Tennessee State John Barnhill and Leonard Robinson to be Inducted into Small College Basketball Hall of Fame

Small College Basketball Information

BALDWIN CITY, Kansas --- Tennessee State men’s basketball greats John Barnhill and Leonard “Truck” Robinson will be inducted in the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame, it was announced on Monday afternoon. This year’s class – the third in Small College Basketball Hall of Fame history – includes 12 members.

The 2018 Small College Basketball Hall of Fame induction ceremony is scheduled for Friday, Nov. 2 at the Stoney Creek Inn and Conference Center in St. Joseph, Mo.

Barnhill helped lead Tennessee A&I to three consecutive NAIA National Championships – 1957-59 – earning a spot on the All-Tournament team in 1958 and 1959. The three-time All-American guard scored 1,253 points during his collegiate career before taking his talents to the NBA. He was drafted by the St. Louis Hawks in the 11th round of the 1959 NBA Draft. He went on to suit up for the Hawks, Pistons, Bullets and Rockets throughout his NBA career. Barnhill, who passed away in November of 2013 at the age of 75, was inducted into the Tennessee State University Athletics Hall of Fame in 1983.

Robinson, a two-time United Press International All-American (1973, 1974), guided Tennessee State to three-straight NCAA Tournament berths. During the 1972-73 season, Robinson put up 25.7 points and 17.6 rebounds per game in leading TSU to the NCAA College Division (D-2) National Championship game. A member of the TSU Athletics Hall of Fame class of 1983, Robinson tallied 2,249 points and 1,501 rebounds in his college career. He was selected in the second round of the 1974 NBA Draft by the Washington Bullets. The two-time NBA All-Star played for the Bullets, Hawks, Jazz, Suns and Knicks.

Barnhill and Robinson are the third and fourth inductees in the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame from TSU. In 2016, TSU’s Dick Barnett (player) and John McLendon (Coach) were members of the organization’s inaugural Hall of Fame class.

• Criteria for selection into the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame
  • Must have played, coached or contributed at the small college level (four-year, non-NCAA Division I)
  • Focus is on accomplishments/contributions specifically at the collegiate level
  • Players must be a minimum of five years removed from their final year of their collegiate career. Coaches must be a minimum of three years removed from their last season of their coaching career.  There is no such timetable for contributors.
  • All players, coaches and contributors that have not been inducted into the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame will continue to be eligible for annual consideration, as long as they meet the above guidelines. There is no timetable whereby candidates rotate off/out of consideration.

2018 Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Inductees

John Barnhill (Tennessee A&I)
ML Carr (Guilford)
Pat Douglass (Cal State Bakersfield)
Philip Hutcheson (Lipscomb)
Earl Jones (District of Columbia)
Charles Oakley (Virginia Union)
John Pierce (Lipscomb)
Terry Porter (Wisconsin-Stevens Point)
Leonard “Truck” Robinson (Tennessee State)
Clarence Walker (Indiana State)
Marvin Webster (Morgan State)
John Wooden (Coach)

TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS