Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, February 23, 1991 TAG: 9102230038
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Where are they playing?
Crotty, a senior at Virginia, has dominated Corchiani when the two have squared off in Charlottesville.
Corchiani, a senior at North Carolina State, has far more impressive statistics when the basketball teams have played in Raleigh, N.C.
That means it will be Corchiani's turn today when the Wolfpack plays host to UVa at 4 p.m. at Reynolds Coliseum.
"I just hope the trend continues," Corchiani said. "I've never seen anything like it."
When the teams last met, Virginia handed N.C. State its worst loss in more than 20 years, 104-72, at University Hall. Corchiani did not score from the field until 9:43 remained and was outscored by Crotty 24-6.
"I'm just happy I don't have to go back there," Corchiani said. "I just don't like the place one bit. The lights aren't bright enough, the crowd's not loud and it's a circular gym. The fans at midcourt are nowhere to be seen."
Reynolds Coliseum, on the other hand, is a rectangular gym with the first half-dozen rows squeezed in back of the benches. The court is illuminated, but the rest of the lights are darkened at tipoff.
"The whole arena is very dark," Crotty said. "It's like stepping into a cave. The fans love to get after you. You can tell State feels very confident playing there and [the players] seem to take their game to another level."
Crotty had one of the worst games of his career at Reynolds last year, when the Wolfpack routed the Cavaliers 84-58. Crotty was 0-for-5 from the field and has gone 3-for-17 in three trips to N.C. State.
"How did we ever win there?" UVa coach Jeff Jones asked.
The Cavaliers defeated N.C. State 76-75 in Raleigh in 1989, when then-freshman Bryant Stith had a season-high 29 points. Crotty was 2-for-9 from the field in that game, but contributed eight assists - compared to a single turnover - in 36 minutes.
"I had a bad game there last year," Crotty said, "but I thought I played pretty well the year before. I thought I hung with him [Corchiani]."
It was not Crotty's intention to compare himself with Corchiani, and there was no need to. From the time they were juniors in high school - Crotty in Spring Lake, N.J., and Corchiani in Miami - people have done it for them.
They don't need to be reminded of the first time they met on a basketball floor, when they were at the NIKE Camp in Princeton, N.J., before their senior year in high school.
"You'd play zone in the morning and man-to-man in the afternoon," Crotty said. "The first time we played in the same game, we didn't play against each other because we were in zone."
They met later that year in the King Cotton Classic in Pine Bluff, Ark., where Corchiani's team, Hialeah-Miami Lakes, defeated Crotty's team, Christian Brothers' Academy.
They have met seven times in college. UVa has a 4-3 record against N.C. State during that time, 3-1 in Charlottesville.
"People have tried to compare us - me, Chris and King Rice [of North Carolina] - since we started playing in this league," Crotty said. "As I've gotten older, I've found that you're much better off comparing yourself to yourself."
The ACC is considered a point guard's league with the likes of Georgia Tech sophomore Kenny Anderson, the three seniors and Duke sophomore Bobby Hurley. Maryland junior Walt Williams, in a category of his own at 6-feet-8, has missed much of the year with a broken leg.
"I think the comparisons are unfair sometimes," Corchiani said. "Different players have different styles and their teams have different needs. Unfortunately, some don't get the recognition they deserve. One of those is Crotty. He seems not to have had great talent around him."
Neither Corchiani nor Crotty has ever made first-team All-ACC, although Corchiani has broken the conference record for assists and steals in a career. In fact, Corchiani needs 10 assists today to break the Division I record for assists in a career.
"I think that might be the most prestigious," Corchiani said, "but the record I cherish the most is the ACC steals record. It's what I love to do most. It's like an interception in football."
Although he scored more than 3,400 points in high school, Corchiani has been a scorer for the Wolfpack only when needed. Crotty has been one of UVa's chief offensive options and ranks eighth on UVa's all-time scoring list.
"I don't think they're that similar, except that they go really hard after each other," Jones said. "Corchiani is a point guard who thinks pass first. John uses his drives and his own offensive opportunities to set up the pass."
Jones was a point guard during his playing days at Virginia (1978-82) and held the school record for assists in a career before Crotty passed him this season. UVa has been notoriously stingy over the years in awarding assists.
"I would say Crotty would have more assists if he had played at virtually any other ACC school," Jones said.
Nevertheless, Crotty had 14 assists in the first game against N.C. State this year, tying a school record he had set in an NCAA Tournament game against Middle Tennessee State in 1989.
In all likelihood, today's game will mark the final Crotty-Corchiani matchup, but there remains a possibility that the teams could meet in Charlotte, N.C., in the first round of the ACC Tournament. Now, that might be the grounds for debate.
by CNB