GREENSBORO, N.C. – Fourteen former standout players and a three-time Atlantic Coast Conference Coach of the Year headline this year’s class of ACC Basketball Legends presented by New York Life.
The Legends will be recognized during the 2016 New York Life ACC Tournament, which will be held March 8-12 at Verizon Center in Washington, D.C. They will be featured at the annual ACC Legends Luncheon, which will be held Friday, March 11, beginning at noon at the Washington Marriott Marquis hotel. They will then be introduced that evening to the Verizon Center crowd during halftime of the first semifinal game. Ticket information for the ACC Legends Luncheon is available at theACC.com and at the end of this release.
The 2016 ACC Legends Class:
Jim Hooley, Forward, Boston College
Grayson Marshall, Guard, Clemson
Jason Willams, Guard, Duke
Rowland Garrett, Forward, Florida State
BJ Elder, Guard, Georgia Tech
Darrell Griffith, Guard, Louisville
John Salmons, Forward, Miami
James Worthy, Forward, North Carolina
Anthony “Spud” Webb, Guard, NC State
Adrian Dantley, Forward, Notre Dame
Charles Smith, Forward, Pitt
Derrick Coleman, Forward, Syracuse
Norman Nolan, Forward, Virginia
Howard Pardue, Forward, Virginia Tech
Dave Odom, Head Coach, Wake Forest
This year’s ACC Legends class includes four National Players of the Year, two Final Four MVPs, three national championship team members, two ACC Tournament MVPs and a National Coach of the Year.
A capsule look at each member of the 2016 ACC Men’s Basketball Legends Class:
Jim Hooley, Boston College (1959-62) – A local high school star who averaged 30 points per game his senior year, Hooley didn’t disappoint Boston College faithful when he decided to stay “home” to play collegiately. The 6-foot-5 sharp-shooting forward scored 1,209 career points in his three varsity seasons, averaging 21.6 per game. He connected on 20 field goal attempts and finished with 46 points in a win over Brandeis during his senior year, a scoring performance that still ranks as the second-highest in Boston College history. He averaged 24.2 points per game in both 1960-61 and 1961-62, clearly distinguishing himself as the highest scoring Eagle of his day, and graduated holding what were then school records for career, single-game and single-season scoring. When he passed the 1,000-point career mark during his senior year, he became only the third player in school history at the time to achieve that milestone. Hooley was inducted into the Boston College Varsity Club Athletic Hall of Fame in 1979.
Grayson Marshall, Clemson (1984-88) – Marshall remains the Tigers’ all-time career assist leader with 857, a total that is the fifth-most in ACC history and still ranks among the top 25 in the NCAA’s all-time record book. The Washington, D.C., native helped Clemson earn spots in postseason play each of his four seasons with the team, and he was a key component of the 1987 squad that set a school record for ACC wins in a season. Marshall’s career included a 20-assist performance in a win over Maryland Eastern Shore during the 1985-86 season that ties for the most by an ACC player in a single game and are the most-ever by a Tiger. He finished that season with 262 total assists, yet another Clemson all-time mark. A 2009 Clemson Hall of Fame inductee, Marshall averaged a remarkable 7.0 assists per game during his 122-game career and is the Tigers’ career leader with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.47. Since his collegiate playing days ended, Marshall has enjoyed continued success as a high school basketball coach and an inspirational speaker.
Jason Williams, Duke (1999-2002) – The Plainfield, New Jersey native played a leading role on Duke’s 2001 NCAA Championship team, as well as Blue Devil teams that swept ACC titles each of his three collegiate seasons. Named the 2000 National Freshman of the Year and the consensus National Player of the Year as a junior, he started all 108 games during his college career. The Most Valuable Player of the ACC Tournament as a freshman and a member of the 2001 All-Final Four Team, Williams graduated from Duke in just three years and was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2002 NBA Draft. Williams, who now works as a studio and game analyst for ESPN, averaged 19.3 points and handed out 644 career assists as a Blue Devil. He led the ACC in scoring as a junior in 2001, when he averaged 21.6 points per game, and led the league again the following year with a 21.3 ppg average. He earned both the Naismith and John Wooden Awards as college basketball’s top player in 2002. His 6.0 assists and 2.2 steals per game both rank second on Duke’s all-time lists.
