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Obsarvar
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July
u iy 1 9 ,1 9 7 9
NBA hopefuls neglect college education
Sports Talk
N B A basketball ended in early
June with Seattle taking it's first
NBA championship ever. Naturally,
then, everyone would presumably
believe that the fans could rest until
next season, after all, basketball, as
designed by Dr. Naismith, was sup
posed to be a winter game just to
keep the athlete fit. Not so. Nineteen
players, including ten 1979 d ra ft
choices strutted their s tu ff before
nearly 7,000 loyal fans.
A ll d ra ft choices except firs t-
rounder Jim Paxson o f Dayton were
on hand and gave a lively exhibition
o f mid-summer basketball. Abdul-
Jeelani, 6’8” , forward, out o f the
Italian league showed he can really
play the game. Jeelani was im
pressive with his speed and overall
court sense.
Abdul Jeelani, formerly played as
Gary Cole when he did his collegiate
work for Wisconsin-Parkside.
The 6’ 8” strongman resembles
New York’ s Marvin Webster on the
court, and from his strong perfor
mance in the rookie game, he just
might be the only rookie with a real
shot o f making the team.
In order for this to happen though
Portland would have to peddle either
Maurice Lucas or Mychal Thomp
son. Most likely Lucas, if one can
believe all the rumors that are flying.
I f any power forward goes Abdul
Jeelani w ill certainly stick.
Those w ith an outside chance
would be Rickey Lee, ex-Oregon
Stater; Greg Bunch, 6’6” , Calstate-
Fullerton; and Stan Eckwood, 6'3” ,
guard, Harding College in Arkan
sas, ninth round pick.
Rickey Lee does have good skills
and his all around game is certainly
as good or better than Larry Steele, a
player Lee would have to vie with for
a spot on the Blazer roster. Lee has
good quickness, good ball handler,
goes to the boards hard, and his out
side shot is rapidly improving.
by Ullysses Tucker, Jr.
•’ Before 1 die, I ’ m playing in the
N
B
A ,” said Greg Bunch after the
by Ron Sykes
Black squad took a 122-99 victory
Sports Editor
over the whites in the Portland Trail
blazer's annual rookie contest.
•’ If I die today, I ’ m still keeping
my
word because I played last sea
Moses Malone, Houston Rockets
son,” stated the former California
center, and the most valuable player
State-Fullerton hero referring to his
in the NBA last season, has signed
brief stay with the Knicks.
what is believed to be the highest
Bunch, a native o f San Betnadino,
contract ever signed by a player in
C alifornia, was a C rim inal Justice
team sports.
major, and though he played four
Now at this point all true Portland
years o f college basketball, he is still
Trailblazer fans should bow their
one full year away from graduation.
heads for a moment o f silence in
O f the six rookies interviewed af
honor o f the great player that was
ter
last week’ s game, four o f them
lost by Portland. Moses Malone.
did
not have college degrees after
W illie Smith, 6’ 1” , guard, from
matriculation. Others could not be
Missouri, was in camp and one has
caught in time for interviews.
to wonder why.
Actually, out o f the 18,587 players
Smith is a proven, somewhat,
available at N C A A -N A 1 A in
player who had an illustrious career
stitutions this year, the NBA drafted
at Missouri, was drafted number one
only 220 o f them last month. That’ s
by the Chicago Bulls, and played
not to mention the hundreds o f free-
briefly for Portland last year.
agents from the W BA, Europe, and
It is believed that W illie should
the Eastern League who are trying
have had a free pass to fall camp
out.
And it’ s needless to say W illie played
Unfortunately, an average of only
well. He had that great poise that
45
players w ill be listed on the
most rookies lack.
rosters o f N B A clubs when the
While on the subject o f basketball
season starts.
the WCAC, that fast rising young
There’s no telling whether or not
conference, is already out with their
the player w ill last the whole season
press guide for I979-80. Believe me
either, one could be dropped in a
the San Francisco Dons are loaded.
twenty-second phone call.
