Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, January 28, 1992 TAG: 9201280197
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By SCOTT BLANCHARD SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG LENGTH: Long
PURCELL'S ACTION LOUDER THAN WORDS
Give the guy a bullhorn. A uniform and a badge. A T-shirt that says, "I'm the boss." Something, anything that will give Jay Purcell authority to take control of Virginia Tech's basketball team.The sophomore from Blacksburg, as Tech's full-time point guard, is trying. But with five older teammates and a bashful nature to begin with, the director sometimes gets confused with the directed.
"When he'd call out a play," Tech coach Bill Foster said of early season practices, "I couldn't even hear it, and I'd be standing [right there]."
That's typical Purcell.
"I've never really spoken out or said anything," Purcell said. "It's pretty hard because some people don't want to listen. Upperclassmen, they really don't want to listen to you sometimes.
"They just give you looks. But you've got to tell them. They listen after a while."
Not all the time, though. And Purcell can't afford adherence to his self-description as a guy who likes to "lay back and take it all in."
"There are a lot of things still happening off the court and on the court that shouldn't be going on - little things," said Purcell, who wouldn't be more specific. "I could say something, . . . but some people don't want to listen. I still have to [deal with] that."
Purcell's relationship with his teammates mirrors his and the team's inconsistent play. He has averaged 10.1 points, 4.4 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 4.1 turnovers for the Hokies (7-8).
Purcell's personality, and his game, are evolving.
"He stops by the office quite a bit during his free time to chat with the coaches, to pick our brains in order to become a better floor leader," volunteer assistant coach Dean Keener said. "He understands he can't just show up for [practice]."
Tonight, Purcell leads Tech into Cassell Coliseum against Louisville, against whom Purcell had his coming-out last year: 25 points, seven rebounds and five assists at Freedom Hall, which probably was the main reason he made the Metro Conference's all-freshman team.
A faction of Tech fans never would have predicted that.
"We caught a lot of [complaints] about signing him," said Ron Carr, a former Tech assistant coach who, like Purcell, is a Blacksburg High School alumnus. "VMI and Appalachian State were involved, and our alumni were jumping up and down [mad]. [But] he's a pretty good player."
In high school, Purcell played in the scoring shadow of current Radford star Doug Day. Purcell remembers the occasional sour comment upon his becoming a Hokie.
"It made me upset because I heard some people said, `He's not even the best player in the New River District; he's like the third-best player,' " Purcell said.
Purcell is described as a "combination guard," someone who has point-guard and shooting-guard skills. But when Rod Wheeler was suspended from the Hokies before this season started, Purcell became - literally - Tech's full-time point guard. Tonight he probably will play his standard 39 or 40 minutes, mainly against high school All-American Keith LeGree, who is 6 feet 1 and a muscular 200 pounds.
Physically, Purcell won't be as overmatched as he once might have been.
"The question then was he was real thin; we were kind of worried about his strength," Carr said.
Purcell said he weighed about 163 pounds when he joined the Hokies; he's up to about 180 now. His bench press, he said, has gone from 230 pounds to 290. He said he lost about 10 pounds during last season; this year, he said, in-season weightlifting has helped him add six or seven pounds.
One other thing has helped: breakfast. Last year, he often skipped it. Not anymore.
"I'm just trying to keep my weight up," he said. "I'll eat anything I can get."
Purcell's performance depends on strength and stamina. Even former Hokie Bimbo Coles, now in the NBA, wore down when asked to play almost 40 minutes regularly. Purcell said the weightlifting has helped him get a second wind but admits he needs an occasional break.
"It takes a lot out of you just to penetrate," he said. "There will be times when my legs [are tired] that I don't feel like going in there. If I had a couple minutes' extra break, I could finish that off."
Foster isn't worried, though. For one thing, strategic off-days help. For example, Tech didn't practice last Monday or Friday, did work out Tuesday and Wednesday and played East Carolina on Thursday.
"We're giving them enough down time," Foster said. "I'd worry more about him getting mentally fatigued that I would physically."
Purcell has yet to master the mental part of the game. Blacksburg High School coach Bob Trear said Purcell "seemed to excel when somebody else could take the [scoring] pressure off of him," and Foster said Purcell's overall game can wither if he misses a few shots.
Gradually, however, Purcell is realizing his contributions can come elsewhere.
"At first, I wanted to just fill the lane and go down there and get easy layups," he said about playing point guard. "But I like it now. That's where I want to stay right now."