Jeff Mullins was a legend at Duke and was so highly respected that the two-time All-ACC player was named the ACC Athlete of the Year in 1964.  The St. Louis Hawks used their 6^th Overall Pick to take the Shooting Guard, but they barely used him and it looked like he was a bust.   His career was resurrected when he was taken by Chicago in the Expansion Draft and was traded to the San Francisco, and as a Warrior he proved he not only belonged but could thrive.

Mullins, who barely averaged five Points per Game with St. Louis, improved over the next two years to 12.9 and 18.9 and became one of their top-scoring options.  Averaging over 20 Points per Game four years in a row (1968-69 to 1971-72) Mullins was an All-Star in the first three.  Mullins was an above-average passer who used his excellent court vision and knew his role in Golden State’s system.  He achieved his ultimate goal in 1975 when he was still a productive player and aided the Warriors in winning that season’s championship.

He retired the year after, averaging 16.2 Points per Game over 12 Seasons.

Rudy LaRusso came from Dartmouth and would become a standout in the NBA averaging nearly a double-double over his ten NBA seasons. (15.6 Points & 9.4 Rebounds)

Beginning his career with the Minneapolis Lakers in 1959, LaRusso was part of the move westward to Los Angeles, where “Roughhouse” Rudy elevated his game.  LaRusso averaged over 10 Rebounds per Game from 1961-62 to 1963-64, where he was an All-Star in the first two.  An All-Star again in 1966, the defensive specialist was traded to the Detroit Pistons in January of 1967, but LaRusso refused to report and sat out the rest of the season.  His rights were traded to the San Francisco Warriors in the off-season, where he closed his career with back-to-back All-Stars while posting his best scoring numbers with 21.8 and 20.7 Points per Game. respectively.