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Glynn Saulters Elected to Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2022

Glynn Saulters Elected to Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2022

Men's Basketball Apr 20
MONROE, La. – Glynn Saulters, a two-time All-American, two-time Gulf States Conference Player of the Year and the first player in ULM (formerly Northeast Louisiana) history to reach the 2,000-point career milestone, has been elected to the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2022. Saulters is the only former men's player in program history to have his jersey retired.
 
The Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2022 features eight additional players, including Pasadena College's Jim Bond, Central Florida's Bo Clark, Benedictine's Darryl Jones, Tampa's Todd Linder, Hampton's Rick Mahorn, Huntington's Steve Platt, Southeastern Oklahoma State's Jerry Shipp and Quinnipiac's Frank "Porky" Viera along with legendary coaches, in Mount St. Mary's Jim Phelan and McKendree's Harry Statham, as well as West Virginia State's Earl Lloyd as contributor/player. The 12-member class – the sixth in Small College Basketball Hall of Fame history – will be inducted on Friday, Nov. 4 at the Polk Theatre in Lakeland, Florida.
 
"It's mind-boggling to think that someone like myself, a small town country boy, could receive an honor like being named to the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame," Saulters said. "It really blows my mind."
 
Saulters, a 6-foot-2 guard who became a four-year starter for legendary Northeast Louisiana head coach Lenny Fant from 1964-68, led the team in scoring for four consecutive seasons. As a freshman in 1964-65, he averaged 19.9 points per game to earn second-team all-conference honors while helping Northeast to an 18-4 overall record, including the Gulf States Conference Championship (9-1).
 
"In college, I'm proudest of the contributions I made to Northeast winning the conference championship my freshman year," Saulters said. "I didn't realize the significance of winning it all until later in my career. It's difficult to win a conference title."
 
As a sophomore in 1965-66, Saulters shared the team's top scoring honors with Tommy Enloe, with each averaging 18.5 points per game.
 
A three-time first-team all-league selection, he won back-to-back Gulf States Conference Player of the Year honors as a junior and senior. Saulters led the GSC in scoring as a junior in 1966-67 while averaging 24.1 points per game. As a junior, he was selected third-team All-American (college division) by The Associated Press. As a senior in 1967-68, Saulters ranked eighth in the nation in scoring while again leading the league in scoring, averaging a career-best 31.3 points per game. He was named first-team All-American by United Press International and NAIA second-team All-American as a senior.
 
Saulters closed out his collegiate career as both Northeast's and GSC's all-time leading scorer with 2,134 career points. He scored more than 30 points in 20 career games, including seven 40-point efforts, with six of those coming during his senior season. Saulters scored a career-high 51 points in Northeast's 102-84 victory at Nicholls State on Feb. 1, 1968. He still holds seven of ULM's Top 10 single-game scoring totals.
 
The Lisbon, Louisiana, native ranks second in ULM's record book in both career points (2,134) and career scoring average (23.5 ppg.), trailing only Calvin Natt (2,581 career points and 23.9 career ppg., 1975-79). For his career, Saulters shot 49 percent (773-of-1,567) from the field and 83 percent (588-of-719) from the free-throw line.
 
"I played wing in Coach (Lenny) Fant's 1-3-1 style offense, with continuing rotation, much like the old shuffle offense," Saulters said. "That style offense certainly put me in the right positions to get open looks, and fortunately, I took advantage of those opportunities."
 
Saulters won a gold medal as a member of the 1968 U.S. men's basketball team, coached by Oklahoma State's Henry Iba, that competed in the Games of the XIXth Olympiad in Mexico City. His U.S. teammates included Spencer Haywood and Jo Jo White. The U.S. went a perfect 9-0 in the 1968 Olympics, including a 65-50 victory over Yugoslavia in the Gold Medal Game. Saulters, who beat out LSU's Pete Maravich for a spot on the U.S. roster, played in eight Olympic games and averaged 5.3 points, hitting 16-of-30 field-goal attempts (53 percent) and all 10 of his free-throw attempts.
 
"What a thrill it was to be chosen as one of 12 players to the 1968 U.S. Olympic Team," Saulters recalled. "Following my senior season, I wasn't even aware that making the U.S. Olympic roster was a possibility, but some doors began to open. As I was preparing for the upcoming Northeast baseball season, I was invited to play AAU basketball for the Baton Rouge Hawks on weekends. I gained some attention during an AAU Tournament in Cocoa Beach, Florida, and the next thing I knew I had two invitations to compete in the U.S. Olympic Trials, one to represent AAU and the other from the NAIA. I went with the NAIA team to the Olympic Trials. Some believe I was selected for the U.S. Olympic roster because Coach Iba's team was built for speed and finesse. I would have loved to have played with Pete Maravich in the Olympics, but I'm sure glad how things worked out.   
 
"For the first time since basketball became an official medal sport in the 1936 Olympics, the U.S. wasn't favored to win the gold. The Soviet Union and Yugoslavia were the favorites to take the gold medal, and all of us remembered the Sept. 30, 1968, issue of Sports Illustrated stated that this U.S. team didn't have the ability to do it.
 
"The highlight of my basketball career was standing on the podium with my U.S. teammates, the American flag and hearing our national anthem," Saulters continued. "The U.S. beat Yugoslavia handily in the fourth game of the Olympics. Three games later, we defeated Puerto Rico (61-56) in the closest contest in our entire Olympic run, then beat Yugoslavia in the Gold Medal Game again by double figures."
  
Saulters, who was selected by the Cincinnati Royals in the 12th round of the 1968 NBA Draft, opted to play his rookie season with the ABA's New Orleans Buccaneers in 1968-69.
 
He previously was inducted into the ULM L Club Sports Hall of Fame (1978), Louisiana Basketball Hall of Fame (1978), Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame (1981) and Ark-La-Tex Sports Museum of Champions (2012).
 
Daishon Smith poses with Glynn Saulters prior 2019 basketball game vs ULL
Daishon Smith poses with Glynn Saulters prior to ULM's home game against the Ragin' Cajuns on Jan. 19, 2019.

 
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