Ben Strong Looks to Be First Division III Player Drafted in Nine Years

Last year, Guilford College center Ben Strong was the NCAA Division III Player of the Year. The 6-foot-11 Strong averaged 25.4 points and 11.2 rebounds per game and he blocked 72 shots in 29 games. He also led the Quakers in free throw percentage, converting 80 percent of his tries from the line. Strong keyed Guilford's run to the Final Four and he set a D III tournament record with 59 points, including the winning free throw in the Quakers' 129-128 triple-overtime win over Lincoln.

This year, Strong is back for his senior season and has led Guilford to the top of the Old Dominion Athletic Conference. The Quakers are 15-4, 10-2 and are on a seven-game winning streak after Wednesday's win over Washington and Lee, which vaulted them into first place.

Strong has picked up right where he left off last season. He's averaging 25.1 points and 11.1 rebounds per game. He also has more blocks (45) and assists (41) than turnovers (40), a remarkable feat for a big man. Keep in mind that Tim Duncan has accomplished that only twice in his career in the NBA, which is now in its 11th season.

Strong's combination of height, athletic ability and court savvy leave him in a position to be the first D III player drafted since the Los Angeles Lakers took Devean George out of Augsburg College with the last pick of the first round in 1999.

George and Strong share a bond besides being D III players. Both had big growth spurts relatively late in their life. George entered college as a 6-foot-1 guard and left as a 6-foot-8 forward. Strong was a guard through most of his prep days and it wasn't until his senior season that he really begun to grow. By then, no D I schools offered a scholarship.

Strong ended up at Guilford College along with best friend and high school teammate Caleb Kimbrough. An outstanding athlete himself, Kimbrough is a two-sport star at Guilford, where he also plays on the tennis team. The 5-foot-8 Kimbrough was taller than Strong when they were in middle school.