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On October 29th, 1996, NBA commissioner David Stern, unveiled the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History, tipping off a season-long party of the league’s fiftieth anniversary. Among the august team were legends who had honed their skills at school basketball powerhouses similar to UCLA, North Carolina and Kansas sooner than embarking on their NBA careers.
Walt “Clyde” Frazier was once one of those 50 players. He also was a Hall of Famer and two-time NBA champion. He had not, alternatively, performed his faculty ball at a basketball factory. Frazier had attended Division II Southern Illinois University. Frazier performed at Southern Illinois from 1963 to 1967, incomes D-II All-America status in 1964 and 1965. In 1967, Frazier earned MVP honors after main Southern University to the NIT championship with an disenchanted victory over Marquette University.
The New York Knicks judiciously made the 6-4 Frazier the No. 5 total variety within the 1967 NBA Draft. All Frazier did to thank the workforce used to be: lend a hand New York win the only NBA titles in franchise historical past, in 1970 and 1973; make seven All-Star groups – earning MVP honors in 1975 – 4 All-NBA First Teams and 7 All-Defensive First Teams; and transform probably the most iconic players in NBA history. When New York traded him to Cleveland in 1977, Frazier held the next franchise information: games (759); mins performed (28,995); box objectives tried (11,669); box goals made (5,736); loose throws attempted (4,017); loose throws made (3,145); assists (4,791); and points (14,617). Those marks stood until Patrick Ewing – a fellow Top 50 Player – got here along.
All of the above makes Frazier the patron saint of players from small colleges who dream of enjoying within the NBA. There are a rising collection of such NBA players today, those who played college at small schools – no longer Division II-small, but on no account North Carolina-big – the most efficient of whom, whilst a ways from attaining Frazier-like status, are in the means of authoring extremely successful professional careers.
Following are the most efficient of the most productive, ranked through their 2013-14 salaries. Perhaps strangely, they are all guards. Or possibly, just possibly, Frazier’s affect is strongest with the vertically challenged.
8. Norris Cole, Miami Heat, 2013-14 Salary: $1,129,200
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In his 3rd NBA season, Cole often finds it difficult get a large number of high quality minutes on a workforce featuring perimeter players named LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Ray Allen. That said, he's profiting from restricted playing time, averaging 7.2 issues and having attached on a career-high Forty eight three-point box goals this season, surpassing his earlier excessive of 35 set last season. Cole almost authorised a scholarship to play football at Walsh State earlier than choosing Cleveland State and basketball. As a senior, he become the first men’s basketball player in Horizon League historical past to earn Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year honors. The fifth Cleveland State alum to don an NBA uniform, Cole averaged 14.1 points and 3.3 assists in his collegiate profession.
7. Patrick Mills, San Antonio Spurs, 2013-14 Salary: $1,133,950
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Now in his fifth NBA season, and 3rd with the Spurs, Patrick Mills has seemed in each game for the Spurs, scoring in double figures 28 times, together with seven video games with 20-or-more points and one 30-plus-point efficiency. Although he was once recruited by bigger Division 1 schools like Utah, Wake Forest and Alabama, Mills chose to attend Saint Mary's in Moraga, Calif. Mills used to be the only collegiate basketball participant competing within the 2008 Olympic Games and the youngest player within the historical past of Australia to compete within the Olympic Games in basketball. In six video games, Mills averaged a team-best 14.2 issues.
6. Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers, 2013-14 Salary: $3,202,920
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An All-Star in handiest his second yr in the NBA, the reigning Rookie of the Year ranks first at the group in assists (5.6 apg) and 2d in scoring (20.8 ppg). That, alternatively, understates how necessary Damian Lillard is to the good fortune of the Portland Trail Blazers. On a group that is reliant on its long-distance shooting, Lillard is 2nd in the league for three-pointers (169), and early remaining month, he recorded his 323rd career three-pointer, the most ever by means of a player in his first two seasons within the NBA. Playing 3 years at Weber State, Lillard ranks 2d in school historical past in issues (1,934 points) and 5th in Big Sky historical past. The ninth Weber State player to make it to the NBA, Lillard earned two Big Sky Player of the Year awards and as a senior was once a finalist for the Bob Cousy Award.
5. Gary Neal, Charlotte Bobcats, 2013-14 Salary: $3,250,000
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Gary Neal, who the Bobcats acquired by means of the Bobcats from Milwaukee on February twentieth, is averaging over 10.Zero points this season while enjoying a color over 20.0 mins in step with recreation. In six video games with Charlotte, Neal has observed his taking part in time tick as much as 24.Five mins as the Bobcats vie for a postseason spot. Neal started out at La Salle however was brushed aside after his freshman yr due to a sexual attack allegation, for which he was later acquitted. He walked on at Towson University and is handiest the fourth basketball participant in NCAA history to attain at least 1,000 points with two different schools, and most effective the second one participant from Towson State to make the NBA.
4. J.J. Barea, Minnesota Timberwolves, 2013-14 Salary: $4,687,000
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Only the fifth Northeastern participant to reach the NBA, J.J.Barea, an eighth-year pro went over the 4,000-career-point mark February twelfth vs. Denver, and sank his 400th profession three-pointer Jan. 31 vs. Memphis. A key cog off the bench for Minnesota, Barea is averaging 8.9 issues and 3.6 assists. Barea used to be a four-year standout at Northeastern University, and was a finalist for the Bob Cousy Award, given to the nation's ideal point guard, during his junior and senior campaigns. He finished his college career as the varsity's 2d all-time leading scorer with 2,209 issues, trailing most effective Celtic nice Reggie Lewis.
3. Kevin Martin, Minnesota Timberwolves, 2013-14 Salary: $6,500,000
In his 10th NBA season, Keven Martin is averaging 19.1 points and ranks fourth within the NBA in loose throw accuracy at 88.5 p.c. Martin scored the 10,000th point of his profession November eleventh and wishes eight three-pointers for 1,000 in his profession. Martin played faculty ball at Western Carolina University, where he ranks fourth all-time at the faculty’s scoring record with 1,838 issues. In his three-year collegiate profession, Martin averaged 23.3 points. Martin is one of most effective six Western Carolina alums to play within the NBA, and the only one to last longer than two seasons.
2. Rodney Stuckey, Detroit Pistons, 2013-14 Salary: $8,500,000
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Playing a reserve role for the Pistons this season, Rodney Stuckey ranks first within the NBA for most points off the bench this season with 13.7 in keeping with recreation amongst players who have performed a minimum of 53 video games off the bench. The sixth-year professional scored his 6,000th profession level vs. Orlando January twenty eighth. The best player Eastern Washington University has ever graduated to the NBA, Stuckey performed two years of faculty ball, scoring 1,438 points and dishing 283 assists .On January eleventh, 2009, Eastern Washington retired Stuckey's No. Three jersey during a half-time ceremony.
1. Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors, 2013-14 Salary: $9,887,642
First on this checklist in additional techniques than one, Stephen Curry this season changed into the first Warrior to be voted an All-Star starter since Latrell Sprewell in 1995. Curry leads the league in three-pointers made whilst rating third in assists per game and tied for seventh in scoring. Curry has recorded 15 30-point games already this season, probably the most 30-point video games via a Warrior since Baron Davis in 2007-08. He has dished no less than 4 assists in 72-straight video games, the longest lively streak in the NBA and a career-long streak. Curry, handiest the sixth participant from Davidson to achieve the NBA, Curry is the college’s all-time chief in three-point field goals (414); free throws (479); 30-point games (30) and 40-point games (six).
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