Hide Article Text (OCR)
Pacers Pick Smits Surprising No OneINDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Rik Smits, the Indiana Pacers’ top draft pick, will get his early NBA experience on the court, not the bench, says Coach Jack Ramsay.The Pacers made the 7-foot-4 Marist College center the second player taken in Tuesday’s draft, and Ramsay already is projecting a lot of playing time for him.“He can contribute, He can score, he can pass, he can block shots,” Ramsay said of Smits, a native of the Netherlands who never played organized basketball before age 15. “His experience is very limited, so there’s a lot in front of this kid.“I want him to play,” Ramsay added. “He’s not going to sit on the bench... unless he falls on his face entirely, which I can’t imagine happening.”Smits, the East Coast Athletic Conference Metro player of the year, shot 62 percent from the field last season, averaging 24.7 points and 8.7 rebounds a game.“It’s possible,” Ramsay said of Smits starting next season.“A lot of his development needs to happen this summer. We want to work with him immediately, and we need cooperation from Bik and his agent for that to happen.” The choice of the Marist College center was no surprise.Indiana had scouted him for two seasons and made him its first-round selection immediately after the Los Angeles Clippers, as expected, took Danny Manning of Kansas.The Pacers did not have a j second round selection, then on ■ the third and'final round took 6-7 Herbert Crook of Louisville and 5-11 Michael Anderson of Drex- i el.Crook, who averaged 16.1 : points and 6.5 rebounds a game last season, was the 61st player taken overall. Anderson, who j averaged 23.9 points and is con- I sidered an exceptional ball-handier, was the 73rd player picked in the draft.The Pacers didn’t have a second-round selection, having traded it to Chicago in a 1986 for Kyle Maey.“There was no doubt, not after we had him in here (three weeks ago),” Ramsay said of Smits, a native of Eindhover, Holland.“He has great potential. He has good coordination, good leg strength, good foot quickness. He can score, he can pass, he can block shots.“He doesn’t have a real weakness, but he needs to upgrade his skills in all areas. But he has the basics, ’ ’ Ramsay said.Marist, a Division I school in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., has an undergraduate enrollment of about 3,000.The acquisition of Smits will allow the Pacers to move 7-footSee Pacers — page 14Smits
Newspaper Details
Logansport Pharos Tribune
Logansport, Indiana, US
Wed, Jun 29, 1988
Page 13
Full Page
Clipped by
Jordan T.
USA 21 Apr 2024
Other Publications Near Logansport, Indiana
Logansport Daily Reporter
Logansport Weekly Star
Logansport Daily Star
Logansport Democratic Pharos
Logansport Morning Journal
