News Scrapbook 1984

San Diego, CA (Son Diego Co.) Evening Tribune (Cir. 0 . 127,454) JUL 1 1984

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.S. 0 ympic basketball team literally has arrived Tr1bune ,portswrlter ' 'IT'LL be good to gPt re and

apolis, Iowa City, Indianapolis, Greensboro, N.C. and Milwaukee, where they won last night, their sev- enth tra1ght win in the series, 94-78. ' only trip before going to L.A. is to Phoneix next Sat- urday for another date with the NBA All-Stars. Their last game against the pros will be at the ports Arena July 25 at 8 pm., followmg a game between the U.S. women's team and a men's team frolh the Southern Cal- ifornia Summer Pro Basketball League. Tickets are available at Teleseat and the Sports Arena box office. • Also, here the men's team will The Olympia

scrimmage against various teams in the SCSPBL now in session at San Diego State. The Olympians' home court will be the U ~rts Center, where the daily pracfrees will be closed to the public. "There are still some wrinkles to be ironed out," said U.S. assistant coach George Raveling, "but we've made very meaningful progress. Early on the defense was somewhat ahead of the offense, but that was almost to be expected when dealing with what essentially is a team of all-stars." All-Stars? Try to find a starting five somewhere in this bunch: Mi- chael Jordan, the College Player of The Year, and his North Carolina teammate, Sam Perkins. Pat Ewing, the most imposing center in the col- lege game today and the leader of NCAA champion Georgetown. Okla- homa's Wayman Tisdale, the only player in history to earn All-America honors in his first two collegiate sea- sons. Indiana's Steve Alford and Leon Wood of Fullerton State, a pair of dynamic point guards. Chris Mullin of St. John's, Mr. Instant Offense. Alvin Robertson from Arkansas, a defensive ace who also is second on the club in rebounding and assists. "We're running a motion offense," said Raveling, the Iowa coach who, along with C.M. Newton of Vander- bilt, is assisting Indiana's Bobby Knight. "That has meant making an adjustment for some of these play- ers, whose college teams essentially revolved around them. But we

couldn't ask for more in terms of at- titude from a group of 14 young men. Every one·of them is a star, and yet they've worked so hard and from such a standpoint of humility. It's been mind-boggling." It also probably has been that way or the highway with Knight at the helm. But as Raveling says, "It will make better ballplayers out of them in the long run." In the short run, there are the Games, with basketball being played at the Forum. The U.S. is in the B pool, along with China, Uruguay, Spain, Canada and France. Italy, Yu- goslavia, Australia, Brazil, West Ger-

be able to e, ' 1d a member of th US. Olympic m n' b etball contingent y ter- day from Mil auk And, finally, that day has come. The team arnved h re today and 1s staying and practicrng in town until its first Olympic ame July 29 in Lo Ang Jes It' good for the team because its barn tormmg days arc virtually over In the la t two wecis t e team has played NBA All-Stars 'n Bloom- ington, Ind., Providence, R Minne- ttl m for aw

many and Egypt comprise the A pool After playmg each team in their own division once, the top four teams from each poof will make the quarterfinals, which begin Aug 4. The first game for the U.S. is against China July 29. Missing, of course, are the Rus- sians and the potential for a game between them and the U.S. team. Ra- veling called that "ohviou l a game basketball devotees would like to see." But be also pomted out that it wasn't an automatic matchup even if most of the Communist bloc nations

hadn't boycotted the Games, since they would have been in the A pool. And there will be no tarnish on the U.S. medal, whatever color it is. "Remember, the Russians didn't even wm the gold when the Games were held in their own backyard," said Raveling, referring to the '80 Moscow Games where the Soviets took the bronze behind champion Yu- goslavia and silver medalist Italy. "Our players have had enough inter- national experience in past years to know that even without the Russians in L.A., this won't just be smooth sail- ing. They know there are other good teams here."

AP photo BOBBY K IGHT MLL LEAD OLYMPIANS INTO TOWN TODAY

COMING TO TOWN - Michael Jordan, Sam Perkins and Pat Ewing (above, left to right) will lead the U S. Olympic

basketball contingent into town today. They'll play their final game against a group of NBA all-stars here July 25th, _.,;;,