Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, June 17, 1993 TAG: 9306170051
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
"We've made some pretty good contacts," Foster said, "and we're pretty good about keeping up our correspondence. It can be pretty time-consuming, but we've planted a lot of seeds."
Foster has made periodic trips to Europe for 20 years and was in Germany this spring for the Albert Schweitzer Games, where he marveled at the continued improvement in the level of play. Tech signee Brandon Price from Floresville, Texas, was one of the post players for the U.S. team.
"I think, once you get one foreign player, your name gets bounced around and it's easier to get a second one," Foster said. "Providence had a kid from Poland last year and now [the Friars] are getting another one. You know there's a connection."
Although the language barrier could pose a problem for some foreign players, Foster said it is his impression that most would-be college players from Europe are good students.
"It's a different system," he said. "In Europe, you get to the equivalent of grade 9 and, if you're not college material, you're eliminated from the system."
\ UNUSUAL OFFER: Foster, concerned about finding playing time for three freshmen who were redshirted during the 1992-93 season, said he recommended to 6-foot-9 Dwayne Archbold that he spend the 1993-94 season at a junior college.
Archbold suffered a broken finger that caused him to miss most of his senior year at Curtis High School in Staten Island, N.Y., and was an obvious candidate for redshirting as a freshman at Tech. He figures to begin preseason practice behind Jimmy Carruth and Travis Jackson in the post.
"What [Archbold] needs is playing time, and I thought he could go to a junior college and play almost 40 minutes a game, which he can't do here next year," Foster said. "They start practice Sept. 15, as opposed to our start Nov. 1, and would have more than an opportunity to work with him on a day-to-day basis."
Archbold decided to stay at Tech, even though Foster was willing to guarantee in writing that the Hokies would sign him again in November. "It wasn't an easy decision," Foster said. "I'm not sure I would have done it myself."
\ SAGA CONTINUES: The UVa men's basketball staff continues to recruit 6-10 Spaniard Ricardo Peral, although the NCAA's spring letter-of-intent signing period has ended. That means other schools could continue to recruit Peral, even if he committed to the Cavaliers.
Peral has yet to visit Virginia or any other school, and it remains to be seen how the NCAA would view the arrangement he has with his club team in Spain. He has played against professionals and received expense money, so it is possible the NCAA could limit his eligibility or require him to return some of the money.
The only certainty is that Peral has met NCAA academic guidelines for freshman eligibility. Also, there is little question that he wants to play in the United States, if the logistics can be worked out. Wake Forest and Nebraska also are trying to persuade him to visit.
"If our teams are interested in a kid, then he's probably a pretty good player, which means he has been treated well in his home country," ACC assistant commissioner David Thompson said. "You have to be really aware of the amateurism issue before you bring a kid on campus.
"You can unring the bell, though. It's like a player who signs with an agent and takes $1,000 and a plane ticket; he can change his mind, if he pays the money back. It's not necessarily a problem. It depends on how much they get, when they get it and why."
\ FOOTBALL: Lee Smith, a 6-6, 295-pound lineman from Group A Division 1 state champion Appalachia, is among the more promising walk-on football candidates at Virginia Tech. Smith was rated one of the state's second 25 prospects by the Roanoke Times & World-News. Also Tech-bound is place-kicker Steven Tate, the brother of Navy kicker Matt Tate, from Canton, Ohio.
\ BASEBALL: One-time Staunton River baseball coach Buddy Bolding, from Moneta, has been named Virginia college division coach of the year for the third time in his 15 years at Longwood College. The Lancers have never had a losing season under Bolding, whose college record is 413-164-3.
Longwood third baseman and former Jefferson Forest High School star Terry Taylor, who batted .360 this season as a senior, was named to the college division all-state team. Other honorees included pitcher Billy Wagner and first baseman Jerold Smith from Ferrum. The Panthers' Keith Mayhew and Jason Wilson received honorable mention.
Nathan Shepperson, an All-Group AA football player at Matoaca High School, has accepted a combination academic and athletic scholarship to play baseball at VMI. Shepperson made first-team all-state as a defensive lineman and second-team as a punter. "In my 28 years of coaching, he's the best player I've had who has not gotten a Division I scholarship," Matoaca football coach Gabe Hicks said.
\ NON-REVENUE: Todd Lyons, the most valuable player for Group AA boys' state champion Blacksburg, is headed to Roanoke College to play soccer. Lyons, named team MVP, was first-team All-Timesland and first-team all-state.
Maroons coach Scott Allison also received commitments All-Washington Metro midfielder Demis Yanco of Bishop O'Connell in Arlington, All-Western Pennsylvania goalie Mike Birely from Sewickley; all-region forward Todd Hallauer from Hayfield High in Alexandria; and forward Rehan Gill, who played in Clarksville, Md., on the nation's fifth-ranked high school team.
Marcus Kramer of Virginia Tech finished third in Region II (Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina and South Carolina) in the final Intercollegiate Tennis Association rankings.
The Hokies' Onja Pavlovic was 13th and Dinko Gudelj was 25th. Gudelj and Pavlovic were the 11th-ranked doubles team. Tech was sixth and Virginia 11th among the 16 ranked teams.
by CNB