COLLEGE BASKETBALL : Scout: O’Neal Isn’t Coming Out and Anderson Shouldn’t

From: Marty Blake, NBA talent scout extraordinaire.

Re: 1990-91 college basketball season.

In no particular order . . . .

--Blake says the two best senior centers are both foreigners: Georgetown’s Dikembe Mutombo, from Zaire, and New Mexico’s Luc Longley, from Australia. “I don’t talk about underclassmen,” Blake said.

If he did, however, the name Shaquille O’Neal of Louisiana State would make a quick appearance into any conversation regarding the country’s top big man. “But Shaquille ain’t coming out,” Blake said. “He’s the best sophomore center I ever saw, but he’s not leaving school.”

--Georgia Tech guard Kenny Anderson, also a sophomore, should stay put. (Remember, Blake is the same guy who said LSU’s Chris Jackson wasn’t ready for the NBA. Are you listening, Kenny?)

--Barring some unforeseen development, not one player from UCLA, USC, Oregon, Oregon State, California, Washington or Washington State will be taken in the league’s two-round draft.

--UNLV’s Larry Johnson might be the best player in college.

--Michigan State’s Steve Smith isn’t far behind. “He’s a given,” Blake said. “A lottery pick.”

--Despite reports to the contrary, Temple guard Mark Macon “is going to be a hell of a player. Demise? The sucker can play. He’s one of the best two-guards in the country.”

--Three players you don’t hear enough about: East Tennessee State guard Keith (Mister) Jennings, Southern Mississippi guard Darrin Chancellor and James Madison guard Steve Hood.

--Former Mater Dei star LeRon Ellis, now with Syracuse, should not plan on an NBA career. “He can’t play,” Blake said. “You know, there’s such a difference between the pros and college.”

--Probably no team has three better senior starters than UNLV’s Johnson, Stacey Augmon and Greg Anthony.

--Don’t be surprised if Arkansas beats Vegas Feb. 10 at Fayetteville. “Arkansas is very good and Vegas is very good, easily the best in the country,” Blake said. “But this is not best out of seven, babe, that’s what scares me. Arizona, which is one of the premier teams in the country, goes up to Washington and scores just 59 (actually 56) points with five or six draftable players. Don’t explain it--they’re kids.”

The power of television never ceases to amaze. ESPN owed 22nd-ranked New Orleans a telecast this season after the Privateers did the cable network a favor during last year’s Sugar Bowl basketball tournament. True to its word, ESPN kept a time slot open for New Orleans: Jan. 25, 11:08 p.m. Some reward. Desperate for national exposure, New Orleans, with the consent of that night’s opponent, Alabama Birmingham, agreed to the tipoff time. Sure, it was a Friday night, but who needs a game that finishes Saturday morning?

“Hey, in this town lots of things stay open late at night,” said Ed Cassiere, the school’s sports information director.

He has a point. A local tavern staged a pajama party in honor of the near-midnight start. As tipoff approached, the celebration moved to the university’s Lakefront Arena. Nearly 7,100 fans attended the game, compared to the average attendance of 3,051.

As usual, New Orleans responded with a victory. At 18-3 and winners of 17 consecutive games before Monday night’s double-overtime loss to Tulane, the Privateers are ranked in the top 25 for the first time since 1986-87. Included in New Orleans’ lineup is Derwin (Tank) Collins, the former Pomona High star who is averaging 16.5 points and 5.4 rebounds. Crenshaw alumnus Dwight Myvett also starts and averages 8.6 points.

But the stars of this team are Ervin (Baby Magic) Johnson, a 6-11 sophomore who ranks third nationally in rebounding (13.4); and 6-8 freshman Melvin Simon, who is among the college game’s most talented newcomers. Of the 13 McDonald’s All-Americans playing in Division I, Simon is ranked fourth in scoring (11.8).

Johnson was working in a supermarket in 1988 when he decided to give basketball another try. His last appearance in uniform? Tenth grade at Block (La.) High. Of course, back then he was barely 6-3. Now? Put it this way: His days bagging groceries are finished.

We offer our congratulations to Chicago State, which, until last Wednesday, had the nation’s worst Division I record--0-16. Thanks to persistence (and Northeastern Illinois), Chicago State is winless no more. “I was excited for our players,” first-year Coach Rick Pryor said. “Finally, they can believe in themselves. They needed (the victory) to believe that they were decent people. That’s the way kids think.”

So impressive was the Chicago State losing streak, several area newspapers and at least one television station began staffing the games. What they saw that night was a team unsure how to celebrate a victory. Players started to dump Gatorade on Pryor but then stopped. “They hesitated because they’d never seen me smile,” Pryor said. In the end, the jubilant Chicago State team snatched Pryor away as he conducted a postgame TV interview.

In order to handle the media blitz for the Feb. 10 game against UNLV, Arkansas athletic department officials appealed to the local fire marshal for understanding. Barnhill Arena, capacity 9,000, has only 54 seats for reporters. At last count, Arkansas had 84 credential requests. The solution? Seat them in the aisles. On Monday, the fire marshal approved the plan. By the way, a recent study indicated that Arkansas could have sold about 21,000 season tickets this year. Not surprisingly, the school plans to build a new arena within three years.

Navy players recently returned to their locker room after pregame warmups to find new gold uniforms hanging in their dressing stalls. The uniforms, in marked contrast to the usual white colors worn at home or blue worn on the road, were unveiled against Colonial Athletic Assn. leader James Madison, Navy’s first home opponent since the Gulf War began. The Midshipmen, struggling through a 6-13 season, almost pulled off the upset, losing, 81-80. With the loss, Navy is 29-74 since the Admiral--center David Robinson--left school after the 1986-87 season. Still, the Robinson name lives on. Chuck Robinson, David’s younger brother, is averaging 6.6 points and 3.2 rebounds as a sophomore forward at Annapolis. . . . Notre Dame’s Digger Phelps, suffering through a season that could ultimately produce 15-18 losses, is getting testy with reporters. It isn’t uncommon for Phelps to snap at someone for asking the most innocent of questions, say writers assigned to covering the Irish sinking ship. . . . Did we really pick Cal State Long Beach to make it to the sweet 16?

Best nobody-makes-good story might go to Michigan forward Freddie Hunter. Hunter, a sometime starter for the Wolverines, is a non-scholarship player who spent last season on an intramural team. The team name? Freddie and the Seven Dwarfs. According to Michigan officials, Hunter, who was recruited by absolutely no one--Division I or otherwise--is the first Wolverine walk-on basketball starter since 1955. Memo to Michigan Coach Steve Fisher: Give the kid a break, to say nothing of a full ride. . . . A day before Vegas demolished Louisville last Saturday, Coach Jerry Tarkanian had this to say about the Rebels: “We’ve played 14 games. Eight of (the opposing coaches) have come up to me and thanked me for not pouring it on. Five of the others should have.”

A joke, courtesy of Marty Blake:

“Who succeeded Adolph Rupp at Kentucky?”

“Joe B. Hall.”

“Right. He now works for a bank in Lexington. Last week, it got robbed three times. You know why?”

“No.”

“Because he still won’t let his guards shoot.”

Our top 10: 1) UNLV, 2) Arkansas, 3) Ohio State, 4) Indiana, 5) Kentucky, 6) Arizona, 7) St. John’s, 8) Duke, 9) Syracuse, 10) North Carolina.

Our waiting list: UCLA, Utah, Georgia Tech, Georgetown, Nebraska, East Tennessee State.