At the 2018 Draft, the most significant moment was when the Dallas Mavericks traded Trae Young to Atlanta for Luka Doncic, players both teams had just drafted and were both hopeful had landed the man who would take them to the promised land.  With the two linked together in perpetuity, Young will always be compared to Doncic, which may not be fair, but Young showed his share of scoring skills

Young was an immediate star, earning First Team All-Rookie honors with a 19.1 PPG and 8.1 APG.  There was no sophomore slump for the Point Guard, who went to his first All-Star Game and increased his production to 29.6 Points and 9.4 Assists per Game, with his PER rocketing to 23.9.  2020/21 saw Young’s numbers slightly decrease, but he had more help and brought the Hawks to an Eastern Conference Final.  2021/22 was a disappointing year for the Hawks, as they regressed overall, but Young was outstanding, returning to the All-Star Game on his way to a 28.4 PPG season and a career-high PER of 25.4.  

In 2022-23, Young was not able to make the All-Star Game, but still led the Hawks to the playoffs and averaged 26.2 PPG, the fourth year in a row he had averaged over 25 Points per Game.  Last season, Young did make the All-Star (albeit as a replacement) and again averaged over 25 Points per Game (25.7).  Last season, Young persevered and earned his first statistical title, leading the NBA with 11.6 Assists per Game.

Young's future with the Hawks might be on shaky ground, but the potent scorer can still carry Atlanta and steal wins.  

John Collins showed tremendous progress at Wake Forest, so much so that he earned a First Round Pick (19^th Overall) in 2017 by Atlanta.

The Power Forward was a Second Team All-Rookie Selection, starting 26 of his 74 Games, and averaging 10.5 Points per Game.  He shot that number up to 19.5 points as a sophomore and was now in the starting five.  Collins continued his upward trajectory, posting a PER over 20 over three years in a row (2018-19 to 2020-21)

Collins was less featured in his last two seasons, and his PPG in 2022-23 (13.1) was his lowest since his rookie year.  The Hawks traded Collins to Utah in 2023, thus ending his run with Atlanta.

Regular visitors of Notinhalloffame.com know that we are slowly working on the top 50 of every major team in the NHL, NBA, NFL and MLB.  Once that is done, we intend to look at how each team honor their past players, coaches and executives.  As such, it is news to us that Middle Tennessee State has announced six new members of their Hall of Fame.

The Class will be formally introduced on October 2, before their home game against Marshall

The new members are:

Rawley Bishop, Baseball, Class of 2009:  Bishop was a two-time All-Sun Belt Selection and is the school’s all-time leader in RBIs, Runs Scored and Total Bases.  He is also second in Home Runs. 

Nathaniel Claybrooks, Football, Class of 1995.  Claybrooks was a First Team All-American in 1995, and was a two-time All-Ohio Valley Conference Selection at Linebacker.  He had 270 career Tackles.

Jason Millard, Golf, Class of 2011.  Millard was a two-time All-American.

Patrick Simpson, Men’s Wrestling, Class of 1979.  Simpson becomes the first Blue Raider to make the MTSU Hall of Fame, and he was also the first to qualify for the NCAA Tournament, which he did in 1979.

Jamie Thornatis, Women’s Basketball, Class of 2001.  Thornatis became the first women’s basketball player in school history to make All-Conference in two different regions (OVC and Sun Belt).  She had 1,971 career Points.

Desmond “Boogie” Yates, Men’s Basketball, Class of 2010.  Yates was the first (and to date only) men’s player in school basketball history to be a three-time All-Conference Selection.  Yates is the all-time Blue Raider leader in Points (1,775).  

We would like to congratulate the newest members of Middle Tennessee State Athletic Hall of Fame for earning this prestigious honor.

One of our pet projects, the Fictitious Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is pleased to announce the Semi-Finalists for the Class of 2020, which will be the 7^th full class.  

The Semi-Finalists were decided by all of you, after being pared down from other 500 Preliminary Nominees.

Whoever gets inducted this year, will join previous inductees:

The Fictitious Rock and Roll Semi-Finalists are: Spinal Tap, The Monkees, The Blues Brothers, Gorillaz, Tenacious D, Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem, Wyld Stallyns, Alvin and the Chipmunks, The Wonders, Bleeding Gums Murphy, Otis Day and the Nights, Stillwater, Josie and the Pussycats, Marvin Berry and the Starlighters and the Rutles.

To mix things up, just like or Fictitious Athlete Hall of Fame, we have created a contributor’s section.  

