| OCR Text |
Show Friday, May 21, 1971 SIGNPOST Page 13 On n. n n bDC (2 JODO The lost children of Southern California have finally found a home. Changing the sea coast for the mountains seemed to agree with the Utah Stars as they showed by winning the American Basketball Association Championship last Tuesday night. It has been a long up-hill fight for the former Los Angeles Stars who in turn were the Anaheim something or other. In the 1967-68 season the Stars won a grand total of 25 games while losing 53. Not exactly a championship team is it? For the 1968-69 record the Stars won 33 games and lost 45. It was the 1969-70 season that saw some of the Stars front office work really begin to pay dividends. That season the Stars won 43 games and lost 41, but managed to knock off Denver, the Western Division champion, and take the always tough Indiana Pacers to six games in the championship finals before bowing out. Still the Stars real problem wasn't lack of playing talent but rather a lack of those interested enough to come out and watch them play. Last year while the Stars were still in Los Angeles they averaged just about 1,500 people a game and that might be streching the imagination just a little. There were some nights when the roaring crowds would be as many as 300 or less. There was about as much fan support for the Stars in Los Angeles as there is for the Viet Cong in President Nixon's bedroom. When owner Bill Daniels took over the Stars he soon realized that without fans you lose money and fast. The only thing left to do was to pack bags and go hunting for a new home. And that is exactly what Daniels did. The next thing Daniels did was get the best talent available for the team and this was accomplished through the person of Zelmo Beaty. He already had a fighting coach who knew basketball like the back of his hand, and who had played successfully in the "other league". Bill Sharman proved to be one of the best assests the Stars had and Daniels knew it. Now for the crowning touch he needed a general manager with enough wit and imagination to put together a championship team. Vince Boryla could easily be named the Most Valuable person of the club. The trades he made and everyone screamed at, turned out for the best in the end and perhaps the only three people that thought they would, were Bill Sharman, Bill Daniels and the mastermind behind them all Vince Boryla. Now with the season over it is very easy to look back and realize why the Stars were so successful. fl Zelmo Beaty lead the Utah Stars to a convincing win over the Kentucky Colonels last Tuesday night in the Salt Palace before 13,200 fans. With the victory the Stars became the Champions of the ABA. $700.00 MATERNITY BENEFIT (Vlutuol The Compahy that pays NOW AVAILABLE for Married Students call 394-4950 3022 Washington Ufe ,nsurai Affiliate: United of Omaha Willie Wise who plays a fantastic game for the Stars was one of the key factors in Tuesday nights championship victory. They had guts. Maybe it doesn't sound too pleasant but it is the simple truth. Time and time again they were down and what looked like maybe out for the count but they always came back and last Tuesday night they came back for the last time. This last year over 360,000 people have paid their way into see the Stars play basketball in the Salt Palace. This breaks every existing first year attendance record in pro-basketball, NBA included. It seems almost too good to be true for area basketball fans to have a coach of Bill Sharman's ability. With Coach Sharman and assistant Larry Creger running the team, a superstar in Zelmo Beaty and a club which wins the championship in its first year of operation really does seem like a dream come true. And, after reviewing the past year, what of the future? The dreaming might just as well go on with the hope that the Stars will continue to win the championship and that sellout crowds will be on hand to watch. Yes, let's just dream on and on. Pro-basketball is here. It has been successful. And now that all the dreams have come true there should be no doubt in your mind who's No. 1. UTAH STARS 1970-71 ROSTER No. Player Pos. Ht. Wt. Age Exp. College 10 MERV JACKSON G 6-3 175 24 2 Utah 11 DICK NEMELKA G 6-0 175 26 R Brigham Young 12 MIKE BUTLER G 6-2 175 24 2 Memphis State 14 ROD McDONALD F 6-6 205 25 R Whitworth 21 AUSTIN ROBBINS F-C 6-8 200 26 3 Tennessee 24 RON BOONE F-G 6-2 200 24 2 Idaho State 31 ZELMO BEATY C 6-9 235 29 7 Prairie View 33 GEORGE STONE F 6-7 195 24 2 Marshall 40 GLEN COMBS G 6-2 185 23 2 Virginia Tech 42 WILLIE WISE F 6-6 215 23 1 Drake 54 SAM SMITH F 6-7 230 25 3 Kentucky Wesleyan COACH Bill Sharman ASST. COACH Larry Creger TRAINER Buddy Taylor q-prrrN r iwk MEDITAT 0i AS TAUGHT IY MAHARISHI MAHESH YOGI ( P ? ( 'i ) f TRANSCENDENTAL MEDITATION IS A NATURAL SPONTANEOUS TECHNIQUE WHICH ALLOWS EACH INDIVIDUAL TO EXPAND HIS MIND AND IMPROVE HIS LIFE. Second Introductory Lecture by Walter Bellin, instructor in T.M. 1 2 noon - Friday, May 21 UNION BUILDING ROOM 336 J |
