BCSP Notes . . .
Cactus Bowl selects seven from black collegesSeven black college players, including six from the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, are slated to compete in the Saturday, Jan. 10, 2003 Whataburger Cactus Bowl in Kingsville, Texas.
The game, pitting NCAA Div. II all-stars in an East-West format, caps a week of activities beginning Jan. 4 allowing the players to showcase themselves before some 55 to 60 professional scouts.
Lane wide receiver Albert Abu, Kentucky State offensive lineman Ben Unutoa, Miles linebacker Joseph Killins, Albany State defensive back Tommy Jackson, and Tuskegee safety Jeffrey Stanton and defensive back Frank Walker will represent the SIAC. All except Jackson and Walker were first team all-SIAC selections. Jackson and Walker were named to the second team. Bowie State defensive end Charles Alston is the lone Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association representative. Alston was a first-team all-CIAA performer.
Black college NBA products at nine
If you're looking for offensive stars in the NBA, you won't find them among the nine black college products presently playing in the league.
A survey of the nine shows that only one, former Jackson State guard Lindsay Hunter, is scoring in double figures. Hunter, in his ninth season, is now playing with Toronto after stints with the Los Angeles Lakers, Milwaukee Bucks and Detroit Pistons. He is averaging 10.9 points through 18 games this season.
Orlando point guard Darrell Armstrong from Fayetteville State is second among the scorers, averaging 9.4 points for the Magic as a valuable reserve and sometime starter. Armstrong jumpstarted his NBA career by winning both the Most Improved Player and Sixth Man Awards in the 1998-99 season.
The leading performer this year, as he was last year when he took home the league's Defensive Player of the Year award, is Detroit center Ben Wallace. Wallace, in his sixth season out of Virginia Union, has become a force in the league, leading all players in rebounds (15.1 per game) and ranking fifth in blocked shots (2.72 per game). Wallace pulls down two rebounds per game more than the next person in the rankings. Last season, en route to being named to the NBA's all-Defensive first team, Wallace was only the fourth player in NBA history to lead the league in rebounds (13.0) and blocks (3.48) joining legends Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Walton and Hakeem Olajuwon.
Former Virginia Union standout Charles Oakley is the black college player with the most longevity in the league. He is in his 17th season and is with his fourth team, the Washington Wizards. Other players with over ten years experience are Dallas guard Avery Johnson out of Southern and Milwaukee forward/center Anthony Mason who played at Tennessee State.
NCAA Div. II Player of the Year, Ronald Murray of Shaw, is the newest addition. He is in his rookie season with the Milwaukee Bucks.
| No. | Name | POS. | HT. | COLLEGE | YRS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WASHINGTON | |||||
| 34 | Charles Oakley | F | 6-9 | Virginia Union '85 | 17 |
| 1.1 ppg., 2.4 rpg. | |||||
| DALLAS | |||||
| 6 | Avery Johnson | G | 5-11 | Southern '88 | 14 |
| 4.1 ppg., 1.8 rpg. | |||||
| MILWAUKEE | |||||
| 17 | Anthony Mason-C | F | 6-8 | Tenn. State '88 | 12 |
| 8.9 ppg., 7.2 rpg. | |||||
| TORONTO | |||||
| 11 | Lindsey Hunter | G | 6-2 | Jackson St. '93 | 9 |
| 10.9 ppg., 2.6 apg. | |||||
| ORLANDO | |||||
| 10 | Darrell Armstrong | G | 6-1 | Fayetteville St. '91 | 8 |
| 9.4 ppg., 4.5 apg., 86.3 FT% | |||||
| DETROIT | |||||
| 3 | Ben Wallace -C | F-C | 6-9 | Virginia Union '96 | 6 |
| 6.6 ppg., 15.1 rpg., 2.79 bpg. | |||||
| ATLANTA | |||||
| 15 | Emanual Davis | G | 6-5 | Delaware St. '91 | 5 |
| 3.7 ppg., 1.5 apg. | |||||
| SEATTLE | |||||
| 33 | Jerome James* | C | 7-1 | Florida A&M '98 | 2 |
| 3.8 ppg., 2.8 ppg. | |||||
| MILWAUKEE | |||||
| 15 | Ronald Murray | G | 6-4 | Shaw '02 | R |
| 1.6 ppg., 0.1 apg. | |||||
* - Injured Reserve
© 2002 Azeez Communications, Inc.
