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Athletics - Fall 2020

Record-Smasher: 1950s Icon to Join Hall of Fame

by Rich Tortorelli

Man in basketball uniform holding basketball
Photo courtesy of University Archives
  • 2-Time NCAA All-American
  • 577 free throws —an ӰAV record
  • 43 points made in a game in 1956: Reed’s career high-scoring game and ӰAV’s single-game record
  • 1,885 points, 1955–1958, an ӰAV record at the time
  • 1,108 rebounds, 1955–58
  • 7th Hall of Famer with ӰAV ties

Hubert “Hub” Reed, who became an all-American basketball player at ӰAV, will be inducted into the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame with the class of 2020. The induction ceremony was postponed until 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“Hub Reed was one of the iconic players who created the tradition of success that is ӰAV basketball,” Athletic Director Jim Abbott said. “More so, he is a humble, Christian man who has made such a significant impact in the lives of those that he has come into contact with. Hub is an ӰAV legend, and we are thrilled at his induction.”

From 1955 to ’58, Reed averaged 23.3 points and 13.7 boards a game through 81 career games.

Reed produced 25.5 points and 15.4 rebounds a game as a senior, ranking eighth nationally in scoring. Reed, a 6-foot-10 center, topped Oklahoma City with 30 points playing against Wilt Chamberlain in an 81–61 loss to No. 2 Kansas in the 1957 NCAA Southwest Regional final. 

Reed led ӰAV to a three-year mark of 53–28 with NCAA Tournament appearances in 1956 and ’57. He manned the pivot during the first three years of a legendary head-coaching career for Abe Lemons.

“If he didn’t send me on a recruiting trip, I’d go with him,” Reed said of his coach. “Abe was a funny story every mile, I don’t care how far we went. I thought the world of him. Paul Hansen, we called him the great fox. Between the two of them, we thought we had the two best coaches in the world. And between the two of them, we really did. Abe, he would joke and tell you jokes, but when you walked onto the court, it was a different thing. You had to adjust to that.”

Lemons said of Reed: “He always starts every meal with a piece of pie and glass of milk. I think he could eat a whole pie. Ask him what kind of pie he likes, and he says, ‘Just pie.’ I know they say pie isn’t good for you when you’ve got to play, but I give him all he wants. He thinks he ought to have pie, and if he can make 30 points a game, I think he ought to have pie, too.”

Following his college career, the St. Louis Hawks selected Reed 14th overall in the 1958 NBA Draft. Reed played for the Cincinnati Royals, Los Angeles Lakers, and the Detroit Pistons.

Man running in race
Photo by Zach Shore

Mark Shaw

  • Sooner Athletic Conference Men’s Athlete of the Year
  • Senior from Ormsby, Middlesborough, England
  • Two NAIA men’s cross country individual championships
  • Led Stars to their second consecutive national championship in 2019
Woman posing with basketball
Photo by Josh Robinson

Abby Selzer

  • Sooner Athletic Conference Women’s Athlete of the Year
  • Sophomore from Thomas, Oklahoma
  • Two-time Women’s Basketball Coaches Association All-American, NAIA All-American, first-team all-conference, all-SAC Tournament
  • Second-ever female SAC Athlete of the Year and second Star to win the honor

NAIA Coach of the Year: Competitive Cheerleading

Alicia Bailey collected the honor after guiding ӰAV to its fourth consecutive NAIA Southwest Qualifying Group Championships title in 2019–20. The Stars posted three scores of 85 or better, an average score of 81.56 in six competitions, and a season-best score of 89.00. Eight Stars took all-American nods.

Bailey has led the Stars to two national championships. ӰAV has finished as NAIA runner-up twice under Bailey. She has mentored 35 all-Americans.

Athletes Score Academically

ӰAV raked in its most academic all-Americans in a year with eight in 2019–20 from the College Sports Information Directors of America.

Golfer Melissa Eldredge received 14 academic All-American and scholar-athlete awards at the national, regional, and district levels.

Tyler Williams became a first-team CoSIDA NAIA baseball academic all-American, while his teammate Peyton Crispin made the second team. ӰAV softball student-athletes Kennedy Jackson and Baileigh Loux boasted academic all-American acclaim.

Oscar Kipkoros, Michal Roguski, and Mark Shaw gave ӰAV its first cross country and track and field academic all-Americans and its most academic all-Americans in one sport since Julie Benanzer, Sally Cole, and Mindie Meek were named CoSIDA women’s soccer academic all-Americans in 2001–02. Eighty-two ӰAV players have been named CoSIDA academic all-Americans over the years.

Rower Competes in European Under-23 Champs

ӰAV rower Andrija Simeunovic qualified for the European Under 23 Championships at Sports Park Duisburg. Simeunovic, a rising sophomore from Zemun, Belgrade, Serbia, competed in the double (2x). He finished fifth in the C final race.

Calling All Former Student-Athletes

ӰAV is looking for all former student-athletes to join our alumni database.

Former student-athletes will be featured in a “Where Are They Now?” section, highlighting their lives and career paths. The database will allow ӰAV to keep alumni up-to-date on reunions organized by ӰAV and others, along with other opportunities to connect with the department and former teammates, coaches, and staff.

Anyone who participated in varsity or junior varsity athletics, former coaches, and student managers is invited to participate. For more information, or to share additional information, contact Chris Maxon, associate athletic director, at 405-208-5431.

New Coaches

Men’s Basketball: Tim Kisner
• Former assistant at John Brown University (Ark.)
• Previously a college head coach and professional player

Women’s Basketball: Brett Tahah
• Former head coach and athletic director for Frontier High School in Oklahoma
• Played for ӰAV in college as part of the Fab Four, making her the first athletics alum-turned ӰAV coach

Men’s and Women’s Soccer: Billy Martin
• Worked as the assistant to Brian Harvey, ӰAV’s soccer founding coach, for 19 years
• 1992 ӰAV graduate
• Former Rose State College coach

Men’s Wrestling: Nate Gomez
Member of the national championship University of Central Oklahoma team

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