Photo courtesy of Black College Sports Review
? Tjve Blaqk College Basketball Classic has the potential to become a must-see event tor pro bas
? fcfetbali scouts to evaluate black college talent.
Basketball Classic needs a few new
wrinkles, but has so much potential
By CRAIG T. GREENLEE
Chronicle Sports Editor
It's too bad that more people didn't
show up for the first annual Black
College Basketball Classic at Rock
Hill, SC. After all, the top black col
lege seniors convened for two
days of competition to demon- ^
strate thei* skills in front of a~
dozen scrutinizing NBA scouts.
Too bad for black college
roundball fans.
For the scouts, however, word has
it that they were pleased with the con
cept and how the two-day event was
run. It's been quite a while since so
much black college talent (60-plus
players) has been assembled on one
floor. ; _ / '
But in the meantime, the scouts
weren't able to get very thorough
looks at this year's all-star partici
pants. With 17 guys on each team,
there wasn't sufficient playing time
for everybody. The substitution pat
terns tended to be wholesale, with
most people playing in six or eight
minute spans.
That's not enough time for a scout
to get a good look at a would-be pro
prospect.
For that reason, observers say the
roster size of teams should be reduced
to 10 - the best 10 that is. That way,
the talent level is at its highest and
people get more quality playing time
to strut their stuff.
The NBA scouts were very
impressed with this classic. So
impressed, according to some
observers, that the NBA may serious
ly consider becoming a part of it. But
before that takes place, this classic
needs to be sanctioned by the NCAA.
Without NCAA approval, the league
isn't likely to be of great assistance in
helping this all-star game get off the
ground.
In addition, observers feel it's a
good idea to set the teams up by con
ferences, thereby generating the kind
of interest that already exist for each
league and its roundball programs.
Nevertheless, the bottom line will
have to be dealt with; Sponsorship is
mand^ory and so is the need to
induce people to attend the games1.
But based on the ticket prices from
this year's event ($15 per game); it's
easy to understand why few people
showed up for the four games: Matter
of fact, estimates of crowd-attenciance"
ragned from 100 and 200 for
||! each night.
For that reason, the classic
I may best be served by moving to
I a smaller setting, for the Hrsr two
or three years anyway. The
Winthrop Coliseum (site for the *91
game) seats around 6,500 but was still
as empty as a canyon. That should tell
you something.
To build spectator invest,
observers say that there's nothing
wrong with playing in a high;9cJiool
gym that seats 2,000 or so* That's
what they do for the Portsmoufly Invi
tational, which over the yeiji*has
become one of the prestigious jit-star
games that attracts fans and a jflifliora
of pro scouts.
All this classic needs is a tin
kering here and there to brmj jfeout
optimal results. The tren?$*<Jous
potential of this kind of ventiM$4$ too
Magic hungry for another shot at
NBA finals
;t: By BOB BAUM
fti$ociated Press Sports Writer
^ :
t~Z ^-PORTLAND, Ore. ? - As Magic
l~Z Johnson enters the late stages of his
??? S^reer, a trip to the NBA Finals
^ # ,
>: "In the post-Kareem years, we
&$ven't been there," Johnson said,
?'*? referring to retired teammate
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. "And I
- think the older you get, the more
you want to be there, too, and have
an opportunity to win it.
"You just want to end up with as
many opportunities as you can on
your way out."
Johnson's Los Angeles Lakers
. can lake a giant step toward another
appearance in the finals with a vie
Taylor is
very critical
of Giants
management
tory tomorrow over the Portland
Trail Blazers.
The Lakers and Blazers have won
one game apiece in the Western
Conference finals. LA siezed the
home court advantage via a4 H-l 06
victory last Saturday on the Blaz
ers' home court.
Johnson said it's tough to get to
the finals, even though the Lakers
have been there eight times in the
last 11 years.
4 'Even to get to this point where
we're at now is very hard, very dif
ficult," he said. 4 'And to actually
go the championships, that's very
difficult. Then to win it, oh man.
The competition is so much tougher
now."
Johnson said there is a natural^
VOiOC (AP)?~)NftW York
Giants linebacker Lawrence Tay
lor criticized general manager
,..;i3eorge Young for allowing coach
I . BUI Patceils to quit
i "George Young, ( Mvik m a
little bit his fault," Taylor said to
The New York Times before play
I tag Friday in aceiebrity golf tour
nament in 1*rmingdaie, n.j.
