Men's Basketball | January 19, 2017
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - La Salle University men's basketball great Ken Durrett was selected as part of the 2017 Atlantic 10 Legends Class, which was announced Thursday. The group of 28 men's and women's basketball players features professional champions, 22 Hall of Famers, an Olympian, an All-American, and an NCAA Champion.
Established in 2013, the Legends program recognizes men's and women's basketball student-athletes and coaches who have made a lasting impact on their respective basketball programs and institutions. This year marks the fifth class the Atlantic 10 has inducted. Each year, A-10 member institutions select their two Legends. Previous honorees have included Basketball Hall of Fame members, national champions, Olympians, and professional players.
"The Atlantic 10 is pleased to honor the achievements and success of these 28 outstanding individuals," stated A-10 Commissioner Bernadette V. McGlade. "Their meaningful impact on their institutions, teams and on college basketball as a whole have made a lasting impression, and they are each very deserving of this prestigious accolade."
Durrett averaged 23.6 points per game during his three seasons with the Explorers. During his sophomore campaign (1969), he helped lead La Salle to a 23-1 season, a No. 2 national ranking and was named Co-MVP in the Big 5. He went on to earn Big 5 Player of the Year honors in 1970 and 1971, and is one of only four players in history to win the award three times. As a senior in 1971, he was a consensus All-American as the Explorers earned a bid into the postseason NIT. The 6-7 forward graduated as the second leading scorer and rebounder in La Salle's program history and was a fourth overall pick in the 1971 NBA Draft. He went on to have a four-year NBA career (1971-75) with Cincinnati, Kansas City-Omaha and Philadelphia.
The Men's Basketball Legends will be honored on Saturday, March 11 at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pa., prior to the 2017 Men's Basketball Championship semifinals. The celebration awards brunch will be in the Lexus Club, beginning at 10:00 a.m. Durrett, who passed away in 2001, will be represented by his daughter Beverly at the event.
The 2017 Men's Legends class features 14 former student-athletes, three of whom went on to coach at their alma mater. Of the honorees, four went on to play professionally in the NBA. One of those, Norm Nixon of Duquesne, won two NBA titles with the Los Angeles Lakers. In addition, there are a number of all-conference awardees and 12 of the men's legends are in their respective institutional athletics Halls of Fame.