Rowland Garrett, Florida State (1969-72) – The 6-foot-6 Garrett was an integral part of Florida State teams that compiled the best three-year stretch in school history between 1969 and 1972 with an overall record of 67-18 and earned the school’s second-ever NCAA bid his final year. The Canton, Mississippi, native served as team co-captain as a senior in 1972 and averaged 13.1 points and nearly eight rebounds a game for Coach Hugh Durham’s team that reached the NCAA finals – a postseason run that included wins over Kentucky and North Carolina, and a competitive showing against then-NCAA dynasty UCLA in the championship game. Garrett averaged 11.1 points and 6.9 rebounds over his collegiate career. He went on to play five years in the NBA, where he scored 1,337 points and more than 600 rebounds in stints with the Bulls, Cavaliers and Bucks. He went on to a successful business career as the owner of a chemical manufacturing company in his hometown of Canton. He was elected to the Florida State Athletics Hall of Fame in 1986.
BJ Elder, Georgia Tech (2001-2005) – One of the most prolific 3-point shooters in school history, Elder made his mark on the 2004 Georgia Tech team that reached the NCAA Championship game. He was named a Wooden Award finalist that season, in which he placed seventh among ACC scorers at 14.9 points per game and shot 78 percent from the foul line. Elder was an honorable mention All-America selection by the Associated Press that season, and was also named All-District 4 by the USBWA, All-District 5 by the NABC and was one of the final 20 candidates for the Wooden Award All-America team. The Madison, Georgia, native was voted to All-ACC Freshman team in 2002 and placed third in ACC Freshman of the Year voting. He went on to twice earn All-ACC honors. Despite a hamstring injury that forced him to miss nine full games his senior year and hampered him throughout the remainder of the season, Elder finished his collegiate career with 1,616 points to rank 13th on the Yellow Jackets’ all-time scoring list. He finished fourth on the school’s all-time list in 3-point field goals with 222, twice connecting on seven in a single game.
Darrell Griffith, Louisville (1976-80) – Griffith capped his sensational collegiate career by leading the Cardinals to a 33-3 record and the 1980 NCAA title. He received the prestigious John Wooden Award as College Basketball’s Player of the Year, was voted the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four, and completed his senior season as the first Louisville player to score more than 2,000 career points. He scored in double figures in his final 41 college games and in 111 of the 126 contests he played with the Cardinals, including 23 points in a win over UCLA in the 1980 NCAA championship game. The Louisville teams on which he played posted a combined record of 101-25 and made four straight NCAA Tournament appearances. His road uniform from the 1980 season is on permanent display at the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. Following his collegiate career, he played 11 seasons in the NBA with the Utah Jazz, earning Rookie of the Year honors in 1981 and averaging 16.2 points for his career. He is now back at his alma mater, where he works as a special assistant to the president at the University of Louisville.
John Salmons, Miami (1998-2002) – Regarded as one of the most versatile players to ever play for the Hurricanes, Salmons started 107 consecutive games and played in a total of 124 contests during his time at Miami. He ranks 19th on the school’s career scoring list with 1,287 points. The Philadelphia native placed third the school’s all-time career assists list and third on the career steals list while playing on four Miami teams that posted a combined record of 86-39. He remains the only player in school history to record 50-or-more steals in three consecutive seasons. He became the first player in school history to surpass 1000 career points (1,287), 600 rebounds (687), 400 assists (433) and 150 steals (192). He was a two-time All-Big East selection and was awarded the conference’s Sportsmanship Award his senior year. The 6-foot-6 Salmons was taken in the first round of the NBA Draft by the San Antonio Spurs and went on to play 13 professional seasons.
