Bracket Racket: NCAA Tournament Tips to Help You Win Office Pool
Participating in office pools for major sports events, whether for money or not, has become as American in the national workplace as filling out your vacation schedule. Both forms can be perplexing because you frequently second guess yourself on where to go, when to go and exactly what to do. More often than not, you want to modify the submissions moments after turning them in. You feel as if you've flunked Office-Pool Economics 101.
No office pool heightens your frustration more than the NCAA Tournament. The allure of the office anarchy can be attributed to the futility of the exercise. Still, a little sophisticated guidance is better than none at all as you strive to meet the deadline for submitting your final NCAA playoff bracket.
If you're among the ardent fans who adore the Final Four and are starving for relevant handicapping tips, a sane approach to surviving March Madness has arrived. If seeking New Orleans to have a Mardi Gras feel to it like having beads thrown to you instead of making another April Fool appearance when results are posted on the bulletin board, pay close attention to these sweet 16 dos and don'ts on how to fill out your bracket. As events unfold, you might want to rekindle old memories by assessing CollegeHoopedia.com's most magical playoff moments and All-Time All-NCAA Tournament teams.
1. SEEDING CAPACITY
DO pick a top three seeded team to win the national title.
In the first 33 years since the NCAA Tournament embraced seeding, 29 of the champions were seeded No. 1 (18 titlists), 2 (six) or 3 (five). The only championship game without at least one No. 1 or No. 2 seed was 1989, when a pair of No. 3 seeds clashed (Michigan and Seton Hall), until last year when #3 Connecticut opposed #8 Butler.
DON'T pick more than two of the four regional No. 1 seeds to reach the Final Four. No. 1 seeds always look tempting (especially after all four advanced to national semifinals in 2008). But the Final Four did not have more than two of them any year from 1979 through 1992 and the last three years.
2. DOUBLE TROUBLE
DO pick two teams seeded 13th or worse to defeat teams seeded two through four and one team seeded 12th to reach a regional semifinal.
Since the seeding process started in 1979, never have all of the top four seeds in each regional survived their opening round. A No. 12 seed advanced to the round of 16 five consecutive years from 1990 through 1994.
DON'T automatically pick a perennial power to defeat a team with a double-digit seed.
More than 100 different coaches have lost at least one tournament game to an opponent with a double-digit seed since the seeding process was introduced. Playoff newcomers shouldn't be shunned if they get any break at all in the seeding process. First-time entrants assert themselves when they receive a decent draw. Of the schools making their tournament debuts since the field expanded to at least 52 teams, almost one-fourth of them survived the first round.
3. SCORING SUMMARY
DO shun a potential championship team if an underclassman guard is leading the squad in scoring.
The only freshmen to lead a national champion in scoring were Utah forward Arnie Ferrin in 1944 and Syracuse forward Carmelo Anthony in 2003. Of the sophomores to lead national titlists in scoring average, the only guards were Indiana's Isiah Thomas (16 ppg in 1981) and Duke's Jason Williams (21.6 ppg in 2001).
DON'T tamper with a "curse" by picking a team with the nation's leading scorer on its roster to reach the Final Four.
No national champion has had a player average as many as 30 points per game. The only player to lead the nation in scoring average while playing for a school to reach the NCAA Tournament championship game was Clyde Lovellette, who carried Kansas to the 1952 title. The only other player to lead the nation in scoring average while playing for a team advancing to the Final Four was Oscar Robertson, who powered Cincinnati to the national semifinals in 1959 and 1960 before the Bearcats were defeated both years by California. The Bears restricted the Big O to a total of 37 points in the two Final Four games as he was just nine of 32 from the floor.
4. PICKS AND PANS
Unless vital criteria is met to suffice otherwise, DO go with better-seeded teams to win games in the four regionals.
The better-seeded teams win a little over 2/3 of the games in regional competition. However, Final Four games have virtually broken even in regard to the original seedings.
DON'T pick a team to capture the NCAA title if the club lost its conference tournament opener.
No team ever has won an NCAA championship after losing a conference postseason tournament opener.
5. DIRECTIONAL SIGNALS
DO remember the cliche "East is Least."
No Eastern school won the East Regional and the national title in the same season since the tournament went to four regionals until Syracuse achieved the feat in 2003. The first seven national champions from the East Regional since 1956 were all ACC members (North Carolina '57, N.C. State '74, North Carolina '82, Duke '92, North Carolina '93, Duke '01 and Maryland '02) before Carolina won the East Regional again in 2005.
DON'T accept the axiom that the "West is Worst."
What does the Left Coast have to do to shed a misguided image? The Pacific-12 Conference supplied two NCAA champions in a three-year span (UCLA '95 and Arizona '97) before Stanford and Utah reached the 1998 Final Four. Arizona was runner-up in 2001 before UCLA participated in three straight Final Fours from 2006 through 2008. Although the Pac-12 struggled this season, the multiple-bid Mountain West and/or West Coast could take up the slack.
6. MATHEMATICAL ODDS
DO pick two of the ten recognizable schools with the all-time best playoff records to reach the Final Four.
There is a strong possibility some familiar faces will arrive in New Orleans since at least two of the ten winningest schools by percentage (minimum of 40 playoff games) usually appear at the Final Four. The top ten schools are Duke (.756 entering the '12 tourney), UCLA (.730), North Carolina (.724), Florida (.696), Kentucky (.695), Kansas (.693), Michigan State (.684), Michigan (.672), Indiana (.667) and UNLV (.660).
DON'T be too wary of first-rate coaches with dime-store playoff results.
High-profile coaches such as Creighton's Greg McDermott (0-3 tourney mark), Wichita State's Gregg Marshall (1-7), Temple's Fran Dunphy (2-13), North Carolina State's Mark Gottfried (5-7) and Vanderbilt's Kevin Stallings (5-7) are occasionally grilled because of their dismal tournament resumes. But they're due to eventually turn things around and shouldn't be written off altogether. Remember: Legendary John Wooden lost his first five playoff games as coach at UCLA by an average of more than 11 points and compiled an anemic 3-9 record from 1950 through 1963 before the Bruins won an unprecedented 10 national titles in 12 years from 1964 through 1975. It doesn't seem possible, but additional elite coaches who didn't win their first NCAA playoff game until their 10th DI season or longer include Dana Altman, Rick Barnes, P.J. Carlesimo, Pete Carril, Bobby Cremins, Tom Davis, Cliff Ellis, Bill E. Foster, Hugh Greer, Leonard Hamilton, Marv Harshman, Terry Holland, Maury John, Mike Krzyzewski, Ralph Miller, Mike Montgomery, Joe Mullaney, Pete Newell, Tom Penders, George Raveling, Kelvin Sampson, Norm Sloan, Butch van Breda Kolff and Ned Wulk.
7. GO WITH MIGHTY MO?
DO remember the odds about a conference tournament champion reaching the NCAA Tournament final.
There is a theory that burnout has a tendency to set in. But more than half of the NCAA titlists since seeding started in 1979 also won their conference postseason tournament the same year.
DON'T be swayed by a postseason conference tournament title or a poor performance in an elite league tourney.
Disregard the "hot team" factor because a defeat in a league tournament is often a better motivational tool than a complacency-inducing victory.
8. LOOKING OUT FOR NO. 1
DO look for a school other than the defending champion (Connecticut in 2011) to become national titlist.
Duke was fortunate to repeat in 1992 when they reached the Final Four on Christian Laettner's last-second basket in overtime in the East Regional final against Kentucky. Florida repeated in 2007 despite winning its last five contests by 10 or fewer points.
DON'T pick the top-ranked team entering the tournament to reach the national championship game, let alone capture the crown.
There is a clear and present danger for pole sitters. Only three of the 29 schools atop the national rankings entering the NCAA playoffs from 1983 through 2011 went on to capture the national championship and only six No. 1 squads in the last 25 seasons of that span reached the title game.
9. NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK
DO pick at least one Final Four team with a coach making his debut at the national semifinals.
Just four Final Fours (1951, 1968, 1984 and 1993) had all four coaches arrive there with previous Final Four experience. There has been at least one fresh face among the bench bosses at the national semifinals all but one of the last 27 years. In 1993, coaches Steve Fisher (Michigan), Rick Pitino (Kentucky), Dean Smith (North Carolina) and Roy Williams (Kansas) returned to familiar surroundings at the Final Four.
DON'T pick a team to win the national title if its coach is in his first season at the school.
Steve Fisher guided Michigan to the 1989 title after succeeding Bill Frieder just before the start of the playoffs. But the only individual to capture an NCAA crown in his first full campaign as head coach at a university was Ed Jucker (Cincinnati '61 after seven years at King's Point and Rensselaer). The average championship team head coach has been at the school almost 13 years and has almost 17 years of college head coaching experience overall. The only championship head coaches with less than five years of experience were Fisher and Fred Taylor (second season at Ohio State '60).
10. SENIORS AND SHEEPSKINS
DO realize that senior experience needs to be complemented by the vigor from undergraduates.
A senior-laden lineup is not a prerequisite for capturing a national championship. An average of only two seniors were among the top seven scorers for NCAA Tournament titlists since the playoff field expanded to at least 64 teams in 1985. Eight of the 16 NCAA champions from 1991 through 2006 boasted no more than one senior among its top seven scorers. Only three NCAA champions since Indiana '87 - UCLA (1995), Michigan (2000) and Maryland (2002) - had seniors as their top two scorers.
DON'T pick a team to capture the title if it is coached by a graduate of the school.
A champion is almost never guided by a graduate of that university.
11. CHANGE OF ADDRESS
DO pick at least one of your Final Four teams to have a transfer starter.
Almost every Final Four features at least one starter who began his college career at another four-year Division I school.
DON'T pick schools that lost a vital undergraduate to reach the Final Four if you think the defectors will become pro stars.
Ten individuals scored more than 20,000 points in the NBA or were named to at least five All-NBA teams after participating in the NCAA Division I playoffs and then leaving college with eligibility remaining - Charles Barkley (departed Auburn early), Hakeem Olajuwon (Houston), Isiah Thomas (Indiana), Wilt Chamberlain (Kansas), Karl Malone (Louisiana Tech), Magic Johnson (Michigan State), Bob McAdoo and Michael Jordan (North Carolina), Adrian Dantley (Notre Dame) and Elgin Baylor (Seattle). None of their schools reached the Final Four the year or years they could have still been in college.
12. CONFERENCE CALL
DO pick two teams from the same conference to reach the Final Four, with at least one of them advancing to the championship game.
Double your pleasure: A pair of members from the same conference frequently advance to the Final Four.
DON'T be condescending and overlook quality mid-major conference teams.
It's not a question of if but where will David defeat Goliath. There have been more than 100 Big Boy losses against members of lower-profile conferences seeded five or more places worse than the major university which is currently a member of one of the current consensus top six leagues. A total of 74 different lower-profile schools and current members of 23 different mid-major conferences (all but Great West, Northeast and Summit) have won such games since seeding started in 1979.
13. REGULAR-SEASON REVIEW
DO pick two of your Final Four teams from schools failing to finish atop their regular-season conference standings.
The best is yet to come for a team or two that might have been somewhat of an underachiever during the regular season. Almost half of the entrants since the field expanded to 48 in 1980 did not win outright or share a regular-season league title.