The Don’ s lost only Bill Cartwright,
Let’s take a look at the other “ de
“ o n ly,” but return another seven
greeless” athletes:
fo oter in sophom ore W allace
Willie Pounds, a 6’6” , 240 pound,
Bryant. The profile on Bryant leads:
forward from Chaminade College in
W ill move over from his forward
Hawaii was seven credit hours away
position to fill the job at post vacated
from a degree in Computer Science
by Bill Cartwright
a player start
and attending summer school before
ing to come into his own with bigger
he q uit to jo in the Blazer camp.
and better basketball to come. Also
What w ill Pounds do now that he’ s
sophomore Guy W illia m s, 6 ’ 8”
been drafted and released?
guard will play forward, mostly this
“ I ’ ll probably go back home to
year. As a frosh Williams was named
L A. and wait for my injury to heal
‘ ‘ Freshman o f the Year” and was
(bruised heels). Then I hope to try
selected “ Honorable M ention” all
out somewhere,” he said. “ The
W C A C .. . named MVP of the game
competition here was excellent, a
in USF’ s win over BYU by NBC
player had to be in excellent physical
sports... had 12 points and a record
condition— 1 was not 100 per cent.”
12 assists in that game. USE has
Stan Eckwood, the former H ar
three consensus high school
ding (Arkansas) College standout
Americans waiting in the wings. Next
said, “ Had I not be«n selected to
year USF w ill be the West Coast
play in the Los Angeles summer
team to watch.
league, 1 was going back home to
school.”
A P E. m ajor, Eckwood needs
eight hours to graduate. “ I came
Boxing Council champion, currently
here to see if I could get lucky and
Larry Holmes. The fight would be a
indeed I did make the cut. But, I do
defense o f his WBA title and would
realize that obtaining my degree is
also be recognized as a title fight by
essential.”
the WBC, thus giving the 37-year-old
Andy Fields, who the Blazers are
Ali a chance to become undisputed
high on, is currently lacking the
heavyweight champion again.
required graduation requirements
According to a spokesman for A li,
too.
who claimed he had the letter o f
“ A ll I need is nine hours to
credit in the bank, “ The offer was
graduate in December,” he said after
received several days ago, but A li
scoring 20 points and grabbing 9 re
doesn’t want to take it. It’ s a lot of
bounds. When asked what happens
money to tu rn d o w n ,” said the
if he fails to make the NBA, Fields
spokesman.
replied, “ I’ ll just try-out with some
other interested organization, there’ s
also the chance that I may travel
overseas. My education w ill come
peared last summer at the Northwest
later on.”
W om an’ s M usic Festival. Ms.
Micky Fox was less serious about
Grant's followers w ill recall that she
being cut by the Blazers. The 6’ 3”
appeared, via National Television,
guard from St. Marys College in
on a show called ‘‘ Women Alive”
Nova Scotia, Canada explained his
that was broadcast in Portland three
state o f mind.
eyars ago.
“ The way I performed tonight,
Beverly was known locally as a
there’ s no way they should have paid
member o f the “ Miller Sisters” , a
my airfare to camp,” he said. “ I felt
popular trio in the late 1950s, which
really bad because 1 know the orga
appeared regularly on the old Heck
nization expected more from me.”
Harper show. She is widely known in
Fox, a high school assistant coach
the Northeast as a class conscious
and teacher will go back to Canada
feminist siner. She peforms regularly
where he plans to work in the same
in clubs, coffee houses, schools,
capacity.
universities, music festivals and
“ That's what I was doing before I
community events.
came here chasing rainbows, but I
Members o f the Family Circus
guess my best days are behind me,”
Theatre Collective w ill provide ad
he said " I ’ m no different from all
ditional entertainment. Tickets are
the others in this locker room, we all
$2.00 in advance or $2.50 at the
are chasing dreams.”
door. Call 232-6956 for information
The only other player interviewed
with a degree was the 6 '8 ” high
scorer with 25 points, Abdul Jeelani,
who graduated from the University
o f W isconsin— Parkside in Com
munications.
