Feb. 5, 2010

The Pac-10 Conference will honor 10 former student-athletes with their induction into the Pac-10 Men’s Basketball Hall of Honor during the 2010 Pacific Life Pac-10 Men’s Basketball Tournament. 

Those individuals to be inducted include: Mike Bibby (Arizona), Jeremy Veal (Arizona State), Earl Robinson (California), Kenya Wilkins (Oregon), Dave Gambee (Oregon State), John Arrillaga (Stanford) Reggie Miller (UCLA), John Block (USC), Eldridge Recasner (Washington) and Paul Lindemann (Washington State). The induction ceremony will take place on Saturday, March 13 during the Pac-10 Hall of Honor luncheon. 

Mike Bibby, Arizona - The 1997 Pac-10 Freshman of the Year and 1998 Pac-10 Player of the Year, Bibby became the first freshman point guard to lead his team to the national championship when he guided the Wildcats to the 1997 NCAA title. The 1997 Basketball Weekly’s Freshman of the Year, he started all 69 games at point guard during his two-year college career. He garnered NCAA All-Southeast Regional and All-Final Four honors in 1997 as the Wildcats became the first team to defeat three No. 1 seeds (Kansas, North Carolina, Kentucky) en route to the title. As a sophomore, Bibby was a finalist for the United States Basketball Writers Association Player of the Year after scoring 603 points, marking just the 11th time in school history that a Wildcat scored more than 600 points in a season. He’s the Wildcats’ highest NBA draft pick ever, having been selected as the second pick overall in the first round by the Vancouver Grizzlies in 1998. Playing in his 11th season in the NBA and second season with the Atlanta Hawks, Bibby was an NBA first team All-Rookie honoree in 1999. 

Jeremy Veal, Arizona State - Finished his four-year career as the Sun Devils’ all-time leading scorer with 1,984 points. He earned All-Pac-10 honors twice, becoming the fourth Sun Devil to accomplish this feat. Veal became just the fourth Pac-10 player to notch 1,900 points and 400 assists (413) in a career, joining Sean Elliot, Ron Lee and Gary Payton. After never missing a game in his 122-game career, Veal finished his career with 46 20-point games and five 30-point outings. Helping ASU advance to the Sweet Sixteen as a freshman in 1994-95, Veal tied the program’s freshman record of games played (33). As a junior, he was one of two Pac-10 players  to rank among the Pac-10 leaders in scoring, assists, three-point percentage and free throw percentage. In 1998, he participated in the NABC All-Star Game at the Final Four in San Antonio.

Earl Robinson, California - A dual-sport star, Robinson was a two-time All-Coast honoree on the basketball court and a key member of the Golden Bears’ baseball team that captured the 1957 NCAA national championship. A 6-1 guard who played under Hall of Fame coach Pete Newell, Robinson helped Cal to conference titles in 1956, ’57 and ’58 with the last two squads advancing to the NCAA Tournament, including the 1958 team that reached the West Regional final. As the team captain of the 1958 team, he was voted Cal’s Most Inspirational Player. His best statistical season came in 1957 as a junior when he averaged 12.1 points per game. He finished his career with 882 points, which at the time ranked among the school’s all-time top five scorers. Robinson made his Major League debut with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1958. In 1961, he was traded to the Baltimore Orioles, where he finished his career with a .268 batting average.

Kenya Wilkins, Oregon - A four-year starting point guard, Wilkins was the floor general that changed the reputation of Oregon basketball. As the school’s career assist (614) and steal (213) leader, he led the Ducks to their first NCAA tournament in 34 years (1995) and the NIT tournament the following season. He started and played in every game of his career (112) and averaged 13.3 points. Starting with the 1993-94 season, Wilkins led the Ducks to three-straight winning seasons after Oregon had just four winning seasons in the previous 16 years. Wilkins later played professional basketball in Europe and South American before starting his coaching career. As an assistance coach of California State University, Northridge, he helped the Matadores to a third-place finish in the Big West Conference in 2002.

