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Page 4- -The Portland Observer-June 5,1991
SgjfcTHE LOCKER ROOM
Tryouts
Scheduled for
1991-92
Kevin Duckworth: The Weakest Link?
BY ULLYSSES TUCKER ,JR.
“ ...My perception of Kevin Duck-
worh is that he is a very inconsistent
player and if he screws up early in the
game, he has a hard time getting it
back together...’ ’ C.B. Blazer fan
B asketball talk around Portland
barber shops/restaurants these days is
not centered around the current "A ir vs
M agic S h o w " going on tonight (KGW ,
6PM /PD T ) as one would think, it’s
centered around w hat the Portland Trail
B lazers need to improve their fortunes
as a team. One would think that there
isn ’t much room to improve on a 63-19
record, but there is. Im provem ent in, on
the court judgem ent when it com es to
officials, free-throw shooting, and post
play are im perative if they are to be
contenders, as opposed to pretenders,
for the N BA Title. Not many teams get
far in the play-offs w ithout effective
post-up play or a legitimate inside player.
Sure, you can argue the where abouts of
D avid Robinson, Patrick, Ewing, and
H akeem , but neither player had the full
com plim ent of talent surrounding them
to enhance their chances at a ring or the
psychological toughness. The Portland
Trail Blazers had the total package, but
they lacked the top flight big man in the
m iddle. Kevin D uckworth is a fine NBA
center when it com es to shooting the
outside shot and placing a body on the
opposition, but blocking shots and strik­
ing fear in players hearts is not his forte.
Any team that features a post-up game
will give the Portland Trail Blazers and
Kevir. Duckworth big problems. Benoit
Benjam in (Seattle Supersonics), M ark
Eaton (Utah Jazz) and more recently,
Sam Perkins o f the L.A. Lakers caused
all types o f trouble for Duckworth. Ben­
jam in blocked 13 shots in five games
against the Blazers and Perkin’s sweet
left hand will probably be nightmare
food for “ Big D uck’’. Basketball is a
team sport, but som etim es individual
play can provoke headaches o r turn­
overs. As a team, it’s hard to see the
Blazers getting better. W hat are they
going to do next season, go 70-12?
If the Blazers are going to move
forw ard as a team, it needs to be in the
area of individual growth. For starters,
Danny Young, a very decent human
being and wonderful person, needs to be
traded/w aived in favor o f a young point
guard to be groomed behind starter Terry
Porter. W hen “ T P ” is not in the game,
the tempo slows dow n tremendously
and most Blazer cold spells occur when
he is not on the floor. W ayne Cooper
needs to be retired and m oved to the
front office. It would be a waste to just
w aive him because his m illion dollar
contract is guaranteed. Cooper would
be good for the com m unity, the team,
and for the Public Relation office that
took good shots on the chin during the
play-offs in fueds over copyright. The
Blazers have a great M edia Relations/
Cousin’s Share Spot On All Star Team
Blazer Dance Team
Tryouts for the 1991-92 Blazer
Dance Team will take place on Satur­
day, July 13, 1991 a t Lew is and Clark
College gym nasium . A uditions will
begin at 8:00 a.m. and conclude at 5 :00
pan. Applications for the 1991-92 Blazer
Dance Team are available at the Trail
Blazer office. All dancers m ust be 19
years o f age or older by November,
1991.
There will be two rounds o f judg­
ing, featuring a basic routine and two
dance com binations. Dancers will be
judged on dance ability, enthusiasm
and appearance. Those selected will
return the next day for final auditions,
also held at Lewis Clark College gym ­
nasium.
For more information regarding
the auditions, call the dance Team
Hotline at 231-5275.
A.C. GREEN
6th Annual
Basketball
Day Camp
Sponsored by
Concordia College-Portland. Oregon
DATES:
I Session........
9:00-12:00.
II Session........
1:30-5:30..
III Session........
1:30-5:30..
IV Session........
1:30-5:30..
For more information call:
Joel Schuldheisz
1-800-321-9371, Ext. 8516
280-8516 (office)
COST: $90.00
Kevin Duckworth considered by some as the weakest starter for the Trail
Blazers, goes up for a short jump shot, photo by Veronica Green
Com m unity Relations departm ent, but
PR practioners they are not. Timing is
everything in Public Relations. Those
spats should not have been made pub­
lic and it eroded w hat little credibility
the Blazers had with ticket hungry fans,
who will be asked to shoulder some of
the tax burden on a new arena. ALAA
Abdelnaby could use up big minutes
behind Duckworth or Buck Williams.
