Cedric Hunter was one of the all-time CBA greats

After concluding a remarkable career at KU in 1987, where Cedric Hunter helped lead Kansas to the 1986 Final Four and became the school’s and Big Eight all-time assist leader, the 6-0 point guard was not selected in the 10-round NBA Draft. I was disappointed since I was hoping a team in the latter rounds would take a chance on this great ballhandler, defender and playmaker.

But it didn’t happen.

Instead, Hunter enjoyed a legendary 10-year CBA career, where he retired in 1997. He was one of the all-time CBA greats, ranking No. 1 in assists (3,815), No. 1 in steals (912), and No. 2 in games (466) and minutes (16,396). And he also ranks No. 8 all time in scoring with 6,205 points.

Hunter played for the Topeka Sizzlers, Santa Barbara Islanders, Omaha Racers, Sioux Falls Skyforce and, last, the San Diego Wildcards. He also played briefly in the WBL (6-4-and-under league) for the Las Vegas Silver Streaks, where I watched him on TV.

His KU coach Larry Brown was always a big fan and believer of Ced. Brown, who followed his CBA career closely, talked about Hunter’s NBA chances during his Hawk Talk radio show during the 1987-88 season.

“I’m in touch with him,” Brown said. “He’s doing extremely well with Topeka. The bottom line is people don’t think he can shoot the ball. That’s a tremendous drawback. I really feel with the expansion, he’ll have an opportunity to try out with somebody. He’s got to get with the right team. New Jersey told me they would have taken and brought Cedric up this year because they needed a defensive guard, but they had too many kids on injured reserve and weren’t allowed to do that. I feel comfortable that he’ll have a chance to try out next year.”

Hunter finally got to realize his NBA dream when the Charlotte Hornets signed him to a 10-day contract on Feb. 15, 1992. I was friends and worked with Hunter’s girlfriend and the mother of his daughter. She was hoping he’d be a big success with Charlotte.

“I hope he doesn’t come back (from the NBA),” she said at the time.

Charlotte, who only signed Hunter since they had injured guards, released him five days later. Hunter played in one game with Charlotte, recording one minute and no statistics.

And that was it for his NBA career. He never played in the league again, but at least this former KU standout got a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to have a brief stint in the NBA.

I went to this daughter's first birthday party in Lawrence and spoke briefly with Ced’s dad, Alfred, as we carried out the ice together. He told me Charlotte was impressed with Hunter. But they couldn’t have been that impressed if they released him so soon, but maybe they liked his game but just didn’t have room to keep him.

Still, Hunter should be quite proud of his legendary CBA career and carving his name as one of all-time greats. He should also be commended for playing in hard conditions, low pay, long bus rides to faraway small towns and second and third-class hotel accommodations. The CBA was a very difficult life without much fanfare.

My friend once told me that Ced’s agent “gets it done.” I always wondered, though, if his agent “gets it done,” then why didn’t he give Cedric an opportunity to play overseas for some real money. Maybe he did, and Ced declined. I don’t know. My only guess is that Cedric remained in the CBA for so long since he wanted to play in the United States and have a better chance of being called up by an NBA team. In any case, he certainly made the best of himself in the CBA for so many years and should be admired for his great perseverance.

He also dramatically improved his free throw shooting in the league. A career 52.1 percent free throw shooter at Kansas, Hunter shot a very impressive 81.2 percent for his CBA career at the charity stripe. Maybe shooting all those technicals for Brown at KU really boosted his confidence and carried over to the CBA.

Hunter also credits playing in the WBL for Las Vegas for helping his overall game and making him a better player. Sports Illustrated wrote on July 24, 1989 that Hunter was only 5-10, two inches shorter than his 6-foot he was listed as at Kansas.

"When I went to the CBA after summer ball, I felt fast running the break, faster making decisions," he told SI. "It seemed like the game got easier. When you're playing around quicker guys, you learn to make quicker decisions. It keeps your game fine-tuned."

After playing with Topeka since leaving KU, Hunter was traded from the Sizzlers to Santa Barbara for future considerations and an undisclosed amount of cash in February 1990 in a charitable move by Topeka coach Mike Riley.

"I've always talked about the future and building toward something in this league, and I saw an opportunity to do something positive for Cedric in the final days of this franchise. It's apparent we won't be back," Riley told the Tulsa World on Feb. 13.

I met Riley about a decade later when I was covering a KU basketball game in Allen Fieldhouse and the former Sizzlers’ coach was working as a scout for the Vancouver Grizzlies. Riley couldn’t have been nicer as we talked about my interest in scouting and former KU great Paul Pierce. He said coaching Hunter was a pure joy and that he thought he was returning to KU to complete his degree.

Hunter never received his degree from KU, but has gone to have much success after retiring from the CBA as a behavioral coordinator at Boys Town in native Omaha, Nebraska.

Hunter, who has never returned to Lawrence and KU for any KU basketball reunions, was inducted into the Nebraska High School Sports Hall of Fame in 2014. This was certainly a well-deserved honor for the former Nebraska prep legend. Here is what his bio said:

“Cedric Hunter dribbled through one of the greatest eras of basketball in Nebraska High School history. The Omaha South guard who lettered in all four years, averaged more than 23 points per game as a junior and then scored 27.3 points per game as a senior and was selected the captain of the Omaha World-Herald’s All-Nebraska squad. He went on to play at Kansas, starting eight games as a freshman and 107 in his four-year career. He finished with 1,022 points for the Jayhawks and set the school’s (all-time and) single-season record for assists. He went on to play for the Charlotte Hornets before a long career in the CBA/WBL where he set career records for assists and steals.

Thanks for the memories, Ced. You will never be forgotten by KU and CBA fans!