1947 BAA draft
Notable undrafted players
Table:
Player

Position

College

Don Barksdale^

F/C

UCLA

Charles B. Black

F/C

Kansas

Jake Bornheimer

F/C

Muhlenberg

Carl Braun^

G

Colgate

Fran Curran

G

Notre Dame

Jack Dwan

F/G

Loyola (IL)

Hoot Gibson

F/C

Creighton

Ralph Hamilton

G/F

Indiana

Doug Holcomb

F

Wisconsin

Walt Kirk

G

Illinois

Ray Kuka

F

Montana State

Fred Paine

F

Westminster (PA)

Les Pugh

F/C

Ohio State

Ray Ramsey

G/F

Bradley

Lee Robbins

F

Colorado

Gene Rock

G

USC

Jack Rocker

F/C

California

Jack Smiley

F/G

Illinois

Jim Springer

C

Canterbury

Considering the provided table together with the supporting evidence below.

Provide an answer to this question: Which athletic conference is the university attended by BAA draft participant Ray Kuka a participant of ? Provide just your answer in a JSON object {"answer": "YOUR ANSWER"}. Do not introduce information beyond the provided sources.

Donald Argee Barksdale ( March 31 , 1923 - March 8 , 1993 ) was an American professional basketball player . He was a pioneer as an African-American basketball player , becoming the first to be named NCAA All-American , the first to play on a United States men 's Olympic basketball team , and the first to play in a National Basketball Association All-Star Game . He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame .
The UCLA Bruins men 's basketball program represents the University of California , Los Angeles in the sport of men 's basketball as a member of the Pac-12 Conference . Established in 1919 , the program has won a record 11 NCAA titles . Coach John Wooden led the Bruins to 10 national titles in 12 seasons , from 1964 to 1975 , including seven straight from 1967 to 1973 . UCLA went undefeated a record four times ( 1964 , 1967 , 1972 , and 1973 ) . Coach Jim Harrick led the team to another NCAA title in 1995 . Former coach Ben Howland led UCLA to three consecutive Final Four appearances from 2006 to 2008 . As a member of the AAWU , Pacific-8 and then Pacific-10 , UCLA set a NCAA Division I record with 13 consecutive regular season conference titles between 1967 and 1979 which stood until passed by Kansas in 2018 .
Charles Bradford Black Jr. ( June 15 , 1921 - December 22 , 1992 ) was an American professional basketball player and a four-time All-American at the University of Kansas . Black was also a decorated war hero .
The Kansas Jayhawks men 's basketball program is the intercollegiate men 's basketball program of the University of Kansas . The program is classified in the NCAA 's Division I and the team competes in the Big 12 Conference . Kansas is considered one of the most prestigious college basketball programs in the country with 5 overall claimed National Championships ( 3 NCAA Tournament championships , 2 Helms National Championships ) , as well being a National Runner-Up six times and having the most conference titles in the nation . Kansas is the all-time consecutive conference titles record holder with 14 consecutive titles , a streak that ran from 2005 through 2018 . The Jayhawks also own the NCAA record for most consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances with an active streak of 30 consecutive appearances . Another notable active streak for the Jayhawks is they have been ranked in the AP poll for 211 consecutive polls , a streak that has stretched from the poll released on February 2 , 2009 poll through the poll released on January 13 , 2020 , which is the longest active streak in the nation . That streak is 10 behind UCLA 's record run of 221 straight from 1966-1980 . The Jayhawks ' first coach was the inventor of the game of basketball , James Naismith . Naismith , ironically , is the only coach in Kansas basketball history with a losing record . The Kansas basketball program has produced many notable professional players , including Clyde Lovellette , Wilt Chamberlain , Jo Jo White , Danny Manning , Raef LaFrentz , Paul Pierce , Nick Collison , Kirk Hinrich , Mario Chalmers , Andrew Wiggins and Joel Embiid . Politician Bob Dole also played basketball at Kansas . Former players that have gone on to be coaches include Phog Allen , Adolph Rupp , Dean Smith , Dutch Lonborg , and former assistants to go on to be notable coaches include John Calipari , Gregg Popovich , and Bill Self .
