European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 25, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Sunday november 25,1990 the stars and stripes dead Center modern pivots redefine what big men can do Page 21 no longer stuck to the paint centers such As Alonzo mourning shoot around the court with a Freedom their predecessors can Only envy. By William c. Rhoden the new York times George Mikan chuckled when asked recently what would have happened to a 6-foot-10-Inch player of his Day who launched a set shot during a game or worse yet attempted to break a press or create his own shot by dribbling the Ball. A a he a get bawled out of course a said Mikan who is generally regarded As the first great Center in the Modem Era of professional basketball. At 6-10, 240 pounds Mikan dominated the game at each end of the floor first at Depaul later with the Minneapolis lakers. For All of his prominence however Mikan said he always remembered never to Cross the invisible line that separated centers from the rest of the team. A the Only time i would shoot from the outside was in practice and then it was Only when we were shooting for milkshakes a Mikan recalled. A and As far As Ball handling goes i always said that when i dribbled it was two bounces and a  understandably Mikan is flabbergasted by the transformations taking place at his position with centers becoming involved in every facet of the game especially in College. Had he been at Mcdonough Arena last week Mikan would have seen Alonzo mourning Georgetown a 6-10 Center playing on the perimeter taking an occasional 15-foot jump shot racing Down court to Block a forwards shot on the Wing then streaking Back Down court to finish off a fast break. A i think its wonderful a said Mikan who retired in 1955 and is an attorney in Minnesota. A you have Guys running like Deer they re bigger Well coordinated and they can do an awful lot of things. When i played it was the centers duty to be within 10 feet of the  would he have liked to take outside shots a Check yes a Center always likes to shoot like a guard a he said. A but that just Wasny to my thing to  from Mikan to mourning the Center position is on the verge of being liberated from the image of the lumbering Bulldozer that has haunted the position virtually since or. Naismith erected his first peach Basket. The changing roles can be seen clearly in College where coaches faced with an Ever present shortage of True centers have adopted an array of systems 7 like the passing game and motion offences a that involve All five players and demand fluency in a variety of skills. Increasingly the big Man is no longer treated like a Leper on a fast break or regarded As a liability in a fast paced game. As often As not today Scenter is Likely to be leading the break. Last season Nevada Las vegas won the National collegiate title with a style in which the traditional Center position was adapted to their Breakneck running offence. While fans enjoy this burgeoning versatility at the Pivot there is an underlying despair among some coaches that in a game that places a Premium on height the tallest people Are moving farther away from the Basket. A nobody wants to be a Center a said Bob Wentzel head basketball coach at Rutgers. A scenters want to be Power forwards Power forwards want to be Small forwards Small forwards want to be guards and everybody wants to be the Point guard. You want to know where the centers Are ask magic he screwed it All  most coaches agree that the appearance of magic Johnson a 6-9 guard for Michigan state and Larry Bird 6-9 swing Man for Indiana state in the 1979 Mcaa final accelerated the trend of players Over 6-8 focusing on skills like Ball handling passing and Long Range shooting that had been reserved for smaller players. After Johnson and Bird several College coaches began to put More Stock in a players skills than the physical package in which they were wrapped. A it More depends on a persons ability than his size a said John Thompson the head coach at Georgetown. A years ago we used to put the smallest Man on the team at Point guard the biggest Guy at Center the next to the smallest in another position. Now you do it according to his ability or his talents. Athletes Are bigger stronger quicker. The game is played much More differently than the Way it was  mourning is a prime example of How liberation of the Pivot position has affected even those players who were quite comfortable playing with their backs to the Basket. Two seasons ago mourning was regarded As the nations Premier High school Center. Mourning said then that he saw himself first and Foremost As a Low Post player and was not particularly taken with the perimeter game. Three years later the 6-10 Junior is learning to play Power Forward a position that has become almost interchangeable with Center but one that also Calls for the dexterity associated with a Small Forward. Mourning will split the Pivot with