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By Arlie Rahn
Arizona Daily Wildcat
September 20, 1996
For Corey Williams, there might be a basketball life after Arizona.He, Joseph Blair, Ben Davis and Reggie Geary were all drafted in the Continental Basketball Association draft on Tuesday.
Blair and Geary both went in the first round to Florida and Omaha, Neb., respectively. Williams went to Rockford, Ill., in the second round, and Davis went to Grand Rapids, Mich., in the fifth round.
Since Blair, Geary and Davis were all drafted by NBA teams, it is unlikely they will sign to play in the CBA. Geary is expected to step in and play in Cleveland, and Blair and Davis are on full rosters and are expected to play in Europe.
"This is obviously a sign of success for our program," said UA assistant basketball coach Phil Johnson. "But this is nothing new for us because Arizona and Duke both lead the 1990s with players drafted."
The Rockford Lightning, which drafted Williams, is hoping to have him on the team.
"He really caught my eye last year at the Desert Classic Camp," said Rockford assistant coach Bill Lavery. "I liked his size and his perimeter shooting. But I also liked that he is originally from Batavia, Ill., which is very close to here."
Williams was unavailable for comment.
Success in the NBA has followed players in the Rockford program in recent seasons.
"We've been fortunate in the last couple of years to have guys end up in the NBA," Lavery said. "Last year alone, we had three guys get called up to NBA teams."
One thing that impressed Lavery and the other coaches at Rockford was that Williams was coming from Arizona.
"I like their program and I think Lute Olson is a great coach," Lavery said. "It helps to have him from a big-name school with national recognition."
"Corey and all of us knew he would get drafted, so none of this is a surprise," Johnson said. "Right now, I think Corey is going to weigh his options and decide if he wants to continue on basketball. But it is nice to know that a team wants you."
As for whether Williams will play, Lavery thinks he will.
"We haven't had contact with him," Lavery said. "But his agent said he is ready to play."
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