MBB HOKIES 17-18 | MEDIA GUIDE

Smith Bristow Wetzel Bushkar Parrish Pardue Keller Matthews T E C H S P O R T S H A L L O F F A M E The Virginia Tech Sports Hall of Fame was organized in 1982 to honor persons who have made great contributions to athletics at the university. Since its inception, a total of 168 people have been enshrined, including 25 individuals who were chosen primarily for their contributions in basketball. CHRIS SMITH A brilliant basketball center from 1958-61, Smith was one of the nation’s leading rebounders three years in a row. He still holds all of Tech’s major rebounding records and is regarded by many as the greatest basketball player in school history. Smith is a charter member who was inducted in 1982. ALLAN BRISTOW A scrappy forward who paced the Hokies to the National Invitation Tournament championship in 1973, Bristow scored in double figures during every game of his Tech career and still holds the Hokies’ single-game scoring mark of 52 points. After 10 years as a player in the NBA, Bristow went into coaching, including a stint as the head coach of the NBA’s Charlotte Hornets. He retired as the general manager of the NewOrleans Hornets. Bristowwas inducted in 1984. JOHN WETZEL A swingman who was always at his best in the clutch, Wetzel led Tech to its first ever national postseason tournament in 1966. He enjoyed a 10-year NBA playing career before becoming a coach until retiring in 2004 after a stint with the Sacramento Kings. Wetzel was inducted in 1985. HARRY BUSHKAR A fine scorer and playmaker, Bushkar capped his career by being named All-Southern Conference in 1945-46. He was tabbed Virginia’s Player of the Year that season and made the SoCon All- Tournament Team. Bushkar was captain of the 1944, 1945 and 1946 Tech teams. He was inducted in 1986. GEORGE PARRISH One of Tech’s first big-name stars, Parrish earned All-South honors in both basketball and football during a career that extended from 1916-20. Parrish was regarded by many as the best center in southern basketball in 1919 when he scored 320 of the Hokies’ 766 points. He was inducted in 1986. HOWARD PARDUE One of the greatest shooters in school history, Pardue played on Tech teams in the early 1960s. He finished with a career scoring average of 20 points and was named to the All-Southern Conference team three years in a row and twice was named to the Southern’s all-tournament team. He was inducted in 1992. BUCKY KELLER A 6-foot-3 swingman who led Tech to glory in the early 1960s, Keller finished his Tech career with a scoring average of 18.2 points per game. He averaged 15 points per game on the 1959-60 team that went 20-6, posted a 17.6 scoring mark in 1960-61 when the Hokies were 15-7, and averaged 21.7 ppg in 1961-62 when Tech finished 19-6. Keller died in 1977 and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1993. BILL MATTHEWS Matthews had a tremendous impact on Tech athletics in a 35-year career as a basketball player, a coach of three sports and an administrator. A bulky center, he ranks second only to Chris Smith in all-time rebounding for the Hokies. Matthews had a career average of 13.8 rebounds per game, and in 1954-55, had a sensational seasonal average of 18.8. He was the Virginia Player of the Year in 1955-56. Matthews was inducted in 1993. DALE SOLOMON A dynamic center, Solomon burst on the Virginia Tech basketball scene in a big way during his freshman year in 1978-79. He sparked Tech to its only Metro Conference Tournament championship and was named the tourney’s MVP. He went on to become the first player to make All-Metro four years in a row. In 1990, he was chosen on the Metro’s decade team of the 1980s. Solomon tallied a career total of 2,136 points and ranks fourth on the Hokies’ all-time scoring list. He was inducted in 1994. EARL (BUS) HALL The Southern Conference’s leading scorer in 1932, Hall was a unanimous choice for the all-conference team that year. Nicknamed “The Princeton Phantom,” he was a complete player who excelled as a floor leader, dribbler and passer, as well as a scorer. Hall was inducted in 1992. GLEN COMBS Still considered one of the best long-range shooters in school history, Combs helped the 1967 Tech team to the finals of the NCAAMideast Regional, where an overtime loss to Dayton cost the Hokies a spot in the Final Four. Combs, who averaged 17.9 points over his three varsity seasons at Tech, went on to enjoy a seven-year career in the ABA. He was inducted in 1987. LEE MELEAR Although he starred in both basketball and baseball, Melear may be best remembered for his 24-point performance against Kentucky in 1962 when the Hokies handed legendary coach Adolph Rupp the only season-opening home loss of his career at Kentucky. Melear, who averaged in double figures in scoring all three of his varsity seasons, was inducted in 1989. BOB AYERSMAN A hot-shooting forward from 1957-61, Ayersman made the All- Southern Conference team two years in a row. He still ranks ninth in career scoring at Tech and his 26.5 scoring average in 1958-59 still stands as the second-best in school history. Ayersman was inducted in 1990. LEWIS MILLS A point guard, Mills was the captain of the Hokies in 1959-60 and helped that team post the school’s first 20-win basketball season. He entered the coaching profession after graduating from Tech and served as the head basketball coach at the University of Richmond from 1963-73. Mills, who also spent 12 years in athletics administration at VCU, was inducted in 1991. DELL CURRY This silky smooth outside shooter hit a Tech record 1,021 field goals and tallied a total of 2,389 points. He ranks second on the Hokies’ all-time scoring list behind Bimbo Coles and holds the school career record for steals with 295. Curry, who helped the Hokies to four postseason tournaments, posted 115 double-figure scoring games on the way to a career scoring average of 18.9. He was a first-round draft pick of the NBA’s Utah Jazz in 1986 and is now retired from playing after a long and successful NBA career. He is currently a color analyst for the Charlotte Hornets of the NBA and was inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame in 2004. Curry was inducted in 1996. @VT_MBBall @vthokiembb VTMBBALL 150