Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, January 2, 1992 TAG: 9201020130
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Doug Doughty
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
DEACONS LOSE GUARD TO KNEE SURGERY
Wake Forest guard Randolph Childress, runner-up to teammate Rodney Rogers in last year's ACC rookie-of-the-year balloting, will not play basketball this season.Childress, who averaged 14 points in 1990-91 despite starting only one game, underwent reconstructive knee surgery after suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament July 24 in a pick-up game.
Childress' early rehabilitation went so well that there was optimism he would meet coach Dave Odom's Jan. 1 deadline. However, his knee recently tested at only 72-percent strength, so the decision was made to seek a redshirt year.
Odom, in making the announcement on Childress' status, said it is unlikely that forward Chris King will play Saturday at Clemson, but it is possible King will be available for the Deacons' game at Virginia on Wednesday night. King was suspended because of an academic violation.
Wake's depth was further depleted when forward Trelonnie Owens underwent arthroscopic knee surgery before Christmas. Nevertheless, the Deacons have taken advantage of a fairly easy December schedule to go 6-1 and are ranked 20th.
\ Clemson will seek a hardship ruling from the NCAA to get an extra year for basketball player Wayne Buckingham, who will undergo reconstructive surgery for a torn anterior cruciate ligament. Buckingham underwent arthroscopic surgery and played Dec. 14, but his mobility was severely restricted.
\ A plan to have the starting times changed for the second round of the Times-Dispatch Invitational in Richmond was rejected when three of four coaches voted against it.
As a result, Richmond had the majority of the support from a crowd of 6,644 in its 80-74 victory over Virginia in the championship game. The game coincided with the Gator Bowl, in which Oklahoma drubbed UVa's football team 48-14.
\ N.C. State has activated Donnie Seale, a former star at Morehead High in Eden, N.C., who had been taking courses at State during the fall and became eligible after the first semester. There had been some question whether Seale would play immediately, but he made his Wolfpack basketball debut Dec. 21, when he scored five points in a 106-82 loss to Iona.
\ Longwood College, the only Division II independent in Virginia, does not have a basketball game against in-state opposition.
\ East Tennessee State quarterback Randy Meredith from Pulaski County set a Southern Conference record by completing 58.1 percent of his passes for his career. Although he shared time as a senior, Meredith passed for 5,411 yards in his career, good for ninth on the all-time Southern Conference list.
\ Ex-Virginia cornerback Tony Covington, moved to strong safety by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, led the team in interceptions with three and had more tackles, 84, than any other rookie defensive back in the National Football League.
Former Virginia Tech defensive lineman Al Chamblee, who was not activated by Tampa Bay until late in the season, finished the year as the top back-up at both defensive-end spots. Chamblee was credited with eight tackles, including a sack, and five quarterback pressures.
\ Bobby Ross, who Tuesday accepted the position as head coach of the San Diego Chargers, must believe in five-year plans. Ross, 55, was head coach for five years at The Citadel, five years at Maryland and five years at Georgia Tech.
With Ross' departure, it will be interesting to see what happens to All-ACC outside linebacker Marco Coleman. Coleman, who shares the ACC sack record (28) with former Clemson defensive tackle Michael Dean Perry, is a fourth-year junior and has indicated he might skip his final season of college eligibility.
\ The Orange Bowl, responding to an offer by the Blockbuster Bowl, has let it be known it will pay as much as $5 million per team if it can lure the Big East champion to play the Big Eight champion.
The Blockbuster earlier had offered $4.3 million per team for the ACC and Big East champions. Both games are in the Miami area and are particularly interested in the Big East because of the University of Miami, a perennial national power.
\ Virginia Tech is recruiting Dee Townes, a defensive back from Clover Hill in Richmond who was rated among the Second 25 prospects in the state by the Roanoke Times & World-News. A Second 25 choice who has attracted Virginia's attention is Albemarle High quarterback Tim Sherman, whose father, Tom, coaches the UVa receivers.
\ Wake Forest tight end John Henry Mills, whose 51 receptions led the ACC by a wide margin, did not have a touchdown reception until the Deacons beat Navy 52-24 in the final game.
\ Few teams rely as heavily on one receiver as Clemson, where sophomore Terry Smith was responsible for 45 of the Tigers' 125 completions and six of the team's eight touchdown passes. No other Clemson receiver had more than 20 receptions.
\ Marcus Smith, a junior from Roanoke, helped Wesleyan College in Middletown, Conn., to a 15-1-1 record and the ECAC New England Division III soccer championship.
Smith, who went to high school at the Pomfret (Conn.) School, started 13 games for Wesleyan this season and had six goals and two assists. He has 27 points (12 goals, three assists) in his career.