DON'T put much emphasis on comparing regular-season scores.
A striking number of NCAA champions lost at least one conference game to a team with a losing league mark. Many NCAA champions weren't exactly invincible as a majority of them lost a regular-season games by a double-digit margin.
14. AT-LARGE ANSWERS
DO avoid picking an at-large team with a losing conference record to go beyond the second round.
An at-large team with a sub-.500 league mark almost never wins more than one NCAA Tournament game.
DON'T pick an at-large team compiling a mediocre record to reach the regional semifinals.
Only a handful of at-large entrants winning fewer than 60 percent of their games manage to reach the second round.
15. RACIAL PROFILING
DO pick at least a couple of teams coached by African Americans to advance a minimum of two rounds in the tournament.
More often than not, at least two teams coached by African Americans reach the regional semifinals (round of 16).
DON'T pick a team to win the championship if its top two scorers are white athletes.
Duke had the only two teams in recent memory to win the NCAA title with white players comprising its top two point producers that season. In 1991, the two two scorers were Christian Laettner and Billy McCaffrey, who subsequently transferred to Vanderbilt. In 2010, Jon Scheyer and Kyle Singler were Duke's top two scorers. Laettner also led the Blue Devils in scoring when they captured the 1993 crown. The only other white players ranked among the top three scorers for NCAA championship teams since the field expanded to at least 40 teams included: Randy Wittman (third for Indiana '81), Steve Alford (led Indiana '87), Kevin Pritchard (third for Kansas '88), Eric Montross (led North Carolina '93), Jeff Sheppard/Scott Padgett (first and third for Kentucky '98), Gerry McNamara (third for Syracuse '03) and Tyler Hansbrough (led North Carolina '09).
16. LAW OF AVERAGES
DO pick one "sleeper" team not ranked among the top ten in either of the final wire-service polls entering the tournament to reach the championship game.
There likely will be a Rip Van Winkle finally waking up to advance to the national final after not being ranked among the top ten in an AP final poll.
DON'T pick the national runner-up from one year to win the championship the next season.
The only three teams ever to finish national runner-up one year and then capture the title the next season were North Carolina (1981 and 1982), Duke (1990 and 1991) and Kentucky (1997 and 1998).
College Exam: NCAA Tournament One-and-Only Challenge (Day 1)
Is that your final answer? Do you have the wit, guile and endurance to be a "Survivor" answering daily questions about "The Amazing Race" otherwise known as the NCAA Tournament?
Standardized testing is controversial, but it's time to put your NCAA playoff knowledge on the line and attempt a free shot at CollegeHoopedia.com's challenging tourney-time questions (10 per day from Selection Sunday through the pit-stop championship game). Your "scoring ability" on these one-of-a-kind trivia quizzes will reflect retention of critical knowledge, jogging your memory, exhibiting your lack of attention to detail or revealing once and for all you didn't major in "Hoopology" or even take a course in Basketball History 101.
As you're aware, many participants in the NCAA playoffs believe it's a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Similarly, more and more all-around sports fans probably would pick the Final Four over the World Series and Super Bowl if they were forced to choose one of the prestigious events they could attend.
In accordance with that "one-and-only" theme, here are a treasure-trove of tantalizing NCAA Tournament trivia questions from CollegeHoopedia.com dealing with the only coach, conference, player or school to be linked to a distinguished or dubious achievement (click here for answers or conduct PhD degree-like research digesting historical morsels in CollegeHoopedia's year-by-year highlights):
1. Name the only NCAA champion to have three players eventually score more than 15,000 points apiece in the NBA. Hint: Each of the trio was named an All-American at least two seasons and helped the school compete in 27 consecutive NCAA playoffs.
2. Name the only NBA team to have two teammates go on to coach teams in the Final Four. Hint: They were among the top three scorers for their team the first three seasons in NBA history. Their team posted the best regular-season record in the league's inaugural campaign and participated in the 1949 NBA Finals.
3. Name the only state currently with at least 10 Division I schools never to send a team to the Final Four. Hint: Just one school from the state won any NCAA playoff games from 1974 through 1996.
4. Who is the only individual to play and coach in both the NCAA and NBA playoffs? Hint: He played for a 28-5 Oregon State playoff team and on the frontline of an NBA champion with Dolph Schayes and Red Kerr. The leading scorer for his NBA playoff team was Gene Shue and the leading scorer for his NCAA tourney team was Bob Nash.
5. Who is the only coach to direct teams to Final Fours in four different decades? Hint: He is the only coach to lose more than seven Final Four games and his first three NCAA Tournament championship games. His Final Four defeats were by an average of 15 points.
6. Name the only school to lose against UCLA as many as four times during the Bruins' 38-game winning streak in the NCAA playoffs from 1964 to 1974. Hint: The subject school is one of six other than UCLA to successfully defend a national championship.
7. Name the only All-American to go winless in more than five NCAA Tournament games. Hint: He played for a school that won the NCAA championship earlier in the decade he appeared in the playoffs.
8. Name the only school to reach the Final Four despite compiling a losing record in conference competition and being eliminated in the first round of its league tournament. Hint: The school's leading scorer that year had the lowest team-leading scoring average of any Final Four team since Kansas '74 had five players average from 11.3 to 12.4 points per game. Moreover, it's the only school to have as many as four at-large bids to the tournament despite compiling losing records in league play.
9. Name the only school to be top-ranked entering back-to-back tournaments but lose both opening playoff games. Hint: Two of the team's starters played more than 10 years in the NBA and one of them was on a third team for the school that lost its opening playoff game as a No. 1 seed. One of the two starters was a consensus national player of the year.
10. Name the only top-ranked team to decline a berth in the NCAA playoffs since the AP started conducting polls in 1949. Hint: The school was unbeaten the year it rejected a bid, defeated the national champion-to-be by 13 points and had only two games closer than a 12-point decision.
Day 1 answers.
What Else Could We Do? Scoring/Rebounding Leader But Not MVP
Was Kevin Jones, the Big East's leading scorer and rebounder, denied the conference's Player of the Year award partially out of spite because West Virginia is leaving to become a member of the Big 12? Mountaineer conspiratorialists might believe there is a mountain of divorce evidence regarding ulterior motives by Big East coaches, but Jones isn't the first league scoring/rebounding leader in a Power 6 alliance to fail to be honored.
Notre Dame's Luke Harangody was bypassed in the Big East only three years ago. In other elite loops, scoring/rebounding leaders failed to capture MVP acclaim four times in the ACC and Big Ten, three times in the Pacific-12 and once in the Big 12/Big Eight. The backhanded slap-in-the-face never has happened in the SEC.
Among the individuals in this dubious "power play" category is Minnesota's Kris Humphries, who was shunned by Big Ten voters long before his 72-day power couple "marriage" to reality TV personality Kim Kardashian. Humphries reportedly will serve as his own lawyer in their divorce proceedings, seeking her to admit she did not intend to pursue a genuine marriage with him.
If genuinely successful "scoring" a win against a famous Hollywood divorce lawyer, Humphries might be able to rebound from being the big butt of incessant late-night loser jokes mocking him. He could employ his newfound legal skills to discern whether there was any fraud or malicious intent involving the following chronological list of conference scoring/rebounding leaders who didn't secure MVP awards in power leagues:
Famine Relief: Harvard Ends Lengthy Dry Spell in NCAA Playoffs
If your RPI (Ratings Percentage Index) isn't satisfactory, then it's time to R.I.P. (Rest in Peace). That certainly was the case for Harvard, the Rip Van Winkle of college basketball, until the Crimson woke up and secured its first NCAA playoff berth since losing two games in 1946.
Stanford and Wisconsin, a pair of relatively recent Final Four schools, were tied with Brown for the longest dry spell in NCAA Tournament history for prior playoff participants before Harvard ended its drought. Following are the 17 schools - with Baylor, Iowa State, Miami (FL), Saint Louis and Wisconsin likely to join Harvard in this year's event - to participate in the tourney at least once before enduring playoff appearance droughts of at least 33 years (length of dry spells denoted in parentheses):
School Years Failing to Appear Years Without a Victory Harvard 1947 through 2011 (65) Never won a playoff game Brown 1940 through 1985 (46) Never won a playoff game Stanford 1943 through 1988 (46) 1943 through 1994 (52) Wisconsin 1948 through 1993 (46) 1948 through 1993 (46) Air Force 1963 through 2003 (41) Never won a playoff game Lafayette 1958 through 1998 (41) Never won a playoff game Iowa State 1945 through 1984 (40) 1945 through 1985 (41) Washington State 1942 through 1979 (38) 1942 through 1982 (41) Baylor 1951 through 1987 (37) 1951 through 2009 (59) Canisius 1958 through 1994 (37) Hasn't won since 1957 Miami (FL) 1961 through 1997 (37) Won first game in 1999 Drake 1972 through 2007 (36) Hasn't won since 1971 Saint Louis 1958 through 1993 (36) 1953 through 1994 (42) Butler 1963 through 1996 (34) 1963 through 2000 (38) Manhattan 1959 through 1992 (34) 1959 through 1994 (36) Montana State 1952 through 1985 (34) Never won a playoff game Cornell 1955 through 1987 (33) Won first NCAA game in 2010 NOTES: Tulsa didn't win an NCAA playoff game from 1956 through 1993 (38 years). . . . Holy Cross (last victory in 1953) and Rice (1954) haven't won an NCAA Tournament game for extended periods.
All in the Family: McDermott Becomes 6th League MVP Under Father
Creighton's Greg and Doug McDermott buttressed their case as one of the all-time top five father-son, coach-player combinations when Doug was designated Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year. Doug, a sophomore forward, is the sixth MVP and 12th all-league first-team selection in NCAA history to play under his dad.
If McDermott remains in college two more years, he could join LSU legend Pete Maravich as the only other player to win three such league awards while on his father's roster. Following is a chronological list of sons who were all-league choices while playing for their dad at the same school:
*Conference MVP (Maravich was honored three times while Acres, Bennett and Drew each were named twice).
Political Perspective: From Basketball Jones to Basketball Moses
Just give peace a chance! Sounds great conceptually but probably not practical in the Middle East. Only two Arab states recognize the existence of the state of Israel, which is roughly the size of New Jersey and surrounded by hostile dictatorships with 40 times as many citizens.
Factitiously, perhaps President Barack Obama, a JV basketball player for Occidental (Calif.) and one of a number of politicians who played the game, would look more favorably upon Israel if the landscape resembled several decades ago when there was a striking number of impact Jewish hoopsters. In a 30-year span from 1933-34 through 1962-63, occasional powerhouses CCNY, LIU, NYU and St. John's each featured three different Jewish All-Americans on CollegeHoopedia's comprehensive list.
Obama, who received more than 3/4 of the Jewish vote in 2008, said his commitment to Israel is "unshakable," but many Jewish State advocates think such an "I've-got-your back" claim is the height of diplomatic chutzpah. A couple of years ago, the White House refused to allow non-official photographers to record a multi-layer lecturing of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and no statement was issued afterward upon the PM being ushered out the back door like a scorned referee. The administration subsequently reinforced its stance by insisting that Israel stop building homes in Jerusalem, demanding it move back to pre-1967 indefensible borders and attempting to stall Israeli military action while neighboring Iran develops its nuclear technology.
