UCLA legend enters Hall

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- UCLA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was one of eight men inducted Sunday into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame.

“Our young people today don’t get an idea of how good the college experience is,” Abdul-Jabbar said.

“Kids go straight from high school to the NBA and aren’t going to college and enriching their lives in ways they can’t imagine. It’s a loss for our kids personally and our nation as a whole. I was offered a lot of money at the time to leave college basketball and I chose to stay in college basketball. I’m glad I did.”

Besides Abdul-Jabbar, former Duke coach Vic Bubas, two-time Duke All-American Dick Groat, Tennessee State standout Dick Barnett, Notre Dame scoring star Austin Carr, former Maryland coach Lefty Driesell, former Houston coach Guy Lewis and former Missouri coach Norm Stewart also were inducted.

Only Lewis, who is ill, did not attend.

Another former UCLA star, Bill Walton, introduced Abdul-Jabbar.

The collegiate Hall of Fame is located at the College Basketball Experience and attached to the Sprint Center, which opened last month. In contrast to the Naismith Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass., where college and professional coaches and players are represented, only college coaches and players are honored here.

When UCLA and Maryland play tonight in the O’Reilly Auto Parts CBE Classic, it will be the first basketball game at the Sprint Center.