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BCSP Pro Watch
NBA Watch
Four former black college players are currently on NBA rosters as the 2008-09 season nears the halfway point.
Lindsey Hunter (Jackson State '93) of the Chicago Bulls, Ben Wallace (Virginia Union '96) of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Ronald Murray (Shaw '02) of the Atlanta Hawks and Jerome James (Florida A&M '98) are those plying their trade on the NBA hardwood.
Of the quartet, Wallace, a 6-9 center for Lebron
James' 27-6 Cavaliers, is the only starter. In his
13th year in the league and with his fifth team,
the 33-year-old is a long way off the double-digit rebound numbers he posted in six years
with the Detroit Pistons. Wallace is averaging 3.2 points per game and 7.0 rebounds for the Cavs.
The other bright spot of the quartet is former Shaw and CIAA standout Ronald Murray, who has become a key contributor with the Hawks.
Playing as a back-up to backcourt ace Joe Johnson, Murray has been a solid scorer, averaging 8.9 points per game while playing right at 20 minutes per contest. Murray, the leading scorer outside the teams' starters, is shooting 42% from the field and 36.3% from 3-point range for the 22-11 Hawks.
Murray, who is with his sixth team in seven years, averaged 11 points in 23 games last year for Indiana and 7.5 ppg. in 19 games for Detroit.
The dean of former black college players in the league is Hunter, who is in his 16th season and joined his fifth team when he signed a one-year, non-guaranteed contract with Chicago in November.
Hunter, who has picked up two NBA Championship rings in stints with Detroit and the Los Angeles Lakers, has played in 17 games this season for the Bulls and is averaging 3.7 points per game.
A spot on the Bulls opened up for Hunter, one of the best on-ball defenders in the league, by virtue of injuries to Bulls' backcourters Larry Hughes and Kirk Hinrich.
James is in his fourth injury-plagued year with the Knicks and has only seen action in two games this season after playing in just a pair of games last season. The 7-footer, beset by knee problems, has never played in more than 45 games in any of his years in New York.
NFL Watch
Black colleges will be well represented when the NFL stages its conference semifinal contests this weekend.
The Baltimore Ravens and Tennessee Titans square off in one AFC semi and
each will sport three former black college players.
Baltimore's trio includes former Howard DL Marques Douglas, OL Chad Slaughter out of Alcorn State and former Tuskegee DB Frank Walker. Tennessee counters with two Fort Valley State products, DBs Nick Harper and Tyrone Poole and Winston-Salem State rookie linebacker William Hayes.
The only black college product in the other AFC semifinal between Pittsburgh and San Diego is former Jackson State DB Cletis Gordon of the Chargers.
The NFC semifinal games have a total of five black college products.
Carolina, who faces Arizona, has LB Donte Curry out of Morris Brown and DB Dante Wesley of Arkansas-Pine Bluff. The Cardinals lone black college product is rookie DB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie out of Tennessee State.
Philadelphia will bring the only two former black college players into its match-up with the New York Giants in the other semifinal.
Former Delaware State center Jamaal Jackson will give the snaps to Eagles' QB Donovan McNabb while former Howard standout Tracy White will be featured on Eagles' special teams.
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