The Past Dunce: Basketball Baron MJ Made Ill-Advised Foray Into Baseball

April 9th, 2022 - 9:45

"The basket is in the same place all the time." - Long-time MLB player/manager/executive Joe Torre on why trying to hit a moving target in professional baseball would be more difficult for Michael Jordan than excelling at basketball

Today marks the anniversary of celebrated cager Michael Jordan unceremoniously commencing his Organized Baseball career becoming as much of a dud as Meghan Markle's foray into British royalty. As entertaining as ESPN's 10 episodes of "The Last Dance" were for five quarantined weeks a couple of years ago, the documentary couldn't possibly be rated a "10" by majority of versatile athletes boasting experiential knowledge playing basketball and baseball at the collegiate or professional level. The disconcerting departure from Jordan's regal reality in hoopdom was an absurd implication he could have reached the majors in baseball. Please! What baseball skill set was he betting on? Between sniffing hair and incoherent policy messages to the nation on economic intercourse, meandering Plagiarist Bi-dumb, while trying to scale Stair Farce One on "windy" day, might jive-talk say: "He ain't no Daddy Hack, man!"

Yes, an adventurous life includes risk. Just ask self-anointed Ambassador to North Korea Dennis Rodman. But what in the world was NBA GOAT thinking when personally knocking himself off hoops pedestal to become pedestrian baseball player? He was textbook example that even an authentic physical specimen doesn't always possess the aptitude to competently compete, let alone excel, in both basketball and baseball at the highest level. Of course, anyone with a pulse admires Michael's mystical work ethic. Some starry-eyed observers on injured list sans moral compass may even applaud Jordan's extracurricular-activity appetite for betting and bedding. But unless MJ won a wager with actor/director Robert "The Natural" Redford to obtain "Wonderboy" lightning bolt-treated bat, only a fictional-film fan "Airhead" believes "His Airness" was big-league bound as an outfielder.

Numbers don't lie. After his initial retirement, Jordan hit an anemic .202 and scarred his prestigious persona with 30% more strikeouts than base hits (114 to 88) for Double A Birmingham's 1994 Southern League West Division last-place team. He wasn't exactly the South's next Henry Aaron 20 years removed from "Hammerin' Hank" breaking Babe Ruth's MLB career home-run record. None of the Southern League's "44" players with at least 400 at-bats that year registered a lower batting average. In fact, Jordan posted the lowest average in entirety of AA Organized Ball among 180 players with at least 325 ABs (including Eastern League and Texas League). Embracing Jordan's crude Jerry Krause food-consumption lingo, his baseball menu featured more "crumbs" than fine dining. Nonetheless, media leftovers was what eventual MLB veterans Jason Giambi, Doug Glanville, Tony Graffanino, Jason Kendall, Damian Miller, Pokey Reese, Desi Relaford, Alex Rodriguez, Chris Stynes and Chris Widger received in Southern League that season compared to Jordan generating more publicity than all of these genuine baseball players combined.

Anyone with functioning brain realizes Jordan was the Chicago Bulls' centerpiece. But despite Krause assembling rosters including 66 different players for potent teams compiling 11 consecutive winning seasons from 1987-88 through "The Last Dance," Jordan disparaged architect by mooing like a cow when portly executive entered the Bulls' locker room or got on team bus. However, Jordan should currently have at least a little more respect for Krause after an abundance of NBA humble pie served to him in front office as the Charlotte Bobcats/Hornets notched winning campaigns only three times in last 11 years since he became majority owner.

Contrary to anything your father may have told you about athletic endeavors, the single most difficult thing to do in any team sport is soundly striking a quality baseball pitch. In parallel with Joe Torre's incisive quote above, there is a "Greatest Showman" carnival caveat regarding Jordan's celebrity cruise. If he grudgingly consented to become a 31-year-old replacement player during the MLB strike commencing in mid-August 1994 when Torre was managing the St. Louis Cardinals, perhaps an Eddie Gaedel-like "Field of Schemes" freak show in reverse might have unfolded to put a few more fannies in stadium seats.

Partially influenced by legend-building commercial spoon-fed culture, most "Be-Like-Mike" aficionados are unaware the documentary failed to touch all the bases by pointing out North Carolina's two-time consensus All-American wasn't best former college basketball standout performing as an outfielder on the Barons' baseball roster in 1994. The superior teammate on the diamond was Scott Tedder, a 6-4 lefthander who is Ohio Wesleyan's all-time leading scorer with 2,501 points. Tedder, playing about one-fourth of the '94 campaign with Cubs' affiliate Orlando (also in Southern League), hit .281 for the season. Tedder, a three-time All-NCAC first-team selection in basketball and Most Outstanding Player of NCAA Division III Final Four as senior in 1987-88, posted a .261 batting average over five years with the Barons. Another ex-college hooper on roster of White Sox' affiliate that season was Ken Coleman, a utilityman who hit .191. Coleman is New Haven's all-time leader in assists after pacing the Chargers in scoring feeds all four seasons from 1984-85 through 1987-88. Coleman, a two-time All-NECC hoop selection, played seven years in the minors, finishing with a .258 batting mark. If not a better batting average in order to emerge from basement by winning a few more road games, at least Jordan's teammates got a better traveling bus worth $350,000 financed by him out of the deal.

There are pros and cons about earn-your-spurs hazing of self-absorbed rookies. But former minor-league pitcher Scott Burrell, a Chicago Bulls teammate in MJ's final Bulls season (1997-98) and current hoops bench boss for Southern Connecticut State, was treated like a rented mule by five-time MVP in excessive competitive repartee heaped on a veteran. Odds are UConn product Burrell, the first athlete to become a first-round draft pick of two major sports organizations (MLB/Seattle Mariners in 1989 and NBA/Charlotte Hornets in 1993), missed out on a potential hefty bonus when failing to respond to Jordan by challenging him to a one-on-one baseball gamble. Insofar as Jordan appeared in 127 games with the Barons, how about a symbolic "I love to bet" home-run derby with him facing 127 strikes from Burrell in Comiskey Park or Las Vegas to see if MJ might swat more than the three round-trippers he did with the Barons? Trash-talking Jordan could have condescendingly distributed a diet pill for each Big Fly to competition director if event was "managed" by talent evaluator Krause, who worked as scout for four different MLB franchises (Indians/Athletics/Mariners/White Sox). Naturally, the hoops legend would also emerge as "the best (actor) there ever was" in baseball if resembling Roy Hobbs by knocking cover off Burrell delivery in front of his sons. Parked in first row of stadium, equally-versatile film director-producer-writer-actor Spike Lee/Mars Blackmon would proclaim: "It's gotta be the news (headline)!"

At any rate, never underestimate Jordan's penchant for rising to the occasion and three-time All-Big East Conference hoops selection Burrell failed to reach as high as Double A, compiling a 2-6 Class A pitching record in 14 starts in the Toronto Blue Jays' farm system in 1990 and 1991. In 1989, promising righthander Burrell was picked ahead of supplemental first-rounder Todd Jones plus the following eventual MLB hurlers: Jerry Dipoto (3rd round), Shane Reynolds (3rd), Denny Neagle (3rd), Scott Erickson (4th), Alan Embree (5th), Paul Quantrill (6th), Russ Springer (7th), Curt Leskanie (8th), Sterling Hitchcock (9th), Trevor Hoffman (11th), Mike Trombley (14th), Pat Rapp (15th) and Tim Worrell (20th). In 1990 as a fifth-round selection by Toronto, Burrell was chosen before eventual MLB pitchers Mike Hampton (6th round), Troy Percival (6th), Mike Williams (14th), Rick White (15th), Dave Mlicki (17th), Eddie Guardado (21st), Andy Pettitte (22nd) and Jason Bere (36th).

Baseball Hall of Fame hurlers Bob Gibson (Creighton), Ted Lyons (Baylor), Eppa Rixey Jr. (Virginia) and Robin Roberts (Michigan State) also were standout basketball players for major universities. But hoopers-turned-pitchers such as the HOFers plus Gene Conley (Washington State) and Steve Hamilton (Morehead State) should be exempt from any basketball-to-baseball comparison equation assessing an everyday performer such as Jordan. Conley is the only individual in history to win both MLB (Milwaukee Braves in 1957) and NBA titles (member of three consecutive Celtics championship teams from 1959 through 1961). Hamilton is only athlete to play in World Series (1963 and 1964 with New York Yankees) and NBA Finals (rookie in 1959 when Lakers were swept by Celtics) after participating in NCAA playoffs (averaged 18.5 points in four tourney games in 1956 and 1957).

A hoops-to-MLB transition has been achieved more often than the average fan knows. Jordan was incapable, but former NCAA Division I basketball standouts Tony Clark (San Diego State), Terrell Lowery (Loyola Marymount), Lyle Mouton (Louisiana State) and Desi Wilson (Fairleigh Dickinson) competed in Double A baseball in 1994 - collaborating for .288 batting average - en route to reaching the majors. No matter how much sweat equity is dispensed, you either have "it" (multiple-sport skills) or you don't. Truth be told in evaluating what could be depicted as Jordan's "The Past Dunce," we probably should defer to short-lived uniform #45 during brief career in Organized Ball. Fitting like a glove in baseball infinitely more than MJ's iconic NBA jersey #23, following is an alphabetical list of 45 major-college varsity basketball regulars who went on to enjoy non-pitcher MLB careers of at least six seasons (same number as Jordan's NBA titles) since the start of national postseason competition in late 1930s:

