Proof of the Promise

Some night when the moon is full and the wiverns and hobgoblins are about, somebody may actually beat U.C.L.A. in basketball--but only if Lew Alcindor happens to leave his shins at home. Now that the college season is two-thirds over, U.C.L.A.'s Bruins are still undefeated, and Alcindor has proved to be better, if anything, than his notices promised. The 7-ft. 1 3/8-in. sophomore leads the nation in both scoring (31.2 points per game) and field-goal percentage (202 out of 299 for 68%). On the road against Illinois last week, he poured in 45 points as the No. 1-ranked Bruins won their 16th in a row, 120-82. When Alcindor came out of the game with 6 1/4 min. still to go, officials whistled the play dead and presented him with the ball.

Not that rival teams are capitulating. Last month California played him so tightly that even Lew complained: "They grabbed my arms when I went up to shoot. They held me and pushed me and banged me all around." He still scored 26 points in the 96-78 victory.

Illinois' Harry Combes tried covering Alcindor man-to-man with his own star sophomore, 6-ft. 7-in. Dave Scholz; with his 6-in. height advantage, Lew simply fired away at will--often not bothering to jump. Loyola of Chicago's Coach George Ireland tried a "collapsing" defense in which as many as three players converged on Alcindor every time he got the ball. Alcindor blocked at least ten shots, pulled down 20 rebounds, and scored 35 points, including two on a spectacular backward "dunk" shot--whirling, leaping, reaching up over his head, ramming the ball through the hoop from behind. Score: U.C.L.A. 82, Loyola 67.

Looking for Lew. Alcindor's contribution goes beyond scoring, rebounding or even blocking shots on defense. "He psychs the other team," explains Loyola's Ireland, "because he just looks so big"--and U.C.L.A. Coach John Wooden concurs. "When Lew is on defense, he cuts down the shooting percentage of the other team. They're afraid to shoot, and they're looking for him when they do shoot--so they don't shoot as well. When he is on offense, the other team has to weaken its defense in other areas to prevent him from getting the real easy shots."

The only complaint any of the experts have about Alcindor so far is that he is a trifle slow coming downcourt on offense--to which Wooden replies: "I don't care how long he takes to get into position. We'll wait for him." And so will the fans. Every U.C.L.A. home game is a sellout, and 27,000 people braved the worst blizzard in Chicago history to see him against Loyola and Illinois. "Everyone wants to see the big guy play," says Santa Clara Coach Dick Garibaldi, who counts himself fortunate that his team does not play the Bruins. "Why, people are even calling me to ask if I can get them seats to the Stanford-U.C.L.A. game in March." Sighs Stanford Coach Howie Dallmar, whose Indians already have been beaten once by U.C.L.A., 116-78: "Tell them they can have my ticket."

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