THURSDAY, JANUARY 27, 1966 THE MICHIGAN DAILY PAGE SEVEN ,,USA, AUR 7,16 H MC IA AIYP(. A LlIUCI UL' JL 1N Bankey Happy as Another Humphrey CAZZIE TOO? Chicago Gets NBA Franchise By DAN OKRENT One of the most ungratifying positions to find oneself in is that bastion of ignominy and anony- mity, the post of the overshadow- ed and upstaged. Thousands of examples may be found throughout our modern culture. Among these, there is that ultimate stand of fame because of non-fame, the office of Vice Pres- ident of the United States. Too, one could be the assistant con- ductor of the New York Philhar- monic, the ill-fated predecessor of Ringo Starr, or the associate sports editor of The Michigan Daily. Or one could be Cazzie Russell's partner in the Michigan back- court. Not His Fault Like those holders of the afore- mentioned p o s i t i o n s, Dennis Bankey suffers not because of his own inability and infirmities, but because he is relegated to second behind one whose stature of either person or position must be paramount. While we may shed tears for Vice President Humphrey because his office is inferior, we must attribute Dennis Bankey's relative anonymity to the person of Cazzie Russell, hoopster extra- ordinaire. But Dennis doesn't mind. "I'm more than happy just to be able to play next to Cazzie, and I'll always be willing to set him up for a shot that only he could make," says the 6'1" Bankey, a former Catholic All-America from Detroit. "In fact, one of the greatest ad- vantages to playing on a team like Michigan's is that there is so much I can learn from players of this caliber." And Dennis has made himself learn. "There's no one who has tried or tries harder than Den- nis," says assistant coach and freshman mentor Tom Jorgenson, who played a principle role in the recruitment and development of the dark-haired guard. "He has the right amounts of the desire and toughness that make him not only a fierce competitor, but an excellent example to the other players." And if there's anyone who should know, it's Jorgenson. Primarily a shooter in high school (he averaged 27 ppg in his junior and senior years at Detroit St. Thomas), Bankey came to Ann Arbor full of apprehension due to the stupendous qualities and abil- ities of the previous year's frosh, a team that consisted of, in part, Oliver Darden, Jim Myers, John Clawson, John Thompson, and, of course, Russell. On this account, the forward - looking Jorgenson converted Dennis' hard-driving, high-scoring high school style to a defense-oriented tack, if only because of Dennis' lack of rela- tive size. "In high school," Bankey says, "the tallest player I'dI come up against would be 6'5" or 6'6". Now it's the exception if the front- line men are shorter than this." Only Junior The only junior on the current starting five, Bankey is glad he picked Michigan out of the 15 or 20 offers he was considering while a prepper. "I looked at the edu- cational aspect along with that of athletics," he declares. "I was fairly convinced that I could get the best education available to me here in Ann Arbor, and this was important. Of course, I knew that with a team like Michigan was likely to have it wouldn't be easy breaking in, but I had the neces- sary confidence." Dennis attributes the source of this confidence to his coach at St. Thomas, Paul Mandziara. "He convinced me that I could play wherever I wanted to," Bankey affirms, "and I guess he was right. In this case, anyway." Replaces Thompson Moving in to replace senior John Thompson when the Illinois-bred' guard was injured in the Far West Classic this past December, Den- nis has started in each of Mich- igan's Big Ten clashes, even though Thompson is now back at full strength. "I think that start- ing on a team like this has been one of the greatest thrills in my basketball career," Dennis states, "and I hope I'll be able to stay in there." Although he spent the great part of his sophomore year rid- ing the Wolverine bench, Dennis' new-found status has not shaken his nerves norhisabilities. "Sure, I get nervous before a game," he reveals, "but once you're in there, caught up in the game itself, you forget all about nerves." Jorgenson Attests Evidently he has done this, as Jorgenson attests: "Dennis' tough- ness is manifested in his coolness on the court. I think his great second-half showing against Min- nesota's Archie Clark last week is proof enough for that." In that highly-touted match, the whole Minnesota offense froze as hard as the cast on Lou Hudson's arm, except for the high-scoring Clark. Displaying all the razzle-dazzle of the proverbial "one-man team," Clark had a blistering first half, worth 19 points of his team's total. After replacing Thompson (who had previously come in to replace Dennis) in the second half, the speedy Bankey held down both Clark and his cronies to a miser- able