Vrankovic still in Yugoslavia

July 11, 1991 The Celtics are hoping to get definitive news soon - maybe even today - regarding the whereabouts of Stojko Vrankovic. The 7-foot-2-inch center was slated to return to Boston earlier this month, but has been unable to get a flight out of Yugoslavia because of the problems there. 

Vrankovic is from Croatia, one of the two republics that recently voted to secede.

Celtics general manager Jan Volk talked to Vrankovic Tuesday, the latest of several conversations between the two over the last two weeks.

"He was hoping to come here the first week of July," Volk said yesterday. "But he has been unable to do so because of the tensions there and the shutdown of air service. But he has been monitoring the situation and, at the first opportunity, he will come to Boston."

The Globe's attempts to reach Vrankovic were unsuccessful.

Vrankovic did not play on Yugoslavia's recent European championship team, although Lakers center Vlade Divac did, as well asCeltic-in-limbo Dino Radja and Toni Kukoc.

Some appetizers

The Celtics plan to release their exhibition schedule today, and there are some intriguing stops. They'll meet Pat Riley's Knicks (that still doesn't sound quite right, does it?) at Madison Square Garden and will participate in a four-team tournament at the Great Western Forum involving the Lakers, Spurs and Bucks. They'll make the usual New England appearances and plan to play a "home" game in Albany, N.Y. The NBA will release the 1991-92 regular-season schedule at the end of this month . . . Brian Shaw and Reggie Lewis finished three days of mingling with stars and former NBA players in Hawaii yesterday at Magic Johnson's Slam & Jam. Shaw coached one of the teams. Reached in Hawaii to ask how he was faring, Shaw refused to talk. "I'm on vacation," he said.