Aguirre, Boozer, Wilkins lead college basketball hall class

The National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame induction class for 2016 will be honored on Friday at the Arvest Bank Theater at the Midland. Six players and two coaches will join the hall. Ticket and corporate sponsorship information is available at CBEClassic.com.

Mark Aguirre, DePaul

He was college basketball’s player of the year in 1980 and a two-time consensus All-American. Aguirre averaged 24.5 points over his three-year career. As a freshman in 1979, he helped the Blue Demons reach the Final Four. The Chicago native was the top overall pick in the 1981 NBA Draft and went on to a 13-year career that included two NBA championships with the Detroit Pistons. In August, Aguirre became president of the Champions Basketball League, a competitive summer league set to launch in 2017 that will feature former NBA players.

Bob Boozer, Kansas State

A two-time consensus All-American (1958, 1959) for K-State and coach Tex Winter, Boozer helped the Wildcats reach the Final Four in 1958 and the final No. 1 ranking in the 1959 AP poll. Boozer, born in Omaha, Neb., was a three-time all-conference selection. He was the overall top pick in the 1959 NBA Draft and delayed entering the pros for a year to play on the 1960 Olympic team, where he joined Oscar Robertson, Jerry West and Jerry Lucas and helped win a gold medal. In his final NBA season, Boozer won a championship with the Milwaukee Bucks. He died in 2012.

Doug Collins, Illinois State

The most celebrated Illinois State athlete, Collins averaged 29.1 points over a college career that ended in 1973 when he earned consensus All-America honors. He holds the school record with 2,240 career points. The court at Redbird Arena is named in his honor and a statue of Collins stands outside the building. Collins was the No. 1 overall pick in the 1973 NBA Draft and played on the 1972 Olympic team. He was a three-time NBA All-Star with the Philadelphia 76ers, has been the head coach for four NBA teams and is an award-winning broadcaster.

Lionel Simmons, La Salle

Simmons, nicknamed “L-Train,” led South Philadelphia High to a public league championship and moved on to La Salle in 1986, where he became one of college basketball’s most prolific scorers. Over four seasons, Simmons averaged 24.6 points, was a three-time conference player of the year and national player of the year in 1990. He ranks third on the Division I men’s career scoring list with 3,127 points and was a first-round selection of the Sacramento Kings. Simmons led the Explorers to three straight NCAA Tournament appearances and the program went 100-31 in his four years.

Jamaal Wilkes, UCLA

Wilkes is one of three UCLA players to be chosen to the Academic All-America team three straight seasons. “Silk” Wilkes, was a consensus All-American in 1973 and 1974 and helped the Bruins to NCAA titles in 1972 and 1973. He was a first-round draft pick in 1974, won NBA Rookie of the Year and helped the Golden State Warriors to an NBA title. Wilkes won three more NBA championships with the Lakers and in 2012 was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

Dominique Wilkins, Georgia

Wilkins helped Washington High win two straight North Carolina state championships before entering Georgia in 1979. He was chosen Southeastern Conference player of the year in 1981, when he averaged 23.6 points. He averaged 21.6 points over his three-year college career and was the third overall pick in the 1982 NBA Draft. In 16 NBA seasons, “The Human Highlight Film” was a nine-time All-Star and two-time slam dunk champion. Wilkins is a vice president of the Atlanta Hawks and his statue stands outside of Philips Arena.

Hugh Durham, coach

Georgia and Florida State have been to one Final Four in their programs’ histories. Durham was the coach of both teams. The 1972 Seminoles reached the title game before falling to UCLA. Florida State beat Kentucky to reach the Final Four in what was coach Adolph Rupp’s final game. In 1983, Georgia reached the semifinals by defeating North Carolina in the regional title game. Durham finished his career at Jacksonville, and when he retired from coaching in 2005 his 634 victories ranked eighth.

Mike Montgomery, coach

Montgomery worked his way up the coaching ranks, serving as an assistant coach at five schools before becoming Montana’s coach in 1978. He posted eight winning seasons there before moving to Stanford and taking the program to national prominence. The Cardinal reached the Final Four in 1998, the first time for the program since winning the 1942 national title. He spent two years coaching the Golden State Warriors before returning to the college ranks at California, where he took the Golden Bears to six postseason appearances in six years. He finished with 677 career college victories.

This story was originally published November 16, 2016 at 7:02 PM with the headline "Aguirre, Boozer, Wilkins lead college basketball hall class."