Two-Sport Athlete Summary of Major-College Hoops Career Summary of Non-Pitcher's MLB Career
Jerry Adair Played two seasons of varsity basketball under legendary coach Hank Iba with Oklahoma State (third-leading scorer with 9.7 ppg in 1956-57 and second-leading scorer with 11.9 ppg in 1957-58). Adair ranked among the nation's top 12 free-throw shooters both seasons when one of his teammates was recently-deceased HOF coach Eddie Sutton. Hit .254 in 1,165 games in 13 seasons from 1958 through 1970 with the Orioles, White Sox, Red Sox and Athletics before playing one year in Japan. Adair set MLB records for highest fielding average (.994) and fewest errors (five) by 2B in single season in 1964 and for consecutive errorless games by 2B (89 in 1964 and 1965). He participated in 1967 World Series with the Red Sox after being traded by White Sox for reliever Don McMahon.
Joe Adcock Played three seasons from 1944-45 through 1946-47 for Louisiana State as 6-4, 190-pound center. Leading scorer with 18.6 ppg for 1945-46 Tigers team compiling an 18-3 record. All-league second-team selection set SEC Tournament record with 15 field goals in game against Tulane in 1946 (subsequently broken). 1B hit .277 with 336 homers and 1,122 RBI in 17 seasons from 1950 through 1966 with four different teams. He hit four homers and double for the Braves against Brooklyn Dodgers on 7-31-54, setting MLB record for most total bases in game (18) that stood until broken by Shawn Green in 2002. Adcock was the Braves' regular first baseman on 1957 and 1958 N.L. champions. Adcock, who blasted career-high 38 homers in 1956 between injury-plagued seasons, was an All-Star in 1960 and managed the Indians in 1967.
Frankie Baumholtz First player in Ohio University history to score 1,000 points in career led school to three-year record of 49-18. His high game was 29 points against Dayton. Capped college career by earning MVP honors in 1941 NIT when leading tourney in scoring with 53 points in three games for second-place Bobcats, including game-high 19 in final. OF hit .290 in 1,019 games in 10 N.L. seasons (1947 through 1949 and 1951 through 1957) with the Cubs, Reds and Phillies. Baumholtz, who finished fifth in inaugural Rookie of Year voting, hit under .283 in only two of his nine full seasons. He hit .325 in 1952, finishing second to Stan Musial in batting championship race. Lefthander led N.L. in pinch hits in 1955 and 1956.
Bruce Bochte Starting 6-3 forward for Santa Clara in 1969-70 when averaging 7.4 ppg and 4 rpg under coach Dick Garibaldi. Collected eight rebounds in loss against Utah State and 10 points in victory against Jerry Tarkanian-coached Long Beach State in 1970 NCAA playoffs. One of Bochte's teammates was All-American center Dennis Awtrey, who went on to play 12 NBA seasons with six different franchises. 1B-OF hit .282 with the Angels, Indians, Mariners and A's in 12 A.L. seasons from 1974 through 1986 (boycotted 1983 as a personal protest over rising player salaries). Lefthander was A.L. All-Star with Seattle in 1979 when finishing 10th in batting average (career-high .316) and eighth in doubles (career-high 38) along with career-high 100 RBI. Representing the Mariners the only time Seattle has hosted the Midsummer Classic, Bochte knocked in run with single off Gaylord Perry. Named team MVP the next year. In post-playing days, the avowed agnostic worked to "save the Mother Earth from humankind's destructive ways."
Leo Burke Averaged 9.2 ppg for Virginia Tech in 1952-53 and 1953-54. Utilityman hit .239 with the Orioles, Angels, Cardinals and Cubs in seven years from 1958 through 1965. Traded by St. Louis to the Cubs in mid-1963 for knuckleballer Barney Schultz, a key reliever for the Cards in their 1964 pennant-winning season.
Bob Cerv The 6-0, 200-pounder averaged 6.2 ppg for Nebraska from 1946-47 through 1949-50, ranking fourth on the school's career scoring list when finishing his eligibility. OF hit .276 in 12 seasons from 1951 through 1962 with the Yankees, Athletics, Angels and Colt .45s. Cerv played in 1955, 1956 and 1960 World Series with the Yankees. He slugged homer in 1955 WS against the Dodgers and hit .357 in 1960 WS against the Pirates. In 1958, he batted .305 (sixth in A.L.) with 38 homers (fourth) and 104 RBI (fourth) for Kansas City and was chosen over Ted Williams as All-Star LF in year of Boston legend's final batting title. Finished among A.L. top 10 in batting average and RBI in back-to-back years (1958 and 1959).
Tony Clark Played in only five games his freshman season for Arizona in 1990-91 under coach Lute Olson before transferring home to San Diego State. The swingman averaged 11.6 ppg and 4.6 rpg for the Aztecs as sophomore in 1991-92, leading them in scoring in WAC games. 1B averaged 31 homers per season in four-year span from 1996 through 1999 with the Tigers. Finished sixth in A.L. with 117 RBI in 1997. Tallest switch-hitter (6-7) in major-league history was second pick overall in 1990 amateur draft. Traded to Red Sox following All-Star campaign in 2001. Hit .262 with 251 homers and 824 RBI in 15 seasons from 1995 through 2009 with the Tigers, Red Sox, Mets, Yankees, Diamondbacks and Padres. In 2014, became first former player named executive director of MLB Players Association.
Billy Cowan The 6-0 guard was Utah letterman from 1957-58 through 1959-60 under coach Jack Gardner. Co-captain of Utes as senior when teammate of All-American Billy McGill scored 25 points in three NCAA playoff games. OF hit .236 with the Cubs, Mets, Braves, Phillies, Yankees and Angels in eight seasons (1963 through 1965, 1967 and 1969 through 1972). PCL MVP in 1963 with the Salt Lake City Bees. His only year as regular was 1964 when posting career highs of 16 doubles, 19 homers and 50 RBI as the Cubs CF ranked among N.L. top nine in stolen bases with 12. Traded by the Cubs to Mets for George Altman on 1-1-65.
Tim Cullen Starting guard for Santa Clara in 1962-63 when averaging 10 ppg and 3.4 rpg in Dick Garibaldi's first season as coach. Averaged 3.7 ppg and 2.4 rpg in nine games the previous year when one of his teammates was Bob Garibaldi, who pitched briefly for the Giants. Infielder, primarily a second baseman, hit .220 with the Senators, White Sox and A's in seven seasons from 1966 through 1972. Led A.L. second basemen in fielding percentage in 1970 one year after committing three errors in one inning on 8-30-69. Traded by the White Sox to Senators for Ron Hansen on 8-2-68. Played in ALCS in his final major-league campaign.
Alvin Dark Louisiana State letterman in 1942-43 before entering military service (Marine Corps V-12 program) during World War II. Three-time All-Star INF hit .289 in 14 years (1946 and 1948 through 1960) with the Braves, Giants, Cardinals, Cubs and Phillies. Hit career-high .322 with the Braves in 1948 when earning Rookie of Year award. Dark led N.L. in doubles with the Giants with 41 in 1951 and paced league's shortstops three times in putouts and double plays. Ranked among N.L. top 10 in hits seven times in 10-year stretch from 1948 through 1957. Hit .323 in three World Series ('48 with Braves; '51 and '54 with Giants). Dark compiled 994-954 record in 13 years (1961-64, 1966-71, 1974, 1975, 1977) as manager of the Giants, A's, Indians and Padres. Won 1962 N.L. pennant with San Francisco and 1974 WS with Oakland.
Walt Dropo The 6-5, 220-pounder averaged 21.7 ppg in 1942-43, 21 ppg in 1945-46 and 19.7 ppg in 1946-47 in Connecticut career interrupted by World War II. First player in UConn history to average 20 points for a season has second-highest scoring average in school annals (20.7). He didn't play pro basketball despite being the Providence Steamrollers' top draft choice in 1947. 1B hit .270 with 152 homers and 704 RBI in 13 seasons from 1949 through 1961 with the Red Sox, Tigers, White Sox, Reds and Orioles. Named A.L. Rookie of Year in 1950 when All-Star pick hit .322 (8th in league) with 34 homers (runner-up) and league-leading 144 RBI for Boston. Also ranked 6th in RBI in 1952 and 9th in 1953. Tied MLB record with 12 consecutive hits in 1952, including 7-for-7 effort in twinbill against the Senators.
Sammy Esposito Scored 81 points in Chicago high school game. He played one season (1951-52) of varsity basketball for Indiana before signing a pro baseball contract, averaging 7 ppg as starting guard under coach Branch McCracken. Assistant basketball coach at North Carolina State for 14 years, including 1974 NCAA champion. Utility INF hit .207 in 560 games during 10-year career (1952 and 1955 through 1963) with the White Sox and Athletics. Saw action in two World Series games in 1959 with White Sox. On 9-7-60, he started in place of 2B Nellie Fox, ending Fox's consecutive-game streak at 798. Esposito was baseball coach at North Carolina State from 1967 through 1987, leading Wolfpack to third-place finish in 1968 College World Series.
Hoot Evers The 6-2 Evers was starter for Illinois in 1939-40 under coach Doug Mills. Two-time All-Star OF hit .278 with the Tigers, Red Sox, Giants, Orioles and Indians in 12 seasons in 1941 and from 1946 through 1956. His best season was in 1950 when leading A.L. in triples (11) and ranked third in slugging percentage (.551), fourth in doubles (35), sixth in extra-base hits (67), seventh in batting average (.323), ninth in on-base percentage (.408), ninth in RBI (103) and ninth in total bases (290). Red Sox LF while Hall of Famer Ted Williams served in U.S. military hit for cycle on 9-7-50 with Tigers.
Dick Groat Named College Basketball Player of Year by Helms Foundation in 1950-51. Nation's fifth-leading scorer as junior (25.2 ppg) and runner-up as senior (26 ppg). Scored career-high 48 points for Duke against North Carolina on 2-29-52. Played 26 games in NBA, averaging 11.9 ppg for Fort Wayne Pistons in 1952-53. In 1951, Virginia coach Gus Tebell said Groat is "the finest player I've seen in the South in my 27 years of coaching." SS hit .286 in 1,929 games in 14 N.L. seasons (1952 and 1955 through 1967) with the Pirates, Cardinals, Phillies and Giants. Eight-time All-Star started on World Series championship teams with Pirates in 1960 and Cardinals in 1964. N.L. MVP in 1960 when pacing league in batting average (.325). Ranked among N.L. top four in hits in 1960, 1962 and 1963 (led league in doubles with 43).
Tony Gwynn Averaged 8.6 ppg, 2 rpg and 5.5 apg with San Diego State from 1977-78 through 1980-81. The 5-11, 170-pound guard was named second-team All-WAC as both junior and senior. Set school DI record with 18 assists vs. UNLV on 2-5-80. Led WAC in assists as sophomore and junior before finishing third as senior. Paced the Aztecs in steals each of his last three seasons. Padres OF hit .338 in 20 seasons (1982 through 2001), winning eight N.L. batting titles (1984-87-88-89-94-95-96-97). Played in 15th All-Star Game in 1999 before topping the 3,000-hit plateau later in the year. Holds N.L. record for most years leading league in singles (seven). Paced N.L. in runs in 1986 (107) and on-base percentage in 1994 (.454). Gold Glove winner five times (1986-87-89-90-91). He hit .368 in 1984 NLCS to help San Diego reach World Series against the Tigers. Also participated in 1998 WS against the Yankees.
Frank Howard Two-time All-Big Ten Conference first-team selection averaged 17.4 ppg and 13.9 rpg from 1955-56 through 1957-58, leading Ohio State in both scoring and rebounding as junior (20.1 ppg/15.3 rpg) and senior (16.9 ppg/13.6 rpg). The 6-5, 220-pounder grabbed still existing school-record 32 rebounds in game against BYU. It was one of 10 times he retrieved 20 or more missed shots. Howard, who was 54th in country in scoring as junior, finished his college career as Buckeyes' third-leading career scorer and leading rebounder. Howard was first-team All-American selection by USBWA/Look Magazine, Converse and NEA as junior when ranking 8th in nation in rebounding. He was third-round choice of Philadelphia Warriors in 1958 NBA draft. OF/1B for 16 seasons from 1958 through 1973 with the Dodgers, Senators/Rangers and Tigers. In 1,902 major league games, he hit .273 with 382 homers and 1,119 RBI. N.L. Rookie of Year in 1960. Capped off string of four straight years finishing among A.L. top five in RBI with a league-high 126 in 1970. Howard led A.L. in homers with 44 in both 1968 and 1970 and was runner-up in 1969 with 48. Eight of his round-trippers came in a five-game stretch in 1968 to set MLB record. Four-time All-Star homered in Game 4 of 1963 World Series to help Dodgers sweep the Yankees.
Ron Jackson Second-team All-Mid-American Conference choice from 1951-52 through 1953-54. The 6-7 center led Western Michigan in scoring and rebounding as junior (15.5 ppg/12.3 rpg) and senior (19.7 ppg/10.9 rpg). Bonus baby 1B hit .245 in seven seasons from 1954 through 1960 with the White Sox and Red Sox. Never lived up to promising rookie campaign when hitting .280 in 40 games.
Davey Johnson Averaged 1.7 ppg in only varsity season (1961-62) with Texas A&M before signing pro baseball contract. One of his fellow sophomore opponents that year was Rice center Kendall Rhine Sr., an All-SWC second-team selection who had 6-7 son with same name selected by Houston Astros in first round of 1992 MLB June amateur draft (37th pick overall). A.L. Manager of Year in 1997 with the Orioles directed the Mets to victory over Baltimore in 1986 World Series. His managerial record in 14 seasons with the Reds, Mets, Orioles and Dodgers was 1,148-888 (.564) before leaving the Nationals' front office in middle of 2011 campaign to become their manager. Johnson finished first or second 11 times in his first 15 seasons as big league skipper. Four-time All-Star hit .261 as INF in 13-year career (1965 through 1975, 1977 and 1978) with the Orioles, Braves, Phillies and Cubs. Earned three straight A.L. Gold Gloves as 2B with Orioles from 1969 through 1971. Slugged 43 (N.L. runner-up) of his 136 career homers for the Braves in 1973 after appearing in four World Series with Orioles (1966-69-70-71). Owns distinction of being only player to have hit behind both Hank Aaron and Japan's all-time home-run king (Sadaharu Oh).
Don Kessinger Selected to 10-man All-SEC team each season from 1961-62 through 1963-64 while finishing among nation's top 45 scorers. In scoring for all games, ranked third in league as sophomore (21.4 ppg), second as junior (21.8 ppg) and second as senior (23.5 ppg). Scored 49 points for Mississippi on 22-of-28 field-goal shooting against Tulane on 2-2-63, and exploded for 48 at Tennessee 10 nights later. SS hit .252 in 16 seasons from 1964 through 1979 with the Cubs, Cardinals and White Sox. Managed the White Sox in 1979 before becoming coach at his alma mater. Led N.L. shortstops in putouts three times, assists four times and double plays four times. The 6-1, 170-pound switch-hitter played in six All-Star Games in seven-year span from 1968 through 1974. His best season was 1969 when scoring 109 runs (fourth in N.L.), had 181 hits (seventh), stroked 38 doubles (runner-up) and earned one of his two Gold Gloves.
Jerry Kindall The 6-2 1/2, 175-pounder played two seasons for Minnesota under coach Ozzie Cowles, averaging 1.4 ppg as sophomore in 1954-55 and 6.9 ppg as junior in 1955-56. INF hit .213 in nine seasons (1956 through 1958 and 1960 through 1965) with the Cubs, Indians and Twins. Baseball coach at Arizona for more than 20 years, leading the Wildcats to three College World Series titles (1976-80-86). He was only player to hit for cycle in CWS at Omaha (against Ole Miss on 6-1-56). Kindall is only individual to play for and coach CWS champions.
Art Kusnyer The 6-2 Kusnyer led Kent State in field-goal percentage (44.5%) in 1965-66 when he was Golden Flashes' third-leading scorer and rebounder (10.5 ppg and 4 rpg). Backup C hit .176 with the White Sox, Angels, Brewers and Royals in six A.L. seasons (1970 through 1973, 1976 and 1978). Involved in nine-player deal between Angels and Brewers on 10-22-73.
Vance Law The 6-2, 185-pounder averaged 6.8 ppg for Brigham Young from 1974-75 through 1976-77. Played for BYU with his brother (Veryl). INF hit .256 with the Pirates, White Sox, Expos, Cubs and A's in 11 years from 1980 through 1991. He posted career-high .293 batting average (eighth in N.L.) with Cubs in 1988 when named an All-Star. Appeared in at least 130 games in six of seven seasons from 1983 through 1989, including 25-inning marathon on May 8-9, 1984, against the Brewers. Participated in league championship series with White Sox in 1983 and Cubs in 1989. Son of RHP Vern Law also pitched in seven big-league games.
Don Lock The 6-2 Lock was starting guard for Wichita as junior in 1956-57 (7 ppg) and senior in 1957-58 (10.1 ppg), leading the Shockers in FG% both seasons under coach Ralph Miller. OF hit .238 with 122 homers for the Senators, Phillies and Red Sox in eight seasons from 1962 through 1969. Ranked among A.L. top 10 in homers in 1963 (27) and 1964 (28). Homered in his debut but was plagued by strikeouts, averaging more than 105 whiffs annually in five-year span from 1963 through 1967. Traded by the Yankees to Senators for Dale Long on 7-11-62 and by Senators to Phillies for P Darold Knowles plus cash on 11-30-66.
Kenny Lofton Averaged 4.8 ppg and 2.6 apg for Arizona from 1985-86 through 1988-89 under coach Lute Olson. Set school records for steals in season (67 as senior) and career (200). Leader in steals for 1988 Final Four team compiling 35-3 record. Lefthander hit .299 and stole 622 bases in 17 seasons from 1991 through 2007 with the Astros, Indians, Braves, White Sox, Giants, Pirates, Cubs, Yankees, Phillies, Dodgers and Rangers. Four-time Gold Glove CF led Indians with .325 batting mark (fourth in A.L.) and paced majors with 70 stolen bases in 1993. After traded to Cleveland, he hit .285 for the Indians in 1992 and led A.L. in SBs with 66, a record for A.L. rookie. Six-time All-Star led A.L. in SBs five consecutive years from 1992 through 1996, hitting career-high .349 in 1994. Paced A.L. with 13 triples in 1995 before stealing six bases in World Series against the Braves. Returned to WS in 2002 with the Giants. Tied major-league record by scoring at least one run in 18 consecutive contests.
Don Lund Starting guard as junior for Michigan and starting center as senior. Averaged 4.4 ppg in 46 outings. In his history of UM basketball, Jeff Mortimer wrote of school's World War II squads: "Lund, rejected for military service because of a trick knee, was the mainstay of these teams." Following his playing career, he served as baseball coach for his alma mater (won 1962 College World Series), farm system director for the Tigers and associate athletic director at his alma mater. OF hit .240 in seven-year career (1945, 1947 through 1949 and 1952 through 1954) with the Dodgers, Browns and Tigers. His only season as regular was 1953 when serving as Tigers' RF. Coached baseball at his alma mater, winning the national championship in 1962, before running the Tigers' farm system until 1970. First-round selection as a fullback/linebacker by the Chicago Bears in 1945 NFL draft.
Tony Lupien The 5-10, 185-pound guard was captain of 1938-39 Harvard squad. The previous season, he was school's second-leading scorer in conference competition with 5.4 ppg. Lefthanded 1B hit .268 in six seasons (1940, 1942 through 1945 and 1948) with the Red Sox, Phillies and White Sox. Ranked sixth in triples with nine in A.L. and N.L. in back-to-back seasons (1943 and 1944). Former baseball coach at Dartmouth (313-305-3 record in 21 years from 1957 through 1977) was co-author of book "The Imperfect Diamond: The Story of Baseball's Reserve Clause and the Men Who Fought to Change It."
Jim Lyttle Point guard led Florida State in free-throw shooting in 1965-66 (75.9%) when averaging 12.4 ppg. Backup OF, a first-round pick in 1966 amateur draft, hit .248 with the Yankees, White Sox, Expos and Dodgers in eight years from 1969 through 1976. The lefthanded swinger's best season was 1970 when hitting .310 with the Yanks.
Jerry Martin Juco transfer was Furman's second-leading scorer as junior in 1969-70 (16 ppg) under coach Frank Selvy and third-leading scorer as senior in 1970-71 (12.7 ppg) under coach Joe Williams. The 6-1, 195-pound guard was named MVP in 1971 Southern Conference Tournament after leading Paladins to title with 22-, 36- and 19-point performances to pace tourney in scoring. He collected five points and two rebounds as starter for them in their inaugural NCAA Tournament game, a 105-74 defeat against Digger Phelps-coached Fordham in 1971 East Regional. OF hit .251 in 11 years from 1974 through 1984 with the Phillies, Cubs, Giants, Royals and Mets. Valuable backup hit three pinch homers for Phillies in 1978 in his last year with three consecutive divisional champions. The next two seasons as regular with Cubs, Martin collected 42 homers and 146 RBI. His 34 doubles in 1979 ranked ninth in N.L. His father, Barney Martin, pitched in one game for the Reds in 1953. The free-swinger, suspended in 1984 for involvement with drugs, served three-month sentence in Fort Worth Correctional Institute with Royals teammate Willie Wilson.
Len Matuszek Two-year letterman was starter for Toledo's 1975-76 squad compiling 18-7 record. The 6-2, 190-pounder averaged 5.4 ppg in three-year career under coach Bob Nichols. Lefthanded swinger hit .234 in seven seasons from 1981 through 1987 with the Phillies, Blue Jays and Dodgers. Appeared in 1985 NLCS with the Dodgers. Backup OF assumed first-base duties from Pete Rose in 1984 after all-time hits leader left Phillies.
Sam Mele Guard played two seasons with NYU before entering U.S. military. Named to first five on All-Metropolitan New York team as sophomore in 1942-43 when he was the Violets' leading scorer in NCAA Tournament (losses against Georgetown and Dartmouth). OF for 10 years from 1947 through 1956 and manager of the Twins for seven years from 1961 through 1967. Hit .267 in 1,046 games with the Red Sox, Senators, White Sox, Orioles, Reds and Indians. Played for two different teams in single season four times in seven-year span from 1949 through 1955. Led A.L. with 36 doubles for the Senators in 1951 and drove in six runs in one inning in 1952 game for the White Sox. Compiled 524-436 managerial record from 1961 through 1967 with the Twins, winning 1965 A.L. title with 102-60 mark.
Gene Michael The 6-2, 180-pounder led Kent State in scoring with 14 ppg in 1957-58. He also chipped in with 4.9 rpg. Former Yankees general manager was switch-hitting SS who hit .229 in 10 seasons from 1966 through 1975 with the Pirates, Dodgers, Yanks and Tigers. Nicknamed "Stick," he was master of hidden-ball trick, pulling it off five times in MLB career. Michael compiled 206-200 record in four-year managerial career with the Yankees (1981 and 1982) and Cubs (1986 and 1987).
Wally Moon The 5-11 Moon averaged 4.3 ppg with Texas A&M in 1948-49 and 1949-50. Two-time All-Star OF-1B hit .289 with the Cardinals and Dodgers in 12 N.L. seasons from 1954 through 1965. Lefthanded swinger homered in first at-bat en route to earning N.L. Rookie of Year acclaim over Hank Aaron in 1954 when Moon led league in plate appearances (716) and ranked among top six in hits (193), triples (9), runs (106) and stolen bases (18). Paced N.L. in triples in 1959 with 11. Gold Glove LF in 1960 between appearing in two World Series with Dodgers (1959 and 1965). Finished fourth in 1959 MVP voting ahead of Willie Mays (6th), Frank Robinson (9th) and Ken Boyer (10th).
Lyle Mouton The 6-3 Mouton averaged 8.2 ppg and 3.2 rpg as sophomore in 1988-89 before dropping off LSU coach Dale Brown's team to concentrate on baseball. Started in the Tigers' backcourt with All-American Chris Jackson when they lost to Texas-El Paso in West Regional of NCAA playoffs. OF hit .280 for the White Sox, Orioles, Brewers and Marlins in seven seasons from 1995 through 2001. Also played in Japan. Named to 1990 College World Series All-Tournament Team.
Johnny O'Brien The 5-9, 160-pound guard scored 2,733 points for Seattle from 1950-51 through 1952-53, averaging 20.7 ppg as sophomore, 28.4 as junior and 28.6 as senior (third among major-college players). Scored 51 points against Gonzaga on 2-15-53. NCAA consensus All-American second-team choice as junior and consensus first-team selection as senior. Averaged 32 ppg in three NCAA playoff contests in 1953. Became first college player to crack 1,000-point plateau in single season when scoring 1,051 in 37 games in 1951-52. Bonus baby INF/P played six seasons (1953 and 1955 through 1959) with the Pirates, Cardinals and Braves. Hit .250 and compiled 1-3 pitching record in 339 games. As 2B for the Pirates on 4-3-56, he became last N.L. position player to earn victory on the mound until catcher Brent Mayne achieved the feat for the Rockies against Atlanta in August 2000. Traded by the Pirates with Gene Freese to Cardinals for Dick Schofield and cash. Twin brother of former major leaguer Eddie O'Brien, a teammate with Seattle.
Paul Popovich Averaged 3.3 ppg in reserve role in one season of varsity basketball with West Virginia (1959-60) before signing pro baseball contract. Led freshman team in scoring with 18.8 ppg. Teammate of All-American Jerry West on squad compiling 26-5 record and playing in NCAA Tournament under coach Fred Schaus. Popovich sank 5-of-6 field-goal attempts in second-round 82-81 loss against NYU. INF hit .233 in 11 N.L. seasons (1964 and 1966 through 1975) with the Cubs, Dodgers and Pirates. Traded by the Dodgers with Ron Fairly to the Expos for Maury Wills and Manny Mota on 6-11-69, before immediately being traded to the Cubs. Switch-hitter went 3-for-3 in pinch-hitting appearances for the Pirates in 1974 NLCS.
Curtis Pride Averaged 5.6 ppg and 3.1 apg with William & Mary from [1986-87](seasons/1986-870 through 1989-90. The 6-0, 185-pound guard led Tribe in season steals three times and assists twice. Dished out 10 assists vs. ECU on 2-24-88. Named to Colonial Athletic Association All-Rookie team as freshman and to league All-Defensive team as sophomore and junior. Born with 95% hearing disability, he was one of few deaf athletes to ever play in MLB. OF made debut with Expos in 1993 and hit .444 in 10 games. His best season was in 1996 when collecting 17 doubles and 10 homers while hitting .300 for the Tigers. Lefthanded swinger hit .250 in 11 seasons to 2006 with six franchises (Expos, Tigers, Red Sox, Braves, Yankees and Angels). Appeared in 2004 A.L. Divisional Series with Angels.
Dave Ricketts The 6-2, 190-pound guard was three-year starter who led Duquesne in scoring with 17.9 ppg as senior in 1956-57, finishing fourth in nation in free-throw percentage (86.2%). Sophomore member of team compiling 22-4 record and finishing sixth in final AP poll after winning NIT. He converted school-record 42 consecutive free-throw attempts. C hit .249 in six seasons (1962, 1965 and 1967 through 1970) with the Cardinals and Pirates. Switch-hitter played with the Cardinals in 1967 and 1968 World Series. Long-time coach, instructor and minor league manager in the Cards' organization.
Mel Roach The 6-1, 190-pounder earned basketball letter by averaging 9.3 ppg in 1952-53 in Virginia's final season prior to joining the ACC before receiving substantial MLB bonus from Milwaukee Braves. Bonus baby utilityman hit .238 in eight years (1953, 1954 and 1957 through 1962) with the Braves, Cubs and Phillies. The longtime backup to Red Schoendienst hit .309 in 44 games in 1958 and .300 in 48 games in 1960 for the Braves, who traded him to Cubs for Frank Thomas on 5-9-61.
Jackie Robinson Football, basketball and track standout at Pasadena City College in 1937-38 and 1938-39. Named to All-Southern California Junior College Conference Western Division all-star basketball team both years, a span during which UCLA was winless in league competition. First athlete in Bruins history to letter in football, basketball, baseball and track. The 5-11 forward compiled highest scoring average in Pacific Coast Conference both of his seasons with UCLA (12.3 ppg in league play in 1939-40 as all-league second-team selection and 11.1 in 1940-41). In his final athletic outing for Bruins, he accounted for more than half of their output with 20 points in 52-37 loss to USC. Hall of Fame INF hit .311 with 137 homers as regular on six N.L. pennant winners with the Dodgers in 10 seasons from 1947 through 1956. After becoming Rookie of Year in 1947, Robinson was named MVP in 1949 when leading N.L. with .342 batting average and 37 stolen bases. Also finished runner-up in batting average in 1950, third in 1951 and fourth in 1952. Ranked among N.L. top nine in runs scored seven times and top seven in SBs on nine occasions. The six-time All-Star homered in 1952 All-Star Game. He had two homers and seven doubles in World Series competition.
Gary Sutherland The 6-0, 175-pound guard was USC's fifth-leading scorer in 1963-64 when averaging 7.4 ppg as shortest man on coach Forrest Twogood's roster. Utilityman hit .243 in 13 seasons from 1966 through 1978 with seven teams (Phillies, Expos, Astros, Tigers, Brewers, Padres and Cardinals). Selected by Montreal in expansion draft, brother of four-year MLB pitcher Darrell Sutherland, a Stanford hooper, had more than 500 at-bats in one season with the Expos (1969) and two with the Tigers (1974 and 1975). Ranked fourth in A.L. in singles in 1974 with 131.
Wayne Terwilliger The 5-11, 165-pounder was two-year letterman for Western Michigan's team, averaging 5.6 ppg in his final season in 1947-48. 2B hit .240 in nine seasons (1949 through 1951, 1953 through 1956, 1959 and 1960) with the Cubs, Dodgers, Senators, Giants and Athletics. He collected eight consecutive hits for the Cubs as rookie. Minor league manager for 15 seasons in farm systems of the Yankees, Senators and Rangers (1961-68, 1973 and 1975-80). Served as major league coach with the Senators, Rangers and Twins (1969-71, 1972 and 1981-94).
Will Venable All-Ivy League first-team selection as junior and second-team choice as senior averaged 9.3 ppg under Princeton coach John Thompson III from 2001-02 through 2004-05. Scored team-high 16 points and contributed game highs of 8 rebounds and 3 steals in 2004 NCAA tourney setback against Texas. Lefthanded OF hit .249 with the Padres, Rangers and Dodgers in nine seasons from 2008 through 2016. Venable, who didn't play baseball his freshman year in college, finished among N.L. top 10 in triples (8th with 7) and stolen bases (9th with 29) in 2010. He had career-high 22 homers in 2013. Son of 12-year MLB OF Max Venable was the Padres' seventh-round choice in 2005 amateur draft.
Sammy White Averaged 10.1 ppg as 6-3, 195-pound forward with Washington from 1946-47 through 1948-49. Named to first five on All-Pacific Coast Conference Northern Division team as junior and senior. C hit .262 in 11 seasons with the Red Sox (1951 through 1959), Braves (1961) and Phillies (1962). All-Star in 1953 hit over .280 three times with Boston. Ranked among A.L. top 10 in doubles three straight years (1953 through 1955). Scored three runs in one inning (7th) on 6-18-53 when Red Sox tallied 17 against the Tigers.
Dave Winfield Played two seasons as 6-6, 220-pound forward with Minnesota, averaging 6.9 ppg and 5.4 rpg as junior in 1971-72 and 10.5 ppg and 6.1 rpg as senior in 1972-73. He played entire game, collecting 8 points and 8 rebounds against eventual Final Four participant Florida State, in Gophers' initial NCAA Tournament appearance in 1972 under coach Bill Musselman. Selected by Atlanta Hawks in fifth round of 1973 NBA draft and Utah Stars in sixth round of 1973 ABA draft. Didn't play college football, but was chosen in 17th round of 1973 NFL draft by Minnesota Vikings. Hall of Fame OF, a first-round pick in 1973 amateur draft (fourth choice overall), hit .283 with 465 homers, 1,833 RBI and 3,110 hits in 22 seasons (1973 through 1988 and 1990 through 1995) with the Padres, Yankees, Angels, Blue Jays, Twins and Indians. Led N.L. in total bases in 1979 with 333 before ranking among A.L. top four in batting average in 1984 (.340) and 1988 (.322). Seven-time Gold Glover appeared in 12 All-Star Games after never playing in minors. Participated in World Series with the Yankees (1981) and Blue Jays (1992).
Randy Winn The 6-2 backcourtmate of eventual two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Steve Nash averaged 1.4 ppg in 17 games for Santa Clara in 1993-94. A.L. All-Star OF in 2002 was one of most consistent switch-hitters in MLB, hitting .284 and stealing 215 bases in 13 seasons from 1998 through 2010. When retiring, Winn was active player with most games (1,717) without appearing in postseason after playing for the Yankees and Cardinals in 2010. Ranked among A.L. top three in triples in 1998 and 2002 and top eight in stolen bases three straight years from 2002 through 2004. In 2005 with the Mariners and Giants, he fell one SB shy of becoming first switch-hitter ever with at least 45 doubles, 20 homers and 20 steals in single season. His 51-hit effort in September 2005 marked most safeties by Giants player in any single month in 30 years. Selected by Tampa Bay in 3rd round of expansion draft before making his big league debut.

On This Date: Former College Hoopers Generating MLB Headlines on April 9

April 9th, 2022 - 9:31

Extra! Extra! As a new season gains steam, you can read news all about memorable major league baseball achievements, moments and transactions involving former college basketball players. Numerous ex-college hoopers had front-row seats to many of the most notable games and dates in MLB history.

Did you know that outfielder "Sweet" Lou Johnson, an ex-Kentucky State hooper, was traded three times the first nine days in April in deals involving Los Angeles-based teams? In the minors, all-time basketball great Michael Jordan made his Organized Baseball debut on April 9, 1994, when the Chicago White Sox farmhand went hitless as right fielder for the Birmingham Barons (Southern League). What in the world was the then 31-year-old Jordan thinking en route to a .202 batting average and 114 strikeouts in 127 games? Unless Jordan won a bet with Robert "The Natural" Redford to acquire "Wonderboy" bat, the only way MJ could have reached the majors was via an Eddie Gaedel-like stunt.

Baseball is portrayed as a thinking man's game but only 4% of active MLB players earned college diplomas. George Altman (Tennessee State) joined Sweet Lou as another former HBCU hooper making MLB news on this date. Former juco hoopers Darrell Evans (Pasadena City CA) and Jim Thome (Illinois Central) each hit two homers in MLB games on this date. Unless you habitually pore over the content at baseballlibrary.com, baseballreference.com and nationalpastime.com, following is an April 9 calendar focusing on such versatile MLB athletes:

APRIL 9

  • RF George Altman (appeared in 1953 and 1954 NAIA Tournament with Tennessee State's basketball squad) stroked four hits against the New York Mets on Opening Day 1963 in his debut with the St. Louis Cardinals.

  • 1B George Crowe (four-year letterman from 1939-40 through 1942-43 for Indiana Central after becoming first high school player named state's "Mr. Basketball") traded by the Milwaukee Braves to the Cincinnati Reds in 1956.

  • Detroit Tigers DH Darrell Evans (member of Jerry Tarkanian-coached Pasadena City CA club winning 1967 state community college crown) homered twice in a 1986 game against the Boston Red Sox.

  • LF "Sweet" Lou Johnson (Kentucky State hoops teammate of legendary HBCU coach Davey Whitney averaged 5.7 ppg and 2 rpg in 1951-52) traded by the Detroit Tigers with $10,000 to the Los Angeles Dodgers for P Larry Sherry in 1964.

  • In his first start of the 1992 campaign, Baltimore Orioles RHP Ben McDonald (started six times as freshman forward for LSU in 1986-87 under coach Dale Brown) tossed a two-hit shutout against the Cleveland Indians.

  • Seattle Mariners RF Leon Roberts (grabbed one rebound in four basketball games for Michigan in 1970-71 under coach Johnny Orr) ripped a grand slam in 8-6 setback against the Minnesota Twins in 1978 season opener.

  • RHP Mike Smithson (teammate of Tennessee All-American Ernie Grunfeld averaged 1.9 ppg and 1.6 rpg under coach Ray Mears in 1974-75 and 1975-76) traded by the Boston Red Sox to the Texas Rangers in 1982.

  • Detroit Tigers 2B Gary Sutherland (averaged 7.4 ppg with USC in 1963-64) went 4-for-4 against the New York Yankees in 1974.

