Sunday, June 20, 2004
the best college player
you've never heard of is David Lucas. (Or so says Mike DeCourcy).
The son of Maurice Lucas, one of the great power forwards in NBA history, David began playing organized basketball during his junior year of high school and joined the Oregon State Beavers as a walk-on in 2001. After playing in only nine games as a freshman and averaging 6.6 points and 3.6 rebounds during an unremarkable sophomore campaign, Lucas burst onto the scene this past season and established himself as among the PAC-10's best power forwards. After growing three inches to 6'7" and securing a scholarship, Lucas blossomed into the team's leader and go-to-guy, finishing the year fourth in the conference for scoring (17.2), ninth for rebounding (6.9) and fifth for free throw percentage (.816) while earning first-team All-Pac-10 honors. He ended the season particularly strong, foreshadowing an even more productive senior year.
For more on Oregon State's rising star, read Steve Mims' column from February, "David belongs with Goliaths."
