And You Too, Bill

Princeton's Bill Bradley let professional basketball cool its heels for two years while he studied philosophy, politics and economics at Oxford, then another five months passed while he served out his military duty in the U.S. Air Force Reserve. Two weeks ago, the man who ranks as one of the game's all-time college greats finally reported to the New York Knickerbockers to start work on his four-year, $500,000 contract. From the way the fans reacted, he might have been Bob Cousy, Oscar Robertson and Wilt Chamberlain all rolled into one. In Bradley's first two home games, 30,000 fans (twice the usual number) jammed Madison Square Garden to cheer his every move. In the experts' cool appraisal, his debut was no more auspicious than that of any rookie starting out--and having a tough time of it--in the pros.

At Princeton, Bradley scored 2,503 points, three times was chosen an All-America. But Princeton isn't the pros, and now, at 24, he is starting out in a man's game where practically every competitor can match his 6-ft. 5-in. size, and even the bench warmers were stars back home. What's more, they have been working at their trade. "I only played six games at Oxford last year," says Bradley, and his training with the Knicks was limited to one workout.

In the first game, Coach Dick McGuire kept Bradley on the bench until the Knicks had built up a 12-point lead over the Detroit Pistons, "so the pressure wouldn't be so great." When No. 24 quickly swished an eight-foot jump shot, the crowd went wild--and kept on cheering, even though Bradley got off some amateurish passes and showed obvious rustiness at the foul line, making only two of six free throws. Next game, against the St. Louis Hawks, Bill looked sharper, sinking eight straight baskets. Then he blew everything in the final seconds with a clumsy jump shot that the Hawks recovered for a score themselves; that error cost the Knicks an overtime and eventually the game. His third time out, on Detroit's home court, Bradley seemed hesitant to shoot, wound up with 10 points in the 30 minutes he played.

Experience should smooth the rough edges off Bradley's passing and play making. After the second Detroit game, the Pistons' Dave Bing, currently tops in the league with a 28-point average, said that Bradley "is a better shooter than I am, but he's always looking for the open man. He's always passing off instead of popping it in himself."

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