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A 69, :ague tome, tides ill be »u arrive at ed, please rvices smm NBA teams hope to hit Jackpot in ’95 draft □ Early entries may dominate the first round of picks. By Nick Georgandis The Battalion For the 29 teams of the NBA, the gi ant roulette wheel spins again tonight in Toronto at the 1995 NBA Draft. The question teams face as they de cide on what players to pick is: Will they strike the jackpot or will their for tunes come up craps? In a poll of Southwest Conference coaches, Maryland’s sophomore center Joe Smith was the consensus No. 1 draft pick. The Golden State Warriors hold the first pick in the draft entering today. “Joe (Smith) can play either the four (power forward) or five (center) posi tion,” Texas A&M head basketball coach Tony Barone said. “He has great quickness and superior leaping ability. He can become a great shot-blocker.” Texas Tech Head Coach James Dickey was more concise in his analy sis of Smith. “Joe Smith is my No. 1 pick because he can do it all,” Dickey said. Youth is a major theme in this year’s crop of talent. Fifteen underclassmen have declared themselves eligible for the draft. Among them are North Car olina sophomore teammates Rasheed Wallace and Jerry Stackhouse. Rice University Head Basketball Coach Willis Wilson said he tabs Stack- house as the top pick in the draft be cause 6-foot-11-inch center is the com plete package. “Stackhouse has athleticism, power. understanding of the game and a very competitive nature,” Wilson said. Perhaps the most intriguing entry in this season’s draft is also its youngest. Kevin Garnett, who recently graced the cover of Sports Illustrated, is a recent high school graduate from Chicago who has decided to skip col lege and make the jump straight to the professional ranks. Garnett, a 6-foot-10-inch forward, averaged 25 points and 17 rebounds per game during his senior season, but could not make the minimum score on either the SAT or the ACT to gain ad mittance to any university. Dickey tabbed Garnett as his fifth pick in the draft, but rumors have per sisted in the past week that both the Toronto Raptors and the Portland Trail Blazers are attempting to trade up to the No. 4 pick to select the 18-year-old star. The SWC, in its last year, may have more than one first-round selection for the first time since 1992, when Arkansas standouts Lee Mayberry, Oliver Miller and Todd Day were all se lected among the top 24 picks. Texas Christian University’s Kurt Thomas, who led all Division I players in scoring and rebounding last season — only the third player ever to do so — has seen his draft stock rise significantly in the past few weeks during various workout camps. Thomas, a 6-foot-9-inch forward has been mentioned as being as high as 10th in the draft. Another SWC player who looks like a first-round selection is University of Texas guard Terrence Rencher. Rencher, who became the all-time SWC leading scorer during his final game, has impressed many of the teams he has worked out for with his three-point shooting accuracy. “Terrence Rencher will be a first- round pick and may go as high as the 12th pick,” Barone said. Other SWC players who have been mentioned as second-round draft picks are UT point guard Roderick Anderson and Texas Tech forward Mark Davis. Former Texas A&M standout Joe Wilbert, who signed a contract to play pro basketball in France last month, has worked out for a handful of NBA teams, including the Rockets. Although it is doubtful that the 6- foot, 6-inch forward from Bryan will be selected in the two-round draft, he may receive a free agent tryout before next season begins. 1995 NBA 1. Golden State 2. LA Clippers 3. Philadelphia 4. Washington 5. Minnesota 6. Vancouver 7. Toronto 8. Portland 9. New Jersey 10. Miami 11. Milwaukee 12. Dallas 13. Sacramento 14. Boston 15. Denver 16. Atlanta 17. Cleveland 18. Detroit 19. Detroit 20. Chicago 21. Phoenix 22. Charlotte 23. Indiana 24. Dallas 25. Orlando 26. Seattle 27. Phoenix 28. Utah 29. San Antonio Draft Order 30. Detroit 31. Chicago 32. Washington 33. Boston 34. Golden State 35. Toronto 36. Vancouver 37. Washington 38. Milwaukee 39. Miami 40. Golden State 41. Houston 42. Atlanta 43. Milwaukee 44. Denver 45. Atlanta 46. Cleveland 47. Sacramento 48. Minnesota 49. Minnesota 50. Golden State 51. Sacramento 52. Indiana 53. Los Angeles Clippers 54. Seattle 55. Golden State 56. Phoenix 57. Atlanta 58. Detroit SWC potential draft picks KURT THOMAS Center 6’9” 225 pounds Texas Christian University 1994-95: Led NCAA in scoring (28.4 ppg) and re bounding (14.3 rpg). Only third player ever to ac complish this. Consensus SWC Player of the Year. Consensus third-team All-American. Career: Missed all of 1992-93 season due to in juries. In 1994 match-up against Oklahoma State star center Bryant Reeves, scored 30 points and grabbed 13 rebounds. Holds TCU career records for rebounds, blocked shots and scoring average. Thomas TERRENCE RENCHER Guard 6’3” 185 pounds University of Texas 1994-95: Averaged 20.8 points per game to lead the Longhorns to the SWC Championship. Led conference in steals, averaging 2.3 per game. Career: Is SWC’s all-time leading scorer and third all-time in the NCAA. Ranks first all-time at UT in scoring and steals, and is fourth all- time in assists. Rencher trio seeks frontcourt help, young talent NBAs Texas □.The Dallas Mavericks hold the high est draft pick of the three at No.12. DALLAS (AP) — The Dallas Mavericks would love to find a big man in Wednesday’s NBA draft, even though they realize it is unlikely. The San