ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, July 8, 1996 TAG: 9607080147
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: HAMPTON
SOURCE: BOB TEITLEBAUM STAFF WRITER
ALL-TIMESLAND GUARDS J.J. Coles and Justin Porterfield have had a ball for the past four years.
Northside's Justin Porterfield and Liberty's J.J. Coles put on a show every time they stepped on the basketball floor for four years. The curtain goes up on their last performance as high school players at 8:30 tonight in the Virginia High School Coaches' Association East-West boys' all-star game at the Hampton Coliseum.
Highly spirited best describes these two All-Timesland guards, who infuriated opponents and delighted their fans. With Porterfield at the controls, Northside never failed to make the Group AA semifinal round and the Vikings played for the 1995 championship against Nansemond River.
With Coles, Liberty was a Group AA semifinalist the past two years and this past season went unbeaten as the Minutemen claimed the state title.
Coles is one of those athletes who sometimes talks a little trash, waves at opposing coaches with a good-natured salute and shows exuberance while playing the game.
``I just want to go out, have fun, do the best I can do and hope everyone else has fun,'' said Coles, whose ever-present grin on the court sometimes is misconstrued by opponents. ``Yeah, I got emotional sometimes when there was a bad call or something didn't go my way. But I love to have fun and get everyone involved.''
Coles said fellow Liberty guard Gregg Reynolds was just as responsible for the shenanigans as he was.
``Sometimes I'd see him talking to someone [another player]. I'd go over and say a few words. I'd wink at rival coaches or do something,'' Coles said. ``It wasn't like I was trying to be mean. It's [basketball] not all serious to me.''
Try telling that to Liberty coach Mark Hanks, a wild and crazy guy himself on the sideline.
``J.J. and I talked about it,'' Hanks said. ``You have to learn to control emotions, because other players and other coaches play off that. They try to get you away from the game.
``Some players are fine until they start talking. It takes them away from their game. J.J. is just the opposite. It helps his game. He feeds off that stuff.
``I don't like it. I never have liked it. Some people misconstrue his actions. He's really a good-natured player. There are times I had to reprimand him, but I wouldn't have traded him.''
Porterfield might not talk trash, but his no-look passes often made defensive players look bad. Like many of his Northside predecessors and like his coach, Billy Pope, the point guard is an in-your-face defensive player who backs down from no opponent.
Unlike Coles, if Porterfield smiles on the court, one must assume he's sick. Once a game starts, the Vikings guard seldom changes expressions.
``I don't like to show my butt or anything, but I like to be in their face and playing hard,'' Porterfield said of his take-no-prisoners approach to defense.
The no-look pass is Porterfield's signature as a player.
``It's not like every time I pass I'm going to look away,'' he said. ``It's nothing planned. I don't know the reason I do it. It's natural.''
Porterfield loves the play because he would rather chalk up an assist than score. He has a true point guard's mentality.
``Justin is a tough competitor. He's a creative player, and I like both those combinations,'' Pope said. ``He's going to make some plays out there which aren't scripted and a lot of that is due to the fact he sees the floor real well.
``I don't think there is too much show. Did he upset other teams? I think when you're a good player, that can upset other teams and players. Really, good players upset teams and we've had it done to us. A showy player will only last so long.''
Porterfield is going to Emory & Henry College, where he has a chance to start at point guard as a freshman. Coles is headed to Hagerstown (Md.) Junior College along with two other West stars - William Fleming's James Stokes, who was Timesland's player of the year, and Bobby Wimbush of George Washington-Danville.
``I think they were both overlooked recruiting-wise,'' said Hanks, who will serve as one of the West coaches tonight. ``Justin is going to Emory & Henry, my alma mater, so that's fine with me. My plan is to play them both at point guard at different times with different groups.''
Pope, who has coached in this game, agrees Coles and Porterfield were overlooked as college prospects.
``When you come through game after game as Justin did and put the numbers up he did for three years, that's amazing against all the defenses designed to stop him,'' he said. ``Even if Justin didn't score, it was the passing part. If he was delivering the ball, you'd have a lot of people scoring.
``He'll be a fun guy to play with at the all-star game. In an all-star game, people are looking to shoot. If they get their hands set, they'll get their chance with Justin on the floor.''
That philosophy suits Coles.
``I'll try to get everyone involved. I won't be here to talk,'' he said. ``I'll show what I can do and have fun.''
ALL-STAR NOTES: Besides Porterfield, Coles and Stokes, other Timesland players for the West boys will be William Byrd's Chris Childress, the Blue Ridge District player of the year, and Glenvar's James Williams, the Pioneer District player of the year.
The girls' all-star game starts the big night at 6:30 with four Timesland players on the West roster. They are William Byrd's Cathy Smith, Galax's Tammy Cox, Floyd County's Melissa Cantrell and Salem's Shellie Johnson. Johnson (Blue Ridge) and Cox (Mountain Empire) were the players of the year in their respective districts.
Timesland's coach of the year, David Wheat of Lord Botetourt, is a West coach. The Cavaliers' 1995 Group AA championship team is not represented in the game because none of their top players were seniors.
LENGTH: Long : 108 linesby CNB