Small College Basketball 2023 National Hall of Fame Class Announced

 

Kansas City, MO – The National Hall of Fame Committee and Small College Basketball are extremely proud to announce the National Hall of Fame Class of 2023. This year’s class, once again, is made up of some of the most outstanding coaches, players, and contributors that Small College Basketball has seen. The 2023 class includes the following members (Bios included at the bottom of the release):

 

 

Players

Frankie Allen (Roanoke College)

Gerald Cunningham (Kentucky State)

Bayard Forrest (Grand Canyon University)

Greg Grant (Trenton State College)

John Grochowalski (Assumption University)

Charles Hardnett (Grambling State)

Henry Lee Logan (Western Carolina)

Jackie Moreland (LA Tech)

R.C. Owens (College of Idaho)

Glenn Roberts (Emory & Henry)

 

Coach

Joe Hutton (Hamline University)

 

Contributor/Player

Ed Steitz

 

Founder of Small College Basketball, John McCarthy had this to say about the National Hall of Fame Class of 2023:

 

"The Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2023 is just outstanding! I hope that people take the time to read and research the accomplishments of each member of this class,” stated McCarthy.  “Collectively and individually, this Hall of Fame Class is historically significant to the great game of basketball at the collegiate level. I sincerely thank our Hall of Fame Committee for all of their time, research and insight.  Once again, our committee has done a tremendous amount of work, and we're very proud and excited to welcome the Class of 2023 into the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame."

 

This year’s National Hall of Fame Class marks the seventh class inducted into the Small College Basketball National Hall of Fame. The National Hall of Fame induction ceremony will take place on Friday November 3rd inside the Polk Theatre in Lakeland, FL.

 

For more information regarding the Small College Basketball National Hall of Fame please head to smallcollegebasketball.com.

 

Small College Basketball National Hall of Fame Class of 2023 Bio’s

 

Frankie Allen, Roanoke College

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Allen remains a Maroon and Virginia legend for his achievements during his four years (1967-68 to 1970-71) at Roanoke. He was the first African American student athlete to attend Roanoke. Allen, a 6-6 forward, is the all-time leading scorer (2,780 points) and rebounder (1,758 rebounds) at any level in the state of Virginia. For his career, Allen averaged 24.3 ppg and 15.3 rpg in 115 games. He still holds 18 individual school records, including career made field goals (904), career made free throws (992), and career free throw percentage (80.4). Allen set five single-season and individual-game marks that still stand, among those marks is his 49-point effort against The Citadel as a junior. He had six other 40-plus point games and scored 30 or more points four times. He led Roanoke (22-8) to its first NCAA College Division Tournament appearance in 1968. He also helped the Maroons to claim three Mason Dixon Conference regular-season, two conference tournament championships, and two NCAA tournament appearances. Roanoke went 82-34 during Allen’s four years. Named the Virginia College Division Player of the Year three times (1969-71), he also earned NCAA College Division all-American recognition as a junior and senior. A four-time, first-team all-Mason Dixon Conference selection, he also was the first individual ever to be named to the AP Virginia All-state team all four years. He was the Mason-Dixon Conference Player of the Year in 1970 and 1971. Allen was inducted into the Roanoke College Hall of Fame in 1976 and the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame in 2013. His number-44 is among those numerals that have been retired by Roanoke College.

 

Gerald Cunningham, Kentucky State

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Gerald Cunningham finished his career at Kentucky State as the second all-time leader in scoring and rebounding to hall-of-famers Travis Grant and Elmore Smith respectively. His totals of 2,635 points (21.8 ppg) and 1,304 rebounds (10.8 rpg) made him the second 2,500/1,000 player in the program after Grant.  He is the first player to lead the NAIA National Tournament in scoring and rebounding the same year when he led KSU to a third-place finish his freshman year of 1974. He was named to the 1974 NAIA All-Tournament First Team. During the next three years, he was three-time first-team NAIA All-American, two-time first-team National Association of Basketball Coaches NCAA Division II All-American (1975 & 1977), and two-time NABC NCAA Division II All-District (1975, 1st Team & 1977, 3rd Team). Cunningham led the NAIA in field goal percentage in 1975 (68.1%), and is a member of the NAIA 75 th Anniversary Team. The New York Nets drafted him in the fifth-round of the 1977 NBA Draft.​

 

