Tarpley Is Joined by Lucas for Debut

Roy Tarpley, 27, returned to pro basketball Tuesday night, scoring 18 points and getting 16 rebounds in his Continental Basketball Assn. debut with the Wichita Falls Texans during their 92-87 home loss to the Tri-City Chinook.

Tarpley, then of the Dallas Mavericks, was banned from the NBA on Oct. 16 when he refused to take a mandatory drug test and received strike three in the NBA’s anti-drug program. He can apply for reinstatement after the start of the 1993-94 season.

Former NBA point guard John Lucas, who was once banned from the NBA for substance abuse and who runs the CBA-sanctioned drug treatment center where Tarpley was treated, also signed with the Texans for the team’s final three games. Lucas scored 14 points.