He and both M ark Bryant can play
center/big forward. Both could also
improve the Blazers post-up game. Ask
Los Angeles, who took 24 less shots
from the field in game one, posting up
gets your team to the free-throw line
(28 o f 34 com pared to 14 of 18 for the
Bulls), not jum p shots. W alter D avis
needs to either be blended in more
effectively or traded to his home state,
the Charlotte Hornets, who would benefit
greatly from his experience and public
relations value. He can still shoot the
ball and staying in shape has never
been a problem for him. Davis also has
a guaranteed ($900,000 annually) con­
tract for next season. Freeing up a few
roster spots investing in some younger
talent can only make the Blazers better.
As for the starters or the primary
players, Jerom e Kersey, Terry Porter,
...July 8-12, 1991
.............ages 9-13
...July 8-12, 1991
........... ages 14-18
July 15-19, 1991
.............ages 9-13
July 15-19, 1991
........... ages 14-18
Buck W illiams, and Clyde D rexler are
solid players. So are C liffR obinson and
D anny Ainge. Free-throw shooting is
Robinson’s only down fall; Clyde needs
to use his jum per to set up his glides and
not as a weapon; Terry needs to be
more selfish at times and Buck, too,
can do some sum m er free throw shoot­
ing in the backyard. H e’s the heart and
soul of the team, followed by Jerome
Kersey. Jerom e Kersey? No problem.
Just stay healthy. Now, at the center of
attention in this version o f the Locker
Room is Kevin D uckworth, who is get­
ting toasted all over town as the w eak­
est link am ong the starters. H e’s called
slow, too heavy, em otionally insecure
as a player, and lacks the fire in his gut
to be com petitive on the NBA level.
Kevin could do him self a favor by
dropping 30 pounds and learning to
focus more on the court. He can only
make the team better with his develop­
ment as a player. Rick Adlm an can do
him self a favor by visiting the "W izard
o f W estwood (John Wooten o f UCLA
fame) this sum m er when he goes to
California. There, he can learn how a
half court game is played and about the
patience his players need to run it ef­
fectively.
Karis J. Stoudamire and Erica N. Mashia are first cousins and both
occupy a position on the states AAU Girls Basketball Team.
in Lovett, Texas.
Karis J. Stoudam ire and Erica
M ashia both take the game o f basket­
ball seriously, both are exceeding in
their academ ic achievem ent and both
are looking forward to possible careers
in basketball.
Erica is in the eighth grade at Ockley
Green School, where her father Eric
Mashia lends his assistance as her coach.
She has played the gam e of basketball
since third grade, where she receives
encouragem ent and support from Tony
Hapson and Ray Leary at the Matt
Dishman Center. Erica recently received
the Oregon Alliance o f Black Educa­
tors award for Academic Excellence.
Last year she played on the Oregon
State AAU All Star team in Spring-
field, O regon and w ent on to the AAU
tournam ent in Sheaveport, Louisiana
and still further to the BCI tournament
Her cousin Karis Jeaneese Anita
Stoudamire is a freshman at St. M ary’s
Academy. She has played basketball
since she was in the sixth grade. She
has a strong support base at St. M ary’s
where her father Antoine Stoudam ire is
the assistant coach.
Karis sings in the Portland Sym ­
phonic G irls Choir and she also sings in
the choir at New Hope Baptist Church
where she is a member.
Eric and Karis will need funds to
help them get to their tournam ents this
summer. If you can help, o r know of
any organizations, or individuals who
would be interested in giving them their
assistance, please call; (503) 285-3098
or 284-1717.
The girls are looking forward to a
great sum m er season.
Dr. Chuck Kunert’s
CONCORDIA BASKETBALL CAMPS
High School Team Camp
June 23-28, 1991
Individual Girls' Camp
June 30-July 3, 1991
Teaching fundamentals and team
play in a Christian environment.
Resident and Commuter
Reasonable Fees
Dr. Chuck Kunert
Concordia College
2811 N.E. Holman
Portland, OR 97211
Call 288-9371 ext. 7137
or 282-4495 or write:
HAROLD REYNOLDS SAYS
SUCCESSFUL BLACKS HAVE
OBLIGATION TO HELP INNER-CITY YOUNGSTERS
Blacks who have escaped the ghetto
to become sucessful businessmen have
an obligation to give something back to
the inner-city children, according to Harold
Reynolds, the all-star second baseman
for the Seattle M ariners.
“ Too often, the only people openly
courting these kids are
gang leaders and drug
dealers,” Reynolds
told a reporter who
interview ed him for
PA RA D E magazine.
“ It’s the gang leaders
that kiss these chil­
dren on the cheek and
tell them they love
th e m . S o m e tim e s
they’re the only ones
showing our children
they care.”
Reynolds, who
joined forces with
W an e
P e rry m a n ,
founder o f Role M od­
els Unlimited, is doing
w hat he can to help.
