Larry Stewart

LANDOVER -- With eight minutes left in the third quarter of the Washington Bullets game against the Boston Celtics yesterday, a basket of extra-large balloons was prematurely released from the Capital Centre catwalk.It was "Fan Appreciation Day," but the only reason to celebrate was that the Bullets' horrendous 1992-93 season had ended.For the record, the playoff-bound Celtics got a wake-up call in the last 17 minutes to overcome a 64-59 deficit and roll to a 106-99 victory.An ailing Kevin McHale probably played the final regular-season game of his 12-year career, and there were more tears shed for him than for the Bullets (22-60)

DOVER, Del. -- Scouts from five National Basketball Association teams came to watch the top four scorers in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference in a battle of the league's two ,, best teams, but in the end, just one player -- Coppin State's Larry Stewart -- stood above the rest.Stewart was a force with the game on the line, scoring 17 of his 25 points in the second half and grabbing 20 rebounds, as the Eagles defeated Delaware State, 76-66, in a game that was stopped with 18 seconds left after a fight broke out behind the Coppin State bench.

It was a season that will be remembered for the NBA's discovery of defense, but somehow the Washington Bullets missed the boat. The team's average yield of 107.7 points was the second worst in the league, and the Bullets were the only team that allowed opponents to shoot better than 50 percent (50.8).So Washington went big and with defense in mind in the 1994 NBA draft, selecting 6-foot-9 forward Juwan Howard with the No. 5 pick overall and 7-1 Jim McIlvaine, the nation's top shot blocker, in the second round.

With four starters returning from a team that went 26-7 and earned a berth in the National Collegiate Athletic Association tournament, Coppin State began play this season as perhaps the state's best bet to make the NCAAs.But the Eagles were the last state team to win a game and started the season with a 1-4 record (2-4 now, after a 78-60 win over Charleston Saturday). Despite that, Coppin coach Ron "Fang" Mitchell said there is no need to sound an alarm."We're coming along just fine," Mitchell said.

For three straight seasons, the Coppin State Eagles have soared to unprecedented heights on the basketball court.With Larry Stewart and Reggie Isaac leading the way, Coppin has won 63 games and two Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference titles and appeared in two postseason tournaments during that period.Now it is time to "reload or rebuild," according to coach Fan Mitchell. "We're dealing with a very difficult situation with eight new players. The people left are going to have to produce.""It's going to be a different atmosphere around here," said senio point guard Larry Yarbray.

It appears to be open season on the Washington Bullets.Yesterday, the San Antonio Spurs tendered an offer sheet to Larry Stewart that would guarantee the second-year forward a reported $2.6 million during the next four seasons.Washington has until Aug. 7 to match the offer sheet, which comes three weeks after the New York Knicks offered four-year forward Harvey Grant a six-year deal worth $17.1 million that the Bullets matched last Friday."We are going to take all the time allotted to think it through," Bullets general manager John Nash said of the offer to Stewart, a 6-foot-8 former Coppin State star who was a second-team All-Rookie selection last season.

It appears to be open season on the Washington Bullets.Yesterday, the San Antonio Spurs tendered an offer sheet to Larry Stewart that would guarantee the second-year forward a reported $2.6 million during the next four seasons.Washington has until Aug. 7 to match the offer sheet, which comes three weeks after the New York Knicks offered four-yearforward Harvey Grant a six-year deal worth $17.1 million that the Bullets matched last Friday."We are going to take all the time allotted to think it through," Bullets general manager John Nash said of the offer to Stewart, a 6-foot-8 former Coppin State star who was a second-team All-Rookie selection last season.

For three straight seasons, Coppin State has soared to unprecedented heights on the basketball court.With Larry Stewart and Reggie Isaac leading the way, Coppin has won 63 games and two Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference titles and appeared in two postseason tournaments during that period.Now it is time to "reload or rebuild," according to coach Fang Mitchell. "We're dealing with a very difficult situation with eight new players. The people left are going to have to produce.""It's going to be a different atmosphere around here," said senior point guard Larry Yarbray.

BOWIE -- Just up the hill from Bowie State University, where the Washington Bullets are conducting their rookie and free-agent camp, lies what was once Bowie Race Course.The proximity is fitting for Cedric Lewis and Larry Stewart, for they are definitely longshots in a crowded Bullets field.But neither Stewart, last year's Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Player of the Year at Coppin State, nor Lewis, who finished second in the nation in blocked shots per game at Maryland, are wagering that they'll be out of the NBA money when the Bullets begin play in November.

Washington Bullets forward Larry Stewart will have surgery today to enhance the healing of the broken bone in his right foot, the team announced.Stewart, of Coppin State, suffered a fractured fifth metatarsal and will have a pin inserted to reinforce the bone. Team physician Steve Haas will perform the procedure, and Stewart is expected to return during training camp or the preseason.