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RCA Press Release for October 29, 1982

The man behind the legend of the Boston Celtics has now made his coaching expertise available to basketball players and coaches around the country on a new RCA video disc called "Red On Roundball."

Red Auerbach, one of the greatest coaches of all time, and the man who built the Boston Celtics dynasty, has created a video disc for RCA that is designed to bring the nuances and basics of basketball into every home and gymnasium in America.

The new video disc, which carries a suggested retail price of $19.98, is aimed at everyone interested in basketball, from the fans who watch the game on television, to amateur players in schoolyards, YMCA's, high school and college who want to enhance their chances of playing professional basketball.

"Red On Roundball" features instruction in the finer points of the game by Coach Auerbach and leading NBA stars, including Alvan Adams, Lucius Allen, Nate Archibald, Jim Ard, Elgin Baylor, Ron Behagen, Leon Benbow, Henry Bibby, Phil Chenier, Doug Collins, Bob Cousy, Dave Cowens, Bob Dandridge, Ernie DiGregorio, Julius Erving, Clem Haskins, John Havlicek, Elvin Hayes, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bob Love, Pete Maravich, Bob McAdoo, Glenn McDonald, George McGinnis, Calvin Murphy, Mike Riordan, Bill Russell, Charlie Scott, Paul Silas, Randy Smith, David Thompson, Rudy Tomjanovich, Wes Unseld, Bill Walton, Jo Jo White, Nate Williams, and Brian Winters.

Bill Russell, who played for Red Auerbach, said his former coach "was the best coach in the history of professional sports." Red Auerbach has won 14 world championships as the Celtic coach and/or general manager and is a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame.

After introducing his new video disc to the press, Red Auerbach took the video disc to the Martin Luther King, Jr. High School in New York City where he conducted a clinic for the school's top-ranked basketball team.

Red Auerbach and RCA have donated "Red On Roundball" and a video disc player to the school's athletic department.

"This is another in a series of instructional sports video discs planned for the RCA home video library," according to Seth M. Willenson, Division Vice President, Programs and Business Affairs, RCA VideoDiscs.

"Red Auerbach and leading stars of the National Basketball Association lead the viewer through the skills of the game, from shot-making and dribbling to playmaking and defense. It is a well-paced, interesting approach to the technicalities of this highly popular sport," Mr. Willenson said.

Marty Glickman, noted sports commentator, said the RCA video disc "is basketball as it should be played, demonstrated by a variety of all-stars who have made hoop history through the years in every phase of the game."

Mr. Willenson noted that the RCA disc of basketball fundamentals, with Red Auerbach and his stable of greats, costs less than two tickets to an NBA basketball game. "There's no way a basketball fan, coach or player could get to see so many great personalities of the sport and receive individual lessons in the basics of the game for $19.98. For sports fans, it's the bargain of the year."

Mr. Willenson also noted that the 109-minute video disc is time-indexed so that a coach or player can instantly find any segment of the disc using the fast forward feature on the video disc player. For example, he added, the viewer can fast-forward to the 10-minute mark on side one of the disc for instruction in passing, the 30-minute mark for switching defense, or, on side two, the 24-minute mark for the dunk, or the 32-minute mark for in-bounds play.

"Coaches and players can zero in on those phases of the game they feel need the most improvement and get instruction from the game's greatest coach and greatest players. To the millions of fans and to those grammar school, high school and college players and coaches involved in one of America's most popular participation and spectator sports, 'Red On Roundball' should be the ultimate answer to the question of how-to," Mr. Willenson said.