1971 ABA draft

Basketball player selection 1971 ABA draft Basketball January 22, 1971 (Rounds 1–3)January 23, 1971 (Completion of Round 3)March 15, 1971 (Rounds 4–20) Greensboro, North Carolina (January 22–23)New York, New York (March)Bradley Robert D. The Basketball Draft Fact Book: A History of Professional Basketball's College Drafts 2013 Scarecrow Press 9780810890695, pg. 164 American Basketball Association 11 190 20 Jim McDaniels, Utah Stars via Texas Chaparrals Jet [Sports] Staff February 1971 College Star Denies He Signed $350,000 Pro Pact Jet 39 21 50 https://books.google.com/books?id=ujcDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA50 7 March 2024 7 March 2024 https://web.archive.org/web/20240307201644/https://books.google.com/books?id=ujcDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA50 live https://prosportstransactions.com/basketball/DraftTrades/Years/1971-aba.htm 1971 ABA Draft Pick Transactions Pro Sports Transactions Dec 23, 2024 1970 1972 The 1971 ABA draft was the fifth draft done by the American Basketball Association (ABA), a rivaling professional basketball league to the National Basketball Association (NBA) that they would eventually merge with as a part of the NBA later in the decade. Much like the previous year's draft, this year's draft would be first conducted on January 22, 1971 (with its third round being completed the following day afterward due to the first day of the draft going over the midnight hour while out in Greensboro, North Carolina (one of the home areas of the Carolina Cougars)) before being completed on March 15 later that year in New York, New York (home of not just the ABA’s newer headquarters, but also the New York Nets), with New York being the permanent home area of all major ABA drafts going forward. This year's draft period for the ABA and its aftermath months later would see arguably its greatest impact upon the league for success with not just some of the players that joined the ABA instead of the NBA, but also with a couple of its undrafted players from this draft period as well (which related to earlier conditions the NBA laid out to the ABA in their initial merger talks before the United States Senate helped nix the first merger talks entirelyPluto, Terry, Loose Balls: The Short, Wild Life of the American Basketball Association (Simon & Schuster, 1990), 978-1-4165-4061-8, pg. 425), primarily that of the ABA's All-Time MVP Julius Erving and George McGinnis. The ABA would steal away three players that NBA teams had drafted in the first round of the 1971 NBA draft (Darnell Hillman from the Golden State Warriors, John Roche from the Phoenix Suns, and Collis Jones from the Milwaukee Bucks by the Indiana Pacers, New York Nets, and Texas Chaparrals respectively), though none of them would hold a great impact upon either the NBA or ABA despite Roche being a member of the ABA's All-Rookie Team during his first season, while the only Hall of Famers from the NBA's draft class that year as of 2025 (Spencer Haywood from 1969 and #8 pick Artis Gilmore) would both play in the ABA first before entering the NBA in later years, with the ABA's draft actually producing more Hall of Famers by comparison this time around. Interestingly, the final pick of this draft, an individual named "Slick Pinkham", would be drafted in what was essentially a prank draft pick by the Indiana Pacers since he was a gag name that was a portmanteau of head coach Bobby "Slick" Leonard and team owner Dick Tinkham, who actually did attend DePauw University.Bradley Robert D. The Basketball Draft Fact Book: A History of Professional Basketball's College Drafts 2013 Scarecrow Press 9780810890695, pg. 165 This year would also see only one team rebrand themselves some months after this draft period concluded, with the Texas Chaparrals returning to their original Dallas Chaparrals name following their only draft under the Texas regional name instead, thus making this the ABA's most successful draft period by that point in time.http://www.remembertheaba.com/TeamMaterial/DallasMaterial/ChaparralsSpursYearly.html Dallas Chaparrals/San Antonio Gunslingers/Spurs Year-to-Year Notes Robert Bradley Remember the ABA Dec 23, 2024 March 17, 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20120317112519/http://www.remembertheaba.com/TeamMaterial/DallasMaterial/ChaparralsSpursYearly.html live Draftee career notes This year marked the first time the ABA draft would not have the same #1 draft pick as the NBA draft did in the same year. While the NBA draft had Austin Carr from the University of Notre Dame get selected at #1 by the Cleveland Cavaliers (who became an All-Star in the NBA and had his number retired by the Cavaliers), the ABA draft had Jim McDaniels from Western