Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, March 4, 1990 TAG: 9003042022
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: bill brill
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG LENGTH: Medium
There, late on a Saturday afternoon in which the greatest player in Virginia Tech basketball history ended his home career, Coles posed for a picture with a little girl.
That was - and is - pure Bimbo.
The child's father had asked Coles before to pose for a picture with his daughter. The session had been planned for an earlier game, Coles said, "But we lost."
He didn't need to explain why the picture wasn't taken then. Coles is even better as a competitor than he is as a player.
This time, Tech had beaten Memphis State, something it almost always does here. If the Hokies had their way, they would end every season against the Tigers.
It was 87-74 Tech, another victory against the Pussycats.
Larry Finch's team went 15-1 this season in Memphis, Tenn., where they are legitimate Tigers. On the road, Memphis State beat only South Carolina, and that on a 3-pointer at the buzzer.
This was to be Coles' day, replete with the retiring of his jersey No. 12 before the game. Only Dell Curry, whose school scoring records Coles broke, had been so honored among Tech's male basketball players.
Actually, as far as the game was concerned, the story was the play of those other than Coles - and those who played while he was having his left foot wrapped.
With three freshmen, one sophomore and a junior-college transfer on the floor much of the time, Tech more than held its own against a Memphis State team that doesn't merit an NCAA bid despite its 17-10 record.
With 11:59 remaining, Coles collided with the Tigers' Cheyenne Gibson on one of his slashing, explosive drives to the basket. He went down, and eventually limped to a training table underneath the stands.
By then, Coles had scored 23 points, increasing his career mark to 2,465, one of numerous school and Metro Conference records he owns.
He returned with 9:14 left but was ineffective, limping noticeably. Four minutes and one point later, Coles drew a technical foul from official Larry Lowe, then retired to the locker room for more repairs.
Only once more would he play before his adoring fans, with Cassell sold out for the first time all season. Coach Frankie Allen reinserted Coles with 1:37 left, and the senior guard was replaced by Scott Davis 25 seconds later.
The standing ovation was obligatory, but surely deserved. Who else did more for his team?
Coles was the only scorer to average double figures for the Hokies. He took most of the shots and more than twice as many free throws as anybody else.
He did everything for four years, except win. It is unfortunate - perhaps a testament to Tech's recruiting lapses - that despite all of Coles' feats, three times he played for a losing team.
Tech is suffering through back-to-back losing campaigns for the first time in 35 years.
But this squad finished the regular season with three victories and will take some momentum into the Metro Conference Tournament.
Still, the only way Coles will play in the big postseason tournament is if the Hokies pull three consecutive upsets in Biloxi, Miss.
Is that his greatest frustration? "Not yet," he said. "Let's wait and see."
Coles talks of winning the Metro, of going to the NCAA Tournament, of canceling a proposed vacation at the Mexican resort of Cancun during spring break.
While he was on the bench, foot throbbing (it was diagnosed as a sprain), Coles was the most persuasive cheerleader. "I wasn't going to feel sorry for myself," he said.
And he wasn't going to forget that postgame appointment, injured or not.
There were some 40 relatives and friends in the stands, he said. His grandmother saw him play here for the first time.
Finch, the Memphis State coach, had the most revealing comment about Coles.
"Obviously, he's been a great player," he said. "But I like him as a person. He's just a nice young man."
That should cover it.
by CNB