Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, March 11, 1990 TAG: 9003143024
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Doug Doughty
DATELINE: CHARLOTTE, N.C. LENGTH: Long
Cooke, one-time Group AA basketball player of the year at Martinsville High School, came off the bench to make two jump shots in the Cavaliers' 69-66 victory over Clemson in the ACC Tournament semifinals.
"On the first one, I was a little nervous," said Cooke, a 6-foot-4 senior. "I thought maybe I was going to shoot an airball. After that, I had all the confidence in the world."
Coach Terry Holland had told Cooke to expect increased playing time after some good practices in the past month, but Cooke had missed some recent practice time because of a foot injury.
Ironically, Cooke got his chance Saturday after a pregame injury to fellow senior Jeff Daniel.
"Coach Holland told me maybe I'd get in for a minute or two," said Cooke, also a member of the UVa football team. "I knew when I got in that I'd have to check [Dale] Davis or [Elden] Campbell.
"In order for me to be a threat, I knew I had to get to my spot and hit the open jumper. I've never found a jump shot I didn't like."
Cooke also grabbed two rebounds and drew two offensive fouls in his 13-minute stint. He had played 47 minutes all season before Saturday, starting only in his final home game against Wake Forest.
"They kind of had to put me in there [against Wake]," Cooke said. "I was happy to get out there either way, but this was more of a personal highlight."
Cooke's mother and sister attended his final home game in Charlottesville, Va., but not his father, who has not been pleased with his son's lack of playing time. Both of Cooke's parents were at the game Saturday.
"You can't make up for time in the past," Cooke said, "but it makes you feel good in your last ACC Tournament to play and help the team win. It feels like all the time wasn't wasted."
By their dad's side today\ Holland's daughters, scheduled to fly out of Charlotte today at 9 a.m. for a lacrosse camp, were forced to make other plans because of UVa's trip to the final.
Daughter Kate was 3 years old when Virginia won its only ACC title in Holland's second season, 1976. His other daughter, Ann-Michael, was born days after the tournament that year.
"Maybe we shouldn't be here," Holland's wife, Ann, said. "Remember, I was in the hospital at the time. I told that to Ann-Michael and she said, `But, Mom, I couldn't be there.'
"I think it's safe to say we'll both be at the game."
Box-and-one is coming\ Georgia Tech knows exactly what to expect from Virginia - a box-and-one defense, with the Cavaliers' Anthony Oliver on ACC scoring leader Dennis Scott.
Scott was 10-of-34 in two games against UVa, and he scored a season-low 11 points in a 73-71 loss to the Cavaliers in Atlanta. UVa defeated the Yellow Jackets 81-79 in overtime in Charlottesville.
"I don't have a score to settle with Virginia," said Scott, a Reston, Va., product. "We know [the box-and-one] is coming. I just hope my big men keep setting screens."
Tech guard Kenny Anderson added, "If I was a coach, I wouldn't play us straight up. I know we'll see the box-and-one because it works. But we still should have won the other games. They got the breaks."
High-scoring sopohomore\ Bryant Stith, who scored 14 points Saturday, has more points (1,112) through his sophomore year than any player in UVa history. Stith appears to have a good shot at Jeff Lamp's school record of 2,317.
Corchiani defends Valvano\ North Carolina State guard Chris Corchiani insists he will leave the program if coach Jim Valvano does not return to coach the Wolfpack.
"If Coach V leaves, I leave," Corchiani said. "He's done nothing wrong. He's been found guilty of things he has no control over."
Numerous state newspapers have called for Valvano's ouster. The Technician, N.C. State's student newspaper, has said the program should be disbanded as the result of point-shaving allegations.
"I won't be back if he's not," Corchiani emphasized. "I give too much of myself. I can't do that for a university that doesn't support the positive."
A package deal?\ The choice of University of Connecticut President John Casteen as Virginia's president has raised speculation that UVa might try to get involved with Huskies coach Jim Calhoun.
ACC sources indicate that Virginia athletic director Jim Copeland is very interested in Stanford coach Mike Montgomery, who appears to be the closest thing to a front-runner in the search for a replacement for Holland, who is leaving Virginia to become athletic director at Davidson.
UVa reportedly is interested in Xavier coach Pete Gillen, but Gillen has said he will not discuss any other jobs until the end of the season, which, for the Musketeers, could take awhile.
Stanford is ranked 11th in Division I in scoring defense, up from 13th in 1988-89, when the Cardinal was 26-7.
Notes...\ Virginia freshman center Ted Jeffries ought to write Crawford Palmer a thank-you note every week of the year. Jeffries, who signed with Virginia after Palmer picked Duke over the Cavaliers, has started 27 of 28 games and played more than 500 minutes. Palmer, a high-school All-American, has played 133 minutes this season for the Blue Devils.
Flint Hill coach Stu Vetter, who has three former players on ACC rosters, said Radford and Marshall are two of the schools interested in Mark Ward, originally from William Fleming High in Roanoke.
Vetter said he thinks Ward would be best served by attending prep school for a year. Ward left Fleming after his junior season in 1988-89 to play for Flint Hill, which is in Vienna.
Wake Forest appears to be the front-runner for Flint Hill guard Randolph Childress. Two of the Deacons' four early signees still have not met Proposition 48 guidelines.
Wake Forest junior guard Robert Siler, who came off the bench to score 17 points Friday in the Deacons' 79-70 loss to Clemson, will undergo arthroscopic knee surgery.
N.C. State sophomore Jamie Knox, who severely injured a knee Feb. 12 at Clemson, may miss the 1990-91 season while undergoing rehabilitation.
by CNB