Leland Mitchell

Leland Mitchell

Mitchell with Mississippi State
Personal information
Born	(1941-02-22)February 22, 1941 Kiln, Mississippi, U.S.
Died	July 6, 2013(2013-07-06) (aged 72) Starkville, Mississippi, U.S.
Listed height	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Listed weight	210 lb (95 kg)
Career information
High school	Kiln (Kiln, Mississippi)
College	Pearl River CC (1959–1960) Mississippi State (1960–1963)
NBA draft	1963: 2nd round, 14th overall pick
Selected by the St. Louis Hawks
Playing career	1967–1968
Position	Shooting guard
Number	22
Career history
1967–1968	New Orleans Buccaneers
Career highlights and awards
2× First-team All-SEC (1962, 1963)
Stats at Basketball Reference

Leland Mitchell (February 22, 1941 – July 6, 2013) was an American basketball player.

College

A 6'4" shooting guard, Mitchell played at Mississippi State University under Babe McCarthy during the early 1960s. He was an All-Southeastern Conference honoree in 1963, a season in which Mississippi State lost to eventual champion Loyola University Chicago in the regional semifinals of the NCAA Tournament.

MSU's appearance in the tournament was controversial in their home state. To that point, MSU's all-white teams had only played against other all-white teams, but the NCAA Tournament was open to integrated teams, including Loyola, which fielded four black starters. The school had to sneak out of town to reach the tournament, since an unwritten Mississippi law prevented racial integration on the basketball court. Mitchell later said, "We wanted to play. We had just won the SEC championship for the third year in a row and we hadn't been allowed to play in the NCAA Tournament the past two years. For us, the biggest thing was getting the opportunity to play in the tournament because it was something we felt we deserved." He also noted, "It was much more than a basketball game. We were making history. We were ambassadors for the south, though none of us realized it at the time".

In the regional semifinal, now known as the Game of Change, Mitchell had 14 points and 11 rebounds against Loyola before fouling out with over six minutes left. The Chicago Tribune identified Mitchell's absence down the stretch as the key to Loyola's victory, noting, "Mitchell was a great performer and the only southerner who could rebound with [Loyola]." Mitchell was later named to the All-Tournament Team, along with Jerry Harkness of Loyola, Dave Downey of Illinois, Howard Komives of Bowling Green State University, and Nate Thurmond, also of Bowling Green.

Professional career

Mitchell was later selected by the St. Louis Hawks in the second round of the 1963 NBA draft. He never played for the Hawks, but spent the 1967-68 season in the American Basketball Association as a member of the New Orleans Buccaneers, who had hired Babe McCarthy as their coach. In 78 games, he averaged 4.1 points and 2.3 rebounds.

Mitchell died at his Starkville, Mississippi home on July 6, 2013. He was 72 years of age.

Career statistics

Legend

GP	Games played	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game
FG%	Field goal percentage	3P%	3-point field goal percentage	FT%	Free throw percentage
RPG	Rebounds per game	APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game
BPG	Blocks per game	PPG	Points per game	Bold	Career high

ABA

Source

Regular season

Year	Team	GP	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	PPG
1967–68	New Orleans	78	14.0	.349	.276	.659	2.3	.9	4.1

Playoffs

Year	Team	GP	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	PPG
1968	New Orleans	7	8.1	.111	.000	.500	.4	.4	.4