | Bacone (Okla.) |
| Greg Samuel | G | Florida State '72 | Broward (Fla.) |
| Terry Schofield | G | UCLA '69, '70 & '71 | Santa Monica (Calif.) |
| Moses Scurry | F | UNLV '90 | San Jacinto (Tex.) |
| Daryan Selvy | F | Oklahoma '02 | Carl Albert (Okla.) |
| Tony Skinn | G | George Mason '06 | Blinn (Tex.) |
| Keith Smart | G | Indiana '87 | Garden City (Kan.) |
| Odie Smith | G | Kentucky '58 | Northeast Mississippi |
| Robert Smith | G | UNLV '77 | Arizona Western |
| Sam Smith | F | UNLV '77 | Seminole (Okla.) |
| Phil Spence | F | North Carolina State '74 | Vincennes (Ind.) |
| Elmore Spencer | C | UNLV '91 | Connors (Okla.) State |
| Leroy Staley | F | Indiana State '79 | Florida J.C. |
| Dwight Stewart | C | Arkansas '94 & '95 | South Plains (Tex.) |
| Jozsef Szendrei | C | Oklahoma '02 | Northeastern (Colo.) |
| Rich Tate | G | Utah '66 | Trinidad (Colo.) |
| Ron Thomas | F | Louisville '72 | Henderson County (Tex.) |
| Tom Tolbert | F | Arizona '88 | Cerritos (Calif.) |
| Nick Van Exel | G | Cincinnati '92 | Trinity Valley (Tex.) |
| Eloy Vargas | C | Kentucky '11 & '12 | Miami-Dade (Fla.) |
| Toby Veal | F | Virginia Commonwealth '11 | Northwest Florida State |
| Mark Wade | G | UNLV '87 | El Camino (Calif.) |
| Dinjiyl Walker | G | Oklahoma '16 | Iowa Western |
| Russell Walters | F | Mississippi State '96 | Jones County (Miss.) |
| Lloyd Walton | G | Marquette '74 | Moberly (Mo.) |
| Quannas White | G | Oklahoma '02 | Midland (Tex.) |
| Jerome Whitehead | C | Marquette '77 | Riverside (Calif.) City |
| Nick Wiggins | G | Wichita State '13 | Vincennes (Ind.) & Wabash Valley (Ill.) |
| Andre Wiley | F | Oklahoma '88 | Compton (Calif.) |
| David Willard | C | UNLV '87 | Laredo (Tex.) |
| Willie Wise | F | Drake '69 | San Francisco City |
| Janavor Weatherspoon | G | Oklahoma State '04 | Odessa (Tex.) |
| Gary Zeller | G | Drake '69 | Long Beach (Calif.) |
Growing Pains: Mason is 7th National POY Averaging < 6 PPG in 1st Season
Two years ago, Wisconsin center-forward Frank Kaminsky became the national player of the year posting the lowest first-year scoring average for any such honoree since the initial POY award by UPI in 1955. This season, Kansas guard Frank Mason III became another "growing-pains" example why fans shouldn't put too much stock in freshman statistics. Mason is on the following list of first 13 national players of the year averaging fewer than eight points per game in their first varsity campaign:
Buddy Hield, G, Oklahoma (7.8 ppg as freshman in 2012-13)
Shane Battier, F, Duke (7.6 ppg as freshman in 1997-98)
David Robinson, C, Navy (7.6 ppg as freshman in 1983-84)
*Sidney Wicks, F-C, UCLA (7.5 ppg as sophomore in 1968-69)
Marques Johnson, F, UCLA (7.2 ppg as freshman in 1973-74)
Jimmer Fredette, G, Brigham Young (7 ppg as freshman in 2007-08)
Danny Ferry, F-C, Duke (5.9 ppg as freshman in 1985-86)
Frank Mason III, G, Kansas (5.5 ppg as freshman in 2013-14)
Gary Bradds, C, Ohio State (4.7 ppg as sophomore in 1961-62)
Ed O'Bannon, F, UCLA (3.6 ppg as freshman in 1991-92)
Draymond Green, F, Michigan State (3.3 ppg as freshman in 2008-09)
Kenyon Martin, C, Cincinnati (2.8 ppg as freshman in 1996-97)
Frank Kaminsky, F-C, Wisconsin (1.8 ppg as freshman in 2011-12)
- Junior college recruit.