Thus the remedy for Israel generating more political support might be another prophet Moses surfacing for the Jewish community as it copes with a current U.S. basketball exodus of sorts for them. They're in the midst of wandering 40 years across the hoop desert seeking another All-American from this country. And the Promised Land isn't within sight since Tennessee's Ernie Grunfeld was the last American Jewish honoree (1976 and 1977).
Israel native Doron Sheffer, a Connecticut guard, was named an All-American in 1995-96. Three additional Israeli products earned all-conference recognition - Connecticut forward Nadav Henefeld (Big East in 1989-90), Wright State center Israel Sheinfeld (Midwestern Collegiate in 1999-2000 and 2000-01) and California forward-center Amit Tamir (Pacific-10 in 2002-03). More than half of the following American Jewish All-Americans secured such an honor before the State of Israel declared independence in mid-May 1948:
U.S. Jewish All-American, School (Year)
Irv Bemoras, Illinois (1953)
Jules Bender, Long Island (1937)
Meyer "Mike" Bloom, Temple (1938)
Harry Boykoff, St. John's (1943)
Tal Brody, Illinois (1965)
Howie Carl, DePaul (1961)
Marvin Colen, Loyola of Chicago (1937)
Irwin Dambrot, CCNY (1950)
William Fleishman, Western Reserve (1936)
Don Forman, New York University (1948)
Larry Friend, California (1957)
Moe Goldman, CCNY (1934)
Don Goldstein, Louisville (1959)
Hyman "Hy" Gotkin, St. John's (1944)
Ernie Grunfeld, Tennessee (1976 and 1977)
Art Heyman, Duke (1961 through 1963)
William "Red" Holzman, CCNY (1942)
Barry Kramer, New York University (1963 and 1964)
Jerry Nemer, Southern California (1933)
Bernie Opper, Kentucky (1939)
Lennie Rosenbluth, North Carolina (1956 and 1957)
Oscar "Ossie" Schectman, Long Island (1941)
Alan Seiden, St. John's (1959)
Sid Tanenbaum, New York University (1946 and 1947)
Irv Torgoff, Long Island (1939)
Neal Walk, Florida (1968 and 1969)
From Peon to Pedestal: Small-College Hoops Contributes Big Time
Robert Thurman played sparingly last season for California after competing as a freshman with Division III Norwich (Conn.). But Cal's chances of reaching the NCAA playoffs from the surprisingly weak Pacific-12 Conference might hinge on Thurman becoming a more vital frontcourter with the Bears after leading rebounder Richard Solomon was declared academically ineligible for the season. Thurman made 25 of his first 34 field-goal attempts (73.5%) but his accuracy fell under 65% as his minutes increased.
Looking ahead to next year, the best redshirt in this peon-to-pedestal category adding to the list of small-college transfers who made significant contributions at the NCAA Division I level could be Weber State swingman Davion Berry, who averaged 18.3 ppg and 4.1 rpg the previous two seasons with Cal State Monterey Bay while twice earning All-CCAA honors. He played for the same AAU program as Weber's Damian Lillard, the nation's leading scorer much of this season.
Aussie Aussie Oye Oye!: Two Australian Guards Named League MVP
For the second time in eight years, two Australians were named conference player of the year in the same campaign. Guards Ryan Broekhoff (Valparaiso in Horizon League) and Matthew Dellavedova (Saint Mary's in West Coast) were honored this season, duplicating the 2004-05 feat by centers/fellow Aussies Andrew Bogut (Utah in Mountain West) and Alex Loughton (Old Dominion in Colonial Athletic Association).
As the foreign invasion escalated in recent years, another "Down Under" Australian who finished atop an alliance hit list was Utah center Luke Nevill, the Mountain West Conference's premier player in 2008-09. Broekhoff and Dellavedova became the 18th and 19th players from overseas thus far this century to become a league MVP. Following is an alphabetical list of foreigners named Player of the Year/Most Valuable Player in a Division I conference:
Player, Position, College (Native Country/DI Conference)
Rafael Arajuo, C, Brigham Young (Brazil/2004 in Mountain West)
Tunji Awojobi, F, Boston University (Nigeria/1997 in America East)
Jose Juan Barea, G, Northeastern (Puerto Rico/2006 in Colonial Athletic)
Lubos Barton, G, Valparaiso (Czech Republic/2002 in Mid-Continent)
Andrew Bogut, C, Utah (Australia/2005 in Mountain West)
Ryan Broekhoff, G, Valparaiso (Australia/2012 in Horizon League)
Stefan Ciosici, C, Lafayette (Romania/1998 in Patriot League)
Gilberto Clavell, F, Sam Houston State (Puerto Rico/2011 in Southland)
Matthew Dellavedova, G, Saint Mary's (Australia/2012 in West Coast)
Tim Duncan, C, Wake Forest (Virgin Islands/1996 and 1997 in ACC)
Patrick Ewing, C, Georgetown (Jamaica/1984 and 1985 in Big East)
Joe Faulkner, F-G, Southern, La. (Virgin Islands/1990 in SWAC)
Adonal Foyle, C, Colgate (West Indies/1996 and 1997 in Patriot League)
Eric Franson, F-C, Utah State (Belgium/1995 in Big West)
Adnan Hodzic, C, Lipscomb (Bosnia/2010 in Atlantic Sun)
Stephane Lasme, F, Massachusetts (Gabon/2007 in Atlantic 10)
Marcos Leite, F, Pepperdine (Brazil/1976 in West Coast Athletic)
Alex Loughton, F-C, Old Dominion (Australia/2005 in Colonial Athletic)
Christian Maraker, F, Pacific (Sweden/2006 in Big West)
Raimonds Miglinieks, G, UC Irvine (Latvia/1996 in Big West)
Mate Milisa, C, Long Beach State (Croatia/2000 in Big West)
Steve Nash, G, Santa Clara (Canada/1995 and 1996 in West Coast)
Luke Nevill, C, Utah (Australia/2009 in Mountain West)
Hakeem Olajuwon, C, Houston (Nigeria/1984 in Southwest)
Michael Olowokandi, C, Pacific (England/1998 in Big West)
Ugonna Onyekwe, F, Penn (England/2002 and 2003 in Ivy League)
Jose Ortiz, C, Oregon State (Puerto Rico/1987 in Pacific-10)
Artsiom Parakhouski, C-F, Radford (Belarus/2009 and 2010 in Big South)
Hector Romero, F, New Orleans (Venezuela/2002 in Sun Belt)
Timo Saarelainen, F, Brigham Young (Finland/1985 in WAC)
Juan "Pepe" Sanchez, G, Temple (Argentina/2000 in Atlantic 10)
Wayne Sappleton, F, Loyola of Chicago (Jamaica/1982 in Midwestern City)
Rik Smits, C, Marist (Netherlands/1987 and 1988 in Northeast)
Ryan Stuart, F, Northeast Louisiana (Bahamas/1992 and 1993 in Southland)
Mychal Thompson, C, Minnesota (Bahamas/1978 in Big Ten)
Mindaugas Timinskas, F, Iona (Lithuania/1997 in Metro Atlantic Athletic)
Greivis Vasquez, G, Maryland (Venezuela/2010 in ACC)
Cuthbert Victor, F, Murray State (Virgin Islands/2004 in Ohio Valley)
Christian Welp, C, Washington (Germany/1986 in Pacific-10)
NOTE: The SWC did not recognize a formal list of league MVPs.
It's All Relative: Family Tree Connections in College Hoopdom
In the Name of the Father: The old adage portends that "the apple doesn't fall far from the tree." You know the deal! Freshman Rodney Hood, whose father (Ricky) averaged 2.2 ppg for Mississippi State in 1979-80 before transferring and becoming a two-time All-OVC first-team selection with Murray State, is the second-leading rebounder and third-leading scorer for the Bulldogs' Top 20 team. The filling-your-father's footsteps is an even more challenging dynamic for the following players performing at the same school where their dads exercised all of their collegiate eligibility:
Junior Ian Hummer, whose father (Ed) averaged 7 rpg for Princeton from 1964-65 through 1966-67 and paced the school in scoring as a junior, led the Tigers in scoring in 10 consecutive games before contributing 25 points and season-high 15 rebounds in a 75-73 victory at Florida State. He also had a big game in Princeton's victory over Ivy League favorite Harvard.
Sophomore guard Roy Devyn Marble, whose father with the same first name was a three-time All-Big Ten Conference selection for Iowa in the late 1980s, was inserted into the Hawkeyes' starting lineup amid reaching double figures in scoring in eight of nine games. Teammate Matt Gatens, whose father (Mike) averaged 3.3 ppg and 2.2 rpg for Iowa from 1973-74 through 1975-76, has been the Hawkeyes' scoring leader the past three seasons and recently tallied a career-high 30 points against Indiana.
Redshirt sophomore Dave Stockton, whose father (John) was a two-time All-WCAC selection before becoming a Hall of Fame playmaker in the NBA, is runner-up in assists for the Zags as they were blunted in efforts to secure their 12th consecutive West Coast Conference regular-season championship.
J.C. transfer John Wilkins, whose father (Jeff) was Illinois State's leader in scoring, rebounding and field-goal shooting in 1976-77 before becoming an NBA second-round draft choice, is averaging 7.5 ppg and 4 rpg for the Redbirds the past two seasons.
Redshirt freshman Joseph Young, whose father (Michael) was an All-American for Houston's 1984 NCAA Tournament runner-up, scored a career-high 25 points against Texas State and is leading the Cougars in assists and three-pointers.
Father Knows Best: Creighton's McDermott clan could be bound for a Top 5 ranking regarding the premier father/son, coach/player tandems in college basketball history. Sophomore forward Doug McDermott, the nation's No. 2 scorer, tallied a season-high 44 points in a 92-83 victory at Bradley for the Bluejays under father Greg McDermott. Additional schools currently featuring notable father/son duos include:
Bowling Green - Freshman swingman Chauncey Orr averaging a modest 2.6 ppg for the Falcons under father Louis Orr, an All-Big East Conference first-team selection with Syracuse as a senior in 1979-80.
UC Davis - Sophomore guard Tyler Les scored a team season-high 24 points at San Jose State for the Aggies under father Jim Les, an All-Missouri Valley Conference first-team selection with Bradley as a senior in 1985-86.
Central Michigan - Sophomore swingman Trey Zeigler, who grabbed a team season-high 15 rebounds against Charlotte, was leading the Chippewas in scoring, rebounding, assists and field-goal percentage under father Ernie Zeigler.
Detroit - Sophomore Ray McCallum, one of 20 finalists for the Bob Cousy Collegiate Point Guard of the Year Award, leads the Titans in assists and steals while the preseason Horizon League Player of the Year averages almost 15 ppg under his father with the same name (Ray McCallum).
South Dakota - Junior guard Jordan Boots is averaging 5 ppg for the Coyotes under father Dave Boots.
Southeast Missouri State - Senior guard Logan Nutt and sophomore guard Lucas Nutt are combining for 6.1 ppg and 3.9 apg under father Dickey Nutt.