! "More money, whatever it takes."
1 Parcelis, wfto led the Giants to
Magic Johnson
l iheir seSoad Saper Bowl title in
five years in January/ quit
Wednesday and was replaced by
offensive coordinator Ray Hand
ley*, Parcel Is said thai money was
qotanime. s | | ||| 1 1
"Phil Strums, Ottis Anderson,
Cart Banks, Leonard Marshall*
Lawrence Taylor were }u$t play
ers,^ Ifeytor said. ^BlII P&rcell* &
the blueprint* Without him, noth
ing works/**, ' , ? ?1
tendency for a team to relax after
winning a big playoff game on the
road.
"We're trying to keep everybody
into it and not relax/' he said. "You
can't relax with them (the Blazers)
-because^once-y ou ex hale^you ' re ?
blown out, quickly."
Lakers' coach Mike Dunleavy
said he doesn't trust the homecourt
advantage in this series. Portland
beat the Lakers twice in Inglewood
during the regular season.
"I just think the way these two
teams have played during the year
and because of the talent they both
have, nobody's homecourt is safe,"
Dunleavy said. 4 'Therefore, you
don't want to say you just need to i
get one victory on their court. You
may need more than one." ?
HpMMl
" b<MW *;big; part of rayllfe. I've
never gone on Ike field without
IH Pared tsbeing riUlIitlllt
'V I After tfeeSuper Bowl.Giants
Bill
|| Belichfck quit to become bead
coach at Cleveland.
"We win the Super Bowl, then
we lose our top defensive guy,"
Taylor said. ' 'Mow we lose our
jgpjMWMMBWMM
o . . .
Roadrunners open TAC track season on Saturday
* i
X -The Winston-Salem Roadrunners
Tr&ck Club opens its summer season with
a Junior Olympic Qualifying Meet on Sat
urday at the North Forsyth High School
. track. The meet begins at 8 a.m.
. The top five finishers in each event
will qualify to compete in the North Car
* blina TAC/Junior Olympic Regionals,
June 29^0 at the University of North Car
olina in Chapel Hill. The top three finish
ers at the regionals will advance to the
TAC nationals which will take place July"
25-28 at Chapel Hill. /
This qualifying meet featufbs competi
tion in various age groups from eight to 18
years old. The cut-off date of 18-year olds
is July 28 of this year. The entry fee is $3
per athlete and $5 per relay team. Athletes
who run on relay teams must be a member
of a sanctioned TAC club. Entry deadline
is May 18. * ?
Athletes must also have TAG cards
which are $8 each. Your TAC membership
card number must appear on the entry
form for this meet. In addition, birth cer
tificates are required to verify ages of par
ticipants. Participants may submit a photo
copy of their birth certificates with their
entry forms.
Entry forms and TAC cards may be
secured by contacting the Winston-Salem
Roadrunners Club, 3230 Parrish Road,
Winston-Salem, NC 27105, or call V.G.
2689^ or *784-7661.
National Youth Sports
registration begins
this Saturday
at Winston-Salem State
The National Youth Sports Program
will begin registration of participants on
Saturday at the C.E. Gaines Center on
the campus of Winston-Salem State.
The two other dates for registration
will be June 1 and June 8. Registration
will be open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. for
all three dates.
NYSP is a free program that runs
from June 10 through July 12.
Youths from the community are
afforded an opportunity to be educated
in the areas of crime prevention, drug
awareness, etc., as well as getting
instructions from professionals in vari
ous sports.
For more information, call Tim
Grant at 750-2594.
SEE GOLF'S
BEST HOPE.
Bob Hope and 100 of your favorite entertainment
and sports stars are scheduled to come to Bermuda
Run for The Crosby's Fiftieth Anniversary. They'll be .
shooting to make your favorite charities the big win- , ;
ners of the one-and-a-half-million-dollar puree. Come
celebrate the fun of fifty years of golf and giving. For
your tickets to The Crosby, call 1-800-345-BING. ? ; ?
B E K M 0 ft A K I! N
CROSBY
MAY 30- JUNE 2
Fifty years of good times for a good cause.
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