Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, March 15, 1990 TAG: 9003152374
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: SCOTT BLANCHARD SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE: KNOXVILLE, TENN. LENGTH: Medium
But, Calvin Talford says, the circle of ignorance extends only so far.
"Some people know who we are - the teams we're playing," said the No. 2 scorer for East Tennessee State, which faces No. 9 Georgia Tech at 9:30 p.m. today in an Talford NCAA Tournament Southeast Regional first-round game.
Last year, Talford and the Buccaneers - including publicized teammates Greg Dennis and Keith "Mister" Jennings - nearly bounced Oklahoma in the NCAA's first round, losing 72-71. Tonight, unranked and 13th-seeded ETSU is looking to break through against fourth-seeded Georgia Tech.
Talford, a Castlewood native who was the Timesland Athlete of the Year as a senior, averaged 16.7 points, shot 50.4 percent from the field and made 63 3-pointers during the regular season. But the sophomore was overshadowed by Dennis, a 6-foot-11 center who may be a first-round NBA draft pick, and Jennings, a 5-7 guard notable for his nickname and his 8.8 assists and 2.5 steals per game.
"Greg and Mister, they're two great ballplayers. They need a lot of attention," said Talford, a 6-4 forward who led the team with 51 dunks this season. "I can settle for backstage. I can come in and nobody will know who I am, and I can do some things."
Two things he can do are high-jump (an event he excelled at in high school) and play baseball. He has been doing the latter professionally for the last two seasons with the Martinsville Phillies of the Appalachian League, and says he'll make a decision at the end of this school year whether he wants to pursue baseball or basketball full-time.
ETSU coach Les Robinson, no doubt, is pleased that Talford is around to complement Dennis and Jennings. Those three led the Bucs to a 27-6 record, including the Southern Conference Tournament title. They won their three tournament games by 15, five and 19 points.
"Watching ETSU, I might be watching the best team the Southern Conference has ever had," said Georgia Tech coach Bobby Cremins, a former league coach at Appalachian State and an old friend of Robinson. "You're talking about a team that's not a normal Southern Conference team."
Cremins and Robinson coached together at the World Qualifying Games in Mexico City last summer. The two first met in 1970, when Cremins was playing at South Carolina and Robinson invited him to speak at a basketball camp.
Cremins is 10-1 lifetime against Robinson. But the two remain close - so close, in fact, that a little of Robinson's touch can be seen in Cremins' offense.
"Les is the Dean Smith of the Southern Conference," said Cremins, who said he admires the way Robinson's teams pass the ball. "I wanted to study some of his concepts."
Cremins has one of the finest passers in the nation in freshman Kenny Anderson, who averaged 8.6 assists per game while scoring 19.9. The recipients of most of Anderson's passes were bomber Dennis Scott (27.2 ppg, 113 3-pointers) and guard Brian Oliver (22 ppg).
ETSU beat Tennessee in Knoxville and North Carolina State in Raleigh, N.C., during the regular season, and the Bucs still remember last year's brush with victory against Oklahoma.
"The big thing about the Oklahoma game is it carried over to this year," Robinson said. "When you look at where we won some games, where we beat those people is really the key."
Robinson expects a large Bucs contingent tonight - Thompson-Boling Arena on the University of Tennessee campus is a short drive from ETSU - and hopes to make some national noise by knocking off Georgia Tech. Cremins, who calls the Yellow Jackets a "fun" team, doesn't want the postseason ride to end early. Tech is 1-3 in the NCAA Tournament in the last three years.
"I'd love to see us make a run, to just go out and play our game," Cremins said.
Keywords:
BASKETBALL
by CNB