Lorenzo Duncan (born January 15, 1963) is an American former professional basketball player who had been named an All-Star in the

British Basketball League The British Basketball League (BBL) was a men's professional basketball sports league, league in Great Britain. Since its establishment in 1987 the BBL represented the highest level of basketball competition within the United Kingdom. The orga ...

during the 1988–89 season. In college, he competed for Alabama–Huntsville and

Sam Houston State Sam Houston State University (Sam Houston, SHSU or Sam) is a public research university in Huntsville, Texas, United States. Founded in 1879, it is the third-oldest public college or university in Texas. It is one of the first normal schools wes ...

. Duncan was a four-time first-team all-conference selection and won two conference player of the year awards: the 1983

Southern States Conference The Southern States Conference (SSC) was an affiliate of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics that included member institutions in the U.S. states of Alabama, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, Mississippi, and Florida. The league exi ...

Player of the Year and the 1986 Gulf Star Conference Player of the Year.

Early life

A native of

Cairo, Illinois Cairo ( , sometimes ) is the southernmost city in the U.S. state of Illinois and the county seat of Alexander County, Illinois, Alexander County. A river city, Cairo has the lowest elevation of any location in Illinois and is the only Illinoi ...

, Duncan attended Cairo High School where as a senior in 1980–81 he was named all-state. That year he averaged 16 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, and 5 steals per game while leading the Cairo High Pilots to a 30–5 record. The team finished in third place in the Illinois Class A state tournament. Duncan was considered a "big-time point guard" who was recruited by

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest division of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athlet ...

schools such as

Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

Western Kentucky Western Kentucky is the western portion of the U.S. state of Kentucky. It generally includes part or all of several more widely recognized regions of the state. ;Always included * The Jackson Purchase, the state's westernmost generally recogniz ...

, and

Southern Illinois Southern Illinois is a region of the U.S. state of Illinois comprising the southern third of the state, principally south of Interstate 70. Part of downstate Illinois, it is bordered by the two List of U.S. rivers by discharge, most voluminous ri ...

, but due to his grades he was not immediately eligible to compete in the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

. Instead, Duncan chose to play for the

Alabama–Huntsville Chargers The Alabama–Huntsville Chargers (also UAH Chargers) are the athletic teams that represent the University of Alabama in Huntsville, located in Huntsville, Alabama, in intercollegiate sports at the NCAA Division II, Division II ranks of the Nati ...

, a school in the NAIA which did not adhere to the same academic requirements for student-athletes as the NCAA.

College career

As a freshman at Alabama–Huntsville in 1981–82, Duncan appeared in 25 games and averaged 12.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, 4.8 assists, and 3.6 steals. He helped guide the Chargers to win the

(SSC) Men's Basketball Tournament and was named to the all-conference first team. The following year, he averaged 15.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.8 assists, and 3.6 steals per game in 36 games played. Alabama–Huntsville repeated as SSC Tournament champions with Duncan being named the tournament's MVP. He repeated as a first-team selection while also taking home the regular season's top honor – Duncan was the 1983 Southern States Conference Player of the Year. After his sophomore season in 1982–83, a coaching change led to his decision to transfer out of Alabama–Huntsville. He went to

in the

Gulf Star Conference The Gulf Star Conference was an NCAA Division II conference that existed for three academic years from 1984–85 to 1986–87. All of the schools subsequently joined the Southland Conference. Dave Waples was the only commissioner, with t ...

, an

NCAA Division II NCAA Division II (D-II) is the intermediate-level division of competition in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). It offers an alternative to both the larger and better-funded Division I and to the scholarship-free environment ...

conference in its first year of existence. Due to NCAA transfer rules, Duncan had to

redshirt Redshirt, Red Shirt, or Redshirts may refer to: Sports * Redshirt (college sports) Redshirt, in United States college athletics, is a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen their period of eligibility. Typically ...

(sit out) his 1983–84 season. As a junior in 1984–85, he averaged 12.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, 5.1 assists, and 3.0 steals per game in 28 appearances. Although the Bearkats mustered only a 16–12 overall record, Duncan was selected to the All-Gulf Star first team. The following season, Duncan's senior year, Sam Houston State went 9–1 in conference play (27–6 overall), were Gulf Star regular season champions, and earned a berth into the 1986 NCAA Division II tournament. He averaged 17.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 2.7 steals per game in 33 appearances en route to a second consecutive (and fourth overall) first-team all-conference selection. Duncan was also named the Gulf Star Player of the Year, marking the second time he was named a league's MVP.

Professional career

Duncan was selected in the sixth round of the

1986 NBA draft The 1986 NBA draft was held on June 17, 1986. Overview and aftermath This draft holds the record for the most players (out of prospects chosen) who later debuted in the NBA, with 66. Drug and health issues involving drafted players There were ...

by the

Washington Bullets The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The team plays i ...

(128th overall). He never played in the

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

, however. He played in the

from 1986 to 1992. In 1988–89 he played for the Hemel Hempstead Royals (as of 2021–22 known as the

London Lions London Lions are a British professional basketball team based in Stratford, East London, England, and compete in the Super League Basketball (SLB). The team was originally founded in 1977 as the Hemel Hempstead Lakers. Following an ownershi ...

) where he was a BBL All-Star.

References

External links

Lorenzo Duncan
@ basketball-reference.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Duncan, Lorenzo 1963 births Living people Alabama–Huntsville Chargers men's basketball players American expatriate basketball people in the United Kingdom American men's basketball players Basketball players from Illinois London Lions (basketball) players People from Cairo, Illinois Point guards Sam Houston Bearkats men's basketball players Washington Bullets draft picks 20th-century American sportsmen