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
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