“ I have excellent skills in Radio-
Television Production to fall back on
after the game is over,” said the
former European star. “ But at this
p o in t. I'm
co ncentrating on
Ali refuses South Africa fight
Muhammad A li supported his an
nounced retirement from boxing by
revealing he had turned down a $50
m illion offer to fight one more bout.
‘ ‘ I ’ve been offered $50 m illion to
fight in South Africa, but 1 turned
them down,” said A li, twice the un
disputed heavyweight champion o f
the world and currently the World
Boxing Assocation title-holder.
According to A li, he was sent a let
ter o f credit from an unnamed South
African party to fight the W orld
Concert benefits Tenant Union
Singer/song writer, Beverly Grant,
a graduate o f Grant High School, is
returning to Portland to do a benelit
concert for the Portland Tenants’
U nion. The concert w ill be held
Saturday, July 28th, at 8:00 p.m. at
the Northwest Service Center, NW
18th and Everett.
Beverly is a powerful singer and
guitar player who leaves her audience
with both a sense o f shared experien
ce and a feeling o f strength. She
currently resides in New York where
she performs with her band, “ The
Human Condition” . This w ill be her
first local performance since she ap
She’s unmarried.
She’s pregnant.
She needs help.
She should call
249-5801
Birthright
tree confidential
counseling tor
pregnant girls
4023 N E Halsey
Paga 9
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to come on as a free agent.
The way it stands now, a player
can cruise through college majoring
only in basketball and no books.
E n fo rc in g degree regulations
would be no more than a “ weeding
o u t” process, like the one the
Federal C om m un ica tion s C o m
m ission uses in its selection o f
engineers. They are all required to
pass the First Class Operators Test.
In short, out o f eleven players on
rosters around the N BA, five or six
w ill not have college degrees. The
Board o f Governors should take
these factors into consideration.
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WORKS
WEEKENDS AND
HOLIDAYS.
Put an ad in the Yellow Pages and you II
get twenty-four hour a day, 365 day a year,
selling against 96% of all homes and businesses.
And, not one word about time-and-a-half,
double time, triple time, golden time,
or what-have-you.
St. Paul
Compañías
O T II a HAMILTON
establishing myself in the NBA. I ’ve
always believed in having alterna
tives, if 1 fail to make the Blazers I
can go back to Europe.”
This story should not be inter
preted as an attack on the character,
or academic abilities o f any o f these
individuals—but something must be
done about the increasing number o f
college athletes attempting to gain
entrance in to the league w ith o u t
college degrees.
These players are generally left out
in the cold after being released by
teams, the sad part is th a t the
majority are ill-prepared for the job
world and will never complete their
education. However, there are excep
tions to the rule—even though many
still pursue this dream at all cost.
Locally, odds are that Jim Paxson
from Dayton University w ill be the
only rookie on the Blazer roster this
season. (Why gamble on youth when
a cargo o f compensation is coming
from San Diego for the signing of
Bill Walton?)
In the meantime, the other rookies
are in Los Angeles scrapping for the
chance to take a trip to "Fantasy Is
land.” The land of playing in three
cities in three days.
“ In the final analysis,” said Dr.
Robert L. Green, dean o f the college
o f urban development at Michigan
State University, and the author o f a
landmark study on discrim ination
towards Blacks in the Big Ten (1972)
“ When the athlete plays his last
game and he doesn’ t have the skills
to play pro ball, he’ ll get dumped.
And i t ’ s especially true w ith the
Black athlete.
“ The average white kid who
misses the pro thing w ill have other
options because there’ s a support
system in the white community to
help cushion the fall.
“ They’ ll sell insurance or cars,
real estate, and enter professions
where their reputation as athletes will
help them in the white community,”
Dr. Green stated
Question: I f the N C AA can estab
lish regulations requiring an athlete
to have a GPA o f 2.0 to enter big in
stitutions—then why can’t the NBA
Mfluire a BA degree to sign a con
tract in the league and eliminate the
hardship rule?
That way, the incoming athlete
would be better able to deal with the
“ real world” just in case “ the dream
doesn’t pan out.” The athlete would
also be forced to apply himself aca
demically to qualify for the draft, or
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