Diamond in the Rough
Video of Victor Uyaelunmo is available for your viewing and your assessment, who is he you ask? Chinedu “Victor” Uyaelunmo attends Gulliver Prep High School in Miami although Uyaelunmo is actually from the West African nation of Nigeria. This 2017 prospect is 6-11 or 7 feet depending on your sources and a slim 207 pounds. I know your first thought; “He’s awful thin” you’re probably thinking. I would agree however there are two points of view to consider regarding his weight.
At the college level Uyaelunmo will have a spot reserved in the weight room. The second view is he may never weigh 250 pounds or more Marcus Camby immediately comes to my mind. The former UMass center/power forward was believed too small for the NBA by many (including me). Camby did gain but never weighed more than 240 pounds; he managed a 17-year NBA career. Whoa hold on a moment this is no preview of future stardom for Uyaelunmo just an observation.
Play for pay
Perhaps we must consider the source; Seth Greenberg is a college coach turned television analyst. He made a comment recently and I’ll attempt to paraphrase it. He said; “We should put in a 24-second clock and other changes and just call college players pro.” Greenberg was referring to the proposal for paying college athletes. He further stated; “I never treated my players as employees.” My two cents worth, the NCAA is a multi-billion dollar industry and it is an industry.
A player’s likeness should never ever be used in the manner similar to what EA Sports did. We cannot “close the barn door after the cow has escaped” but we must figure out an equitable manner to distribute funds. The NCAA earns millions on athletes who don’t earn a dime. I am omitting the dollar scholarships, am I in favor of play for pay you ask? I have issues with paying athletes however the brains at the NCAA should come fully into the 21st Century.
We forgot him
Steph Curry and his 3-point shooting have been the talk of the basketball world. The basketball world has forgotten one of the very first great 3-point shooters Louie Dampier. Dampier played from 1967 to 1976 for the Kentucky Colonels of the ABA and after the NBA/ABA merger played three additional seasons with the Spurs once they came into the NBA. The 6 foot 175 pound Dampier played his college ball at Kentucky.
After finishing college he was drafted by the NBA Cincinnati Royals (Kings) and the ABA Colonels which he chose. If we just look at his numbers they are not eye-popping however he was a dead-eye shooter at the point. He was an ABA Champion and 7X ABA All Star. In the rush to include the ABA in the Naismith Hall of Fame Dampier was overlooked as player after player was accorded the honor. In February Dampier was announced as one of those to be enshrined in the Hall in September.
The 'other' Kentucky school
We think of Kentucky basketball and the University of Kentucky Wildcats first come to mind. Adolph Rupp and the rich winning tradition right up to the present with John Calipari. Almost forgotten but a fact from 1970 through 1972 the best basketball in the State of Kentucky was a shared experience I’m referring to the University of Kentucky and Kentucky State University in Frankfort. During those years mentioned Kentucky State was an NAIA powerhouse winning three consecutive national championships. In 1970 they defeated Central Washington 79-71 finishing the season 29-3, the following year they vanquished Eastern Michigan 102-82 and concluded with a 31-2 mark. The last championship would occur in 1972 as Wisconsin-Eau Claire fell 71-62 the Thorobreds finishing the season 28-5. Kentucky State was led principally by two players who would go on to NBA careers, 6-7 sharpshooter Travis “Machine Gun” Grant and 7-0 center Elmore Smith.
Smith would be a first round pick by the Buffalo Braves (Clippers) in 1971 while Grant was a first round choice by the Lakers the following year. Grant a renowned scorer (4,045 points in four years) was never able to come close to his NAIA numbers in the NBA. Grant was dubbed “Machine Gun” because he lofted shots at a prolific pace all over the court, in addition this was before the NBA had a 3-point line. Smith would have more success in the NBA than his former teammate averaging nearly 14 points and pulling down 10+ rebounds a game during his NBA career. Smith was a master shot blocker leading the NBA in that category for two consecutive seasons. He still holds the single game record with a high of 17 block shots set against the Blazers in an October 1973 game. Years later Kentucky State would leave the NAIA ranks for NCAA Division II however those NAIA championship teams should never be forgotten.
“Chocolate Thunder”
Yesterday Darryl Dawkins died suddenly at 58 years of age; the former 76er was one of those individuals that always seemed larger than life. He arrived in the NBA from high school the 5th pick in the first round of the 1975 draft a 6-11 251 pound force. Dawkins would refer to himself as Chocolate Thunder and stated he was from the Planet Lovetron. He had as many headlines as Dr. J., Andrew Toney and Doug Collins and other 76ers of the period. Collapsible rims are standard on basketball courts around the world but few realize Dawkins was the driving force behind the rims being implemented. He may not have been the first but he certainly gained the most notoriety when he took down a backboard in Kansas City against the Kings. After he destroyed a second one the NBA begin plans to commission work on collapsible rims all due to Dawkins monstrous dunks. Many believed if he’d taken a more serious approach to the game he might have become a basketball legend. In a manner of speaking he did become a legend, R.I. P. Chocolate Thunder.
