Furman’s Frank Selvy to be enshrined in National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame

Furman great Frank Selvy will be one of nine inductees into the 2022 National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame this November in Kansas City. He most notably scored 100 points in the Paladins’ 149-95 win against Newberry College on Feb. 13, 1954 - the NCAA Division I record.

Also known as the “Corbin Comet”, Selvy was a scoring machine throughout his career as a Paladin. Hailing from Corbin, Ky., he starred for Furman from 1951-54.

In his 100-point game, Selvy shot 41-of-66 from the field and went 18-for-22 from the charity stripe in front of more than 4,000 fans on-hand at Furman’s then on-campus and downtown facility, Textile Hall. The game was also played before a state-wide viewing audience and was the first basketball game ever televised in the state of South Carolina.

Selvy also had a flair for the dramatic and reached the century mark with a 40-foot jumper at the buzzer. He finished his career with eight 50-point games and scored 40 or more 22 times.

John Hooper—Mid Major Madness

During the 1953-54 season alone, Selvy scored an incredible 1,209 points on 45% shooting from the field and 80% shooting from the free throw line. This single season point total ranks first in Furman history. His 2,538 career points rank fourth in SoCon history.

Considering the fact Selvy played only three seasons and there was no 3-point shot as a part of the sport during that era, the scoring machine posted one of the most distinguished careers in the history of college basketball.

Selvy committed to Furman early in the recruiting process. Legendary Kentucky coach Adolph Rupp saw him play in the 1950 East-West All-Star game and followed up with a scholarship offer, but Selvy remained true to his commitment to the Paladins and turned down the offer to play for the Wildcats.

In the early 1950s players weren’t allowed to play as freshmen, and so in only three seasons as a Paladin, Selvy was the first player in college basketball history to score 1,000 points in a career and averaged a nation-leading 41.7 point per game in his senior season of 1953-54. It was the second year in a row that Selvy led college basketball in scoring average, having paced the nation as a junior as well with 29.5 point per game.

As you might expect, Selvy racked up plenty of national honors throughout his career. He was a three-time All-SoCon selection, a two-time SoCon Player of the Year, a two-time consensus UPI and Associated Press NCAA All-American (1952-53 and 1953-54).

He was selected first overall in the 1954 Draft by the Baltimore Bullets. He made two NBA All-Star Teams over a career that spanned nine seasons, which was interrupted for three years by military service.

Selvy is now a member of six Halls of Fame: the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame, the Furman’s Athletic Hall-of-Fame, the Southern Conference Hall-of-Fame, the Kentucky Basketball Hall of Fame, the Kentucky High School Basketball Hall of Fame and the South Carolina Sports Hall-of-Fame.

When Selvy played in the Southern Conference, the league included current ACC members North Carolina, North Carolina State and Duke as well as South Carolina from the SEC.

Selvy will be joined in the 2022 class by: Roy Williams (coach of North Carolina and Kansas), Larry Miller (player at North Carolina), Jerry Krause (coach of Eastern Washington and Gonzaga), Lon Krueger (coach of Texas Pan-American, Illinois, Oklahoma, Kansas State, Florida and UNLV), Richard Hamilton (player at UConn), Jim Calhoun (coach of Northeastern, UConn and Saint Joseph), John Beilein (coach of Michigan, Richmond, West Virginia, Canisius, Lemoyne, Nazareth and Erie Community College) and Jimmy Walker (player at Providence).

The ceremony is slated for Nov. 20.