Junior College Transfer Cracks Halls of Ivy; Downing's 19-Point Average Wins Him Acceptance at Columbia From: The Washington Post | Date: December 29, 1991| Author: Jim O'Connell | Copyright (null) The Washington Post. This material is published under license from the Washington Post.  All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Washington Post.Copyright information

The scene isn't that strange. A team struggles to a 7-19 season, adds a junior college player and he ends up leading the team in scoring.

Maybe you've heard it before at schools that regularly play postseason games and belong to conferences that appear on television every other day. But the scenario was rare at Columbia.

Par Downing is a 6-foot-2 guard from Atchison, Kan., who made his way to Morningside Heights via Neosho (Kan.) Junior College.

"I don't know how I wou...