College Exam: One-and-Only NCAA Tournament Trivia Challenge (Day #18)
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 (10 per day from Selection Sunday through the championship game) 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.
Final Four Curse: Striking Number of Former F4 Players Passed Away Early
Keith Smart, the Final Four Most Outstanding Player for 1987 national kingpin Indiana, returned to his NBA assistant coaching job last year after battling a rare form of skin cancer spreading along the left side of his jaw. Smart's ailment surfaced as a question lingered following center Andrew Smith, the second-leading rebounder and third-leading scorer for Butler's 2011 NCAA playoff runner-up, losing his fight against lymphoma: Is there a Final Four curse?
This topic reared its ugly head early last season when Michael Wright, leading rebounder and second-leading scorer for Arizona's 2001 national runner-up team including Gilbert Arenas, Richard Jefferson and Luke Walton, was found dead with a skull fracture in New York City in the back seat of his Lexus SUV. Covered with garbage bags, the Chicago high school teammate of Kevin Garnett was 35. More than a year later, his roommate and an alleged accomplice were arrested for drugging and murdering him plus desecrating human remains.
Ranging from famous military battles to freak circumstances to mysterious disappearances to nuclear bombs to CIA activity to suicides, the existence of a Final Four curse is debatable although there is no denying a striking number of prominent national semifinal players and coaches died prematurely. For instance, Sid Tanenbaum, the second-leading scorer for NYU's 1945 national runner-up, was murdered on September 4, 1986, at the age of 60 when stabbed to death by a local woman in his Queens machine shop. According to police reports, Tanenbaum was assaulted because he chose to stop lending money to his attacker after previously assisting her numerous times.
Life expectancy in the U.S. for people born in 2012 is 79 years. Any tribute isn't enough when a man such as Smith is buried long before his time. Unspeakable tragedy also struck Butler a year ago when the six-month-old son of Emerson Kampen, a backup to Smith, died of a genetic disorder affecting the central nervous system. The following lengthy list of additional Final Four players (cited chronologically) passed away early (60 and younger), but the deceased left lasting memories:
Three of Oregon's starting five on the first NCAA championship team in 1939 - guards Bobby Anet and Wally Johansen and center Slim Wintermute - all died in their 40s. Wintermute disappeared in Lake Washington in 1977, a case that never has been solved.
Center Bill Menke, the third-leading scorer for Indiana's 1940 NCAA champion who supplied a team-high 10 points in the Hoosiers' national semifinal victory over Duquesne, later became a Navy pilot and served in World War II. In January 1945, he was declared missing in action (and presumed dead) when he didn't return from a flight in the Caribbean.
Thomas P. Hunter, a three-year letterman who was a sophomore member of Kansas' 1940 runner-up, was killed in action against the Japanese on Guam, July 21, 1944, while fighting with the Ninth Marines as a first lieutenant. Hunter was elected posthumously as captain of the Jayhawks' 1945-46 squad that compiled a 19-2 record.
Dale Gentry, the fifth-leading scorer for Washington State's 1941 national runner-up, collapsed and died of a heart attack in 1963 at the age of 50 after completing arrangements for his 16-year-old son's funeral following injuries incurred in an auto accident.
All 11 regulars on Pitt's 1941 Final Four team participated in World War II and one of them, guard Bob Artman, was killed in action.
Center Ed Voss, the second-leading scorer for 1942 champion Stanford, died of polio in 1953 at the age of 31, a month after his 7-year-old son also succumbed to the disease. Cardinal teammate Jack Dana's wife, California socialite Renee Cohu, died of a sleeping pill overdose in the winter of 1970 at the age of 42 when the missing daughter of a former TWA president was found in a Miami Beach motel.
Charles "Stubbie" Pearson, captain of Dartmouth's 1942 national runner-up and valedictorian of his class the same year, was killed in action on March 30, 1945, while dive-bombing a Japanese ship off the Palau Islands. He was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. Teammate George Galbraith Jr., a backup forward, died in a training flight over Mississippi.