Utah Valley - Sophomore guard Holton Hunsaker became an All-Great West Conference second-team selection under father Dick Hunsaker.
Schools of Brotherly Love: UCF was down to just one Jordan brother after Jeffrey Jordan, the son of legendary Michael Jordan, abruptly left the program in mid-season. Jeffrey, a transfer, was a minor contributor after previously playing sparingly for Illinois. Marcus Jordan is the Knights' leading scorer with more than 17 points per game, a figure close to his father's career scoring average with North Carolina (17.7 ppg from 1981-82 through 1983-84).
MJ didn't mind trying his luck in casinos. Apparently, the Heirs Jordan exhibited similar risky tendencies while in Las Vegas for their famous father's fantasy basketball camp. An Orlando Sentinel story detailed their 2010 summer trip to Vegas where underage Marcus immaturely tweeted that he dropped $56,000. While Daddy Dearest ranks among college basketball's all-time Top 100 players, his sons aren't included among CollegeHoopedia.com's 100-plus all-time top brother combinations playing together at the same time.
Running the Family Business: The stiffest competition numerous major-college players ever faced probably was in their own backyards against good ol' dad. Former All-Americans Dell Curry (Virginia Tech), Paul Pressey (Tulsa) and Doc Rivers (Marquette) have at least one son presently playing for highly-regarded teams - junior Seth Curry (Duke's leader in assists, steals, three-pointers and free-throw percentage), senior Matt Pressey (Missouri starter averaging more than 8 points and 4 rebounds per game after playing at the J.C. level like his father), sophomore Phil Pressey (Missouri's leader in assists and steals) and freshman Austin Rivers (Duke's scoring leader).
The Pressey brothers stayed put after they were rumored to be transferring when coach Mike Anderson (dad's college roommate) departed for Arkansas. But another backcourter, Shawn Teague, did transfer from Mizzou after averaging 3.5 ppg during his freshman season in 1980-81 as a teammate of eventual All-Americans Ricky Frazier, Steve Stipanovich and Jon Sundvold.
Teague didn't become an All-American but was a two-time All-ECAC North Atlantic Conference selection for Rick Pitino-coached Boston University in 1983-84 and 1984-85. Teague's son, Marquis, is Kentucky's starting point guard as a freshman. Incidentally, one of his BU teammates was Drederick Irving, whose son, Kyrie Irving, is favorite for NBA Rookie of the Year after a single abbreviated season with Duke.
No father/son combination ever earned All-American status for the same university. Dell Curry and older son Stephen (Davidson) are among the seven tandems in this rare-air category, joining Henry Bibby (UCLA)/Mike Bibby (Arizona); Bob Ferry (St. Louis)/Danny Ferry (Duke); Stan Love (Oregon)/Kevin Love (UCLA); John Lucas Jr. (Maryland)/John Lucas III (Oklahoma State); Scott May (Indiana)/Sean May (North Carolina) and Jimmy Walker (Providence)/Jalen Rose (Michigan). If voters are on top of the selection process, Paul and Phil Pressey should become the eighth father-son A-A combo.
Rivers and Teague also had older sons who competed in elite conferences. Transfer Jeremiah Rivers made modest contributions for Georgetown (2006-07 and 2007-08) and Indiana (2009-10 and 2010-11). Meanwhile, Jeff Teague emerged as an All-American sophomore guard for Wake Forest in 2008-09.
If UK's Marquis Teague eventually secures All-American status, he and Jeff will join the following alphabetical list of eight sets of brothers who became major-college All-Americans:
- Harvey Grant (Oklahoma F in 1988) and Horace Grant (Clemson F in 1987)/Sparta, GA
- Marv Huffman (Indiana G in 1940) and Vern Huffman (Indiana G in 1936)/New Castle, IN
- Albert King (Maryland F in 1980 and 1981) and Bernard King (Tennessee F from 1975 through 1977)/Brooklyn, NY
- Brandin Knight (Pittsburgh G in 2002) and Brevin Knight (Stanford G in 1997)/East Orange, NJ
- Eddie O'Brien (Seattle G in 1953) and Johnny O'Brien (Seattle G in 1952 and 1953)/South Amboy, NJ
- Jim Paxson (Dayton G in 1979) and John Paxson (Notre Dame G in 1982 and 1983)/Kettering, OH
- Mike Sojourner (Utah C in 1974) and Willie Sojourner (Weber State C in 1971)/Philadelphia, PA
- Dick Van Arsdale (Indiana F in 1965) and Tom Van Arsdale (Indiana F in 1965)/Indianapolis, IN
All in the Family: When Gene Bartow passed away recently, it presented an opportunity to acknowledge again how he and his son, Murry Bartow, are the first father/son duo to each surpass the 250-win plateau at the major-college level. Gene is one of 12 coaches to guide two different schools to the Final Four (Memphis State and UCLA). Murry succeeded his father at UAB before reaching the 250-victory mark last season with East Tennessee State. The Bartows are one of five families with Division I connections to win more than 900 games.
Where is Gene Bartow included among the nation's all-time top 100 coaches in a ranking compiled by CollegeHoopedia.com?
Be Patient With Me: All-Time Winningest Coaches Erased Shaky Start
A significant number of pensive pilots are on the precipice of receiving pink slips from struggling schools. Prior to doing so, the institutions need to reflect a moment on the following alphabetical list of individuals who didn't get off to roaring starts with major colleges but withstood the test of time and became their all-time winningest coaches:
Dana Altman - Failed to post a winning season record with Creighton until his fourth year (1997-98).
Randy Bennett - Total of 11 games below .500 with Saint Mary's through his first two seasons (2001-02 and 2002-03).
Bill Bibb - Total of 16 games below .500 with Mercer in his first three seasons (1974-75 through 1976-77).
George Blaney - Total of 18 games below .500 with Holy Cross in his first two seasons (1972-73 and 1973-74).
Buster Brannon - Total of 14 games below .500 with TCU in his first two seasons (1948-49 and 1949-50).
Tom Brennan - Total of 54 games below .500 overall and 36 below in ECAC North Atlantic Conference competition with Vermont in his first three seasons (1986-87 through 1988-89).
Dale Brown - Overall losing record with LSU through his first five seasons (1972-73 through 1976-77).
Jim Calhoun - Total of 24 games below .500 in Big East competition with Connecticut in his first three seasons (1986-87 through 1988-89).
Bobby Cremins - Total of 16 games below .500 in ACC competition with Georgia Tech in his first three seasons (1981-82 through 1983-84).
Billy Donovan - Failed to post a winning season record with Florida until his third year (1998-99).
Pat Douglass - Total of 23 games below .500 with UC Irvine in his first two seasons (1997-98 and 1998-99).
Homer Drew - Total of 67 games below .500 with Valparaiso in his first five seasons (1988-89 through 1992-93).
Fran Dunphy - Failed to post a winning season record with Penn until his third year (1991-92).
Cliff Ellis - Total of 12 games below .500 in ACC competition with Clemson through his first two seasons (1984-85 and 1985-86).
Bill Ferguson - Four losing records with St. Joseph's in his first six seasons (1928-29 through 1933-34).
Bud Foster - Overall losing record (two games below .500) with Wisconsin through his first six seasons (1934-35 through 1939-40).
Murray Greason - Total of 11 games below .500 with Wake Forest in his first three seasons (1933-34 through 1935-36).
Doc Hayes - Four losing records with SMU in his first six seasons (1947-48 through 1952-53.
Lou Henson - Overall losing record with Illinois through his first three seasons (1975-76 through 1977-78).
Terry Holland - Breakeven record overall and 16 games below .500 in ACC competition with Virginia through his first three seasons (1974-75 through 1976-77).
George Ireland - Overall losing record with Loyola Chicago through his first six seasons (1951-52 through 1956-57).
Doggie Julian - Total of 30 games below .500 with Dartmouth through his first three seasons (1950-51 through 1952-53).
Mike Krzyzewski - Overall losing record with Duke through his first three seasons (1980-81 through 1982-83).
Guy Lewis - Total of 14 games below .500 overall and in MVC competition with Houston through his first four seasons (1956-57 through 1959-60).
Eddie McCarter - Six losing records with Texas-Arlington in his first seven seasons (1992-93 through 1998-99).
Al McGuire - Total of eight games below .500 with Marquette in his first two seasons (1964-65 and 1965-66).
Frank McGuire - Total of 13 games below .500 with South Carolina in his first two seasons (1964-65 and 1965-66).
Bob McKillop - Failed to post a winning season record with Davidson until his fifth year (1993-94).
Eldon Miller - Total of 10 games below .500 with Northern Iowa through his first two seasons (1986-87 and 1987-88).
Ralph Miller - Total of three games below .500 with Wichita in his first two seasons (1951-52 and 1952-53).
Danny Nee - Total of 20 games below .500 in Big Eight Conference competition with Nebraska in his first four seasons (1986-87 through 1989-90).
Fran O'Hanlon - Total of 19 games below .500 with Lafayette in his first two seasons (1995-96 and 1996-97).
Johnny Orr - Failed to post a winning season record with Iowa State until his fourth year (1983-84).
Jerry Pimm - Total of 14 games below .500 with UC Santa Barbara in his first three seasons (1983-84 through 1985-86).
Nolan Richardson - Total of eight games below .500 in SWC competition with Arkansas in his first two seasons (1985-86 and 1986-87).
Jack Rohan - Failed to post a winning season record with Columbia until his fifth year (1965-66).
Al Skinner - Failed to post a winning season record with Boston College until his fourth year (2000-01).
Dean Smith - Only one winning season record (1962-63) with North Carolina in his first three years.
Jim Snyder - Total of eight games below .500 with Ohio University in his first five seasons (1949-50 through 1953-54).
Rick Stansbury - Total of eight games below .500 in SEC competition with Mississippi State through his first three seasons (1998-99 through 2000-01).
Norm Stewart - Losing record in Big Eight Conference competition with Missouri in his first three seasons (1967-68 through 1969-70).
Scott Sutton - Total of 10 games below .500 with Oral Roberts in his first three seasons (1999-2000 through 2001-02).
Blaine Taylor - Total of six games below .500 with Old Dominion in his first two seasons (2001-02 and 2002-03).
Bob Thomason - Total of 16 games below .500 with Pacific in his first four seasons (1988-89 through 1991-92).
John Thompson Jr. - Total of three games below .500 with Georgetown in his first two seasons (1972-73 and 1973-74).
M.K. Turk - Total of five games below .500 with Southern Mississippi in his first three seasons (1976-77 through 1978-79).
Riley Wallace - Total of 10 games below .500 in WAC competition with Hawaii in his first six seasons (1987-88 through 1992-93).
Gary Williams - Total of 24 games below .500 in ACC competition with Maryland in his first four seasons (1989-90 through 1992-93).
Jim Williams - Total of 12 games below .500 with Colorado State in his first five seasons (1954-55 through 1958-59).
Charlie Woollum - Total of eight games below .500 with Bucknell in his first three seasons (1975-76 through 1977-78).
Close Encounters: Where Does Coach K Rank Among Best Coaches?
