In a 13 year period from 1985 to 1998, Georgetown graduated six future NBA big men: Patrick Ewing, Dikembe Mutombo, Alonzo Mourning, Othella Harrington, Jahidi White, and....Ben Gillery. Basketball fans of a certain age remember the 7-0 junior college player as much for his time on the bench as his time on the floor.

"What I remember about him was that he would start a game, be pulled at the first stoppage, and never return," write basketball statistician Ken Pomeroy in 2005. I marveled at box scores where he was listed as a starter, played two minutes, and the rest of his line was filled with zeroes. It was like his only purpose was to win the jump ball." In a 2005 column titled "The Value of Ben Gillery," Pomeroy calculated that a college team that wins the tip has a 3.5 percent better chance of winning because, in part, it gains an extra possession.

Gillery was a late recruiting add in the spring of 1986 after Grady Mateen, heir presumptive to Patrick Ewing's center leadership, quit the team and relocated to Ohio State. Gillery's numbers at Hutchinson (KS) Community College were unremarkable for a big man (8.2 points, 6.0 rebounds, 53 percent from the foul line), but it was felt that as a project player, Gillery could grow into the role under a coach like John Thompson.

Gillery did open his junior year with some court time, scoring 10 points in 20 minutes against the redoubtable St. Leo Monarchs, but his appearance against Arizona (one minute, no points) was the onset of the Gillery mystique. While the one minute box score happened only five more times over Gillery's two seasons, it often showed in nationally televised games, leading many to surmise the seven footer rarely played at all--in fact, he averaged eight minutes a game over his career.

Gillery's greatest game in Blue and Gray was on January 24, 1988 versus Syracuse at the Carrier Dome. Absolutely nothing was expected from the seven footer in this game. A season befoer, Gillery was benched after thee minutes in the series at Capityal centre, one minute at the Carrier Dome, and one mintue at the Big East final. When the Hoyas arrived to Syracuse that January, the homestanding fans were ready to give the senior the big send-off after the tip-off. Instead, Gillery played the game of his life. In a game best known for Charles Smith's end to end layup to win the game at the buzzer, 69-68, Gillery was the unsung hero. He played a career high 28 minutes, shooting 5 for 6 from the field for 11 points and six rebounds, much of it in a first half when the Hoyas were on the ropes against the #14 ranked Orangemen. Charles Smith would have never had that layup to win the game without Gillery's effort in this game.

Whatever magic Ben Gillery gained from that afternoon was short lived, as he scored just 17 points over his remaining 14 games and ended his college career on national TV, facing #1 Temple in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

One minute, no points.

To no surprise, Gillery was undrafted by the NBA, but in a stunning move to this day, Sacramento Kings general manager Bill Russell offered Gillery a two year, $200,000 contract. "Big Ben" played in 23 games for the Kings, scoring just 25 points and 23 rebounds, averaging one point and one rebound in just over three minutes per game. He did not return for the 1989-90 season.