Centers of Attention: Wiseman's Debut Compared to All-Time Prime Pivotmen
Textbook centers are becoming a rare breed. Time will tell if Memphis' James Wiseman (28 points/11 rebounds in debut vs. South Carolina State) eventually deserves to be included among the premier pivotmen in college basketball history. Wiseman's brief three-game stint before declaring he was turning pro and signing with an agent won't help build his case. He already was impacted by a 12-game NCAA suspension due to booster payment covering moving expenses from Nashville (especially when benefactor was current Tigers coach Penny Hardaway). After Wiseman's exit, look for Washington's Isaiah Stewart to emerge as the nation's premier big man. By almost any measure, centers in the last 40 years other than Kentucky's Anthony Davis don't seem to be anywhere close to duplicating feats luminaries Lew Alcindor, Wilt Chamberlain, Artis Gilmore, Bob Lanier, Jerry Lucas, Bill Russell and Bill Walton achieved in their initial varsity campaigns.
Similar to Navy's David Robinson in 1983-84, Connecticut's Andre Drummond was scoreless in his season debut six years ago against Columbia. In a forgettable debut, Wake Forest's Tim Duncan was also scoreless in a season-opening loss to NCAA Division II Alaska-Anchorage in 1993-94 before rebounding with a 12-point, 12-rebound performance in his next outing against Hawaii.
Alcindor (77: 56 points/21 rebounds) and Chamberlain (83: 52 points/31 rebounds) each totaled more points and rebounds in their college game debut than Drummond, Duncan, Patrick Ewing, Nerlens Noel, Hakeem Olajuwon, Shaquille O'Neal, Robinson and Ralph Sampson amassed collectively. Following is a look at how many of the premier centers in history fared in their varsity debut against a major college and summary of their first season of NCAA Division I competition:
| Celebrated Center | School | First Varsity Season | Debut Game | PPG | RPG | W-L Mark |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DeAndre Ayton | Arizona | 2017-18 | 19 points/12 rebounds/3 blocks | 20.1 | 11.6 | 27-8 |
| Mohamed Bamba | Texas | 2017-18 | 15 points/8 rebounds/4 blocks | 12.9 | 10.5 | 19-15 |
| Karl-Anthony Towns | Kentucky | 2014-15 | 8 points/8 rebounds | 10.3 | 6.7 | 38-1 |
| Jahlil Okafor | Duke | 2014-15 | 19 points/6 rebounds | 17.3 | 8.5 | 35-4 |
| Nerlens Noel | Kentucky | 2012-13 | 4 points/9 rebounds | 10.5 | 9.5 | 21-12 |
| Anthony Davis | Kentucky | 2011-12 | 23 points/10 rebounds | 14.2 | 10.4 | 38-2 |
| Greg Oden | Ohio State | 2006-07 | 14 points/10 rebounds | 15.7 | 9.6 | 35-4 |
| Tim Duncan | Wake Forest | 1993-94 | 12 points/12 rebounds | 9.8 | 9.6 | 21-12 |
| Shaquille O'Neal | Louisiana State | 1989-90 | 10 points/5 rebounds | 13.9 | 12.0 | 23-9 |
| Alonzo Mourning | Georgetown | 1988-89 | 10 points/10 rebounds | 13.1 | 7.3 | 29-5 |
| David Robinson | Navy | 1983-84 | scoreless/1 rebound | 7.6 | 4.0 | 24-8 |
| Hakeem Olajuwon | Houston | 1981-82 | 2 points/0 rebounds | 8.3 | 6.5 | 25-8 |
| Patrick Ewing | Georgetown | 1981-82 | 7 points/4 rebounds | 12.7 | 8.5 | 30-7 |
| Ralph Sampson | Virginia | 1979-80 | 4 points/6 rebounds | 14.9 | 11.2 | 24-10 |
| *Bill Walton | UCLA | 1971-72 | 19 points/14 rebounds | 21.1 | 15.5 | 29-1 |
| **Artis Gilmore | Jacksonville | 1969-70 | 35 points/18 rebounds | 26.5 | 22.2 | 17-7 |
| *Bob Lanier | St. Bonaventure | 1967-68 | 23 points/17 rebounds | 26.2 | 15.6 | 23-2 |
| *Lew Alcindor | UCLA | 1966-67 | 56 points/21 rebounds | 29.0 | 15.5 | 30-0 |
| *Jerry Lucas | Ohio State | 1959-60 | 16 points/28 rebounds | 26.3 | 16.3 | 25-3 |
| *Wilt Chamberlain | Kansas | 1956-57 | 52 points/31 rebounds | 29.6 | 18.9 | 24-3 |
| *Bill Russell | San Francisco | 1953-54 | 16 points/17 rebounds | 19.9 | 19.2 | 14-7 |
*Sophomore classification.
**Junior classification after attending junior college.