American basketball biography

Donald Lewis Elser (August 4, 1913 – October 18, 1968) was an American professional basketball and football player. He played in the National Basketball League for the Toledo Jim White Chevrolets during the 1941–42 season and averaged 4.5 points per game. Elser also played for the Boston Shamrocks in the American Football League (sometimes known as "AFL II"). While at Notre Dame, Elser was selected to play in the 1936 Chicago College All-Star Game.Elser was also a standout track and field athlete in college. He finished in second place (behind Olympian Jesse Owens) in the 220-yard low hurdles at the 1936 NCAA Track and Field Championships. He also finished fifth in the shot put, earning All-American status in both events.

George William "Wig" Pearcy (July 2, 1919 – September 14, 1992) was an American professional basketball player. He played in 37 games for the Detroit Falcons of the Basketball Association of America in the 1946–47 season. He recorded 94 points, 13 assists, and 68 personal fouls in his career. George is the older brother of Henry Pearcy, who also played for the Falcons that season.

Herschell C. Turner (born March 29, 1938) is an American former professional basketball player.
Turner played basketball at Shortridge High School in Indianapolis and college basketball for the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Turner was selected by the Syracuse Nationals as the 45th overall pick of the 1960 NBA draft.Turner played for the Anaheim Amigos and Pittsburgh Pipers of the American Basketball Association (ABA) during the 1967–68 season. Turner also played for the Harlem Globetrotters.
Following his basketball career, Turner became an exhibited painter.

Leo A. "Barney" Barnhorst (May 11, 1924 – August 25, 2000) was an American basketball player.
A 6'4" forward/guard from Cathedral High School in Indianapolis, Barnhorst played four seasons at University of Notre Dame, where he was an honorable mention All-American. He then played professionally in the NBA for the Chicago Stags, Indianapolis Olympians, Baltimore Bullets and Fort Wayne Pistons. Barnhorst appeared in two NBA All-Star Games (1952, 1953) and scored 3,232 career points.Barnhorst was inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame in 1980.

Paul Winford "Pete" Mount (March 10, 1925 – February 3, 1990) was an American professional basketball player. He played in the National Basketball League for the Sheboygan Red Skins during the 1946–47 season and averaged 1.5 points per game. Pete was the father of American Basketball Association player Rick Mount. In his post-basketball career, he worked at the Detroit Diesel Allison Plant in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Robert Bruce Verga (born September 7, 1945) is an American retired professional basketball player, who played in the American Basketball Association and the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1967 to 1974. He was a 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) guard and played college basketball at Duke University. He was a two-time ABA All-Star, in 1968 and 1970.
Verga owns the Duke men's basketball record for points per game (26.7) in a single season, which he achieved in 1967.Verga was drafted by the NBA's St. Louis Hawks in the third round of the 1967 NBA draft and by the Kentucky Colonels in the 1967 ABA Draft. Verga opted to play in the ABA and averaged 23.7 points per game in his rookie season for the Dallas Chaparrals. Verga averaged 18.8 points per game in his second ABA season, with the Houston Mavericks. Verga played the next two seasons with the Carolina Cougars, averaging 27.5 points per game during the 1969–70 season and 18.8 the following season. After averaging 17.5 points per game for the Pittsburgh Condors in the 1971–72 season Verga finished his career with the NBA's Portland Trail Blazers in the 1973–74 season.

Glen Courtney Combs (born October 30, 1946, in Hazard, Kentucky) is a retired American basketball player.
A 6'2" guard from Virginia Tech, Combs was nicknamed "The Kentucky Rifle" for his long-range shooting. He was drafted by the National Basketball Association's San Diego Rockets in 1968, although he never played for them, opting to spend his entire career in the rival American Basketball Association after being drafted by the Dallas Chaparrals in the 1968 ABA Draft. Combs was a member of the Dallas/Texas Chaparrals, the Utah Stars, the Memphis Tams, and the Virginia Squires, and he appeared in three league All-star games (1970, 1971, 1972). The Utah Stars won an ABA Championship in 1971 when Combs was as a member of the team. He led the league in three-point baskets made (103) in 1971–72. When he retired in 1975, he had scored 7,666 career points.
Combs played college basketball at Virginia Tech. As a junior, he led the 1966–67 team to the Elite Eight, with a scoring average of 21.3 points per game. As of 2019 he holds the school record for points in an NCAA tournament game when he put up 29 in the Sweet 16 game against Indiana. In his senior season, he averaged 20.9 points per game, ending his career with a 17.9 scoring average in three varsity seasons. He was elected to the Virginia Tech Sports Hall of Fame in 1987.

Carl Thomas (born October 3, 1969) is American former professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is currently the head coach at Cleary University.Though born in Dayton, Ohio, Thomas moved to Lansing, Michigan where he played basketball at Everett High School. He went on to college at Eastern Michigan University, where he also played basketball.
Thomas began his NBA career with the Sacramento Kings in 1991–92, playing one game, playing 31 minutes, scoring 12 points. He did not return to the league until 1996–97, when he joined the Cleveland Cavaliers. His final NBA season in 1997–98 was split between the Golden State Warriors, Orlando Magic, and the Cavaliers (for a second stint).
Thomas last played professionally with an Italian team, Fileni Jesi. He is the twin brother of former Detroit Pistons player Charles Thomas.Thomas took a position as head of the Jackson College basketball program in 2013. He previously worked as an assistant basketball coach at Eastern Michigan University.On August 23, 2022, Thomas was named the first head coach of the Cleary University men's basketball program.

Richard E. Atha (September 21, 1931 – February 6, 2020) was an American basketball player and coach.