EDISON, N.J. – A pair of Niagara University Athletics Hall of Famers - Joe Arlauckas '88 and Jessica Kemp '04 - will be inducted into the MAAC Honor Roll. The honorees will be enshrined in "The MAAC Experience" exhibit at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on Saturday, Sept. 14.
Each member institution of the MAAC honors one male and one female from its basketball "family" as part of the 2019 induction class. A dinner event takes place Saturday, Sept. 14 at the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame Court of Dreams to recognize the Honor Roll inductees.
Each honoree will also be profiled in the game program for the 2020 MAAC Basketball Championships and will be featured in a video display at "The MAAC Experience."
Joe Arlauckas | 1983-87
Joe Arlauckas had an outstanding four-year run on Monteagle Ridge, while setting records and ranking among the all-time greats in points, rebounds, and blocks.
Arlauckas finished his career with 1,610 career points, which currently ranks 12th on the all-time scoring list, and his 815 career rebounds are 10th on the all-time list. Arlauckas set the program career blocked shot record with 220, an accolade he held for 32 years until it was broken in 2019.
He was a key part of one of Niagara's biggest wins in program history when the Purple Eagles upset No. 4 St. John's, 62-59, in the Niagara Falls Convention Center on December 15, 1984. The St. John's roster included seven future NBA draft choices, including Chris Mullins and Walter Berry. St. John's, who advanced to the 1985 Final Four, finished the season with four losses, three to Georgetown and one to Niagara.
As a senior, Arlauckas broke his own single-game blocks record with nine in a 97-83 win over Kent State; the record still stands today. He finished the season with 67 blocks, which was the single-season record (now third). He led Niagara to the 1987 NIT where the Purple Eagles opened with a 74-65 win over Seton Hall before dropping an 89-81 decision to La Salle.
A three-time All-North Atlantic Conference Second Team honoree, Arlauckas was inducted into the Niagara University Athletics Hall of Fame in 1992.
Arlauckas was drafted in the fourth round of the 1987 NBA Draft by the Sacramento Kings; he is the last Niagara player to be selected in an NBA draft.
After playing one season in the NBA, he embarked on a very successful professional career playing in the top European Leagues (Italy, Spain, and Greece).
He won the 1988 Italian Cup with Snaidero Caserta before playing with Caja Ronda (Spain) and with Taugres (Spain).
Arlauckas played for Spanish powerhouse Real Madrid from 1993-98, where he collected several team and individual accolades. He won the 1993 Spanish Cup, including being named MVP, the 1993-94 Spanish League, the 1994-95 EuroLeague Championship, including being the top scorer, and the 1997 FIBA Saporta Cup.
On February 26, 1996, he scored 63 points in a Real Madrid 115-96 win over Kinder Bologna to set a modern-era record for points in a EuroLeague game. He scored 7,543 points (20.7 points per game) playing in the Liga ACB (Spanish top-tier division). He played two seasons in Greece before retiring in 2000.
Arlauckas, a native of Rochester, N.Y., is currently a broadcast commentator for EuroLeague TV and resides in Madrid, Spain.
Jessica Kemp | 2000-04
Jessica Kemp, a guard from Niagara Falls, Ontario, was an integral part of the Niagara University women's basketball team from 2000-04.
She led the 2001-02 Purple Eagles in scoring, averaging 11.4 points per game, in rebounds per game (5.8), and in steals per game (2.4) while starting in 27 out of 28 games. In the summer of 2002 between her sophomore and junior seasons, she was invited to the Canadian Olympic Basketball team training camp.
Kemp started in all 29 games during the 2002-03 season, helping the Purple Eagles to a 20-9 record for the program's only 20-win season as an NCAA Division I program. She led the team in rebounds, averaging 5.5 per contest, and she was second on the team in points per game (11.4), steals per game (1.9) and blocks per game (0.3).
She finished the regular season ranked 10th in the MAAC in steals per game, 3-point field goal percentage (.325) and in 3-pointers per game (1.38). She averaged 15.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in two games in the 2003 MAAC Tournament as Niagara advanced to the semifinals.
During her senior campaign, Kemp became the 17th Purple Eagle in Niagara University women's basketball history to surpass the 1,000 career point mark. She led the team with a career-high 6.7 rebounds per game and averaged a career-best 2.5 steals per game. She was awarded the Best Defensive Award and the Coaches Award at the team's awards banquet.
At the conclusion of her four-year career, Kemp ranked first in career games played (113), third in steals (244), fourth in 3-point field goal attempts (385), fifth in 3-pointers made (110), sixth in rebounds (628), eighth in field goal attempts (1,118) and 12th in scoring (1,157 points).
She currently ranks in the top-10 in five career categories – steals (fourth), games played (sixth), rebounds (ninth), field goal attempts (10th) and 3-point field goal attempts (10th).
Kemp's 1,157 career points rank 16th in program history.
A three-time MAAC All-Academic member, Kemp graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Commerce in 2003 and earned an MBA in 2004.
After college, Kemp played two years of professional basketball in the Netherlands and in England.
In 2009, she began working in the family business of financial services. In 2011, she founded Kemp Financial Group, Inc. and currently serves as president.
Kemp was inducted into the Niagara University Athletics Hall of Fame in 2018.
