Rice University Athletics
Pierce Named NABC Silver Anniversary All-America
5/2/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
May 2, 2007
Former Rice basketball All-America Ricky Pierce has been selected to the 2007 NABC Silver Anniversary All-America Team.
"I can think of nobody who is more deserving of this honor than Ricky Pierce," says Rice head coach Willis Wilson, a former collegiate teammate of Pierce. "Ricky had a tremendous NBA and collegiate career and as a former teammate I am proud to have played a small part in his enormous success."
Each year, the NABC selects former collegiate stars from 25 years ago who have also gone on to distinguish themselves after their collegiate careers. This year's recipients are members of the class of 1982.
Seton Hall's Dan Calandrillo and Eric "Sleepy" Floyd of Georgetown had numerous scoring duels in The Big East Conference during their careers. Jeff Jones, now the head coach at American University, was the point guard and a four-year starter for the Virginia Cavaliers. The two professional standouts played different sports with Rice University's Ricky Pierce in the National Basketball Association while Wabash College's Pete Metzelaars played as tight end in the National Football League, both for 16 seasons.
2007 NABC Silver Anniversary All-America Team
Individual Profiles
Ricky Pierce left Rice University as the school's all-time leading scorer with 1,847 points and currently ranks third for the Owls. He still holds records of season scoring average of 26.8 and the career scoring average of 22.5. He was the Owls' most valuable player for three seasons and an All-Southwest Conference selection in each of those seasons while leading the team in scoring and rebounding. He was inducted into the Rice Athletics Hall of Fame in 1988. Pierce was a first round draft pick of the Detroit Pistons in the 1982 NBA Draft and played for 16 seasons in the NBA, earning an all-star berth in the 1990-91 season. He has recently developed the AccuShot 22 basketball to assist in developing shooting skills.
The third-leading scorer in Seton Hall University history with 1,985 points, Dan Calandrillo had an outstanding career for the Pirates. He led the BIG EAST in scoring as a sophomore but it was his senior year when he dominated. Calandrillo was the nation's third-leading scorer in 1981-82 with a 25.9 scoring average, was the BIG EAST player of the year and was named to several All-America teams. After graduation, he signed with the Houston Rockets of the NBA before going on to play in England and Italy. He has had a lengthy career in finance and is now a partner with Pulse Trading in New York City.
Georgetown University's all-time scoring leader, Eric "Sleepy" Floyd, scored 2,304 points in his career and, despite the Hoyas' sustained success, no one has come close since. The 6-3 guard was the first player in Hoya history to score 600 points in a season and shot just under 50 percent from the floor for his career. The consensus All-America and all-Big East selection played in 128 consecutive games for Georgetown and was the most valuable player in the NCAA East regional as a sophomore. A two-year captain, Floyd is ranked second behind Patrick Ewing on a list of the top 100 players in the first 100 years of Georgetown basketball. He went on to play 13 seasons in the NBA and was an all-star in 1987.
A four-year starter at the University of Virginia, Jeff Jones was known as a leader and prolific passer. Jones is second on the Cavaliers' career assists list with 598 and his 200 assists in the 1979-80 season set a season record at that time. He is also second on Virginia's all-time steals list and twice led the Cavs in steals. The team captain as a senior, he played in 129 games for Virginia and helped the Cavaliers to a record of 102 wins and 28 losses. He played in two NCAA tournaments and two NIT tournaments as the Cavaliers won the NIT in 1980 and reached the Final Four in 1981. Jones, drafted by the Indiana Pacers, has been the head coach at his alma mater and is now the head coach at American University.
Pete Metzelaars was a double threat for Wabash College, earning Division III All-America honors in football and basketball. The 6-7, 250-pounder holds numerous Wabash basketball records and finished his career averaging 19.2 points and 11.4 rebounds per game. In his WORST season at Wabash, he shot 69.3 percent from the field and had a Division III record 72.4 percent field goal percentage for his career. Metzelaars led Wabash to the NCAA Division III championship in 1982, scoring 45 points with 13 rebounds in the finals. He went on to play 16 years as a tight end in the National Football League and played in four consecutive Super Bowls with the Buffalo Bills. He set a Bills' record, playing in 169 straight games and had 302 receptions. Metzelaars is now an assistant coach with the NFL champion Indianapolis Colts.
About the National Association of Basketball Coaches Located in Kansas City, MO, the NABC was founded in 1927 by Phog Allen, the legendary basketball coach at the University of Kansas. Allen, a student of James Naismith, the inventor of basketball, organized coaches into this collective group to serve as Guardians of the Game. The NABC currently claims nearly 5,000 members consisting primarily of university and college men's basketball coaches. All members of the NABC are expected to uphold the core values of being a Guardian of the Game by bringing attention to the positive aspects of the sport of basketball and the role coaches play in the academic and athletic lives of today's student-athletes. The four core values of being a Guardian of the Game are advocacy, leadership, service and education. Additional information about the NABC, its programs and membership, can be found at www.nabc.com.
