By Dylan Vazzano, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – New city. New building. Same tradition.
And in an event that showcases the league's top talent, Tennessee Tech will certainly have the "best" in show.
John Best, that is.
For the fourth year in a row the Ohio Valley Conference will recognize one men's or women's basketball legend from each of its 12 member institutions during the OVC Basketball Championships, Feb. 28-Mar.3 at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana. In the freshly fashioned landscape for the one of the conference's most premier events, this TTU legend became all too familiar with putting basketball through hoop.
Enter John Best (1989-93), a four-year Golden Eagle that has his name prominently stamped among the Tennessee Tech record books for his uncanny ability to light up the scoreboard. A 6-foot-8 forward out of Memphis, Best holds the program's all-time record for most points scored in a single season, collecting 799 during a star-studded senior campaign in 1992-93.
A 28.5 point-per-game scorer during his record-setting swan song season, Best ranked third in country in that department and finished second in Tech's all-time single-season program ranks, chasing only Jimmy Hagan's 28.8 PPG showing in 1959-60. For his efforts, Best took home his second-straight All-OVC first team selection, one of many awards seized for the Memphis native that also included spots on the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) All-Region and All-District clubs.
Much more than a one-hit wonder, Best ranks fourth on the all-time Tech career scoring list with 1,773 points during his purple and gold stint, while Best's 18.3 career PPG is good enough for third most among the all-time ranks. He also wrapped up his TTU tenure 17th on the school's all-time rebounding list with 594 career boards.
One of eight Golden Eagles to top 40 or more points in a single game, Best seized another piece of program history at the conclusion of his Tech career after being drafted 36th overall by the NBA's New Jersey Nets, the second-highest Golden Eagle ever drafted.
This year's group of OVC legends features six male and six female student athletes. The legends will be recognized through signage, P.A. announcements and a game program feature story during the event.
Cheryl Taylor (1983-87) was higlighted as Tech's legend last year, while Stephen Kite (1982-86) was featured in 2016 and Diane Seng (1996-2000) in 2015.
For more information and a list of each school's legend, click here.
