Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, April 10, 1991 TAG: 9104100137
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Alexander missed one game all season for Oak Hill Academy, and that was the only game the Warriors lost en route to a No. 3 ranking nationally.
It's hard to say Alexander would have made the difference in an 84-58 loss to Dunbar High School of Fort Worth, Texas, but it did nothing to harm his reputation.
Alexander, the only Virginian on the 25-member McDonald's All-America team and a first-team Parade All-American, is this year's choice for Mr. Basketball by the Roanoke Times & World-News.
Alexander, a 6-foot-1 point guard, is one of three Oak Hill players rated among the top five prospects in the state, joining 6-8 center Ben Davis and 6-7 forward Junior Burrough. Most scouting services rank them 1-2-3.
"We've got our awards banquet May 18, and I don't know who we're going to name the MVP," Oak Hill coach Steve Smith said. "It may be a three-way tie."
Davis led the Warriors in scoring and rebounding and, unlike Alexander and Burrough, is in his second year at the school. Alexander, originally from Waynesboro, is the most heralded native Virginian to play for Oak Hill.
Alexander, who has called a news conference for April 20 to announce his college decision, has been rated the top unsigned point guard in the country. He has said he will choose between Virginia, Arizona and Michigan.
Alexander will join Davis and Burrough and Smith this weekend at the Dapper Dan Classic in Pittsburgh, where Smith will be one of the coaches. Alexander and Davis played in the McDonald's All-America Game this past weekend in Springfield, Mass.
"As far as basketball, I was kind of upset I didn't get to play a whole lot," said Alexander, who did not start the McDonald's game and played only 14 minutes as hometown hero Travis Best got most of the work. "But it had to go down as one of the fun times I've had."
Alexander said on Monday that he enjoyed the company of several of his Michigan-bound teammates so much that he put the Wolverines back on his list, "but they're still No. 3."
As a junior, Alexander played at Flint Hill Prep in Vienna, where he shared ball-handling duties with Randolph Childress, a freshman this past season at Wake Forest. Alexander didn't become a full-time point guard until transferring to Oak Hill this season.
"He had a [No.] 2 guard's mentality when he got here," Smith said. "He scored 45 points in one scrimmage, and I told him, `Cory, we can't have a point guard score 45 points.' Now, I'm not sure he could revert back."
Alexander, who favored Georgia Tech until Best committed to the Yellow Jackets, is the lone unsigned member of the top five. Davis is headed to NCAA runner-up Kansas, and the other three - Burrough, Yuri Barnes and Jason Williford - are headed to Virginia.
All have met Proposition 48 guidelines for freshman eligibility except for Burrough, who was only 10 points shy of the required 700 before he took the Scholastic Aptitude Test again on March 16.
There was a clear-cut division between the top five and the rest of the top 15, headed by center Bart Lammersen from James Madison High in Vienna. Lammersen, headed to Stanford, had 12 points and 17 rebounds in the recent Capital Classic in Landover, Md.
In a state known for its big men, Lammersen is the only post player with much size. There are not many prolific scorers other than Old Dominion signee Petey Sessoms, who averaged more than 32 points for Cradock High in Portsmouth.
There was depth behind Alexander at point guard with the likes of Michael Gardner from James Monroe in Fredericksburg, Avis Willis from West Potomac in Alexandria and Carnell Penn from Salem High in Virginia Beach.
All three began their high-school careers elsewhere - Gardner in Centralia, Ill.; Willis at Gonzaga High in Washington, D.C.; and Penn in San Diego. All three averaged more than 20 points as seniors.
Radford signee Jamie Warren from West Springfield is a combination guard who played in the post as a freshman and sophomore, frequently brought the ball upcourt his last two years and hit 33 of 81 3-point field-goal attempts as a senior.
The best pure shooter in the class may be 6-4 Greg Taylor from Deep Creek High School in Chesapeake. Taylor shot better than 40 percent on 3-point attempts and has been called "the prototype [No.] 2 guard" by longtime coach Harry Rest.
Taylor is considering North Carolina State, Seton Hall, Duquesne and George Washington, but he still has not scored 700 on the SAT. He is one of at least six players on the Top 15 who have not qualified under Proposition 48.
Some of those players signed during the fall, including 6-6 Luther Bates from Fluvanna County, who is headed to James Madison. Players who do not qualify may not play as freshmen and are unable to receive scholarships.
Among those waiting for scores before making a decision is Group AAA player of the year Mario Mullen, who helped Bayside of Virginia Beach to its second straight state championship. Maryland, Virginia Commonwealth and Richmond are among the schools that have expressed interest.
One player who has qualified and will announce his decision this week is 6-6 Luteke Kalombo from Herndon. Kalombo, son of the former ambassador from Zaire to the United States, has narrowed his choices to St. Bonaventure, LaSalle and VCU.
"I can't understand how a St. Bonaventure can be a finalist with all the [Division I] schools in this state," Herndon coach Gary Hall. "How can they let one of the top players go to Buffalo without seeing him play? But, it's their loss."
A total of 14 players from the state already have signed letters-of-intent, including Woodbridge teammates Chad Anderson (Loyola of Baltimore) and Wes Cooper (Navy), Simpson Toliver (Northeastern) from George Wythe in Richmond, and William Cook (Appalachian State) from Oak Hill.
At least four more will sign, including a fourth Oak Hill player, guard Jason Gilliam.
Cornell, Navy and William and Mary are the finalists for 6-7 Larry Green from Charlottesville, who has high jumped 6-8 and runs the floor like a sprinter. Green, also a top student, gets the nod for sleeper of the year.
by CNB