Gregg Northington

Greggory D. "Poncho" Northington ( 1948 – February 11, 2017) was an American professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Murray State College Aggies, Paul Quinn Tigers and Alabama State Hornets. Northington was selected in the 1971 NBA draft by the New York Knicks and the 1972 NBA draft by the Los Angeles Lakers but did not play in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He instead played professionally in Mexico, France and the Netherlands.

Early life Northington was nicknamed "Poncho" by his mother when he was a child. He was raised in a ghetto in Indianapolis, Indiana, Northington started playing basketball at the age of nine. Northington also established himself as an outstanding defensive player.

College career Northington received interest from 500 colleges but decided to start his college career at a small school. He chose to leave the team after arguing with his coach about trying out for the 1968 Olympics basketball team. Paul Quinn dropped its intercollegiate athletics program at the end of the season in 1969. He was automatically eligible for the 1971 NBA draft because he had graduated from high school four years earlier and was selected in the second round by the New York Knicks.

The Hornets went 63–18 during Northington's three-year tenure. Northington said that he enjoyed playing for the Hornets team but was not fond of the student fanbase who he believed "just came out because they didn't have anything else to do at that particular time" and "could talk about [him] and Lawrence [Lilly]" like they "were some kind of circus freaks." he was selected in the third round by the Los Angeles Lakers who wanted a big man to understudy Wilt Chamberlain. He reflected on his professional basketball career in a 1979 interview: "I think I could have been a good player in the NBA. I won't ever play in the NBA, not now, anyway. I'm not putting myself down, but a team would want to go with a younger player than sign me." He worked for the Indiana Department of Correction. Northington married his wife, Dorothy Baker, in 1992.

Northington died in Indianapolis on February 11, 2017, aged 68.