'Bo' Outlaw returning to Dome for Hall of Fame induction
by John Stewart, staff writer

Former South Plains College basketball player Charles “Bo” Outlaw will be at the Texan Dome in December.

Outlaw will be inducted into the Texans Hall of Fame and the Western Junior College Athletic Conference on Dec. 6 during halftime of the men’s basketball game against Odessa College.

Outlaw was a standout player for the Texans from 1989-1991, helping SPC to a 32-1 record during the 1990-91 season. He was awarded with All-American honors for that season before transferring to the University of Houston to complete his collegiate eligibility.

Undrafted out of college, Outlaw then decided to play in the CBA (Continental Basketball Association), where he averaged a league-leading 3.8 blocks per game in only half of a season.

Outlaw was then picked up by the Los Angeles Clippers in 1993, his first team in a 15-year NBA career. On Feb. 15, 1994, he began his playing career by recording 13 points and seven rebounds in a victory against the Los Angeles Lakers. He played three seasons for the Clippers, helping them to the playoffs in 1997 before they were defeated by the Utah Jazz in the first round.

Outlaw left the Clippers as a free agent, then signed on with the Orlando Magic in 1997. He registered career highs in every statistical category except for assists, averaging 36 minutes per game, 9.5 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.2 blocked shots. On April 17, 1998, Outlaw recorded his first triple-double with 25 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists in victory against the New Jersey Nets.

After playing for the Magic, he briefly played for the Phoenix Suns, then left for the Memphis Grizzilies and returned to Orlando for the 2005-2006 season. The Magic implemented the ‘Bo Hustle Award’, in honor of Bo’s characteristics he showed on the court. Outlaw retired from Orlando in 2008, and is now the director of community relations for the Orlando Magic.

Also being honored during halftime is former South Plains College Lady Texan Sheryl Swoopes. From 1989-1991, Swoopes helped the Lady Texans to 52 victories. In 1990, she led SPC to the NJCAA Region V championship and a sixth-place finish at the NJCAA national tournament.

Swoopes went on to help the Texas Tech Lady Raiders win the NCAA National Championship in 1993, setting several school records she still has. She was the 1993 winner of the Naismith College Player of the Year Award.