Top 20

When the disappointing season ended, Schaus checked into the Mayo Clinic. On April 26 he had one of his kidneys removed. Back at work but still shaky from surgery, Schaus met with Macy and learned that he wanted to shop for another school. A week later, without further word from his prize freshman, Schaus picked up a copy of The Indianapolis Star and read that Macy was transferring to Kentucky.

What was bothering Macy and his old high school coach, papa Bob Macy, should also be a chief concern of Purdue's opponents this winter—namely, a slew of talent at guard. Junior Eugene Parker (15.6 points per game, .508 shooting percentage) is a left-handed gun who can dominate a game. He was the Boilermakers' MVP, and according to weight room gossip, is stronger than many of Purdue's football players. Parkinson, a pro draftee, took a look at the guard-rich Cleveland Cavaliers lineup and opted for another year of college eligibility. Sophomore Jerry Sichting, who sank 13 straight shots in a three-game span last season, is too good to be a sub.

Purdue's skinny forwards, 6'8" Walter Jordan and 6'7" Wayne Walls, look like a million bucks but can be liabilities when 6'10", 220-pound Center Tom Scheffler is in foul trouble. Jordan led the team in scoring (16.9) and rebounding (9.2), but at 195 pounds is not strong enough to outmuscle very many people. Neither is Walls, a spasmodic scorer-blunderer who weighs 190. Scheffler played only 24 minutes a game last season but had some nice numbers when his stats were projected over 40 minutes. He is not Kent Benson, but if he can stay away from the silly foul, the Boilermakers may finally beat Indiana. Whether or not they can beat Michigan is another matter.

12 SAN FRANCISCO

Now that freshman orientation is over and everyone has been properly introduced, San Francisco can get down to the business of winning games and influencing people.

Last year the Dons tried a starting lineup that included three freshmen and a junior-college transfer, with the predictable result that Coach Bob Gaillard spent more time on his knees than a clothing salesman trying to unload the Gats-by look. Gaillard knew he was in trouble when one of the players he was counting on to run the offense asked, "Coach, how many hours does it take to drive to Europe?"

That the Dons won 22 games was testimony that freshmen Winford Boynes, Bill Cartwright and James Hardy were among the best in the country. Boynes, for example, made three all-tournament teams. This season the 6'6" Boynes will see more action in the backcourt. "It will give me a chance to be more creative," he says.

The 7'�" Cartwright was the most publicized and tallest newcomer to hit The City since the Transamerica Building, and although he finished second to Boynes in scoring, he did not fulfill some of the great expectations. During the summer back home in the small California community of Elk Grove, Cartwright ran five miles a day while wearing a weighted vest; he also lifted barbells and practiced growling. Not only did he report for preseason drills heavier and stronger, he had a new hook shot. While it does not remind anyone of Bill Russell's, it is a beginning.

Inexperience showed last year as the Dons lost the West Coast Athletic Conference championship and four of their last five games, three in overtime. After a defeat by the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in the first round of the National Invitational Tournament, a game in which Hardy was benched, there were rumors that everyone but the water boy was transferring. Only one player did, Russ Coleman, who shifted to the University of Pacific. He was the most experienced guard; Allen Thompson and transfer Chubby Cox seem the best bets to fill his position, although juniors Sam Williams and Rod Williams (no relation—one passes, the other shoots) will see a lot of action.

The team's surprise could be sophomore Ray Hamilton, a forward who was lost in all the hullabaloo last year. During a 22-day tour of Spain and Italy this past summer, Hamilton blistered opponents with his jump shots. "All he has to do is get a little confidence," says Gaillard. Marlon Redmond once again will fill the role of shooting star, dashing off the bench as a sixth man, a job that earned him all-conference honors as a soph two years ago.