Jacob Jake Bornheimer ( June 29 , 1927 - September 10 , 1986 ) was an American professional basketball player . Born in New Brunswick , New Jersey , Bornheimer played collegiately for the Muhlenberg College . He played for the Philadelphia Warriors ( 1948-50 ) in the NBA for 75 games . His older brother , Bill , played basketball at Georgetown , from 1940-1942 .
Muhlenberg College is a private liberal arts college in Allentown , Pennsylvania . Founded in 1848 , Muhlenberg is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and is named for Henry Melchior Muhlenberg , the German patriarch of the Lutheran Church in America .
Carl August Braun Jr. ( September 25 , 1927 - February 10 , 2010 ) was an American professional basketball and baseball player and professional basketball coach .
The Colgate Raiders men 's basketball team represents Colgate University in Hamilton , New York in NCAA Division I competition . The school 's team competes in the Patriot League and play their home games in Cotterell Court .
Francis Hugh Curran ( September 9 , 1922 - September 18 , 2004 ) was an American professional basketball player . He spent one season in the Basketball Association of America ( BAA ) and one season in the BAA 's later incarnation , the National Basketball Association ( NBA ) . He played with the Rochester Royals during the 1948-49 and 1949-50 seasons . He attended the University of Notre Dame .
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish men 's basketball team is the intercollegiate men 's basketball program representing the University of Notre Dame in Notre Dame , Indiana , United States . The program competes in the Atlantic Coast Conference of NCAA Division I . On September 12 , 2012 , Notre Dame announced they would be moving to the Atlantic Coast Conference ; they joined the conference on July 1 , 2013 . The school holds two retroactively awarded national championships in basketball from the Helms Foundation : for the 1927 ( 19-1 overall record ) and 1936 ( 22-2-1 overall record ) seasons . They have also played in the NCAA Tournament 36 times , good for 9th all time , and reached the Final Four in 1978 . The Irish hold the record for most Tournament appearances without a championship or championship game appearance , one of five teams ( along with Texas , Temple , Illinois and Oklahoma ) to have 30 or more appearances without a title and one of three teams ( along with Texas and Temple ) to have more than 30 appearances without either . They are also the first Big East team to go undefeated at home two straight seasons . They play their home games in the Purcell Pavilion at the Edmund P. Joyce Center . Since moving to the Purcell Pavilion in 1968 , they have had 44 winning seasons at the Purcell Pavilion , including 5 undefeated seasons at home ( 1973 , 1985 , 2006 , 2007 , and 2010 ) and have had only 4 losing seasons at the Purcell Pavilion ( 1971 , 1981 , 1992 , and 1995 ) . Jeff Sagarin and ESPN listed the program 12th in the college basketball all-time rankings in the ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia . The Fighting Irish are currently coached by Mike Brey .
John P. Dwan ( May 3 , 1921 - August 4 , 1993 ) was an American professional basketball player . A 6 ' 4 ( 1.93 m ) forward/guard from Loyola University Chicago , Dwan played two seasons ( 1947-49 ) in the National Basketball League and Basketball Association of America as a member of the Minneapolis Lakers . He won a NBL championship in 1948 and a BAA championship in 1949 .
The Loyola Ramblers men 's basketball team represents Loyola University Chicago in Chicago , Illinois . The Ramblers joined the Missouri Valley Conference on July 1 , 2013 , ending a 34-season tenure as charter members of the Horizon League . In 1963 , Loyola won the 1963 NCAA Men 's Division I Basketball Tournament ( then the NCAA University Division ) men 's basketball national championship under the leadership of All-American Jerry Harkness , defeating two-time defending champion Cincinnati 60-58 in overtime in the title game . All five starters for the Ramblers played the entire championship game without substitution . Surviving team members were honored on July 11 , 2013 , at the White House to commemorate the 50th anniversary of their victory . The entire team was inducted in November of that year in the College Basketball Hall of Fame . As of 2019 , Loyola remains the only school from the state of Illinois to win a men 's Division I basketball NCAA tournament . Loyola 's first-round regional victory over Tennessee Tech on March 11 , 1963 , remains a record for margin of victory ( 69 points ) for any NCAA men 's basketball tournament game . The team gained national publicity again in 2018 , as a result of both their Cinderella Story-esque performance in the tournament , in which they upset numerous teams to reach the Final Four as an 11-seed , tying for the lowest seed ever to do so , and the cultural popularity of their team chaplain , the then-98-year old nun Sister Jean .
