Daily News from New York, New York • 214

el pii Dig By Joe O'Day Donovan )ok over and said: Before you legislate against somet'-ung (in this case the zone) you have to define it. Ho" close is close when you're guarding a man? "The distance is 15 feet from the foul line to the basket, so the distance when you're playing, your man was pegged at seven to eight feet. Furthermore, the zone would put the burden on the offense. think have an excellent game right now. The zone would d-ny the fans those classic match ups like Willis against Wilt (Chamberlain) a few years ago and currently Bob McAdoo on Dave Cowens.

Bob Lanier or Biil Walton. The zone would eliminate all that and take the thinking out of the game. "Also, it would be a sin not to see a latter day Elgin Baylor drive to the basket and come up with an ad lib shot. And with the zone, you would tailor your INSIDE PRO BASKETBALL Ex-Bucks' coach Larry Costello is still involved in the pro game as a scout for the Houston Rockets who, incidentally, are handled by his ex-assistant, Tom Nis-salke. As of the moment, two coaching jobs are open Detroit and Kansas City, where Bob Kauffman and Larry Staverman are the interim coaches with added duties along with their general manager chores.

"I talked with Detroit." Costello said. "I'd be inter ested and I'd be interested in Kansas City, too, but they won't talk to anybody until after April 1." Costello, who was the last of the two-handed set shooters, asked about another of the old-style shoo1 ers. Carl Braun. Told he was on the street Wall Street, that is and a regular season subscriber to the Knicks, Costello laughed and added: 'He must be doing pretty good. those Knicks tickets don't come too cheap." Evaluating the Knicks.

Costy said: "That Jim McMillian looks a little too heavy to me. I always liked his style He was a thinking man out there. But looks terribly heavy through the thighs and he'd be a lot quicker if he took off about 15 pounds. "I like that kid Williams (Ray). He looks like he's starting to play under better control.

He's a rookiv and prone to erratic play. A rookie can drive you up the walls though with his play. One minute he's up sky high and the next minute he's down in the cellar. I can appreciate Willis' situation!" Then, you had the feeling Larry Costello would like to experience that old feeling all over again. be it Detroit or Kansas City.

Billy Schaeffer, formerly of St. John's and a mem ber of the Nets' first ABA championship team in 1974 was at the Knicks-Rockets game last week and wa; realistic about his fling in the pro game. Now inlo accounting with Price Waterhouse, the former pure shooter said: "I guess I could have played in Europe a year or two but that's postponing the inevitable. You have to get into life some time and that was my decision to start another career right now." EIO ZONE OR NOT TO ZOXE. that Is the ques-1 1 tion.

The lords of pro basketball are reviewing their positions on the controversial ploy that the more sophisticated call "a helping-out defense'' and some time this June it will be put into its proper perspective a law or an outlaw. Knicks' general manager Eddie Donovan and coach Willis Reed voiced their opinions during a recent road respite and. although the door was left ajar, both agreed the pro game needs progressive thinking in a more immediate area, like hand checking. "We all play a variation of the Willis said, reduced to its basics that defense we call "helping out' is a zone. The weak defensive teams (the Hawks and Nets) are more blatant about it.

though. The kids come in from college and. for the most part, the zone is the only thing they ever played. You beat the zone with passing and movement, getting the defense to make a mistake and create an open shot. There's no 24-seeond clock so they move the ball and move the ll and move the ball.

But it would hurt our game. It would deteriorate into a jump shooting game and I can't see where the fans would like it." Pausing. Willis added: "Hand checking is the one I would like to see the Competition Committee take a long look at that. Putting that one hand on your opponent is creating all sorts of problems fights for one thing because we have some strong and physical guys in this league. 'If this hand checking isn't curtailed in some manner, it's going to take all the smart play out of the There'll be no driving or back-door play, just jump shooting.

