Jerry Lucas

It was two days after this, about the time that Pepper Wilson, general manager of the Cincinnati Royals, was saying, "We'll offer him so much money that he can't turn it down," that Jerry Lucas showed what kind of thing really interests him. He seemed in rare fettle as practice began on this Monday afternoon in the field house. When Coach Taylor walked out on the floor, Lucas discreetly waved four fingers at him. Minutes later he came over to Taylor. He was grinning. "Did you get my signal, coach?" he asked. "I got it," said Taylor.

"What signal?" Taylor was asked. "Oh," he said, "Luke just wanted to let me know he thinks he might get a 4.0 average this quarter. That's the highest there is."

Jerry Ray Lucas, sportsman, student and retired alligator keeper, is a tall man with keen eyesight and a very long view.