"You're going to be proud of this guy and he's going to set records that'll stand for 50+ years."
 
Those were the wise words of Oakland men's basketball letterwinner Ed Holloman as he introduced Carvin Melson to a team manager in the late 1960's.
 
Melson, the 1973 graduate, is a part of Oakland basketball history as the legendary player is inked in the record books and is number one in: All-time points scored (2408), scoring average (24.32), field goals (969), field goal attempts (1802) and rebounds (1204), along with in the top-10 of many other categories. Records that have stood for more than 50 years, Melson made his mark on the program which was possible from his time playing high school basketball at Murray-Right.
 
"My junior year, we competed in the city championship in 1968 and won," Melson said. "I had a breakout game and the go-ahead basket and the offers started to come in. I had pretty big universities reach out, some schools in the Big Ten, but it wasn't until my senior year where I made my decision."
 
Melson's high school coach, Gene Boldon, was a mentor of his and once he learned Boldon would be the next coach at Oakland, his decision was made.
 
Gene Boldon was offered the job at Oakland and I followed him there," Melson said. "It was more than that though. I was blown away by the campus and all of the people I met there. Everyone was nice and I met some of the basketball players and they took to me well, so I knew it was the right place for me."
 
With 2408 career points under his belt, everyone around Melson knew that he was going to be a star. Melson reminisces on a time where senior teammate Ed Holloman took him under his wing and was showing him the ropes. He recalls Holloman introducing him to a team manager and said how Melson would hold records for years and years. Melson laughed at the time, but believe it or not, those words rang true.
 
Melson, the Detroit, Mich., native, knows these individual records are not without some help from his teammates, as he knows despite his high-scoring efforts, basketball is a team sport and you need a good support group around you.
 
I really have to give it to the guys (on the team) who rallied behind me," Melson said. "Even though I set those records, I know I couldn't have done it by myself. I had a lot of support from my teammates and coaching staff that I attribute a lot to them."
 
Melson set the record despite the modern 'three-point line' not being in existence, which was universally adopted in college basketball in 1986. He said he got threes the "old-fashioned way" by forcing a foul and sinking his basket to add the third from the free throw line.His way worked as he averaged 26+ points per game his final two seasons at Oakland.
 
"I improved each year," he said. "I would try to work on a different area of my game every summer and saw a continuous progression."
 
Despite the success of Melson, the team wasn't in a conference so it had to schedule tough opponents which increased year-by year, and it seemed as the teams got harder each year.
 
"We were trailblazers back in the day and feel like we really put Oakland on the map," Melson said. "We weren't in a conference and played against high-ranked opponents and we wouldn't win them all, but it started to give Oakland the recognition it deserved."
 
Melson comes back to his alma-mater from time to time, as he was in attendance for Oakland's 107-59 win over IUPUI on Feb. 17 and is taken aback to see just how far both Oakland and the athletic program has come.
 
"I'm blown away by the growth of the athletic program along with the basketball team," Melson said. "To see where it's at now and what took place to get there is amazing. I still talk to (head coach) Kampe and I give him all the credit, he really took it to the next level and that zone defense he runs, especially this year, might be the best I've ever seen. I stick my chest out with pride knowing I was a part of the Oakland basketball program and am more than excited to see the continued success it has."
 
Melson, who owns a pest control company, shares how he works on his business for half a year with the other half spent vacation, enjoying himself and keeping track of what's happening with Oakland and the league.