New York has been home to multiple high school boys basketball All-Americans, but when it came to choosing the state's all-time top five, the Basketball Hall of Fame turned out to be the deciding factor.
MaxPreps continues its look at state greats with New York. The Empire State has had multiple players who have ranked among the nation's best during their prep careers, including Kenny Anderson of
Archbishop Molloy (Queens), Lance Stephenson and Sebastian Telfair of
Lincoln (Brooklyn), Felipe Lopez of Rice (which closed in 2011) and Albert King of
Fort Hamilton (Brooklyn) to name a few.
But in the end, five players who had great prep careers and also went on to receive induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame found their way into the state's all-time starting five.
Known as Lew Alcindor during his high school days, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar led Power Memorial to 71 consecutive wins in the 1960s. (Photo: USATSI)
Bob Cousy, Jackson (Queens), 1946
High school: The leading scorer in the city as a senior, Cousy led Jackson to a win over Long Island City for the Queens championship.
College: Earned All-American honors three straight seasons at Holy Cross and played on the Crusaders' NCAA championship team as a freshman in 1947.
Professional: A part of six NBA championship teams with the Boston Celtics, Cousy was a 13-time All-Star, a 10-time All-NBA first team selection and the league MVP in 1957. A member of the Basketball and College Basketball Halls of Fame.
Chris Mullin, Xaverian (Brooklyn, N.Y.), 1981
High school: After starting at Power Memorial, Mullin transferred to Xavierian and had to sit out a year due to transfer rules. As a result, Mullin flew under the radar and wasn't even included in Street & Smith's preseason honorable mention All-American lists. He led Xaverian to the Federation Class A championship and earned Parade All-American honors while averaging 30 points per game.
College: At St. John's, Mullin earned All-American honors three straight seasons and was the winner of the John Wooden Award as the NCAA's top player as a senior in 1985.
Professional: The seventh overall pick in the 1985 draft by the Golden State Warriors, Mullin played 16 seasons in the NBA and was a five-time All-Star, a two-time Olympic gold medalist (1984, 1992) and a member of the Basketball and College Basketball Halls of Fame.
Connie Hawkins, Boys & Girls (Brooklyn, N.Y.), 1960
High school: "The Hawk" led the Kangaroos to back-to-back city championships and 40 straight wins. Regarded as the top player in the nation, Hawkins averaged 26 points per game while earning Parade All-American honors.
College: As a freshman at Iowa, Hawkins was allegedly involved with a point-shaving scandal despite never playing in an actual game for the Hawkeyes. He was expelled from Iowa and never played a game at the college level.
Professional: Also banned by the NBA, Hawkins played in some minor basketball leagues and with the Harlem Globetrotters before joining the ABA in 1967-68. He earned league MVP honors in the ABA's inaugural season while leading Pittsburgh to the league title. Eventually played in the NBA and was a four-time All-Star.
Julius Erving, Roosevelt (N.Y.), 1968
High school: Earned a spot on the All-Long Island team by Newsday and was the South Shore League player of the year. He led Roosevelt to a 17-3 record and averaged 23 points and 13 rebounds per game.
College: Only 6-foot-3 in high school, Erving grew to 6-7 in college and became a scoring and rebounding machine. He averaged 26.3 points and 20.2 rebounds during his two seasons at the University of Massachusetts and was a third team All-American as a junior.
Professional: Erving joined the ABA following his junior year in college and was a three-time league MVP. After the ABA merged with the NBA in 1977, Erving went on to appear in 11 All-Star games and was five times All-NBA en route to a Hall of Fame career.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Power Memorial (New York), 1965
High school: Perhaps the greatest high school player of all-time, Abdul-Jabbar (known as Lew Alcindor until 1971) was the first three-time Parade High School All-American while leading Power Memorial to 71 straight wins.
College: Perhaps the greatest college player of all-time, Abdul-Jabbar led UCLA to three straight NCAA championships and was a three-time NCAA player of the year.
Professional: In the conversation for greatest NBA player of all-time, he finished his career as the league's all-time leading scorer. A 19-time All-Star, Abdul-Jabbar was a six-time league MVP and a 10-time All-NBA first team selection.