Three of the top seven scorers for Kentucky's first NCAA Tournament and Final Four team in 1942 died during World War II - Mel Brewer (Army second lieutenant/25 years old in France), Ken England (Army captain of ski troop/23 in Italy) and Jim King (Army second lieutenant and co-pilot/24 in Germany).
Bob Doll, a starter for Colorado in 1942, died in 1959 at the age of 40 of an apparent suicide.
Milo Komenich, leading scorer for Wyoming's 1943 NCAA titlist, died in 1977 at his home at the age of 56.
Georgetown's Lloyd Potolicchio, who matched DePaul legend George Mikan's 11-point output in the 1943 national semifinals when the Hoyas eliminated the Blue Demons before bowing to Wyoming in title tilt, joined the Air Force. Potolicchio was boom operator Master Sergeant when killed in a refueling mission on January 17, 1966, in a B-52 crash off the coast of southern Spain. His KC-135 tanker was completely destroyed when its fuel load ignited, resulting in the B-52G breaking apart with B28RI hydrogen weapons falling to earth and plutonium contamination occurring near the fishing village of Palomares. In March 2009, Time magazine identified the Palomares accident as one of the world's "worst nuclear disasters." Teammate Bob Duffey, a backup swingman, was killed on November 13, 1944, in European theater combat.
Curtis Popham, Texas' co-captain in 1943, was one of seven Longhorns lettermen since the mid-1930s to make the supreme sacrifice during WWII.
Swingman Johnny Jorgensen, a teammate of Hall of Famer George Mikan on DePaul's 1943 Final Four team, died in mid-January 1973 at the age of 51.
All-American Audie Brindley of 1944 runner-up Dartmouth died of cancer in 1957 at the age of 33.
Swingman Joe Bradley, a regular for Oklahoma A&M's 1946 NCAA champion, was 58 when he died on June 5, 1987.
Center Jack Underman, the leading scorer for Ohio State's 1946 national third-place team, was an oral surgeon in Elyria, Ohio, when he died in an auto crash on October 23, 1969, at the age of 44.
Frontcourter Frank Oftring, a key contributor for Holy Cross' 1947 champion and 1948 national third-place team, died on October 4, 1982, at the age of 58. Teammate Bob Curran, a regular for both squads, was 56 when he passed away on October 18, 1977.
Center Gerry Tucker, the leading scorer for Oklahoma's 1947 national runner-up, died on May 29, 1979, at the age of 57.
Forward Tom Hamilton, a regular as a freshman forward with Texas' 1947 national third-place club, died at the age of 48 on November 29, 1973, after suffering a brain hemorrhage prior to officiating a high school football game in Tyler, Tex. Hamilton, a first baseman briefly with the Philadelphia Athletics in 1952 and 1953, served as baseball coach and athletic director for St. Edward's (Tex.) at the time of his death.
Center Bob Harris, the leading scorer for Oklahoma A&M's 1949 national runner-up, died on April 10, 1977 at the age of 50. Teammate Joe Bradley, A&M's second-leading scorer, passed away on June 5, 1987, at the age of 58.
Bill Erickson, a starting guard for Illinois' 1949 national third-place team, died on September 21, 1987, at the age of 59. Teammate Don Sunderlage, the Illini's sixth-leading scorer in 1949 and top point producer for another third-place squad in 1951, died in mid-July 1961 at the age of 31 following an automobile accident in Lake Geneva, Wis.
Center Ed Roman, leading scorer for CCNY's 1950 titlist who was involved in a conspiracy to fix games, died of leukemia in early March 1988 at the age of 57.
Bob Ferrick, coach of Santa Clara's 1952 national fourth-place team, died in 1976 at the age of 56.
Don Schlundt, the leading scorer and rebounder for Indiana's 1953 NCAA champion, died of pancreatic cancer in October 1985 at the age of 52. Teammate Dick Farley, the Hoosiers' third-leading scorer, passed away from cancer in early October 1969 at the age of 37.
Joe Cipriano, the second-leading scorer for Washington's national third-place team in 1953 before becoming Nebraska's all-time winningest coach, was 49 in late November 1980 when he died of cancer.
