April 26, 2008
Farmville, Va. -- Former Longwood University All-America men's basketball player Jerome Kersey was inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame on Saturday night as a member of the Class of 2008 chosen by vote of the Honors Court committee. The 37th annual induction ceremony took place on April 26th at the Renaissance Portsmouth Hotel & Waterfront Conference Center, as the crowning event of Hall of Fame Weekend.
The accomplishments of this class are astounding,” said Hall of Fame President Eddie Webb. “Having earned national attention in both men’s and women’s sports, these seven are great examples of Virginia’s reputation for athletic excellence.”
Kersey played 17 seasons (1984-2001) in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for six different teams, winning an NBA Championship with San Antonio (1999). Prior to his NBA career, he was a four-year starter and two-time National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Division II All-American (1984, 1st-Team; 1983, 3rd-Team) at Longwood College (1980-84, now University). A 1984 NBA Draft Second-Round selection (46th overall) of Portland, Kersey was also the 1984 Virginia College Division Player of Year. He was one of six initial inductees into the inaugural Longwood University Athletics Hall of Fame on November 27, 2005.
A native of Clarksville, Kersey led Longwood to a record of 64-39 during his career. As a senior, he averaged 19.6 points and a national Division II-best 14.2 rebounds en route to his 1st-Team All-America and State Player of the Year honors. Kersey participated in the 1984 Portsmouth Invitational Tournament (PIT) NBA pre-draft camp, and earned PIT All-Tournament Team honors. He still holds 10 Longwood school-records, including career rebounds (1,162), and scored 1,756 career points for the Lancers to (currently) rank second all-time. Kersey earned numerous additional honors while at Longwood, including All-Region (1982-84), All-State (1983-84), and All-Conference/Player of the Year (1984).
Kersey played 11 NBA seasons in Portland (1984-95), becoming only the second player in franchise history to score 10,000-plus career points (10,067), and grab 5,000-plus career rebounds (5,078) while helping the Trail Blazers to 10 NBA Playoff appearances, including two trips to the NBA Finals (1990, 1992). His best season statistically was 1987-88 when he averaged 19.2 points, 8.3 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 1.6 steals. Kersey also played professionally for Golden State (1995-96), Los Angeles (Lakers, 1996-97), Seattle (1997-98), San Antonio (1998-2000), and Milwaukee (2000-01). His overall NBA regular-season career totals include 1,153 games, 11,825 points (10.3), 6,339 rebounds (5.5), 2,134 assists (1.9), 1,439 steals (1.2), and 799 blocks (0.7). He posted slightly better numbers during his NBA post-season career (126 games), including 1,157 points (12.4) and 717 rebounds (5.7).
Kersey returned to the NBA after his playing career ended as Director of Player Programs for Portland (2003-04), and was an assistant coach with Milwaukee (2004-05). He currently resides in Happy Valley, Oregon where he presently serves as President of Basketball for Portland-based Premier Sports International as well as Director of Project Development for California-based Kuri Productions, Inc..
The 2008 Class also includes John Hilton, a football standout at the University of Richmond and in the NFL; Ricky Hunley, a 1997 College Football Hall of Fame inductee; Betty Jaynes, a 2000 Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame inductee; Kelli James Precourt, a field hockey Olympian; Bob Rathbun, the TV voice of the Atlanta Hawks; and Dawn Staley, a University of Virginia All-American and WNBA star.
