Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, April 12, 1995 TAG: 9504120071
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
It was bound to happen. In a state that has produced the likes of Ralph Sampson, Alonzo Mourning and Grant Hill, there was one home-grown player with grades who received a high-major Division I scholarship offer this year.
And that player, 6-foot-8 Reggie Bassette from Highland Springs, suffered a knee injury that limited him to 14 games.
``Just watch next year,'' one recruiter said. ``It might be worse.''
If not for Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, with its five Division I prospects, men's basketball recruiters would have taken a detour around Virginia this year. The college basketball community is waiting to hear whether 6-7 Oak Hill swingman Ron Mercer signs with Tennessee, Kentucky or Miami of Florida.
Mercer is the No.1 prospect in the state and, perhaps, the country. Mercer's home is in Madison, Tenn., however, which makes him ineligible to join Oak Hill graduates and Virginia residents Cory Alexander and Curtis Staples as Mr. Basketball.
Residency is one of several criteria that enter into the selection. Senior-year performance is the main factor, as is, to a lesser degree, recruitability.
This year's choice as Mr. Basketball, 6-9 Marco Harrison, averaged 17.4 points and 19 rebounds for Petersburg High School, which won 23 consecutive games en route to a 25-1 finish. Harrison has not yet qualified for freshman eligibility, but is being recruited.
``He had numerous games in which he scored 20 points or had 20 rebounds - several in the same game,'' Petersburg coach Bill Lawson said. ``He's a tremendous rebounder, he runs well and he's got a touch. But, probably the biggest improvement in his game has been his aggressiveness.''
Harrison, whose father played at National Business College in Roanoke, averaged 61/2 blocked shots as a senior. That caught the attention of Temple and Dayton, both of whom have brought him to campus and are willing to accept him as a partial qualifier, while Virginia monitors his eligibility closely.
Tennessee and Stanford are two of the women's programs in contact with 5-9 Katie Smrcka-Duffy, the first girl to be chosen Ms. Basketball as a junior. Smrcka-Duffy averaged 30.6 points in helping Madison High of Vienna to a 29-2 record and the Group AAA championship game.
There was some question about Smrcka-Duffy's availability when she suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in the 15th game of her sophomore year. She underwent reconstructive surgery at the end of April, but returned to score 44 points in Madison's first game and 47 in the second.
``Before she was injured, she was a driver and a slasher,'' Madison coach Pat Deegan. ``She made seven 3-pointers as a sophomore. All she did during rehabilitation was work on her outside shot - she wore the rubber off two basketballs - and made 104 3-pointers this season.''
Smrcka-Duffy has a 3.6 grade-point average and academics are a big reason that more than 15 players from Virginia have signed letters-of-intent with Division I women's programs.
Men's programs have received commitments from only 12 players from Virginia, three of those from out-of-state residents who play at Oak Hill or Episcopal High School in Alexandria. Some of the commitments, from players not ranked among the top 15 prospects in the state, are with Division I programs like Winthrop and Bucknell that qualify as ``low'' major.
The spring signing period, which opens today, will not be without its recruiting battles. In addition to Mercer, Oak Hill big men Melvin Whitaker and Venson Hamilton have a number of ACC schools on their lists - Virginia, N.C. State and North Carolina for Whitaker; Maryland and Clemson for Hamilton. Both are still taking tests in hopes of meeting eligibility standards.
Two all-state performers, Shawn Hobson from Granby in Norfolk and Percy White from William Monroe in Stanardsville, have indicated they will play for Hagerstown (Md.) Junior College. Fork Union Military Academy is a possible destination for two-time All-Group AAA choice Derrick Hines from William Fleming. Fork Union is also in the picture for 6-4 Robbi Moose of Front Royal, the boys' sleeper of the year.
by CNB