  • Philadelphia Phillies 1B Jim Thome (played junior-college hoops for Illinois Central in 1988-89) collected two homers and five RBI in a 2003 game against the Atlanta Braves.

  • Minnesota Twins DH Dave Winfield (starting forward for Minnesota's first NCAA playoff team in 1972) stroked three extra-base hits against the Kansas City Royals in 1993.

Course Correction: Ohio State Made Even Bigger Turnaround Than Iowa State

April 8th, 2022 - 20:19

Iowa State received acclaim for its turnaround this season in reaching the Sweet 16 after compiling an anemic 2-22 record in 2020-21. Historically, the Cyclones didn't have as much an improvement among power-conference members as Ohio State, which tied a school record for most defeats in 1997-98 (8-22 mark) before advancing to the 1999 Final Four. Another F4 club after tying school standard for most setbacks the previous campaign was Kansas in the mid-1970s. Following is a games-improvement summary of their respective about-faces:

Power-League School Summary of NCAA Tourney Turnaround From One Season to Next Games Improved
Ohio State 8-22 in 1997-98 to 27-9 in 1998-99* under coach Jim O'Brien +16
Iowa State 2-22 in 2020-21 under Steve Prohm to 22-13 under T.J. Otzelberger +14 1/2
Kansas 8-18 in 1972-73 to 23-7 in 1973-74* under Ted Owens +13

*Ohio State and Kansas reached Final Four.

Hammerin' Home College Hoopdom's Impact on Hank Aaron's MLB Career

April 8th, 2022 - 9:56

On historic day commemorating sports icon Hank Aaron, it should be pointed out he was surrounded by hoopers his entire 23-year MLB career. The majority of Milwaukee Braves' starting infield was comprised of former college basketball players on April 23, 1954, when Aaron contributed his first big-league RBI and homer (against St. Louis Cardinals). Aaron was outhomered in his rookie campaign by 1B teammate Joe Adcock, 23-13, eight years after Adcock set SEC Tournament record with 15 field goals for Louisiana State's basketball squad in 1946. Did you also know that ex-Texas A&M hooper Wally Moon (averaged 4.3 ppg in 1948-49 and 1949-50) earned National League Rookie of the Year acclaim over Aaron when the Cards CF led league in plate appearances (716) and ranked among top six in hits (193), triples (9), runs (106) and stolen bases (18)? Twenty years later in Atlanta, Aaron's 715th round-tripper surpassing Babe Ruth on April 8, 1974, was hit off Los Angeles Dodgers lefthander Al Downing, who attended Muhlenberg (Pa.) on a basketball scholarship but left school before ever playing to turn to Organized Ball and his ultimate date with sports history while also donning uniform #44.

Opposing catcher adjacent to Aaron for historic homer was Downing's batterymate Joe Ferguson, who played for Pacific against eventual NCAA basketball champion UCLA in 1967 West Regional final. LA's manager was Walter Alston, a basketball letterman with Miami of Ohio from 1932-33 through 1934-35. The winning hurler in historic baseball game was Atlanta's Ron Reed, who led Notre Dame in rebounding as a junior (17.7 rpg in 1963-64) and scoring as a senior (21 ppg in 1964-65). Reed played more seasons (nine) with Aaron than any ex-college cager. Former hoopers Darrell Evans (Pasadena City College under coach Jerry Tarkanian) and Davey Johnson (Texas A&M) combined for 40 homers with the Braves in Aaron's final campaign with them in 1974. Johnson, who tied Hall of Famer Rogers Hornsby's record for most single-season round-trippers by a second baseman the previous year, became a regular with the Baltimore Orioles in 1966 by succeeding slick-fielding Jerry Adair, a top three scorer for Oklahoma State in 1956-57 and 1957-58 under legendary coach Hank Iba.

Aaron led the entire majors in homers in a single season only once (44 in 1957) before pacing N.L. three more times (1963, 1966 and 1967). Former college hooper contemporaries swatting more circuit clouts than Aaron in a season when he registered at least 20 round-trippers included Adcock (38 in 1956 and 35 in 1961), Bob Cerv (attended Nebraska/38 in 1958 with Kansas City Athletics), Evans (41 in 1973 and 25 in 1974), Gil Hodges (St. Joseph's IN & Oakland City IN/32 in 1956 with Brooklyn Dodgers), Frank Howard (Ohio State/44 in 1968, 48 in 1969 and 44 in 1970 with Washington Senators), Johnson (43 in 1973), Don Lock (Wichita/28 in 1964 with Senators), Graig Nettles (San Diego State/22 in 1974 with New York Yankees) and Leon "Daddy Wags" Wagner (Tuskegee AL/31 in 1964 with Cleveland Indians). Johnson, Evans and Aaron comprised the first trio of teammates to each hammer at least 40 homers in a single season.

Aaron's 755th and final homer came against the California Angels on 7/20/76 (hit none in his final 23 games covering 2 1/2 months). In Aaron's next-to-last MLB game, his final extra-base hit was a sixth-inning double vs. Baltimore Orioles on 9/29/76 before scoring eventual winning run on a single by Eastern League MVP/Triple Crown winner/September call-up Dan Thomas in the Milwaukee Brewers' 6-3 victory. The tally was Aaron's final of 2,174 runs scored. His successor as the Brewers' principal DH early in 1977 was Thomas before career for "The Sundown Kid" unraveled under Bud Selig's stewardship prior to becoming MLB commissioner. Believe it or not, Thomas died in Aaron's hometown of Mobile, Ala., under distressing circumstances. If you need to win a sports trivia bar bet, please be aware that Thomas' high-school basketball coach at Dupo, Ill., in the St. Louis Metro East area was Cal Neeman Sr. (catcher with Chicago Cubs, Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates, Cleveland Indians and Washington Senators for seven years from 1957 through 1963 after leading Illinois Wesleyan hoops in scoring in 1947-48 and 1948-49).

Adding to hoop connection, the college baseball coach for Thomas, 6th pick overall in 1972 MLB June amateur draft following Southern Illinois' runner-up finish in 1971 College World Series, was Richard "Itchy" Jones, an ex-Salukis hooper averaging 8.9 ppg in 1956-57. Moreover, Thomas was runner-up to Sixto Lezcano in batting average in 1973 with the Shreveport Captains' AA Texas League club managed by Gene Freese, the captain of West Liberty State WV hoop squad participating in 1952 NAIA Tournament. On 5-1-75, Lezcano scored record-setting run on Aaron's third-inning single when Aaron passed Ruth in career RBI (2,210).

It's a small sports world, after all. In 1950, Neeman was a minor-league teammate of New York Yankees farmhand Mickey Mantle for Joplin (Class C Western Association). Mantle earned his second of three A.L. MVP awards in 1957. In Neeman's MLB debut with the Cubs on opening day 1957 against the Braves, he got his first big-league safety off Cy Young Award winner Warren Spahn (single to right-center; Aaron was RF). One week later on 4/23/57, Aaron was a firsthand witness early in his lone MVP campaign to Neeman's first MLB homer (decisive 10th-inning blast off World Series MVP Lew Burdette of the Braves). Coincidentally, Aaron (fractured left ankle sliding into third base) and Neeman (fractured little finger of right hand) both had their regal rookie seasons stall the first week in September because of injuries. For the record, Thomas' first big-league homer came at Yankee Stadium off Catfish Hunter. Eventual Hall of Fame shortstop Robin Yount went 2-for-18 with Milwaukee in the four games Thomas hit a round-tripper in September of 1976. Yount, the Brewers' top June amateur draft pick (3rd overall) the year after Thomas, wound up with 3,140 other safeties. Thomas' third HR came off Yankees lefthander Ken Holtzman. Unbelievably, Thomas' high school baseball coach was Bill Schlueter, Holtzman's batterymate while attending Illinois and son of MLB catcher Norm Schlueter, who played in A.L. same decade (1930s) as none other than Yankees legend Babe Ruth.

Aaron went deep against Downing (three times), Holtzman (four) and 308 other hurlers over the course of his celebrated career. Victims of Aaron's blasts included All-Americans Joe Gibbon, Johnny O'Brien and Dick Ricketts among the following alphabetical list of former college hoopers: Steve Arlin (Ohio State/yielded two HRs), Curt Barclay (Oregon/one), Joe Black (Morgan State/one), Ray Burris (Southwestern Oklahoma State/one), Danny Coombs (Seton Hall/one), Roger Craig (North Carolina State freshman team/10), Gibbon (Mississippi/two), Bob Gibson (Creighton/eight), Dave Giusti (Syracuse/two), Dallas Green (Delaware/one), Don Gross (Michigan State freshman/two), Paul Hartzell (Lehigh/one), Jim Hearn (Georgia Tech/one), Bill Henry (Houston/two), Jay Hook (Northwestern/eight), Ken Hunt (Brigham Young/one), Don Kaiser (East Central OK/one), Cal Koonce (Campbell/two), Sandy Koufax (Cincinnati freshman/seven), Lindy McDaniel (Oklahoma freshman/four), Joe Niekro (West Liberty State WV/two), O'Brien (Seattle/one), Steve Renko (Kansas/two), Ricketts (Duquesne/one), Robin Roberts (Michigan State/nine), George Stone (Louisiana Tech/two), Jim Todd (Parsons IA & Millersville PA/one), Bob Veale (Benedictine KS/three) and Ray Washburn (Whitworth WA/six).

Getting back to Neeman, he coached Thomas in Southern Illinois high school hoops in 1968-69 against Gary Simpson (Pistol Pete's backcourt successor with Louisiana State in 1970-71), Rick Suttle (Kansas' 1974 Final Four team) and Dave Taynor (Kansas captain). Eerily, Thomas and Simpson both passed away in 1980 at the age of 29. Thirteen winters apart, Neeman and Thomas played baseball in Venezuela within a year of each of them concluding their MLB careers. Curiously, the aforementioned Johnson was Thomas' first-year skipper in 1979 with the Miami Amigos franchise in short-lived AAA Inter-American League. Earlier that decade, Johnson gained distinction as the only player to hit behind both Aaron and Japan's all-time home-run king (Sadaharu Oh). Adcock, Evans, Johnson and Reed are among the following list of Aaron's baseball teammates with the Braves and Brewers who previously played college basketball (14 from current power-conference members):

Aaron's Ex-Hooper Teammates Pos. MLB Team College Hoops School
Joe Adcock 1B Braves 54-58 Louisiana State
Rick Austin LHP Brewers 75-76 Washington State
Frank Bolling 2B Braves 61-65 Spring Hill AL
Jim Colborn RHP Brewers 75-76 Edinburgh (Scotland)
Gene Conley RHP Braves 54-58 Washington State
Billy Cowan OF Braves 65 Utah
George Crowe 1B Braves 55 Indiana Central
Al Dark UT Braves 60 Louisiana State/USL
John DeMerit OF Braves 57-61 Wisconsin
Jack Dittmer 2B Braves 54-56 Iowa
Darrell Evans 3B Braves 69-74 Pasadena City College CA
Davey Johnson 1B Braves 73-74 Texas A&M
Art Kusnyer C Brewers 76 Kent State
Johnny Logan SS Braves 54-61 Binghamton
Gary Neibauer RHP Braves 69-73 Nebraska
Joe Niekro RHP Braves 73-74 West Liberty State WV
Johnny O'Brien 2B Braves 59 Seattle
Ron Reed RHP Braves 66-74 Notre Dame
Mel Roach UT Braves 54 & 57-61 Virginia
Don Schwall RHP Braves 66-67 Oklahoma
Roy Smalley Jr. INF Braves 54 Drury MO
George Stone LHP Braves 67-72 Louisiana Tech
Gary Sutherland INF Brewers 76 Southern California
Cecil Upshaw RHP Braves 66-73 Centenary
Sammy White C Braves 61 Washington
Jim Wilson RHP Braves 54 San Diego State

NOTE: A couple of Aaron's MLB managers - Birdie Tebbetts (1961 and 1962/Providence) and Harvey Kuenn (1975/Wisconsin) - also were former college hoopers. Tebbetts, while skipper of the Cincinnati Reds, gushed about the lanky Neeman's power: "That big catcher can hit a ball a mile (but 725 fewer than Aaron)." Neeman's baseball impact continues as a grandson, Kevin Graham, belted a three-run homer in his first start with Ole Miss and was named Freshman All-American by Collegiate Baseball in 2019. Graham, an INF/OF, led the NCAA Regional host Rebels in homers during 2021 regular season and finished campaign with NCAA-high 60 consecutive contests reaching base. The Rebs were ranked in the national Top 10 much of the first half of this season despite Graham missing about a month after sustaining a fractured wrist early this year fewer than two weeks following seven-RBI performance in rain-shortened game against Arkansas State. Graham was hitting a team-high .345 (.371 in SEC competition) when Ole Miss commenced NCAA Tournament participation this campaign.

On This Date: Former College Hoopers Generating MLB Headlines on April 8

April 8th, 2022 - 9:50

Extra! Extra! As a new season is ushered in, you have time to read news all about memorable major league baseball achievements, moments and transactions involving former college basketball players! Numerous ex-college hoopers had front-row seats to many of the most notable games and dates in MLB history.

Baseball is portrayed as a thinking man's game but only 4% of active MLB players earned college diplomas. Two former small-college hoopers from Pennsylvania - Al Downing (Muhlenberg) and Pete Sivess (Dickinson) - made MLB news on this date. Downing allowed one of the most historic home runs in history. Unless you habitually pore over the content at baseballlibrary.com, baseballreference.com and nationalpastime.com, following is an April 8 calendar focusing on such versatile MLB athletes:

APRIL 8

  • OF Babe Barna (two-year West Virginia basketball letterman in mid-1930s) purchased from the Philadelphia Athletics by the Washington Senators in 1939.

  • In 1974, Los Angeles Dodgers LHP Al Downing (attended Muhlenberg PA on hoop scholarship but left school before playing) yielded Hank Aaron's 715th homer bypassing Babe Ruth as MLB all-time leader (subsequently broken by Barry Bonds).

  • RHP Mark Freeman (averaged 3.6 ppg for Louisiana State as senior in 1950-51) traded by the New York Yankees to the Kansas City Athletics in 1959. Returned to Yankees a month later.

  • CF Lou Piniella (averaged 2.5 ppg and 1.4 rpg for Tampa as freshman in 1961-62) provided four hits as leadoff batter for the expansion Kansas City Royals in their inaugural game in 1969.

  • Cincinnati Reds rookie LF Gary Redus (J.C. hooper for Athens AL and father of Centenary/South Alabama guard) went 4-for-4 and chipped in with five RBI against the Chicago Cubs in 1983.

  • RHP Pete Sivess (Dickinson PA hooper in 1935-36) traded by the Philadelphia Phillies with cash to the New York Yankees in 1939.

  • New York Yankees RF Dave Winfield (starting forward for Minnesota's first NCAA playoff team in 1972) whacked two homers against the Milwaukee Brewers, igniting his streak of seven consecutive multiple-hit contests in 1988.

Risky Business: How Often Are Coaches Hired Coming Off Losing Record?

April 7th, 2022 - 13:35

At the time, it seemed equivalent to betting everything on a penny stock. But it can turn into a bonanza as evidenced by Mike Krzyzewski going on to become the all-time winningest major-college mentor at Duke after arriving in Durham to homestead Krzyzewskiville on the heels of a season W-L record eight games below .500 with Army.

Upon his retirement, could another Special K be in the mix as coaches hired despite coming off a losing mark the previous season? A couple of new SWAC bench bosses joined the following alphabetical list of active coaches hired by their current school despite coming off a season when posting a losing record:

Active DI Coach Current School Losing Season Record With Previous School
Rod Barnes Cal State Bakersfield (since 2011-12) 11-18 with Georgia State in 2010-11
Mike Davis Detroit (since 2018-19) 16-20 with Texas Southern in 2017-18
John Dunne Marist (since 2018-19) 14-18 with Saint Peter's in 2017-18
Travis Ford Saint Louis (since 2016-17) 12-20 with Oklahoma State in 2015-16
Jeff Jones Old Dominion (since 2013-14) 10-20 with American University in 2012-13
Derek Kellogg Long Island (since 2017-18) 15-18 with Massachusetts in 2016-17
Jim Les UC Davis (since 2011-12) 12-20 with Bradley in 2010-11
Tony Madlock Alabama State (since 2022-23) 15-16 with South Carolina State in 2021-22
Greg McDermott Creighton (since 2010-11) 15-17 with Iowa State in 2009-10
T.J. Otzelberger Iowa State (since 2021-22) 12-15 with UNLV in 2020-21
Richard Pitino New Mexico (since 2021-22) 14-15 with Minnesota in 2020-21
Mark Prosser Winthrop (since 2021-22) 11-16 with Western Carolina in 2020-21
Maurice "Mo" Williams Jackson State (since 2022-23) 9-21 with Alabama State in 2021-22

All-American Boys: Minor Only Major League Hoops A-A in Last 40 Seasons

April 7th, 2022 - 10:36

Will there be an NCAA Division I basketball All-American in 21st Century sufficiently versatile to eventually play major-league baseball? Ryan Minor (Oklahoma) is the only hoops All-American in the last 40 years to subsequently become a major leaguer. The absence of another such versatile athlete is a stark contrast from when Seattle "bonus-baby" twins Eddie and Johnny O'Brien were among six different major-college A-As in six-season span from 1951-52 through 1956-57 to each end up performing at MLB level by 1960.

The two most prominent two-way athletes from the 1950s in this increasingly rare category clearly are Frank Howard (Ohio State) and Dick Groat (Duke). Is there any doubt Michael Jordan (North Carolina) should rank #23? As the 2022 MLB season gets underway, following is a baseball ranking of the 25 major-college basketball All-Americans who played Organized Ball:

Rank Hoop All-American College A-A Year(s) Summary of Organized Baseball Career
1. Frank Howard Ohio State 1956-57 Four-time American League All-Star outfielder-first baseman hit .273 with 382 home runs and 1,119 RBI with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Washington Senators, Texas Rangers and Detroit Tigers in 16 seasons from 1958 through 1973. Hit .341 with 84 homers and 269 RBI in three minor-league campaigns in the Dodgers' organization. He also managed the San Diego Padres and New York Mets in early 1980s.
2. Dick Groat Duke 1950-51 and 1951-52 Eight-time National League All-Star shortstop hit .286 with the Pittsburgh Pirates, St. Louis Cardinals, Philadelphia Phillies and San Francisco Giants in 1,929 games in 14 seasons (1952 and 1955 through 1967; served in U.S. military in 1953 and 1954). He did not play an inning of minor-league baseball.
3. Frankie Baumholtz Ohio University 1940-41 Outfielder hit .290 in 1,019 games with the Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds and Philadelphia Phillies in 10 N.L. seasons (1947 through 1949 and 1951 through 1957). Hit .345 in three minor-league campaigns.
4. Joe Gibbon Mississippi 1956-57 Lefthander compiled a 61-65 pitching record and 3.52 ERA in 419 MLB games with the Pittsburgh Pirates, San Francisco Giants, Cincinnati Reds and Houston Astros during 13 N.L. seasons from 1960 through 1972. Posted a 31-26 mark in three minor-league campaigns in the Pirates' organization.
5. Johnny O'Brien Seattle 1951-52 and 1952-53 Infielder/pitcher played six seasons (1953 and 1955 through 1959) with the Pittsburgh Pirates, St. Louis Cardinals and Milwaukee Braves. Hit .250 and compiled a 1-3 pitching record in 339 MLB games. Hit .294 in three minor-league campaigns in farms systems of the Cards and Cincinnati Reds.
6. Louis "Bosey" Berger Maryland 1931-32 Infielder hit .236 with the Cleveland Indians, Chicago White Sox and Boston Red Sox in six A.L. seasons (1932 and 1935 through 1939). Played six minor-league seasons in farm systems of Indians, St. Louis Cardinals, Brooklyn Dodgers, St. Louis Browns and New York Yankees.
7. Eddie O'Brien Seattle 1952-53 Infielder-outfielder played five seasons (1953 and 1955 through 1958) with the Pittsburgh Pirates, hitting .236 in 231 MLB games. He also won his lone decision while pitching in five contests. O'Brien hit .260 and compiled an 11-11 pitching record in two minor-league campaigns.
8. Danny Ainge Brigham Young 1978-79 through 1980-81 Utilityman hit .220 with the Toronto Blue Jays in three years from 1979 through 1981. Hit .237 in three minor-league seasons at AAA level. Selected in 15th round of 1977 MLB amateur draft out of high school (one round ahead of INF-OF Tony Phillips and two rounds ahead of OF-1B Gary Redus).
9. Ryan Minor Oklahoma 1994-95 and 1995-96 Rookie third baseman with the Baltimore Orioles replaced Cal Ripken Jr. in their lineup on September 20, 1998, ending Ripken's major league record of 2,632 consecutive games played. Minor hit .185 in three years with them before hitting .158 in lone campaign with the Montreal Expos in 2001. He hit .266 with 95 HRs and 356 RBI in nine minor-league seasons in farm systems of the Orioles, Expos, Seattle Mariners, Los Angeles Dodgers and Florida Marlins. Selected in 15th round by Orioles out of high school in 1992 MLB amateur draft (ahead of OF Jose Cruz), 7th round by New York Mets in 1995 (one round ahead of RHP A.J. Burnett) and 33rd round by Orioles in 1996.
10. Charles "Cotton" Nash Kentucky 1961-62 through 1963-64 First baseman went 3-for-16 (.188) in three brief A.L. stints with the Chicago White Sox (1967) and Minnesota Twins (1969 and 1970). He collected 170 homers and 540 RBI in nine minor-league seasons in farm systems of the California Angels, Philadelphia Phillies, Los Angeles Dodgers, White Sox, Pittsburgh Pirates, Twins and Texas Rangers.
11. Dick Ricketts Jr. Duquesne 1953-54 and 1954-55 Compiled a 1-6 pitching record and 5.82 ERA in his only MLB season with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1959. Registered a 99-91 mark in 10 minor-league campaigns in farm systems of the Cards, Philadelphia Phillies and New York Mets.
12. Dave DeBusschere Detroit 1959-60 through 1961-62 Righthander compiled a 3-4 pitching record for the Chicago White Sox in 1962 and 1963. Posted a 40-21 mark in three minor-league seasons.
13. Don Grate Ohio State 1943-44 and 1944-45 Righthander pitched briefly for the Philadelphia Phillies in 1945 and 1946 (1-1 record with 9.37 ERA). Compiled a 43-28 minor-league mark in the farm systems of the Phillies, Boston Braves, Boston Red Sox and Washington Senators. Also played outfield in farm systems of Senators and New York Giants in 1953, 1956 and 1957.
14. Ernie Andres Indiana 1937-38 and 1938-39 Hit .098 in 15 games as a third baseman with the Boston Red Sox in 1946. Played five minor-league seasons in farm systems of the Red Sox, New York Giants, Detroit Tigers and Pittsburgh Pirates. He posted a .287 batting average in three years at AA level with Louisville, including 100 RBI in 1941.
15. George Lacy Richmond 1934-35 Catcher for 10 minor-league seasons from 1936 to 1948 in farm systems of the Philadelphia Athletics, Boston Red Sox and Boston Braves. He also was a minor-league manager for the Braves and Washington Senators (237-178 record from 1946 through 1949).
16. R. Gail Bishop Washington State 1942-43 Outfielder in the Boston Braves' farm system played four minor-league seasons from 1946 through 1949. In 1947, he hit .365 with 37 extra-base safeties in Sunset League (Class C).
17. Bill Sharman Southern California 1949-50 OF-3B hit .281 in Brooklyn Dodgers' farm system in five minor-league seasons from 1950 through 1953 and 1955. Model of consistency hit from .286 to .292 in four of the campaigns.
18. Jay Arnette Texas 1959-60 Outfielder hit .269 with 17 homers and 144 RBI in Los Angeles Dodgers' farm system in four seasons from 1961 through 1964. He hit .295 in Class A his last two campaigns.
19. Rolland "Rollie" Seltz Hamline MN 1945-46 Infielder hit .266 in St. Louis Cardinals' organization in four minor-league seasons from 1943 through 1946. He hit .296 with a total of 37 homers and 142 RBI in his last two years at Class B level.
20. Andy Phillip Illinois 1941-42, 1942-43 and 1946-47 Reached the Class AAA level in the St. Louis Cardinals' organization. OF-1B also played in the Cleveland Indians' farm system. In 1949, he collected 22 doubles, 8 homers and 47 RBI with Winston-Salem Cardinals in Carolina League (Class B).
21. Jim Jarvis Oregon State 1964-65 Second baseman hit .288 with three minor-league teams in Philadelphia Phillies' organization in 1966.
22. Ferdinand "Fred" Pralle Kansas 1937-38 OF hit .303 for the Pittsburgh Pirates' Class D team in Kansas-Oklahoma-Missouri League in 1946.
23. Michael Jordan North Carolina 1982-83 and 1983-84 Outfielder hit .202 with 114 strikeouts in 127 games in Chicago White Sox' farm system in 1994 with Birmingham (AA Southern League).
24. Trajan Langdon Duke 1997-98 and 1998-99 Third baseman, a sixth-round selection by San Diego Padres out of high school in 1994 MLB amateur draft (ahead of eventual All-Stars Ronnie Belliard, Carl Pavano, Placido Polanco and J.D. Drew), hit .189 in 50 games in their farm system in three years.
25. Wardell "Dell" Curry Virginia Tech 1985-86 Lost only start as pitcher (yielded one run while fanning four batters in three innings) with Gastonia (Class A South Atlantic League) in the Texas Rangers' farm system in 1991. He was a 37th-round selection by Rangers in 1982 MLB amateur draft out of high school and 14th round in 1985 by Baltimore Orioles in 1985 (eight rounds ahead of RHP John Smoltz).