Kentucky University get selected at #1 by the Utah Stars via trading with the Texas Chaparrals instead (McDaniels would be selected in the second round as the 23rd pick by the NBA's Seattle SuperSonics, while Carr would be selected in the third round as, funnily enough, the 23rd pick by the ABA's Virginia Squires by comparison). However, McDaniels never played for either team by comparison and instead signed up with the Carolina Cougars after the draft ended, where he played well enough in his rookie season to be named one of the league's All-Stars from his draft class, but left the Cougars to join the SuperSonics in the NBA instead due to him being dissatisfied with his contract that would have had it be paid out throughout the course of 25 years, after which he never gained the same level of success afterward either in the NBA or in his brief return to the ABA in 1976. By contrast, the biggest success story in terms of players drafted by the ABA that year would occur with what became the eighth pick of the draft that year, center Artis Gilmore from the University of Jacksonville. During his time with the Kentucky Colonels in the ABA, Gilmore would not only be considered both the ABA's Rookie of the Year and MVP in the same season, but he'd also be named both an All-Star (including an All-Star MVP in 1974) and All-ABA First Team member in every season of play, as well as be named an All-ABA Defensive Team member in every season of play that grouping existed in (the only player to earn such a distinction), lead the league in rebounding for every season of play outside of his penultimate season there, and being named the ABA Playoffs' MVP in 1975 for the work he did with the Colonels in getting them their only championship before being shut out of the ABA-NBA merger a year later due to the Chicago Bulls wanting to gain Gilmore back in the NBA and them already having his draft rights beforehand (with Chicago drafting him as the 117th pick in the seventh round that year by comparison). His results in the ABA made him an easy ABA All-Time Team member, but his work with both the ABA and NBA would help propel him into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. Of the 92 overall ABA All-Stars, there were six players eligible to be selected in this year's draft that would make it to at least one ABA All-Star Game, with Roger Brown from the University of Kansas in particular being named an All-Star in the league's final season of existence in 1976 for the Denver Nuggets (the current team name of the Denver Rockets) due to them being the best team in the ABA that season under the unique circumstances the ABA dealt with that year. Outside of the previously mentioned players, the final drafted player to be named an All-Star in the ABA was Ted McClain, who became an All-Star during his final season with the Carolina Cougars due to his defensive prowess, primarily with leading the league in steals into earning him an All-ABA Defensive Team spot in 1974 before winning the final two ABA championships with the Kentucky Colonels and New York Nets respectively. As for the undrafted players that made it big, the first player that did so was George McGinnis, a sophomore player from the University of Indiana that signed with the local Indiana Pacers despite him not only violating the initial conditions set by the NBA in order to allow for the initial ABA-NBA merger to have happened by this time, but also facing threats by the NCAA for potentially violating their rules for signing away a player of theirs years earlier then they were intended to do so before the NCAA ultimately changed their own system for later drafts at hand. McGinnis would prove to be one of the ABA's most important players during the league's later years of existence (despite his youth questions at the time), as after he made it to the ABA's All-Rookie Team, he would not only be named an All-Star for the ABA three different times, but also made it to three different All-ABA Teams (once in the second team, twice in the first team), won two straight ABA championships with the Pacers (including the ABA Finals' MVP in 1973), and was named the ABA's co-MVP in 1975 due to him also leading the league in scoring that year before leaving the ABA later that year to play for the Philadelphia 76ers in the rivaling NBA, where he'd also see some success with (though not at the same level as with the ABA's Pacers). Still, his success in both the ABA and NBA later on would lead to him being named a member of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, as well as lead to him being one of three ABA players (four overall Pacers player) to have his number retired by the Indiana squad as of 2025. The second, and arguably biggest, player that was