Dike be Mutombo a 7-2 Junior. For All practical purposes however mourning has taken a sabbatical from the Posi Tion to become More adept at f facing the Basket passing float i ing Back and Forth Between the perimeter and the blocks and sitting the outside shot. On defense he is learning to make the difficult adjustment in Man to Man alignment guarding More versatile tall players in the open court. While some of his shooting percentage and offensive rebounding statistics May suffer mourning is broadening his skills to meet the changing norms of his position. A i still see myself As a Center ill always see myself As a Center a he said. A but its Good to know the functions of the other position on the floor especially the Forward  Thompson thinks that mourning will Benefit from expanding his skills even when he plays the Post by himself by learning How to come out and get the Ball when the guards can to get it to him and hitting the 15-foot jumper to keep collapsing defences honest. A Alonzo is one of the Best shooters on our team a Thompson said. A a he san extraordinary shot Blocker and rebounded. Now he a being afforded an Opportunity to broaden his game. He a got to learn defensive movements outside that he a forced to do that he ordinarily  have  the new versatility at the Pivot has sparked debates among coaches Over whether bringing the Center in from the cold has been Good for the game. Not everyone is convinced it has. John wooden the legendary Urcla coach whose teams won 10 National championships thinks that the Advent of the 6-10 player who can do it All has caused a deterioration of teamwork. A was the individual becomes More proficient he can do More on his own and coaches let them do More on their own thus team play has deteriorated a he said. Wooden coached two of the most outstanding centers in College basketball Kareem Abdul Jabbar then known As Lew Al cinder and Bill Walton. Yet he fit them tightly into the framework of a team and said he would do the same with talented players in the 1990s. Wooden recalled that when Abdul Jabbar first came to Urcla he was asked about the centers versatility. A people used to ask me a can he shoot from the outside a i said a i done to know and in a not going to find  i had other Fellows that i would rather have shooting outside. Id rather have him  coaches like Thompson have become More open to allowing skills to dictate position. A magic came in the gym to work out with our kids during the preseason a he said. A magic May be bigger than everybody on our team yet you see a Guy like magic getting out on the break handling the Ball you realize that it depends More on a persons ability than his size. What Are you going to Tell magic a play Center a a wooden said that is exactly what he would have told Johnson. A a in a say a in be got a 6-foot fellow who could play the Point a a he said. A maybe not As Well As you can but you can play the front line much better than he can. So because of the sum total of the two of you the group is going to be More and that is what in a always interested in the sum  an increasing number of coaches have discovered that having five players who can run the floor shoot dribble and pass is More lethal particularly when two or three of them Are 6-10 or taller. At Arizona this season coach Lute Olson has a front line of the 6-11 Brian Williams the 6-11 Sean Rooks and the 7-foot de Stokes whom he uses coming off the Bench. Of the three Stokes is the More traditional Center Williams and Rooks have solid inside games but enjoy the flourish in the transition game. There has always been a shortage of truly outstanding centers but what aggravates the condition now coaches say is that so Many High school players do not want to be Post up players. The liberation movement has not taken the Aba by storm. Post play is like wrestling at Best and More routinely like combat. So while general managers appreciate the newly evolved versatility of big men the reality is that in the knuckle culture of pro basketball muscle ultimately wins out. While the Center has shifted out of the Middle players like mourning and Shaquille of Neal the 7-foot leu Center have shunned the extravagances of versatility in favor of remaining in the trenches. A first of All they pay the Center the most Money that a the Bottom line right there a mourning said. A traditionally you be seen that the big Money is Given to the centers. Not Only that centers Are looked at More than any other position on the floor. The Center can have a major effect on another teams play especially if he Sable to pass hit cutters Block shots and rebound. A when you think of Center a mourning added a you think of Center of attention. A a. Centers want to be Power forwards Power forwards want to be Small forwards Small forwards want to be guards and everybody wants to be the Point guard. You want to know where the centers Are ask magic a he screwed it All  a Rutgers coach Bob Wentzel