On This Date: Former College Hoopers Generating MLB Headlines on April 7

April 7th, 2022 - 9:46

Extra! Extra! As a new season commences, you can read news about memorable major league baseball achievements, moments and transactions involving former college basketball players. Numerous ex-college hoopers had front-row seats to many of the most notable games and dates in MLB history.

Former Hofstra top scorer and rebounder Brant Alyea set a MLB Opening Day RBI record on this date. Ex-juco hoopers Bobby Munoz (Polk FL), Tony Phillips (New Mexico Military) and Jim Thome (Illinois Central) also made MLB news on this date. Baseball is portrayed as a thinking man's game but only 4% of active MLB players earned college diplomas. Unless you habitually pore over the content at baseballlibrary.com, baseballreference.com and nationalpastime.com, following is an April 7 calendar focusing on such versatile MLB athletes:

APRIL 7

  • Minnesota Twins LF Brant Alyea (Hofstra's leading scorer and rebounder in 1960-61 after finishing runner-up in both categories previous basketball season) amassed seven RBI, a major league record for opening day, against the Chicago White Sox in 1970. Alyea drove in 19 runs in P Jim Perry's first four starts that year.

  • In his MLB debut in 1970, Philadelphia Phillies 2B Denny Doyle (averaged 2.7 ppg for Morehead State in 1962-63) delivered three hits, including a RBI triple in the third inning for the game's first run, in a 2-0 win against the Chicago Cubs.

  • In his MLB debut in 2017, Cincinnati Reds LHP Amir Garrett (averaged 7.4 ppg and 4 rpg for St. John's in 2011-12 and 2012-13 before RS transfer year at Cal State Northridge) hurled six shutout innings to defeat the St. Louis Cardinals.

  • RHP Bobby Humphreys (four-year hoops letterman for Hampden-Sydney VA in mid-1950s) traded by the St. Louis Cardinals to the Chicago Cubs in 1965.

  • INF Ralph LaPointe (Vermont hoops letterman during WWII) traded by the Philadelphia Phillies with $30,000 to St. Louis Cardinals for 1B Dick Sisler in 1948.

  • RHP Dave Madison (hoops letterman for Louisiana State from 1939-40 through 1942-43) purchased from the New York Yankees by the St. Louis Browns in 1952.

  • Philadelphia Phillies RHP Bobby Munoz (scored 35 points for Polk Community College FL in game against Palm Beach in mid-November 1986) hurled three innings of scoreless relief against the Colorado Rockies in 1994 appearance for his lone MLB save.

  • Boston Red Sox LHP Gary Peters (Grove City PA hooper in mid-1950s), after allowing no earned runs in 32 spring training innings, secured a 4-3 season-opening win at New York in 1970.

  • Detroit Tigers 3B Tony Phillips (New Mexico Military juco hooper in 1977-78 as teammate of eventual Drake All-American Lewis Lloyd) contributed four hits in a 1993 game against the Oakland Athletics.

  • Chicago White Sox DH Jim Thome (played junior-college hoops for Illinois Central in 1988-89) smacked decisive three-run homer in bottom of the eighth inning of 4-2 win in 2009 season opener.

  • New York Yankees LF Dave Winfield (starting forward for Minnesota's first NCAA playoff team in 1972) homered in each of his first three games in 1983.

National Review: State-By-State Winners and Sinners in NCAA Tournament

April 6th, 2022 - 20:29

No state has won as much as 64% of its NCAA Tournament games and none has as many as five different schools with winning playoff records. The Michigan Wolverines reaching the 2018 NCAA final instead of the Kansas Jayhawks enabled Michigan (.6284) to nudge ahead of Kansas (.6279) as the state with highest all-time winning percentage before the Michigan State Spartans padded the state's advantage with a 2019 Final Four appearance. Kansas, one of 20 states represented by four or fewer members in the U.S. House of Representatives, is represented much more in the NCAA playoffs by ranking seventh with 170 victories from only three universities after KU captured crown in 2022. With Kentucky and Louisville struggling in postseason the past several years, California passed the Commonwealth in total NCAA playoff triumphs. Additional stately views of national winners and sinners you might want to review include:

  • Despite going winless in 2021, schools from the state of North Carolina have collected more NCAA Tournament triumphs (333) than a total of 22 states including those with power-conference members such as Georgia, Missouri, New Jersey and West Virginia.
  • All four ACC members in Carolina have more than 25 playoff triumphs. Each of them (Duke, North Carolina, North Carolina State and Wake Forest) has more all-time wins than entire states such as Colorado, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Mexico, Rhode Island and South Carolina.
  • California is the only state with as many as 18 schools winning at least one NCAA Tournament game. Alas, less than 1/4 of them (four) have winning marks.
  • Other than Syracuse, Canisius is the only current New York Division I school to compile a winning NCAA playoff record (6-4). CCNY, the NCAA's DI champion in 1950, assembled a 4-2 mark ledger before de-emphasizing its program.
  • Despite Villanova's two NCAA titles in the last six tourneys, Pennsylvania is the only state with at least 140 tourney victories to compile an overall losing mark.
  • Villanova (plus 32 in PA; 71-39) and Syracuse (plus 29 in NY; 70-41) are the most games above .500 in states with overall losing playoff marks. On the flip side, Miami OH (minus 13; 6-19) and Murray State KY (minus 13; 5-18) are tied for most games below .500 in states with overall winning worksheets.
  • Abilene Christian enabled Texas to nudge ahead of California for most different schools participating in the tourney with 24 although Baylor and Houston are the only institutions from the Lone Star State posting a winning record. Texas has a total of 15 Final Four teams but is more games under .500 than any state (minus 36 including 10 different universities never winning a playoff contest).
  • None of Louisiana's 12 schools appearing in the playoffs have notched a winning record. South Carolina has the most universities participate in the tourney (nine) without any of them posting a break-even or winning playoff record. Kansas has only three different colleges appear in the NCAA Tournament but boasts more than seven times as many victories as entire state of South Carolina and four times as many triumphs as all of Louisiana.
  • All six Mid-American Conference members from Ohio have losing records, combining for a 19-53 mark (.264).
  • Tennessee, the winningest state in NCAA playoff history despite never having a national champion, is the only state with as many as six schools at least five games below .500 in NCAA tourney competition.
  • Virginia is the only one of 12 different schools from its state and Memphis is only one of 11 different Tennessee schools appearing in the tourney to post a winning record.
  • Memphis (35-27) is joined by Spokane, Wash.-based Gonzaga (41-24) as the only mid-major schools leading a state with more than 60 playoff wins.
  • The only states with fewer than 45 tourney triumphs to assemble overall winning records are Nevada (39-28 by 6-9 Nevada and 33-19 UNLV) plus New Hampshire (10-7 by Dartmouth).
  • Utah is the only state saddled with as many as three schools posting tourney marks more than 10 games below .500 - Brigham Young (15-33), Utah State (6-24) and Weber State (6-17).

Plagiarist Bidumb, despite big tech and much of #MessMedia hiding details about his soap-opera family, hopes his prospects of success telling truth about attending HBCU Delaware State are a mite higher than the NCAA Tournament win total of the state he served as Senator because Delaware is 0-7. Six different schools from Texas posted at least one NCAA tourney triumph this year. Following are NCAA Division I playoff cumulative records listed by most state victories through 2022:

STATE (# of Tourney Schools) Overall Record Pct. School-By-School NCAA Playoff Marks
NORTH CAROLINA (16) 333-201 .624 Appalachian State (0-3), Campbell (0-1), Charlotte (7-12), Davidson (8-16), Duke (118-39), East Carolina (0-2), Gardner-Webb (0-1), North Carolina (131-49), North Carolina A&T (1-10), North Carolina Central (0-4), North Carolina State (37-26), UNC Asheville (2-4), UNC Greensboro (0-4), UNC Wilmington (1-6), Wake Forest (28-23) and Western Carolina (0-1)
CALIFORNIA (23) 246-224 .523 California (20-19), UC Davis (0-1), UC Irvine (1-2), Cal Poly (1-1), UC Santa Barbara (1-6), Cal State Bakersfield (0-1), Cal State Fullerton (2-4), Cal State Los Angeles (0-1), Cal State Northridge (0-2), Fresno State (2-6), Long Beach State (7-10), Loyola Marymount (5-5), Pacific (4-10), Pepperdine (5-14), Saint Mary's (6-11), San Diego (1-4), San Diego State (6-14), San Francisco (21-15), San Jose State (0-3), Santa Clara (11-13), Southern California (17-22), Stanford (23-16) and UCLA (113-44)
KENTUCKY (seven) 237-159 .598 Eastern Kentucky (0-8), Kentucky (131-54), Louisville (76-44), Morehead State (6-9), Murray State (5-18), Northern Kentucky (0-2) and Western Kentucky (19-24)
PENNSYLVANIA (15) 194-211 .479 Bucknell (2-8), Drexel (1-5), Duquesne (4-5), Lafayette (0-5), La Salle (14-11), Lebanon Valley (1-2), Lehigh (1-5), Penn (13-26), Penn State (9-11), Pittsburgh (24-27), Robert Morris (2-8), Saint Francis (0-1), Saint Joseph's (19-25), Temple (33-33) and Villanova (71-39)
INDIANA (nine) 186-151 .552 Ball State (3-7), Butler (24-16), Evansville (1-5), Indiana (67-35), IUPUI (0-1), Indiana State (5-4), Notre Dame (40-41), Purdue (44-33) and Valparaiso (2-9)
OHIO (12) 175-175 .500 Akron (0-5), Bowling Green (1-5), Cincinnati (46-32), Cleveland State (3-3), Dayton (19-20), Kent State (4-6), Miami (6-19), Ohio University (8-15), Ohio State (58-34), Toledo (1-4), Wright State (1-4) and Xavier (28-28)
KANSAS (three) 170-100 .630 Kansas (115-48), Kansas State (37-35) and Wichita State (18-17)
TEXAS (24) 171-207 .452 Abilene Christian (1-2), Baylor (21-15), Hardin-Simmons (0-2), Houston (36-28), Houston Baptist (0-1), Lamar (5-6), North Texas (1-4), Prairie View A&M (0-2), Rice (2-5), Sam Houston State (0-2), Southern Methodist (10-14), Stephen F. Austin (2-5), Texas (36-39), Texas A&M (13-15), Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (0-2), Texas-Arlington (0-1), Texas Christian (6-9), Texas-El Paso (14-16), Texas-San Antonio (1-4), Texas Southern (3-10), Texas State (0-2), Texas Tech (19-20), Trinity (0-1) and West Texas A&M (0-1)
MICHIGAN (eight) 149-87 .631 Central Michigan (3-4), Detroit (3-6), Eastern Michigan (3-4), Michigan (66-30), Michigan State (70-34), Oakland (1-3), Wayne State (1-2) and Western Michigan (2-4)
NEW YORK (22) 142-176 .447 Albany (1-5), Binghamton (0-1), Buffalo (2-4), Canisius (6-4), CCNY (4-2), Colgate (0-5), Columbia (2-4), Cornell (2-6), Fordham (2-4), Hofstra (0-4), Iona (1-15), Long Island (0-7), Manhattan (3-9), Marist (0-2), NYU (9-9), Niagara (2-4), St. Bonaventure (7-10), St. John's (27-32), Siena (4-6), Stony Brook (0-1), Syracuse (70-41) and Wagner (0-1)
OKLAHOMA (five) 106-96 .525 Oklahoma (43-33), Oklahoma City (8-13), Oklahoma State (39-28), Oral Roberts (4-6) and Tulsa (12-16)
ILLINOIS (10) 99-99 .500 Bradley (11-9), DePaul (21-25), Eastern Illinois (0-2), Illinois (42-33), Illinois-Chicago (0-3), Illinois State (3-6), Loyola of Chicago (15-7), Northern Illinois (0-3), Northwestern (1-1) and Southern Illinois (6-10)
FLORIDA (11) 93-72 .564 Florida (48-21), Florida A&M (1-3), Florida Atlantic (0-1), Florida Gulf Coast (3-3), Florida International (0-1), Florida State (23-18), Jacksonville (4-5), Miami (11-11), North Florida (0-1), South Florida (2-3) and UCF (1-5)
VIRGINIA (13) 87-108 .446 George Mason (5-6), Hampton (2-6), James Madison (4-5), Liberty (1-5), Longwood (0-1), Norfolk State (2-3), Old Dominion (3-12), Radford (1-3), Richmond (9-10), Virginia (35-23), Virginia Commonwealth (13-17), Virginia Military (3-3) and Virginia Tech (8-13)
WISCONSIN (four) 85-69 .552 Green Bay (1-5), Marquette (41-35), Milwaukee (3-4) and Wisconsin (40-25)
TENNESSEE (11) 80-121 .398 Austin Peay (2-8), Belmont (1-8), Chattanooga (3-12), East Tennessee State (2-11), Lipscomb (0-1), Memphis (35-27), Middle Tennessee State (4-9), Tennessee (23-25), Tennessee State (0-2), Tennessee Tech (0-2) and Vanderbilt (10-16)
WASHINGTON (five) 76-64 .543 Eastern Washington (0-3), Gonzaga (41-24), Seattle (10-13), Washington (19-18) and Washington State (6-6)
ARIZONA (three) 72-54 .571 Arizona (58-35), Arizona State (14-17) and Northern Arizona (0-2)
UTAH (five) 65-107 .378 Brigham Young (15-32), Southern Utah (0-1), Utah (38-33), Utah State (6-24) and Weber State (6-17)
IOWA (four) 63-64 .496 Drake (6-5), Iowa (31-30), Iowa State (21-21) and Northern Iowa (5-8)
CONNECTICUT (five) 60-46 .566 Central Connecticut State (0-3), Connecticut (59-32), Fairfield (0-3), Hartford (0-1) and Yale (1-7)
MARYLAND (eight) 55-58 .487 Coppin State (1-4), Loyola (0-2), Maryland (43-28), Maryland-Baltimore County (1-2), Morgan State (0-2), Mount St. Mary's (2-6), Navy (8-12) and Towson (0-2)
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA (five) 51-48 .515 American University (0-3), Catholic (0-2), George Washington (4-11), Georgetown (47-30) and Howard University (0-2)
ALABAMA (nine) 52-69 .430 Alabama (23-23), Alabama A&M (0-1), Alabama State (0-4), Auburn (18-11), Jacksonville State (0-2), Samford (0-2), South Alabama (1-8), Troy (0-2) and UAB (10-16)
ARKANSAS (four) 51-41 .554 Arkansas (48-34), Arkansas-Pine Bluff (1-1), Arkansas State (0-1) and UALR (2-5)
MASSACHUSETTS (nine) 48-67 .417 Boston College (22-19), Boston University (2-7), Harvard (2-6), Holy Cross (8-13), Massachusetts (11-9), Northeastern (3-9), Springfield (0-1), Tufts (0-2) and Williams (0-1)
LOUISIANA (12) 42-78 .350 Louisiana-Lafayette (4-11), Louisiana-Monroe (0-7), Louisiana State (27-27), Louisiana Tech (4-5), Loyola of New Orleans (0-3), McNeese State (0-2), New Orleans (1-5), Nicholls State (0-2), Northwestern State (2-3), Southeastern Louisiana (0-1), Southern (1-9) and Tulane (3-3)
OREGON (four) 41-41 .500 Oregon (26-16), Oregon State (15-21), Portland (0-2) and Portland State (0-2)
NEW JERSEY (seven) 40-69 .367 Fairleigh Dickinson (1-6), Monmouth (1-4), Princeton (13-29), Rider (0-3), Rutgers (6-9), Saint Peter's (3-4) and Seton Hall (16-14)
NEVADA (two) 39-28 .582 Nevada (6-9) and UNLV (33-19)
GEORGIA (five) 33-41 .446 Georgia (7-12), Georgia Southern (0-3), Georgia State (2-6), Georgia Tech (23-17) and Mercer (1-3)
WEST VIRGINIA (two) 33-36 .478 Marshall (1-6) and West Virginia (32-30)
MISSOURI (four) 31-46 .403 Missouri (22-28), Missouri State (3-6), Saint Louis (6-11) and Southeast Missouri State (0-1)
RHODE ISLAND (four) 25-35 .417 Brown (0-2), Bryant (0-1), Providence (17-22) and Rhode Island (8-10)
SOUTH CAROLINA (nine) 23-61 .274 Charleston Southern (0-1), Clemson (11-13), Coastal Carolina (0-4), College of Charleston (1-5), Furman (1-7), South Carolina (8-10), South Carolina State (0-5), Winthrop (1-11) and Wofford (1-5)
MISSISSIPPI (six) 19-37 .339 Alcorn State (3-6), Jackson State (0-3), Mississippi (5-9), Mississippi State (11-11), Mississippi Valley State (0-5) and Southern Mississippi (0-3)
NEW MEXICO (two) 19-44 .302 New Mexico (8-16) and New Mexico State (11-28)
NEBRASKA (two) 15-31 .326 Creighton (15-24) and Nebraska (0-7)
COLORADO (four) 15-34 .306 Air Force (0-4), Colorado (11-17), Colorado State (4-12) and Northern Colorado (0-1)
MINNESOTA (one) 14-14 .500 Minnesota (14-14)
NEW HAMPSHIRE (one) 10-7 .588 Dartmouth (10-7)
WYOMING (one) 9-21 .300 Wyoming (9-21)
IDAHO (three) 9-25 .265 Boise State (0-8), Idaho (1-4) and Idaho State (8-13)
NORTH DAKOTA (two) 2-5 .286 North Dakota (0-1) and North Dakota State (2-4)
VERMONT (one) 2-7 .222 Vermont (2-7)
MONTANA (two) 2-17 .105 Montana (2-13) and Montana State (0-4)
HAWAII (one) 1-5 .167 Hawaii (1-5)
SOUTH DAKOTA (one) 0-6 .000 South Dakota State (0-6)
DELAWARE (two) 0-7 .000 Delaware (0-6) and Delaware State (0-1)

NOTE: Two states - Alaska and Maine - never had a school participate in the NCAA Division I Tournament.

Boys Gone Wild: Pack 4th Player in Last 5 Tourneys Scoring > 34 vs. Champ

April 6th, 2022 - 11:17

Five years ago, Kentucky freshman guard Malik Monk may have manufactured the highest single-game scoring output in history against an NCAA champion-to-be when he erupted for 47 points against North Carolina in a non-conference contest at Las Vegas. In 2019, Purdue's Carsen Edwards poured in 42 points against kingpin-to-be Virginia in the South Regional final, matching Bo Kimble's output for Loyola Marymount vs. UNLV in 1990 NCAA playoffs. Notre Dame senior guard Austin Carr poured in 46 against UCLA in 1970-71. Statistical research is sketchy in the 1940s and 1950s in trying to discern if anyone contributed a higher total than Monk or Carr.

