KANSAS CITY, MO – Small College Basketball Announced its 2019 National Hall of Fame Class and 2019 National Hall of Fame Classic, presented by Hillyard, field at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in downtown Kansas City, Missouri on Saturday afternoon.
The Small College Basketball (SCB) National Hall of Fame Classic, presented by Hillyard, will return to the St. Joseph Civic Arena on Friday and Saturday, November 1-2, while the National Hall of Fame will now take place at the Missouri Theater in St. Joseph on Thursday, Oct. 31.
John McCarthy, Founder of Small College Basketball, remarked, “We are very grateful to Missouri Western State University and the St. Joseph Convention and Visitors Bureau for their partnership and tremendous support of Small College Basketball. Josh Looney (Athletic Director at Missouri Western), Brett Esely (Senior Associate Athletic Director), Lindsay Bernard (St. Joseph CVB) and Kathy Brock (St. Joseph Civic Arena) have been awesome! Their enthusiasm and professionalism is greatly appreciated. We’re excited to be back in St. Joseph!”
Below is the Small College Basketball National Hall of Fame Class of 2019:
Phog Allen (Central Missouri, Baker, Haskell Indian Nations; deceased; Coach/Contributor)
World B. Free (Guilford; living; Player)
Mike Harper (North Park; living; Player)
Marques Haynes (Langston; deceased; Player/Contributor)
Cleo Hill (Winston-Salem State; deceased; Player)
Larry Humes (Evansville; living; Player)
Vern Mikkelsen (Hamline; deceased; Player)
Danny Miles (Oregon Tech; living; Coach)
Mel Peterson (Wheaton; living; Player)
Bo Ryan (Wisconsin-Platteville; living; Coach)
Ed Smallwood (Evansville; deceased; Player)
John Smith (Winona State; living; Player)
“We are very excited to welcome the Class of 2019 into our Small College Basketball National Hall of Fame,” said SCB founder John McCarthy. “This is a tremendously accomplished and impressive class, and I am very thankful to our Hall of Fame Committee, as they have spent a great deal of time researching and analyzing many, many potential candidates for this prestigious induction. Congratulations to every member of this special class.”
The SCB National Hall of Fame Classic, presented by Hillyard, will consist of some of the finest teams within NCAA Division II basketball. All games will take place at the St. Joseph Civic Arena. Here are the teams, match-ups and game times for the 2019 SCB National HOF Classic, presented by Hillyard:
Friday, Nov. 1, 2019
12:00 Davenport vs. USC-Aiken
2:30 West Texas A&M vs. Lincoln Memorial
5:00 NW MO State vs. Daemen
7:30 Missouri Western vs. Southern Nazarene
Saturday, Nov. 2, 2019
12:00 Davenport vs. Lincoln Memorial
2:30 West Texas A&M vs. USC-Aiken
5:00 NW MO State vs. Southern Nazarene
7:30 Missouri Western vs. Daemen
Additionally, we are very pleased to announce that the Division II Conference Commissioner’s Association has awarded the SCB National Hall of Fame Classic a three-year exemption for this national event, beginning with the 2019 event.
“The Division II Conference Commissioner’s Association is very pleased to announce the three-year extension of its agreement with Small College Basketball to continue to operate a D2CCA Men’s Basketball Tipoff Classic,” said Reid Amos, Commissioner of the Mountain East Conference and Chair of the D2CCA External Relations Committee. “Participating student-athletes have had outstanding experiences during previous years of this event and we think it is an outstanding way to get the NCAA Division II Men’s Basketball season underway.”
Tickets for the Hall of Fame Induction and Classic, featuring eight premier NCAA Division II basketball teams, will be available in the near future.
“The Small College Basketball Classic has established itself as NCAA Division II’s premier in-season national tournament and this year’s field of teams only enhances that reputation,” said Missouri Western Director of Athletics Josh Looney. “We are honored to host Division II basketball fans, coaches and student-athletes in our community, and showcase St. Joseph’s rich basketball history. Partnering with Small College Basketball, Hillyard Inc., and the City of St. Joseph is a win for the community and NCAA Division II basketball.”