Bayard Forrest, Grand Canyon

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The 6-10, 235-lb. center was a first-team, NAIA all-American in 1974, 1975, and 1976. He also led the Antelopes to the 1975 NAIA national title. In Grand Canyon’s 1975 NAIA National championship clinching win, 65-54 over Midwestern State, Forrest had 16 points, 12 rebounds, and four blocked shots in claiming tournament MVP honors. His four- year (1972-73 to 1975-76) career totals included 18 ppg., 12.7 rpg., and a field goal percentage of 53.5. Grand Canyon, which was 30-3 in 1974-75, posted an overall record of 104-18 during his four-years. That included a home-court mark of 52-8. He holds numerous career landmark records at Grand Canyon, including points scored (2,195), scoring average (18.0 in 122 games played), rebounds (1,544) rebound average (12.7), defensive rebounds (1,045), defensive rebound average (8.6), offensive rebounds (499), field goals attempted (1,703), and field goals made (911). He earned all-District VII honors four times. He had a single-game high of 24 rebounds, which ranks second in program history, when he was a freshman. Inducted into the Grand Canyon Hall of Fame in 1991, Forrest was a second-round pick of the Seattle Supersonics in the 1976 NBA Draft.

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Greg Grant, Trenton State (now College of New Jersey)

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Greg Grant scored 2,611 points in only three seasons of playing at Trenton State. He set the record nationally for points scored in one season with 1,044 points, as well as scoring average, putting up an average of 30.6 points per game for the 1988-1989 season.  In his rookie season in 1987, he scored a school-record 51 points in a game against Montclair State. He broke that record the following year dropping 52 points against Wilmington College.  

 

He is the all-time leading collegiate scorer for the entire State of New Jersey.  Grant also holds the Lions’ program record for career steals (310) and is fourth all-time in assists with 273. He was the 1989 Division III Player of the Year, a First Team All-American selection in 1988 and 1989, and was named New Jersey College Player of the Year three consecutive seasons (1987, 1988, 1989).  Grant has been inducted into the Trenton State College Hall of Fame, and was named as the Greatest Athlete in Trenton State College History. 

 

John Grochowalski, Assumption

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The 6-8 frontcourt player led Assumption College to four consecutive NCAA Division II regional championships in 1972, ’73, ’74, and ’75. A three-time all-American, he was the first Greyhound player to have his number (#24) retired in 2013. For his career he scored 2,430 points (21.3 ppg) and pulled down 1,756 rebounds (15.4 rpg). On 84 occasions he scored 20+points during his career, including 24 times during his senior season. Assumption posted no less than 20 wins in each of Grochowalski’s seasons.

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Charles Hardnett, Grambling

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Hardnett was a three-time first team All-American.  He was also a two-time first team All-Southwestern Athletic Conference selection and twice a second team selection.  Additionally, he was selected as the MVP of the 1961 NAIA Tournament.  He finished his career with 2,289 points for a 20.1 average and 2,068 rebounds for an 18.1 average.  He also had a 58.6% career field goal percentage.  He averaged 23.7 points and 19.7 rebounds and had a 59.6% field goal percentage in 1962.  He averaged 22.4 points and 19.8 rebounds and had a 57.8% field goal percentage in 1961.  He averaged 19.6 points and 14.9 rebounds and had a 61.8% field goal percentage in 1960.  He averaged 14.4 points and 17.3 rebounds and had a 55.6% field goal percentage in 1959.  He led Grambling St. to two SWAC championships and three NAIA Tournament appearances, including the quarterfinals in 1960 and the national championship in 1961.  He was inducted into the NAIA Hall of Fame in 1973.

 

Henry Lee Logan, Western Carolina

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Was the first African-American collegiate athlete in the history of the state of North Carolina and possibly at any predominantly white school in the southeastern United States, when he enrolled and played basketball at Western Carolina University in 1964. What the 6-0 shooting/point guard accomplished on the court is nothing short of amazing; yet sadly overlooked by many in the national press and fans in general. As of the end of the 2020-21 season, Logan was the only college player with career totals that exceeded 3,200 points and 1,000 assists. As a senior in 1967-68, he scored 1,049 points, had a nation-leading 36.2 ppg average, and had 298 assists (10.3 apg) - - -all ranking Logan number-one in Western Carolina career annals. He also ranks first in career field goals made and attempted, free throws made and attempted as a result of his senior season. In 107 career games, Logan remains the Catamounts leader in seven statistical categories: points scored (3,290), scoring average (30.7), made field goals (1,263), attempted field goals (2,419), made free throws (764), attempted free throws (1,025), and assists (1,037). His career point total ranks him ninth on the all-time collegiate scoring. He also is credited with 638 career rebounds, which ranks him 18th in in the school record book. His career field-goal percentage of 52.2 and his career free-throw percentage of 74.5 rank Logan eighth and seventh, respectively, in WCU’s records. He holds the program’s record for most points in a single game with 60 in his junior year and nine other games in which he scored 45 or more points. Logan also holds the single-game records for assists (22) and steals (9). The NAIA named him an all-American four times, including three first-team selections, and he also received all-American recognition from the AP and NABC. Named to WCU’s all-20th century team, Logan, whose number-10 jersey is retired, is a member of the of the Western Carolina Hall of Fame (1990) and the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame (2000).  Off the court, Logan also has been acclaimed a leading figure in breaking the color barrier in North Carolina intercollegiate athletics and for his work with youth.

