NCAA Basketball: Top 10 programs that can be called ‘Big Man U’
By Amaar Burton
9. NCAA Basketball “Big Man U” programs – Indiana Hoosiers
Of course, the school whose signature figure is former coach Bob Knight would produce a long line of rugged, scrappy big men who remind you of basketball’s earlier eras.
The most accomplished collegian of the bunch is Kent Benson. The two-time All-America center was voted Final Four Most Outstanding Player in 1976 when he helped Indiana clinch a national championship and go undefeated (32-0) for the season.
Benson was the No. 1 pick in the 1977 NBA Draft, but he didn’t have a great pro career.
The most accomplished Indiana big man on the pro level is George McGinnis, the Hall of Fame power forward who has two ABA championships, 1975 ABA Most Valuable Player, three ABA All-Star and three NBA All-Star nods.
McGinnis played just one year for the Hoosiers, and in that one year, he was dominant to the tune of 30.0 points and 14.7 rebounds per game.
Walt Bellamy was an All-America center at Indiana and a four-time NBA All-Star, another Hall of Famer who was one of the toughest rivals Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain faced outside of each other throughout the 1960s.
More recently, Indiana produced a few NBA lottery picks in Jared Jeffries, Cody Zeller and Noah Vonleh.
Jeffries was Big Ten Player of the Year in 2002 when he led the Hoosiers to the NCAA Tournament title game (they lost to Maryland). At 6’11”, Jeffries could play every frontcourt position. He was taken with the No. 11 pick in the 2002 NBA Draft.
Zeller is a more traditional big man, athletic but still a banger at his core. He averaged 16.5 points and 8.0 rebounds per game as a sophomore before being picked No. 4 in the 2013 draft.
Vonleh was a one-and-done freshman at IU who picked up Big Ten Rookie of the Year while averaging 11.3 points and 9.0 rebounds per game. He was the No. 9 pick in the 2014 draft.
Other notables: D.J. White, Don Schlundt, Archie Dees, Alan Henderson, Steve Downing, Kirk Haston, Uwe Blab