undrafted that year to see major success in the ABA was Julius Erving, a junior player from the University of Massachusetts that signed with the Virginia Squires some time after the draft ended. Erving would showcase why he would be named the ABA's All-Time MVP in the five seasons of play with the league following his appearance in their All-Rookie First Team with five straight All-Star Game appearances (tying Artis Gilmore, Ralph Simpson, Mack Calvin, and Donnie Freeman for the third-most ABA All-Star appearances) alongside the league's only Slam Dunk Contest champion, five straight All-ABA Team appearances (tying Artis Gilmore, Dan Issel, and Mel Daniels for the most All-ABA Team appearances, though Erving would have four first team appearances and one second team appearance when compared to Gilmore's five straight first team appearances), three straight ABA MVP awards in the league's final seasons of play (though he'd share his MVP award in 1975 with George McGinnis), a three-time scoring champion for the ABA, an All-Defensive Team member in the ABA's final season, and two ABA Finals MVPs relating to championships won by the New York Nets (including the final ABA championship won altogether), as well as become the only ABA player to have a combined total of over 30,000 career points when combining both his ABA scoring totals with his NBA scoring totals, later earning the right to have his number be retired by both the Brooklyn Nets (the modern-day rendition of the New York Nets) and the Philadelphia 76ers in the NBA.https://www.basketball-reference.com/leaders/pts_career.html NBA & ABA Career Leaders and Records for Points Another undrafted player eligible for this year's draft, Johnny Neumann from the University of Mississippi, was notable for signing a five year deal worth a total of $2 million, though while he made it to the All-Rookie Team as well, he didn't do much with his career by comparison to the other players. One other notable player from this draft year, fifth round pick Mike Gale of the Kentucky Colonels, would also make it to the All-Defensive Team twice in the league, thus being one of seven players to take part in the All-Defensive Team twice by comparison. Historic draft notes Unlike the first four years of the ABA's existence, this year would mark the first year where the ABA would properly record every round's draft ordering for their draft system, with it working similarly to the NBA's own draft system at the time with the worst team having the first pick in each round available and the best team in terms of records picking last. This draft period also marked the first time where the #1 draft pick in the ABA would be traded to another team, with the recently rebranded Texas Chaparrals trading their first round pick alongside Donnie Freeman and Wayne Hightower to the Utah Stars (who later won the ABA Finals Championship that year) in exchange for Ron Boone, Glen Combs, and the Stars' own first round pick instead, though neither player drafted would play for the teams that went and drafted them. This also was the only draft year that the Texas Chaparrals would participate in a draft under that specific name, as the Chaparrals would ditch the regional branding with the entire state of Texas months after the draft concluded to return to their original Dallas Chaparrals name out in Dallas, Texas for their next two seasons of play. Outside of that, no other team would otherwise move to a different location or otherwise rebrand themselves following the draft period's conclusion, which made this year the most stable draft period for the ABA yet. Also following the draft were the initial plans of the NBA–ABA merger that would have seen every ABA team join the NBA except for the Virginia Squires (the reason for their exclusion related to them being too close of proximity to the Baltimore Bullets, now Washington Wizards (who the owner had beef with when the Squires first moved to Washington D.C. back when the Oakland Oaks briefly became the Washington Caps)), which would have forced the Squires to either move yet again in order to join the NBA or fold operations altogether) starting by May 1971 before the Oscar Robertson v. National Basketball Association antitrust lawsuit ruined that merger plan entirely. This draft also saw Howard Porter's early leave for the ABA result in Villanova University vacate their NCAA Tournament wins during the season and three selections by the Virginia Squires (Tom Riker, Barry Parkhill, and Jim Chones) be later ruled as ineligible selections due to the planned merger talks that later failed in 1971. This draft also was the only draft where a prank selection was given out, with "Slick Pinkham" being selected by the Indiana Pacers as the last