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Section B - Page 8
The University Daily Kansan
Wednesday, June 30, 1999
Cagerz lose, Robertson awaits draft
Sean Pearson, former Kansas men's basketball player, looks for someone to pass the ball to. Pearson did not score in 8:49 of play for the Solina Cagerz Saturday. Photo by Aaron Lindberg/KANSAN
By Matthew Friedrichs
Kansan editor
SALINA — It wasn't the NBA playoffs. It wasn't the NCAA tournament. It wasn't Madison Square Garden or Allen Fieldhouse.
The ball was red, white and blue.
But Ryan Robertson, Billy Thomas and Sean Pearson were playing basketball competitively and professionally for the Salina Cagerz of the United States Basketball League in front of a crowd of 3,000 at the Bicentennial Center Saturday night.
"It was a lot of fun," Pearson said of playing after the team's 103-96 season-ending loss to the Long Island Surf.
Pearson has no immediate basketball plans now that the season is complete, but Robertson and some of the other players in the league will be watching the NBA draft today with interest.
That's the purpose of this early summer league. It bills itself as a league of opportunity, and it gives recent graduates and other basketball players the chance to showcase their skills for the NBA, the CBA and professional leagues in other countries.
He said Robertson was able to see firsthand the quicker tempo and more physical play of a professional league.
Tom Hughes, Cager coach, said he would be pleased if every player on his roster had the chance to play in a more competitive league.
"I think Robertson held his own," Hughes said.
Robertson scored two points in almost twelve minutes. He averaged 7.4 points in the 15 games he played for the Cagerz this
"It was a good experience for me," Robertson said. "I got a chance to play with professional rules in a professional league."
The benefit was mutual, as one of three former KU players were on the floor every minute of the game, drawing attention from the fans who knew about their players' basketball heritage.
And while the baskets were 10 feet tall, the lane and the three-point line were NBA regulation and the players wore basketball uniforms, the play sometimes looked more like a playground pickup game.
a playful team game
"C'mon, C'mon, defense," shouted Kevin Mackey, Atlantic City Seagulls' coach during the game before the Cagerz. "D it up. D it up. C'mon, work."
summer.
But the sometimes one-on-five play by individuals trying to impress scouts did not deter James Ring and seven of his friends from attending virtually every game. The 17-year-old Sacred Heart High School senior sat behind the Surf's bench, heckling opposing players and cheering for the Cagerz.
He said that the former KU athletes added to the Cagerz, but that Robertson might be too much of a crowd favorite for his taste.
Saturday, despite the overwhelming fan support, the Cagerz fell short.
"Come on, Billy. Light it up. Let's go," pleaded a fan behind the officials' table.
But, he wasn't getting the ball, and his two late three-pointers were not enough to help the team overcome a 10-point deficit.
"It was really tough because I kept telling the kids to get the ball into his hands," Hughes said.
Edited by Mike Miller
Ryan Robertson, former Kansas men's basketball player, scores on a reverse layup. Robertson scored two points in the Salina Cagerz season- ending loss Saturday. Photo by Aaron Lindberg/KANSAN
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