Antonio Spurs and Houston Rockets would love to draft anyone who could contribute next year, even though they also know it is unlikely. That is pretty much the case throughout the NBA going into this year’s draft, which is heavy on underclassmen and light on impact players. Few of the soon-to-be rookies appear to have the apparent pizazz of last year’s co-Rookies of the Year, Grant Hill of Detroit and Jason Kidd, who made a 23-victory difference to the Mavericks. Drafting Kidd with the second-overall pick in last year’s draft capped a three-year stretch in which Dallas built its foundation. Jim Jackson was first with the fourth pick in 1992 and Jamal Mash- bum went fourth in 1993. This year, the Mavericks are picking 12th, giving them little opportunity to choose an im mediate starter. They also have the 24th pick and hope to find another role player. They used the 19th choice last year to take Tony Dumas, who didn’t earn many minutes. The best chance Dallas has to find an impact player would be making a trade. As bait, player personnel manager Keith Grant is dangling six more first-round picks over the next three years and Roy Tarpley, if anyone would take him and his huge contract. “If you look at our club, we need help in the front court,” Grant said. “If we can get a major contributor, that’s great. But a team isn’t going to give up the opportunity to get a major contributor just because they can have multiple picks. Quanti ty does not equal quality, especially in the draft.” Most mock drafts have the Mavericks taking Arizona State forward Mario Bennett, a junior from nearby Denton for whom Mashburn has lobbied. Another name on many lists is TCU’s Kurt Thomas, who last year became only the third person ever to lead the NCAA in rebound ing and scoring. With their second pick, Dallas likely will look for someone who can fill the lane. Some of the names to watch here include Kansas’ Greg Ostertag, a Duncanville native and a personal favorite of Mavericks owner Donald Carter, or maybe UCLA center George Zedek. Should Dallas move up, there’s speculation that Grant is after high school phenomenon Kevin Qar- nett. Garnett will need several years of seasoning, and the Mavericks could provide it as they are still several years from being top contenders. “I’m working the phone every day trying to do things to make our club better,” Grant said. “Keep in mind, the ultimate goal is a couple of years down the road to become an elite team.” Houston and San Antonio have already moved into the elite class. The Rockets are the two-time defending NBA champs, and the Spurs had the best regular-season record last year. But both are bottom-dwellers in this draft. San Antonio picks 29th and Houston does not have a choice until the 41st overall pick, midway through the second round. The Spurs likely are looking to fill several holes on their bench. Seldom used guard Willie Ander son was lost in the expansion draft, management made forward Terry Cummings a free agent and Moses Malone likely is not the answer as David Robinson’s backup. Houston became an elite team because coach Rudy Tomjanovich found future stars Robert Horry and Sam Cassell late in the first round. Both con tributed immediately and became big-game players. But even Tomjanovich is hard-pressed to do anything with the 41st pick. Just in case, Houston has hosted workouts for several players. “Going as far as we did in the playoffs puts a dent in the amount of time you can devote to the draft,” Tomjanovich said. “It’s a good oppor tunity to see some of these guys play. But a lot of them probably won’t be around when it’s our turn to pick.” 1995 NBA DRAFT PREDICTIONS Southwest Conference coaches and The Battalion's own "draft experts" give their views on who will go where in the NBA's draft Wednesday night Lottery teams Tony Barone Texas A&M Tom Penders UT Alvin Brooks UH Robert Linsburg SMU Willis Wilson Rice James Dickey Texas Tech Nick Georgandis Sports Editor David Winder Sportswriter Rob Clark Managing Editor 1 .Golden State Joe Smith Rasheed Wallace Joe Smith Joe Smith Jerry Stackhouse Joe Smith Joe Smith Jerry Stackhouse Joe Smith 2.LA Clippers Antonio McDyess Joe Smith Ed O'Bannon Jerry Stackhouse Antonio McDyess Jerry Stackhouse Jerry Stackhouse Joe Smith Jerry Stackhouse 3.Philadelphia Rasheed Wallace Jerry Stackhouse Rasheed Wallace Rasheed Wallace Joe Smith Rasheed Wallace Antonio McDyess Rasheed Wallace Antonio McDyess 4.Washington Ed O'Bannon Ed O'Bannon Antonio McDyess Antonio McDyess Rasheed Wallace Antonio McDyess Kevin Garnett Kevin Garnett Kevin Garnett 5.Minnesota Bryant Reeves D. Stoudamire Bryant Reeves Ed O'Bannon Shawn Respert Kevin Garnett Rasheed Wallace Antonio McDyess Rasheed Wallace 6.Vancouver Kevin Garnett Corliss Williamson Cherokee Parks Bryant Reeves D. Stoudamire Ed O'Bannon Bryant Reeves Bryant Reeves Ed O'Bannon 7.Toronto Corliss Williamson Shawn Respert Rashard Griffith Cherokee Parks Kevin Garnett Bryant Reeves Ed O'Bannon Cherokee Parks Corliss Williamson 8.Portland Jerry Stackhouse Cherokee Parks Mario Bennet Shawn Respert Rashard Griffith Cherokee Parks Corliss Williamson D. Stoudamire Bryant Reeves 9.New Jersey Shawn Respert Bryant Reeves R. Childress Corliss Williamson Lawrence Moten Shawn Respert Shawn Respert Corliss Williamson Shawn Respert 10.Miami Cherokee Parks Allan Henderson Shawn Respert Allan Henderson Ed O'Bannon Corliss Williamson Kurt Thomas Alan Henderson Cherokee Parks 11 .Milwaukee Bob Sura Junior Burrough Corliss Williamson Mario Bennett Bryant Reeves D. Stoudamire D. Stoudamire Mario Bennett D. Stoudamire