NBA quick hits

By Staff     Oct 15, 2006

You say you don’t know much about the NBA? Well, here are some fast facts about various players and coaches on the Chicago Bulls and Seattle SuperSonics, who will tip off at 1 p.m. today in Allen Fieldhouse.

Bulls

¢ Ben Wallace is a four-time all-star who has more than 7,000 career rebounds and 1,500 blocks. He’s one of the best defensive players in the NBA.

¢ Andres Nocioni helped Argentina strike gold in the 2004 Olympics in Athens.

¢ Tyrus Thomas led LSU to a surprise berth in the Final Four last year. The SEC’s co-defensive player of the year left the Baton Rouge, La., school for the pros after just one season.

¢ Adrian Griffin, 32, played high school basketball at Wichita East and college ball at Seton Hall.

¢ Luol Deng averaged 15.1 points during the 2003-04 season, helping Duke land a spot in the Final Four. He bolted for the NBA after his freshman campaign.

¢ Chris Duhon as a freshman helped Duke snare the 2001 national championship.

¢ Ben Gordon averaged 18.5 points a game for UConn’s 2004 national championship team. He won the NBA’s sixth-man award in 2004-05.

¢ Luke Schenscher scored 15 points off 5-of-5 shooting in Georgia Tech’s 79-71 overtime victory over Kansas University in the 2005 Elite Eight in St. Louis.

¢ Scott Skiles scored 20 points in Michigan State’s 96-86 overtime loss to Kansas in a 1986 Sweet 16 contest in Kansas City’s Kemper Arena. A controversial clock malfunction benefited KU at the end of regulation, coach Jud Heathcote exploding in anger at the officials and clock operator.

Sonics

¢ Ray Allen is a five-time NBA all-star and regarded as one of the top players in the league. Known as a rock-solid person and media favorite, he won the Joe Dumars sportsmanship award for the 2002-03 season. He’s No. 3 on UConn’s career scoring list. Allen suffered a sprained index finger on his shooting hand last Saturday.

¢ Earl Watson, who attended Kansas City Washington High School, left UCLA as the Bruins’ all-time leader in games started (129) and steals (235). He did not receive much recruiting interest from former KU coach Roy Williams.

¢ Chris Wilcox scored 18 points and grabbed nine boards in Maryland’s 97-88 victory over KU in the 2003 Final Four in Atlanta. KU’s Nick Collison and Kirk Hinrich had 21 and 11 points respectively in the semifinal defeat.

¢ Denham Brown, who attended UConn, was recruited by KU but never made a campus visit.

¢ Danny Fortson, who played at Cincinnati for new Kansas State coach Bob Huggins, ranks second in Bearcats history in career scoring (1,881 points) and free throws made (571) and attempted (768). He is a relentless rebounder.

¢ Rashard Lewis was recruited by KU, but never played college ball. He went straight to the NBA in 1998 out of Alief Elsek High in Texas. He averaged 20.1 points per game a year ago.

¢ Luke Ridnour missed 10 of 13 shots in Oregon’s 104-86 loss to KU in the 2002 Elite Eight in Madison, Wis. Collison and Hinrich had 25 and 14 points, respectively.

¢ Mouhamed Sene, 20, hails from Senegal. Still learning the game, he could be a future all-star in the league.

¢ Kareem Rush, the brother of Brandon Rush, has a partially torn groin muscle suffered the first day of camp. It’s believed the former Missouri University standout will make the team.

¢ Robert Swift of Bakersfield, Calif., is in his third year in the NBA after making the immediate jump out of high school. Still a project, he averaged 6.4 points in 47 games a year ago.

¢ Assistant coach Jack Sikma led the Sonics to the NBA title as a player in 1979.

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