This year’s Fictitious Rock and Roll Semi-Finalists are:

5 Neat Guys (SCTV):  This is the first Semi-Finalist appearance for the throwback group who were…well…neat.

Alice Bowie (Cheech and Chong):  From the minds of Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong first appeared in the comedy duo’s first film.  They have been a Semi-Finalist twice before.

Ally Maine (A Star is Born):  From the nightclub to country stardom to pop superstardon, Ally Maine, seems to be as popular as Lady Gaga.

Arthur Ewing and his Musical Mice (Monty Python):  Another surprise Semi-Finalist, the mice were hit by Ewing to illicit shrieks in musical form.  

Axel Steel (Guitar Hero):  Sooner or later, someone from the Guitar Hero world would make it to the Semi-Finals.  Here we are!

Bart Simpson (The Simpsons):  Leading a boy band, and also performing on his own when he was part of the Krusty the Clown show, we have heard Bart sing for decades.  Amazingly, he is still ten.

Buckaroo Banzai and the Hong Kong Cavaliers (The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the Eighth Dimension):  What couldn’t these renaissance men do?   This is their fourth time reaching the Semi-Finals, and they were Finalists last year.

Big Mountain Fudgecake (King of the Hill):  Fronted by John Redcorn, we think the biggest gig they ever played was in a pizza joint in Arlen, Texas.  This is their first time appearing as Semi-Finalists.

Dethklok (Metalocalypse):  In their realm, this is the most important heavy metal band of all-time.  This is their return to the Semis after missing out last year.

Dogs in Space (Dogs in Space):  The lead singer of this band looks an awful lot like the guy who used to front INXS.  Hmmmm .

Eddie and the Cruisers (Eddie and the Cruisers):  A previous multi-time Finalist, Eddie and the Cruisers were on the cusp of something great, until the lead singer grew frustrated when management rejected his new sound…so he faked his death.

Figrin D’An and the Modal Nodes (Star Wars):  The house band at the Mos Eisley Cantina was a finalist the last two years.  No band can bounce back after seeing a fatality better than this one.

Fingerbang (South Park):  We can argue that this is the most successful boy band of all time…from South Park, Colorado.  It was not until they were joined by 30-something Randy Marsh that they really made it “big”…meaning that they played the mall.  This is their first time as a Semi-Finalist.

Ganstalicious (The Boondocks):  The favorite rapper of Riley Freeman, was very successful, very misogynistic and very closeted.  He is a first time Semi-Finalist.

Gene Frenkle (Saturday Night Live):  Frenkle had the cure for more cowbell, and his work with the Blue Oyster Cult can never be forgotten.  He is another first-time Semi-Finalist.

Hannah Montana (Hannah Montana):  Monatna returns to the Semi-Finals, and she was one of the biggest stars in the world, yet lived a double-life as a regular teenager.

Jem and the Holograms (Jem and the Holograms):  They played pop music and had a huge hologram machine. Enough said.  They were a finalist last year.

Jesse and the Rippers (Full House):  For the first time, Jesse and the Rippers have made the Semi-Finals and the family friendly group who was centered around the Tanner household in San Francisco finally has a shot at the big time.

Jessica Rabbit (Who Framed Roger Rabbit?):  The wife of Roger Rabbit was as sultry as any drawing could be.  Rabbit was a semi-finalist last year.

Jet Screamer (The Jetsons):  Eep Opp Ork Ah Ah!  Another first-time Semi-Finalist comes from the future in teen idol, Jet Screamer.

Leather Tuscadero (Happy Days):  Do the Fonzie!  This is the secpnd Semi-Finalist appearance for the Milwaukee based rocker from the late 1950s, who was a surprise Finalist last year.

Lurleen Lumpkin (The Simpsons):  Lumpkin was struggling in a country dive before she was rescued by Homer Simpson, who recognized her talent, and took her on the first step to the country stratosphere.

Michigan J. Frog (Looney Toons):  This frog would perform classic showtunes, as long as there was no audience.  He has been a Finalist before.

Ming Tea (The Austin Powers Trilogy):  Fronted by Austin Powers himself, this was the band that everyone swinging baby!

Nick the Lounge Singer (Saturday Night Live):  If ever there was a lounge act that could crack the doors of the Fictitious Rock Hall, it is Nick.

Randy Watson (Coming to America & Coming 2 America):  With his band, Sexual Chocolate, he was a part of the Black Awareness Event in Queens, New York.  He is a former four-time Semi-Finalist.

Ricky Ricardo (I Love Lucy):  He never le Lucy make it to the club but he was a superstar Cuban bandleader.  Ricardo is also a one-time Finalist.

Schroeder (Peanuts):  The piano-playing devotee of classic music has been a Semi-Finalist three times before.

