Historical

mutzheact Historical - The Draft Review
Tiezhu with the ball
The Draft Review extends condolences for one of China’s most beloved basketball heroes, Mu Tiezhu. Many who are reading this may not be familiar with Tiezhu, but he's been a well known around TDR for some time as we've been preparing to include him in our list of honorable draftees. But before his story could be told Mu Tiezhu sadly passed away on Sunday, September 14, 2008 at the age of 59. Before Yao Ming, Wang Zhi-Zhi, or Song Tao, there was Mu Tiezhu, the original 7-foot-8 "Great Wall of China".


kevin-duckworth Historical - The Draft Review
Family and friends continue to mourn this week's passing of Kevin Duckworth, 44, due to congestive heart failure from an enlarged heart. A memorial service for Duckworth will be held at Memorial Coliseum in Portland on Saturday, August 30th at 11 a.m. Fans are invited to attend.

As an Eastern Illinois alum and 2nd round pick in the 1986 NBA draft, "Duck" enjoyed an 11 year NBA career that included time with the LA Clippers, Milwaukee, San Antonio, and Washington, but is most affectionately esteemed as a member of the Portland Trail Blazers.

The Draft Review remembers Kevin Duckworth. View his draft history profile.


Unless you're over the age of fifty or live in Utah chances are you haven't heard of Wayne Estes. In the early to mid-1960s many observers labeled him one of the best shooters in college basketball. Estes mastered the rare ability of versatile perimeter shooting as he was capable of making shots from anywhere on the floor.
estesact Historical - The Draft Review
Wayne Estes in Action
Even more impressive was his ability to produce in crucial moments during games. Teams that played Utah State would often employ double teams, and it wasn't rare to see three players assigned to constantly rotate defensively against Estes. But despite all the defensive pressure this consistent shooter was only once held to single digit points in his 73 career games.

Heading into his senior year Estes was always mentioned along with future NBA draftees, Rick Barry, Gail Goodrich, Bill Bradley and Billy Cunningham, in various media publications when devising All-American teams. Many who knew Estes off the court said that his small town demeanor and humble personality made him an instant hit with students, faculty, and newspaper syndications in the Southwestern part of the country. Estes led Utah State to two straight NCAA tournament berths, which is an impressive feat for any school at the time as the NCAA did not grant at-large bids. Only conference winners were selected.

Although his last game was played some forty plus years ago, Estes remains Utah State's number two scorer and third best rebounder of all time. For those who remain skeptical of his greatness consider this - Joe Caldwell was the #2 pick of the 1964 NBA draft. Estes played in the 1963 and 1964 NCAA tournaments where he meet Caldwell on both occasions. Although Estes was two years younger he more than held his own against Caldwell, as he averaged 35 points and 8.5 rebounds per game in those match-ups.

Estes' skills made him a big target for the NBA and it seemed highly unlikely that he would last past the first two rounds of the 1965 NBA Draft, but what would happened next could be played out in the script of a Hollywood drama.


gathersaction Historical - The Draft Review
Hank "The Bank" Gathers
Hank Gathers is often regarded as one of college basketball's most heartfelt players, yet saddest stories. Prior to his untimely death Gathers, along with his fast paced Loyola Marymount team, provided the nation with some of the most exciting displays on the court, breaking traditional playing styles in what past coaches would call uncontrolled. It was this freedom to score at a moment's notice that provided Gathers the opportunity to exhibit his dominance on a regular basis. The Bank, as he was called, usually cashed in on the court with the game on the line and, although dominate, his engaging personality made him extremely likeable to anyone who met him.

Most scouts and GMs in the NBA penciled him as a first round pick for the 1990 NBA Draft. Gathers was most impressive because of his ability to run the floor and use his powerful upper body to establish himself on the glass for tremendous rebounds. Despite playing in a less than dominant conference (WCC), Loyola Marymount played a solid out of conference schedule with the likes of Oregon State, Oklahoma, UNLV, LSU and La Salle, all of whom had solid programs at the time. It was here that Gathers showed that he was more than a small conference star. In his junior season he became the second college player in history to lead the nation in scoring and rebounding. Despite standing at 6-7 Gathers' heart and hustle routinely allowed him to outplay most, including young freshman phenom Shaquille O’Neal where he dropped 42 points and 18 rebounds on the then 7-1, 296 pound future NBA superstar. But Gathers' extraordinary displays would soon take a terrible turn.

By Matthew Maurer

bennie-swain Historical - The Draft ReviewOn Thursday, June 19, 2008, Bennie Swain passed away at the age of 78 after battling a long illness with cancer.

Swain was selected 8th overall in the 1958 NBA draft by the Boston Cetics. He was the 2nd African American player (behind Sam Jones) to hail from an HBCU and be selected in the 1st round. In his rookie year he seved as Bill Russell's backup as part of the team's 1958-59 championship winning season while averaging 4.6 PPG and 4.5 RPG.

The Texas Southern alum was 1st team All-Southern Western Conference (now SWAC) in all 4 years, a 3-year All-NAIA, and was 3rd in scoring in all of college basketball history during that time. In Swain's senior year his team was defeated in the NAIA tournament by 3-time champions Tennesse State, the team whose coach, John McLendon, was personally mentored by Dr. James Naismith and whose roster included 4 NBA draftees, Dick Barnett, Ben Warley, George Finley, and John Barnhill .

Swain was a physical education / biology major at Texas Southern and went on to become a teacher and high school basketball coach after suffering a career ending knee injury after just one year with the Celtics.

Bennie Swain is remembered by his family as a loving father and the best cook in the house. He is survived by his wife, 4 children, 11 grandchildren, and 4 great-grandchildren.

The Draft Review remembers Bennie Swain.

View Bennie Swain's TDR draft profile.