This season, sophomore guard Nijel Pack tallied a season-high 35 points for Kansas State against champion-to-be Kansas before transferring to Miami (Fla.). Since UCLA's first NCAA championship in 1964, Louisville guard Russ Smith has the lowest scoring average (11.5 ppg in 2011-12) for any player who posted the single-game high against an NCAA titlist. Some of the names probably will be surprising insofar as none of them became an NBA All-Star since Ray Allen (Connecticut), but following is a look in reverse order at the individuals notching the season-high scoring total against the past 58 eventual NCAA kingpins:

Year Opposing High Scorer vs. NCAA Titlist Avg. Single-Game High
2022 Nijel Pack, G, Soph., Kansas State 17.4 35 points vs. Kansas
2021 Cedric Russell, G, Sr., Louisiana-Lafayette 17.2 26 vs. Baylor at Las Vegas
2021 Taz Sherman, G, Sr., West Virginia 13.4 26 vs. Baylor
2019 Carsen Edwards, G, Jr., Purdue 24.3 42 vs. Virginia in South Regional final
2018 Shamorie Ponds, G, Soph., St. John's 21.6 37 vs. Villanova
2017 Malik Monk, G, Fr., Kentucky 19.8 47 vs. North Carolina at Las Vegas
2016 Ben Bentil, F, Soph., Providence 21.1 31 vs. Villanova
2016 L.J. Peak, G, Soph., Georgetown 12.3 31 vs. Villanova
2015 Michael Gbinije, F, Jr., Syracuse 12.7 27 vs. Duke
2014 Dustin Hogue, F, Jr., Iowa State 11.6 34 vs. Connecticut in NCAA playoffs
2013 Tyler Brown, G, Sr., Illinois State 18.1 25 at Louisville
2012 Russ Smith, G, Soph., Louisville 11.5 30 at Kentucky
2011 Dwight Hardy, G, Sr., St. John's 18.3 33 vs. Connecticut
2010 Trevon Hughes, G, Sr., Wisconsin 15.3 26 vs. Duke
2009 Kyle McAlarney, G, Sr., Notre Dame 15.0 39 vs. North Carolina at Maui
2008 Michael Beasley, F-C, Fr., Kansas State 26.2 39 at Kansas
2007 Al Thornton, F, Sr., Florida State 19.7 28 vs. Florida
2006 Chris Lofton, G, Soph., Tennessee 17.2 29 vs. Florida
2005 Will Bynum, G, Sr., Georgia Tech 12.5 35 vs. North Carolina in ACC Tournament
2004 Chris Thomas, G, Jr., Notre Dame 19.7 31 vs. Connecticut
2003 Chris Hill, G, Soph., Michigan State 13.7 34 vs. Syracuse
2002 Jason "Jay" Williams, G, Jr., Duke 21.3 34 vs. Maryland
2001 James "J.J." Miller, G, Sr., North Carolina A&T 16.0 34 at Duke
2000 A.J. Guyton, G, Sr., Indiana 19.7 34 vs. Michigan State
1999 Trajan Langdon, G, Sr., Duke 17.3 25 vs. Connecticut
1998 Brian Williams, G, Jr., Alabama 16.1 28 vs. Kentucky in SEC Tournament
1997 Isaac Fontaine, G, Sr., Washington State 21.9 32 vs. Arizona
1996 Marcus Camby, C, Jr., Massachusetts 20.5 32 vs. Kentucky at Great Eight
1995 Ray Allen, G, Soph., Connecticut 21.1 36 vs. UCLA in NCAA playoffs
1994 Gary Collier, F, Sr., Tulsa 22.9 35 vs. Arkansas in NCAA playoffs
1993 Chris Webber, F, Soph., Michigan 19.2 27 vs. North Carolina at Honolulu
1993 Randolph Childress, G, Soph., Wake Forest 19.7 27 vs. North Carolina
1993 James Forrest, F, Soph., Georgia Tech 19.5 27 vs. North Carolina in ACC Tournament
1993 Lester Lyons, G, Jr., East Carolina 15.4 27 vs. North Carolina in NCAA playoffs
1992 Malik Sealy, F, Sr., St. John's 22.6 37 vs. Duke at Greensboro
1991 Jeff Webster, F, Fr., Oklahoma 18.3 32 vs. Duke
1990 Greg "Bo" Kimble, F-G, Sr., Loyola Marymount 35.3 42 vs. UNLV in NCAA playoffs
1989 Roy Marble, F, Sr., Iowa 20.5 32 vs. Michigan
1988 Mitch Richmond, G-F, Sr., Kansas State 22.6 35 vs. Kansas
1987 Freddie Banks, G, Sr., UNLV 19.5 38 vs. Indiana in NCAA playoffs
1986 Ron Harper, F, Sr., Miami (oh) 24.4 36 vs. Louisville in Big Apple NIT at Cincinnati
1985 Len Bias, F, Jr., Maryland 18.9 30 vs. Villanova
1984 Chris Mullin, G-F, Jr., St. John's 22.9 29 vs. Georgetown in Big East Tournament
1983 Ralph Sampson, C, Sr., Virginia 19.1 33 vs. North Carolina State
1982 Ralph Sampson, C, Jr., Virginia 15.8 30 at North Carolina
1981 Mike McGee, F, Sr., Michigan 24.4 29 vs. Indiana
1980 Jeff Ruland, C, Jr., Iona 20.1 30 vs. Louisville
1979 Joe Barry Carroll, C, Jr., Purdue 22.8 27 vs. Michigan State
1979 Calvin Roberts, F-C, Jr., Cal State Fullerton 15.3 27 vs. Michigan State
1978 Freeman Williams, G, Sr., Portland State 35.9 39 at Kentucky
1977 Dave Corzine, C, Jr., DePaul 19.0 26 vs. Marquette
1976 Terry Furlow, F, Sr., Michigan State 29.4 40 vs. Indiana
1975 Kevin Grevey, F, Sr., Kentucky 23.5 34 vs. UCLA in NCAA final
1974 Billy Cook, G, Soph., Memphis State 16.2 33 vs. North Carolina State
1973 Billy Knight, F, Jr., Pittsburgh 23.7 37 vs. UCLA
1972 Fred Boyd, G, Sr., Oregon State 19.8 37 vs. UCLA
1971 Austin Carr, G, Sr., Notre Dame 38.0 46 vs. UCLA
1970 Pete Maravich, G, Sr., Louisiana State 44.5 38 vs. UCLA
1970 Rich Yunkus, C, Jr., Georgia Tech 30.1 38 vs. UCLA
1969 Vic Collucci, G, Soph., Providence 15.4 36 vs. UCLA
1968 Elvin Hayes, F-C, Sr., Houston 36.8 39 vs. UCLA
1967 Bill Hewitt, F, Jr., Southern California 19.5 39 vs. UCLA
1966 Jerry Chambers, F-C, Sr., Utah 28.8 38 vs. Texas Western in NCAA playoffs
1965 Ollie Johnson, C, Sr., San Francisco 21.6 37 vs. UCLA
1964 Tom Dose, C, Sr., Stanford 20.0 38 vs. UCLA

On This Date: Former College Hoopers Generated MLB Headlines on April 6

April 6th, 2022 - 9:35

Extra! Extra! As a new season is about to unfold, you can read news all about memorable major league baseball achievements, moments and transactions involving former college basketball players. Numerous ex-college hoopers had front-row seats to many of the most notable games and dates in MLB history.

Baseball is portrayed as a thinking man's game but only 4% of active MLB players earned college diplomas. Two former small-college hoopers from Iowa - Davey Lopes (Iowa Wesleyan) and Jim Todd (Parsons) before transferring to schools in other states - made MLB news on this date. Ditto ex-hoopers Mark Acre (New Mexico State), Tony Clark (Arizona/San Diego State), Mark Hendrickson (Washington State) and Darrell Sutherland (Stanford) from Far West universities. Unless you habitually pore over the content at baseballlibrary.com, baseballreference.com and nationalpastime.com, following is an April 6 calendar focusing on such versatile MLB athletes:

APRIL 6

  • Oakland A's RHP Mark Acre (played in 1990 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament with New Mexico State) earned his second relief victory in three days against the New York Yankees in 1997.

  • Baltimore Orioles CF Al Bumbry (Virginia State's runner-up in scoring with 16.7 ppg as freshman in 1964-65) scored four runs in 1983 game against the Kansas City Royals.

  • Detroit Tigers 1B Tony Clark (San Diego State's leading scorer in WAC games in 1991-92 after transferring from Arizona) contributed two sixth-inning hits, including a grand slam, in a 10-inning, 10-9 win over the Chicago White Sox in 2001. Eight years later, Clark clobbered back-to-back homers for the Arizona Diamondbacks in a season-opening, 9-8 win against the Colorado Rockies in 2009.

  • In 2006, LHP Mark Hendrickson (two-time All-Pacific-10 Conference selection paced Washington State four straight seasons in rebounding 1992-93 through 1995-96) hurled first complete-game shutout for the Tampa Devil Rays in a span of 349 contests (three-hit, 2-0 whitewash against Baltimore Orioles).

  • Los Angeles Dodgers 2B Davey Lopes (NAIA All-District 15 selection for Iowa Wesleyan averaged 16.9 ppg as freshman in 1964-65 and 12.1 ppg as sophomore in 1965-66 before transferring to Washburn KS with his coach and becoming All-CIC choice with 1968 NAIA Tournament team) scored three runs and stole three bases against the San Diego Padres in a 1974 game.

  • RHP Joe Niekro (averaged 8.9 ppg and 3.8 rpg for West Liberty WV from 1963-64 through 1965-66) purchased from the Atlanta Braves by the Houston Astros for $35,000 in 1975.

  • In his first start with the St. Louis Cardinals, RHP Sonny Siebert (team-high 16.7 ppg for Missouri in 1957-58 as All-Big Eight Conference second-team selection) tossed a four-hit shutout against the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1974.

  • RHP Darrell Sutherland (averaged 8.1 ppg and 2.2 rpg for Stanford from 1960-61 through 1962-63) awarded on waivers from the Philadelphia Phillies to the New York Mets as a first-year waiver selection in 1964.

  • RHP Ralph Terry (juco hooper averaged 22 ppg for Northeastern Oklahoma A&M in mid-1950s) traded by the Cleveland Indians to Kansas City Athletics in 1966.

  • RHP Jim Todd (Parsons IA hooper before averaging 16 ppg with Millersville PA in 1968-69) traded by the Chicago Cubs to the Oakland Athletics for a player to be designated and cash in 1975.

  • After 159 MLB starts, RHP Chris Young (All-Ivy League first-team selection as Princeton's leading scorer and rebounder in 1999-00) made his debut with the Seattle Mariners as a reliever (two hitless innings against Oakland Athletics in 2014).

Land of Plenty: 6 of Last 7 Champions Boast At Least 4 Different Top Scorers

April 5th, 2022 - 12:30

Spreading the wealth has become a trait of recent NCAA kingpins. Kentucky's well-balanced attack, featuring six players averaging from 9.9 to 14.2 points per game in 2011-12, enabled the Wildcats to become the first NCAA Tournament champion to have five different players lead the team in scoring during the playoffs en route to capturing the crown. A quintessential quintet also emerged for titlists Duke (2015) and Villanova (2016).

Although second-leading scorer Christian Braun wasn't one of them, the following chronological list includes Kansas among six of last seven NCAA Tournament champions featuring at least four different players leading the team in scoring during the playoffs en route to earning title:

Titlist With > 3 Team-High Scorers 4 or 5 Different Players Leading Club in Scoring During NCAA Playoffs
UCLA '70 Henry Bibby, Curtis Rowe, John Vallely, Sidney Wicks
UCLA '75 Dave Meyers, Marques Johnson, Pete Trgovich, Richard Washington
Kentucky '78 Truman Claytor, Jack Givens, Kyle Macy, Mike Phillips
North Carolina '82 Matt Doherty, Michael Jordan, Sam Perkins, James Worthy
Louisville '86 Herbert Crook, Pervis Ellison, Billy Thompson, Milt Wagner
Indiana '87 Steve Alford, Ricky Calloway, Dean Garrett, Keith Smart
UCLA '95 Toby Bailey, Tyus Edney, J.R. Henderson, Ed O'Bannon
Florida '07 Corey Brewer, Taurean Green, Al Horford, Lee Humphrey
Kansas '08 Darrell Arthur, Mario Chalmers, Sasha Kaun, Brandon Rush
Kentucky '12 Anthony Davis, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Terrence Jones, Doron Lamb, Marquis Teague
Duke '15 Quinn Cook, Matt Jones, Tyus Jones, Jahlil Okafor, Justise Winslow
Villanova '16 Ryan Arcidiacono, Phil Booth Jr., Josh Hart, Kris Jenkins, Daniel Ochefu
Villanova '18 Mikal Bridges, Jalen Brunson, Donte DiVincenzo, Eric Paschall
Virginia '19 Mamadi Diakite, Kyle Guy, De'Andre Hunter, Ty Jerome
Baylor '21 Jared Butler, Adam Flagler, Matthew Mayer, MaCio Teague
Kansas '22 Ochai Agbaji, Remy Martin, David McCormack, Jalen Wilson

Lost That Winning Feeling: 6 KU Transfers Missed Out On Championship Ring

April 5th, 2022 - 12:12

Whether voluntary or encouraged to leave, six quality Kansas players transferred the last couple of campaigns, costing them a chance to earn some championship bling. Numerous other players have also been denied because they transferred before NCAA playoff title run. In several instances, transfers forsook a couple of rings - Ryan Appleby (Florida), Deward Compton (Kentucky) and Sandy Pomerantz (Cincinnati). A striking number of original recruits for Duke, Indiana and Kentucky are on the following alphabetical list of transfers denied receiving an NCAA championship ring because the players left a school subsequently capturing a national crown:

Transfer Player Alma Mater Original College (Title Year)
Mohamed Abukar San Diego State '07 Florida (2006)
Bob Albertson Ball State '82 Louisville (1980)
Ryan Appleby Washington '08 Florida (2006 and 2007)
Tommy Baker Eastern Kentucky '81 Indiana (1981)
Craig Bardo The Citadel '87 Indiana (1987)
Larry Bird Indiana State '79 Indiana (1976)
Mario Boggan Oklahoma State '07 Florida (2006)
Adam Boone Minnesota '06 North Carolina (2005)
Bob Brannum Michigan State '48 Kentucky (1948)
Delray Brooks Providence '88 Indiana (1987)
Mislav Brzoja Evansville '16 Villanova (2016)
Rakeem Buckles Florida International '14 Louisville (2013)
Chris Burgess Utah '02 Duke (2001)
Marquis Burns New Mexico State '96 UCLA (1995)
*Billy Butts Ball State '90 Michigan (1989)
Altonio Campbell Idaho '89 Kansas (1988)
Deward Compton Louisville '48 Kentucky (1947 and 1948)
Olek Czyz Nevada '12 Duke (2010)
Doug Davis Miami (Ohio) '02 Michigan State (2000)
Silvio De Sousa Chattanooga '22 Kansas (2022)
Darnell Dodson Southern Mississippi '13 Kentucky (2012)
Micah Downs Gonzaga '09 Kansas (2008)
David Dunn Georgia '87 Georgetown (1984)
Dylan Ennis Oregon '17 Villanova (2016)
Tristan Enaruna Iowa State '23 Kansas (2022)
Tracy Foster UAB '87 Indiana (1987)
Bob Fowler Iowa State '80 Kentucky (1978)
Sam Funches North Texas '00 Connecticut (1999)
Alex Galindo Florida International '09 Kansas (2008)
Michael Gbinije Syracuse '16 Duke (2015)
C.J. Giles Oregon State '08 Kansas (2008)
Mike Giomi North Carolina State '87 Indiana (1987)
Tyon Grant-Foster DePaul '23 Kansas (2022)
Danny Hall Marshall '78 Kentucky (1978)
Andre Harris Austin Peay State '88 Indiana (1987)
Kenny Harris Virginia Commonwealth '94 North Carolina (1993)
Mark Haymore Massachusetts '79 Indiana (1976)
Scott Hazelton Rhode Island '05 Connecticut (2004)
Derek Holcomb Illinois '81 Indiana (1981)
David Huertas Mississippi '10 Florida (2007)
Rodney Hull Chicago State '89 Kansas (1988)
*Karl James South Alabama '91 UNLV (1990)
Anthony Jones UNLV '86 Georgetown (1984)
Latrell Jossell Stephen F. Austin '24 Kansas (2022)
Arlan "Bud" King Hanover (Ind.) '53 Kentucky (1951)
Taylor King Villanova '12 Duke (2010)
Ray Knight Providence '85 Georgetown (1984)
Jack Kramer UAB '91 Michigan (1989)
Michael Leblanc Vanderbilt '99 Connecticut (1999)
Darrell Lorrance Missouri '47 Kentucky (1947)
Monte Mathis Toledo '89 Kansas (1988)
Billy McCaffrey Vanderbilt '94 Duke (1992)
Malcolm McMullen Xavier '49 Kentucky (1948)
Mike Miday Bowling Green State '81 Indiana (1981)
Danny Miller Notre Dame '03 Maryland (2002)
Alex Murphy Florida '16 Duke (2015)
Gethro Muscadin New Mexico '24 Kansas (2022)
Semi Ojeleye Southern Methodist '18 Duke (2015)
Dylan Painter Delaware '22 Villanova (2018)
Crawford Palmer Dartmouth '93 Duke (1992)
Jim Pelton San Diego '88 Kansas (1988)
Sanford "Sandy" Pomerantz Washington MO '63 Cincinnati (1961 and 1962)
Stacey Poole Georgia Tech '14 Kentucky (2012)
Jarred Reuter George Mason '19 Virginia (2019)
Rodrick Rhodes Southern California '97 Kentucky (1996)
Jason Richey San Diego State '98 Arizona (1997)
Clifford Rozier Louisville '95 North Carolina (1993)
Jarvis Kelly Sanni Rice '98 Arizona (1997)
Dean Shaffer Florida State '85 North Carolina (1982)
Marty Simmons Evansville '88 Indiana (1987)
Oliver Simmons Florida State '00 Kentucky (1998)
Will Smethers Bowling Green State '51 Kentucky (1949)
Roscoe Smith UNLV '15 Connecticut (2014)
Alex Stephenson Southern California '11 North Carolina (2009)
Rasheed Sulaimon Maryland '16 Duke (2015)
Barry Sumpter Austin Peay State '87 Louisville (1986)
Andre Sweet Seton Hall '05 Duke (2001)
Jared Swopshire Northwestern '13 Louisville (2013)
Bryce Thompson Oklahoma State '24 Kansas (2022)
James Thues Detroit '05 Syracuse (2003)
Jeff Tropf Central Michigan '79 Michigan State (1979)
Jason Webber Central Michigan '00 Michigan State (2000)
Milt Wiley St. Louis '79 Michigan State (1979)
DeShaun Williams Iona '04 Syracuse (2003)
Elliot Williams Memphis '12 Duke (2010)

*Played for a junior college between four-year schools

NOTES: McCaffrey and Palmer played for an NCAA champion with Duke in 1991 and Huertas did with Florida in 2006. . . . King played only one season for Villanova in 2009-10. . . . E. Williams left Memphis after 2009-10 campaign when he declared early for the NBA draft. Likewise for Smith at UNLV following 2013-14 season.

Last Man Standing: Will MOP Ochai Agbaji Make Significant Impact in NBA?

April 5th, 2022 - 11:16

"I'm gonna make it to heaven, light up the sky like a flame. I'm gonna live forever. Baby, remember my name." - Theme from 1980s film and TV series Fame

Kansas' Ochai Agbaji, the only NCAA consensus first-team All-American reaching the Sweet 16, went on and MOP(ped) the Superdome floor this season. Four years ago, Villanova sixth man Donte DiVincenzo became the fourth in a row and 11th Most Outstanding Player overall in NCAA Tournament history who wasn't an All-American, joining Kansas' B.H. Born (1953), Villanova's Ed Pinckney (1985), Indiana's Keith Smart (1987), UNLV's Anderson Hunt (1990), North Carolina's Donald Williams (1993), Kentucky's Jeff Sheppard (1998), Louisville's Luke Hancock (2013), Duke's Tyus Jones (2015), Villanova's Ryan Arcidiacono (2016) and North Carolina's Joel Berry II (2017).

Of the previous eight Final Four MOPs combining to average a modest 6.4 ppg in the NBA (since Kentucky's Anthony Davis in 2012), only two of them were regulars this past pro season (Jones and Donte DiVincenzo). Questions linger as to whether Agbaji will have any impact in the NBA. Perhaps that is why he should think about what happens when the ball stops bouncing. What did the brightest Final Four stars do in the real world after Father Time took its toll on their playing ability? The following individuals weren't always defined solely as basketball standouts after earning acclaim as the Final Four MOP:

Year(s) - NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player, Position, Class, School

1939 - Jimmy Hull, F, Sr., Ohio State*
Employed as a dentist.

1940 - Marv Huffman, G, Sr., Indiana
Played one season with Goodyear in the National Industrial League in 1940-41 (5.1 ppg) and four with the Akron Collegians. After he stopped playing basketball, he was a special assistant to the president of Goodyear. He died in 1984 of multiple sclerosis.

1941 - John Kotz, F, Soph., Wisconsin
Retired in 1980 after working his way up from shipping clerk to president and majority stockholder of Badger Sporting Goods Company.

1942 - Howie Dallmar, G, Soph., Stanford
Averaged 9.6 ppg with the Philadelphia Warriors in three NBA seasons from 1946-47 through 1948-49. Compiled a 105-51 coaching record (.673) for Penn in six seasons from 1948-49 through 1953-54 before posting a 264-264 record (.500) with Stanford in 21 seasons from 1954-55 through 1974-75. His best season as a mentor was 22-5 mark for NCAA tourney team in 1952-53.

1943 - Kenny Sailors, G, Jr., Wyoming
Averaged 12.6 ppg and 2.8 apg with seven different NBA teams in five seasons from 1946-47 through 1950-51. Lived in Gakona, Alaska, where he owned a guided big-game hunting business with his son. Had a winter home in Arizona.

1944 - Arnie Ferrin, F, Fr., Utah
Averaged 5.8 ppg with the Minneapolis Lakers in three NBA seasons from 1948-49 through 1950-51. General Manager of the ABA's Utah Stars, athletic director for his alma mater and chairman of the NCAA Tournament selection committee in 1988.

1945 and 1946 - Bob Kurland, C, Jr./Sr., Oklahoma A&M
Retired Phillips Petroleum executive had a retirement home in Florida.

1947 - George Kaftan, F-C, Soph., Holy Cross
Averaged 7.5 ppg with the Boston Celtics, New York Knicks and Baltimore Bullets in five NBA seasons from 1948-49 through 1952-53. Graduated from Georgetown Dental School, coached C.W. Post for 17 seasons and maintained a dental practice.

1948 and 1949 - Alex Groza, C, Jr./Sr., Kentucky
Averaged 22.5 ppg with the Indianapolis Olympians in two NBA seasons in 1949-50 and 1950-51 before his pro career ended because of a college point-shaving scandal. Got a job at General Electric in Louisville before returning to his hometown (Martin's Ferry, Ohio) and running his mother's tavern. Compiled a 91-77 record (.542) as coach for Bellarmine College in seven seasons from 1959-60 through 1965-66. Executive with two ABA franchises (Kentucky Colonels and San Diego Conquistadors) before getting involved with professional volleyball. Joined Reynolds Metals in 1977 and traveled around the country as Pacific Coast manager of its chemical division.

1950 - Irwin Dambrot, F, Sr., CCNY
Became a dentist.

1951 - Bill Spivey, C, Sr., Kentucky
After 16 years in the bush leagues with assorted nondescript teams, he extended his nomadic existence with a series of jobs - salesman, insurance agent, real estate developer, government official (Kentucky's deputy insurance commissioner) and restaurant and bar owner - before relocating to Costa Rica.

1952 - Clyde Lovellette, C, Sr., Kansas
Averaged 17 ppg and 9.5 rpg with the Minneapolis Lakers, Cincinnati Royals, St. Louis Hawks and Boston Celtics in 11 NBA seasons from 1953-54 through 1963-64. Assistant coach for the Indiana Pacers in 1967 when they started their ABA franchise. Served as a sheriff in his native Indiana and taught and coached at White's Institute, a school for troubled youngsters in Wabash, before moving to Munising, Mich.

