Wes Unseld

Forty-four years later, what sticks in Wes Unseld's mind is a reception he got on his arrival in Baltimore as the Bullets' top pick in the 1968 NBA draft. Welcoming, it was not. "I was watching TV in my room at the Lord Baltimore Hotel, and this sportscaster, Charley Eckman, came on. He was screaming and hollering that the Bullets were idiots for drafting a slow, 6-foot-7 center from Louisville," Unseld recalled. "Well, Charlie was wrong. I was 6-foot-6. " Then Unseld, the second player picked in the draft, stepped onto the basketball court and took the skeptics to task.

He was a gritty 6-foot-3 guard from the Bronx with boundless energy and a long, sweet jumper that seemed to kiss the Civic Center's ceiling before finding its mark. "Bullseye!" Baltimore Bullets broadcaster Jim Karvellas would exclaim as Kevin Loughery scored again. For eight years, Loughery starred for the Bullets, averaging 16.6 points and helping the club to five playoff appearances and the NBA finals in 1971. Only forward Gus Johnson (nine years) spent more time here before the Bullets, after a decade, moved to Landover in 1973 and eventually become the Washington Wizards.

Woodlawn coach Rod Norris knew he had some quality players coming up from a 25-1 county championship junior varsity. But it was the one from Tennessee who saved him last night.Emanuele Adekunle, a junior forward who averaged eight points, scored 18 last night to give 10th-ranked Woodlawn (8-0) a 67-61 victory over No. 12 Edmondson (5-3) in the final of the Wes Unseld Holiday Tournament at Catonsville Community College. He also contributed three blocks and several key rebounds for the Warriors.

Forty-four years later, what sticks in Wes Unseld's mind is a reception he got on his arrival in Baltimore as the Bullets' top pick in the 1968 NBA draft. Welcoming, it was not. "I was watching TV in my room at the Lord Baltimore Hotel, and this sportscaster, Charley Eckman, came on. He was screaming and hollering that the Bullets were idiots for drafting a slow, 6-foot-7 center from Louisville," Unseld recalled. "Well, Charlie was wrong. I was 6-foot-6. " Then Unseld, the second player picked in the draft, stepped onto the basketball court and took the skeptics to task.

Broadneck was eliminated by Woodlawn, 55-49, yesterday in the semifinal round for the second consecutive year in the Wes Unseld Holiday Basketball Tournament at Catonsville Community College.Jason Smith led 13th-ranked Broadneck (4-1) with 23 points. The sophomore guard also pulled down five rebounds. Sean Ryan added 10 points."I thought Jason did a great job during the last three quarters," Bruins coach Ken Kazmarek said. "He just has to get used to the fact that good teams like Woodlawn are going to key on him the way they did tonight."

Broadneck found itself again in a familiar position, with a berth in the finals at the Wes Unseld Holiday Tournament.But it was an unfamiliar source who helped put it there.Junior forward Jamaine Young came off the bench to score 27 points, leading the No. 11 Bruins (5-1) past Edmondson (5-3), 66-44,in a Green Bracket first-round game yesterday at Catonsville Community College.Old Mill pulled the surprise of the day, stunning previously unbeaten and No. 8 Randallstown, 63-57, in a Red Bracket opening-round game.

Edmondson's 50-48 victory over Mount St. Joseph yesterda in the opening game of the Wes Unseld Tournament at Catonsville Community College, appeared to be a case of surviving.But for the No. 12 Redskins, that's nothing new this season. Yesterday, they needed Antonio Sullivan to hit a pair of free throws with 30 seconds remaining in regulation for the victory.In the other first-round games, No. 10 Woodlawn defeated Randallstown, 59-38; No. 13 Broadneck edged Hammond, 60-56 and No. 11 Loyola beat Forest Park, 83-59.

Hammond nearly pulled off a major upset in the openin round of the seventh annual Wes Unseld Holiday Basketball Tournament at Catonsville Community College yesterday.Instead, No. 13 Broadneck, which has won four of the previous six tournaments, upped its intensity in the fourth quarter and nipped the Bears, 60-56. The Bruins will face Woodlawn, a 59-38 winner over Randallstown, in tonight's championship.Kris Jefferson (12 points) of Hammond hit a three-pointer with 14 seconds left to pull Hammond within 58-56.

If Broadneck High's basketball team decides to move north and play its home games at Catonsville Community College, the reason will be quite apparent.The 10th-ranked Bruins improved their four-year record at CCC to 12-0 by beating No. 11 Edmondson, 62-58, in the championship game of the Wes Unseld Tournament last night.Broadneck (8-1) has won the tournament the past four years. The only other team to win it was Southern (Baltimore), in the inaugural tournament in 1986.Yesterday, Broadneck led by 13 early and rallied from a 56-53 deficit with two minutes left, thanks to a key defensive play by junior guard Jeff Vincent, who helped keep his team in the game early with his three-point shooting and led Broadneck with 20 points.

