Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, January 17, 1992 TAG: 9201160276
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-12 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: RAY COX SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG LENGTH: Medium
BLACKSBURG BASKETBALL PLAYER SPEEDS FROM BENCH TO STARDOM
Darren Morton has been on the fast track.That is so both literally and figuratively.
A year ago, Morton was a little-known Blacksburg High basketball role-player, a fill-in guy when then-point-guard Nathan Warren's arm grew tired from too much dribbling.
According to his coaches, Morton was a nice player. He just wasn't the starter.
This year he is both. In that role, he's on the fast track to an impressive season, having averaged 16.3 points and 5.3 assists through the team's first nine games.
He's also fast.
"He's one of the best I've seen taking the ball from one end to the other," Indians coach Bob Trear said.
Although that speed occasionally gets Morton in trouble, when he gets ahead of himself and everybody else, Morton has improved systematically in maintaining the control Trear likes to see in his point man.
"He handles the ball very well," Trear said. "In the last few games, he's coming up with the plays in the late stages of games that a point guard has to make."
The Indians struggled in a loss to Franklin County this week, but Morton still came up with six assists.
The two games prior to that were much more successful. He contributed 12 points in a victory over Alleghany and a game-high 25 in another win over Pulaski County. In the victory over the Cougars, he also heaved in six three-pointers.
Morton has made more than 42 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc. He's almost equally dangerous going to the hoop.
"Before the season, I was playing almost every day," Morton said. "I went to four camps this summer - North Carolina State, Radford, James Madison and Wingate - and when I wasn't going to camp, I was going to Virginia Tech every day to play in the gym."
"I'd play game after game - usually six or eight per day," he said.
As might be expected in such a setting, the competition was well above average.
"You had to play your best, defensively and offensively," he said. "That's how I worked on the things I needed to work on."
Because Morton has worked out so well, Blacksburg has earned considerable credibility. The Indians, who went to the Group AA Region IV tournament last year, were hammered by graduation. The only really proven performer left was forward Jon Maher.
But now that Morton has come along as smashingly as he has (along with other newcomers such as Paul Kohler and Chris Smith), the Indians figure to be contenders for the post-season again.
Certainly they can be fun to watch.
Morton came up with a highlight play in the game against Pulaski County, stripping the opposing guard of the basketball at midcourt then dribbling behind his back and going up with his left hand to elude the same player, who had hustled back to get into perfect defensive position.
"I just did it," Morton said. "If I had missed it, somebody would have said something to me."
But as it was, all they could say was, "Nice move; nice shot."