1953 - B.H. Born, C, Jr., Kansas*
Played AAU basketball until the late 1950s with the Peoria (Ill.) Caterpillars before going to work in the personnel office for Caterpillar Bulldozers. He spent his entire career working for Caterpillar until his retirement.

1954 - Tom Gola, C-F, Jr., La Salle
Averaged 11.3 ppg and 8 rpg with the Philadelphia/San Francisco Warriors and New York Knicks in 11 NBA seasons from 1955-56 through 1965-66. He invested in driving ranges, apartment complexes, recycling companies and residential sites. Gola owned his own insurance company and a skating rink. He was a spokesman for Texaco, Vitalis and the Army Reserve. In 1966, Gola began a two-term career as a state legislator while coaching his alma mater before becoming Philadelphia's city controller. He later became a vice president of the Valley Forge Investment Corporation and served on the board of the Philadelphia Convention Center.

1955 - Bill Russell, C, Jr., San Francisco
Twelve-time All-Star averaged 15.1 ppg, 22.5 rpg and 4.3 apg with the Boston Celtics in 13 NBA seasons from 1956-57 through 1968-69. Five-time MVP was named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History (1996). Compiled a 341-290 record (.540) with the Celtics (1966-67 through 1968-69), Seattle SuperSonics (1973-74 through 1976-77) and Sacramento Kings (1987-88) in eight seasons. Network analyst dabbled with acting but retreated to the quiet life on Mercer Island in Washington, and has a clothing line company called Center Court.

1956 - Hal Lear, G, Sr., Temple*
Played in three games for the NBA's Philadelphia Warriors in 1956-57 before playing 10 seasons in the Eastern Basketball League, becoming MVP in 1956-57 and averaging 39.7 ppg for Easton in 1960-61. Also averaged 13.1 ppg for Los Angeles and Cleveland in the ABL in 1961-62.

1957 - Wilt Chamberlain, C, Soph., Kansas*
Averaged 30.1 ppg, 22.9 rpg and 4.4 apg with the Philadelphia/San Francisco Warriors, Philadelphia 76ers and Los Angeles Lakers in 14 NBA seasons from 1959-60 through 1972-73. Made a fortune in the restaurant business, designed homes, owned racehorses and played professional volleyball. Also wrote four books: Wilt; A View From Above; Chamberlain House: The Possible Dream, and Who's Running the Asylum: The Insane World of Sports Today.

1958 - Elgin Baylor, C, Jr., Seattle*
Averaged 27.4 ppg, 13.5 rpg and 4.3 apg with the Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lakers in 14 seasons from 1958-59 through 1971-72. Coached the New Orleans Jazz for four seasons in the late 1970s (86-135 record). Executive with the Los Angeles Clippers.

1959 - Jerry West, F-G, Jr., West Virginia*
Averaged 27 ppg, 5.8 rpg and 6.7 apg with the Los Angeles Lakers in 14 NBA seasons from 1960-61 through 1973-74. Long-time executive with the Lakers before accepting a similar position with the Memphis Grizzlies.

1960 and 1961 - Jerry Lucas, C, Soph./Jr.*, Ohio State
Seven-time All-Star averaged 17 ppg and 15.6 rpg with the Cincinnati Royals, San Francisco Warriors and New York Knicks in 11 NBA seasons from 1963-64 through 1973-74. One of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History (1996). Memory expert and motivational speaker lived in Templeton, Calif., while working on revolutionary educational programs. Taught his memory and learning technique to many Fortune 500 companies and countless churches. He authored more than 60 books on learning, including The Memory Book, which was on the New York Times' best-seller list for 50 weeks and reached the No. 2 position behind All the President's Men, the investigative story that uncovered the Watergate scandal.

1962 - Paul Hogue, C, Sr., Cincinnati
Averaged 6.3 ppg and 7.1 rpg with the New York Knicks and Baltimore Bullets in two NBA seasons in 1962-63 and 1963-64. Worked with the Tennessee juvenile program before moving back to Cincinnati to work at a milling machine firm. He served as a physical therapist at a state mental hospital, a counselor at a neighborhood youth center and as a counselor in a local school system before becoming the division supervisor for the Postal Services' Employee Assistance Program.

1963 - Art Heyman, F, Sr., Duke*
Averaged 10.3 ppg and 2.8 rpg with the New York Knicks, Cincinnati Royals and Philadelphia 76ers in three NBA seasons from 1963-64 through 1965-66 before averaging 15.4 ppg and 6.4 rpg with the New Jersey Americans, Pittsburgh/Minnesota Pipers and Miami Floridians in three ABA seasons from 1967-68 through 1969-70. Owned and operated several restaurants.

1964 - Walt Hazzard, G, Sr., UCLA
Averaged 12.6 ppg, 3 rpg and 4.9 apg with five different NBA teams in 10 seasons from 1964-65 through 1973-74. Later named Mahdi Abdul-Rahmad, he worked in the Los Angeles Lakers' front office and coached his alma mater and Chapman College before suffering a stroke and undergoing open-heart surgery in 1996.

1965 - Bill Bradley, F, Sr., Princeton*
Rhodes Scholar averaged 12.4 ppg, 3.2 rpg and 3.4 apg with the New York Knicks in 10 NBA seasons from 1967-68 through 1976-77. Three-term U.S. Senator (Democrat-N.J.) until 1995 was a tax and trade expert with a strong voice on race issues and campaign finance reform. The presidential candidate against Al Gore in 2000 authored two basketball books (Life on the Run in 1976 and Values of the Game in 1998).

1966 - Jerry Chambers, F, Sr., Utah*
Averaged 8.3 ppg and 3.2 rpg with the Los Angeles Lakers, Phoenix Suns, Atlanta Hawks, Buffalo Braves, San Diego Conquistadors and San Antonio Spurs in six NBA/ABA seasons from 1966-67 to 1973-74. Worked for the L.A. city parks and recreation department for many years.

1967, 1968 and 1969 - Lew Alcindor, C, Soph./Jr./Sr., UCLA
Six-time league MVP averaged 24.6 ppg and 11.2 rpg in 20 NBA seasons with the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers from 1969-70 through 1988-89. Nineteen-time All-Star later named Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History (1996). In 1999, he worked with a high school team at White Mountain Apache Reservation in Whiteriver, Ariz. He was an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Clippers in 2000 and then worked in training camp with the Indiana Pacers before becoming head coach of the USBL's Oklahoma Storm for one season. Hired by the New York Knicks as a scout in March, 2004 before serving as a Lakers aide helping develop center Andrew Bynum. In January 2012, he was appointed a Cultural Ambassador for the U.S. Department of State before becoming a TIME columnist.

1970 - Sidney Wicks, F, Jr., UCLA
Averaged 16.8 ppg and 8.7 rpg with the Portland Trail Blazers, Boston Celtics and San Diego Clippers in 10 NBA seasons from 1971-72 through 1980-81. Worked in property management. Served as an assistant coach at his alma mater under Walt Hazzard for four seasons in the mid-1980s. At the completion of his coaching stint with the Bruins, Wicks has been in private business.

1971 - Howard Porter, F, Sr., Villanova*
Averaged 9.2 ppg and 4.1 rpg with the Chicago Bulls, New York Knicks, Detroit Pistons and New Jersey Nets in seven NBA seasons from 1971-72 through 1977-78. Senior probation officer for Ramsey County (Minn.) after getting clean from drugs with the help of a colleague working with him loading furniture for a construction firm in Orlando. Earlier, Porter failed at running a club in Florida and a convenience store. He was trying to trade money and crack cocaine for sex with a prostitute in St. Paul in May, 2007, when the probation officer was beaten to death, according to murder charges filed several months later.

1972 and 1973 - Bill Walton, C, Soph./Jr., UCLA
Averaged 13.3 ppg, 10.5 rpg and 3.4 apg with the Portland Trail Blazers, San Diego/Los Angeles Clippers and Boston Celtics in 10 NBA seasons from 1974-75 to 1986-87. Network commentator for both the NBA and NCAA after and while working in a similar capacity for the Clippers.

1974 - David Thompson, F, Jr., North Carolina State
Averaged 22.7 ppg and 4.1 rpg with the Denver Nuggets and Seattle SuperSonics in nine ABA/NBA seasons from 1975-76 through 1983-84. Motivational speaker with Unlimited Sports Management was also community relations director for the Charlotte Hornets.

1975 - Richard Washington, C-F, Soph., UCLA
Averaged 9.8 ppg and 6.3 rpg with the Kansas City Kings, Milwaukee Bucks, Dallas Mavericks and Cleveland Cavaliers in six NBA seasons from 1976-77 through 1981-82. Contractor in Portland.

1976 - Kent Benson, C, Jr., Indiana
Averaged 9.1 ppg and 5.7 rpg with four different NBA teams in 11 seasons from 1977-78 through 1987-88. Resided in Bloomington, where he worked with Diversified Benefit Services.

1977 - Butch Lee, G, Jr., Marquette
Averaged 8.1 ppg and 3.2 apg with the Atlanta Hawks, Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Lakers in two NBA seasons in 1978-79 and 1979-80. Owned two restaurants, coached pro ball in Puerto Rico and had a sign business in San Juan.

1978 - Jack Givens, F, Sr., Kentucky
Averaged 6.7 ppg and 2.9 rpg with the Atlanta Hawks in two NBA seasons in 1978-79 and 1979-80. Announcer for the Orlando Magic did not have his contract renewed after he was found not guilty following an arrest during summer of 2004 on charges of sexual battery and lewd molestation of a 14-year-old girl.

1979 - Earvin "Magic" Johnson, G, Soph., Michigan State
Averaged 19.5 ppg, 7.2 rpg and 11.2 apg with the Los Angeles Lakers in 13 NBA seasons from 1979-80 through 1990-91 and 1995-96. Business entrepreneur emphasized attempting to revitalize a number of minority neighborhoods. He owned the Magic Theatres, an L.A. restaurant chain (Fatburgers), a TGI Friday's and some Starbucks coffee shops. Johnson was a principal in a local black-owned bank and delved into the entertainment business as a concert promoter and owner of the Magic Johnson Record label. Part of ownership group that purchased the Los Angeles Dodgers in the spring of 2012.

1980 - Darrell Griffith, G, Sr., Louisville
Averaged 16.2 ppg and 3.3 rpg with the Utah Jazz in 11 NBA seasons from 1980-81 through 1990-91. Resides in Louisville where he has several real estate investments and business interests. Father-in-law of former NBA standout Derek Anderson established a foundation in his hometown.

1981 - Isiah Thomas, G, Soph., Indiana
Twelve-time All-Star averaged 19.2 ppg, 3.6 rpg and 9.3 apg with the Detroit Pistons in 13 NBA seasons from 1981-82 through 1993-94. One of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History (1996) served as president of the New York Knicks from 2003-04 through 2007-08. Executive and part owner of the Toronto Raptors, owner of the CBA and coach of the Indiana Pacers (131-115 record in three seasons from 2000-01 through 2002-03). Served as coach for Florida International three seasons. Named president and part-owner of the Knicks' WNBA sister team, the New York Liberty, subsequent to the re-hiring of Thomas' former Pistons teammate, Bill Laimbeer, as the team's coach.

1982 - James Worthy, F, Jr., North Carolina
Averaged 17.6 ppg, 5.1 rpg and 3 apg with the Los Angeles Lakers in 12 NBA seasons from 1982-83 through 1993-94. Served as network TV analyst.

1983 - Hakeem Olajuwon, C, Soph., Houston*
Twelve-time All-Star averaged 21.8 ppg, 11.1 rpg and 3.1 bpg with the Houston Rockets and Toronto Raptors in 18 seasons from 1984-85 through 2001-02. Six-time All-NBA first-team selection was named as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History (1996). NBA Most Valuable Player in 1993-94 was one of only eight players in league history to amass more than 20,000 points and 12,000 rebounds. Split time between his ranch near Houston (buying real estate in cash-only purchases) and Jordan, where he pursued Islamic studies.

1984 - Patrick Ewing, C, Jr., Georgetown
Eleven-time All-Star averaged 21 ppg, 9.8 rpg and 2.4 bpg with the New York Knicks, Seattle SuperSonics and Orlando Magic in 17 seasons from 1985-86 through 2001-02. One of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History (1996) became an assistant coach with the Washington Wizards, Houston Rockets, Orlando Magic and Charlotte Bobcats before becoming head coach of his alma mater in 2017-18.

1985 - Ed Pinckney, F, Sr., Villanova
Averaged 6.8 ppg and 5 rpg with seven different NBA teams in 12 seasons from 1985-86 through 1996-97. Miami Heat TV analyst while trying to cope with an overactive thyroid.

1986 - Pervis Ellison, C, Fr., Louisville
Averaged 9.7 ppg and 6.8 rpg with the Sacramento Kings, Washington Bullets and Boston Celtics in 10 NBA seasons from 1989-90 through 1997-98 and 1999-00. Lived in Atlanta. Coached basketball for various teams throughout Southern New Jersey, including his son, Malik, at Life Center Academy.

1987 - Keith Smart, G, Jr., Indiana
Played in two games with the San Antonio Spurs in 1988-89 before basketball took him to the Philippines, Venezuela and France. After playing and coaching in the CBA with the Fort Wayne (Ind.) Fury, he joined the Cleveland Cavaliers as director of player development and assistant coach. Smart was named interim head coach of the Cavs midway through the 2002-03 campaign, replacing John Lucas. Also promoted from assistant to head coach with the Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings before becoming an aide for the Miami Heat.

1988 - Danny Manning, F, Sr., Kansas
Two-time All-Star averaged 14 ppg and 5.2 rpg with seven different franchises in 15 NBA seasons from 1988-89 through 2002-03. Assistant coach at his alma mater for nine seasons before accepting head coaching position with Tulsa and subsequently accepting a similar position at Wake Forest.

1989 - Glen Rice, F, Sr., Michigan
Averaged 18.3 ppg and 4.4 rpg with six different NBA franchises in 15 seasons from 1989-90 through 2003-04. Three-time All-Star was the Heat's all-time leading scorer.

1990 - Anderson Hunt, G, Soph., UNLV
Photograph was published of him with a couple of teammates in a hot tub with known sports fixer Richard Perry before pleading guilty to misdemeanor charges in connection with marijuana found in his possession during a traffic stop in October 1993. Played overseas in France, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Venezuela. Worked in real estate market in Detroit following employment at Burger Palace inside the Imperial Palace Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.

1991 - Christian Laettner, C-F, Jr., Duke
All-Star in 1996-97 averaged 12.8 ppg, 6.7 rpg and 2.6 apg with six different NBA franchises in 13 seasons from 1992-93 through 2004-05. He and Duke teammate Brian Davis faced huge financial and legal hurdles stemming from a loan their real estate company failed to repay nearly $700,000 to former Duke captain and current Stanford coach Johnny Dawkins. Court documents obtained by the Wall Street Journal indicated that Laettner and Davis were defendants in several civil lawsuits seeking repayment of about $30 million.

1992 - Bobby Hurley, G, Jr., Duke
Averaged 3.8 ppg and 3.3 apg with the Sacramento Kings and Vancouver Grizzlies in five NBA seasons from 1993-94 through 1997-98. Owned race horses and did TV commentary on the ACC for Fox Sports. Assistant coach under his brother, Danny, with Wagner and Rhode Island prior to becoming head coach with Buffalo and Arizona State.

1993 - Donald Williams, G, Soph., North Carolina
Played professional basketball overseas in Germany and Greece and with the Harlem Globetrotters.

1994 - Corliss Williamson, F, Soph., Arkansas
Averaged 11.1 ppg and 3.9 rpg with the Sacramento Kings, Toronto Raptors, Detroit Pistons and Philadelphia 76ers in 12 NBA seasons from 1995-96 through 2006-07. Scored a career-high 40 points against the Pistons on 3-4-98. Coached for Arkansas Baptist College and Central Arkansas before returning to the NBA as an assistant coach with the Kings.

1995 - Ed O'Bannon, F, Sr., UCLA
Averaged 5 ppg and 2.5 rpg with the New Jersey Nets and Dallas Mavericks in two NBA seasons in 1995-96 and 1996-97. After his brief NBA career, he played professionally in Europe (Italy, Spain, Greece and Poland) before becoming a Toyota salesman/marketing director in the Las Vegas area. Lead plaintiff in highly-publicized lawsuit against the NCAA, disputing the organization's use of the images of its former student-athletes for commercial purposes.

1996 - Tony Delk, G, Sr., Kentucky
Averaged 9.1 ppg, 2.5 rpg and 1.9 apg with eight different franchises in 10 NBA seasons from 1996-97 through 2005-06. Scored a career-high 53 points against the Kings on 1-2-01. Played overseas in Greece and Puerto Rico before serving as an assistant coach at his alma mater and New Mexico State.

1997 - Miles Simon, G, Jr., Arizona
Appeared in five games with the NBA's Orlando Magic in 1998-99. Played professionally in Israel in 2000 and Italy in 2001 before joining the Dakota Wizards of the CBA where he earned 2002 Newcomer of the Year and MVP honors. Also played in Venezuela and Turkey before joining his alma mater's staff as an assistant under Lute Olson in 2005. Served as a commentator for ESPN.

1998 - Jeff Sheppard, G, Sr., Kentucky
After playing the 1998-99 season with the Atlanta Hawks, he played professionally in Italy. Married former UK women's player Stacey Reed. They own an apparel company.

1999 - Richard Hamilton, F-G, Jr., Connecticut
Averaged 17.3 ppg, 3.1 rpg and 3.4 apg with the Washington Wizards, Detroit Pistons and Chicago Bulls in 14 seasons from 1999-00 to 2012-13.

2000 - Mateen Cleaves, G, Sr., Michigan State
Averaged 3.6 ppg and 1.9 apg with four different NBA franchises in six seasons from 2000-01 through 2005-06 before becoming a color commentator for Fox Sports Detroit and the CBS Sports Network prior to being investigated for a sexual assault charge.

2001 - Shane Battier, F, Sr., Duke
Averaged 8.6 ppg and 4.2 rpg with four different NBA franchises in 13 seasons from 2001-02 through 2013-14 before becoming an ESPN color commentator.

2002 - Juan Dixon, G, Sr., Maryland
Averaged 8.4 ppg with five different NBA franchises in seven seasons from 2002-03 through 2008-09 before playing overseas in Greece, Spain and Turkey and subsequently becoming an assistant coach for his alma mater and head coach of Coppin State.

2003 - Carmelo Anthony, F, Fr., Syracuse
Averaged 23.6 ppg, 6.5 rpg and 2.9 apg with the Denver Nuggets, New York Knicks, Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets and Portland Trail Blazers in 17 seasons from 2003-04 through 2019-20.

2004 - Emeka Okafor, C, Jr., Connecticut
Averaged 12 ppg, 9.7 rpg and 1.6 bpg with the Charlotte/New Orleans Hornets, Washington Wizards and New Orleans Pelicans in 10 seasons from 2004-05 to 2012-13 and 2017-18.

2005 - Sean May, C-F, Jr., North Carolina
Averaged 6.9 ppg and 4 rpg with the Charlotte Hornets and Sacramento Kings in four injury-plagued seasons from 2005-06 through 2009-10 before playing overseas. Joined his alma mater's staff under Roy Williams as assistant to the director of player development.

2006 - Joakim Noah, C, Soph., Florida
Averaged 8.9 ppg, 9.3 rpg, 2.9 apg and 1.3 bpg with the Chicago Bulls and New York Knicks in 11 seasons from 2007-08 to 2017-18.

2007 - Corey Brewer, F, Jr., Florida
Averaged 8.9 ppg and 2.8 rpg with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets, Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers and Oklahoma City Thunder in 11 seasons from 2007-08 to 2017-18. He scored 51 points in a single game against the Houston Rockets.

2008 - Mario Chalmers, G, Jr., Kansas
Averaged 8.9 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 3.7 apg and 1.5 spg with the Miami Heat and Memphis Grizzlies in nine seasons from 2008-09 through 2015-16 and 2017-18.

2009 - Wayne Ellington, G, Jr., North Carolina
Averaged 8 ppg and 2.1 rpg with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Memphis Grizzlies, Cleveland Cavaliers, Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Lakers, Brooklyn Nets, Miami Heat, Detroit Pistons and New York Knicks in 13 seasons from 2009-10 through 2021-22.

2010 - Kyle Singler, F, Jr., Duke
Second-round draft choice by the NBA's Detroit Pistons played overseas two seasons in Spain before averaging 6.5 ppg and 2.9 rpg in six seasons from 2012-13 to 2017-18 with the Pistons and Oklahoma Thunder.

2011 - Kemba Walker, G, Jr., Connecticut
Averaged 19.8 ppg, 3.8 rpg and 5.5 apg with the Charlotte Bobcats/Hornets in eight seasons from 2011-12 through 2018-19. After signing as a free agent with the Boston Celtics, he averaged 19.9 ppg, 3.9 rpg and 4.8 apg in 2019-20 and 2020-21 prior to disappointing campaign for the New York Knicks in 2021-22 (11.6 ppg and 3.5 apg).

2012 - Anthony Davis, C, Fr., Kentucky
Averaged 23.7 ppg, 10.5 rpg and 2.4 bpg with the New Orleans Hornets/Pelicans in seven seasons from 2012-13 through 2018-19, becoming an NBA All-Star in his second season and sparking the Pelicans to the playoffs in 2015. Following a trade, he averaged 24.1 ppg, 9.1 rpg, 3.1 apg and 2.1 bpg with the Los Angeles Lakers from 2019-20 through 2021-22.

2013 - Luke Hancock, G, Jr., Louisville
Averaged 12.3 ppg, 2.6 rpg and 2.2 apg for the Cardinals as a senior, helping defeat 2014 NCAA champion-to-be Connecticut a total of three times. Briefly played professionally in Greece before tearing a muscle in his calf and becoming financial adviser in Louisville.

2014 - Shabazz Napier, G, Sr., Connecticut
Averaged 7.1 ppg and 2.5 apg with six NBA franchises (Miami Heat, Orlando Magic, Portland Trail Blazers, Brooklyn Nets, Minnesota Timberwolves and Washington Wizards) in six seasons from 2014-15 through 2019-20. Played for professional team in Russia until its invasion of Ukraine.

2015 - Tyus Jones, G, Fr., Duke
Averaged 6.2 ppg and 3.7 apg with the Minnesota Timberwolves and Memphis Grizzlies in seven seasons from 2015-16 to 2021-22.

2016 - Ryan Arcidiacono, G, Sr., Villanova
Played for the San Antonio Spurs' Development League team in Austin in 2016-17 before signing a similar developmental deal with the Chicago Bulls. Averaged 4.9 ppg, 2.1 rpg and 2.3 apg for the Bulls from 2017-18 to 2020-21 before playing briefly with the New York Knicks in 2021-22.

2017 - Joel Berry II, G, Jr., North Carolina
Earned All-American status with the Tar Heels in 2017-18 before elimination in second round of NCAA playoffs by 21 points against Texas A&M. Undrafted by the NBA, he played in the G League for a couple different franchises before aligning with BSL (Basketball Super League). Played one season professionally in Turkey before retiring.