One of the criteria for assessing coaches is thinking-on-their-feet tactical ability stemming from pressure-cooker close contests. For instance, Mike Krzyzewski entered this season with a 153-127 record (.546) in games decided by fewer than six points. When Krzyzewski became the nation's all-time winningest major-college coach, it seemed odd that a striking total of 25 retired mentors boasted higher winning percentages than him in such tight tilts (minimum of 200 close games decided by fewer than six points).
Where does Coach K rank on the blue-chip list assembled by CollegeHoopedia.com of all-time top 100 college coaches? And where has he helped propel Duke on the list of all-time top 100 programs?
Who Am I?: Ultimate Quiz About Former NCAA Tournament Players
CollegeHoopedia.com is enamored by the diverse approaches the history of college basketball can be depicted if the information is presented properly. Thus, we'll occasionally deliver a variety of packages you can't possibly find anywhere else in order to try to accentuate illuminating the sport.
Ardent fans of the NCAA Tournament argue that the incredibly popular event is 100 percent perfection. Whatever your level of expertise, CollegeHoopedia.com guarantees you a 100% score is virtually impossible for any brave soul willing to take our "Who Am I" quiz.
With the NCAA playoffs entering its 74th year, you can occasionally stumble across familiar faces in non-basketball endeavors by browsing through old rosters and box scores. In a format similar to the old game show "What's My Line?," can you guess the names of the accompanying 100 individuals who played in the NCAA Tournament before they distinguished themselves in various vocations off the hardwood? If you want to do your hoop homework, they are cited in a "Celebrity Status" category in CollegeHoopedia.com's season-by-season NCAA Tournament summaries commencing with the inaugural NCAA playoffs in 1938-39.
They Played the Game: Ex-College Hoopsters Excel in Other Endeavors
I Know Nothing: U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, resembling know-nothing Sgt. Schultz in the TV sitcom Hogan's Heroes, seems willing to divulge as much about the "Fast and Furious" ATF "gunwalking" operation selling 2,000 firearms to Mexican drug cartels as the number of baskets the nation's top cop made for Columbia's freshman basketball squad in 1969-70. In 10 games, Holder misfired on all four of his field-goal attempts.
Speaking of 10, that was the number of times astronaut John Glenn's flight was scrapped before the former freshman basketball player for Muskingum (Ohio) became the first American to orbit the Earth. The U.S., which recently marked the 50th anniversary of Glenn's mission, went from knowing virtually nothing about space in 1962 to landing a man on the moon by the end of that decade. Glenn, who served as a U.S. Senator for 24 years, subsequently became the oldest human to enter space when he joined the crew of the Space Shuttle Discovery in 1998.
At first glance, most observers would think you were from outer space by perceiving Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, UCLA's three-time national player of the year, as a normal diplomat. But Abdul-Jabbar, ranked #1 on CollegeHoopedia's list of all-time top 100 players, was recently appointed a Cultural Ambassador for the U.S. Department of State. One should know that legendary Bruins coach John Wooden acknowledged that Ralph Bunche, UCLA's Alumnus of the Year in 1949 before becoming the first black person to win the Nobel Peace Prize the next year, was instrumental in helping recruit the New York City native (then known as Lew Alcindor) to his alma mater.
Bunche deftly handled the armistice negotiations as a United Nations envoy leading to a historic Arab-Israeli truce. Two decades before Jackie Robinson arrived as UCLA's meal ticket, he emerged as the first black to play for the Bruins, earning letters as a guard for three Southern California Conference champions. Based on SI's recent "Bruins in Ruins" expose, it seems as if coach Ben Howland needed someone with Bunche's ability to mediate the internal strife on their roster.
Additional political appointees and politicians who played college basketball include Bill Bradley, Scott Brown, Robert Casey, William Cohen, Bob Dole, Ray Flynn, Al Gore, Lee Hamilton, Henry Hyde, Tom McMillen, George Mitchell, Sam Nunn, Dean Rusk, Alan Simpson, John Thune, Mo Udall, Whizzer White, Ron Wyden and President Obama.
Hoop Party: The average fan might glibly observe that "People Are Funny" or "Kids Say the Darndest Things" if someone claimed TV personality Art Linkletter was an award-winning hoopster. But the facts are that the host of House Party was indeed a standout, leading San Diego State in scoring in back-to-back seasons (1932-33 and 1933-34). Linkletter was named to the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference all-star team as a sophomore and senior. He was captain of the Aztecs' squad as a senior, finishing second in conference competition in scoring.
Additional creative individuals who might have been among the foremost "floppers" while playing college basketball before becoming actors and entertainers include Bob Barker, Beau Bridges, Jim Caviezel, Chevy Chase, Chuck "The Rifleman" Connors, Louis Gossett Jr., Craig Kilborn, Lurch, Mannix, Super Dave Osborne, Tom Selleck, Sinbad, Ken "The White Shadow" Howard and Denzel Washington.
Are You Ready For Some Football?: If you had a pulse last year, you know recently-deceased Joe Paterno became the only major-college coach to reach the 400-win plateau before he was fired by Penn State trustees after the arrest of a long-time assistant on child sexual abuse charges. But what you might not know is that Paterno was a basketball letterman for Brown in the late 1940s. "Hoopa Joe"'s scoring average of 7.3 points per game in 1947-48 was second highest on the team.
Additional prominent college football coaches who played college basketball include Red Blaik, Frank Broyles, Fritz Crisler, Mouse Davis, Dan Devine, Bobby Dodd, Vince Dooley, Pete Elliott, Don Faurot, Shug Jordan, Elmer Layden, Houston Nutt, Bennie Oosterbaan, Ara Parseghian, Erk Russell and Bob Zuppke.
Do As I Wrote; Not As I Played: Opinions differ as to whether managing editor Rick Stengel's controversial "The Protester" cover as TIME's 2011 Person of the Year exhibited the same lofty leadership skills of his college basketball coach (Princeton's Pete Carril). Stengel became a Rhodes Scholar after being the fourth-leading scorer for Princeton's 1973-74 freshman team with 8 points per game. He was a 5-11, 165-pound backup sophomore guard who scored two points in 11 games for the Tigers' squad that won the 1975 NIT.
More ex-hoopster authors and journalists who have the ability to embellish their college basketball playing days include Pat Conroy, Michael Crichton, Pete Gent, James Michener, Charley Rosen, Robert James Waller and Dr. John Edgar Wideman.
Taking Care of Business: Sean Tuohy Sr., a fast-food millionaire who owns more than 80 Taco Bell, KFC and Long John Silver restaurants, gained notoriety as the white adoptive father of African-American Michael Oher, a 2009 NFL first-round draft choice as an offensive tackle from Ole Miss and subject of the movie "The Blind Side" (starring Sandra Bullock and Tim McGraw). Tuohy, a two-time all-league point guard, paced the SEC in assists all four basketball seasons from 1978-79 through 1981-82. He twice led the Rebels in free-throw percentage (as a sophomore and senior). Sean Tuohy Jr., known as "SJ" in the Memphis area, gave an oral commitment to play next season for Loyola (MD) in Oher's backyard this time around.
The list of prominent executives and scientists/surgeons who played college basketball includes Avery Brundage, Dr. Denton Cooley, Stedman Graham, Edwin Hubble, Vernon Jordan, David Packard, Jack Rogers, Pete Silas, Paul Tagliabue and Lloyd Ward.
Seri(es)ous Athletes: Mike Adams, a reliever for the Texas Rangers after being acquired from the San Diego Padres, is the latest former college basketball player to appear in the World Series. Many of the previous versatile notables attended major universities, however. The 6-5 Adams, who compiled a 6-4 record and 1.81 ERA for the Padres from 2008 through 2010, enrolled at Texas A&M-Kingsville on a basketball scholarship (scoring 14 points in 13 games for the small college in 1996-97).
Among the prominent World Series pitchers who were varsity basketball regulars for a current Division I school are Eldon Auker, Jim Beattie, Ralph Branca, Gene Conley, Rich Gale, Joe Gibbon, Bob Gibson, Steve Hamilton, Atlee Hammaker, Ron Reed, Robin Roberts, Rollie Sheldon and Tim Stoddard.
Men For All Seasons: John Powless, despite having both knees replaced (one in 2007 and the other in 2008), has been ranked as the world's No. 1 singles player in tennis for senior men 75 and older. He served six seasons as captain and coach of the U.S. Junior Davis Cup team. Powless averaged 6.9 ppg and 5.7 rpg as a 6-5 forward for Murray State in four seasons from 1953-54 through 1956-57 before compiling an 88-108 record as Wisconsin's head basketball coach for eight seasons from 1968-69 through 1975-76.
CollegeHoopedia.com has assembled a surprising lengthy list of prominent "secondary sport" athletes who also played college basketball (boxing, golf, soccer, tennis, track and field, volleyball plus wrestling).
First Families of Hoops: Rick Barry and Bill Walton Leave Legacy
If youngest brother Marshall Plumlee improves as much as Duke siblings Mason and Miles, they could combine with their father, former Tennessee Tech frontcourter Perky, to comprise one of most influential families in college basketball history.
Who are 10 of the top groups of hoop sons stemming from Big Daddy? The following list is likely to change next year because of Grant's Army after former Oklahoma All-American Harvey Grant had a third son sign with a major school - Jerai (Clemson), Jerian (Notre Dame) and Jerami (Syracuse recruit). Until then, the "HoopDaddys" comprised of college players who had at least three sons also go on to compete in a significant way at a similar level include:
BARRY BARRY GOOD
1. Barry - Father Rick Barry, a first-team All-American as a senior when he led the nation in scoring, averaged 29.8 ppg and 16.5 rpg for Miami (FL) from 1962-63 through 1964-65. Son Scooter averaged 3.3 ppg for Kansas' 1988 NCAA titlist before leading the Jayhawks with 5.7 apg the next season. Son Jon, a junior college transfer, averaged 14.4 ppg, 3.6 rpg and 4.5 apg for Pacific and Georgia Tech in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Son Brent averaged 12.1 ppg, 3.7 rpg and 3.3 apg for Oregon State from 1991-92 through 1994-95. Son Drew, an All-ACC second-team selection as a senior, averaged 10.7 ppg, 4.1 rpg and 6.2 apg for Georgia Tech from 1992-93 through 1995-96, leading the ACC in assists each of his last three seasons. Son Canyon is redshirting as a freshman with the College of Charleston in 2011-12. Jon, an All-ACC third-team selection as a junior in 1991-92, and Brent, an All-Pacific-10 Conference choice as a senior, were late bloomers who went on to have productive NBA careers. Rick, Jon and Brent were NBA first-round draft choices while Drew was a second-round pick. Bruce Hale, Rick's father-in-law and a Santa Clara alumnus, coached him at Miami (FL) after playing five years in the NBA.
WALTON MOUNTAIN GANG
2. Walton - Father Bill Walton, a three-time national player of the year, averaged 20.3 ppg and 15.7 rpg for UCLA from 1971-72 through 1973-74. Son Adam lettered with LSU before incurring a rest-of-season suspension in Dale Brown's final year as coach in 1996-97 and subsequently transferring to a small college in California. Son Nate was an All-Ivy League first-team selection for Princeton as a senior in 2000-01, becoming the fourth player in school history with two seasons of at least 100 assists. Son Luke, a two-time All-Pacific-10 Conference choice, averaged 9.1 ppg, 5.1 rpg and 4.5 apg for Arizona from 1999-2000 through 2002-03. Son Chris finished among the top 15 in the Mountain West Conference in assists and rebounding as a junior in 2003-04 for San Diego State, finishing his four-year career with averages of 5.1 ppg and 3.4 rpg.
