Compiled by Donald Hewitt
Staff Writer
When you think about great Jackson State University basketball players that made it to the National Basketball Association (NBA), players like Lindsey Hunter and Trey Johnson are the first to come to mind. However, Cleveland Buckner, better known as Buck, was the first JSU player to be drafted to the NBA.
Buckner, a power forward from Yazoo City, Miss., entered Jackson College in 1957. During his years on campus, he improved his play each year and by the end of his junior year was regarded as one of the best forwards in the nation. Because of this, he was invited to the 1961 U.S. Olympic tryouts. JSU awarded him his own day, the Cleveland Buckner Day, after his participation in the Olympic tryouts.
Buckner won over all of the coaches in the Southwestern Athletic Conference and was voted MVP and all SWAC his junior and senior seasons. He also averaged a double-double his senior year with 20.9 rebounds and 21.9 points per contest.
He continued to leave a mark in sports history by becoming the first African-American from Jackson College (JSU) to be drafted with the 1st pick in the 6th round of the NBA draft by the New York Knicks (51st pick overall) in the 1961 NBA draft.
Buckner played 68 games for the Knicks from 1961 to 1963 and played against Wilt Chamberlain when Chamberlain scored the NBA record of 100 points in a single game. In that famous game, Buckner had 33 points and 8 rebounds and shot 16/26 in that game. His Career Average in the NBA was 3.5 rebounds per game (RPG) 6.0 points per game (PPG) in 2 seasons in the NBA. He later died October 5, 2006 at the age of 68.
So, when you think of JSU basketball greats, remember the guy who started it all, Cleveland “Buck” Buckner.
Source: www.nba.com, the 1961 Jacksonian Yearbook, www.basketball-reference.com
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