May 29 – June 4, 1961

Rick Nelson

Travellin’ Man

Drafted by the Indiana Pacers in 2005 off of a solid collegiate run with both Bradley and New Mexico, Danny Granger would have three seasons in the National Basketball Association where he exceeded 20 Points per Game, and two of them had a PPG over 24. The Small Forward holds the distinction of being the only player in NBA history to grow his PPG by 5 or more annually three years in a row.  He would be named an All Star in 2009 while also being named the NBA’s most Improved Player of the Year.

A 25th Overall Draft Pick in 2001, Gerald Wallace did not see much playing time in his first few seasons as a Sacramento King, but he would be chosen by the Charlotte Bobcats in the Expansion Draft where he won a starting job and proved to be one of the more intense players in the NBA.  Wallace was a ferocious defender who was unafraid to go after every ball that ventured near him and from the 2004-05 to 2008-09 season he was in the top ten in Steals per Game, which included leading the league in that stat in the 2005-06 campaign and he would also average 16.4 Points per Game in his seven years in Charlotte.   

A member of Duke’s 2001 NCAA Championship team, Carlos Boozer was a late draft pick in 2002 (35th overall) and played for the Cleveland Cavaliers for two years before a free agent controversy saw him bolt for the Utah Jazz (allegedly the Cavs released him making him a conditional free agent so that they could sign him back to a larger deal, which allowed him to sign with Utah for more money; Boozer said he never agreed to that with Cleveland) and it was in Salt Lake that his star rose.  Boozer would be a two time All Star with Utah and also a Third Team All-NBA Selection and in his six seasons as a member of the Jazz he averaged a healthy 19.3 Points and 10.5 Rebounds per Game.  It should be mentioned that during this time he helped the United States win the 2008 Olympics Gold Medal.