“Congratulations to all eight teams that have been included in the 2019 Small College Basketball National Hall of Fame Classic, presented by Hillyard,” said McCarthy. “This event has become THE most prominent in-season event within all of NCAA Division II basketball and we are thrilled with the teams and match-ups this year. We are very grateful to the NCAA Division II Conference Commissioners Association for granting an exemption for the SCB National HOF Classic. I’m so proud and excited that the Division II CCA has awarded our event a three-year exemption, beginning with this 2019 event. We are truly grateful, and we’re really excited to tip off the NCAA Division II men’s basketball season at the St. Joseph Civic Arena. Additionally – and importantly – we sincerely thank Hillyard for their continued support of our national classic. Partnering with an organization so steeped in basketball history, based in St. Joseph, make obvious sense.”
The 2018 SCB Hall of Fame Classic had an estimated economic impact for the St. Joseph, Missouri community of $220,950. This will mark the fourth Small College Basketball Classic and Hall of Fame, which began in 2016.
2019 HALL OF FAME CLASS BIOS
Phog Allen (Central Missouri, Baker, Haskell Indian Nations; deceased; Coach/Contributor)
Considered the “Father of Coaching”, Allen coached at Baker University (1905-1908), Haskell Indian Nations (1908-1909) and Warrensburg Teachers College (1912-1919). Allen got his coaching start at Baker University in 1905, where he coached for three seasons, going 45-9. At Warrensburg Teachers College, Allen won conference championships (1913 & 1914) in his first two seasons and finished with an 84-31 overall record. By winning the 1913 conference championship, his team became the inaugural winner of the MIAA conference. At Haskell Indian Nations, his teams went 27-5.
Allen is the Founder of the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), and was the first President of the organization. The organization is credited with starting the NCAA Tournament. Additionally, Allen was the driving force behind the addition of basketball to the Olympic Games in 1936. He coached Team USA to a gold medal in the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki. He is a charter inductee into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame (1959) and the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame (2006).
World B. Free (Guilford; living; Player)
Led Guilford to the NAIA National Championship & named Tournament MVP in 1973; led the 1973 NAIA Tournament in points with 120; scored 30 points in the National Championship game and was the first freshman to be named MVP; scored 2,006 points over a 3-year collegiate career (85 games) for a career average of 23.6 ppg; Two-time NAIA All American; Inducted into the Guilford and NAIA Hall of Fames. Member of the NAIA’s 50th & 75th Anniversary Teams.
Marques Haynes (Langston; deceased; Player/Contributor)
With an initial $25-church scholarship Marques Haynes enrolled at Langston University. He was an athlete-student there from 1942-46. During that time the team went 112-3, including a 59-game winning streak. He also was named to the all-conference team and led his team in scoring. In 1946 his Langston team upset the Harlem Globetrotters. Haynes would gain international acclaim as a member of the Globetrotters and as an ambassador of the game. Considered to have been among the game’s greatest ball handlers, he was inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame in 1998 and the Oklahoma Hall of Fame in 2011. Observers claimed that Haynes was able to dribble a ball three times in a second and control the ball just an inch or two off the floor.
Cleo Hill (Winston-Salem State; deceased; Player)
The 6-1 guard played for Coach Clarence Gaines at Winston-Salem State from 1957-61 and is the school’s second all-time leading scorer behind Earl Monroe. Hill scored 2,488 points for a ppg average of 25.4 in a total of 98 games. He averaged 27.7 ppg in 1959-60 and 26.7 ppg in 1960-61 to help the Rams claim consecutive Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) championships. In doing so, Hill earned all-CIAA honors for both seasons. Winston-Salem State posted records of 19-5 and 26-5 in those two seasons. In recognition of his senior-year performance, Hill earned NAIA first-team all-American honors in 1961. A member of the Winston-Salem State/Clarence “Big House” Gaines Athletic Hall of Fame, Hill also was inducted into the CIAA Hall of Fame in 1994. In 1961 Hill became only the fifth African-American from a historically black college/university to be taken in the first round of an NBA draft.
