Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, July 4, 1990 TAG: 9007040018
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-7 EDITION: HOLIDAY
SOURCE: Bill Brill
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
All along, it had been figured Virginia Tech's all-time scoring leader would be picked somewhere in the bottom half of the first round. But Coles lasted until No. 40, midway through the second - and last round - when he was picked by a team that didn't want him, Sacramento, and dealt to Miami for journeyman guard Rory Sparrow.
More astonishing to the Coles watchers were some of the guards selected ahead of him, seven who play the point and 17 all told.
Lance Blanks, who shot only namesakes in his two non-fruitful years at Virginia, was picked in the first round by the two-time champion Detroit Pistons. Blanks had a career shooting percentage of 40.8.
Kevin Pritchard of Kansas is a slow outside shooter. I know nothing of Negele Knight of Dayton. Dee Brown of Jacksonville, 6-foot-1 and 160 pounds, was the guy who was chosen instead of Coles by the Celtics.
So what went wrong, costing Coles thousands of dollars that he will never retrieve? (Second NBA contracts are based on performance).
Three media sources who follow the NBA said essentially the same thing: It was difficult to get a true read on Coles in college because he played on a very bad team, without a big man, his last two years, and because he played out-of-control in the Orlando, Fla., tryouts.
"He played selfishly in Orlando," said one source. "And he didn't help himself by not going to [additional trials in] Chicago. The pros still don't know if he can play the point."
Said another source, "Pro scouts didn't like his shot selection in college, but he didn't have any inside help. He didn't take advantage of the big guys in Orlando. He kept gunning."
The third said Coles' stock was much higher after his excellent junior season, when he was coming off his Olympics performance.
One legitimate benefit: Coles virtually is assured of making the Miami Heat, although just 30 percent of second-round picks survive training camp.
One of the driving factors behind all the college expansion talk is the little-known NCAA rule that permits 12-team (or more) leagues to play a 12th regular-season football game between division champions.
In the Southeastern Conference, such a title game would be worth millions and would be assured of network TV coverage. Raycom has told the Metro Conference, considering a 16-team group in football, that its 12th game could bring $2.5 million.
An ACC spokesman, who has heard all of this talk, figures the 12th-game rule won't last long on the books, certainly not long enough to ever be played.
"That rule was put in to help Division III leagues," he said. "It was never intended to be a championship game for superconferences. Those proposed leagues, if they come off, won't have enough votes. You don't think the other leagues are going to give the SEC more money and exposure? The rule can be voted out in a minute."
Best bargain in baseball? How about the $1.55 million the Cubs pay the best player in baseball, Ryne Sandberg? Many of the $3 million men are flopping, including Don Mattingly, Mark Davis and Robin Yount. . . . Official scorers are reversing themselves often these days. Not only did Cal Ripken retain his errorless streak in Baltimore, but two days later, Oakland's Mark McGwire was a beneficiary of a tardy change. McGwire carried an 82-game streak without an error into Wednesday's game because of the reversal. The Athletics' first baseman has had one error in 130 games . . . The Mets beat the Yankees 2-to-1 in fan interest among New York adults, a New York Times poll shows. Among women, it's more than 4-to-1. Wonder what would happen if George Steinbrenner sold the team? . . . It comes as no surprise to yours truly that the U.S. Senior Open more than doubled the television viewers of the PGA's Hartford event. Would you rather watch Lee and Jack - no last names required - or Wayne Levi, Brad Fabel and Nolan Henke? B10 B7 BRILL Brill
by CNB