June 25, 2026 • 5 mins
This years NBA Draft has everybody talking about the next generation of stars, but WSSU has been sending players to the league for decades. From Earl "The Pearl" Monroe becoming the highest drafted HBCU player ever to 14 total NBA Draft selections, the Rams have built a basketball legacy most people never knew existed.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
I welcome back, nor It ALFs to another episode of
thee most anticipated podcast on the Black Effect Podcast Network.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Entitled I didn't know, Maybe you didn't either.
Speaker 1 (00:12):
I'm your host, be Dot and this week is the
NBA Draft, where lives will be changed forever, cause it's
gonna be a GM to draft somebody and they gonna suck,
and that GM gonna be fired within the next two years.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
Of course, by now you know.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
That I'm a proud graduate of Winston Salem State University,
A Division two HBCU in Winston Salem, North Carolina. I'm
also this year's reigning mister Alumni, and I talk about
my alma mater a lot because we great. I don't
just joke we're the standard in the CIUBLEA. It's not
in jest when I say we're the standard for HBCUs.
(00:49):
I'll be having facts to prove it, and I'll share
them after I give you three of.
Speaker 2 (00:54):
The most useless facts you'll.
Speaker 1 (00:56):
Never ever need not a day in life about the
n NBA Draft. Up. First, did you know the NBA
Draft once had up to twenty one rounds?
Speaker 2 (01:07):
Man?
Speaker 1 (01:08):
It happened in nineteen sixty In nineteen sixty eight, In
the early decades, the league had fewer teams, so they
just drafted til they ran out of available prospects or
the teams just stopped selecting. It didn't become the two
round sixty pick format that we have today until nineteen
eighty nine.
Speaker 2 (01:24):
Your second useless fact.
Speaker 1 (01:26):
The shortest player ever drafted into the NBA was five
foot three and he stayed right here in Charlotte.
Speaker 2 (01:33):
His name Muggsy Bogues.
Speaker 1 (01:35):
He played for Wake Forest and then he played for
the Charlotte Hornton the NBA. But they say the way
Muggy Bogues played at Dunbar in DC unmatched. And your
third useless facts, only a handful of HBCUs have produced
double digits NBA draft picks. Would you like to know
the HBCU with the most, because I'd love to share.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
I didn't know. I didn't know.
Speaker 1 (02:06):
I didn't know.
Speaker 2 (02:06):
I didn't know. I didn't know.
Speaker 1 (02:11):
I didn't know.
Speaker 2 (02:11):
I didn't know.
Speaker 1 (02:13):
It's NBA Draft Week and every year schools across America
brag about how many players they sent to the NBA.
I'm in North Carolina. I'm a huge Tar Heel fan,
and the Duke Blue Devil fans love reminding us how
many players they have in the NBA compared to ours,
especially superstars. There's been a minute since my Tar Heels
(02:34):
have produced a superstar in the NBA, let alone an
NBA All Star. But that number four pick to the
Chicago Bulls Caleb Wilson, He's gonna put us back on
the map. But as it pertains the HBCUs, here's something
that I didn't know.
Speaker 2 (02:48):
Maybe you didn't either.
Speaker 1 (02:49):
My alma mater, Winston Salem State University, has had fourteen
players selected in the NBA Draft. Yeah that WSSU, the
Division two school in Winston Salem, North Carolina. And not
only has WSSU produced fourteen NBA Draft picks, but that
total puts us among the all time leaders in HBCU
(03:12):
basketball history. Now, the biggest name, of course, is Hall
of Famer Earl the Pearl Monroe shout out to the
world champion Knickerbockers Knicks in five. But in nineteen sixty seven,
The Pearl was selected second overall by the Baltimore Bullets,
and that makes him the highest drafted HBCU player in
NBA history. Matt thinks about that before it was a
(03:34):
Michael Jordan before it was a Lebron, before it was
a Steph. An HBCU player from Winston Salem State University
was taken second overall in the entire NBA draft. And
it wasn't just Earl the Pearl that was drafted that year.
He had a teammate, James Reed. He got selected in
the same draft, two rams one draft. Man, that's a
(03:55):
big time basketball. But if I'm gonna keep it a buck.
The pipeline started before Earl and it continued after him.
Speaker 2 (04:01):
Back in nineteen sixty one.
Speaker 1 (04:03):
WSSU had two players drafted, Cleo Hill and Charles Riley.
Then King Richard Glover in nineteen sixty four Earl to
Pearl and James Reed.
Speaker 2 (04:12):
I just told you was sixty seven.
Speaker 1 (04:14):
Then Bill English, Alan Mcmahonus, Sandy Smith, Earl Williams, Tom
pauland George Gibson, Carlos Terry, Danny Womack, and Reggie Gaines.
Speaker 2 (04:24):
Fourteen players in total.
Speaker 1 (04:26):
Man, And I know when people talk HBCU basketball, they
usually mentioned schools like North Carolina, A and T.
Speaker 2 (04:33):
And they should.
Speaker 1 (04:33):
They got seventeen NBA draft picks, Hell, Tennessee State and
Jackson State Todd for the most with twenty three each.
But what we're not gonna do is act like my love.
Division two HBCU Winston Salem State University don't quietly sit
near the top of that list with fourteen NBA Draft picks.
So the next time somebody says, man, WSSU, they're just
(04:55):
a Division two school, please remind them a Division two
school produced the highest drafted HBCU player at B and
thirteen other rounds followed him into the NBA Draft.
