Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, March 26, 1993 TAG: 9303260097
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B5 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: JACK BOGACZYK STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHARLOTTE, N.C. LENGTH: Medium
CREMINS' MOVE DOESN'T SHOCK MANY
Here in the Carolinas, few hoop heads were shocked that coach Bobby Cremins left Georgia Tech to try and rebuild the program that has sagged for 20 years at his alma mater, South Carolina."I wouldn't have been surprised no matter what Bobby decided," said Wake Forest coach Dave Odom, who won't be coaching against Cremins in the ACC anymore. "In 12 years, he did a great job. Nobody could have done a better job at Tech than Bobby did.
"South Carolina's gain is definitely the ACC's loss. Sometimes you need a freshness, and South Carolina certainly offers that to Bobby. He probably has one lifetime job left in him. I think that's why he took it."
Odom's former boss at Virginia, ex-Cavaliers coach Terry Holland, said he was surprised Cremins, 45, made the change.
"Leaving Georgia Tech had to be a gut-wrenching decision," said Holland, the Davidson athletic director who is one of the NCAA Basketball Committee's on-site representatives at the Southeast Regional. "But, Bobby was at South Carolina during the great years, and he obviously has a soft spot in his heart for that school.
"He does bring them instant credibility."
Florida State coach Pat Kennedy said the Gamecocks' new coach "certainly climbed the mountaintop at Georgia Tech. I guess he's looking to climb another mountain."
\ KENTUCKY RHODES: Kentucky coach Rick Pitino said the rumored transfer of 6-foot-6 freshman forward Rodrick Rhodes is just that.
"There are rumors in Kentucky and back East [Rhodes is from Jersey City, N.J.] that he'll be transferring," Pitino said before the Wildcats' Thursday night regional semifinal game against Wake Forest. "There is unequivocally no truth to it.
"He's had a roller-coaster of a ride as a freshman, but it's nothing that he's doing wrong. We just have a lot of talent."
Rhodes, a starter in UK's first 18 games, has been replaced in the lineup by fellow freshman Jared Prickett of Fairmont, W.Va. In the five previous games before Thursday, Rhodes, one of the nation's more heralded recruits, scored only 13 points.
\ SEMINOLES' WOES: Win or lose in Thursday night's game against Western Kentucky, Kennedy is justified in his frequent moaning about Florida State's injury problems this season.
A rundown:
Nov. 1 - Doug Edwards misses two weeks of preseason practice with a stress reaction in his fibula.
Nov. 19 - Guard Chuck Graham, who averaged 13 points in 1991-92, sprains his left knee in the opener against Siena. He undergoes reconstructive surgery and is lost for the season.
Dec. 7 - Center Andre Reid's right hand is broken when a friend accidentally slams a car door on it. A steel plate, pins and screws are inserted and he is lost for the season.
Dec. 28 - Edwards breaks his finger during pregame warmups and misses two games.
Jan. 31 - Point guard Charlie Ward, the football quarterback who joined the Seminoles in early January, suffers a dislocated shoulder against Georgia Tech and misses three games.
Feb. 10 - Forward Derrick Carroll suffers a stress fracture in his left foot against Wake Forest and misses five games.
Feb. 15 - Edwards and forward Bob Sura are handed one-game academic suspensions.
Feb. 17 - Ward bruises his left shoulder against N.C. State and misses three more games.
March 21 - Center Rodney Robard fractures his left big toe against Tulane in the NCAA Tournament's first round.
March 23 - Center Byron Wells sprains his left thumb in practice.
"It's been a long season," FSU guard Sam Cassell said. "Sometimes, it has seemed like I was the only healthy body out there."
Added Wake's Odom: "With Graham and Reid, they'd be the most talented team in the country."
Landmark News Service contributed information to this story.