offensive, riddled with missed shots and feeble passes. As one of the only two juniors in the team's first ten players (center Craig Dil is the other), Bankey stands a good chance to be captain next year. And to do this, Bankey must keep Thomp- son on the bench. Does he think he can do it? "Well, John is going to have to work awfully hard to get his job back." Well, John? By JIM TINDALL Meeting in New York yesterday the nine club owners of NBA franchises voted unanimously to give a franchise to Chicago effec- tive next season. The ramifications of this vote are several and concern both Michigan's All - America guard Cazzie Russell and the Detroit Pistons. Detroit attempted to get the territorial draft, which had been abolished last year, reinstated for next year only so that the falter- ing Piston organization might have first crack at signing Rus- sell. The motion to pass this reso- lution was tabled by the owners. Pistons or Knicks Either the Pistons or the New York Knicks would have had first crack at Russell, as it appears that they will be the two last place teams in the league, had Chicago not been voted a franchise. With- out the Chicago entry the draft rights to the star guard would have been decidedby a toss of a coin. Yesterday, however, all of this was changed. When the Chicago Packers were created in 1961 they were given the first draft choice among the college seniors so that the team could get on its feet, and based on this precedent it is likely that Russell would be the first draft choice of the yet unnamed Chicago team. The franchise was granted to a group headed by Dick Klein, a Chicago suburb res- ident and former basketball play- er at Northwestern. Klein was in New York last night preparing for the final session of the owners this afternoon and was unavail- able for comment on any draft preferences his team might have should they be granted first pick. Likely Choice It seems likely however that Russell, who is clicking off an even 30 points per game, would be on the top of their lists. Detroit has made it quite clear that they want Russell for their club, and Don Butcher, their chief talent scout, said earlier this year, " Cazzie Russell undoubtedly has more talent than any other col- lege ballplayer in the country. Cer- tainly he would be our first draft choice, as he would be anybody's else's. "I have played against Oscar Roberston and watched Cazzie several times and I would say right now that he is just behind the 'Big 0' in every category." Zollner Unavailable Piston owner Fred Zollner was also unavailable for comment last night on how he felt this would affect the Pistons next year. It is felt by some that the only way that the Pistons could be put on a winning and paying basispwould be by the aquisition of Russell, Russell was contacted by The Daily last night and after shout- ing the news to his roommate he said, "I'm inquisitive as to the outcome. It is going to be a lot tougher decision than a lot of people think as to where I am go- ing to play. "I had heard that there was a possibility of a franchise in Chi- cago, but I had no idea that any- thing was definite. There are many things to be considered in my decision as to where I would like to play." Some of these are likely to be being close to his home, the chance for more money, playing for a young team, and thepossibility of getting his own sports show on radio or TV which he names as his future profession. The team will be the third that Chicago has had in recent years. Klein said yesterday that his team would use the Chicago Amphithe- ater for its games, and that his organization expects to lose $100,- 000 in the first three years but ''would break even after that." 7 Opportunities for a Summner of SERVICE and REWARD U.S. and Abroad 8:00 P.M. Jan. 28 NEWMAN CENTER 331 Thompson -Daily--Kamalakar Rao JUNIOR GUARD DENNIS BANKEY drives for two on a Iayup against Indian's Vernon Payne in a game played earlier this sea- son at Yost Fieldhouse. Bankey is the only junior presently in the starting five having replaced John Thompson as Cazzie Russell's backcourt partner. -Panel will discuss how they have served and how YOU can serve your fellow men. SECURITY IS A WENLEY HOUSE ESCORT COMES BACK AFTER INJURY: Gymnast Blanton Fights Way to Top By CARL RAYFORD In his senior year at Michigan, Richard Blanton is giving the gymnastics team over 100 per cent. To come back from a severe in- jury, and become one of the stal- warts on the varsity team requires more than others are willing to give. To go from there and chal- lenge the Big Ten takes more than many others have.. Blanton first started gymnastics while a sophomore in high school. He came to Michigan from Ever- green, Colorado as the best prep gymnast in the entire Rocky Mountain area. And, except for aninjur which sidelined him two seasois