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HBCU prospects

Once upon a time Historically Black Colleges & Universities or HBCU’s produced dozens and dozens of players for NBA rosters. The names of those in the past read like a Who’s Who of great NBA players, in recent years what was once a steady stream of talent has become a trickle. The Celtics Sam Jones, Earl “The Pearl” Monroe and Dick Barnett are just a few who honed their skills at HBCU’s. The Blazers Robert Covington is the only former HBCU player active today.

It’s understandable but sad in a manner of speaking, State University can offer top-quality training facilities plus the opportunity for that athlete to be seen weekly on a national television broadcast. As for Covington he played his college basketball at Tennessee State but there are names in the future we might want to become familiar with. Below are just a few names of outstanding HBCU players we might see in NBA training camps in the fall of 2022 or perhaps 2023.

Joe Bryant Jr. 6-foot 1 220-pound guard Norfolk State

Tyree Corbett 6-foot 7 180-pound forward Coppin State

Kyle Foster 6-foot 5 172-pound guard Howard University

Jalen Johnson 6-foot 7 230-pound forward Alabama A&M

MJ Randolph 6-foot 4 170-pound guard Florida A&M

It was different back then

The American Basketball Association had no restrictions on signing players. Back then players could not play in the NBA until their college class graduated. That meant Wilt Chamberlain spent a season playing for the Globetrotters prior to being drafted and play for the NBA Warriors. Dr. J. was one of those signed as a “hardship” by the Virginia Squares of the ABA, we read years later he attempted through his attorney to have the contract voided due to irregularities. We have no method to determine this in 2022 but we wonder. Would Dr. J. and others possibly chose the NBA over the ABA if that option had been available?

There were several differences, the ABA played a more fast-paced game, it was said by many their game more resembled street basketball. Moses Malone at age 18 went directly from high school into the ABA and began play for the Utah Stars. These are but a two players who might have chosen the NBA if it had been possible at the time. By the time Malone made his decision the ABA was hemorrhaging money and would only last one additional season beyond his rookie year. Perhaps the timing was right for a startup league to compete with the NBA, and they did for a period of time. At the time of the merger, you might find this interesting, the 1977 All Star game was the first one played after the merger. Of the 24 players selected as All Stars 10 had ABA experience. Despite the fact the ABA disappeared the 3-point basket, slam dunk championship and other innovations would become staples for the NBA.

A return to the past

The headline might be a slight bit misleading; we haven’t returned to the days of Chamberlain-Russell or Shaq-Hakeem. That is hardly the case however we’ve seen increased emphasis of Big Men play this season. Usually, we used the term when referring to Big Men or “Aircraft Carriers” as Dick Vitale might say. Guys who are 7 feet tall plus have skill playing the game. No doubt the best of the best is only 6 foot 9 but a hefty 260 pounds, that’s Oscar Tshiebwe at play for Kentucky. Tshiebwe’s been a double-double man for the Wildcats with 16.4 points and 15.2 rebounds a game. 300 plus road miles north-west of Rupp Arena is Champaign Illinois home of the University of Illinois.

The Fighting Illini have Kofi Cockburn all 7 foot and 285 pounds and a force in the middle for his team. Cockburn in his junior year is 21 points and 11 rebounds a game this season and one of the leaders in his team’s 19-win season. Despite Purdue’s Zach Edney standing 7 feet 4 and 295 pounds he’s not the tallest Big Man in college this season. Edney in his sophomore year has seen his numbers improve over last season, nearly 15 points and 8 rebounds a game. Jamarion Sharp at Western Kentucky is likely the tallest college basketball player and the rawest of the bunch this season. Sharp is in his junior year after playing two seasons at the community college level.

As for the height thing Sharp stands 7 foot 5 and 235 pounds. His numbers are average until we look at his blocked shot totals, he is second in NCAA basketball this season with 4.46 blocks a game. You might be wondering or maybe you can name the leader in blocked shots this season. That would be 7-foot 1 245-pound Auburn sophomore Walker Kessler, he’s 4.56 blocks a game along with 12 points and 8 rebounds a game. Maybe there are additional Big Men who stand out this collegiate season, we are profiling just a few. We cannot state each has an NBA future, they may however see action in Europe, Australia or the G-League.

Free throw shooting

Recently we profiled one of the best free throw shooters in the NBA…Rick Barry. What about the other guys, the ones who can’t hit the broadside of a barn? If we check for the most part the problem exists with Big Men at the line however there are exceptions. Chet Holmgren is still enrolled at Gonzaga however the 7-foot Big Man is a respectable 75% from the line. Russell Westbrook is a career 79% for his career but the last few years his numbers have retreated. The 2021-22 season has Westbrook at 66.8% not terrible but below the expected number for a 6-foot 3 guard. As for the others we might think of Wilt Chamberlain as the worst shooter from the line, not quite.

Ben Wallace who spent his most productive years with the Pistons was a career 41% from the line. Dwight Howard with the Lakers is a career 47% shooter, as for Chamberlain he was 51%. When discussing free throws with the media Shaq would always claim; “I hit when they are needed.” He’s told other lies too, 53% from the line hardly identifies one as dependable. Why are these athletes not good free throw shooters, there are always a number of different theories? One we’ve often heard, “Their hands are too big.” Our theory is practice, most don’t practice enough to become dependable in stepping to the line.