Danny Miles (Oregon Tech; living; Coach)
Danny Miles was the coach at Oregon Tech for 45 years (1971-2016) and led the Hustlin’ Owls to three NAIA Division II National Championships (2004, 2008 and 2012). Coach Miles led Oregon Tech to 1,040 wins during his career, and finished with a 1,040-437 record, for a 70.4% winning percentage. He had 10 seasons of 30 or more wins, and he was named NAIA National Coach of the Year in 2004 and 2008, and the NABC Coach of the Year in 2012. Coach Miles has been elected to the following Halls of Fame: Medford High School; City of Medford Sports Hall of Fame; State of Oregon Sports Hall of Fame; NAIA Hall of Fame; National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame. He was awarded the NAIA’s National Winner of the Champion of Character Award (for all sports) in 2009; he was given the John Wooden “Keys to Life” Award; in 2013, the NABC gave him the Guardians of the Game Pillar Award for Advocacy. Additionally, the court is named after Coach Miles at Oregon Tech, and in 2016, a street was named in his honor (Danny Miles Way).
Mike Harper (North Park; living; Player)
As the starting center, the 6-10 Harper led North Park to three consecutive NCAA Division III national championships in 1978, ’79, and ’80 and was named the national tournament’s Most Outstanding Player in 1978 and 1979. He also was named the most outstanding player in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) in 1978, ’79, and ’80. An NCAA Division All-American in 1979 and 1980, Harper had a career CCIW Field goal percentage of 61%. North Park’s overall won/lost record during the three years was 83-10 (43-5 in CCIW play) and included wins against several DI and DII teams. For his career, Harper scored 1,180 points (second highest all-time total in North Park history) and grabbed 1,184 rebounds (all-time school record). His single-game bests were 43 points vs. Chicago State in 1980 and 25 rebounds vs. St. Xavier, also in 1980.
Larry Humes (Evansville; living; Player)
Two-time Associated Press Little College All-American 1964, 1965; Two-time United Press International Small College All-American 1964, 1965; Won two NCAA College Division Championship 1964, 1965; Two-time NCAA College Division Championship All-Tournament Team 1964, 1965; Scored 2,236 career points for a 26.4 average.
Vern Mikkelsen (Hamline; deceased; Player)
Played 1947-49… Won an NAIA national title with Hamline in 1949… Two-time NAIA All-Tournament Team Member… Scored 179 points in 11 NAIA tournament games, averaging 16.3 ppg… Two-time NAIA All American… Member of the NAIA 50th & 75th Anniversary Teams… Inducted into the NAIA Hall of Fame in 1956… Went on to play in the NBA. Inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1995.
Mel Peterson (Wheaton; living; Player)
Wheaton (Ill.) (1956-60); Was a 3-time All-American … As just a freshman, named Most Outstanding Player of the 1957 NCAA Men’s College Division Basketball Tournament, leading the Crusaders to 28-1 record and the inaugural NCAA college division championship (89-65 victory over Kentucky Wesleyan) … Averaged 22.7 points and 15.8 rebounds over his career, and still holds the Wheaton record for points per game, career points (2,522), field goals made (1,031), and career rebounds (1,767) … Was an 11th-round draft pick of the Detroit Pistons in the 1960 NBA draft … Joined the Army and thus was selected as the Army rep to the USA team that won 1963 Pan American Games gold medal (played with Willis Reed and Lucious Jackson)… Member of the Wheaton Hall of Fame.