Ward B. Hoot Gibson Jr. ( December 5 , 1921 - February 1 , 1958 ) was an American professional basketball player . He played for several teams in the National Basketball League ( NBL ) and National Basketball Association ( NBA ) . Gibson was killed in a car accident in his hometown of Des Moines , Iowa when he lost control of the vehicle he was driving and hit a tree . He was survived by his wife , Vonnie .
The Creighton Bluejays men 's basketball team represents Creighton University of the NCAA Division I college basketball . They currently compete in the Big East Conference having joined the conference following the Big East conference realignment in 2013 . The Bluejays play their home games at CHI Health Center Omaha in Omaha , Nebraska . Creighton finished sixth nationally in home attendance , averaging 17,048 fans per home game in 2014-15 . Before joining the Big East , Creighton was a member of the Missouri Valley Conference from 1976 through 2013 . The Jays were also members of the MVC from 1928 to 1948 and participated as an independent from 1948 to 1977 before rejoining the MVC . The Bluejays have won a record 15 MVC regular season conference titles and a record 12 MVC Tournament titles . The team has 20 appearances in the NCAA Tournament . The Jays last played in the NCAA Tournament in 2018 . The Bluejays won at least one NCAA tournament game for three consecutive seasons , including a 58-57 win over Alabama , a 67-63 win over Cincinnati and a 76-66 win over Louisiana-Lafayette .
Ralph Albert Hamilton ( June 10 , 1921 - June 5 , 1983 ) was an American professional basketball player . He played for the Fort Wayne Pistons and Indianapolis Jets of the National Basketball League and the Basketball Association of America ( BAA ) , precursors to the modern day National Basketball Association ( NBA ) . Hamilton was traded by the Pistons to the Jets in December 1948 . Hamilton , a native of Fort Wayne , Indiana , played collegiately at Indiana University in Bloomington . He played for the Hoosiers in 1941-42 and 1942-43 ( his sophomore and junior years , respectively ) but then served in the United States Army for three years during the end of World War II . When he came back as a 25-year-old senior in 1946-47 , he served as team captain and led them in scoring , was named First Team All-Big Ten Conference and was dubbed a consensus First Team All-American . He also scored nearly 1,000 points during his staggered college career . Hamilton died in 1983 just shy of his 62nd birthday .
The Indiana Hoosiers men 's basketball team represents Indiana University Bloomington in NCAA Division I college basketball and competes in the Big Ten Conference . The Hoosiers play on Branch McCracken Court at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington , Indiana on the Indiana University Bloomington campus . Indiana has won five NCAA Championships in men 's basketball ( 1940 , 1953 , 1976 , 1981 , 1987 ) - the first two under coach Branch McCracken and the latter three under Bob Knight . Indiana 's 1976 squad remains the last undefeated NCAA men 's basketball champion . The Hoosiers are tied for sixth in NCAA Tournament appearances ( 39 ) , seventh in NCAA Tournament victories ( 66 ) , tied for eighth in Final Four appearances ( 8 ) , and 11th in overall victories . The Hoosiers have won 22 Big Ten Conference Championships and have the best winning percentage in conference games at nearly 60 percent . No team has had more All-Big Ten selections than the Hoosiers with 53 . The Hoosiers also rank seventh in all-time AP poll appearances ( 560 ) and sixth in the number of weeks spent ranked No . 1 ( 54 ) . Every four-year men 's basketball letterman since 1973 has earned a trip to the NCAA basketball tournament . Additionally , every four-year player since 1950 has played on a nationally ranked squad at Indiana . The Hoosiers are among the most storied programs in the history of college basketball .