In January, he spon­
sored a banquet for
1000 successful b lack
businessm en in conjunction with Role
Models. “ I don’t want your money, I
w ant your tim e,’’ he told them. “ Our
kids are shooting each other over Air
Jordan sneakers, and your writing a check
isn ’t going to stop them .”
X
Recalling that 90 percent of the black
athletes he has known w ere raised by
their mothers, Reynolds said, “ I was
called a racist and a sexist because I
invited only black men to the banquet.
But I’m not saying women can’t be role
models. I’m saying they already are.
And more often than not, it’s the white
fathers that are coaching the kids’ teams.
Black men have to get involved. They
need a better understanding of the word
‘com m itm ent. ” These arc their children
too.”
Last spring, Reynolds bought 2000
tickets to the M ariners’ 1990 opening
game and donated them to Role Models.
In the course o f the season, he has do­
nated more than 8000 tickets to Role
Models and other groups.
“ My oldest brother, Don, played for
the San Diego
Padres when
Dave Winfield
w as th e re ,”
Reynolds ex­
p la in e d . “ I
w ent to visit
one sum m er
when I was still
in high school.
I saw a sign in
the stands that
read the ‘W in­
fie ld P a v il­
ion.” I was
told that Dave
bought a sec­
tion o f seats
every season
and gave the
tickets to kids
w ho couldn’t
afford them.
“ That was the moment I knew what
I wanted to do with my life. I always
knew I ’d play in the majors, but that’s
when I realized it would only be a means
to an end. Now I'm able to reach out, the
same way Dave W infield reached m e.”
MM
■
DERRICK COLEMAN
LIONEL SIMMONS
DEE BROWN
COLEMAN, SIMMONS UNANIMOUS PICKS FOR NBA ALL-ROOKIE TEAM
New Jersev forward Derrick ( 'olem an. voted as the
I I Minute Maid O range Soda NBA Rookie ol the
Year, and S.u ram enlo lot ward Lionel Simmons, w ho
ranked second behind Coleman am ong all rookies in
scot ing while leading Ins team m t ebon ml mg tins sea­
son. were both unanim ous choices lot the 1991 NBA
All-Rookie I earn, as selected In the league's 27 head
eoai lies.
( '.oleman and Simmons eat h t eieivetl the maximum
52 points on 26 First l earn votes from the coat lies,
who were asked Io vote lot All-Rookie l ust and Sec­
ond I earns, regardless ol a plavei s position, and w ho
were not perm itted to vole lor plavers from their own
team, l vvo points were awarded tor a Fust l earn vote
and one for a Second lea n t vote.
Joining ('olem an and Simmons on the First l earn
were Boston’s Dee Blown (49 points). ( harlotte s Ken­
dall Gill (11). and ( )t lanrio's Dennis Stott (12).
Selected to the All-Rookie Setonri l earn were Min­
nesota's Felton Spencer (35 points). Miami s Willie
Burton (21). Sacramento's I t avis Mavs (25). Seattle's
Garv I’avton (22) and Denver's Chris Jackson (II).
I lie 6-19 ( olem an. the No. 1 pit k ol the 1999 N BA
Draft out ol Sv rat use. averaged IS 1 points and 19.3
rebounds per game, leading all NBA rookies in both
departm ents and ranking 19th overall in the league in
rebounding
I • 4 O A t A Z .t ' •
■i*
Simmons averaged IS.9 points. S.S rebounds and
19 assists per game lor the Kings, ranking second am ­
ong all tookies — behind (.olem an — in storing and
rebounding, anti third am ong lirst-vear plavers in as­
sists T he 6-8 forward was the seventh pit k in the 1999
Draft.
Following are the com plete voting results for the
1991 NBA All-Rookie First and Second I earns:
F IR S T T E A M
Player, Team
Points
D e r r ic k C o le m a n , N e w
J e r s e y ....................................... 52
Lionel Simmons. Sacram ento
52
Dee Brown, Boston ...................................................... p)
Kendall Gill, Charlotte ................................................44
Dennis Scott. O r la n d o ..................................................42
SECO N D TEAM
Player, Team
Points
Felton Spencer, M in n e s o ta ..........................................35
Willie Burton, M iam i....................................................24
Travis Mavs. S a c ra m e n to ............................................23
Garv Payton. S eattle....................................
22
C hris Jackson. D e n v e r.................................................11
O ther rookies receiving votes: Dam n Ferrv. 9 points;
Cedric Ceballos and Duane Causwell, 7; Fvrone Hill
anil Negele Knight, 5; Alec Kessler and l.ov \ .mglu.
4; lonv Smith and A | English. 3; Jerrotl Mnstal, 2;
( let aid Glass. 1.
■ VM**«