James Worthy, North Carolina (1979-82) – The 1982 National Player of the Year and the Final Four’s Most Outstanding Player, Worthy led North Carolina to its second NCAA title and the first under legendary head coach Dean Smith. His 28-point performance and steal in the closing seconds keyed the Tar Heels past Georgetown in the national championship game. That capped a senior year in which Worthy earned All-America honors for the second consecutive season and was also the MVP of both the ACC Tournament and the NCAA East Regional. The Los Angeles Lakers made the Gastonia, North Carolina, native the NBA’s No. 1 overall draft pick a few months later. Despite missing a large part of his freshman year at UNC with a broken ankle, Worthy totaled 1,219 points in just over 2 ½ college seasons to rank among the school’s all-time leading scorers. He went on to stellar professional career in which he was a seven-time NBA All-Star, played on three NBA title teams and was voted the MVP of the 1988 NBA Finals. Worthy’s jersey (number 52) was retired at UNC, and he was inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame in 2003.
Anthony “Spud” Webb, NC State (1983-85) – At five feet, seven inches, Webb came up big for head coach Jim Valvano’s NC State teams in the mid-1980s. With a vertical leap of 42 inches, the Dallas, Texas, native became a fan favorite as one of college basketball’s most exciting players. He played two seasons at NC State after starring a Midland Junior College, where he averaged 14.6 points and 10.1 assists per game in leading his team to the 1983 JUCO national title. In addition to averaging 10.4 points per game at NC State, Webb proved a most efficient point guard, handing out a total of 373 assists in 66 games with the Wolfpack – including 18 in a win over Northeastern that still rank as the second-highest single-game total in school history. As a senior, Webb was a key member of NC State’s 1985 team that won 23 games and reached the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament. He played 12 seasons in the NBA and won the league’s slam dunk contest his rookie year. Webb is currently the President of Basketball Operations for the Texas Legends, the NBA D-League team for the Dallas Mavericks.
Adrian Dantley, Notre Dame (1973-76) – As a Naismith Hall of Famer, a United State Olympic gold medalist and a two-time consensus All-American, Dantley ranks among the game’s all-time elite. He scored over 2,200 points in his three seasons for head coach Digger Phelps at Notre Dame, averaging 30.4 points his sophomore year and just under 29 points as a junior. The 6-foot-5 native of Washington, D.C., connected on over 56 percent of his shots from the floor as a collegian, shot 80 percent from the foul line and pulled down nearly 10 rebounds per game. After leading the Irish to three consecutive NCAA berths and top-10 rankings, Dantley starred for the U.S. Olympic team in the 1976 Summer Olympic Games at Montreal. He led all players with 30 points as the U.S. squad downed Yugoslavia, 95-74, in the title game. Dantley played 15 seasons professionally and was a six-time NBA All-Star. His professional resume also includes the 1977 NBA Rookie of the Year award and two league scoring titles. He has remained in the game since his retirement, working as both a coach and an official.
Charles Smith, Pitt (1984-88) – The 6-foot-10 Smith ranks as Pitt’s all-time leading scorer, with 2,045 career points. Known for his clutch play at key moments of games and stellar leadership, he guided the Panthers to two Big East regular season titles: co-champions in 1986-87, then outright champions in 1987-88. Smith was named the 1988 Big East Player of the Year and won the Panther Award. A two-time All-American and Freshman All-American, Smith was also honored by the Big East in 1985 as the league’s Rookie of the Year. A member of the 1988 United States Olympic Team that captured the bronze medal, Smith was the third overall pick of the 1988 NBA draft and spent 10 seasons in the league with the Los Angeles Clippers, New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs. The Bridgeport, Connecticut, native’s Pitt jersey No. 32 was retired prior to his final home game at Fitzgerald Field House against Seton Hall on March 2, 1988. In 1989, he founded the Charles D. Smith Foundation in his hometown of Bridgeport, which is dedicated to improving the academic standing of inner-city youth.