PRICE IS RIGHT CONTROL
3. Price - Father Dennis Price, an All-Big Eight Conference second-team selection as a junior, averaged 10.9 ppg for Oklahoma from 1957-58 through 1959-60. Son Mark, a three-time All-ACC first-team selection and All-American, averaged 17.4 ppg and 4 apg for Georgia Tech from 1982-83 through 1985-86. Son Matt scored 23 points in 18 games as a freshman for Appalachian State in 1984-85. Son Brent, an All-Big Eight Conference first-team selection as a senior, averaged 18 ppg and 5.8 apg for Oklahoma in 1990-91 and 1991-92 after transferring from South Carolina, where he averaged 12.6 ppg and 3.5 apg in 1987-88 and 1988-89.
HIGH ON HAARLOW
4. Haarlow - Father Bill Haarlow Jr., a three-time All-Western Conference selection for the University of Chicago from 1933-34 through 1935-36, was the league's third-leading scorer as a sophomore (9.9 ppg), leading scorer as a junior (13) and second-leading scorer as a senior (12.6). He had three sons play for Princeton in the 1960s - A. William III averaged 10.8 ppg and 5 rpg in 1962-63, Bob averaged 8.5 ppg and 4.4 rpg from 1963-64 through 1965-66 (second-leading scorer for the Tigers' 1965 Final Four team as a teammate of All-American Bill Bradley) and John averaged 12.6 ppg and 7.3 rpg from 1965-66 through 1967-68 (All-Ivy League second-team selection as a junior). With Bill Jr. cited on CollegeHoopedia.com's comprehensive list of all-time All-Americans, the Haarlows might have been the initial most impactful family on the sport.
PATERNO INFLUENCE
5. Paterno - Father Bill Paterno averaged 3.4 ppg with St. Francis (N.Y.) in 1948-49 and 1949-50 after scoring 18 points in nine games in 1947-48. Son Billy averaged 9.8 ppg and 4.7 rpg for Notre Dame from 1973-74 through 1976-77 under coach Digger Phelps, finishing team runner-up in scoring to All-American Adrian Dantley as a sophomore with 13.3 ppg. Son Mike averaged 3.1 ppg for Monmouth in 1987-88. Son Joe averaged 14.6 ppg and 5.1 rpg with Fordham from 1985-86 through 1988-89, leading the Rams in scoring in three seasons and finishing his career as their all-time second-leading scorer. Son Steve averaged 10.8 ppg and 3.6 rpg with Marist from 1987-88 through 1990-91, leading the Red Foxes in scoring as a junior before finishing runner-up as a senior.
TOASTING THE RAIVIOS
6. Raivio - Father Rick Raivio, a three-time All-WCAC selection who led Portland in field-goal shooting all four seasons, finished as the Pilots' all-time leading rebounder (910/9.4 rpg) while averaging 17.2 ppg before becoming a fifth-round draft choice by the Los Angeles Lakers. Son Derek, the WCC co-player of the year as a senior (18 ppg and nation-leading 96.1 FT%), averaged 11.5 ppg and 2.8 apg while shooting 41.6% from beyond the arc from 2003-04 through 2006-07 with Gonzaga en route to becoming the #2 all-time free-throw shooter in DI history (92.7%). Son Nik, a J.C. recruit, was an All-WCC selection as a junior with Portland in 2008-09 when he averaged 16 ppg and 6.5 rpg before heading overseas to play professionally after finishing his Pilots' career with 14.3 ppg and 5.3 rpg. Son Matt was averaging 11.6 ppg and 4.1 rpg for Simon Fraser (Vancouver) in mid-season in 2011-12 after transferring from Santa Rosa (CA) JC.
ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH
7. Pollard - Father Pearl Pollard (6-9), a second-team All-Skyline Conference choice as a senior, averaged 10.5 ppg and 7.9 rpg for Utah from 1956-57 through 1958-59 with three national postseason tournament teams, leading the Utes in scoring and rebounding as a senior. Son Carl, 7-2, played briefly for BYU as a freshman in 1983-84 before redshirting in 1984-85, going on a two-year Mormon mission and transferring with a brother to Southern California, where he didn't play prior to competing with Southern Utah in 1989-90 and averaging 1.5 ppg and 2.9 rpg. Son Alan, 6-9, averaged 5.6 ppg and 5.3 rpg while splitting four seasons between Brigham Young and USC from 1984-85 through 1988-89, leading BYU in rebounding as a freshman. Son Mark, 6-11, played briefly for San Diego State in 1990-91 before also leaving at the same time with a brother. Son Neal, 7-0, redshirted at San Diego State in 1988-89 before going on a Mormon mission to New England, playing three games with the Aztecs in 1991-92 and transferring to Utah State, where he didn't play. Son Scot, 6-11, averaged 9.4 ppg, 6.6 rpg and 1.7 bpg for four Kansas teams reaching NCAA playoff regional semifinals from 1993-94 through 1996-97 before becoming an NBA first-round draft choice.
CAN'T FOIL THE DOYLES
8. Doyle - Father Dan Doyle averaged 13.7 ppg and 12.2 rpg for Belmont Abbey (N.C.) in his four-year career. He was selected by the Detroit Pistons in 5th round of 1961 NBA draft (44th pick overall) after pacing Al McGuire-coached teams in scoring average his final three seasons and rebounding as a junior and senior. Son Danny averaged 7.4 ppg and 2.1 rpg with Iona from 1989-90 through 1993-94, leading the Gaels in assists and steals as a senior. Son Joe led then-DII Sacred Heart in scoring, assists and steals as a senior in 1996-97. Son Tim played sparingly for St. John's in 2002-03 before transferring to Northwestern, where he averaged 8.1 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 3.7 apg and 1.3 spg from 2004-05 through 2006-07, leading the Wildcats in assists his last two seasons and in steals as a senior.
HUGGY BEARS ALL
9. Huggins - Father Charlie Huggins was an All-WVIAC first-team selection for Alderson-Broaddus (W. Va.) in 1957-58 after transferring from West Virginia. Son Bob averaged 8.4 ppg and 2.8 rpg while shooting 45.9% from the floor and 79.4% from the free-throw line with West Virginia in the mid-1970s after transferring from Ohio University. Son Harry was a two-year letterman for Texas Lutheran in the late 1970s after transferring from Rice. Son Larry averaged 5.6 ppg, 2 rpg and 2.1 apg while shooting 46.3% from the floor and 79.3% from the free-throw line as a captain for Ohio State in the early 1980s.
WE AND PAPA McGEE
10. McGee - Father Anthony McGee led Long Beach State in scoring in 1975-76 with 14.8 ppg before contributing 4.5 ppg for the 49ers' NCAA playoff team the next season. Son Tony averaged 4 ppg for Eastern Washington in 1997-98 and 1998-99. Son Antoine averaged 1.4 ppg and 1.7 apg with Colorado from 2002-03 through 2005-06. Son Andre averaged 5.2 ppg and 1.8 apg while shooting 36.5% from beyond the arc with Louisville from 2005-06 through 2008-09, leading the Cardinals in three-point field-goal shooting as a junior (39.4%).
HONORABLE MENTION: FIFE AND DRUM CORPS
Fife - Father Dan Fife averaged 12.6 ppg and 4.9 rpg for Michigan from 1968-69 through 1970-71. Son Dugan averaged 4.6 ppg and 2 rpg for Michigan from 1992-93 through 1995-96. Son Jeremy led Grand Valley State (MI) in assists in 1996-97 and 1997-98. Son Dane averaged 5.6 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 2.3 apg and 1.4 spg while shooting 38.2% from three-point range for Indiana from 1998-99 through 2001-02.
Bloom Off Rose: Jalen Won't Win Popularity Contest With Jeremy Lin
Put up your dukes! A "duel of documentaries" should unfold this month when truTV is slated to release "Duke '91 and `92: Back to Back." It wasn't by design, but essentially will be a substance-over-style response to ESPN's glorification of Michigan's "Fab Five" last year.
Regal social commentator Jalen Rose, sounding more like rap-is-crap Eminem than a humble Jeremy Lin, affixed the unbecoming "Uncle Tom" tag on Duke's dynasty. Rose was subsequently pulled from the air briefly by ESPN for failing to disclose his DUI arrest shortly following the release of a controversial documentary about his time with Michigan's Fab Five freshmen. Jailin' was given a speeding ticket only hours after ordered to serve time - 93 days in jail (all but 20 of them suspended; served 16 days).
Seemingly self-destructive Rose, whose intellectually lazy concealment compromised ESPN's reputation, failed to exhibit any regret for "hating Duke" in the doltish documentary. Through his taunting Rose-colored glasses, the Mike Krzyzewski-coached Blue Devils were blasted by him for preferring to recruit "Uncle Tom" African-American student-athletes. Despite being Rose-hosed, DI's all-time winningest coach must know more about assembling a non-gangsta winner than certainly Uncle Fester or Uncle Kracker - both definitely requiring baggy shorts. But Coach K, even without any of the self-absorbed Fab Five on his roster, somehow kayoed six more opponents than Michigan did during rambling Rose's overrated stint with the cultural icon Wooferines from 1991-92 through 1993-94. Duke won each of four meetings with all or part of the Fab Jive; three of them by double digits.
Maybe Rose, the Worldwide Leader's basketball version of former football flunkey Michael Irvin, would have been recruited by Duke if he wasn't susceptible to finding himself in a thorny situation at a home(y) during a crack roundup.
Maybe Rose would have been recruited by Coach K if he wasn't leeching to a hanger-on such as convicted bookmaker/booster Ed "Godfather" Martin for "pocket change."
Maybe Rose would have been recruited by Duke if he boasted leadership qualities capable of guiding a superior-personnel squad to a bare minimum of one conference championship (which the Fraud 5 never did in the Big Ten).
Maybe Rose would have been recruited by Duke if he assured the Blue Devils' coaching staff he could help his me-generation team keep track of timeouts at critical junctures instead of seemingly being more consumed with donning revolutionary look-at-me black socks.
All-Americans Christian Laettner and Grant Hill were co-executive producers for the Duke documentary focusing on the Blue Devils' back-to-back NCAA titles in 1992 and 1993.
"Coach K would say to us, 'If you don't respect the other team, you're already halfway to a loss,'" Laettner told foxsports.com. "So he would never allow us to act that way. We could tell they were having loser thoughts at the beginning of the (1992) championship game because they were more concerned with taunting us and calling us names than figuring out what to do in a high pick-and-roll situation.
"That's why we beat them by 20 (71-51). In the film, Jalen Rose says, 'I don't know what happened.' I'll tell you what happened, man. You disrespected us and we shoved it where the sun don't shine. You don't know what happened? I'll tell you what happened. We kicked your ass."