Bo Ryan (Wisconsin-Platteville; living; Coach)
Bo Ryan served as the Head Coach at Wisconsin-Platteville from 1984-1999, where his teams posted an overall record of 352-76 for an 82% winning percentage. He guided the Pioneers to four NCAA Division III National Championships, winning the title in 1991, 1995, 1998 and 1999. The ’95 and ’98 titlists posted 31-0 and 30-0 records, respectively, only the second and third time that feat has been accomplished in DIII history. He also won eight Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championships and set a Division III scoring defense record in 1997, with his team allowing only 47.5 points per game. During his tenure, UW-Platteville was the winningest NCAA men’s basketball program of the 1990’s (all divisions of the NCAA) with a 266-26 record, good for a remarkable 90.8% winning percentage. In his last 12 seasons at Platteville, his teams had a home record of 157-7. Ryan was named DIII National Coach of the Year four times and also earned WSUC/WIAC Coach of the Year honors six times. He is a member of the UW-Platteville Athletic Hall of Fame, the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame and the Hall of Fame at Wilkes University (his alma mater). The court at UW-Platteville now bears his name.
Ed Smallwood (Evansville; deceased; Player)
Three-time United Press International All-American 1958, 1959, 1960; Won two NCAA College Division Championships 1959, 1960; Two-time NCAA Championship Most Outstanding Player 1958, 1960; Chosen to NCAA Elite Eight 50th Anniversary Team; Scored 1,898 career points for a 23.1 average; Grabbed 981 career rebounds for a 11.9 average
John Smith (Winona State; living; Player)
Division II Player of the Year 2007 and 2008; Won national championship in 2006 and 2008 (runner-up in 2007); All NSIC conference 2006/2007/2008 (player of year in 2007 and 2008); 2006 Most Outstanding Player in NCAA tournament
Smith was an integral player for the Winona State men’s basketball team that won two national championships in 2006 and 2008 and a national champion runner-up in 2007. Smith helped lead Winona State to a NCAA Division II record 57-game win streak, and the Warriors had a remarkable 105-6 record during his final three seasons.
He recorded numerous accolades during his illustrious Warrior career. He was the 2008 National Player of the Year in the NABC, Division II Bulletin, and the Basketball Times as well as the 2007 National Player of the Year in the same publications as well as earning the Daktronics National Player of the Year as well. He earned First Team All-American honors in 2007 and 2008 and both the Daktronics and the NABC Regional Player of the Year awards. Smith earned the NSIC Most Valuable Player awards in both 2007 and 2008 as well as made the NSIC First Team All-Conference in 2006, 2007, and 2008.
Smith not only made his mark on the Winona State record books, but the Division II basketball record books as well. He is WSU’s record holder in points scored (2,265), field goals made (849), free throws made (541), free throws attempted (790), and games played (146). He is also Winona State’s second all-time leading rebounder (1,334) and shot blocker (423) as well as hold WSU’s second best field goal shooting percentage (56.19). Smith’s 146 games played is the NCAA Division II record. He is eighth in NCAA Division II record book for career rebounds and second in career blocked shots.
In 2006, Smith led Winona State to a Division II National Championship win over Virginia Union 73-61. He received the NCAA Division II Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player award. In 2007, Smith led Winona State to a 35-1 record and a runner-up in the NCAA Division II National Championship game.In 2008, Smith again led Winona State to its third NCAA National Championship game in three years, this time winning the championship 87-76 over Augusta State. Smith scored 18 points and knocked down four three-pointers to help WSU secure the win after coming back from 12 down at halftime to win the game.
The 2019 National Hall of Fame Class is selected by the distinguished Hall of Fame Committee including: Steve Knight, Don Landry, Mike Lightfoot, Danny Miles, Greg Moore, Jim Nelson, Doug Palm, Roy Pickerill, Gary Pine, Jim Poteet, Butch Raymond, John Rinka, Steve Shepherd, Matt Simms, Gary Stewart and Rick Zvosec.
Special Advisor, Mark Sills.
— MWSU Athletics —
The Northwest Missouri State men’s track team had two athletes that earned second team All-America honors. Marcus Klein placed 11th in the long jump with a leap of 24-7.5 to make him an All-American. Omar Austin placed 11th in the 400m dash with a time of 47.27 to become a second team All-American as well.