Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, April 19, 1991                   TAG: 9104190049
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: C3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: SCOTT BLANCHARD SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

WHO WILL ASSIST FOSTER? HUSSEY A TOP CANDIDATE

Former Davidson coach Bobby Hussey, now a part-time assistant at Clemson, is one of Foster's longtime friends in coaching. Some in basketball circles say Hussey is a lock to join Foster's staff.

Hussey said he and Foster have talked about the situation, but said Foster hasn't offered him the job. Hussey, a head coach for 18 years and at Davidson for eight of those, said the Tech post interests him.

"It's a good school, a good location, a good situation," he said. "If it were to come to pass, it's a win-win situation [for me].

"[But] the assumptions have been a lot stronger than the actualities."

As Clemson coach Cliff Ellis' part-time assistant, Hussey cannot recruit off campus and said he misses that part of the job. At Davidson, known for its strict academic standards, Hussey recruited Derek Rucker, who had his jersey retired after finishing as the school's No. 3 all-time scorer and its all-time leader in assists and steals.

Foster, who is on the road recruiting, could not be reached for comment Thursday.

Another assistant coach rumored to be under consideration by Foster is former Old Dominion assistant Stan Nance, who was left jobless when Tom Young was fired. Nance, a former Foster aide at Miami who also coached at Rutgers, Boston College and Virginia Commonwealth, could not be reached for comment Thursday; last week he said Foster had called him but the two had missed connections.

Hussey had sub.-500 teams in his first four years at Davidson, then went 55-34 over the next three years. He left after the Wildcats' 7-24 finish in 1988-89, its first after leaving the Southern Conference.

\ Virginia Tech quarterback Maurice DeShazo is expected to play in the Hokies' spring game Saturday despite a sprained ankle suffered in Wednesday's controlled scrimmage.

Tech trainer Eddie Ferrell said DeShazo, who will be a redshirt freshman next fall and is expected to get some playing time behind Will Furrer, was off crutches Thursday morning.

"He had very little swelling. He was walking around like he just had a sore ankle," Ferrell said. "I think he can [play]. And he wants to, too."

DeShazo, the Group AA player of the year at Bassett High School in 1989 who was an honorable mention All-America pick that year by The Sporting News, will lead the White team on Saturday against the starters.

Ferrell on Thursday added another Hokie to the list of those who won't play Saturday: freshman cornerback Stacy Henley, whose sprained right ankle has not responded to treatment.

\ Virginia Tech's men's and women's tennis teams, sporting their spiffiest records in recent years, begin play in the Metro Conference tournament today in Memphis, Tenn.

The men are 16-2 and are considered second to South Carolina as favorites in the three-day event. No. 1 singles player Dinko Gudelj is 10-5. Tech has gotten good play from the Nos. 4 and 5 spots, which have been split between Alex Ortiz and Todd Koning. They're a combined 26-6.

Tech's men have finished second in the Metro the past two years.

The women are 18-6 and are likely third-place finishers behind Florida State and South Carolina. Although top seed Laurie Shiflet is just 9-13 this year, No. 2 seed Molly Rush is 18-3, and No. 5 seed Sharon Galyon has the Hokies' gaudiest record at 21-3.