2018 - Donte DiVincenzo, G, Jr., Villanova
Missing most of season because of a foot injury, he averaged 4.9 ppg as NBA rookie with the Milwaukee Bucks. He doubled his rookie scoring average the past three years, averaging 9 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 2.5 apg and 1.1 spg with the Bucks and Sacramento Kings.

2019 - Kyle Guy, G, Jr., Virginia
Appeared in only two NBA games in 2019-20 with the Sacramento Kings prior to season being postponed. Averaged 3.1 ppg with the Kings and Miami Heat the last three campaigns.

2021 - Jared Butler, G, Jr., Baylor
Second-round draft choice averaging 3.7 ppg with Utah Jazz as a rookie.

2022 - Ochai Agbaji, G, Sr., Kansas
Post-college career to be determined.

*Schools that did not win NCAA Tournament championship year in question.

On This Date: Former College Hoopers Generating MLB Headlines on April 5

April 5th, 2022 - 10:49

Extra! Extra! As a new season is about to unfold, you can read news all about memorable major league baseball achievements, moments and transactions involving former college basketball players! Numerous ex-college hoopers had front-row seats to many of the most notable games and dates in MLB history.

Baseball is portrayed as a thinking man's game but only 4% of active MLB players earned college diplomas. Former small-college hoopers Frank Baker (Southern Mississippi), Fred Kipp (Emporia State KS), Roger Mason (Saginaw Valley State MI), Ted Savage (Lincoln MO) and Ken Singleton (Hofstra) were involved in MLB transactions on this date. Unless you habitually pore over the content at baseballlibrary.com, baseballreference.com and nationalpastime.com, following is an April 5 calendar focusing on such versatile MLB athletes:

APRIL 5

  • INF Frank Baker (Southern Mississippi basketball letterman in 1965-66 and 1966-67) traded by the New York Yankees to the Baltimore Orioles in 1973.

  • Detroit Tigers 1B Tony Clark (San Diego State's leading scorer in WAC games in 1991-92) smacked two homers among his four hits in a 15-12 win against the Chicago White Sox in 1997. Four years later, Clark contributed four hits against the Minnesota Twins in 2001.

  • LHP Fred Kipp (two-time all-conference selection for Emporia State KS in early 1950s) traded by the Los Angeles Dodgers to the New York Yankees in 1960.

  • RHP Roger Mason (multiple-year letterman for Saginaw Valley State MI in late 1970s) traded by the Detroit Tigers to the San Francisco Giants in 1985.

  • California Angels 3B Bob Oliver (All-Valley Conference basketball choice for American River Community College CA in 1962) supplied four hits in an 8-2 win against the Chicago White Sox in 1974 season opener.

  • OF Ted Savage (led Lincoln MO in scoring average in 1955-56) purchased from the Cincinnati Reds by the Milwaukee Brewers in 1970.

  • OF Ken Singleton (Hofstra freshman squad in mid-1960s) traded with Tim Foli and Mike Jorgensen by the New York Mets to the Montreal Expos for Rusty Staub in 1972.

  • Atlanta Braves reliever Cecil Upshaw (led Centenary in scoring as junior while averaging 13.7 ppg and 6 rpg from 1961-62 through 1963-64) registered the victory in a season-opening 7-4 success at Cincinnati in 1971. Upshaw missed the previous campaign after almost losing the ring finger on his right hand when it got entangled in a net while dunking basketball.

  • RHP Chris Young (All-Ivy League first-team selection as Princeton's leading scorer and rebounder in 1999-00) became the first hurler in New York Mets history to collect two hits in an inning (pair of singles in third against Philadelphia Phillies in 2011). Young contributed a third single in the fifth in his first start with the Mets.

Victory Map: KU 52nd Titlist to Win At Least One Playoff Game By < 5 Points

April 4th, 2022 - 23:39

There has been some smooth sailing, but it usually is a rugged road en route to becoming NCAA champion such as Virginia in 2019 when the Cavaliers won their last four playoff games by an average of 4.5 points. Most titlists have near-death experiences and are severely tested at least once on the serpentine tourney trail. In 1997, Arizona won each of its playoff contests by a single-digit margin.

Kansas became the 52nd champion to win a minimum of one playoff game by fewer than five, including 24 titlists to win at least one contest by just one point. Wyoming '43 would have become the only champion to trail at halftime in every tournament game if the Cowboys didn't score the last three baskets of the first half in the national final to lead Georgetown at intermission (18-16). Four titlists trailed at intermission in both of their Final Four games - Kentucky '51, Louisville '86, Duke '92 and Kentucky '98.

UCLA '67, the first varsity season for Lew Alcindor (became Kareem Abdul-Jabbar), set the record for largest average margin of victory for a champion when the Bruins started a dazzling streak of 10 consecutive Final Four appearances. They won their 12 NCAA playoff games with Alcindor manning the middle by an amazing average margin of 21.5 points.

Which of John Wooden's 10 national champion UCLA teams did the Wizard of Westwood perceive as his best?

"I've never come out and said it," Wooden said before passing away two years ago, "but it would be hard to pick a team over the 1968 team. I will say it would be the most difficult team to prepare for and play against offensively and defensively. It created so many problems. It had such great balance. We had the big center (Alcindor) who is the most valuable player of all time. Mike Warren was a three-year starter who may have been the most intelligent floor leader ever, going eight complete games once without a turnover. Lucius Allen was a very physical, talented individual who was extremely quick. Lynn Shackleford was a great shooter out of the corner who didn't allow defenses to sag on Jabbar. Mike Lynn didn't have power, but he had as fine a pair of hands around the boards as I have ever seen."

The roster for UCLA's 1968 national champion included six players with double-digit season scoring averages, but senior forward Edgar Lacey dropped off the team with an 11.9-point average following a dispute with Wooden after a ballyhooed mid-season defeat against Houston before 52,693 fans at the Astrodome. Lacey, assigned to defend Cougars star Elvin Hayes early in the game, was annoyed with Wooden for singling him out following Hayes' 29-point first-half outburst. Lacey, the leading rebounder for the Bruins' 1965 NCAA titlist when he was an All-Tournament team selection, missed the 1966-67 campaign because of a fractured left kneecap.

The three Lew-CLA teams rank among the seven NCAA champions with average margins of victory in a tournament of more than 19 points per game. It's no wonder a perceptive scribe wrote the acronym NCAA took on a new meaning during the plunderous Alcindor Era - "No Chance Against Alcindor."

"Bill Walton might have been a better all-around player (than Alcindor)," Wooden said. "If you were grading a player for every fundamental skill, Walton would rank the highest of any center who ever played. But Alcindor is the most valuable, owing to the pressure he put on the other team at both ends of the court."

UNC won all six of its playoff contests by double digits in 2009 but the only titlist to win all of its tournament games by more than 15 points was Ohio State '60. Center Jerry Lucas, a first-team All-American as a sophomore, averaged 24 points and 16 rebounds in four playoff contests for the Buckeyes. He collected 36 points and 25 rebounds to help them erase a six-point halftime deficit in their Mideast Regional opener against Western Kentucky.

Duke's five kingpins under Mike Krzyzewski all came with average winning margin of at least 12.5 points per playoff game. Following is the breakdown of point differential and average margin of victory in NCAA playoffs for first 83 national champions:

Championship Team Coach G. Largest Smallest Average
UCLA '67 John Wooden 4 49 15 23.75
Loyola of Chicago '63 George Ireland 5 *69 2 23.0
Indiana '81 Bob Knight 5 35 13 22.6
Kentucky '96 Rick Pitino 6 38 7 21.5
UCLA '68 John Wooden 4 32 9 21.25
Michigan State '79 Jud Heathcote 5 34 11 20.8
Villanova '16 Jay Wright 6 44 3 20.67
North Carolina '09 Roy Williams 6 43 12 20.17
Ohio State '60 Fred Taylor 4 22 17 19.5
UCLA '69 John Wooden 4 38 3 19.5
UNLV '90 Jerry Tarkanian 6 30 2 18.67
Oklahoma State '45 Hank Iba 3 27 4 18.67
UCLA '70 John Wooden 4 23 11 18.0
UCLA '72 John Wooden 4 32 5 18.0
Villanova '18 Jay Wright 6 26 12 17.67
Kentucky '58 Adolph Rupp 4 33 1 17.5
Kentucky '49 Adolph Rupp 3 29 10 17.33
Indiana '40 Branch McCracken 3 24 9 17.0
Duke '01 Mike Krzyzewski 6 43 10 16.67
Louisville '13 Rick Pitino 6 31 4 16.17
Florida '06 Billy Donovan 6 26 4 16.0
UCLA '73 John Wooden 4 21 11 16.0
Kentucky '48 Adolph Rupp 3 23 8 15.67
North Carolina '93 Dean Smith 6 45 6 15.67
UCLA '65 John Wooden 4 24 8 15.5
Baylor '21 Scott Drew 6 24 9 15.33
Michigan State '00 Tom Izzo 6 27 11 15.33
Oregon '39 Howard Hobson 3 18 13 15.33
Kansas '52 Phog Allen 4 19 4 14.75
Duke '15 Mike Krzyzewski 6 29 5 14.67
Duke '10 Mike Krzyzewski 6 29 2 14.5
UCLA '95 Jim Harrick 6 36 1 14.33
North Carolina State '74 Norman Sloan 4 28 3 14.25
Florida '07 Billy Donovan 6 43 7 14.17
Kansas '08 Bill Self 6 24 2 14.17
Duke '91 Mike Krzyzewski 6 29 2 14.0
Kansas '22 Bill Self 6 27 3 14.0
Maryland '02 Gary Williams 6 30 8 14.0
San Francisco '56 Phil Woolpert 4 18 11 14.0
North Carolina '05 Roy Williams 6 28 1 13.83
San Francisco '55 Phil Woolpert 5 23 1 13.8
Connecticut '04 Jim Calhoun 6 20 1 13.33
Kentucky '98 Tubby Smith 6 27 1 13.3
Indiana '76 Bob Knight 5 20 5 13.2
Cincinnati '62 Ed Jucker 4 20 2 12.75
Duke '92 Mike Krzyzewski 6 26 1 12.5
Cincinnati '61 Ed Jucker 4 23 5 12.0
Connecticut '99 Jim Calhoun 6 25 3 11.83
Kentucky '12 John Calipari 6 16 8 11.83
Louisville '86 Denny Crum 6 20 3 11.83
Oklahoma A&M '46 Hank Iba 3 17 3 11.67
Holy Cross '47 Doggie Julian 3 15 8 11.33
California '59 Pete Newell 4 20 1 11.25
La Salle '54 Ken Loeffler 5 16 2 11.2
Arkansas '94 Nolan Richardson 6 19 4 11.17
North Carolina '17 Roy Williams 6 39 1 11.17
Stanford '42 Everett Dean 3 15 6 10.67
Indiana '87 Bob Knight 6 34 1 10.5
Connecticut '11 Jim Calhoun 6 29 1 10.33
Michigan '89 Steve Fisher 6 37 1 9.83
Georgetown '84 John Thompson Jr. 5 14 1 9.8
Kentucky '51 Adolph Rupp 4 16 2 9.75
Louisville '80 Denny Crum 5 20 2 9.2
Kentucky '78 Joe B. Hall 5 22 3 9.0
Syracuse '03 Jim Boeheim 6 16 1 9.0
Kansas '88 Larry Brown 6 13 3 8.83
UCLA '71 John Wooden 4 18 2 8.5
North Carolina '57 Frank McGuire 5 16 1 8.4
Marquette '77 Al McGuire 5 15 1 8.0
Connecticut '14 Kevin Ollie 6 12 5 7.83
UCLA '64 John Wooden 4 15 4 7.5
Virginia '19 Tony Bennett 6 15 1 7.5
UCLA '75 John Wooden 5 14 1 7.4
Indiana '53 Branch McCracken 4 13 1 7.25
Utah '44 Vadal Peterson 3 10 2 7.0
Texas Western '66 Don Haskins 5 15 1 6.4
Wyoming '43 Everett Shelton 3 12 3 6.33
Arizona '97 Lute Olson 6 8 3 5.33
North Carolina State '83 Jim Valvano 6 19 1 5.33
Villanova '85 Rollie Massimino 6 12 2 5.0
North Carolina '82 Dean Smith 5 10 1 4.6
Wisconsin '41 Bud Foster 3 6 1 4.0
CCNY '50 Nat Holman 3 5 1 3.0

*All-time tournament record (111-42 first-round victory over Tennessee Tech).
NOTE: Sixteen teams participated in a total of 23 overtime games en route to national titles - Utah (1944), North Carolina (two triple-overtime Final Four games in 1957), Cincinnati (1961), Loyola of Chicago (1963), Texas Western (two in 1966, including a double overtime), North Carolina State (double overtime in 1974), UCLA (two in 1975), Louisville (two in 1980), North Carolina State (double overtime in 1983), Michigan (1989), Duke (1992), North Carolina (1993), Arizona (two in 1997), Kentucky (1998), Kansas (2008), Connecticut (2014) and Virginia (two in 2019).

Baylor, Dayton, TCU and Texas Tech Post First Win Against NCAA Champion

April 4th, 2022 - 23:28

Notre Dame has a significant lead in compiling the most all-time victories against teams in a season the opponent went on to capture the NCAA championship. The Fighting Irish, boasting 14 such triumphs despite never winning a Final Four contest, are joined by Duke (nine), Kentucky (nine), Maryland (eight), St. John's (eight), Indiana (seven), Louisville (seven), Virginia (seven) and Wake Forest (seven) as the only schools defeating more than six eventual NCAA playoff titlists. Louisville leveled Connecticut a total of five times in 2011 and 2014.

St. John's (Georgetown '84/Villanova '85/Louisville '86) and Illinois (Indiana '87/Kansas '88/Michigan/'89) are the only schools to upend three different NCAA champions-to-be in as many years. Wake Forest knocked off four different North Carolina titlists in a 28-year span (1982, 1993, 2005 and 2009). Saint Louis, which kayoed four different national kingpins in a 13-year span from 1949 through 1961 (champions combining to win 94.3% of their other games those seasons), never has reached an NCAA tourney regional final.

In 2018, Butler and Creighton each collected their first-ever triumph against an NCAA titlist. Michigan State, despite advancing to eight Final Fours under coach Tom Izzo, never has beaten a school during the season the opponent eventually captured an NCAA championship. Four of Kansas' setbacks this season were virgin territory for Baylor, Dayton, Texas Christian and Texas Tech as they notched their first-ever victory over an NCAA titlist. Prominent universities with that dubious distinction include Arizona State, Brigham Young, Colorado, Penn State, Saint Joseph's, San Francisco, Texas A&M, Texas-El Paso and Virginia Tech.

Surprisingly, Northwestern has notched three triumphs against NCAA titlists despite never participating in the national tourney until 2017. Additional schools with more wins against NCAA kingpins during the regular season than playoff victories include Bowling Green (one tourney triumph), Nebraska (winless), Niagara (two tourney wins), Texas-Pan American (never appeared) and Wright State (winless). DII Alaska-Anchorage is among more than 25 non-power league members on the following alphabetical list of schools defeating NCAA DI champions-to-be:

School (Total Wins vs. Eventual DI Titlists) Pre-NCAA Tournament Victories Against National Champions-to-Be
Alabama (three) Kentucky (won title in 1978), Arkansas (1994) and Florida (2006)
Alaska-Anchorage (one) Michigan (1989)
Arizona (four) Duke (1991), Kentucky (1998), Michigan State (2000) and Maryland (2002)
Arkansas (three) Oklahoma A&M (1945), Duke (1991) and Florida (2006)
Auburn (one) Kentucky (1958)
Baylor (one) Kansas (2022)
Boston College (two) Villanova (1985) and North Carolina (2009)
Bowling Green (two) Oklahoma A&M (1946) and Loyola of Chicago (1963)
Bradley (three) Oregon (1939) and Cincinnati (1961 and 1962)
Butler (one) Villanova (2018)
California (two) UCLA (1995) and Arizona (1997)
UC Santa Barbara (one) UNLV (1990)
Canisius (one) CCNY (1950)
Cincinnati (three) Marquette (1977), Louisville (1986) and Connecticut (2014)
City College of New York (one) Oregon (1939)
Clemson (one) Indiana (1981)
Connecticut (two) Syracuse (twice in 2003)
Creighton (one) Villanova (2018)
Dayton (one) Kansas (2022)
DePaul (four) Oklahoma A&M (1945 and 1946), Marquette (1977) and Georgetown (1984)
Detroit (one) Marquette (1977)
Duke (nine) Kansas (1988), North Carolina (1993, 2005 and twice in 2017), Maryland (2002), Louisville (2013) and Virginia (twice in 2019)
Duquesne (two) Wyoming (1943) and Holy Cross (1947)
Florida (one) Kentucky (1998)
Florida State (three) Florida (2007), North Carolina (2009) and Virginia (2019)
Georgetown (five) Villanova (twice in 1985), Duke (1991 and 2010) and Louisville (2013)
Georgia (one) Villanova (1985)
Georgia Tech (six) Kentucky (1958), North Carolina (1993, 2005 and 2017), Connecticut (2004) and Duke (2010)
Houston (two) UCLA (1968) and Connecticut (2014)
Illinois (six) UCLA (1965), Louisville (1980), Indiana (1987), Kansas (1988) and Michigan (twice in 1989)
Indiana (seven) Ohio State (1960), Michigan State (1979 and 2000), Michigan (twice in 1989), Kentucky (2012) and North Carolina (2017)
Iona (one) Louisville (1980)
Iowa (five) UCLA (1965), Indiana (twice in 1981 and once in 1987) and Kansas (1988)
Iowa State (one) Kansas (1988)
Kansas (five) Louisville (twice in 1986), UNLV (1990), Florida (2007) and Baylor (2021)
Kansas State (six) Kansas (1952, twice in 1988 and once in 2008), Indiana (1953) and California (1959)
Kentucky (nine) Utah (1944), La Salle (1954), Ohio State (1960), Indiana (1981), Louisville (1986), Arkansas (1994), Michigan State (2000), North Carolina (2017) and Kansas (2022)
Louisiana State (three) Kentucky (1978), UNLV (1990) and Florida (2007)
Louisville (seven) North Carolina State (1983), Kentucky (1998) and Connecticut (twice in 2011 and three times in 2014)
Loyola of Chicago (two) Kentucky (1949 and 1958)
Marquette (two) Wisconsin (1941) and Connecticut (2011)
Maryland (eight) Kentucky (1958), Marquette (1977), North Carolina State (twice in 1983), Villanova (1985), Duke (2001 and 2010) and North Carolina (2009)
Massachusetts (one) Kentucky (1996)
Memphis (three) North Carolina State (1983), Louisville (1986) and Syracuse (2003)
Miami FL (three) Connecticut (1999), Duke (2015) and North Carolina (2017)
Michigan (five) Marquette (1977), Michigan State (1979), Indiana (1981), North Carolina (1993) and Arizona (1997)
Minnesota (five) Indiana (1940 and 1953), Wisconsin (1941), Marquette (1977) and Michigan (1989)
Mississippi (one) Kentucky (1998)
Mississippi State (two) Arkansas (1994) and Kentucky (1996)
Missouri (one) North Carolina State (1983)
Nebraska (one) Kansas (1988)
New Mexico (one) Arizona (1997)
New Mexico State (one) UNLV (1990)
Niagara (three) CCNY (1950) and La Salle (twice in 1954)
North Carolina (six) Indiana (1981), North Carolina State (1983), Duke (1991, 1992 and 2001) and Connecticut (2004)
North Carolina State (five) Louisville (1986), Duke (1991, 2010 and 2015) and Maryland (2002)
Northwestern (three) Indiana (1940), Holy Cross (1947) and Michigan State (1979)
Notre Dame (14) Kentucky (1948), Indiana (1953), UCLA (1971 and 1975), Michigan State (1979), Indiana (1981), North Carolina State (1983), Kansas (1988), Connecticut (2004 and twice in 2011), Louisville (2013), Duke (twice in 2015)
Ohio State (two) Indiana (1940) and Michigan State (2000)
Oklahoma (six) CCNY (1950), Kansas (twice in 1988), UNLV (1990), Maryland (2002) and Villanova (2016)
Oklahoma State (three) Kansas (1952 and 2008) and Baylor (2021)
Oregon (four) California (1959), UCLA (1970 and 1995) and Arizona (1997)
Oregon State (two) Oregon (1939) and Stanford (1942)
Pittsburgh (five) Wisconsin (1941), Villanova (1985), Syracuse (2003) and Connecticut (2004 and 2011)
Providence (three) Connecticut (2004) and Villanova (2016 and 2018)
Purdue (four) Michigan State (1979 and 2000) and Indiana (1981 and 1987)
Rutgers (one) Syracuse (2003)
St. John's (eight) Georgetown (1984), Villanova (three times in 1985), Louisville (1986), Kansas (1988), Connecticut (2011) and Villanova (2018)
Saint Louis (four) Kentucky (1949 and 1951), California (1959) and Cincinnati (1961)
Santa Clara (two) Stanford (1942) and North Carolina (2005)
Seattle (one) Texas Western (1966)
Seton Hall (two) Cincinnati (1961) and Villanova (2016)
South Carolina (two) Florida (twice in 2006)
Southern California (four) Stanford (1942), UCLA (1969 and 1970) and Arizona (1997)
Southern Methodist (three) Kentucky (1958) and Connecticut (twice in 2014)
Stanford (six) Oregon (1939), California (1959), UCLA (1975), Arizona (1997), Duke (2001) and Connecticut (2014)
Syracuse (six) CCNY (1950), Villanova (1985), Connecticut (1999, 2004 and 2011) and Louisville (2013)
Temple (three) Oklahoma A&M (1945), Kentucky (1948) and La Salle (1954)
Tennessee (three) Florida (twice in 2006 and once in 2007)
Texas (three) Michigan State (2000) and Kansas (2008 and 2022)
Texas Christian (one) Kansas (2022)
Texas-Pan American (one) Indiana (1981)
Texas Tech (one) Kansas (2022)
UCLA (five) CCNY (1950), San Francisco (1955), North Carolina State (1974) and Arizona (twice in 1997)
Utah (two) Ohio State (1960) and Louisville (1980)
Vanderbilt (four) Kentucky (1951 and 2012), Indiana (1987) and Florida (2007)
Villanova (two) Georgetown (1984) and Louisville (2013)
Virginia (seven) North Carolina (1982 and 2017), North Carolina State (twice in 1983), Duke (1991 and 2001) and Villanova (2016)
Wake Forest (seven) North Carolina (1982, 1993, 2005 and 2009), North Carolina State (1983) and Duke (1991 and 1992)
Washington (two) UCLA (1975) and Arizona (1997)
Washington State (one) Oregon (1939)
West Virginia (two) Kentucky (1958) and Connecticut (2011)
Wichita State (three) Cincinnati (1962), Loyola of Chicago (1963) and Marquette (1977)
Wisconsin (three) Michigan State (1979), Michigan (1989) and Duke (2010)
Wright State (one) Michigan State (2000)
Wyoming (one) Holy Cross (1947)
Xavier (one) Villanova (2016)

NOTE: During World War II, NCAA champions Stanford lost to the Athens Club in 1942, Wyoming lost at Denver Legion in 1943, Utah lost to Ft. Warren, Salt Lake AB and Dow Chemical in 1944 and Oklahoma A&M lost to NATTS Skyjackets in 1945.