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Jackie Moreland, Louisiana Tech

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Jackie Moreland was a three-time All-American and was Louisiana Tech’s first basketball All-American. He was also a three-time All-Gulf States Conference selection and was the GSC Player of the Year in 1960.  He scored 1,491 career points for a 21.3 average and had 1,117 career rebounds for a 16.0 average. He led the GSC in scoring average for two years and in rebounding for three years.  He averaged 18.1 points and 15.1 rebounds in 1960, 21.1 points and 18.7 rebounds in 1959, and 24.1 points and 13.9 rebounds in 1958.  His single game highs were 43 points and 26 rebounds.  He led Louisiana Tech to the 1959 GSC championship.  He was the fourth player selected in the first round of the 1960 NBA draft.

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R.C. Owens, College of Idaho

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R.C. Owens scored 2,155 points and had 2,142 rebounds in 99 games at the College of Idaho between 1952 and 1955, averaging 21.8 points and 21.6 rebounds per game.  Amazingly he recorded 99 consecutive double-doubles.  He was a four-time Northwest Conference all-star and led the Coyotes to the 1955 & 1956 Conference titles.  In 1955, he also led them to a 15-0 conference record and the District 2 title. 

 

Glenn Roberts, Emory & Henry

 

The 6-4, 180-lb. Roberts is considered one of the first college players to put the jump shot to practical use. His prolific scoring set him apart and gave him lasting notoriety for popularizing the new shooting technique, as well as contributing to the transformation of the game and sport. Roberts was the first collegiate player to score 2,000 points against any and all levels of competition. In his four years (1931-32 through 1934-35) at Emory & Henry, Roberts tallied 1,531 points, a national record at that time, in 80 games vs. collegiate-level opponents for 19.1 ppg. (He scored an additional 482 points in 24 other games against professional and semi-pro teams.) His scoring totals still stand for players prior to the 1937 revision of the center-jump rule. He was a four-time Virginia College player of the year and a three-time, all-Virginia Conference selection. In 1935, the Helms Athletic Foundation named Roberts to its first-team, all-American squad that included all divisions. The Wasps- posted an overall record of 68-12 in Roberts’ four seasons vs. college-level opponents. He was a charter member of the Emory & Henry Sports Hall of Fame (1972) and was inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame in 1980. The Naismith Hall of Fame website features a page that features Roberts and his feats in an article entitled “Genesis of the Jump Shot.”

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Joe Hutton, Hamline (1931-1965) 

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Joe Hutton was the Head Coach at Hamline for 35 years, and finished with a record of 588-186, winning 19 conference titles, leading his team to the NAIA National Championship game six times and winning three NAIA National Titles (1944, 1949 and 1951).  He was the first coach selected to the Helms Foundation Hall of Basketball Immortals.  In 1987, he was named to the NAIA Hall of Fame.  The gymnasium at Hamline is named Hutton Arena in his honor.

 

Ed Steitz

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Steitz was the editor of the NCAA Basketball Rules Committee from 1968 up until his death in 1990 at the age of 69.  Considered the worldwide authority on amateur basketball rules.  Steitz was widely given credit for the introduction of the three-point shot in 1987 and the 45-second shooting clock in 1986 and for bringing the dunk back into the collegiate game. He viewed the three-pointer the most important rule change since the elimination of the center jump in 1937.  Steitz spent his entire career at Springfield College, the same college at which James Naismith invented the game of basketball.  He earned Master’s and Doctoral degrees at Springfield and taught at Springfield starting in 1948.  He was the men’s basketball coach at Springfield from 1956 until 1966 and the school’s AD for 33 years before retiring in 1990 … He was elected into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1984 and was one of the founders of the hall in 1959.  He was also a co-founder of the Amateur Basketball Association, now called USA Basketball and was its president for 10 years.  He was also a member of the U.S. Olympic Committee’s executive committee and of the NCAA executive committee.  He wrote or edited 91 books and more than 300 articles for magazines and professional journals…He also served as the chairman of the U.S. Olympic Selection Committee between 1964 and 1980…. He was enshrined as a contributor in the FIBA Hall of Fame in 2007 and the USA Basketball’s Edward S. Steitz award was created in his honor in 1991 to recognize an individual for valuable contributions to international basketball.

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