College Basketball Begins Season in Search of True Star

‘I don’t know if there’s a franchise out there--a Ewing or a Samspon. These things run in cycles.’ --RALPH MILLER, Oregon State coach

Cecil B. De Mille would understand. So would Samuel Goldwyn. For that matter, so would any crusty movie mogul worth his clout on the studio lot.

College basketball enters the 1985-86 season as a game in search of a true star--that one name to put on a marquee certifying instant acclaim and success. The star system that worked so well in Hollywood has, for the moment, run its course in college basketball.

Look around, the giants have moved on. Patrick Ewing? Gone. Chris Mullin? Gone. Wayman Tisdale? Gone.

Then go back a step farther. It seemed as if there was always a Ralph Sampson or an Akeem Olajuwon or a Michael Jordan to hitch a wagon to. But they moved on a while ago.

So for the first time in about five years--roughly when Sampson came of age at Virginia--college basketball finds itself without that one player who can light up a season regardless of all else.

Says Georgetown Coach John Thompson: “The balance of power has shifted. There are a lot of good players out there, but I don’t see a lot of players whose abilities are exceptional.”

That is not to dismiss this year’s caliber of play. Rather, it reinforces the notion of just how abundantly gifted is a player like Ewing or Mullin or Tisdale.

The dropoff is most glaring at center. No NBA team will chart its future from this group.

Roy Tarpley of Michigan, William Bedford of Memphis State, Dave Hoppen of Nebraska and Brad Daugherty of North Carolina are all fine players and the best pivot men in the country. Ewing they are not.

At forward, the prominent names are John Salley of Georgia Tech, Kenny Walker of Kentucky, Danny Manning of Kansas, Len Bias of Maryland, Walter Berry of St. John’s, Chuck Person of Auburn, Reggie Williams of Georgetown and Rafael Addison of Syracuse.

The backcourt returns All-America Johnny Dawkins of Duke as well as Mark Price of Georgia Tech, Dwayne Washington of Syracuse, Kenny Smith of North Carolina, Dell Curry of Virginia Tech and David Rivers of Notre Dame.

Such are the headline players. But keep a close eye on those less ballyhooed: Maurice Martin of St. Joseph’s, Ron Harper of Miami (Ohio), David Robinson of Navy, Reggie Lewis of Northeastern, Charles Smith of Pitt and Larry Krystkowiak of Montana.

As for freshmen, the Atlantic Coast Conference struck oil: Tom Hammonds of Georgia Tech, Jeff Lebo of North Carolina, Walker Lambiotte of North Carolina State and Danny Ferry of Duke. Others are Glen Rice of Michigan, Rodney Strickland of DePaul and Jerome Richardson of UCLA.

“It’ll be far more interesting this season,” Miller says. “Life is easier when you happen to have that one player, but it’s a lot more fun for everybody else who doesn’t.”

So there will be sufficient fun for everyone, with all abiding by the 45-second shot clock -- from Chapel Hill, N.C., to Champaign, Ill.; from Washington, D.C., to Westwood, Calif.

The South, and ACC in particular, is packed solid with Georgia Tech, North Carolina and Duke among the nation’s best. Also part of this basketball confederacy are Auburn, Louisville and Kentucky.

The Big East, which sent three teams to the Final Four, returns earthward with Syracuse possibly the one to beat. NCAA champion Villanova loses three starters and has been picked to finish sixth in the league.

“We’ll just try to play the best we can,” Wildcats coach Rollie Massimino says. “We’re not worried about encores.”

Michigan, Illinois and Iowa should batter each other in the Big Ten with Kansas controlling the Plains. The West likely belongs to Nevada Las Vegas, Washington and UCLA.

Whatever fever of excitement is produced--beginning with the presesason National Invitation Tournament Nov. 22 and culminating with the NCAA title game March 31 at Dallas--college basketball has a more important assignment this year: staying clean.

On the eve of last season’s Final Four the Tulane point-shaving scandal broke.