Woodlawn's dominance appears to be fading.Last week, it suffered its second loss of the season to a Baltimore County opponent.Last night, its two-year reign as champion of the Wes Unseld Tournament ended in an 86-68 loss to No. 17 Loyola in a Green Bracket first-round game.The Dons (6-2), who won the tournament in 1991, will play No. 11 Broadneck for the Green Bracket title tonight at 8.Broadneck beat Edmondson, 66-44, in the other Green Bracket first-round game yesterday. Edmondson and Woodlawn will meet in the consolation game at 4:45 p.m.In other games yesterday, Old Mill upset No. 8 Randallstown, 63-47, and Catonsville beat Hammond, 60-49, in the Red Bracket first-round games.

Wizards Unseld Jr. expected to leave for Warriors Longtime Washington Wizards assistant Wes Unseld Jr. , son of the Bullets legend, is expected to leave the franchise to become an assistant coach with the Golden State Warriors. Unseld Jr., who attended Loyola High, has been with the Bullets and Wizards since he graduated from Johns Hopkins in 1997. He worked his way up from advance scout and joined former coach Eddie Jordan 's staff as an assistant. Ed Tapscott retained Unseld Jr. when Jordan was dismissed and coach Flip Saunders also kept him when he took over in 2009.

Nearly half a century after he first wowed Baltimore Bullets fans with his windmill dunk, Gus Johnson was named Monday to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Johnson's teammates said his selection was long overdue. "We were wondering, what took so long?" said Wes Unseld, a Hall of Fame center who played four years with Johnson, the Bullets' kangaroo forward who died of brain cancer in 1987. In nine seasons with Baltimore (1963-1972), the 6-foot-6 Johnson averaged 17 points and 13 rebounds, made the All-Star team five times and helped the Bullets to three division titles and five playoff appearances.

Each Tuesday in the Toy Department, veteran Sun sportswriter Mike Klingaman tracks down a former local sports figure and lets you know what's going on in his/her life in a segment called "Catching Up With ..." When he chose pro basketball over a medical career, folks thought Jack Marin should have had his head examined. Play for the bedraggled Baltimore Bullets rather than become a doctor? Forty-three years later, Marin has no regrets. The Bullets' top draft pick in 1966 wouldn't change a thing.

The teams were ready to start the second half of the 21st Wes Unseld Classic final last night, but there was a problem with the basket at Broadneck's offensive end at CCBC-Catonsville. As it was, the championship game had started late because of a couple of overtimes in other games. Now, the announcer asked for everyone's patience as the Catonsville crew prepared to repair the basket. The rim was bent slightly, but Broadneck coach Johnny Williams was anxious to play and told tournament officials to forget about it. No. 8 Broadneck led Centennial by two at the half and Williams' players were fired up. The Bruins then put on a show in the third period on the way to a 71-51 rout of the Eagles (7-3)

A basketball player, two local television news anchors, an actor/writer and two nationally known authors are among the celebrities who will put in an appearance at the ninth annual Random House Book Fair from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at Carroll Community College. Wes Unseld - a former NBA player known for his rebounding skills, a former professional coach, a Basketball Hall of Famer and a county resident - is the Random House Book Fair honorary chairman. He will address visitors in the afternoon.

DENVER - Denver forward Ryan Bowen said the attention to detail that has helped Jeff Bzdelik turn around the Nuggets was apparent even before the former UMBC coach was formally put in charge. "His coaching style is that he comes prepared," said Bowen, who has been with the Nuggets for five seasons. "I'm sure he's the first one here in the morning and he's the last to leave. He breaks down so much tape and he's prepared. Every practice is written down to the last minute," said Bowen. " ... I think he's doing a great job."

The holiday season is often full of surprises, but for Old Mill coach Paul Bunting, the surprises continued last night.His underdog Patriots (4-3) won the Red Bracket championship of the Wes Unseld Holiday Tournament with a 54-44 victory over Catonsville in the final at Catonsville Community College.Meanwhile, the cliches describing Broadneck's dominance at the tournament are running out. The No. 11 Bruins won the Green Bracket championship, defeating No. 17 Loyola, 67-56."I'm pleased with any win these guys have this year," said Old Mill's Bunting, "and they are surprising more and more, pleasantly I might add. I wasn't really really sure how good this team would be at the beginning of the year and they're turning out a lot better than I anticipated."

WE'RE NOT saying Wes Unseld isn't cool, but how bad would a kid want a Wes Unseld throwback jersey? Granted, the 1977-78 replica jersey is fly. It features the old Bullets logo with the hands outstretched toward a red basketball. It's done up in that eye-popping red, white and blue of '70s double-knit. "You feel these things and you wonder how those players ran up and down the court like they did. These things are coarse, heavy, hot. But we've tripled sales in the past year," said Matt Bourne of NBA Properties What would a kid these days risk just to have one of these coveted, old-school jerseys?

Danny Dixon scored 11 of his game-high 24 points in the fourth period, when unranked Edmondson out-scored 19th-ranked Pikesville 15-7 en route to a 47-39 quarterfinal upset of the two-time Class 1A state runners-up in the Wes Unseld Classic at CCBC-Catonsville. Dixon, 6 feet 3 and 195 pounds and an All-Metro football wide receiver, also was 6-for-8 from the free-throw line, grabbed 10 rebounds and had a dunk and a steal while shadowing the defending Baltimore County champion Panthers' second-team All-Metro selection Clement Sorgho (12 points)