Roger Strickland (basketball)

Strickland was born in 1940 in Jacksonville, Florida.[1] He attended Bishop Kenny High School where he was a standout baseball and basketball player.

After attending Notre Dame for a year, Strickland transferred to Jacksonville University where he continued to excel in baseball and basketball.[2] He was selected by the Associated Press (AP) to the 1962 and 1963 college basketball Little All-America teams.[3][4] He averaged 27 points per game at Jacksonville.[5] He was also selected in 1962 and 1963 to the UPI's small college All-America basketball team.[6][7]

Strickland also played baseball as a pitcher and outfielder at Jacksonville. In 1963 he was named the most valuable baseball player in the Florida Intercollegiate Conference.[8] He was also selected as a second-team outfielder on the NAIA's 1963 All-America baseball team.[9]

Strickland was taken with the eighth overall pick by the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1963 NBA draft; previously, in 1962, he was also drafted by the Boston Celtics.[1] He signed with the Lakers in June 1963.[10][5]

On September 25, 1963, the Lakers requested waivers on Strickland.[11] On October 1, 1963, he was claimed off waivers by the Baltimore Bullets.[12] He appeared in one game for the Bullets where he scored two points going 1-3 from the field.[13]

Strickland continued to play amateur basketball and was a member of the 1969 Samoa Lounge Headhunters club that competed for the national A.A.U. championship.[14] He also became an executive with Southern Bell.[15][16]

Strickland died in 2011 at age 70.[1]