Hot or Not? KU Only 2nd of Last 8 Titlists Entering Tourney on Winning Note

April 4th, 2022 - 23:11

Which cliche is most accurate? If a team is on a winning streak entering the NCAA Tournament, it has momentum on its side and is peaking at the right time. On the other hand, some observers contend a loss before the start of the playoffs is deemed a wake-up call. Last year, Baylor became the sixth champion in span of seven tourneys to enter playoffs on a losing note. This season, Kansas entered on a five-game winning streak. All five of Duke's champions under coach Mike Krzyzewski entered the NCAA tourney with fewer than eight straight triumphs.

Since the last undefeated team in Division I (Indiana was 32-0 in 1975-76), there have been 45 national champions. Twenty-four of those squads entered the tourney on a winning streak and 21 entered with a defeat. The longest winning streak of a champion-to-be in that span was by UCLA, which won 13 in a row in 1995 before posting six more triumphs in the playoffs. Louisville accounted for two of the other double-digit victory streaks for champions-to-be entering the playoffs.

Of the 24 aforementioned squads entering on a winning note, the average winning streak was six in a row. Following in reverse order is how those 45 post-unbeaten IU titlists entered the NCAA playoffs (including conference tournaments):

Year NCAA Champion Coach Pre-NCAA Playoff Finish
2022 Kansas Bill Self Won five
2021 Baylor Scott Drew Lost one (Oklahoma State)
2019 Virginia Tony Bennett Lost one (Florida State)
2018 Villanova Jay Wright Won five
2017 North Carolina Roy Williams Lost one (Duke)
2016 Villanova Jay Wright Lost one (Seton Hall)
2015 Duke Mike Krzyzewski Lost one (Notre Dame)
2014 Connecticut Kevin Ollie Lost one (Louisville)
2013 Louisville Rick Pitino Won 10
2012 Kentucky John Calipari Lost one (Vanderbilt)
2011 Connecticut Jim Calhoun Won five
2010 Duke Mike Krzyzewski Won four
2009 North Carolina Roy Williams Lost one (Florida State)
2008 Kansas Bill Self Won seven
2007 Florida Billy Donovan Won four
2006 Florida Billy Donovan Won five
2005 North Carolina Roy Williams Lost one (Georgia Tech)
2004 Connecticut Jim Calhoun Won three
2003 Syracuse Jim Boeheim Lost one (Connecticut)
2002 Maryland Gary Williams Lost one (North Carolina State)
2001 Duke Mike Krzyzewski Won four
2000 Michigan State Tom Izzo Won five
1999 Connecticut Jim Calhoun Won five
1998 Kentucky Tubby Smith Won seven
1997 Arizona Lute Olson Lost two (Stanford and California)
1996 Kentucky Rick Pitino Lost one (Mississippi State)
1995 UCLA Jim Harrick Won 13
1994 Arkansas Nolan Richardson Lost one (Kentucky)
1993 North Carolina Dean Smith Lost one (Georgia Tech)
1992 Duke Mike Krzyzewski Won seven
1991 Duke Mike Krzyzewski Lost one (North Carolina)
1990 UNLV Jerry Tarkanian Won five
1989 Michigan Bill Frieder/Steve Fisher Lost one (Illinois)
1988 Kansas Larry Brown Lost one (Kansas State)
1987 Indiana Bob Knight Won one
1986 Louisville Denny Crum Won 11
1985 Villanova Rollie Massimino Lost one (St. John's)
1984 Georgetown John Thompson Jr. Won six
1983 North Carolina State Jim Valvano Won four
1982 North Carolina Dean Smith Won 11
1981 Indiana Bob Knight Won five
1980 Louisville Denny Crum Won three
1979 Michigan State Jud Heathcote Lost one (Wisconsin)
1978 Kentucky Joe B. Hall Won eight
1977 Marquette Al McGuire Lost one (Michigan)

States of Success: Ohio Firmly Entrenched in 3rd Place After Xavier's Title

April 4th, 2022 - 23:02

Kentucky (32), buttressed by Georgetown College's two NAIA championships in the previous nine years, is tied with California as the state with the most national titles from each level of four-year college men's basketball - NCAA Division I, NIT, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA. Ohio is firmly entrenched in third place ahead of North Carolina after Xavier's success in the NIT and UNC blowing huge halftime lead against Kansas in DI tourney.

Illinois and Ohio are the only states to boast at least one champion from all five levels. Among the 14 states amassing a total of more than 10 national crowns, Missouri is the only one in that group without a Division I championship after Virginia's success in 2019. Drury (Mo.), Central Missouri and Northwest Missouri State won DII titles in the last decade but the state's two headline schools - Mizzou and Saint Louis - never have reached the NCAA DI Final Four.

The biggest surprise among states fond of hoops but never capturing a four-year school national title was Iowa until Graceland won NAIA crown four years ago. Following is how states stack up by national four-year school titles including the NIT and various levels of small-college basketball:

State DI NIT DII DIII NAIA Total
California 15 8 5 0 4 32
Kentucky 11 3 10 0 8 32
Ohio 3 7 3 5 3 21
North Carolina 13 2 3 0 1 19
Missouri 0 1 7 2 8 18
Oklahoma 2 2 1 0 11 16
Pennsylvania 4 7 2 3 0 16
Wisconsin 2 1 0 13 0 16
Illinois 1 6 1 6 1 15
New York 2 10 0 3 0 15
Indiana 5 2 6 0 1 14
Texas 2 4 0 0 8 14
Kansas 4 1 1 0 6 12
Virginia 1 4 5 2 0 12
Minnesota 0 3 2 2 3 10
Michigan 3 3 1 2 0 9
Tennessee 0 3 1 1 4 9
Georgia 0 0 1 0 6 7
Massachusetts 1 1 1 4 0 7
Alabama 0 0 3 0 3 6
Connecticut 4 1 1 0 0 6
Maryland 1 1 2 0 1 5
Arizona 1 0 0 0 3 4
District of Columbia 1 1 1 1 0 4
Florida 2 0 2 0 0 4
Louisiana 0 0 0 0 4 4
South Carolina 0 2 0 0 2 4
Utah 1 3 0 0 0 4
West Virginia 0 2 0 0 2 4
Colorado 0 1 2 0 0 3
New Jersey 0 2 0 1 0 3
South Dakota 0 0 3 0 0 3
Arkansas 1 0 0 0 1 2
Nebraska 0 1 0 1 0 2
Rhode Island 0 2 0 0 0 2
Washington 0 0 2 0 0 2
Hawaii 0 0 0 0 1 1
Iowa 0 0 0 0 1 1
Mississippi 0 1 0 0 0 1
Montana 0 0 0 0 1 1
Nevada 1 0 0 0 0 1
New Mexico 0 0 0 0 1 1
Oregon 1 0 0 0 0 1
Wyoming 1 0 0 0 0 1

NOTE: Seven states - Alaska, Delaware, Idaho, Maine, New Hampshire, North Dakota and Vermont - never have had a four-year school win a men's national championship.

Senior Moments: KU Championship Rare in Relying Extensively on Seniors

April 4th, 2022 - 22:49

Usually, 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 Villanova captured the NCAA crown in 1985 when the playoff field expanded to at least 64 teams. National titlists UConn '11, Florida '06 and Arizona '97 also didn't have a senior among their top six scorers. But Kansas, capitalizing on experience to assemble biggest halftime comeback in NCAA final history, was an exception this season with four of the Jayhawks' top seven scorers holding senior status.

Eight of the 16 NCAA champions from 1991 through 2006 boasted no more than one senior among its top seven scorers, which is what ACC rival Duke had four years ago. Only three NCAA champions since Indiana '87 - UCLA (1995), Michigan (2000) and Maryland (2002) - featured seniors as their top two scorers. Following is a look at the vital seniors for the previous 36 basically youthful championship teams (in reverse order):

2022 - Kansas (four of top seven scorers were seniors/Ochai Agbaji was leading scorer, David McCormack was third, Remy Martin was fifth and Mitch Lightfoot was seventh)
2021 - Baylor (two of top nine scorers were seniors/MaCio Teague was second-leading scorer and Mark Vital was seventh)
2019 - Virginia (none of top seven scorers was a senior)
2018 - Villanova (no one among eight-man rotation was a senior)
2017 - North Carolina (three of 10-man rotation were seniors/Kennedy Meeks was third-leading scorer, Isaiah Hicks was fourth and Nate Britt was eighth).
2016 - Villanova (two of eight-man rotation were seniors/Ryan Arcidiacono was third-leading scorer and Daniel Ochefu was fourth).
2015 - Duke (one of eight-man rotation was a senior/Quinn Cook was second-leading scorer).
2014 - Connecticut (four of top 10 scorers were seniors/Shabazz Napier was leading scorer, Niels Giffey was fourth, Lasan Kromah was fifth and Tyler Olander was 10th).
2013 - Louisville (one of top eight scorers was a senior/Peyton Siva was second-leading scorer).
2012 - Kentucky (one of top seven scorers was a senior/Darius Miller was fifth-leading scorer).
2011 - Connecticut (none of top six scorers was a senior).
2010 - Duke (three of nine-man rotation were seniors/Jon Scheyer was leading scorer, Brian Zoubek was fourth and Lance Thomas was sixth).
2009 - North Carolina (two of top eight in scoring average were seniors/Tyler Hansbrough was leading scorer and Danny Green was fourth).
2008 - Kansas (one of top six scorers was a senior/Darnell Jackson was fourth-leading scorer).
2007 - Florida (two of nine-man rotation were seniors/Lee Humphrey was fifth and Chris Richard was sixth).
2006 - Florida (none of top seven scorers was a senior).
2005 - North Carolina (one of top five scorers was a senior/Jawad Williams was third).
2004 - Connecticut (one of top eight scorers was a senior/Taliek Brown was sixth).
2003 - Syracuse (one of top eight scorers was a senior/Keith Duany was fourth).
2002 - Maryland (three of top eight regulars were seniors/Juan Dixon was top scorer, Lonny Baxter was second and Byron Mouton was fourth).
2001 - Duke (two of top nine scorers were seniors/Shane Battier was second and Nate James was fifth).
2000 - Michigan State (three of top 11 scorers were seniors/Morris Peterson was first, Mateen Cleaves was second and A.J. Granger was fifth).
1999 - Connecticut (one of top seven scorers was a senior/Ricky Moore was fifth).
1998 - Kentucky (two of top seven scorers were seniors/Jeff Sheppard was first and Allen Edwards was fifth).
1997 - Arizona (none of top seven scorers was a senior).
1996 - Kentucky (three of top 10 scorers were seniors/Tony Delk was first, Walter McCarty was third and Mark Pope was sixth).
1995 - UCLA (three of top seven scorers were seniors/Ed O'Bannon was first, Tyus Edney was second and George Zidek was fourth).
1994 - Arkansas (one of top 10 scorers was a senior/Roger Crawford was eighth).
1993 - North Carolina (one of top seven scorers was a senior/George Lynch was second).
1992 - Duke (two of top 10 scorers were seniors/Christian Laettner was first and Brian Davis was fifth).
1991 - Duke (one of top 10 scorers was a senior/Greg Koubek was seventh).
1990 - UNLV (two of top eight scorers were seniors/David Butler was third and Moses Scurry was sixth).
1989 - Michigan (two of top 11 scorers were seniors/Glen Rice was first and Mark Hughes was sixth).
1988 - Kansas (two of top 11 scorers were seniors/Danny Manning was first and Chris Piper was fourth).
1987 - Indiana (two of top eight scorers were seniors/Steve Alford was first and Daryl Thomas was second).
1986 - Louisville (three of top nine scorers were seniors/Billy Thompson was first, Milt Wagner was second and Jeff Hall was fifth).
1985 - Villanova (three of top eight scorers were seniors/Ed Pinckney was first, Dwayne McClain was second and Gary McLain was fourth).

What If? UK Clobbered Both NCAA Tournament Finalists By At Least 18 Points

April 4th, 2022 - 9:33

Big Blue fans must have been really blue preceding NCAA Tournament championship game wondering what might have been after Kentucky defeated both Kansas and North Carolina away from home by at least 18 points. No other school ever has beaten NCAA finalists by a total of more than 28 points. The Wildcats joined the following list of 18 "what-if" teams defeating both opponents in NCAA tourney championship game (in reverse order):

School Season Record Victory Margin Over NCAA Playoff Finalists
Kentucky 2021-22 26-8 beat Kansas and North Carolina by total of 47 points
Duke 2018-19 32-6 Virginia and Texas Tech by 13 points
Virginia 2015-16 29-8 North Carolina and Villanova by 16 points
Louisville 2010-11 25-10 Connecticut* and Butler by 28 points
Georgetown 2009-10 23-11 Duke and Butler by 19 points
Maryland 2008-09 21-14 North Carolina and Michigan by 21 points
North Carolina 2003-04 19-11 Connecticut and Georgia Tech by 18 points
Stanford 2000-01 31-3 Duke and Arizona by 10 points
Kentucky 1999-00 24-10 Michigan State and Florida by 17 points
Purdue 1999-00 24-10 Michigan State and Florida by 14 points
Massachusetts 1995-96 35-2 Kentucky and Syracuse by 28 points
Duke 1992-93 24-8 North Carolina and Michigan by 25 points
Kansas State 1987-88 25-9 Kansas* and Oklahoma by 22 points
St. John's 1984-85 31-4 Villanova* and Georgetown by six points
Syracuse 1984-85 22-9 Villanova and Georgetown by 15 points
Virginia 1982-83 29-5 North Carolina State* and Houston by 20 points
Wichita 1962-63 19-8 Loyola of Chicago and Cincinnati by two points
Kansas State 1952-53 17-4 Indiana and Kansas by eight points

*Louisville also beat UConn by one point in overtime, Kansas State also beat Kansas during regular season by 11 points, St. John's also beat Villanova a second time by two points and Virginia also beat North Carolina State a second time by eight points.

On This Date: Former College Hoopers Generating MLB Headlines on April 4

April 4th, 2022 - 8:54

Extra! Extra! As a new season is about to unfold, you have time to read news all about memorable major league baseball achievements, moments and transactions involving former college basketball players! Numerous ex-college hoopers had front-row seats to many of the most notable games and dates in MLB history.

Small-school HBCU hoopers Chuck Hinton (Shaw NC) and "Sweet" Lou Johnson (Kentucky State) were traded for each other in 1969. Baseball is portrayed as a thinking man's game but only 4% of active MLB players earned college diplomas. Unless you habitually pore over the content at baseballlibrary.com, baseballreference.com and nationalpastime.com, following is an April 4 calendar focusing on such versatile MLB athletes:

APRIL 4

  • Arizona Diamondbacks LHP Patrick Corbin (hooper for Mohawk Valley Community College NY in 2007-08) allowed only one hit and fanned 12 opposing batters in 7 1/3 innings in a 3-0 win against the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2018.

  • OF-INF Chuck Hinton (played multiple sports for Shaw NC before serving two years in U.S. Army in mid-1950s) traded in 1969 by the California Angels to the Cleveland Indians.

  • LF "Sweet" Lou Johnson (Kentucky State basketball teammate of legendary HBCU coach Davey Whitney averaged 5.7 ppg and 2 rpg in 1951-52) traded in 1969 by the Cleveland Indians to the California Angels.

  • Seattle Mariners RF Leon Roberts (grabbed one rebound in four basketball games for Michigan in 1970-71 under coach Johnny Orr) smacked a go-ahead, two-run homer off Frank Tanana in sixth inning of 5-4 win against the California Angels in 1979 season opener.

College Exam: Day #23 For One-and-Only NCAA Tourney Trivia Challenge

April 4th, 2022 - 8:46

CollegeHoopedia.com hopes the rigors of this daily Q&A didn't give you an inferiority complex. Emphasizing a "one-and-only" theme for a "one-and-only" event, this bonanza is the climax of 23 days featuring a treasure-trove of tantalizing NCAA Tournament trivia questions (10 per day from Selection Sunday until a grand finale added value of 20 on the day of traditional championship game) tracking the only coach, conference, player or school to be linked to a distinguished or dubious achievement (click here for answers or conduct research digesting historical morsels in CollegeHoopedia.com's year-by-year highlights):

1. Name the only automatic qualifier to enter the NCAA playoffs with an overall losing record despite compiling a winning conference mark. Hint: The school lost in first round to nation's top-ranked team, an opponent the school succumbed to four seasons earlier when eventual NBA guard Lindsey Hunter scored a then school-record 48 points.

2. Name the only one of the different teams to twice defeat an eventual NCAA champion in their title season to not appear in the NCAA Tournament that year. Hint: A former NBA coach guided the school to its only NCAA playoff victory against an opponent whose coach also later coached in NBA.

3. Name the only team since seeding started to reach the Final Four without meeting a top eight seed. Hint: The team was eliminated in national semifinals.

4. Name the only school to twice be denied an at-large bid in a 10-year span despite going undefeated in regular-season conference competition. Hint: The school reached a regional final next time it went unbeaten in league play.

5. Name the only school in the 20th Century to compete for the national championship in both football and basketball in the same academic school year. Hint: The school lost both games.

6. Who is the only individual to win tournament games while coaching schools from the three conferences with the top winning percentages in NCAA Tournament competition reflecting actual membership (ACC, Big East and Big Ten)? Hint: He is the only coach to win playoff games with as many as three different schools when they were seeded ninth or worse.

7. Who is the only coach to win national championships in junior college, the NIT and the NCAA. Hint: He won the NIT in his first year as a major college head coach.

8. Who is the only leading scorer in an NCAA Tournament championship game to subsequently serve as an admiral in the U.S. Navy? Hint: He was an NCAA consensus first-team All-America the next season before eventually commanding aircraft carrier Saratoga for two years.

9. Who is the only championship game starter in the 20th Century to be the son of a former NCAA consensus All-American? Hint: The father was a U.S. Olympic team member and the star player for first black coach at a predominantly white Division I school.

10. Name the only teammate twosome to each score more than 25 points in an NCAA final. Hint: They combined for 53 points to lead their school to its first of multiple NCAA Tournament titles.

11. Name the only starting backcourt to combine for more than 50 points in a Final Four game. Hint: They combined to shoot 39 percent from the floor in two Final Four games that year.

12. Who is the only individual to coach teams in the NAIA Tournament, NCAA Division III Tournament, NCAA Division II Tournament, National Invitation Tournament and NCAA Division I Tournament? Hint: He took two different schools to the five levels of national postseason competition in a 13-year span beginning with an appearance as an interim head coach.

13. Who is the only individual to be the team-high scorer for both winning and losing teams in NCAA championship games although his season scoring average was less than half of the team leader each year? Hint: He played in the shadow of an All-American whose total of points and rebounds (4,663) is highest in NCAA history.

14. Who is the only coach to guide teams from the same school to the football Rose Bowl and basketball Final Four? Hint: The Rose Bowl and Final Four appearances were 17 years apart.

15. Name the only son of a member of one of the first classes of baseball Hall of Fame selections to start for a school in its first NCAA Tournament appearance. Hint: The son pitched for four major league teams before becoming a prominent executive. His father was a first baseman.

16. Name the only school to reach the Final Four and College World Series championship game in the same year. Hint: The school advanced to Final Four again the next season.

17. Who is the only coach to win three first-round games with teams seeded 12th or worse? Hint: The former coach was 4-1 in tournament games decided by fewer than five points. He played basketball at Fordham when NFL Hall of Fame coach Vince Lombardi was the Rams' freshman basketball coach.

18. Name the school that won all four of its first-round games despite being seeded eighth or worse each time. Hint: The four victories came in first five tournaments after NCAA introduced seeding.

19. Name the only school to appear in at least three NCAA Tournaments in the 20th Century and reach a regional final each time. Hint: The school's playoff appearances were in successive years.

20. Who is the only player to obtain NCAA and NBA championship rings without participating in postseason competition for either the college or pro title teams? Hint: The 7-0 center was in his first year with both of championship squads.

Answers (Day 23)

Day 22 Questions and Answers

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Fantasy World: Could Coach K Conclude Career Coaching Compact College?

April 3rd, 2022 - 20:44

It has been done before by prominent pilots. How many small colleges might be fantasizing about Mike Krzyzewski at their helm? What about a small-time or rural Krzyzewskiville? Coach K is unlikely to follow suit just for the love of the game after 42-year stint with Duke including a total of 13 Final Fours. But following is a summary of celebrated coaches who ended their careers guiding obscure small-college programs after directing a major university to the NCAA Division I Final Four:

Celebrated Coach School(s) Final Four(s) Small-School Concluding Career
Forddy Anderson Bradley/Michigan State 1950-54-57 Hiram Scott OH (1965-66 through 1969-70)
Jim Calhoun Connecticut 1999 and 2004-09-11 Saint Joseph CT (2018-19 to 2021-22)
Ed Jucker Cincinnati 1961-62-63 Rollins FL (1972-73 through 1976-77)
Rollie Massimino Villanova 1985 Northwood/Keiser FL (2006-07 through 2016-17)
Jim O'Brien Ohio State 1998 Emerson MA (2011-12 through 2013-14)
Phil Woolpert San Francisco 1955-56-57 San Diego* (1962-63 through 1968-69)

*The Toreros moved up to NCAA DI level in 1979-80.

Retirement Plans: Coaches Sleep On It/Weep On It/Think On It/Drink To It

April 3rd, 2022 - 10:19

It's patently clear not every coach departs with pomp-and-circumstance style such as luminaries John Wooden, Al McGuire, Ray Meyer, Dean Smith and Mike Krzyzewski when they bowed out. From 1964 to 1975 with Wooden at the helm, UCLA won an NCAA-record 10 national titles, including seven straight from 1967 through 1973. McGuire's goodbye in 1977 with an NCAA title marked Marquette's eighth straight season finishing among the Top 10 in a final wire-service poll. Meyer directed DePaul to a Top 6 finish in a final wire-service poll six times in his final seven seasons from 1978 through 1984. Smith won at least 28 games with North Carolina in four of his final five seasons from 1992-93 through 1996-97. Coach K tied Wooden by reaching Final Four with Duke for 13th time in his swan song.

But fond farewells are the exception, not the rule, in coping with Father Time. Just ask Smith pupil Roy Williams, who registered a losing ACC record (16-20) over his final two campaigns before retiring a year ago. That was more league losses than he incurred over a five-year span when NCAA titles bookended no-show class seasons from 2005 through 2009. How many school all-time winningest mentors rode off into the sunset donning at least a partial black rather than white hat? How much they may have tarnished their legacy is debatable but hanging around too long probably caused a few of the following celebrated coaches to lose a portion of their luster:

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