University of Virginia Library

Parkhill, Gerry React To Draft

By Hugh Carter
Cavalier Daily Staff Writer

The two University of Virginia
basketball players selected in the
American Basketball Association's
college draft on Monday are
relatively unmoved by the whole
affair.

Second-year guard Barry
Parkhill and fourth-year forward
and team Captain Bill Gerry, both
drafted by the Virginia Squires,
commented yesterday on the role
of pro basketball in their respective
futures.

Parkhill, drafted in the sixth
round, commented when
approached on the subject, "It is a
great honor to be drafted by a pro
team, but I would like to wait to
try pro basketball after I have
graduated from college."

AP Statement

In a statement to the Associated
Press, Parkhill added, "This is
amazing. I will have to talk to
Coach Gibson before saying or
doing anything else."

Parkhill doesn't expect
"anything else" to happen. His
belief is apparently correct, as Earl
Foreman, owner of the Squires,
told newsmen yesterday that,
although he felt justified in drafting
Parkhill and other underclassmen,
"We will not follow up our picks of
the three undergraduates and will
not contact them personally."

Other Undergraduates

The other undergraduates
mentioned by Foreman are Tim
Riker, the junior center of South
Carolina, and Jim Chones,
Marquette's sophomore center.

Gerry, the other Virginia player
drafted, was selected in the eighth
round by the Squires. Although the
Virginia standout explained his
position by saying, "I am uncertain
about my desire to play pro
basketball at this moment," he did
add that he "had one other club in
mind."

In the ABA draft, a number of
other Atlantic Coast Conference
players were chosen. Besides Riker,
three other South Carolina
Gamecocks were selected. They are
guard John Roche, drafted in the
third round by Kentucky, forward
Tom Owens, picked in the fourth
round by Memphis, and forward
John Ribock, chosen in the
eleventh round by Denver.

Utah selected North Carolina's
center Lee Dedmon on the fifth
round. Also Duke had two players
drafted as forwards Larry Saunders
and Rich Katherman were picked
on the tenth and thirteenth rounds,
respectively. Saunders was drafted
by Kentucky and Katherman by
Indiana.

The only other ACC team
represented was Wake Forest as
center Gill McGregor was chosen by
the Squires in the tenth round.