Duncan, Stockton headline college hoops HoF class
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — John Stockton and Tim Duncan made their names in college, polished their legacies in the NBA, and retired with resumes that made them a lock for induction into just about any Hall of Fame.
Hard to believe there was a time when a precious few wanted them.
Stockton was an undersized point guard in the Pacific Northwest with competing offers from Idaho and Montana when he decided to continue his family's legacy at Gonzaga.
Duncan dreamed of becoming a swimmer before a hurricane wiped out the only Olympic-size pool in the Virgin Islands, turning him toward hoops in the ninth grade — too late for many schools to recruit him but not for Wake Forest.
Yet they made the most of their opportunities, parlaying their college success into careers that surpassed their wildest imaginations, and resulted in spots in the Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame.
"Somebody has to give you a chance somewhere along the line," Stockton said. "Obviously I don't look the part, but someone found something they appreciated in me."
Stockton and Duncan were joined in the 2017 class Monday by Duke standout Jay Williams; Scott May, who led Indiana to the last unbeaten national championship in 1976; Cleo Hill, who played for Hall of Fame member Clarence "Big House" Gaines at WinstonSalem State; Rick Mount of Purdue; Paul Silas of Creighton; and longtime coach Bo Ryan of WisconsinPlatteville, Milwaukee and Wisconsin.