Page 12 Portland Observer, July 13,1963
Sport Talk
by Ron Sykes
Sports Editor
The Portland Trailblazer* crossed
their finger*, held their breath and
were utterly delighted when their
turn came in the 1983 N B A draft.
H arry Glickman
told a large
gathering, by telephone, that the
Portland Trailblazer*, with the
selection o f H ouston'* 6-7 Clyde
Drexler, are “ now pledged to
become member* o f Phi Slamma
Jamma.” The question now is doe*
this pledge also include head coach
Dr. Jack Ramsay? Drexler, at his
best is a freewheeling, open court
player who can excite a crowd while
making things happen. A “ D r. J .“
type, only a little bit bigger. It '*
plain and simple that Ramsay hasn't
always been appreciative o f the one-
on-one game.
The now departed and much
maligned Billy Ray Bate* is a prime
example o f Ramsay’* philosophy.
Billy Ray was the freest o f all free
spirit*. H e simply captivated the
fans with hi* awesome display of
individual talent.
Billy was never meant to be any
thing more. B illy’s role should have
been that o f instant offense, much
like that o f Freddie Brown in
Seattle.
But Ramsay, the eternal teacher,
tried to make Billy the complete
player. It never worked; Bates
became frustrated and the rest is
history.
Remember Calvin
N att,
the
young rookie acquired from the
New Jersey Net* for veteran power
forward M aurice Lucas and two
No. I draft picks. W ell. Calvin
wasn't always a “ pit b ull.” H e only
acquired that reputation after com
pletely changing hi* style. Natt came
to Portland a* a high scorer. He
needed the ball and wasn't afraid to
take the shot from 20 feet on in.
Ramsay’s dislike o f the freewheeling
Natt caused Calvin many head
shaking, soul searching night*. I f
Calvin put up the 20-footer and
Ramsay thought a few more passes
were in ord er. . . then Natt could
expect Bobby G ro t* to be reporting
for duty.
This treatment shattered Calvin.
" I was always the man called upon
to score in crucial situations,"
lamented Calvin, " i t ’s difficult see
ing myself treated differently here."
Calvin went on the trading block,
changed hi* style to conform to the
Ramsay system and led the team in
shooting percentage while standing
second in rebounding and third in
scoring.
“ Last year, if I scored 13 point*
in the first quarter, I still knew I was
going to sit the next one. 1 can’t
keep my game going like that.
Neither can Bobby (O roa*).“ W ith
that, Natt became a new man.
Bobby G ro t* was let go after Calvin
destroyed both he and rookie Jeff
Lamp in training camp. Lamp's
name was already penciled in for
Calvin prior to fall workouts.
" I truly believe Jeff Lam p is
going to be a very good N B A
player," VP H arry Glickman said.
I f Glickman believes a* m uch. . . the
question is still why draft Clyde
Drexler? Does Portland intend to
give the rookie the green light? I f
you know Jack Ramsay, you would
have to believe otherwise. Ramsay's
philosophy has always been to run a
set, controlled offense.
I f a player is to stay in the game,
and Ramsay’s good graces.. . . then
he is not expected to get out o f the
offense. N o matter what the defense
allows.
Portland’s present offense does
not allow for freelancing.
Drexler'» game is built around
cutting, moving to the hoop and
applying the now famous Slamma
Jamma.
W ill established star* such a*
Mychal
Thompson,
Natt
and
Paxson be willing to sacrifice their
games? W ill Ramsay change and
will Clyde get the playing time one
would expect? These are just a few
question* that arc facing the team,
and w ill have to be answered.
W ill Clyde Drexler. with all his
talent, lie dormant on the T ra il
blazer bench?
The truth is that Drexler is not the
player that would normally fit the
Ramsay mold. Something or some
one will have to change.
For the answer, tune in next Sep
tember, October or November By
then the test should have been
completed.
N o fo o lin g !
No fooling. Regular Checking at Far West is
absolutely free And it's just one of five options from which
you can choose the checking account that's best for you.
There are many checking account extras, too.
Like Mr Moneybags* and the Exchange 24-hour teller
machines throughout Oregon and Washington, Merchant
Check Guarantee and Overdraft Protection through
MasterCard or VISA.