pick of the draft. Key Pos.GFCPositionGuardForwardCenter + Accomplishments keySymbol Meaning Symbol Meaning ^ Denotes player who has been inducted to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame ‡ Denotes player that was selected to the ABA All-Time Team * Denotes player who has been selected for at least one All-Star Game and All-ABA Team + Denotes player who has been selected for at least one All-Star Game ~ Denotes a player that won the ABA Rookie of the Year Award # Denotes player who has never appeared in either an ABA or NBA regular season or playoff game Draft thumb|right|150px|Jim McDaniels (upfront) was the first pick of the 1971 ABA Draft by the Utah Stars via trading with the Texas Chaparrals. thumb|right|150px|Ralph Simpson was the price paid by the Denver Rockets for the forfeiture of what became their initial fourth pick of the 1971 ABA Draft (though the Rockets would have another two selections to make up for it in this year's draft). thumb|right|150px|Artis Gilmore was the eighth pick in the 1971 ABA Draft by the Kentucky Colonels. thumb|right|150px|Roger Brown (dunking the ball) was the 20th pick in the 1971 ABA Draft by the Texas Chaparrals (who later returned to Dallas after the draft) via trading with the Utah Stars. thumb|right|150px|George McGinnis (center right) was one of the most successful players in ABA history despite not being drafted in the 1971 ABA Draft since he was signed by the Indiana Pacers months after the draft concluded despite warnings by the NBA to not sign anymore college underclassmen by this time in order for a potential merger to occur. thumb|right|150px|Julius Erving is considered the ABA's All-Time MVP despite never being officially drafted by the ABA; he would sign a deal with the Virginia Squires several months after the draft concluded following the revelation that the originally planned ABA-NBA merger wouldn't happen after all due in part to another lawsuit involving a player against the NBA. Round Pick Player Pos. Nationality Team School/Club team11 Jim McDaniels+ PF/C Utah Stars (from Texas) Western Kentucky (Sr.)12 Elmore Smith C United States Carolina Cougars Kentucky State (Sr.)13 Howard Porter basketball PF/SF United States Pittsburgh Condors Villanova (Sr.)1 Denver Rockets (forfeited their initial #4 pick due to the acquisition of sophomore Ralph Simpson after the previous draft year)14 Cliff Meely PF United States Denver Rockets (from The Floridians) Colorado (Sr.)15 Ken Durrett PF United States Denver Rockets (from New York via Virginia) La Salle (Sr.)16 Randy Denton C United States Memphis Pros Duke (Sr.)17 Willie Sojourner C/PF United States Virginia Squires (from Indiana via Kentucky) Weber State (Sr.)18 Artis Gilmore~^‡ C United States Kentucky Colonels Jacksonville (Sr.)19 Stan Love basketball PF United States Texas Chaparrals (from Utah) Oregon (Sr.)110 Dana Lewis basketball# C United States Virginia Squires Tulsa (Sr.)211 Sidney Wicks PF United States Texas Chaparrals UCLA (Sr.)212 Levi Wyatt 1# F United States Pittsburgh Condors Alcorn A&M College (Sr.)213 Rich Yunkus PF/C United States Carolina Cougars Georgia Tech (Sr.)214 Marv Roberts PF/C United States Denver Rockets Utah State (Sr.)215 Willie Long SF/PF United States The Floridians New Mexico (Sr.)216 Charlie Davis basketball PG United States New York Nets Wake Forest (Sr.)217 Bob Kissane 1# F United States New York Nets (from Virginia) Holy Cross (Sr.)218 Darnell Hillman PF/C United States Indiana Pacers San Jose State (Sr.)219 Jake Ford 1# SG United States Memphis Pros Western Kentucky (Sr.)220 Roger Brown basketball, born 1950+ C United States Texas Chaparrals (from Utah) Kansas (Sr.)221 Garry Nelson 1# C United States Utah Stars Duquesne (Sr.)322 Gregg Northington# C United States Carolina Cougars Alabama State (Sr.)323 Austin Carr SG United States Virginia Squires Notre Dame (Sr.)324 John Mengelt SG United States Indiana Pacers Auburn (Sr.)325 John Roche John Roche (basketball) PG United States Kentucky Colonels South Carolina (Sr.)326 Mike Newlin SG United States Denver Rockets Utah (Sr.)327 Jim O'Brien basketball, born 1950 G United States Pittsburgh Condors Boston College (Sr.)328 Walt Szczerbiak SF United StatesWest Germany Texas Chaparrals George Washington (Sr.)329 Thorpe Weber 1# F United States Memphis Pros Vanderbilt (Sr.)330 Ted McClain+ PG/SG United States Carolina Cougars Tennessee State (Sr.)331 Rick Fisher basketball PF United States Utah Stars Colorado State (Sr.)332 Marvin Stewart basketball# G United States New York Nets Nebraska (Sr.)433 Gene Phillips basketball SG United States Texas Chaparrals SMU (Sr.)434 Al Smith basketball PG United States Denver Rockets Bradley (Sr.)435 Bill Smith 1# C United States Pittsburgh Condors (from