Belus Smawley
Basketball
Inducted: 1992
- Born in 1918
- Starred at Appalachian State
- Named second-team NAIA All-American in 1943
- MVP of the 1943 NAIA Tournament
- Because of military call-ups, ended season as team’s head coach
- Played in the NBA with St. Louis, Syracuse, and Baltimore from 1946–1952
- Scored 3,316 points, averaging 12.7 points per game, a high for this era, which preceded the shot clock
- Averaged 15.5 points per game in 1949, sixth-best mark in the NBA
- Outstanding foul shooter, shooting 79.7 percent from foul line for career
- Hit 85.0 percent of his free throws in 1951, third in league
- Member of NAIA Basketball Hall of Fame