And with a Far West checking account you can
get MasterCard and/or VISA at a reduced annual fee of
just $8 00
Come to any Far West office
now for free checking-no fooling!
mtheFARMCSTwoy
FSLIC
MAM O F FIC E SW 5th 4 Washmgton
Portland Oregon Telephone 224 4444
SI convenient offices throughout Oregon
^FAR
ÆI4/EST
JFFEDERAU
BANK
•sue isrsr*
RUNYAN'S 88C
O\S
STORE
9 0 0 6 46
Cloeed Sunday
3716 N.E. UNION
L-R; A lto n Fergueaon, Joe Jam ea (M V P ). Arm and
Harper. Jam ea Edwarde. J e ff M itch ell, Rodger
M itch ell aealatant coach. Managers A m ar Shabazz
and Keith Edwards In back.
(Photo: Richard J. Brown)
Beaming proudly are the Dr. Reynolda m inor
league champa '83. B ottom ro w L-R: Qlynn
Harper, M ichael M artin . Daniel M a rtin , Jaaon
Lowery. Qreg Caesar, Abdul Shabazz. Second row
Kuz-lns league prospers
by Khris Caldwell
A small crowd has gathered
around Irving P ark’s center basket
ball court to watch the undefeated
New Jersey Nets keep their streak
alive. But with the National Basket
ball Association draft just over and
the season weeks away, how can the
Nets already be playing, and why
Irving Park?
The answer is the Kuz ins' Basket
ball Summer League. N B A Presi
dent Larry O ’ Brian does not call the
shots in this league. Twenty-two-
year-old co-founders Byron Brown
and Tracy Cage are in charge. D on't
look for professionals like D r. J. or
George G ervin, but watch some of
the best non-professional talent in
Portland. Phil Hopson, Amos Allen,
Thomas Channel. Darryl Mayes,
Andy M o tt, Darrell Tanner, and
Gregg West are amongst those who
are helping to make the Kuz-lns one
o f the most competitive summer
leagues in the state. An amazing feat
for a league only in it* second year
o f existence.
Brown and Cage had modest
goals in mind when they originated
the league last summer. First, they
wanted to contribute something to
Portland and their community.
They also wanted to provide a safe,
clean, structured environment for
" If you ta k a prida in your rida, aaa us.
Broadous Auto Service
4612 N. W illiam s
282-9424
Automotiva and Industrial Steam Cleaning, Undarcoating.
Hand Car Wash, Buff, Poliah. Wax.
W hy you ahould hava your autom obila ataam claanad:
Clean Engine runa cooler. Clean Engine eaaier and faster to work on.
Enable* you to see minor leaks before they become costly repairs. Fire
Preventive Increase raaale value of automobiles
W hy you ahould have your car undercoated:
Prevents Leaks and Rust Deaden* Road Noises
Independent mechanic on duty.
Portland youths, and in so doing,
keep them o ff the streets. The
league's motto — “ develop unity
through comm unity” — reflect*
these goal*.
In it* second year, the Kuz-lns'
Summer League has become more
than just the casual “ recreational
option for young adults" that the
co-founders had envisioned.
It is a full scale program consist
ing o f a twelve game regular season
schedule; a post season tournament
complete with playoffs and a cham
pionship game; an all-star game;
and a benefit game in which the
Kuz-lns themselves (Byron Brown,
Tracy Cage, Dennis Bradley, and
Bruce Johnson) plus friends, will
take on the championship team.
W ell before the season opened,
corporate donations were sought to
finance the league. Converse, Royal
Crown and Osborne and Ulland
provided solid backing for the
league this year. Then inform ational
flyers were distributed to attract
players. Teams were taken on a first
come, first served basis. Currently,
there are 12 teams and about 120
player* (each team is allowed ten
players). The teams are split into
two divisions (east, west), and there
are six teams in each. Game* are
played Tuesday-Thursday, at 3:30
p.m. and Saturday-Sunday, at 3:00
p.m. at Irving Park on center court.
Kuz-lns plans to eventually ex
pand the league to accommodate
four more groups, young women
10-13, 13-16; and young men 10-13,
13-16.
Radiator Specialty
Solder Seal Gunk
DOT 3
for n s c
ANO
MVIM M A K IS y
Super Heavy Duty
Brake Fluid
Super H e a v y D u fy
MAKE
FLUID
D o t3M 4412 12oz. Reg. *1“
98C
Dot 3 M4432 32 oz. Reg. ’3 *
W b»'«
aupp'V
Sale ends July 23,1983