Douglas Martin Holcomb ( February 9 , 1925 - February 3 , 2008 ) was an American professional basketball player . Holcomb played with the Baltimore Bullets of the Basketball Association of America from 1948 to 1949 . He played at the collegiate level at the University of Wisconsin-Madison .
The Wisconsin Badgers is a NCAA Division I college basketball team competing in the Big Ten Conference . The Badgers home games are played at the Kohl Center , located on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus in Madison , Wisconsin . Wisconsin has 1618 wins through the end of the 2018-19 season which is top 50 all-time in wins in college basketball .
Walton Kirk Jr. ( September 3 , 1924 - December 12 , 2012 ) was an American professional basketball player .
The Illinois Fighting Illini men 's basketball team is an NCAA Division I college basketball team competing in the Big Ten Conference . Home games are played at the State Farm Center , located on the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 's campus in Champaign . Illinois has one pre-tournament national championship in 1915 , one retroactive national championship awarded in 1943 by the Premo-Porretta Power Poll . Illinois has appeared in the NCAA Division I Men 's Basketball Tournament 30 times , and has competed in 5 Final Fours , 9 Elite Eights , and has won 17 Big Ten regular season championships . The team is currently coached by Brad Underwood , who was hired on March 18 , 2017 . Through the end of the 2017-18 season , Illinois ranks 12th all-time in winning percentage and 15th all-time in wins among all NCAA Division I men 's college basketball programs .
Raphael Eugene Ray Kuka ( February 17 , 1922 - March 27 , 1990 ) was an American professional basketball player . He played in the Basketball Association of America for the New York Knicks during the 1947-48 season and part of the 1948-49 season . Kuka also served briefly as the Knicks ' interim head coach for a few games in February 1949 . Joe Lapchick , the regular head coach , was hospitalized to treat a stomach disorder . Kuka had also previously served as a team scout . Kuka played in college for Notre Dame before being drafted into the United States Air Force for World War II . After World War II he returned home and played for Montana State , where he earned all-conference honors .
The Montana State Bobcats men 's basketball team represents Montana State University in Bozeman , Montana , United States . The school 's team currently competes in the Big Sky Conference . They play their home games at Brick Breeden Fieldhouse . Montana State began varsity intercollegiate competition in men 's basketball in 1902 . The Bobcats were retroactively recognized as the pre-NCAA Tournament national champion for the 1928-29 season by the Premo-Porretta Power Poll and the Helms Athletic Foundation .
Frederick Vincent Paine , Jr. ( December 7 , 1925 - October 26 , 2004 ) was an American professional basketball player . He spent one season in the Basketball Association of America ( BAA ) as a member of the Providence Steamrollers ( 1948-49 ) . He attended Westminster College of Pennsylvania .
Westminster College is a private liberal arts college located in New Wilmington , Pennsylvania , United States . Founded in 1852 , it is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church ( USA ) . The student population is approximately 1,307 undergraduate and graduate students .
Leslie Ellsworth Pugh ( September 18 , 1922 - February 25 , 1979 ) was an American professional basketball player . He spent one season in the Basketball Association of America ( BAA ) and one season in the National Basketball Association ( NBA ) as a member of the Providence Steam Rollers ( 1948-49 ) and the Baltimore Bullets ( 1949-50 ) . He attended Ohio State University .
