Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, December 2, 1993                   TAG: 9312020288
SECTION: NEIGHBORS                    PAGE: S-10   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: BOB TEITLEBAUM STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

NORTH CROSS LOOKS AHEAD TO ANOTHER BRIGHT SEASON

This year, North Cross returns two starters and 6-foot-1 Monty Smith, the John Havlicek of high school basketball, from that team. Yet the Raiders will have to struggle to fight for first place in the Virginia Independent Conference.

North Cross will be led by 6-6 Hal Johnston, a center who can hit the 3-point shot, and 6-1 Marcus Cardwell, the team's leading scorer.

Smith was the team's second-leading scorer and earned a Havlicek reputation for coming off the bench just like the former Boston Celtic did for so many years in the National Basketball Association.

In essence, Smith and Cardwell were North Cross' best players last year. Johnston was a sophomore who didn't average in double figures. This year, he'll have to do that plus help Smith on the boards.

"We don't have the bench we did last year and that was a key," said Raider coach Jim Muscaro.

The North Cross coach said Cardwell, who was Timesland's leading scorer in football this fall with 216 points, could be better than last year when he averaged 15.9.

Roanoke Catholic and Roanoke Valley Christian will be stronger than last winter when the schools combined to win only 12 games - seven in the VIC.

Catholic will be under new coach Roger Henderson, who has only two returning starters coupled with a lot of interesting newcomers.

"We'll be real quick and do a lot of things defensively," said Henderson, who tries to resurrect a program that once was one of the best among private schools.

"We'll be solid by the end of the year and have as good a shot as the others."

Henderson was the Celtics' assistant last year and was a junior varsity coach at Country Day School in Louisville before coming to Roanoke. He is a part-time minister in Giles County.

Jim Farmer feels he'll have one of his best teams at Roanoke Valley Christian. "We don't have a bench, but you can only play eight or nine at a time," said Farmer.

The Eagles have only two returning starters, but they have the most overall experience of any of Roanoke's three private high schools. They also might have the best rebounder in Scott Apjok, a 6-4, 240-pound force under the boards.

\ See microfilm for summaries.