Carolina) Syracuse (Sr.)436 Tom Owens C/PF United States Memphis Pros (from The Floridians) South Carolina (Sr.)437 Bubba Jones 1# G United States Pittsburgh Condors Ashland (Sr.)438 Amos Thomas basketball# SG/SF United States Memphis Pros Southwestern State (Sr.)439 Dick Gibbs basketball SF United States New York Nets UTEP (Sr.)440 Fred Brown basketball PG/SG United States Kentucky Colonels Iowa (Sr.)441 Dana Pagett G United States Virginia Squires USC (Sr.)442 Jim Cleamons PG/SG United States Indiana Pacers Ohio State (Sr.)443 Mo Layton PG United States Utah Stars USC (Sr.)544 Collis Jones SF/PF United States Texas Chaparrals Notre Dame (Sr.)545 Dave Robisch C/PF United States Denver Rockets Kansas (Sr.)546 Luke Adams basketball# F United States Carolina Cougars Lamar State (Sr.)547 Rich Rinaldi G United States The Floridians Saint Peter's (Sr.)548 Mike Jordan 1# F United States Pittsburgh Condors Savannah State (Sr.)549 Kennedy McIntosh PF United States Memphis Pros Eastern Michigan (Sr.)550 Glen Summors 1# F United States New York Nets Gannon College (Jr.)551 Mike Gale PG/SG United States Kentucky Colonels Elizabeth City State (Sr.)552 Tom Riker C/PF United States Virginia Squires South Carolina (Jr.)553 Clarence Glover SF United States Indiana Pacers Western Kentucky (Sr.)554 Lee Dedmon 1# F United States Utah Stars North Carolina (Sr.)655 George Trapp PF/C United States Texas Chaparrals Cal State Long Beach (Sr.)656 William Graham 1# F United States Denver Rockets Kentucky State (Sr.)657 Ron Rippetoe 1# G United States Carolina Cougars David Lipscomb College (Sr.)658 Larry Holliday 1# G United States The Floridians Oregon (Sr.)659 Barry Nelson basketball C United States Pittsburgh Condors Duquesne (Sr.)660 Fred Hilton SG United States Memphis Pros Grambling (Sr.)661 Matt Necaise 1# F United States New York Nets William Carey College (Sr.)662 Jim Welch 1# G United States Kentucky Colonels Houston (Sr.)663 Barry Parkhill SG United States Virginia Squires Virginia (So.)664 Jeff Halliburton SG United States Indiana Pacers Drake (Sr.)665 Bobby Fields G United States Utah Stars La Salle (Sr.)766 Sterling Quant 1# PF The Bahamashttp://www.allbahamian.com/hall-of-fame-sterling-quant.html Hall of Fame Sterling Quant The All Bahamian Brand Dec 23, 2024 April 24, 2024 https://web.archive.org/web/20240424015704/http://www.allbahamian.com/hall-of-fame-sterling-quant.html live Texas Chaparrals Central State (Sr.)767 Ken Gardner SF United States Denver Rockets Utah (Sr.)768 Ed Kemp 1# F United States Carolina Cougars Adams State (Sr.)769 Greg Starrick 1# G United States The Floridians Southern Illinois (Sr.)770 John Sutter 1# F United States Pittsburgh Condors Tulane (Sr.)771 Loyd King SG United States Memphis Pros Virginia Tech (Sr.)772 Odis Allison SF United States New York Nets UNLV (Sr.)773 Larry Steele SG/SF United States Kentucky Colonels Kentucky (Sr.)774 Clifford Ray C/PF United States Virginia Squires Oklahoma (Sr.)775 Dean Meminger PG United States Indiana Pacers Marquette (Sr.)776 Erwin Johnson 1# F United States Utah Stars Augusta (Sr.)877 Curtis Rowe PF United States Texas Chaparrals UCLA (Sr.)878 Tyrone Marioneaux 1# C United States Denver Rockets Loyola (New Orleans) (Sr.)879 Kenneth Davis basketball# PG United States Carolina Cougars Georgetown College (KY) (Sr.)880 Tom Lee 1# F United States The Floridians Arizona (Sr.)881 Charlie Yelverton SG/SF United States Pittsburgh Condors Fordham (Sr.)882 James Douglas 1# G United States Memphis Pros Memphis State (Sr.)883 John Duncan 1# F United States New York Nets Kentucky Wesleyan (Sr.)884 Clarence Sherrod 1# G United States Kentucky Colonels Wisconsin (Sr.)885 Bill Gerry 1# F United States Virginia Squires Virginia (Sr.)886 Vic Bartolome# G United States Indiana Pacers UCLA (Sr.)887 Jim Day 1# F United States Utah Stars Morehead State (Sr.)988 Jimmie Guymon 1# G United States Texas Chaparrals Eastern New Mexico (Sr.)989 Mike Childress 1# C United States Denver Rockets Colorado State (Sr.)990 Dave Wohl PG United States Carolina Cougars Pennsylvania (Sr.)991 Jim Haderlein 1# F United States The Floridians Loyola Los Angeles (Sr.)992 Vincent White 1# F United States Pittsburgh Condors Savannah State (Sr.)993 Henry Smith 1# F United States Memphis Pros Missouri (Sr.)994 Jarrett Durham F United States New York Nets Duquesne (Sr.)995 Mike O'Brien 1# F United States Kentucky Colonels Saint Leo (Sr.)996 Jim Chones C/PF United States Virginia Squires Marquette (Jr.)997 Tom Crosswhite 1# F United States Indiana Pacers Dayton (Sr.)998 Willie Humes 1# G United States Utah Stars Idaho State (Sr.)1099 Gene Knoll 1# G United States Texas Chaparrals Texas Tech (Sr.)10100 George Faerber 1#https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/george-faerber-1.html