Mike Bantom Hometown: Philadelphia, Pa. Last College: Saint Joseph's Position: Forward Experience: 1970-73

Mike Bantom was one of the greatest post players in Saint Joseph's history.

Bantom earned All-America honors in 1972-73, was named to the NABC All-District First Team twice, and was also selected to Philadelphia's All-Big 5 First Team as a junior and senior.

The three-time All-Middle Atlantic Conference selection ranks as the Hawks' second leading all-time rebounder with 1,151 and is ninth in career points with 1,684. He averaged a double-double in his career with 20.0 points and 13.7 rebounds.

He led Saint Joseph's in rebounding all three seasons and in scoring as a sophomore and junior, and posted career best-averages of (21.8) points per game and (14.8) rebounds per game in his junior year.

He was selected by the Phoenix Suns in the first round (8th pick) of the 1973 NBA Draft, and tallied over 8,500 points and 4,500 rebounds in a nine-year NBA career with five different teams.

Bantom capped his career as a member of the 1982 Philadelphia 76ers team that reached the NBA Finals. He also played professionally in Italy, and was the first and only SJU player to be a member of the U.S. Olympic Team, with his participation in the 1972 Summer Games.

He was inducted into the Big 5 Hall of Fame in 1979 and into the SJU Basketball Hall of Fame in 1981. He was also inducted into the Saint Joseph's Athletics Hall of Fame in 2000. His uniform number (44) was retired by the university on March 1, 2003.