As NBA Tipoff Approaches, We Look at Pro Hoopsters Who Attended High School in Connecticut

By TIM JENSEN (Patch Staff) 

With opening night of the NBA season upon us this evening, and the continuing sad saga of St. Thomas Aquinas alum Lamar Odom still in the news, Patch got to wondering about how many Connecticut high school basketball players have made it to the NBA or the now-defunct ABA, the high-octane league with the red, white and blue ball which operated from 1967 to 1976.

One would think there would be a large number, given the astounding success of the UConn men’s basketball program. However, the majority of Husky standouts have been recruited from other states, leaving the total of professionals who played scholastically in the Nutmeg State at a surprisingly low 46, according to Basketball-Reference.com.

Ten Connecticut-based high schoolers played at least 10 seasons in pro basketball. That list is headed by Rick Mahorn of Weaver-Hartford, who toiled 18 years in the NBA. Others with double figures of service include:

• Marcus Camby, Hartford Public (17 years)
• Mike Gminski, Masuk-Monroe (14)
• Lamar Odom, St. Thomas Aquinas-New Britain (14)
• Vin Baker, Old Saybrook (13)
• Calvin Murphy, Norwalk (13)
• Vinny Del Negro, Suffield Academy (12)
• Michael Adams, Hartford Public (11)
• John Bagley, Warren Harding-Bridgeport (11)
• Johnny Egan, Weaver-Hartford (11)

Murphy, a standout with the Houston Rockets, is the only player on the list who has been enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (1993).

The South Kent School, a prep school in Litchfield County, has produced the most NBA players with six, including five who are currently active in the league: Andray Blatche, Maurice Harkless, Ricky Ledo, Russ Smith and Isaiah Thomas.

St. Thomas More, a private school in the Oakdale section of Montville, has generated four NBA players, while Warren Harding-Bridgeport, Weaver-Hartford, Hillhouse-New Haven and Milford Academy all count three former players.

Click here for a list of all former Connecticut high school athletes who played in the NBA and/or ABA.

Photo credit: Rob Buenaventura via flickr creative commons