Forward Bob Ames, who scored a total of eight points in three playoff games in 1955 for La Salle's national runner-up after being a member of the Explorers' 1954 NCAA titlist, was killed in Beirut in 1983 at the age of 49. A truck loaded with TNT on a suicide mission rammed into the facility where Ames, a father of six children, was staying while serving as a liaison trying to allay contacts among the Lebanese, Syrians and Israelis in hopes of calming the escalating discord. He joined the CIA and worked his way up the chain of command to become the Director of the CIA's Office of Analysis of the Near East and South Asia. "The Spy Who Loved Basketball" worked closely with both the Carter and Reagan administrations.
Forward Jerry Mullen, runner-up in scoring and rebounding as captain for San Francisco's 1955 champion, died in September 1979 at the age of 45.
Bucky O'Connor, coach for Iowa's 1955 Final Four club and 1956 runner-up, died in 1958 at the age of 44 in a highway accident near Waterloo. "The boy who has faith in God can look to the future without worry or strain," O'Connor told his players. "I firmly believe that the boys on our team who attend church are more likely to be successful because they can face their problems with hope and encouragement."
Jim Krebs, the leading scorer and rebounder for Southern Methodist's 1956 Final Four squad, was killed in 1965 at the age of 29 in a freak accident. While helping a neighbor clear storm damage, a tree limb fell the wrong way and crushed his skull.
Forward Joe Kitchen, a member of Louisville's regular rotation for 1959 national fourth-place team, was 52 in 1991 when he died.
Forward Al Filardi, the third-leading rebounder for NYU's 1960 national fourth-place squad, just turned 60 when he died in early August 1999.
Gary Bradds, a backup to national player of the year Jerry Lucas for Ohio State's 1962 NCAA runner-up before earning the same award himself two years later, died of cancer in July 1983 when he was 40. Bradds was principal of an elementary school in Bowersville, Ohio, at the time of his demise.
Frank Christie, Wake Forest's third-leading rebounder for 1962 national third-place team, was 50 in mid-October 1992 when he passed away following a brief illness.
Vic Rouse, leading rebounder for Loyola of Chicago's 1963 NCAA champion, died in late May 1999 at the age of 56. He owned an educational consulting firm after earning three masters degrees and a PhD.
Guard Denny Ferguson, a regular for Duke's 1963 national third-place team and 1964 runner-up, died from cancer in 2001 at 58. He was a professor at Cornell.
Bill Buntin, the leading rebounder and second-leading scorer (behind Cazzie Russell) for Michigan's Final Four teams in 1964 and 1965, collapsed and died during an informal workout one day after his 26th birthday in May 1968.
Forward Jamie Thompson, the third-leading scorer for Wichita's 1965 fourth-place team who tallied 36 points when the Shockers were eliminated in the national semifinals by eventual champion UCLA, died in January 2006 at the age of 60.
Guard Bobby Joe Hill, the leading scorer for Texas Western's 1966 NCAA titlist, passed away from a heart attack in December 2002 at the age of 59.
Guard Rudy Waterman, Dayton's third-leading scorer for 1967 national runner-up, died at 34 in mid-June 1979 after shooting himself and developing bacterial meningitis while hospitalized in New York. He had been fired from his job as a sales representative for a Midwest aluminum company. Flyers coach Don Donoher's son, Gary, died in New York at age 27 in August 1988 from AIDS-related complications.
Ken Spain and Theodis Lee, starting frontcourters with All-American Elvin Hayes for Houston's team that entered the 1968 Final Four with an undefeated record, each died of cancer. Spain, who overcame cancer after he was first diagnosed with it in 1977, died of the disease 13 years later in October 1990 when he was 44. Lee, who played for the Harlem Globetrotters, was 33 when he passed away in March 1979, one week after the illness was diagnosed. Teammate Don Kruse, a center for the Cougars' national third-place team in 1967, died in the spring of 2004 at the age of 59.
Dave Sorenson, second-leading rebounder and third-leading scorer as a sophomore for Ohio State's national third-place team in 1968, died in 2002 at the age of 54 because of cancer.
Herm Gilliam, leading rebounder and second-leading scorer for Purdue's 1969 national runner-up, died of a heart attack in 2005 at the age of 58.
Maury John, national coach of the year in 1969 when directing Drake to a national third-place finish, died of cancer in 1974 at the age of 55.
Steve Patterson, one of UCLA's top three rebounders for NCAA kingpins in 1970 and 1971 after serving as Lew Alcindor's understudy for another titlist in 1969, died in 2004 at the age of 56 because of lung cancer.
Point guard Vaughn Wedeking, third-leading scorer for Jacksonville's 1970 runner-up, died in the summer of 2009 at the age of 60 after suffering from Alzheimer's for several years.
New Mexico State backup guard Milton Horne, who averaged 4.4 ppg for 1970 national third-place team, died in 2001 at the age of 52.
Howard Porter, Villanova's leading scorer and rebounder for 1971 runner-up, was trying to trade money and crack cocaine for sex with a prostitute in St. Paul in May 2007 when the probation officer was beaten to death at the age of 58, according to murder charges filed several months later.
Reggie Royals, the leading rebounder and second-leading scorer for Florida State's 1972 runner-up, passed away in mid-April 2009 at the age of 58.
Forward Mike Lawhon, Louisville's third-leading scorer for the Cardinals' 1972 national fourth-place team, died in early April 2004 at the age of 53. Lawhon was an orthopedic surgeon who passed away while attending a medical conference.
Larry Finch, Memphis State's leading scorer for 1973 runner-up, died in early April 2011 at the age of 60. Finch suffered the first of multiple strokes 10 years earlier. In early September 2014, his daughter (Shanae), suffering from Crohn's disease, collapsed and died at the age of 39. Teammate Ronnie Robinson, the Tigers' second-leading rebounder and third-leading scorer, died in early May 2004 at the age of 53 from congestive heart failure.
Maurice Lucas, leading scorer and rebounder for Marquette's 1974 national runner-up, died in 2010 at the age of 58 from bladder cancer. Teammate Jerry Homan, a backup frontcourter, had a son, Luke, pass away in the fall of 2006 when the UW-LaCrosse student's body was recovered in the Mississippi River after last seen celebrating Oktoberfest (UW-L teammate Austin Scott was charged with two counts of obstructing officers for lying to authorities during the death investigation).
Danny Knight, the leading scorer and rebounder for Kansas' 1974 Final Four team, was 24 when he died in June 1977, three weeks after sustaining injuries in a fall down the steps at his home. Knight had been suffering headaches for some time and doctors attributed his death to an aneurysm in the brain. Teammate Norm Cook, the Jayhawks' second-leading rebounder and fourth-leading scorer as a freshman, was 53 in 2008 when he died after suffering from paranoid schizophrenia most of his adult life.
Dan Hall, a frontcourt backup from Kentucky's historic recruiting class as a freshman for UK's 1975 NCAA Tournament runner-up, died of an apparent suicide at age 58 the first full week in January 2013. Hall subsequently transferred to Marshall, where he averaged 10.4 ppg and 5.6 rpg in 1976-77 and 1977-78. UK teammate G.J. Smith, a reserve forward, died in late summer 2012 at the age of 59 because of a heart attack.
Bob Parker, a backup center for Syracuse's 1975 national fourth-place team, passed away in January 2006 at the age of 51.
John Robinson, Michigan's second-leading rebounder and third-leading scorer for 1976 runner-up, died in late September 2012 at the age of 56.
The remains of former UCLA forward Gavin Smith, who scored 14 points for the third-place Bruins at the 1976 Final Four, were found in a rural desert area of Southern California in early November 2014. Police had been probing Smith's mysterious disappearance 2 1/2 years earlier. Smith, a 57-year-old movie executive for Fox, was driving a black 2000 four-door Mercedes E Class when he vanished at night. Most media outlets focus on Smith's connection to UCLA but he actually made a hoop name for himself playing with Hawaii, where he finished 16th in the nation in scoring in 1976-77 by setting a Rainbows' single-season record (23.4 points per game). Teammate Brett Vroman, a backup center for UCLA, had a son, Jackson, 34, found dead at the bottom of a friend's swimming pool in Hollywood in late June 2015 after previously playing for Iowa State.
