University of Virginia Library

McAdoo Goes Early

Portland Plucks Wahoos' McCandlish

By DOUG DOUGHTY

Selected on the ninth round
by the Portland Trail Blazers of
the National Basketball
Association, Scott McCandlish
now awaits the developments
of what promises to be a career
in pro basketball.

McCandlish, who
presumably impressed new
Trail blazer coach Jack
McCloskey much during the
big 6-10 center's stay at
Virginia, received the
compliment of McCloskey,
who picked McCandlish over
Brigham Young's continental
flash Kresimir Cosic, a
third-team All-America choice.

Not the only ACC player to
be selected, McCandlish joins
Steve Previs, Dennis Wuycik
and Robert McAdoo of North
Carolina as NBA picks.
McAdoo, only a junior, was
selected third in the first
round.

Sought by the Buffalo
Braves, McAdoo has already
signed with an agent, making
him ineligible for further
NCAA competition.

Wuycik and Previs were
both selected by the Boston
Celtics, Wuycik on the second
round and Previs on the
seventh. Ex-Cavalier nemesis
Tom Riker became the
property of the Knicks on the
first round, while West
Virginia's Wil Robinson can
become a Houston Rocket if
he wants.

McCandlish is grateful for
the chance to play in the NBA
but he had expected to be
picked earlier. Nevertheless,
"Big Scott" knows the
frustration of a ninth-round
draftee and he wants to be sure
"not to walk into anything
blindly." Other possibilities
include catching on with an
ABA team or playing abroad.

Another alternative
available is as a member of the
U. S. Olympic squad. Scott
admitted yesterday, "I haven't
been notified officially about

the Olympic trials, but Coach
Gibson intends to talk to
Coach Iba (Henry Iba, coach of
the Olympic team) about my
trying out for the team." For
this reason, McCandlish has
held off from signing an agent,
which would make him
ineligible.

Questioned as to his
preferences, McCandlish
declared, "All things being
equal, I would probably play
with the Trail Blazers, but

there remains the fact that
some pro teams pay your
salaries abroad to gain
experience." The remainder of
the ABA draft, of which some
rounds were announced a
month ago, will be completed
soon.

During his distinguished
career at the University,
McCandlish was accorded
various honors and awards. A
three-year starter and
co-captain of the Cavaliers his

final season, McCandlish broke
Norman Carmichael's school
rebounding mark midway
through the 1971-72 season.
Finishing his career in a blaze
of glory, McCandlish scored 20
points against Wake Forest at
the ACC tournament and was
named second-team
all-tourney.

McCloskey, of course, has
spent the last six-seasons at
Wake, where he achieved a
winning record.