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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 16, 1980)
INSIDE SHOTS A Collection of Short Reports: Tournaments, A Tent Town, Athletic Dorms, Polls, and Greener Pro Pastures BY TIM SMIGHT OVER THERE Yanks Find Pro Careers on Foreign Courts A spot on an NBA team is the dream of many a college basketball player, and for most, that’s what it remains Only a lew dozen college grads crack the 242-playcr league each year But lately, an astound ing number of former college ball players arc finding employment elsewhere. From the halls of Barcelona to the shores of Italy, basketball is booming and most European teams are more than eager to have a couple of talented Americans crashing the boards and leading the fast break. In fact, over 2,000 Americans now play for pay in basketball Icagucsall over Western Europe. Most teams in each European country’s top three divisions have at least one American playing (they arc allowed two on the roster). The teams, nominally “amateur" local clubs, are supported by industries and corporations Most pay their American players from $20,000 to $40,000 during the season, which stretches from September to May. “To keep the amateur status, most players arc hired by the companies supporting the team as consultants or something," says Carmine Calzonetti, a former St. John's University player who spent 10 years playing and coaching in France. “The whole amateur thing is pretty absurd,” he says. "But since the games are only played on weekends, a lot of the European players do hold down jobs. One team I played on had a dentist, a student, and an auto mechanic.” According to Cal/onetti, only one American player who’s usual ly the star of the team can be on the court at a time. Played under international rules, the game is much slower than pro ball in the US “The lane is wider, and there is a 30-sccond clock.” says Cal/onetti. “But otherwise, it’s more or less the same game The reffing is a little less precise, though, so there's more fouling and banging around.” Among recent college graduates playing in Europe arc Joe DeSantis of Fairfield University (the top dralt pick of the Washington Bui lets who passed up a shot at the NBA for a team in Venice), Clyde Mays of Furman, and Beaver Smith of St John’s, l ike the majority of American players in Europe, they live in their team’s hometown dur ing the season “The language barrier is rough at first," says Cal/onetti, “but a lot of players try to learn the native language Most Americans arc sort of local heroes.” To college players, especially those a hair below NBA caliber, such status (as well as the money and the opportunity to continue playing ball) can be quite appeal ing. “For me. it was a choice between playing ball in Europe or going to business school.” says Jim 1 : Spillanc, a former UCLA guard who was offered a S35.000 contract (plus an apartment and a car) to play for a team in Italy. “I decided that business school could wait.” THE GUEST LIST GROWS FOR POST SEASON PLAY “The more, the merrier seems to be the catch phrase of college basketball For the fourth time in the last six years, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) hascxpanded the field for its post-season basketball tourna ment. This March, 48 teams—up from 40 last year—will shoot it out for the national championship. That’s more than one-fifth of the 261 schools composing basketball's Uivision i. “The feeling on the Executive Committee (the NCAA body that meets each year to review the tournament format) was that the overall caliber of teams warrants the expansion,” says Dave Cawood of the NCAA information office. “There may well be more expan sion in the future." The NCAA also abolished its rule limiting each conference to two representatives in the tourney. As in last year’s event, 23 teams will qualify automatically for a tournament berth: the rest will be chosen at-large. While most schools undoubted ly welcome the expansion, the move hasn’t caused many smiles among the organizers of the rival National Invitation Tournament, (NIT), which largely features teams passed over by the NCAA. “Naturally it hurts," says Pete Carlesimo, president of the Metro politan Intercollegiate Basketball Association, a group of five New York City colleges that sponsor the NIT. “But I think there is enough good basketball played in this coun try to support two major tourna ments."The NIT is backing up this sentiment with an expansion of its own—from 24 to 32 teams, all of them chosen after the NCAA field is set. That brings the post-season participation total to 80 teams. STORM OVER A DORM Blueprints for Kentucky Shangri-La Altered by NCAA When the University of Kentucky opened a new private dormitory for its basketball team in January of 1978, a lot of eyebrows arched upward. The Wildcat Lodge looked more like a ski resort than a dorm. The building sported a luxurious two-level lobby, complete with huge fireplaces, hardwood walls, tile floors, and plush leather furni ture. Upstairs were private rooms for all 16 players, each equipped with a seven-foot bed, large desk, telephone, color TV. and bath room. There was also a community dining room, library, and base ment recreation area housing a sauna, pool table, and large-screen TV room. continued on page 4 * i960 13-30 Corporation All rights reserved No portion of Sports Bulletin The Miller Guide to Intercollegiate Sports may be reproduced in whole or in part without written consent of 13-30Corporation 505 Market St Knoxville Tenn 37902 (615-637-7621) Sports Bulletin is published by 13-30 Corporation Opinions expressed by the publisher and writers are their own and are not to be construed as those of The Miller Brewing Company Likewise the publisher assumes responsibility for the technical accuracy of the material throughout the articles herein Direct editorial correspondence to Don Akchm Associate Editor Direct request for additional copies to Anne Akridge Design Ken Smith Editorial content Don Akchm. Tim Wendel Cover Photo by Rich Clark son/SPORT 8 ILLUSTRATED. Cover Design by Mike Marcum.
