West Virginia has not been a hotbed of NBA talent, only producing 15 NBA/ABA players. Of that pool of players, only a handful of Mountaineers alumni have been consistant professional players, three of which have been all-star caliber players.

Who is the top NBA All-Star game performer? Let’s count it down (all three of them):

Schaus and West, CREDIT: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

3. Fred Schaus, Fort Wayne Pistons (1951)

Alll-Star Game Totals: 8 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists

Fred Schaus entered the NBA draft in 1949 after an eventful career at West Virignia that culminated in a 1949 All-America campaign.

Schaus was drafted in the third round of the NBA draft (27th overall) by the Fort Wayne Pistons. In his rookie season, Schaus averaged 14.3 points per game, becoming an instant star for the Pistons.

Schaus improved on his rookie season in the 1950-51 season, pushing his scoring average to 15.3 points per game, earning an appearance in the innaugural NBA All-Star game.

That first All-Star game was played at the Boston Garden. Schaus and the West All-Stars lost to the East All-Stars by a final score of 111-94.

Schaus came off the bench for the West, shooting 2 of 9 from the field and 4 of 4 from the free throw line.

The 1951 NBA All-Star game was the only All-Star game that Fred Schaus would ever appear in. His career would slowly taper off from that season and Schaus would only play two more seasons in Fort Wayne and one with the New York Kincks before ending his career in 1954.

He would later find mixed coaching success at West Virginia and Purdue. He is most remembered for his coaching stint with the Los Angeles Lakers from 1960-1967, taking them to five Western Conference Finals and as a GM of the Lakers from 1968-1972. Schaus assembled the Lakers squad that won the 1972 NBA Finals.

For a complete biography (and obituary) of Fred Schaus, visit post-gazette.com