The committees within the NBA are conservative by nature, so I don't look for anything right away but if will have to come eventually." team differently you would structure it so all you had would be perimeter shooters going over the trees (three big guys) standing around. "But hand checking, like Willis said, has to be reviewed and I would like the real basketball men in the game to work on it." Then. too. there were other areas of the game that Donovan thought could be explored areas like no disqualification after a sixth foul and a three-point play. "The innovations (the ABA had them) deserve to be explored.

Donovan added. "You are charged a technical fou for playing a man after his sixth foul but it still ki-eps him in the game and often it's the superstar that comes up with all those fouls. The three point play is exciting it's like the home run." Queens Quints Cop 2 PSAL Crowns ed at 22-3. The CHSAA's semifinals are figure shooter with 14 points on 7-10 shooting. Morris star Dave Crosby had 16 points (6-15) and 14 rebounds but played like he was sleepwalking.

SCHOOL DUST: Nassau Long Island championships at 2 p.m. today with tripleheader at Nassau Coliseum Roosevelt meets East Hampton, Co-paigue plays South Side and Freeport tangles with West Babylon. set for 1 p.m. today at St. John's with Mater Christi playing Cardinal Hayes and Holy Cross battling Bishop Ford.

Final is Wednesday night on Redmen's hardwood. Favored Morris looked tense shooting a miserable while Cardozo, working for the good shots, hit 47" Fraction was the Judges onlv double gof Immaculate, Vicsnny Win By Fred Kerber St. John Vianney. a .500 regular season basketball team, turned a so-so year into a spectacular one by upsetting Our tiie Valley. 65-58.

in the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Assn. Parochial championship yesterday in Lakewood, N.J. Immaculate Conception of Montclair deieated Sacred Heart of Yineland. 53-51. in the Parochial state final earlier.

In the nightcap of tha state championship triple header. Bergen Catholic played St. Anthony's of Trenton for the Parochial ile. Vianney (16-12) received game high 24 points from guard Kevin Flanagan, who averaged under nine points a game (Hiring the season. Tom Broderick scored 16.

-Jerome Anderson. Bob Schwester and Sal Simeone scored 12 points apiece for Valley (24-3). which had a 14 game inning streak snapped. The day was marred by an ugly display iroir. some Valley fans who charged after referees George Kotch and Dave Potash following the game.

Vianney attempted 26 foul shots. Valley only two. Marcus Hackett scored 16 points to lead Montdair Immaculate (21-7) to its first state title in five championship appearances. Sacred Hart (13-9) which battled br ck from 10 points down to within 52 51 in the closing seconds, had Tom Mackev lead all scorers with 20 points. CD By Bill Travers Benjamin Cardozo is for real The Judges.

PSAL Cinderella team did yesterday what few people thought they were capable of doingr. beat Morris High for the PSAL city championship, 46-1-3. before a screaming crowd at St. John's University. Forest ills made it two in a row for Queens bv beating Norman Thomas.

53 48. for the" title. Four clutch fouls by Vaughn enry. (13 points) won it for the Rangers. Greg Pollard led 18-1 Forest ills with 18 points.

Bill Saddler hit 15 and grabbed 13 rebounds for the 16-2 losers, prevented a clean sweep for Queens teams by stopping Springfield Gardens. 52-46. in the girls championship despite a gameh-igh 27 points fron. eagle junior Lynn Levins. Renita Aughsburn, Rich-mans' 6 2 center, had 18 rebounds and 11 points for the winners.

A pair of baekcourt juniors. Greg (Action) Praction and Keith Brown excelled for Cardozo. Fi action broke the game open in the third period with four driving hoops with shake and bake moves to put the Judges up 37-31 at end of session. Coach Al Matican choose to eat the ball the rest of the way and Fraction and Brown did a masterful job with the help of 6-4 Winston Nicholas. In the final minute.

Brown coolly dropped four free throws when the Bulldogs threatened, moving within one point in final seconds. The 18-6 Judges now wait for the CHSAA winner for next Sunday's City Game on the same court. Morris finish Jim 3 f-Sp In Person! 1978 World Tour Globetrotters Sat. MAR. 18 2 pm Sun.

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