Scorecard

OVER THE TOP
Dick Baldwin. 65. has been a lot of things to Broome Community College in Binghamton . N.Y., in his 40 years there, including English professor and public relations director. But it is as the school's basketball coach that Baldwin has made history. When his Hornets beat Fulton-Montgomery Community College 89-75 on Feb. 14. Baldwin became the winningest basketball coach in college history, superseding Adolph Rupp of Kentucky . 876 victories to 875. "I suppose they'll put an asterisk after my name because I was at a two-year college." said Baldwin, who is the only basketball coach Broome has ever had ' "That's OK I don't need it for my r�sum� anymore "

THE MAKING OF A MOVIE MOGUL

Hollywood has often found a place for ex-football players—Jim Brown. Alex Karras , Joe Namath , Rosey Grier, Ed Marinaro come to mind—but ex-basketball players have not fared as well. Jamaal Wilkes once appeared in something called Cornbread, Earl and Me. and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar had a minor part in Airplane. But by and large the big men have been encouraged to seek work elsewhere.

One of those who got the don't-call-us-we'11-call-you treatment in Lotusland was Chet Walker , a 6'7" forward who retired in 1975 with an 18.2 scoring average in 13 NBA seasons. "I studied acting for a while, but my sole appearance was a guest shot on a TV series. The White Shadow." says Walker, whose Chicago Bulls regular-season single-game record of 56 points was broken last week. ( Michael Jordan scored 58 against the New Jersey Nets .)

What Walker really wanted to be when he retired was an NBA coach or executive. What he has become instead is a movie producer. His apprenticeship was eight years as vice-president for production with Zev Braun Pictures Inc.. during which he collaborated on a four-hour miniseries for NBC called Freedom Road ( Muhammad Ali and Kris Kristofferson ) and on a TV movie for CBS . Still Watch ( Angie Dickinson and Lynda Carter).

This year, however. Walker has hit his stride. In September, with the backing of CBS . he will begin shooting a film about Mary Thomas, mother of Detroit Piston guard Isiah Thomas . Jason Miller , who wrote the Pulitzer Prize -winning play That Championship Season, is doing the screenplay, and if Walker has his wish. Isiah will play his grown-up self.

Walker's inspiration for the film came as he watched a CBS News Sunday Morning show feature about Thomas 's upbringing on Chicago 's mean West Side. "What impressed me was his mother." says Walker. "Mary Thomas is a woman who lived in poverty but cared enough about her kids to keep them away from dope pushers and gangs.... I want to do this film to show the fight Mary put up for her children."

The film's working title is The Mary Thomas Story, and Walker hopes it will be ready for airing next Christmas. Isiah approves. 'She deserves it." he says.