Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, March 14, 1992 TAG: 9203140279
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Jack Bogaczyk
DATELINE: LOUISVILLE, KY. LENGTH: Medium
Only once since 1984 have the Hokies needed to wear their uniforms more than once in the Metro. On Friday at Freedom Hall, Tech's only consistency was its ability to meet an early Metro check-out time.
The brightest thing about Tech in its 70-52 first-round loss to UNC Charlotte was coach Bill Foster's garish orange sport coat. The jacket was much louder than the few Hokies fans who found little about which to cheer.
Foster last wore the coat in the early 1980s at Clemson, when the Tigers ripped South Carolina. Whether Foster also can bring the Hokies' program out of mothballs remains a question.
In their first eight years in the Metro, the Hokies finished no lower than fourth place in any regular season. It hasn't been the same since Tech went on NCAA probation in 1988.
Tech's past four first-round defeats have come by an average of 15 points. The Metro is better this season than it has been in recent years, but the Hokies landed at the bottom of the pack.
Foster was correctly modest in his goals for his first season with players recruited by Frankie Allen, who was fired. He thought a .500 record was realistic, until Tech lost enough personnel that it couldn't field two sides in practice.
Was Foster's 10-18 club any better than Allen's last team, which finished 13-16? Tech was improved only at the defensive end of the court. Foster didn't have as much talent as Allen did, but the schedule was easier this season.
The Hokies shot 50 percent four times in 28 games, and Friday's defeat reminded Foster of what he has seen too much this season. Leading 37-30 at halftime, the 49ers scored 11 points in the first 12 minutes of the second half - while Tech went 2-of-12 from the field.
"That was typical of our year," Foster said after his worst season in a quarter-century as a college head coach.
The last time Tech had fewer wins was 1954-55. It's the sixth straight season the Hokies have missed postseason play, the longest such streak since 1960-65.
If Tech is to become a Metro contender again, Foster's first recruiting class - perhaps as many as seven new faces - must include some impact players who will be able to replace some of this year's regulars. Foster needs rookies with something he longingly saw in UNC Charlotte's personnel - performers with "good basketball IQ."
Among the Metro programs Tech is chasing, only South Florida loses a majority of its talent for 1992-93. Foster loses his toughest inside producers, John Rivers and Erik Wilson.
An emphasis on defense and fundamentals will help a team of Foster children next season. So will a lightened schedule that includes Brooklyn, Maryland-Eastern Shore, North Carolina-Asheville and VMI.
When Hokies talk about their basketball future, they invariably bring up Big East Conference affiliation, following in football's footsteps. If Tech had been in with those "big" boys this season, it would have finished south of Miami, where Foster last roamed the sideline.
Until Tech shoots and rebounds better, even in the Metro you can color the Hokies marooned and orange.
by CNB