All-Star Players
HBCU Players
Coach Robert Jones, Norfolk State University
Head coach Robert Jones sets out on his tenth season leading the Norfolk State men’s basketball program in 2022-23 and his 16th year overall with the Spartans. He led the program to its second-consecutive MEAC title in 2022 and an NCAA Tournament First Four win over Appalachian State in 2021.
The MEAC Coach of the Year in 2019 and 2021, Jones has led NSU to a .754-win percentage in MEAC play – fifth in the nation among coaches with at least 100 games coached – and made seven postseason appearances in eight years of postseason play.
Jones earned MEAC Coach of the Year honors for the second time of his career in 2022 as he led the Spartans to a MEAC regular season title with a 12-2 conference record. The team finished 24-7 overall, its winningest season since the 2011-12 campaign, defeating Coppin State 72-57 in the MEAC Championship to clinch a berth in the NCAA Tournament. Jones was named MEAC Tournament Most Outstanding Coach for the second consecutive year.
Kris Bankston
Forward
6'9"
Norfolk State University
Sam Sessoms
Guard
6'0"
Coppin State
Jay Murrell
Guard
6'4"
Kentucky State
Jalon Andrews
Forward
6'8"
Kentucky State
Joe Bryant
Guard
6'1"
Norfolk State
Bobby McFadden
Guard
6'3"
Wilberforce
Cameron Christon
Guard
6'6"
Grambling State
Francis "BJ" Fitzgerald
Guard
6'6"
Virginia State
Jr Clay
Guard
6'0"
Tennessee State
Robert
Osborne
Forward
6'5"
Virginia Union
Ohio Players
Coach Jim Cleamons, Ohio High School Basketball, Hall of Famer
Jim Cleamons, a 6-foot-5 swingman from Columbus Linden McKinley High School, averaged 18.5 points over four years at Ohio State. He played forward as a sophomore and junior but switched to point guard in his senior year (1970-71) and led a sophomore-dominated OSU team to the Big Ten championship. The Buckeyes won an NCAA Tournament game and finished 20-6. Jim Cleamons was drafted in the first round by the Los Angeles Lakers in 1972. He also played for the Cleveland Cavaliers, New York Knicks and Washington Bullets in a nine-year NBA career. He played 652 games, averaging 12.6 points and six rebounds. Cleamons won six NBA titles as an assistant coach with Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers.
Adrian
Nelson
Forward
6'8"
Youngstown State
JT Shumate
Forward
6'7"
Toledo
Dwayne Cohill
Guard
6'2"
Youngstown State
Claudio Penha Jr
Forward
6'7"
Boston College
Jelani Simmons
Guard
6'5"
Southern Indiana
Dibaji Walker
Forward
6'9"
Appalachian State
(Columbus State)
Leon Ayers III
Guard
6'5"
Bowling Green State
Julius Brown
Guard
5'10"
West Texas A&M