George Faerber SRCBB Dec 23, 2024 December 12, 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20211212131744/https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/george-faerber-1.html live F United States Denver Rockets Purdue (Sr.)10101 Ken Mayfield SG United States Carolina Cougars Tuskegee (Sr.)10102 Doug Rex 1# F United States The Floridians UC Santa Barbara (Sr.)10103 James Fleming 1# F United States Pittsburgh Condors Alcorn A&M College (Sr.)10104 Jim Gregory basketball# F United States Memphis Pros East Carolina (Sr.)10105 Eric Hill 1# G United States Pittsburgh Condors (from New York) Minnesota (Sr.)10106 Larry Saunders 1# F United States Kentucky Colonels Duke (Sr.)10107 Gil McGregor PF United States Virginia Squires Wake Forest (Sr.)10108 Larry Weatherford 1# G United States Indiana Pacers Purdue (Sr.)10109 Jake Jones basketball SG United States Utah Stars Assumption College (Sr.)11110 Al Shumate 1#https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/al-shumate-1.html Al Shumate SRCBB Dec 23, 2024 January 16, 2018 https://web.archive.org/web/20180116034505/https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/al-shumate-1.html live SF United States Texas Chaparrals North Texas State (Sr.)11111 John Ribock 1# F United States Denver Rockets South Carolina (Sr.)11112 Bobby McKenney 1#https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/bobby-mckenney-1.html Bobby McKenney SRCBB Dec 23, 2024 June 13, 2017 https://web.archive.org/web/20170613180410/http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/bobby-mckenney-1.html live C United States Carolina Cougars Pepperdine (Sr.)11113 Gerald Lockett 1# F United States The Floridians Arkansas AM&N College (Sr.)11114 Rayford McCambry 1# G United States Pittsburgh Condors Miles College (Sr.)11115 Danny Davis 1# F United States Memphis Pros Henderson State (Sr.)11116 Bill Warner 1# G United States New York Nets Arizona (Sr.)11117 Sid Catlett basketball F United States Kentucky Colonels Notre Dame (Sr.)11118 Héctor Blondet# F Virginia Squires Murray State (Sr.)11119 Jim England 1# G United States Indiana Pacers Tennessee (Sr.)11 Utah Stars (Passed up on using this selection.)12120 Willie Hart 1# C United States Texas Chaparrals Grambling (So.)https://collegehoopedia.com/conferences/southwestern-athletic-conference Southwestern Athletic Conference College Hoopedia Dec 23, 2024 December 10, 2024 https://web.archive.org/web/20241210190851/http://www.collegehoopedia.com/conferences/southwestern-athletic-conference live 12121 Gary Brell 1# F United States Denver Rockets Marquette (Sr.)12122 Craig Love 1# F United States Carolina Cougars Ohio (Sr.)12123 Will Allen urban farmer F United States The Floridians Miami (FL) (Sr.)12124 Isaiah Wilson basketball SG United States Pittsburgh Condors Baltimore (Sr.)12125 Gary Reist 1# G United States Memphis Pros Rice (Sr.)12126 Blaine Henry 1# G United States New York Nets Marshall (Sr.)12127 Jim Dinwiddie 1# G United States Kentucky Colonels Kentucky (Sr.)12128 Luis Grillo 1#https://mountathletics.com/sports/2020/6/4/HallofFame-Grillo-Lou.aspx Luis Grillo The Mount Dec 23, 2024 June 30, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230630183923/https://mountathletics.com/sports/2020/6/4/HallofFame-Grillo-Lou.aspx live PG United States Virginia Squires Sunbury Mercuries (EBA)https://www.statscrew.com/minorbasketball/stats/p-grilllou001 Lou Grillo Stats Crew Dec 23, 202412129 Jeff Smith 1# F United States Indiana Pacers New Mexico State (Jr.)12 Utah Stars (Passed up on using this selection.)13130 Goo Kennedy PF/C United States Texas Chaparrals TCU (Sr.)13131 Glen Richgels 1# C United States Denver Rockets Wisconsin (Sr.)13132 Bob Wenzel# G United States Carolina Cougars Rutgers (Sr.)13133 Jackie Ridgle SG United States The Floridians California (Sr.)13134 Ray Greene 1# G United States Pittsburgh Condors California State (Pennsylvania) (Sr.)13135 Edward Hoskins 1# SF United States Memphis Pros LeMoyne–Owen (Sr.)13136 Don Ward 1# G United States New York Nets Colgate (Sr.)13137 Pierre Russell SG United States Kentucky Colonels Kansas (Sr.)13 Virginia Squires (Passed up on using this selection.)13138 Rick Katherman 1# F United States Indiana Pacers Duke (Sr.)13 Utah Stars (Passed up on using this selection.)14139 Bill Brickhouse 1# G United States Texas Chaparrals Montana State (Sr.)14140 Jerry Hyder 1# G United States Denver Rockets Eastern New Mexico (Sr.)14141 Ron Dorsey basketball, born 1948 SF United States Carolina Cougars Tennessee State (Sr.)14142 Pembrook Burrows 1# C United States The Floridians Jacksonville (Sr.)14143 Gene Mumford 1# G United States Pittsburgh Condors Scranton (Sr.)14144 Ken Riley 1# F United States Memphis Pros Middle Tennessee (Sr.)14145 Skip Young 1# G United States New York Nets Florida State (Sr.)14146 Jerome Perry 1# G United States Kentucky Colonels Western Kentucky (Sr.)14 Virginia Squires (Passed up on using this selection.)14147 Clarence Smith 1# F United States Indiana Pacers Villanova (Sr.)14 Utah Stars (Passed up on using this selection.)15148 William Chatmon 1# F United States Texas Chaparrals Baylor (Sr.)15149 David Hall 1# C/PF United States Denver Rockets Kansas State (Jr.)15150 Hank Commodore 1# G United States Carolina Cougars Northwestern State (Sr.)15151 Ken May 1# F United States The Floridians Dayton (Sr.)15152 Lee McCullough 1# F United States Pittsburgh Condors Indiana (Pennsylvania) (Sr.)15153 Rod Behrens 1# PF United States Memphis Pros Samford (Sr.)https://www.nasljerseys.com/ABA/Players/B/Behrens.Rod.htm Rod Behrens www.nasljerseys.com Dec 23, 2024https://encyclopediaofalabama.org/media/samford-university-basketball-team-1969/ Samford University Basketball Team, 1969 Encyclopedia of Alabama Dec 23, 2024 June 19, 2024 https://web.archive.org/web/20240619104141/https://encyclopediaofalabama.org/media/samford-university-basketball-team-1969/ live 15154 Phillip Sisk 1#https://issuu.com/gsathletics/docs/mbb_mg_2011-2012/70 2011-12 Georgia Southern Men's Basketball Media Guide Georgia Southern Athletics Jun 29, 2012 Issuu Dec 23, 2024 G United States New York Nets Georgia Southern (Sr.)15155 Willie Cherry 1# F United States Kentucky Colonels Denver (Sr.)15 Virginia Squires (Passed up on using this selection.)15156 Rich Walker 1# G United States Indiana Pacers Bowling Green (Sr.)15 Utah Stars (Passed up on using this selection.)16157 Harry Taylor 1# G/F United States Texas Chaparrals Los Angeles Baptist (Sr.)16158 Richard Dixon 1# G United States Denver Rockets Loyola Los Angeles (Sr.)16159 Frank Lorthridge 1# C/PF United States Carolina Cougars Pan American (Sr.)16160 Wayman Terrell 1# PF/C United States The Floridians Oklahoma Baptist (Sr.)16161 Russell Golden 1# F United States Pittsburgh Condors Jacksonville (Jr.)16162 Don Johnson 1# F United States Memphis Pros Tennessee (Sr.)16163 Brian Mahoney basketball SG United States New York Nets Manhattan (Sr.)16 Kentucky Colonels (Passed up on using this selection.)16 Virginia Squires (Passed up on using this selection.)16164 Tom Bush 1# C United States Indiana Pacers Drake (Sr.)16 Utah Stars (Passed up on using this selection.)17165 Dan McGhee 1# PF/C United States Texas Chaparrals Howard Payne (Sr.)https://www.reporternews.com/story/sports/college/2016/11/09/mcghee-key-figure-hpus-success-70s/93530084/ McGhee Was Key Figure in HPU's Success in '70s Marc David Abilene Reporter News Dec 23, 2024 November 9, 2016 Sports June 28, 2022 https://web.archive.org/web/20220628102306/https://www.reporternews.com/story/sports/college/2016/11/09/mcghee-key-figure-hpus-success-70s/93530084/ live 17166 David Walls Jr. 1#https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/clarionledger/name/david-walls-obituary?id=20613080 David Walls Obituary Jackson, MS Clarion Ledger Dec 23, 2024 PF/C United States Denver Rockets Jackson State (Sr.)17167 Dan Fife 1# G United States Carolina Cougars Michigan (Sr.)17168 Bill Drozdiak 1# F United States The Floridians Oregon (Sr.)17169 Harry James 1# G United States Pittsburgh Condors Montclair State (Sr.)Harry James Hits a High Note for Montclair State https://www.nytimes.com/1970/12/27/archives/harry-james-hits-a-high-note-for-montclair-state.html 23 December 2024 New York Times December 27, 1970 en subscription17170 Haywood Hill 1# SG/SF United States Memphis Pros Oral Roberts (Sr.)17171 Ollie Shannon 1# G United States New York Nets Minnesota (Sr.)17 Kentucky Colonels (Passed up on using this selection.)17 Virginia Squires (Passed up on using this selection.)17172 Jim Irving 1# G United States Indiana Pacers Saint Louis (Sr.)17 Utah Stars (Passed up on using this selection.)18 Texas Chaparrals (Passed up on using this selection.)18173 Paul Botts 1# G United States Denver Rockets Central Michigan (Sr.)18174 Cliff Harris 1# F United States Carolina Cougars Hardin–Simmons (Sr.)18175 Eddie Myers 1# C United States The Floridians Arizona (Sr.)18176 John Novey 1# G United States Pittsburgh Condors Mount St. Mary's (Sr.)18177 Reggie Wood 1# F United States Memphis Pros College of Steubenville (Sr.)18178 Bob Doyle 1# SG United States New York Nets UTEP (Sr.)18 Kentucky Colonels (Passed up on using this selection.)18 Virginia Squires (Passed up on using this selection.)18179 Bob Bissant 1# G United States Indiana Pacers Loyola (New Orleans) (Sr.)18 Utah Stars (Passed up on using this selection.)19 Texas Chaparrals (Passed up on using this selection.)19180 Ron Smith 1# C United States Denver Rockets Wichita State (Sr.)19181 Steve Bilsky# PG United States Carolina Cougars Pennsylvania (Sr.)19182 Steve Sims 1# SG United States The Floridians Pepperdine (Sr.)19 Pittsburgh Condors (Passed up on using this selection.)19183 Billy Barnes 1# PF/C United States Memphis Pros Southern State (Sr.)https://muleriderathletics.com/honors/hall-of-fame/billy-barnes/51 Billy Barnes Southern Arkansas University Athletics Dec 23, 202419184 Calvin Oliver 1# F United States New York Nets Pan American (Sr.)19 Kentucky Colonels (Passed up on using this selection.)19 Virginia Squires (Passed up on using this selection.)19185 Rudy Benjamin 1# G United States Indiana Pacers Michigan State (Sr.)19 Utah Stars (Passed up on using this selection.)20 Texas Chaparrals (Passed up on using this selection.)20186 Bobby Jones 1# G United States Denver Rockets Drake (Sr.)20 Carolina Cougars (Passed up on using this selection.)20187 Pat Biber 1# F United States The Floridians Tampa (Sr.)https://www.tampaspartans.com/sports/mbkb/1970-71/bios/biber_pat_l4n3 Pat Biber University of Tampa Athletics Dec 23, 202420 Pittsburgh Condors (Passed up on using this selection.)20188 Allan Dalton 1#https://www.thedraftreview.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=9348:allan-dalton&Itemid=342 Allan Dalton December 26, 2016 The Draft Review Dec 23, 2024 G United States Memphis Pros Suffolk (Sr.)20189 Greg Cluess 1# C/PF United States New York Nets St. John's (Jr.)20 Kentucky Colonels (Passed up on using this selection.)20 Virginia Squires (Passed up on using this selection.)20190 Slick Pinkham Gag name# PG United States Indiana Pacers DePauw ("Sr.")20 Utah Stars (Passed up on using this selection.) Notable undrafted players These players were officially considered draft eligible for the 1971 ABA draft and went undrafted this year, yet played at least one regular season or playoff game for the ABA before the ABA-NBA merger actually commenced a few years later when it actually happened in 1976. Player Pos. Nationality School/Club team Jerry Dover PG LeMoyne–Owen (Sr.) Julius Erving^‡ SF United States UMass (Jr.) George McGinnis^‡ PF United States Indiana (Jr.) Johnny Neumann SG/SF United States Ole Miss (So.) Pete Smith basketball PF United States Hartford Capitols (EBA) 1971 ABA special circumstances draft The ABA would also host a "Special Circumstances" Draft later in the year on September 10, 1971 in Memphis, Tennessee (home of the Memphis Pros in what ultimately became the last time the ABA would ever host a draft event outside of their new headquarters located in New York) as a response to the (at the time) recently implemented "NBA Hardship Draft" that the NBA was forced to utilize following the results of the Spencer Haywood v. National Basketball Association 1971 Supreme Court case. Unlike the NBA's "Hardship Draft", which saw six players enter that specific draft for the first time ever (though only five of those players would get drafted by the NBA's teams), the ABA's "Special Circumstances Draft" only saw three players from that special draft get selected there: Duquesne University's Mickey Davis for the Denver Rockets in the second round, the University of California's Phil Chenier for the Carolina Cougars in the second round, and North Carolina State University's Ed Leftwich for the New York Nets in the fourth round; no players were selected during the first or third rounds in question for that event (though technically speaking, Mickey Davis would be considered the #1 pick of the Special Circumstances Draft that year).Bradley Robert D. The Basketball Draft Fact Book: A History of Professional Basketball's College Drafts 2013 Scarecrow Press 9780810890695, pg. 182 It is ultimately unknown how many players that the ABA had considered eligible for this particular draft were actually available during the time it happened. Nevertheless, there were no drafted choices in either the first round or the third round, meaning the listing below, including what their year in college was at the time of the selection for these players, is as such. Denver Rockets Round 2, Pick 1 (#1): Mickey Davis, Duquesne University (Jr.) Carolina Cougars Round 2, Pick 2 (#2): Phil Chenier, University of California (Jr.) New York Nets Round 4, Pick 1 (#3): Ed Leftwich, North Carolina State University (Jr.) References External links 1971 ABA Draft on databaseBasketball.com 1971-72 ABA Rookies Draft Draft Draft ABA draft ABA draft ABA draft ABA draft ABA draft ABA draft ABA draft ABA draft ABA draft Category:Basketball in Greensboro, North Carolina Category:Basketball in Memphis, Tennessee Category:Basketball in New York City Category:Organized events in Greensboro, North Carolina Category:Organized events in Memphis, Tennessee Category:Sporting events in New York City