After Big Men Go First, Locals Go in First Round : NBA draft: Miner goes to Heat at No. 12. Lakers take Peeler. Clippers select : La Salle’s Woods with their first pick.

Orlando, Charlotte and Minnesota cashed the most valuable bounty of college centers in NBA draft history Wednesday.

LSU’s Shaquille O’Neal, Georgetown’s Alonzo Mourning and Duke’s Christian Laettner, the first three picks in the draft, can expect to make as much as $10 million next season and have an impact on the balance of power in the NBA for a dozen years.

The Lakers took Missouri guard Anthony Peeler with the 15th selection and the Clippers followed at No. 16 by taking La Salle point guard Randy Woods.

It was a big day for Southern California players. USC’s Harold Miner went to Miami with the No. 12 selection, Pepperdine’s Doug Christie to Seattle at No. 17, San Antonio took UCLA’s Tracy Murray at No. 18 and Detroit grabbed the Bruins’ Don MacLean at No. 19.

Peeler is Missouri’s all-time leader in assists (479) and steals (196) and the third all-time leading scorer (1,970 points). He was named Big Eight Player of the Year as a senior, averaging 23.4 points, 3.9 assists and 5.5 rebounds per game. However, Peeler damaged his stock with his off-court problems in which he pleaded guilty recently to a weapons charge and had an assault charge dropped.

Woods was selected as Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference player of the year as a senior. He ranked fifth in the nation with a 27.3 scoring average. Woods also averaged 6.3 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game. He led the conference in steals with 75 and ranked second in assists with 160. Woods shot 41.7% from the field and 81.3% from the free throw line. But the centers went first.

Only in 1968, when Elvin Hayes, Wes Unseld, Bob Kaufman and Tom Boerwinkle were the first four picks, have as many as three college centers taken the top spots in the NBA draft.

“This was a pretty good draft for big men and I was fortunate enough to be picked No. 1,” O’Neal said. “But it all comes down to one thing. They picked us because they feel they can utilize our talents. It doesn’t mean anything else.”

O’Neal is the biggest prize among the big men, averaging 24.1 points, 14.0 rebounds and 5.2 blocked shots for LSU last season and 27.6 points, 14.7 rebounds and 5.0 blocks the previous one.

“I’m fortunate to be drafted by the Magic,” O’Neal said of the team that has been the worst in the NBA at blocking shots. “I think they might have been lacking a little at center. I’m not promising we’ll win a championship in the first year; things take time.

“I’ll learn the ropes, get my feet wet and after that I’m going to be a good player. I think I’ll be pretty hard to stop. I think I can average 14 points, nine rebounds, three blocks, something like that.”

Mourning will join potential All-Stars Larry Johnson--last year’s No. 1 pick--and Kendall Gill to form an outstanding nucleus of young players with the Hornets.

“I have a strong feeling I’ll be in camp on time and my contract will be settled,” Mourning said. “I’m excited about coming to Charlotte and joining all the other fine talent there. I feel my biggest asset is rebounding and blocking shots.”

Dallas, which earlier in the day traded four-time All-Star Rolando Blackman to the New York Knicks for their 1995 first-round pick, broke the run of centers by taking Jimmy Jackson of Ohio State.

“I don’t think you can replace a Rolando Blackman,” Jackson said. “He was a great player who has done a lot for that organization.”

Then came another run of tall players, with Notre Dame’s LaPhonso Ellis going to Denver, Tom Gugliotta of North Carolina State to Washington, Maryland’s Walt Williams to Sacramento and Arkansas’ Todd Day to Milwaukee. That made seven of the top eight picks 6-8 or taller.

Day and Williams, however, are projected as guards.

Williams, touted as this year’s “next Magic Johnson,” is believed capable of playing point guard, shooting guard or small forward at 6-8. Day also is 6-8, but strictly an outside player as the Razorbacks’ career leader in scoring.

Philadelphia’s selection with the ninth pick, Clarence Weatherspoon of Southern Miss, is only 6-7, but is also one of the widest players of all. The 240-pound Weatherspoon clearly impressed the 76ers as the closest player they could find to be a replacement for the traded Charles Barkley.

The trend toward power players continued with the 10th and 11th picks as power forwards Adam Keefe of Stanford and Robert Horry of Alabama were taken by Atlanta and Houston, respectively. Keefe was the surprise of the first round, as he had been projected going as high as fifth.

Harold then went to Miami and guard Bryant Stith of Virginia was taken by Denver with its second pick of the first round.