Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, January 11, 1992 TAG: 9201110150
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BOB TEITLEBAUM SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
GOOD SHOWING IN TOURNAMENT COULD PUT PH INTO TOP 25
Patrick Henry hopes to return to USA Today's Top 25 list, and the Crestar Roundball Classic might be the Patriots' best opportunity."I think there's a good chance for a role reversal - to trade places with them," Patrick Henry boys' basketball coach Woody Deans said Friday about his team's game tonight against Male of Louisville, Ky., in the feature of the fifth annual double-header at the Roanoke Civic Center.
Deans made his remarks before Friday night's game against William Fleming and prefaced them by saying, "If we beat Fleming . . .," which the Patriots did 72-60.
The Patriots (11-0), were listed among the teams to watch last week by USA Today. Male (10-3) was ranked 24th. However, Male lost to Atherton 84-76 on Tuesday in a game that was not reflected in last week's USA Today standings, so the Kentuckians are likely to drop out of the rankings.
The first game tonight at 7 features William Fleming, 4-2 before playing Patrick Henry, taking on Grimsley of Greensboro, N.C. The Whirlies were 5-4 going into a game Friday night in Winston-Salem, N.C.
Two of Male's three losses have been to Top 25 teams in the Beach Ball Classic at Myrtle Beach, S.C. One was a 90-70 loss to top-ranked Baltimore Dunbar, which played in the Crestar Roundball Classic last year.
"That score was a little deceiving because we were only three points down with 4:43 left in the game," said Male coach Maurice Payne.
The other loss was 72-62 to No. 25 Myrtle Beach, S.C., a team with a pair of 6-foot-11 twins that was playing at home.
The Bulldogs are led by 6-7 Jason Osborne, a junior who is averaging 23.7 points and was rated one of the nation's top 10 sophomores last spring. Payne says Osborne is Male's best player since Winston Bennett, Kentucky's best high school player in 1983.
Grimsley was a North Carolina basketball power until the past two seasons, when the Whirlies had records of 4-19 in 1990 and 9-15 a year ago.
Grimsley is on the way back with 6-8 Reyshon Seymore and 5-11 point guard Milton Williams, who might be the best at his position around the Greensboro area.
\ There are changes for the Crestar Roundball Classic next year, and most of them were initiated the past few weeks.
First, Cave Spring will be involved. It appeared the Knights would replace Fleming, but that might not happen. Deans, the organizer of the event, says next year's Classic could be a tripleheader including the Colonels.
"I didn't know anything about it [not being invited] until Mrs. [Alyce] Szathmary [Fleming's principal] asked me, `Can they do that?' " said Fleming coach Burrall Paye. "I said that's up to you all [the principals]. It's Woody's choice. I really enjoyed it [the Classic]."
Deans originally said Fleming wasn't dropped, but that the Colonels were just one of three teams invited each year.
"We initiated the change to spread it out to the [Roanoke] county. We might get some community support from the county," Deans said.
Deans says his change of heart did not come from any pressure.
Deans has contacted Dunbar of Washington, D.C., which last year was ranked in USA Today's Top 25, and Ballard High of Louisville, which sent Lee Raker and Jeff Lamp to the University of Virginia. If Fleming remains in the Crestar Classic, Deans will have to find a third visiting team.