Dave Gambee, Oregon State - A two-time All-American and All-Pacific Coast Conference selection, Gambee is one of five Oregon State basketball players to garner All-American honors twice in their careers. Following the 1957-58 season, the 6-7 forward left his mark on the record book as the school’s career leader in points scored (1,468), third in rebounds (828), rebounding average (10.6) and free throws made (400). The forward recorded five 30-plus scoring games, including a career-high 35 points in a 79-69 victory over Yale in 1957.  After 12 seasons in the NBA where he averaged 10.6 points and 5.2 rebounds, Gambee retired from basketball following the 1969-70 season. He was inducted into the State of Oregon Hall of Fame in 1980 and the Oregon State Athletic Hall of Fame in 1991. 

John Arrillaga, Stanford - Appearing in 73 career games, Arrillaga was named a third team All-American and a first team All-Pac-8 honoree during his senior season (1959-60). Serving as team captain during his final season on The Farm, he averaged a team-high 14.2 points along with 4.2 rebounds per game while shooting 40.5 percent from the floor. At the time he completed his eligibility, Arrillaga ranked ninth in the school record books with 894 career points. Arrillaga is a long time benefactor of Stanford athletics, as the school’s primary athletic department building and basketball/volleyball practice facility and weight room is named after the Arrillaga Family. Additionally, Arrillaga is a member of the Stanford Hall of Fame. 

Reggie Miller, UCLA - Miller was a point-producing machine during his four-year Bruin career (1984-87), finishing his career as the school’s second all-time scorer (2,095 points) behind only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s 2,325 points. His 202 free throws in 1986 are a UCLA single-season mark. Miller’s best scoring output came on Feb. 28, 1987, when he totaled 42 points, including a school-record 33 in the second half to help UCLA defeat defending NCAA champion Louisville, 99-86. He finished his career with 47-career 20-point games (tied for No. 3 in UCLA history) and 16-career 30-point contests (No. 2 in UCLA annals). A two-time first team All-Pac-10 performer, Miller led the Bruins to the school’s first-ever NIT Championship in 1985, earning NIT’s Most Outstanding Player award along the way, and the first-ever Pac-10 Tournament championship in 1987. A 1987 first round selection by the Indiana Pacers with the 11th pick, Miller played his entire 18-year career with Indiana, playing more games (1,323) with the same team than all but two players in league history. He is the NBA record-holder for most three-pointers in a career (2,560) and was a member of the Gold Medal winning USA Men’s Basketball team in 1996 at the Summer Olympics Games in Atlanta, Ga. He also played for Team USA at the 1994 (Gold Medal) and 2002 World Championships. 

John Block, USC - Block, a 6-9 center who played from 1964-66, ranks 12th on USC’s all-time scoring list with 1,423 points. Known as a scoring machine, Block posted the two greatest individual scoring games in Trojans’ history, scoring 45 points against Washington and 44 points at Oregon as a senior in 1966. He was a Helms Foundation All-American and an AP and UPI honorable mention honoree in 1966. The USC captain set a AAWU conference record with 37-consecutive free throws made. His 25.2 points per game average remains the second best in Trojan history. Block played 10 seasons in the NBA, including making the 1973 All-Star team while a member of the Philadelphia 76ers. 

Eldridge Recasner, Washington - A four-year letterwinner for coaches Andy Russo and Lynn Nance, Recasner ended his career among the school’s leaders in scoring (1,700 points), three-point field goals, free throw percentage, assists and steals. Recasner is the only three-time captain in program history and earned All-Pac-10 Conference honors three times (1988, 89, 90) and was named the team’s Most Valuable Player in each of those years. Recasner played three seasons in the Continental Basketball Association and was named the league’s MVP twice before spending eight seasons in the NBA with the Denver Nuggets, Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Hornets and Los Angeles Clippers. 

Paul Lindemann, Washington State - As a 6-7 center for the Cougars, Lindemann won All-American honors for a WSU team that won the Northern Division, Pacific Coast and Western Regional NCAA titles and finished second in the NCAA finals in 1941. He also earned All-Coast and All-Northern Division honors in 1941. He scored 668 points in the decade of the 30’s, a mark that was second-best in that decade. After his playing days with the Cougars, he played on four national teams with the AAU 66‘ers. During his five years with the 66‘ers, his teams were 176-25, earning an AAU All-American selection in 1945. In 1979, he received the National Safety Council Citation for Distinguished Service. Lindemann was inducted into the Washington State University Athletics Hall of Fame in 1980.

-www.pac-10.org-