Center Jerome Whitehead, the second-leading rebounder and third-leading scorer for Marquette's 1977 NCAA titlist, was 56 in mid-December 2012 when he was found dead because of chronic alcohol abuse. Teammate Gary Rosenberger, a guard who was the fourth-leading scorer in coach Al McGuire's swan song, passed away in the fall of 2013 at the age of 57 due to complications from a heart attack and stroke.
Tom Zaliagiris, North Carolina's top reserve guard for 1977 runner-up, died in late January 2007 at the age of 50 because of a bacteria infection.
Forward Glen Gondrezick, the leading rebounder and third-leading scorer for UNLV's 1977 third-place club, died in late April 2009 at the age of 53 due to complications stemming from a heart transplant he received the previous September. Teammate Lewis Brown, the third-leading rebounder and sixth-leading scorer for UNLV, spent more than 10 years homeless on the streets of Santa Monica, Calif., before passing away in mid-September 2011 at the age of 56. According to the New York Times, family members said the 6-11 center used cocaine with the Rebels. "Drugs were his downfall," said his sister. Murray State transfer Larry Moffett, UNLV's second-leading rebounder, passed away in early May 2011 in Shreveport, La., at the age of 56. He previously was a cab driver in Las Vegas.
Guard Chad Kinch, the third-leading scorer for UNC Charlotte's 1977 national fourth-place team as a freshman, died at his parents' home in Cartaret, N.J., from complications caused by AIDS. He passed away on April 3, 1994, the day between the Final Four semifinals and final in Charlotte. The host school happened to be UNC Charlotte. It was the second time Kinch's parents lost a son. Sixteen years earlier, Ray Kinch, a Rutgers football player, was killed in a house fire. UNCC teammate Lew Massey, the 49ers' runner-up in scoring and rebounding, died in mid-January 2014 at the age of 57.
Mike Phillips, the starting center for Kentucky's 1978 NCAA champion, died in late April 2015 at the age of 59 following a fall at his home.
Point guard John Harrell, a point guard for Duke's 1978 runner-up after transferring from North Carolina Central, died of an aortal aneurysm at age 50 in the summer of 2008.
Orlando Woolridge, a backup freshman in 1978 when Notre Dame made its lone Final Four appearance before he became a scoring specialist in 13 NBA seasons, died at the end of May 2012 at the age of 52 because of a chronic heart condition.
Curtis Watkins, DePaul's second-leading scorer and rebounder for 1979 national third-place team, died in June 2008 at the age of 51 due to a blocked artery.
Matt White, the second-leading rebounder and third-leading scorer for Penn's 1979 Final Four squad as a senior, was fatally stabbed in mid-February 2013 by his wife, who told police she had caught him looking at child pornography. White, the Quakers' all-time leader in field-goal shooting (59.1%), was 55.
Derek Smith, the leading rebounder and second-leading scorer as a sophomore forward for Louisville's 1980 NCAA champion, died of a heart ailment at age 34 on August 9, 1996, while on a cruise with his family. He was the leading scorer and second-leading rebounder for the Cardinals' 1982 Final Four team before averaging 12.8 ppg and 3.2 rpg in the NBA with five different franchises. His son, Nolan, became a starting guard for Duke's 2010 NCAA titlist.
Drake Morris Jr., the 29-year-old son of the third-leading scorer for Purdue's 1980 national third-place team, was shot to death in northwest Indiana in the middle of the night in late August 2011.
Center Greg Cook, third-leading rebounder and fifth-leading scorer for LSU's national fourth-place team in 1981, died in mid-March 2005 from congestive heart failure at the age of 46.
Rob Williams, leading scorer for Houston's 1982 Final Four team, died of congestive heart failure at the age of 52 in March 2014 after suffering a stroke 15 years earlier that left him blind in his left eye and partially paralyzed on his left side. Williams denied rumors he was too high on cocaine to play up to par against North Carolina in the national semifinals (0-for-8 field-goal shooting). But Williams admitted he used drugs. "Cocaine came later but I started out smoking weed (in junior high)," Williams said. "I was always a curious type of fellow, so I wanted to see what cocaine was about. So I tried it. And to tell you the truth, I liked it."