Speaker 2 (05:08):
And I didn't know. Maybe you didn't either,
I welcome back, nor It ALFs to another episode of
thee most anticipated podcast on the Black Effect Podcast Network.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Entitled I didn't know, Maybe you didn't either.
Speaker 1 (00:12):
I'm your host, be Dot and this week is the
NBA Draft, where lives will be changed forever, cause it's
gonna be a GM to draft somebody and they gonna suck,
and that GM gonna be fired within the next two years.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
Of course, by now you know.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
That I'm a proud graduate of Winston Salem State University,
A Division two HBCU in Winston Salem, North Carolina. I'm
also this year's reigning mister Alumni, and I talk about
my alma mater a lot because we great. I don't
just joke we're the standard in the CIUBLEA. It's not
in jest when I say we're the standard for HBCUs.
(00:49):
I'll be having facts to prove it, and I'll share
them after I give you three of.
Speaker 2 (00:54):
The most useless facts you'll.
Speaker 1 (00:56):
Never ever need not a day in life about the
n NBA Draft. Up. First, did you know the NBA
Draft once had up to twenty one rounds?
Speaker 2 (01:07):
Man?
Speaker 1 (01:08):
It happened in nineteen sixty In nineteen sixty eight, In
the early decades, the league had fewer teams, so they
just drafted til they ran out of available prospects or
the teams just stopped selecting. It didn't become the two
round sixty pick format that we have today until nineteen
eighty nine.
Speaker 2 (01:24):
Your second useless fact.
Speaker 1 (01:26):
The shortest player ever drafted into the NBA was five
foot three and he stayed right here in Charlotte.
Speaker 2 (01:33):
His name Muggsy Bogues.
Speaker 1 (01:35):
He played for Wake Forest and then he played for
the Charlotte Hornton the NBA. But they say the way
Muggy Bogues played at Dunbar in DC unmatched. And your
third useless facts, only a handful of HBCUs have produced
double digits NBA draft picks. Would you like to know
the HBCU with the most, because I'd love to share.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
I didn't know. I didn't know.
Speaker 1 (02:06):
I didn't know.
Speaker 2 (02:06):
I didn't know. I didn't know.
Speaker 1 (02:11):
I didn't know.
Speaker 2 (02:11):
I didn't know.
Speaker 1 (02:13):
It's NBA Draft Week and every year schools across America
brag about how many players they sent to the NBA.
I'm in North Carolina. I'm a huge Tar Heel fan,
and the Duke Blue Devil fans love reminding us how
many players they have in the NBA compared to ours,
especially superstars. There's been a minute since my Tar Heels
(02:34):
have produced a superstar in the NBA, let alone an
NBA All Star. But that number four pick to the
Chicago Bulls Caleb Wilson, He's gonna put us back on
the map. But as it pertains the HBCUs, here's something
that I didn't know.
Speaker 2 (02:48):
Maybe you didn't either.
Speaker 1 (02:49):
My alma mater, Winston Salem State University, has had fourteen
players selected in the NBA Draft. Yeah that WSSU, the
Division two school in Winston Salem, North Carolina. And not
only has WSSU produced fourteen NBA Draft picks, but that
total puts us among the all time leaders in HBCU
(03:12):
basketball history. Now, the biggest name, of course, is Hall
of Famer Earl the Pearl Monroe shout out to the
world champion Knickerbockers Knicks in five. But in nineteen sixty seven,
The Pearl was selected second overall by the Baltimore Bullets,
and that makes him the highest drafted HBCU player in
NBA history. Matt thinks about that before it was a
(03:34):
Michael Jordan before it was a Lebron, before it was
a Steph. An HBCU player from Winston Salem State University
was taken second overall in the entire NBA draft. And
it wasn't just Earl the Pearl that was drafted that year.
He had a teammate, James Reed. He got selected in
the same draft, two rams one draft. Man, that's a
(03:55):
big time basketball. But if I'm gonna keep it a buck.
The pipeline started before Earl and it continued after him.
Speaker 2 (04:01):
Back in nineteen sixty one.
Speaker 1 (04:03):
WSSU had two players drafted, Cleo Hill and Charles Riley.
Then King Richard Glover in nineteen sixty four Earl to
Pearl and James Reed.
Speaker 2 (04:12):
I just told you was sixty seven.
Speaker 1 (04:14):
Then Bill English, Alan Mcmahonus, Sandy Smith, Earl Williams, Tom
pauland George Gibson, Carlos Terry, Danny Womack, and Reggie Gaines.
Speaker 2 (04:24):
Fourteen players in total.
Speaker 1 (04:26):
Man, And I know when people talk HBCU basketball, they
usually mentioned schools like North Carolina, A and T.
Speaker 2 (04:33):
And they should.
Speaker 1 (04:33):
They got seventeen NBA draft picks, Hell, Tennessee State and
Jackson State Todd for the most with twenty three each.
But what we're not gonna do is act like my love.
Division two HBCU Winston Salem State University don't quietly sit
near the top of that list with fourteen NBA Draft picks.
So the next time somebody says, man, WSSU, they're just
(04:55):
a Division two school, please remind them a Division two
school produced the highest drafted HBCU player at B and
thirteen other rounds followed him into the NBA Draft.
Speaker 2 (05:08):
And I didn't know. Maybe you didn't either,
Host
Brian "B Daht" McLaughlin
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