5 Greatest Single-Season Scorers in UW Hoop History

1) Bob Houbregs, 25.6 ppg

This congenial 6-foot-7 big man from Seattle took the UW to its only Final Four appearance, became the Huskies' first first-team All-America selection and was chosen Helms Foundation College Player of the Year in 1952-53, averaging a school-record 25.6 points per game for a 28-3 team. He scored 30 points or more on 10 occasions that season, a dozen in his career, and exceeded 40 points three times, twice in the NCAA Tournament. He also holds the school record for most points in a game, 49 against Idaho in '53. His No. 25 was the first basketball jersey retired by the school and a banner honoring him hangs from the rafters. He played five NBA seasons for five teams and became the Seattle SuperSonics general manager. Houbregs died in 2014 at 82.

2) Markelle Fultz, 23.2

In his abbreviated UW season, the 6-foot-4 guard from Upper Marlboro, Maryland, led the Pac-12 in scoring in 2016-17 with his 23.2 average, which was four and a half points higher than his nearest challenger. Fultz scored 30 and 35 points in his first two college games. He had five games of 30 points or more, topped by 37 against Colorado. Fultz missed the final six games of a 9-22 season with assorted injuries. He was drafted No. 1 overall by the Philadelphia 76ers and traded to the Orlando Magic, but his pro career has been greatly stalled by injuries.  

3) Louie Nelson, 23.0

The 6-foot-3 guard from Compton, California, led the Pac-8 in scoring with his 23.0 average in 1972-73 for an 18-11 Husky team. Nelson and Bill Walton (20.4), the dominant UCLA center and erstwhile ESPN TV broadcaster, were the only players to top 20 a game for the season. The UW guard had five games of 30 or more, topped by 36 against Grambling State. The season before, he was the Huskies' third-leading scorer (15.1) for a 20-6 team, but had to step up his point production once Steve Hawes (21.7) and Charles Dudley (16.5) used up their eligibility and left for the NBA. Nelson was right behind them, playing for five seasons for five NBA teams. He became a high school and junior-college coach and math teacher in Los Angeles.

4) Terrell Brown, 21.8

Similar to Fultz, the Huskies will have the services of Brown for just one season after he transferred in from Arizona following a high-scoring stint at Seattle U. In 2019-20, he led the WAC in scoring with a 20.7 average. For a 12-9 UW team, he now tops the Pac-12 in scoring by a wide margin, averaging more nearly four points more than his nearest challenger, UCLA's Johnny Juzang (18.1). Brown has four games of 30 or more this season, topped by his 32 against South Dakota State. Interestingly, two of his Husky assistant coaches, Quincy Pondexter and Will Conroy, are former UW players who had big scoring nights during their careers. Pondexter scored 34 against Oregon in 2009-10 and Conroy dropped 32 on Gonzaga in 2002-03.

5) Steve Hawes, 21.7

Hawes is the only UW player who has averaged 20 or more in more than one season, doing it three times by finishing at 20.2, 20.3 and 21.7. As a senior in 1971-72 for a 20-6 Husky team, the 6-foot-9 center from Mercer Island, Washington, led the Pac-8 in scoring, edging out Stanford guard Claude Terry (21.2), UCLA's Walton (21.1) and USC guard Paul Westphal (20.4). Hawes had three games of 30 points or more that season, six in his career, topped by 32 against both USC and Stanford. He played 11 NBA seasons for four teams.

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