Sex Bob-Omb (Scott Pilgrim VS The World:  Sex Bob-Omb is a two-time Finalist who competed in the Toronto International Battle of the Bands.  They are two-time Finalists.

Steel Dragon (Rock Star):  Loosely based on Judas Priest, Steel Dragon changed lead singers when a superfan and cover singer takes over.  This is their first time as a Semi-Finalist.

The Archies (The Archies):  In 1970, they had a number 1 hit in the “Real World” with “Sugar Sugar”.  They have been Finalists three times before.

The Be Sharps (The Simpsons):  Former Grammy winners, the Be-Sharps were on top of the world for a brief period of time.  Comprised of Homer, Barney, Apu and Principal Skinner, they are four-time Finalists.

The California Raisins (The California Raisins):  The raisins from California wanted you to eat them, and they sang to old soul songs for your “comsumption”.

The Commitments (The Commitments):  Dublin, Ireland produced one of the greatest soul groups ever, and they have been a Finalist once before.

The Oreos (A Star Is Born ‘76):  Esther Hoffman sings in the middle of two black women...oreos!  Get it?  Like another character from a film of the same, she bolts into stardom, and a legit hit song comes from it.  This is their first time as a Semi-Finalist.

The Partridge Family (The Partridge Family):  The Southern California family of musicians (except the young kids, who couldn’t do anything) played gigs all over the state in the early 70s and got there on the most amazingly painted bus.  They have been Semi-Finalists four times before.

The School of Rock (The School of Rock):  Dewey Finn pretended to be a substitute teacher and used his class as a band to perform at the Battle of the Bands.  How did he not get in more trouble?  This is their fourth time as a Semi-Finalist.

You can vote for them here.

This year’s Fictitious Rock and Roll Semi-Finalists Contributors are:

Alan M. Mayberry (Josie & The Pussycats):  Mayberry was little more than a roadie in terms of what he did for the band, but he was the devoted boyfriend of Josie.  Doesn’t that type of support matter?

Alexandra Cabot (Josie & The Pussycats):  Alexandra didn’t help Josie & The Pussycats, the band her brother Alexander managed.  In fact, she sought to sabotage them anyway she could, though it rarely worked.

Bill & Marty (The Simpsons):  From Springfield’s #1 radio station, KBBL, Bill & Marty is the top morning team in this radio market.  We think.

Bruce Dickinson (Saturday Night Live):  Dickinson needed more cowbell.  He had a fever for it.  He got it, and the Blue Oyster Cult were forever grateful.

Burton Mercer (The Blues Brothers):  He was the cop who wanted to hear the Blues Brothers perform at the Palace Ballroom.  Perhaps, this wasn’t the best performance of his duties.

Colonel Homer Simpson (The Simpsons):  Homer is nominated in both categories, here for his discovery and early management of country singer, Lurleen Lumpkin.

Curtis (The Blues Brothers):  Had it not been for the mentorship of Curtis, the Blues Brothers would not have become the iconic band that they were.

Dr. Johnny Fever (WKRP in Cincinnati):  John Caravella’s career was resurrected when Andy Travis came in and changed the format to rock and roll.  He renamed himself, Dr. Johnny Fever, and he would eventually become the top morning man in the city.

Gideon “G-Man” Graves (Scott Pilgrim Vs the World):  Graves was the seventh evil ex-boyfriend of Ramona Flowers, and the leader of the League of Evil Exes.

Marty Di Bergi (This is Spinal Tap):  Di Bergi is the man whose love of the British band, Spinal Tap, and gave us one of the deepest looks ever at the trials and tribulations of a rock group.

Rufus (Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure):  From the future, Rufus provides Bill S. Preston and Ted “Theodore” Logan a time travelling device so that they can learn history and pass their class.  This allowed them to stay together so that they could unite the world with their music.

Ramona Flowers (Scott Pilgrim Vs the World):  Why was Scott Pilgrim fighting the world?  For the love of Ramona Flowers of course!

Unnamed Security Guard (Wayne’s World):  He had one scene, no name, and helped move the plot. 

Venus Flytrap (WKRP in Cincinnati):  The greatest hire of Andy Travis’ career at WKRP, was Gordon Sims, who became Venus Flytrap, their nighttime DJ, who told stories of love in between R&B songs.

Wayne Campbell & Garth Algar (Saturday Night Live, Wayne’s World and Wayne’s World 2):  The hosts of Wayne’s World on Aurora Public Access, Wayne and Garth loved rock, promoted their own concert, and became icons in their own right.

You can vote for them here.

When you can, please support our site and cast your vote for the Class of 2020!

As always, we here at Notinhalloffame.com thank you for your support.