It would be fabulous if Rose's outrageous trash-talking prowess included divulging his ACT or SAT score for the public to discern whether Uncle Jailin' qualified academically to become a "bitch" or "pussy" for Duke as he and his bush buddies bellowed in the documentary. Rather than hatin' harangues denigrating Duke, he should also "cry uncle" and be a mite more concerned with "polishing" the punk images associated with drab-five character issues stemming from reports of deadbeat dads, driving under the influence, herpes, marijuana possession and obstructing justice. But he probably knows as much about guilt-by-association as he does facts surrounding his fugitive sister-in-law evading Texas authorities for nearly four decades after shooting her common-law husband.
Other than permitting Rose to watch his alma mater for old time's sake at Illinois recently, why did ESPN clutter up its broadcasting crew by assigning him to muddle the presentation of normally astute Stephen Bardo? ESPN's obfuscation penalty against Rose never will be sufficient until the cable network assigns the documentary's co-executive producer to a pruning in front of the Cameron Crazies and allow them equal time documenting their infinitely more clever comments about stopping and smelling this Rose. Odds are they'll produce a catch-phrase putting "we're bigger than the score of the game" to shame. If not a destiny in Durham or it doesn't register from looking in the mirror, Rose needs exposure to the title of comedian Ron White's "You Can't Fix Stupid" routine to generate an idea of what many think of his street-cred "Uncle" tomfoolery.
Miami Vice: Coach Larranaga Helping 'Canes Clean Up Big Mess
Who with a functioning brain was stunned by what occurred at "The U" linking its athletic program to a rogue booster? What does "The U" stand for anyway regarding Miami (FL)? Here are some of the most likely candidates: The Ugliest. The Unaccountable. The Unbalanced. The Unbearable. The Uncivilized. The Unconscionable. The Unpleasant. The Unpropitious. The Unqualified. The Unruly. The Unscrupulous. The Unseemly. The Untoward. The Unwholesome. The Urinal.
Amid the disgusting details, there was a pathetic "bowling-for-dollars" photograph of Miami President Donna Shalala accepting a $50,000 check donated by the Ponzi schemer at a bowling alley venue fund-raising event for basketball facilities. Shalala's public pronouncements stemming from the scandal resembled her feeble "hear-no-evil, see-no-evil" machinations as a dignified political hack who believed Sick Willie's "meaning of is-is" lies while serving as Secretary of Health and Human Services in the Clinton Administration. In both instances, Not-So-Primo Donna did virtually nothing to serve the health of humanity by halting or even slowing down descents into decay.
New Hurricanes coach Jim Larranaga, swinging a big broom taking care of the basketball portion of Miami's mess, hitched his clean-up wagon to Man Mountain Reggie Johnson until it came unhinged momentarily when Johnson was declared ineligible for one game because his family might have received impermissible benefits. No Johnson would mean "no NCAA tourney" for the 'Canes.
Deal or No Deal?: Double Standard for College Coaches and Players
St. Joseph's coach Phil Martelli's failure to allow seldom-used center Todd O'Brien to transfer to UAB is a classic example showing how loyalty has become too much of a one-way street. Players considering their options occasionally are grilled by coaches and commentators for contemplating transferring to another school or leaving early for the NBA. But there are countless examples of an institution of lower learning holding a player's eligibility hostage out of sheer vindictiveness. How much more one-sided can it be when that lame double standard exists?
After all, the value systems for high-profile coaches are sufficiently open-minded to permit running out on contracts when more lucrative jobs come open. Contracts are understood to be for the protection of the coach, not the team, whose players are somehow indentured to the schools for as many as four years of eligibility unless of course a coach chooses not to renew their scholarships.
The length of contracts doesn't seem to carry any weight as a factor in the equation. At least 25 active head coaches took off for greener pastures with more than five years remaining on pacts. Rather than stiffing a backup player like O'Brien, Martelli should be more concerned about those vagabonds and other peers who each left as many as three different schools in the lurch such as Lon Kruger, Kevin O'Neill, Bill Self and Tubby Smith.
CollegeHoopedia.com has assembled an extensive list of "pompous pilots" who had contractual obligations to schools when they abandoned ship like so many rats at some point in their coaching careers.
Going South in Alaska: Anchorage Gives Cold Shoulder to DI Teams
More than 45 NCAA Division I schools have lost to DII Alaska-Anchorage after the Seawolves upended UC Irvine early this season, 77-63. Over the years, Alaska-Anchorage upended the following current/future members from top six power conferences - Auburn, California, Houston, Miami, Michigan, Missouri, Notre Dame, Penn State, Tennessee, Texas, TCU, Texas Tech, Wake Forest and Washington.
Michigan's 1989 NCAA Tournament champion lost on a neutral court (Utah) to Anchorage, 70-66, during the Wolverines' pre-Big Ten Conference competition slate. The Seawolves dropped six of their last 12 games that season against Chaminade, Metro State (twice), Eastern Montana, Puget Sound and Alaska-Fairbanks to finish with a 21-9 record before Michigan earned an NCAA crown maneuvering through the DI playoffs under interim coach Steve Fisher.
UAA defeated at least one major university 10 consecutive campaigns from 1985-86 through 1994-95. CollegeHoopedia.com has assembled "one-of-a-kind" details on the striking number of "David vs. Goliath" small-college victories over major universities.
Fall-American: Movin' Marvin isn't Only Hopeless Hoop Standout
"Movin'" Marvin Barnes' rap sheet was moving on up in mid-January after the three-time Providence All-American, now 59, was arraigned in Rhode Island on a charge of soliciting a 17-year-old minor for sex after they met through his Rebound Foundation for at-risk youths. Barnes' previous indiscretions are too numerous to mention but are summarized among 50 former All-Americans included in CollegeHoopmedia.com's "Bad Boys of Basketball."
The formation of the Big East Conference wouldn't occur for another seven years after Barnes powered the Friars to the 1973 Final Four. While Barnes isn't among the derelicts, the Big East has had about 10 former all-league selections become pokey bound after Chicago product Kelly Whitney, one of Seton Hall's all-time top 20 scorers (1,498 points from 2002-03 through 2005-06), was sentenced to three years in prison after pleading guilty in Newark to burglary, criminal restraint and conspiracy to commit burglary stemming from him allegedly masterminding a break-in where he and Pirates player Robert Mitchell robbed eight people, including several SHU students, at gunpoint in mid-March 2010 in a private home near the South Orange campus. Mitchell, who testified against Whitney, was sentenced to five years' probation.
Beat the Press Then Meet the Press: Stress Tests for Bing & Boeheim
Former Syracuse sensation Dave Bing, after failing to balance the budget the past two years as Detroit's mayor, unveiled what appeared to be a reasonable rescue plan the first week in January that he says can save the city from insolvency. But the facts-don't-lie plan is not new and depends largely on concessions that unions have strongly resisted. If the union bosses don't take a prompt remedial math class and budge in the pressure-packed atmosphere, then Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder could appoint an emergency financial manager, who would have authority to stop paying the city council and mayor, strip union contracts and sell off assets or have the city enter into a consent agreement with the state.
The pressure on Bing, a two-time All-American swingman, probably hasn't been this intense to deliver results since the weight of the world was on his shoulders in the 1966 NCAA Tournament when the senior teammate of Orange coach Jim Boeheim was limited to 10 points (more than 18 below his nationally fifth-best average) and committed a team-high 6 turnovers in a 91-81 setback against Duke in the East Regional final. Boeheim, who scored 15 points in the loss, probably can commiserate with Bing about crisis management in the wake of the abuse allegations involving long-time assistant Bernie Fine and Yahoo Sports' report about SU's longstanding pattern of failing to adhere to its drug policy.
CollegeHoopedia.com has conducted exhaustive research on what All-Americans have done in a wide variety of vocations in the "real world" after their basketball-playing days ended.
Familiar Ring: Anthony Davis Boasts Same Name as Gridiron Great
Kentucky freshman phenom Anthony Davis, pacing the nation in blocked shots, is a lock to become SEC Player of the Year and help UK become the first school ever to have 40 different individuals named as an All-American. But emerging on the scene during the time of year focusing extensively on college bowl games and the NFL playoffs, his name made some observers reminisce about someone else outside the world of basketball. Well-rounded sports fans remember Anthony Davis, a USC running back who was runner-up in the 1974 Heisman Trophy voting to Ohio State's Archie Griffin after scoring four touchdowns in a memorable nine-minute span to help the Trojans erase a 24-0 deficit against Notre Dame.
In the wake of Joe Paterno's passing, to what extent can this contrived name association be taken? Following is an alphabetical list of former basketball all-league first-team choices whose names have a more familiar ring in football:
Willie Brown, G, Texas Western (1961-62 in Border Conference)
Willie Brown, G, Middle Tennessee (1967-68 and 1968-69 in Ohio Valley)
Kevin Green, G, Loyola, Md. (1990-91 and 1991-92 in MAAC)
Charlie Johnson, G, California (1968-69 in Pacific-8)
Jerry Jones, F-C, Southern Illinois (1989-90 in Missouri Valley)
Chris Long, G, Elon (2010-11 in Southern)
Don Miller, G, Morehead State (1950-51 in Ohio Valley)
Joe Paterno, F, Fordham (1987-88 and 1988-89 in MAAC)
Carlos Rogers, C, Tennessee State (1992-93 and 1993-94 in Ohio Valley)
Jerry Smith, G-F, Furman (1960-61 through 1962-63 in Southern)
Jim Turner, F-C, Brown (1985-86 in Ivy League)
Charlie White, F, Oregon State (1965-66 in Pacific-8)
Randy White, C, Louisiana Tech (1987-88 and 1988-89 in American South)
Willie Woods, F, Eastern Kentucky (1969-70 in Ohio Valley)
Race Relations Report on College Hoops All-Americans
CollegeHoopedia.com has conducted extensive research on trailblazing African-Americans who broke the color barrier at current DI schools. But amid ESPN's stereotypical bombarding the airwaves for six weeks with politically-correct segments from MLK's birthday through Black History month in February, it could be worth assessing the racial overtones of college basketball through the current minority prism of the white player.
There is some credence to refraining from judging a book by its cover. But the last time a majority of the NCAA consensus All-American first-team selections were white was 1969-70 (LSU's Pete Maravich, Purdue's Rick Mount and Kentucky's Dan Issel). Non-whites accounted for more than 83 percent of the NCAA consensus All-American first- and second-selections since the shot clock was introduced nationwide in 1985-86. Alarmists might beg to differ, but the white American player hasn't exactly slipped into extinction. In 2008-09, North Carolina's Tyler Hansbrough became the first Caucasian four-time All-American since La Salle's Tom Gola (1952 through 1955).
Clearly, the only "Great White Hopes" with any realistic chance of becoming an NCAA consensus first-team All-American this year were Purdue's Robbie Hummel, Creighton's Doug McDermott and North Carolina's Tyler Zeller. Hummel's first-team prospects faded by mid-season but, after returning from major knee surgery, it will still be a significant achievement even if he is a second- or third-team choice. After all, the only individual ever to return to All-American status following a medical redshirt was Kentucky center Sam Bowie, who achieved the feat in 1983-84 after missing the previous two seasons because of a leg injury. Meanwhile, Zeller's play picked up in ACC competition although probably not enough to propel him to first-team status.
