DATE: Friday, May 9, 1997                   TAG: 9705090910

SECTION: SPORTS                  PAGE: C4   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE:    - FRANK VEHORN

                                            LENGTH:   65 lines

ACC REPORT

UNC wins war with

Wake for Melendez

from Puerto Rico

North Carolina has won a heated recruiting battle with Wake Forest for 6-foot-8 forward Orlando Melendez, an exchange student from Puerto Rico.

Melendez was one of the nation's top prospects last season while playing for McDowell County High School in Marion, N.C. He also was recruited by Kentucky and Georgia Tech.

Melendez said he picked North Carolina because of its tradition for winning and developing players for the NBA. He averaged 20 points,nine rebounds and three blocked shots last season.

UNC previously had signed 7-foot Brendan Haywood of Greensboro, 6-11 Brian Bersticker of Kempsville High School, and 6-6 Max Owens of Durham Mount Zion. Wake Forest had signed seven recruits for next year.

Coach Dave Odom earlier this week filled one of his team's primary needs when he outrecruited North Carolina State for James Griffin, a high-scoring 6-3 guard from Greenville, S.C.

The lack of outside offense to keep pressure off Tim Duncan possibly cost the Deacons a chance at the NCAA title.

Griffin has the ability to score from the perimeter, even if Duncan won't be around to appreciate it.As a senior, he averaged 32.4 points, with 56 in one game and more than 40 in six games. He made 45 percent of his 3-pointers.

Stokes returns to U.Va.

Ricky Stokes, an assistant under Odom at Wake Forest the last eight years, is joining the staff at Virginia.

Stokes, 34, played with Virginia coach Jeff Jones at Virginia in the early 1980s. A key recruiter for the Deacons, Stokes reportedly turned down a head coaching opportunity at Furman.

Stokes replaces Tom Perrin, who was fired after 15 years on the Cavaliers' staff.

Virginia on Reid's list

Virginia is one of the schools being considered by Robbie Reid, a former Brigham Young University guard who is completing his Mormon mission. Reid, whose father was fired as BYU coach last year, has three years of eligibility.

Virginia signed only one prospect, 6-2 guard Chezley Watson of Gainesville, Ga., during the early period and has not received any commitments in the current signing session through May 15.

The recruiting game

Baron Davis of Santa Monica, Ca., has re-committed to UCLA. He committed to the Bruins last fall, but backed away when coach Jim Harrick was fired.

Only a couple of weeks ago Davis told friends he was going to Georgia Tech, which almost cost Tech one its prize recruits, 6-2 point guard Le Trevis Spivey.

Spivey, who committed to Tech but had not mailed his letter-of-intent, had second thoughts when he heard coach Bobby Cremins was talking to Davis.

Spivey reportedly made quick visits to Michigan and Missouri but seems headed to Tech again now that Davis is out of the picture.

Grades take out Karcher

Mark Karcher, a 6-5 swingman from Baltimore, has announced he will attend Temple. He had been a major recruiting target for Georgia Tech and Maryland, but neither could take him because of his grades. Karcher will have to sit out next season at Temple because he failed to meet minimum entrance scores.

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