Complex sentence: Born in Hiawatha, Kansas, McLendon studied at the University of Kansas in the 1930's where he learned basketball from Dr. James Naismith; he did not play college basketball, however, as the KU varsity team did not accept African-Americans at the time.
Split into simpler sentences: Born in Hiawatha, Kansas, McLendon studied at the University of Kansas in the 1930's where he learned basketball from Dr. James Naismith. He did not play college basketball, however, as the KU varsity team did not accept African-Americans at the time.