Page Twelve
THE MICHIGAN DAILY
Friday, May 30, 1975
is r - ".+
Kuper tabbed by LA. in 4TH
Jazz pick Russian Belov;
Pistons try nabbing Malone
By AL HRAPSKY
Moments after the Los
Angeles Lakers selected Mich-
igan's C.J. Kupec in the fourth
round of the NBA draft yester-
day, the 6-8 forward, seemingly
at a loss for words . quipped,
"At least it's warm there."
Kupec, who received the word
from his attorney while anxious-
ly watching the Associated
Press wire at the Daily, was
the Lakers' third choice. Los
Angeles used their first picks to
g r a b UCLA's All - American
Dave Meyers and Junior Bridge-
man of Louisville in the first
round.
J o e Johnson, Michigan's
other co-captain, a 5-10 guard,
was passed over in ten rounds
of drafting by the NBA's
Czars.
Although Kupec, an Oaklawn,
tIlinois native, expressed great
interest in playing for the
Lakers, he refused to jump to
conclusions a n d mentioned
other alternatives.
"I have to consider the ABA
draft. It's all part of the game.
I would certainly play in the
ABA if conditions are right. I
also have to look at European
ball.
"I'll just have to wait and
see what each team has to
offer," he continued. "It's not
M-Go-Blue anymore and you
have to consider the money."
While Kupec should have an
excellent chance of playing for
the Lakers, in event he signs,
he'll have to contend with the
likes of Meyers, Bridgeman,
and fifth and sixth round picks
Charles Russell of Alabama and
Don Ford of California, Santa
Barbara.
"They're (L.A.) coming off of
a poor season and they're in a
rebuilding stage so it's good
for the incoming players,"
Kupec said. "Being drafted as
high as I was, must mean they
have some confidence in my
abilities."
The Detroit Pistons announced
that had the Lakers passed Ku-
pec up in the fourth round, they
would have selected him instead
of Lindsey Hairston, their sec-
ond pick.
All told, the Atlanta Hawks
shone the brightest after yes-
terday's ten rounds came to a
close. The Hawks, choosing
first in the initial round, fin-
gered the prolific scoring,
high flying David Thompson
of North Carolina State.
The day was not without its
comical moments and several
"firsts" were established. Wil-
loughby and another hardship
case-Darryl Dawkins of Evans
High School, Orlando, Florida,
were the first high school play-
ers ever drafted by the estab-
lished league. The Philadelphia
76'ers landed Dawkins.
In an strange move, the De-
troit Pistons attempted to draft
Moses Malone, the first high
schooler to sign a pro contract
(he signed with the Utah Stars
of the ABA last year) in the
fourth round. But Malone had
"We'll just have to wait and see what each
team has to offer. It's not M-Go-Blue any-
more and you have to consider the money."
-C. J. Kupec
After the Lakers coralled the signed a grant-in-aid at the Uni-
All-American Meyers, Atlanta versity of Maryland and the
countered by selecting Marvin NBA voided the choice on the
"the Human Eraser" Webster. grounds that his class had not
The Hawks also netted Bill graduated.
Willoughby, a high school hard- Following suit, the Chicago
ship case from Englewood, New Hulls tried to grab Malone in
Jersey. the final round but the NBA
Questions immediately arose m-intained its position.
as to whether the financially Another first occurred i the
plagued Hawks would be able final round, when the New Or-
to afford three such highly lean Jazz selected 6-7, 220-pound
touted superstars. Not only were Alekander Belov of the Soviet
trade rumors circulating in the Union. This raised the question
bartering rooms in New York, of whether or not the NBA con-
the inevitable possibility of a stitution encompasses foreign
bidding between the Hawks and athletes. Denuty Commissioner
the ABA over these players pre- Simon Gourdire said that the
sented itself. The ABA begins leag'e would conduct an in-
its own draft later in June. vestigation.
NBA-USDA choice
Not quite Detroit!
Lindsay Hairston attempts to swat C. J. Kupec's shot away in
the MSU-M game last season. The Detroit Pistons wanted
Kupec but when the L. A. Lakers took him in the fourth
round, they had to settle for Hairston.
FIRST ROUND
AtlatCta, David Thompson, for-
ward, North Carolina State; Los
Angeles D a v i dMeyers, center,
UCLA; Atlanta, MarvinWebster,
center, Morgan State; Phoenix, Al-
van Adams, forward-center Okla-
homa; Philadelphia, Darryle Dawk-
ins, forward, Maynard Evans HS,
Orlando, Fla.; Portland, Lionel Hol-
lins, guard. Arizona State; New
Orleans, Rich Kelly, center, Stan-
ford; Los Angeles, Junior Bridge-
man, forward, Louisville; New York,
Eugene Short, forward, Jackson
State; New Orleans, Bill Robinzine,
forward-center, De Paul; Houston,
Joe Meriweather, forward-center.