go and -limited his out-- put last season, he has continued to be an outstanding gumnast and Los Angeles Bops Pistons DETROIT (P)-The Los Angeles Lakers whipped the Detroit Pis- tons 126-110 last night to end a four-game losing streak in the second half of a National Bas- ketball Association doubleheader. The New York Knicks finished strong in the opener to clip the San Francisco Warriors 115-103. Elgin Baylor, looking like the Baylor of Old, joined Jerry West in providing the 1-2 punch for the Lakers as they stretched their Western Division lead to three games over the idle Baltimore Bullets. Baylor, showing no signs of knee trouble which had idled him ear- lier in the season, pumped in 11 ( points and grabbed eight rebounds in the first period to shove the Lakers on top 31-26, and they never trailed the rest of the way. By halftime, the Lakers led 65- 47 with West scoring 20 and Bay- lor 19 points. Detroit came with- in eight points twice in the third period and within six early in the fourth. a standout in the Big Ten. Blanton Sidelined The injury that prvented Blan- ton from performing was to his arm. The tendon of his elbow was ripped off at the bone. Doctors had to drill holes in the bone to reinsert that tendon, and restore strength to his arm. , Although the injury stopped him for a while, today he works the rings and the parallel bars on the varsity team and is one of Coach Newt Loken's outstanding athletes. "I think my biggest victory at Michigan was in last year's re- gionals when I placed behind a guy (Glen Gailis) who later went on to take the national cham- pionship.' Outside of gymnastics Blanton's main interests are mountain climbing, scuba diving and archa- eology. "Being from Colorado, I was around mountains and just naturally became interested in mountain climbing." How he man- aged to find an interest in scuba diving in the mountains of Colo- rado is still a mystery. Major Interest "Anthropology," says Blanton, "has always been one of my major interests, especially the archaeol- ogy of Central America." After graduation Blanton intends to go to the University ofthe Americas In Mexico City where he shal continue studying the archaeology of Central, America. Although he hopes to soon go to Mexico City, he also regrets having to leave Michigan, particularly since he missed a year of eligi- bility. The only reason for not getting it, he guesses, is that he participated in two meets during that season, which in some cases has been good for an extra season. This season Blanton is having no trouble with the arm. In spite of the freedom this gives him to go back and participate in all events, as he did in high school, Blanton has decided to concen- trate on the rings and the parallel bars. All of the gymnasts' op- ponents this season have seen what Blanton can do and none of them so far have reason to like it. Last Week Last week against Ohio State he scored two firsts to show the Buckeyes what he could do. This season he is going after that first place finish in the regionals with a hungry look. Confident about this team, he states that "this is one of the best teams I've seen since I have been here. Good things are all that I can say about them. "The Big Ten is a tougher league and we will have a hard time, but I'm sure we can win again. Everyone is enthused about work.ing toward that goal." Coach Newt Loken praised his fine gymnast saying, "Rich has been our tough luck boy with his severe elbow injury two years ago which laid him up for a consider- able length of time. And as you know, in gymnastics it takes a period of good healthy years to reach the top. But nevertheless this year he has been coming along fine with tremendous sin- cerity, ambition and hard work and is determined to be the best in tne Midwest if not the nation!" SCORES COLLEGE BASKETBALL Cincinnati 71, St. Joseph's (Ind) 66 Valparaiso 89, Ball State 76 Temple 81, Lafayette 65 St. Bonaventure 88, Seton Hall 82 Drake 74, Iowa State 71 NBA Los Angeles 126, Detroit 110 New York 115, San Francisco 103 NHL Chicago 6, Montreal 2 II I I JAZZ is COMING Friday, Feb. 4-Hill WELCOME STUDENTS Hours Open MON.-SAT. from 8:30-5:30 U-M Barbers near Kresge's and Dascola Barbers near Michigan Theatre We at Wenley wish to carry on what is fast becorning a campus t . tradition Dial 764-2799 -~- ,r i e ss wr ew we w M r Decorator furnished, fully carpeted JflV(RSITY lW R . Now renting for Aug. S. UNIVERSITY AVE. & FOREST AVE. PHONE 761-3565 L F RICH BLANTON I MEM THIS WEEKEND FRIDAY 7-12:30 SAT. 1 P.M. to 1 A.M. MICHIGAN MEN IN EUROPE HAVE, IT MADE- J WHEN THEY. BUY, RENT OR LEASE A CAR IN EUROPE FROM CTE Write-Phone for Free Car Guide-Low Rate Student Plan (AR- TOURS IN EUROPE, Inc. 555 Fifth Ave., N.Y., N.Y. 10017 r PL 1-3550 Campus Rep. Richard Rogers, P.O. Box 112. Tel. 448-2932 CALL ANYTIME-662-5676 :.;. II