Derrick Coleman, Syracuse (1986-90) – One of the most prolific rebounders in college basketball history, Coleman accumulated 2,143 points and pulled down 1,537 rebounds in his four seasons with the Orange. He made an immediate impact as a freshman, averaging 11.9 points and 8.8 rebounds for head coach Jim Boeheim’s squad, which won 31 games and advanced to the NCAA finals. Coleman’s 14 rebounds in the East Regional championship game against second-ranked North Carolina keyed a 79-75 upset win that secured Boeheim’s first Final Four bid. The 6-foot-10 Coleman was named the Big East Player of the Year in 1990, and Syracuse teams averaged 28.3 wins a season during his four years at the school. The Mobile, Alabama, native stands as the all-time leading rebounder and the second-leading scorer in Syracuse history. The No. 1 overall draft pick by the New Jersey Nets in 1990, Coleman played 15 seasons in the NBA, averaging 16.5 points and 9.3 rebounds per game. He was named the NBA Rookie of the Year in 1991 and was an NBA All-Star in 1994. The Orange retired Coleman’s jersey number (44) in March of 2006.
Norman Nolan, Virginia (1994-98) –Nolan enjoyed a breakout senior season at Virginia in 1998, averaging 21 points and pulling down 9.2 rebounds per game. A three-time ACC Player of the Week selection and second-team All-ACC selection in his final year, he played in 121 career games with the Cavaliers. The Baltimore native scored 1,329 career points and ranks 10th on the school’s all-time rebounding list with 765. Nolan’s 21.0 points per game his senior year ranked as the highest average by a Cavalier since Jeff Lamp led the ACC with a 22.9 scoring average in 1978-79. In addition to his impressive scoring and rebounding numbers, Nolan also finished fourth in the ACC in 1998 in field goal percentage (52.4) and minutes played (35.9), and fifth in offensive rebounds (2.9 rpg). He ended that season with 17 games of 20-or-more points and 17 with 10-or-more rebounds. After helping Virginia to two NCAA Tournament berths – including a 1995 appearance that saw the Cavaliers advance to the Elite Eight– he spent more than a decade playing professionally at the international level.
Howard Pardue, Virginia Tech (1961-64) – One of the greatest shooters in Virginia Tech history, Pardue starred for the Hokies’ teams under head coach Chuck Noe in the early 1960s. He finished his collegiate career with a scoring average of 20 points per game that still ranks as the fifth-best in school history. One of his most memorable games came during his sophomore season, when on Jan. 3, 1962, he scored 20 points to help lead the Hokies past Alabama in the first game ever played at Cassell Coliseum. An honorable mention selection to the Associated Press All-America team as a senior, he was named to the All-Southern Conference Team three years in a row and twice as named to the Southern Conference’s All-Tournament team. The Jonesville, North Carolina, native was inducted into the Hokies’ Athletics Hall of Fame in 1992. Pardue completed his Master’s and Ph.D. degrees in Human Resource/Organizational Development at Columbus University and has served as the Vice President, Human Resources, for five different major organizations. He has written over 100 articles on management topics for various national publications.
Dave Odom, Wake Forest (1990-2001) – Odom led Wake Forest to eight NCAA Tournament appearances in 12 seasons as head coach, as well as the NIT title in 2000. The Goldsboro, North Carolina, native’s 240 wins rank second on Wake’s all-time list and 11th among ACC coaches. He was named the ACC Coach of the Year in 1991, 1994 and 1995, and his 1995 and 1996 Wake Forest teams claimed ACC Tournament championships. The 1995 team, led by Randolph Childress and Tim Duncan, ended a 33-year ACC title drought for the Demon Deacons. Odom was named National Coach of the Year following that 1995 season, which saw Wake Forest finish 26-6. His total coaching career spanned more than four decades and included stops as an assistant coach at Wake Forest and Virginia, and head coaching stints at East Carolina and South Carolina in addition to the one in Winston-Salem. He retired in 2008 with 406 career wins as a college head coach and a winning percentage of nearly .600. Since retiring from head coaching, Odom has remained close to the game as a television analyst.
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