Byron Larkin facts for kids

Byron K. Larkin (born December 12, 1965) is a former professional basketball player from the United States. He played professionally for six seasons in other countries. However, he is most famous for his amazing college basketball career at Xavier University. Byron played for the Xavier Musketeers from 1984 to 1988. He grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio, and was a star athlete at Moeller High School. He was great at both football and basketball. Even though he was an All-American in football, Byron chose to play basketball for his hometown college team.

Byron's College Basketball Journey

Starting Strong at Xavier

Byron Larkin made a big impact right away at Xavier. In only his second college game, he scored 13 points. He helped his team win against Pittsburgh. By his seventh game, his coach started him in every game. This began a school record of 115 straight starts.

During Byron's four years, the Xavier team achieved a lot. They won three Midwestern Collegiate Conference tournament championships. Byron was named the MVP of each of these tournaments. No other player in the conference (now called the Horizon League) has won this award three times. The team also won two regular season titles. They made it to the NCAA tournament three times. In 1988, they even got their first-ever NCAA Tournament win!

A Record-Breaking Star

Byron Larkin finished college in 1988 as the most successful player in Xavier University's history. He scored 2,696 points, which is still the school record. This number also ranks among the top scorers in NCAA Division I history.

He was named the MCC Player of the Year twice. He won it as a sophomore in 1986 and again as a senior in 1988. Byron was the first Xavier player to be named to a postseason All-America team. He was also a three-time First Team All-Conference player. He led the Musketeers in scoring for all four years he played.

Major sports magazines like Sports Illustrated and The Sporting News featured him. Later, Xavier University honored him by retiring his jersey number, 23. This means no other player at Xavier will ever wear that number. Byron was also inducted into Xavier University's Athletics Hall of Fame.

Playing for Team USA

After his junior year in 1986–87, Byron was chosen as an alternate for Team USA. This team competed in the Basketball at the 1987 Pan American Games. These games were held in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Professional Career and Life After Basketball

Even with his amazing college career, no National Basketball Association (NBA) team drafted Byron Larkin. He tried out for teams like the Cleveland Cavaliers and Milwaukee Bucks. But teams thought he was a bit too small for a shooting guard in the NBA. They also felt he struggled to adjust to the NBA's three-point line.

After a short time with the Cedar Rapids Silver Bullets, Byron played professionally overseas. He spent five years playing in Venezuela for Guaiqueríes de Nueva Esparta. In two of those years, he was the top scorer in his league! He then played his sixth and final professional season in Germany and Hong Kong. Byron enjoyed playing abroad, even though he would have loved to play in the NBA.

Today, Byron Larkin is still involved with Xavier basketball. He works as the color commentator for the Xavier men's basketball team's radio broadcasts. This means he helps describe the games for listeners. He has also worked as a financial adviser since 1992. In April 2022, he was honored by being inducted into the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame.

Byron's Family Connections

Byron Larkin comes from a very athletic family. His brother is Barry Larkin, a famous baseball player. Barry is in the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. He played shortstop for the Cincinnati Reds. Byron also has another brother, Stephen Larkin, who played Major League Baseball. His nephew, Shane Larkin, is also a professional basketball player. The Larkin brothers were all raised Catholic.