The Ohio State men 's basketball team represents The Ohio State University in NCAA Division I college basketball competition . The Buckeyes are a member of the Big Ten Conference . The Buckeyes share a classic rivalry with the Michigan Wolverines , in which OSU has a 98-78 series lead . The Buckeyes play their home games at Value City Arena in the Jerome Schottenstein Center in Columbus , Ohio , which opened in 1998 . The official capacity of the center is 19,200 . Ohio State ranked 28th in the nation in average home attendance as of the 2016 season . The Buckeyes have won one national championship ( 1960 ) , been the National Runner-Up four times , appeared in 10 Final Fours ( one additional appearance has been vacated by the NCAA ) , and appeared in 27 NCAA Tournaments ( four other appearances have been vacated ) . Thad Matta was named the head coach of Ohio State in 2004 to replace coach Jim O'Brien , who was fired due to NCAA violations which cost Ohio State over 113 wins between 1998 and 2002 . On June 5 , 2017 , after consecutive years of missing the NCAA Tournament , the school announced Matta would not return as head coach after 13 years and 337 wins at Ohio State . On June 9 , the school hired Butler head coach Chris Holtmann as head coach .
Rocket Raymond LeRoy Ramsey ( July 18 , 1921 - August 25 , 2009 ) was a professional American football player who played defensive back for the Chicago Cardinals ( 1950-1953 ) . He remains the Cardinals all-time record holder for interception return yardage in a single season with 237 which he set in the 1953 season . He also played in the All-America Football Conference and in the Interprovincial Rugby Football Union , a forerunner of the Canadian Football League . In addition , Ramsey had a brief professional basketball career , playing two games for the Baltimore Bullets during the 1948-49 BAA season .
The Bradley Braves men 's basketball team represents Bradley University , located in Peoria , Illinois , in NCAA Division I basketball competition . They compete as a member of the Missouri Valley Conference . The Braves are currently coached by Brian Wardle and play their home games at Carver Arena . Bradley has appeared in nine NCAA Tournaments , including two Final Fours , finishing as the national runner-up in 1950 and 1954 . They last appeared in the NCAA Tournament in 2019 , and last reached the NCAA Sweet Sixteen in 2006 . The Braves have also appeared in the National Invitation Tournament 21 times with an all-time NIT record of 26-18 and have won four NIT championships ( 1957 , 1960 , 1964 , and 1982 ) , second only to St. John 's in appearances ( 30 ) and titles ( 5 ) . Until the introduction of the Vegas 16 Tournament in 2016 , the program held the distinction of being invited to the initial offering of every national postseason tournament .
Lee Roy Robbins ( February 11 , 1922 - April 8 , 1968 ) was an American professional basketball player . He spent two seasons in the Basketball Association of America ( BAA ) as a member of the Providence Steam Rollers ( 1947-49 ) . He attended the University of Colorado .
The Colorado Buffaloes men 's basketball team represents the University of Colorado at Boulder . The team competes in the Pac-12 Conference of NCAA Division I . They are currently coached by Tad Boyle . The Buffaloes have competed in fourteen NCAA Tournaments , making it to the Final Four twice ( 1942 ) , and ( 1955 ) . Colorado has played in nine National Invitation Tournaments , winning the tournament in 1940 and making the semi-finals in 1991 and 2011 . The Buffs won the Pac-12 conference tournament in 2012 , their first season as a member .
Eugene Rock ( November 4 , 1921 - October 31 , 2002 ) was an American professional basketball player who played in the Professional Basketball League of America ( PBLA ) and the Basketball Association of America ( BAA ) during the 1947-48 season . A native of Huntington Beach , California , Rock attended Huntington Beach High School before enrolling at the University of Southern California to play basketball . While at USC , Rock earned varsity letters in 1942 , 1943 and 1947 . Like many male college athletes during his day , Rock served in the military for two years before finishing college ; he was in the Marine Corps . Rock led the Trojans in scoring during 1942-43 ( 12.6 points per game ) and again in 1946-47 ( 11.1 ppg ) . During the former season , USC finished with a then-school record 23-5 mark en route to winning the Pacific Coast League Southern Division title . Rock was also a teammate of future College Basketball Hall of Fame coach Tex Winter . After his college career ended , Rock went on to play for the Birmingham Skyhawks in the PBLA , which was a professional basketball league that lasted for less than one full season due to underfunding . He averaged 6.9 points per game in seven games before the league folded . Rock then signed with the Chicago Stags of the BAA . In 11 games played , he averaged 0.9 points . His basketball career ended after the season , and Rock went on to work for the Los Angeles Police Department , where he eventually became a captain .
