BOSTON — Four former Northeastern University basketball standouts — J.J. Barea (2002-06), Mark Halsel (1980-84), Andre LaFleur (1983-87) and Perry Moss (1978-82) — will be inducted into the New England Basketball Hall of Fame next month as members of its Class of 2013, the organization announced.
The induction ceremony will take place on June 22 at the DCU Center in Worcester, Mass. The event will feature a series of afternoon panel discussions featuring basketball luminaries, followed by dinner and the ceremony at 6 p.m.
The New England Basketball Hall of Fame aims to honor the accomplishments of basketball players, coaches, administrators and officials at all levels who contribute to the storied tradition of excellence in the sport throughout the region. The Class of 2013 will be the sixth inducted into the hall, joining the classes of 2009, 2006, 2004, 2003 and the inaugural group of honorees in 2002.
Barea was one of the most prolific scorers in Northeastern history, finishing his glimmering four-year career second on the program's all-time list in both scoring (2,290 points) and assists (721). He also holds the records for most 3-point field goals made (255) and 3-point field goals attempted (795), making him one of the greatest shooters to ever don a Husky uniform.
The Huskies never had a losing record in Barea's four-year tenure on Huntington Avenue, which included a historic season in 2004-05 when Northeastern finished 21-10 and earned its first-ever National Invitational Tournament (NIT) berth. He was signed by the Dallas Mavericks as an undrafted free agent before the 2006-07 NBA season and sparked the Mavericks' championship run in 2011. In that year's NBA Finals, Dallas coach Rick Carlisle inserted Barea into the starting lineup before Game 4. The move proved to be a turning point in the series. Dallas went a perfect 3-0 with Barea as a starter, and the team's offensive production improved by an average of 13 points per game as it defeated Miami in six games. A former CAA Player of the Year, Barea currently plays for the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Halsel ended his Northeastern career as the program's greatest-ever rebounder, finishing with 1,115 career boards, a record that still stands today. He is also sixth on the all-time scoring list with 1,651 career points, making him the only Northeastern player to reach both the 1,000-point and 1,000-rebound plateaus.
Halsel was a freshman on the 1981 Northeastern team that played in the school's first-ever NCAA tournament, and as a senior in 1984 he captained the Huskies squad that won a program-record 27 games and reached the NCAA tournament for the third time in four years. He earned an Honorable Mention All-America nod following his senior season and was invited to the 1984 Olympic Trials by U.S. head coach Bobby Knight. He played seven years of professional basketball after college and was inducted into the Northeastern Hall of Fame in 1997.
LaFleur was a member of arguably the greatest freshman recruiting class in Northeastern basketball history, joining the Huskies in 1983-84 with Husky greats Wes Fuller and Reggie Lewis. LaFleur played an integral part in leading Northeastern's NCAA tournament run during his freshman season as the Huskies finished with a spotless 14-0 conference record en route to winning the America East title.
By the end of his senior season, LaFleur had played 4,405 minutes in 128 consecutive games, both program records, and led the Huskies to a 102-26 overall record, including a 60-6 mark in conference play. He registered 89 steals as a senior, an NCAA single-season record at the time, and finished with 252 career takeaways and 894 assists, both Northeastern all-time bests. LaFleur played professionally in Australia for 11 seasons and was inducted into the Northeastern Hall of Fame in 2000.
Moss led Northeastern to its first-ever conference titles in 1981 and 1982, earning the Huskies their first two of seven berths in the NCAA tournament. The Huskies, seeded No. 11 both years, knocked off the six seed in both tournaments — Fresno State in 1981 and St. Joseph's in 1982 — before bowing out in the second round to Utah and Villanova in triple overtime in what is regarded as one of the greatest games in NCAA tournament history.
When he departed Huntington Avenue, Moss was second in school history with 1,722 points, a mark that currently ranks him fifth in the Northeastern annals. He is also eighth on the all-time list in field goals made (573), sixth in free throws made (376) and fourth in steals (197). Following his senior season in which he averaged 23.7 points per game, the fourth-highest total in Northeastern history, Moss was named the America East Player of the Year, and in 1992 he was inducted into the Northeastern Hall of Fame. He played professional basketball for seven years in both the CBA and NBA.
Barea, Halsel, and LaFleur will be inducted in the “Division I College” category, while Moss will be inducted in the “Ronald S. Perry” category honoring individuals who have achieved distinction in two or more categories.
The Northeastern basketball program recently wrapped up a historic 2012-13 campaign in which the Huskies won 20 games, equaling their highest win total in eight years, and won their first-ever Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) regular season title. The Red and Black also advanced to the CAA tournament title game for the first time since joining the conference in 2005-06 and earned an NIT berth for the second time in four years.
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