In Part IV of our look at the current whereabouts of Final Four Most Outstanding Players, Lost Lettermen tracks down the winners from the 1990s and ’00s. We can see some of them playing in the NBA while others are trying to make a name for themselves in other careers.
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1990: Anderson Hunt (UNLV)
Hunt left school early in 1991 only to go undrafted, and spent the rest of his career playing professional basketball just about everywhere in the world but the NBA. He faced legal trouble in 1993 for possession of marijuana and in 2002 for attempted embezzlement. He currently lives in Detroit and, as of 2008, works in real estate.
1991: Christian Laettner (Duke)
While Christian Laettner has been considered by many to be one of the greatest college players ever, his success didn’t translate into NBA superstardom. Retired since 2005, he is a business partner with former teammate and best friend Brian Davis in Blue Devil Ventures, a community development company in Durham, NC. He lives in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL with his wife and two kids. He is a self-described “soccer dad.”
1992: Bobby Hurley (Duke)
Bobby Hurley is another Duke MOP whose NBA career didn’t reflect his college success. In December of 1993 (his rookie season), Hurley was involved in a car accident that almost took his life. He survived and he went on to play four more years in the NBA. After retirement, he became a thoroughbred racehorse owner and acted as a scout for the 76ers in 2003. In December 2009, PNC Bank sued Hurley and his Devil Eleven Stables for defaulting on a $1 million loan. He resides north of Miami in Hollywood, FL.
1993: Donald Williams (North Carolina)
Donald Williams never made it to the NBA and spent his entire professional career outside of the United States. After serving as the head men’s basketball coach of Denmark Tech junior college, he is now an assistant for St. Mary’s women’s varsity team in Raleigh, where he also lives.
1994: Corliss Williamson (Arkansas)
Compared with the MOPs just before him, Corliss Williamson had an excellent pro career, that included an NBA championship with Detroit in 2004. He retired from the NBA in 2007 and is now the head basketball coach at Arkansas Baptist College in Little Rock. You can call him “Coach Nasty.”
1995: Ed O’Bannon (UCLA)
Too small to play forward and not fast enough to play guard, Ed O’Bannon was never a good fit for the NBA. He played professionally overseas until he turned 30 and retired. He is now a car salesman for Findlay Toyota in Henderson, NV outside Las Vegas and is the boys head varsity coach at Henderson International School. He also made news last year for suing the NCAA, claiming former college athletes should be compensated when their images or likeness is used.
1996: Tony Delk (Kentucky)
Tony Delk had a long career in the NBA and last played in Puerto Rico in 2008 before deciding to hang ‘em up. In April 2009, John Calipari announced that Delk and his former teammate Scott Padgett would be returning to Kentucky as assistant coaches. He is currently the assistant director of basketball operations.
1997: Miles Simon (Arizona)
Miles Simon played only briefly in the NBA, but he is one of the most decorated players in CBA history. In his rookie season, he was named new comer of the year, league MVP and playoff MVP. In 2005 he returned to Arizona to serve as an assistant under Lute Olsen, but his contract was not renewed in 2008. Today he’s an analyst for ESPN and resides in Redondo Beach, California outside Los Angeles.
1998: Jeff Sheppard (Kentucky)
Jeff Sheppard played just 18 games in the NBA, averaging 2.2 points and 1.2 rebounds. He last played professional basketball in 2001. Since then he’s founded his own clothing line called 15 Inc. (Get it? His number was 15) and works for the Kentucky high school sports web site WazooSports.com. He and his wife Stacey – a former women’s UK star – reside in London, Kentucky.
1999: Richard Hamilton (UConn)
Richard Hamilton’s first three years in the NBA weren’t particularly noteworthy. But since he was traded to Detroit in 2002, he’s become one of the premier shooting guards in the league. He won an NBA title in 2004 and currently leads the team in scoring, averaging 19.2 PPG this season.
2000: Mateen Cleaves (Michigan State)
Mateen Cleaves spent much of his NBA career on the bench. He bounced around between the D-League, Russia and Greece before ending his professional career back in the D-League with the Bakersfield Jam. Today he’s in his hometown of Flint, MI and is the Co-CEO and manager of All Varsity Entertainment music group. He’s also very close with fellow Flint native and Alabama running back Mark Ingram, who calls Cleaves his uncle.
2001: Shane Battier (Duke)
Shane Battier has made a reputation for himself as the most prepared player in the league. He’s known to scour over pages of scouting reports to better understand every player he guards on any given night. It’s why he has the reputation as the best “glue guy” in the league as a member of the Houston Rockets.
2002: Juan Dixon (Maryland)
From 2002-2009, Juan Dixon averaged just 8.4 points, 1.8 assists and 1.9 rebounds a game in the NBA. In 2009 he signed with Greece’s Aris Thessaloniki and played for 11 games. He’s currently with Spain’s Unicaja Lalaga of the Euroleague. He’s played just two games so far, but has scored 46 points and grabbed nine rebounds. His half-brother, Jermaine, is a shooting guard for the Pitt Panthers.
2003: Carmelo Anthony (Syracuse)
Must we really say where he is now? Melo has turned into an NBA superstar with the Denver Nuggers and currently leads in scoring with 29.7 PPG. He is engaged to former MTV VJ LaLa Vazquez.
2004: Emeka Okafor (UConn)
Emeka Okafor was traded in the 2009 offseason from the Bobcats to the New Orleans Hornets (who coincidentally moved from Charlotte) for Tyson Chandler. For his career, he’s averaging a double-double (13.7 PPG, 10.5 RPG).
2005: Sean May (North Carolina)
Sean May’s NBA career has been marred by a right knee injury during his rookie season and he’s had trouble staying healthy ever since. He played in just 82 games over his first three years. After Charlotte allowed him to become a restricted free agent in 2009, he was signed by the Sacramento Kings. He’s played in just 10 games this season.
2006: Joakim Noah (Florida)
In his short NBA career, Noah has been criticized for his occasional histrionics. But this season he’s putting together his best statistical year in the NBA for the Bulls, averaging 11.3 PPG and 12.1 RPG.
2007: Corey Brewer (Florida)
Brewer has made up for the time he lost last season after he tore an ACL 15 games into the year. With the Timberwolves, Brewer is currently posting 13.3 PPG and looks like a budding star.
2008: Mario Chalmers (Kansas)
Mario Chalmers NBA career got off to a rocky start. During the rookie transition program, he and former teammate Darrell Arthur were excused from the camp for a marijuana-related incident, although Chalmers was never found in possession. It made no difference, as he started all 82 games in his rookie campaign and even set a Miami Heat record for most steals in a game (9) just four games into his career. This season his numbers across the board have dropped, and he’s seen less court time with the addition of Rafer Alston.
2009: Wayne Ellington (North Carolina)
Wayne Ellington comes off the bench for the Minnesota Timberwolves, averaging 18 minutes a game and 6.1 points a night.
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