Southern Illinois; Seattle, Frank
Oleynick, guard, University of Seat-
tie; Kansas City, Bob Bigelow, for-
ward-guard, Pennsylvania; Golden
State, Joe Bryant, center, La Salle;
Cleveland, John Lambert, center,
Southern California; Phoenix. Richy
Sobers, guard, Nevada-Las Vegas;
Boston, Tom Boswell, forward-cen-
ter, South Carolina; Washington,
Kevin Grevey, forward, Kentucky.
SECOND ROU1tND
Atlanta, Bill Willoughby, toIr(r,
Dwight Morrow High School, Eg-
lewood, N.J.; Golden State, Gtis
Williams, guard, Southern Califor-
nia; Seattle, Bruce Seals, forward,
Xavier, New Orleans; Milwaukee,
Clyde layes fo-ward-center, For-
man; Philadelphia, Lloyd Free,
guard, Guilford; Milwaukee, Cor-
nelius C a s h, forward, Bowling
Green: Portland, Bob Gross, for-
ward, Long Beach State; New Yorlc
Tickey Burden, guard, Utah; De-
troit, Walter Luckett, forward,
Ohio University; Cleveland, Dar
Roundfield, forward-center, Central
Michigan; Houston, Jim Blanks,
forward, Gardner Webb; Chicago,
Steve Green, forward, Indiana; Kan-
sas City, Glenn Hansen, forward-
guard, Louisiana State; Chicago.
John Laskowski, guard-forward, I;-
diana; Cleveland, Mel Utley, guard.
St. John's, N.Y.; New York, Larry
Fogle, guard, Canisius; Phoeni ,
Allen Mt r p h y, forward - guard,
Louisville; Phoenix, Jlmmy Dan
Conner, guard, Kenucky.
- ~ ~.- . -- - --~ - - ; ; ~ i ; ................... - ;;;5 - --
Maior League Standings
AMERICAN LEAGUE NATIONAL LEAGUE
East East
W L Pet. GB W L Pet. Gi
Boston 22 17 .564 - Chicago 24 19 .558 -
Milwaukee 21 20 .512 2 Pittsburgh 22 18 .550
New York 20 23 .465 4 New York 20 18 .526 1,
Detroit 18 21 .462 4 Philadelphia 22 21 .512 2
Cleveland 18 23 .439 5 St. Louis 18 23 .439 5
Baltimore 16 26 .381 71z Montreal 14 24 .368 7?,
West West
Oakland 27 17 .614 - Los Angeles 29 19 .604 -
Kansas City 26 20 .565 2 Cincinnati 27 20 .574 1r
Minnesota 22 18 .550 3 San Francisco 23 21 .523 4
Texas 22 22 .500 5 San Diego 23 23 .500 5
California 22 24 .478 6 Atlanta 22 25 .468 6Y!
Chicago 20 23 .465 6r , Houston 18 31 .367 11)
Last Night's Game Today's Games
New York 7, Texas 5 ..Los Angeles (Sutton 9-3) at Chi-
Today's Games cago (Stone 5-0), 2:30 p.m.
Chicago (Osteen 1-5) at Detroit San Francisco (Barr 6-3) at Alo'
(Lolich 5-3), 8 p.m. treal (Rogers 3-4), 8:05 p.m.
Kansas City (Busby 7-3) at MIl- San Diego (Jones 6-2) at Ns-
waukee (Broberg 6-4), 8:30 p.m. . York (Koosman 4-2), 8:05 p.m.
New York (Medich 3-6) at Texas Houston (Konieczny 2-6) at Phil"
(Bibby 2-4), 9 p.m. adelphia (Lonborg 3-2), 8:05 p.m.
Boston (Tiant 4-5) at Minnesota Atlanta (Capra 4-5) at Pittsburgh
(Goltz 34), 9 p.m. (Reuss 3-4), 8:05 p.
Baltione (Palmer 7-3) at Califor- Cincsnnnati (Kirby 3-3) at 01-
nia (Figueroa 3-0), 10:30 pJ .. ,.. Louis (Curtis 2-3), 8:30 p..
Daily Photo by STEVE KAGAN
Guess what Mom, I got drafted!
C. J. Kupec speaks with his mother long distance in the Daily office after he received news
that the Los Angeles Lakers selected him in the NBA draft. Kupec was a Michigan co-captain
last year.