Lorenzo Charles, the second-leading rebounder for N.C. State's 1983 champion, provided one of the tourney's most memorable moments with a game-winning dunk against heavily-favored Houston in the final. Working for a limousine and bus company based in Apex, N.C., he was killed in June 2011 when the charter bus the 47-year-old was driving with no passengers aboard crashed along Interstate 40 in Raleigh. Wolfpack coach Jim Valvano also was 47 in the spring of 1993 when he passed away because of cancer. Backup forward Quinton Leonard died of a heart attack in the spring of 2006 at the age of 44.
Lamar Heard, tri-captain and steals leader for Georgia's 1983 Final Four squad, was 55 when he died in 2017.
Melvin Turpin, the leading scorer and second-leading rebounder as a senior for Kentucky's 1984 Final Four team (29-5 record), was 49 and battling diabetes in July 2010 when he committed suicide with a self-inflicted gunshot to the chest.
Baskerville Holmes, a starting forward who averaged 9.6 points and 5.9 rebounds per game for Memphis State's 1985 Final Four team, and his girlfriend were found shot to death on March 18, 1997 in an apparent murder-suicide in Memphis. He was 32.
Swingman Don Redden, who averaged 13 points and 4.8 rebounds per game for Louisiana State's 1986 Final Four squad, was 24 when he died in March 1988 of heart disease.
Keith Hughes, a backup forward as a freshman for Syracuse's 1987 runner-up before transferring to Rutgers, died suddenly at his N.J. home in February 2014 at the age of 45.
Armen Gilliam, the leading scorer and rebounder for UNLV's 1987 Final Four team, died from a heart attack on July 5, 2011, while playing basketball in a Pittsburgh area gym. He was 47.
Mike Masucci, a freshman backup center for Kansas' eventual 1988 champion dismissed from the Jayhawks before the tourney commenced and his subsequent transfer, died in January 2005 at the age of 36 from a heart attack.
Guard Phil Henderson, the leading scorer and senior captain of Duke's 1990 NCAA Tournament runner-up, died of cardiac arrest in mid-February 2013 at his home in the Philippines at the age of 44. He was the Blue Devils' second-leading scorer as a junior and sixth-leading scorer as a sophomore for two more Final Four squads.
Larry Marks, a backup forward for Arkansas' 1990 Final Four squad after being a starter the previous season, died of an apparent heart attack in mid-June 2000 after playing some recreational basketball. He was 33.
Sean Tunstall, a reserve guard for Kansas' 1991 NCAA Tournament runner-up was shot and killed at age 28 in the parking lot of a recreation center in his native St. Louis on October 16, 1997, in a drug deal gone bad. Tunstall, recruited to KU when Larry Brown was the Jayhawks' coach, had received a prison sentence after pleading guilty to one count of selling cocaine in 1993. "He was one of the few kids I never thought I completely reached," then KU coach Roy Williams said. Power forward Chris Lindley, who signed with Kansas and would have been a freshman for the 1991 squad before having his right foot amputated in January 1990 after a train accident, died at 34 in mid-February 2007.
Peter Sauer, a captain and third-leading rebounder for Stanford's 1998 Final Four squad, was 35 when he collapsed during a recreation game in White Plains, N.Y., hit his head and never was revived. His father, Mark Sauer, is a former president of two pro franchises - the NHL's St. Louis Blues and MLB's Pittsburgh Pirates.
A 32-year-old brother of defensive stopper Byron Mouton, Maryland's fourth-leading scorer and rebounder for a 2001 Final Four team, was shot and killed in an apparent carjacking incident in Houston about one month into the next season. The Terrapins went on to capture the 2002 NCAA championship as the Tulane transfer finished as their third-leading rebounder and fourth-leading scorer.
Earl Badu, a walk-on member of 2002 NCAA titlist Maryland was in legal and financial trouble ($300,000 debt involving major Terps booster) in the years preceding his suicide at 33 in late September 2012 jumping from an eastern Baltimore overpass.
Pages