As for McDermott, he averaged 25.3 points and 8.7 rebounds in three non-league victories over Big Ten Conference members. But according to a politically-direct UCF study several years ago, McDermott faces an uphill climb inasmuch as less than 1/3 of NCAA Division I players are white. Last year, BYU's Jimmer Fredette joined the following alphabetical list of only 18 different white players, four from Duke, named as an NCAA consensus first-team All-American in the last 30 seasons:
White First-Team All-American, Position, School (Season)
Steve Alford, G, Indiana (1985-86 and 1986-87)
Andrew Bogut, C, Utah (2004-05)
Nick Collison, F, Kansas (2002-03)
Dan Dickau, G, Gonzaga (2001-02)
Danny Ferry, F, Duke (1988-89)
Jimmer Fredette, G, Brigham Young (2010-11)
Tyler Hansbrough, F-C, North Carolina (2006-07 through 2008-09)
Bobby Hurley, G, Duke (1992-93)
Casey Jacobsen, F-G, Stanford (2000-01)
Christian Laettner, F-C, Duke (1991-92)
Raef LaFrentz, F-C, Kansas (1996-97 and 1997-98)
Kevin Love, C, UCLA (2007-08)
Chris Mihm, C, Texas (1999-2000)
Adam Morrison, F, Gonzaga (2005-06)
Chris Mullin, G, St. John's (1984-85)
Troy Murphy, F, Notre Dame (1999-2000 and 2000-01)
J.J. Redick, G, Duke (2004-05 and 2005-06)
Keith Van Horn, F, Utah (1996-97)
Leaving Comfort Zone: Coaches Thrive at Facing New Challenges
Jim Larranaga, in his debut campaign with Miami (FL), is positioning the 'Canes for a possible NCAA at-large bid after 14 seasons coaching George Mason. Another coach winning about two-thirds of his games in a debut season after a long stint elsewhere is Georgia State's Ron Hunter, who served 17 seasons with IUPUI (moved up to the Division level in 1998-99).
Retired Jim Calhoun posted a 9-19 mark with Connecticut in 1986-87 after serving 14 campaigns with Northeastern. Active coaches who had the longest tenures before leaving willingly for a similar job with another DI school are:
Fran Dunphy--12-18 record with Temple in 2006-07 after 17 years with Penn
Dana Altman--21-18 with Oregon in 2010-11 after 16 years with Creighton
Roy Williams--19-11 with North Carolina in 2003-04 after 15 years with Kansas
Risky Business: Which Schools Stepped Out on Thin Limb for Coach?
At the time, it seemed equivalent to betting everything on a penny stock. But it can turn into a bonanza as evidenced by Duke's Mike Krzyzewski going on to become the all-time winningest major-college mentor after arriving in Durham to homestead Krzyzewskiville on the heels of a season W-L record eight games below .500 with Army.
There were mixed reactions recently when first-year Lamar coach Pat Knight, evoking comparisons to his forceful father (Bob Knight), scorched the seniors he inherited with a post-game press conference diatribe. Krzyzewski and Pat Knight are among the following active coaches hired by their current school despite coming off a season when they posted a losing record:
Active Coach, Current School/Losing Season Record With Previous School
Jeff Bzdelik, Wake Forest/15-16 record with Colorado in 2009-10
Pat Knight, Lamar/13-19 with Texas Tech in 2010-11
Mike Krzyzewski, Duke/9-17 with Army with 1979-80
Greg McDermott, Creighton/15-17 with Iowa State in 2009-10
Lorenzo Romar, Washington/15-16 with Saint Louis in 2001-02
Joe Scott, Denver/11-17 with Princeton in 2006-07
Billy Taylor, Ball State/12-19 with Lehigh in 2006-07
Rex Walters, San Francisco/15-18 with Florida Atlantic in 2007-08
Mining the Mid-Majors: Best Players Beyond Top Six Conferences
Despite a frustration flap with his father/coach, there is little doubt Creighton forward Doug McDermott will be anointed as an All-American this season. But will any other mid-major diamond-in-the-rough be treated in a similar fashion?
Understandably, playmaker-obsessed analyst Doug Gottlieb promoted Iona guard Scott Machado all last season. But Machado, leading the nation in assists, may have messed up monumentally with a seven-point, four-turnover outing at Loyola (MD) in a recent battle for first place in the MAAC. Gottlieb probably would have been better off conducting PR for Saint Mary's floor general Matthew Dellavedova, the West Coast Conference's player of the year.
Among the mid-level players with high-level games are Murray State guard Isaiah Canaan (led the Racers to a 23-0 start), Weber State guard Damian Lillard (leading the nation in scoring), UNLV frontcourter Mike Moser (one of the country's top rebounders) and Norfolk State center Kyle O'Quinn (perhaps the nation's best-kept secret).
Questioning the qualifications of voters quickly comes to mind when assessing the list of standouts who weren't acknowledged as All-Americans. Despite stellar collegiate careers, including player of the year acclaim in a mid-major conference, a striking number of individuals didn't generate sufficient national recognition to be chosen as an All-American. For instance, Paul Millsap of Louisiana Tech led the nation in rebounding three straight seasons from 2003-04 through 2005-06 but wasn't accorded All-American status. Norris Cole, Mr. Versatility for Cleveland State last season, was shunned before going on to average almost 9 ppg and 3 apg with the Miami Heat this year.
The overlooked features two prominent floor generals who went on to lead the NBA in assists a total of 14 times--John Stockton (nine) and two-time MVP Steve Nash (five)--plus Tim Hardaway, who averaged 8.2 apg during his 13-year pro career; Joe Dumars, a six-time NBA All-Star guard and 1989 NBA Finals MVP, and Derek Fisher, who received five championship rings with the Los Angeles Lakers in the first decade of the 21st Century. Among shunned frontcourters, two-time conference MVPs Chris Gatling, Brian Grant, Popeye Jones and Rik Smits each played at least 11 seasons in the NBA.
Whether they are coaches who need to come out of the film-watching closet or members of the lame stream media, many incompetent voters should be deep-sixed for overdosing on the premier leagues while looking condescendingly upon mid-level players. Why were the following DI conference MVPs left behind in regard to securing All-American status before they enjoyed NBA/ABA careers of at least six seasons?
Player, Position, School (Mid-Level Conference/MVP Season)
Mark Acres, F, Oral Roberts (Midwestern City/1982-83 and 1983-84)
Rick Adelman, G, Loyola, Calif. (West Coast Athletic/1967-68)
Jim Ard, C, Cincinnati (Missouri Valley/1969-70)
Vin Baker, C, Hartford (North Atlantic/1992-93)
Jose Juan Barea, G, Northeastern (Colonial Athletic Association/2005-06)
Anthony Carter, G, Hawaii (Western Athletic/1996-97)
Terry Catledge, F, South Alabama (Sun Belt/1983-84 and 1984-85)
Chris Childs, G, Boise State (Big Sky/1988-89)
Doug Christie, G-F, Pepperdine (West Coast/1990-91 and 1991-92)
Craig "Speedy" Claxton, G, Hofstra (America East/1997-98 and 1999-2000)
Wayne Cooper, C, New Orleans (Sun Belt/1977-78)
Antonio Daniels, G, Bowling Green (Mid-American/1996-97)
Bryce Drew, G, Valparaiso (Mid-Continent/1996-97 and 1997-98)
Joe Dumars, G, McNeese State (Southland/1984-85)
Ledell Eackles, F, New Orleans (American South/1987-88)
Blue Edwards, F, East Carolina (Colonial Athletic Association/1988-89)
Melvin Ely, C, Fresno State (Western Athletic/2000-01 and 2001-02)
Derek Fisher, G, Arkansas-Little Rock (Sun Belt/1995-96)
Fred Foster, F, Miami of Ohio (Mid-American/1967-68)
Winston Garland, G, Southwest Missouri State (Mid-Continent/1986-87)
Chris Gatling, C-F, Old Dominion (Sun Belt/1989-90 and 1990-91)
Kenny Gattison, F, Old Dominion (Sun Belt/1985-86)
Mike Glenn, G, Southern Illinois (Missouri Valley/1975-76)
Brian Grant, F-C, Xavier (Midwestern Collegiate/1992-93 and 1993-94)
Willie Green, G, Detroit (Horizon League/2002-03)
Bob Gross, F-G, Long Beach State (PCAA/1974-75)
Tim Hardaway, G, Texas-El Paso (Western Athletic/1988-89)
Trenton Hassell, F, Austin Peay (Ohio Valley/2000-01)
Armond Hill, G, Princeton (Ivy League/1975-76)
Tyrone Hill, F-C, Xavier (Midwestern Collegiate/1989-90)
Roy Hinson, C, Rutgers (Atlantic 10/1982-83)
Lindsey Hunter, G, Jackson State (Southwestern Athletic/1992-93)
Avery Johnson, G, Southern, La. (Southwestern Athletic/1987-88)
Eddie Jones, F-G, Temple (Atlantic 10/1993-94)
Ronald "Popeye" Jones, C, Murray State (Ohio Valley/1989-90 and 1990-91)
Chris Kaman, C, Central Michigan (Mid-American/2002-03)
Joe Kleine, C, Arkansas (Southwest/1984-85)
Larry Krystkowiak, F, Montana (Big Sky/1983-84 through 1985-86)
Jim Les, G, Bradley (Missouri Valley/1985-86)
Reggie Lewis, F, Boston University (ECAC North Atlantic/1984-85 through 1986-87)
Grant Long, F, Eastern Michigan (Mid-American/1987-88)
Pace Mannion, G-F, Utah (Western Athletic/1982-83)
Aaron McKie, G, Temple (Atlantic 10/1992-93)
Steve Mix, C-F, Toledo (Mid-American/1968-69)
Steve Nash, G, Santa Clara (West Coast/1994-95 and 1995-96)
Johnny Newman, F, Richmond (ECAC South/1983-84)
Norm Nixon, G, Duquesne (Eastern Collegiate Basketball League/1976-77)
Michael Olowokandi, C, Pacific (Big West/1997-98)
Anthony Parker, G-F, Bradley (Missouri Valley/1995-96)
Robert "Sonny" Parker, G-F, Texas A&M (Southwest/1974-75)
Tim Perry, F, Temple (Atlantic 10/1987-88)
Kurt Rambis, C-F, Santa Clara (West Coast Athletic/1979-80)
Dan Roundfield, F, Central Michigan (Mid-American/1974-75)
Brian Shaw, G, UC Santa Barbara (PCAA/1987-88)
Reggie Slater, C, Wyoming (Western Athletic/1991-92)
Larry Smith, F, Alcorn State (Southwestern Athletic/1979-80)
Rik Smits, C, Marist (ECAC Metro/1986-87 and 1987-88)
Ricky Sobers, G, UNLV (West Coast Athletic/1974-75)
John Stockton, G, Gonzaga (West Coast Athletic/1983-84)
Rodney Stuckey, G, Eastern Washington (Big Sky/2005-06)
George Trapp, F, Long Beach State (PCAA/1969-70 and 1970-71)
Gary Trent, F, Ohio University (Mid-American/1992-93 through 1994-95)
Ronny Turiaf, F, Gonzaga (West Coast/2004-05)
David Wesley, G, Baylor (Southwest/1991-92)
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