The USC Trojans men 's basketball program is the college basketball team that competes in the Pac-12 Conference of the National Collegiate Athletic Association ( NCAA ) Division I and represents the University of Southern California . The program was formerly coached by Tim Floyd , until his resignation on June 9 , 2009 . Other staff members include Phil Johnson , Bob Cantu , Gib Arnold , Rob Brooks and Rudy Hackett . Kevin O'Neill , who last coached in the NCAA at Arizona , was named the head coach by Mike Garrett on June 20 , 2009 . O'Neill was terminated in January 2013 after a 7-10 start . Longtime assistant Bob Cantu was given interim duties . On April 1 , 2013 , Andy Enfield , head coach of the Florida Gulf Coast University team known for its upsets during the 2013 NCAA Tournament , was named head coach .
Jack L. Rocker ( August 12 , 1922 - November 27 , 2010 ) was a professional basketball player for the Philadelphia Warriors of the Basketball Association of America ( BAA ) . He played college basketball for the California Golden Bears and was an All-Pacific Coast Conference ( PCC ) selection in 1947 . Rocker then played one season for the Warriors in 1947-48 .
The California Golden Bears basketball team is the college basketball team of the University of California , Berkeley . The program has seen success throughout the years , culminating in a national championship in 1959 under coach Pete Newell , and the team has reached the final four two other times , in 1946 and 1960 . The current head coach is Mark Fox , who began his tenure at Cal in 2019 . The team plays its home games at Haas Pavilion , which was long known as Harmon Gym before being heavily renovated with money donated in part by the owners of Levi Strauss & Co . The arena was originally known as Men 's Gymnasium and then later Harmon Gymnasium until the late 1990s when it went through renovations which displaced the team for two seasons .
Arthur John Smiley ( December 22 , 1922 - July 30 , 2000 ) was an American professional basketball player . Smiley played basketball for Waterman High School , in Waterman , Illinois . With Gene Vance , Andy Phillip , Ken Menke , and Art Mathisen , Smiley was a member of the University of Illinois ' Whiz Kids team that went 35-6 from 1941 to 1943 , earning two Big Ten Conference championships . The team voted to turn down an invitation to the NCAA tournament in 1943 , after Smiley , Vance and Phillip were inducted into the military mid-season . As an artillery corporal with the Army 's 106th division , Smiley was engaged in one of the bloodiest skirmishes of the Battle of the Bulge- once firing his 105 mm Howitzer for 96 continuous hours . The 106th division suffered a 90% casualty rate in the skirmish . Smiley returned to Illinois for the 1946-47 season and won team MVP honors . After college , Smiley played two seasons in the National Basketball Association with the Fort Wayne Pistons , Anderson Packers , and Waterloo Hawks . He averaged 6.2 points per game in his NBA career . Smiley also served as a player-coach for the Hawks for 27 games in the 1949-50 season , and posted an 11-16 record . Smiley spent his later years in Des Moines , Iowa . He died in 2000 .
James E. Springer ( June 17 , 1926 - February 19 , 2018 ) was an American professional basketball player . He played in the National Basketball League , Basketball Association of America , and American Basketball League during the early years of modern professional basketball in the United States . Springer began his collegiate career at Indiana State Teacher 's College , where he played one season for Glenn Curtis before completing his collegiate career at Canterbury College in Danville , Indiana . At Canterbury , he was a member of the basketball team for three seasons , the football and track teams for two seasons . He was also a member of the Sigma Nu fraternity and the Letterman 's Club .
Canterbury College was a private institution located in Danville , Indiana , United States . The school was known as Central Normal College prior to 1946 .