Hoosier State of Mind
Fansided

Top 20 Indiana basketball players of all-time

By Connor O’Keefe

Former Indiana Hoosiers head coach Bob Knight . (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
Former Indiana Hoosiers head coach Bob Knight . (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
15 of 20
Next
Indiana basketball
Los Angeles Lakers center Wilt Chamberlain (13) is defended by Atlanta Hawks center Walt Bellamy (8). Mandatory Credit: Manny Rubio-USA TODAY Sports /

Indiana basketball career stats: 20.6 PPG, 15.5 RPG, 51.7 FG%, 70 GP

Walt Bellamy earned himself a two-time selection to the First Team All-Big Ten and was named a member of the Second Team Consensus All-America in 1960-61. There isn’t much data and video footage of Bellamy from his days in the late 1950s, but one thing I know for sure is that he dominated in college.

Bellamy had one of the best games in college basketball history with 33 points and 28 rebounds against Michigan in his final game as a college basketball player. He had one of the strongest careers as a big man at Indiana and likely would have made a larger impact on the record books if he played a full four seasons.

One of the best rebounders in Indiana basketball history, Bellamy is ranked in the top 10 in the following statistical categories for career and single-season numbers:

  • Points per game: 20.6 (4th)
  • Total rebounds: 1,087 (2nd)
  • Total rebounds per game: 15.5 (1st)
  • Total rebounds (single season): 428 in 1960-61 (1st), 335 in 1958-59 (6th), & 324 in 1959-60 (7th)
  • Total rebounds per game (single season): 17.8 in 1960-61 (1st), 15.2 in 1958-59 (2nd), & 13.5 in 1959-60 (7th)

Leaving Bloomington in 1961, Bellamy was selected first overall in the 1961 NBA Draft by the Chicago Packers, where, in his rookie season, he averaged 31.6 points and 19.0 rebounds and won Rookie of the Year. Bellamy had one of the best NBA careers by any of the all-time great Hoosiers, where he was named a four-time All-Star and was inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame in 1993.

Home/Indiana Basketball