Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, March 27, 1993 TAG: 9303270088
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B2 EDITION: STATE
SOURCE: JACK BOGACZYK STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHARLOTTE, N.C. LENGTH: Medium
Cassell nodded and blinked as he listened about Kentucky's dominance in this NCAA Tournament, about the Wildcats' blowout of Wake Forest on Thursday night, about how UK fans will dominate the sellout crowd at Charlotte Coliseum for this afternoon's Southeast Region final.
"Kentucky may bring 20,000 people," Cassell said. "That won't bother us. They can't make as much noise as we hear from 8,000 when we play at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
"When you play in the ACC at Duke, with that crowd, you don't want to hang around afterward. You don't even want to take a shower. You just want to get on that flight and get out of there."
Then, Cassell added a postscript.
"Besides," he said, "Kentucky's only going to have five guys on the court. Just like we will."
After two straight NCAA eliminations at the hands of Indiana, the 11th-ranked Seminoles (25-9) make their first regional championship apparance since 1972 against another tradition-rich program in today's 3:38 tipoff.
Kentucky (29-3), second-ranked and the region's top seed, will play pressure defense and shoot threes. FSU will change defenses and try to control a tempo that may be uncontrollable.
Spectators beware. This could look like the NCAA pingpong championship.
"It should be in the 90s, could be in the 100s," said FSU's Bob Sura. "If that happens, it's to our advantage. We love to get up and down the floor."
That's why Cassell's performance for the ACC regular-season runner-up may be a game-turner. He has harnessed a style developed on the playgrounds of Baltimore, and FSU's instant credibility in the ACC standings can be attributed to the 6-foot-3 guard's quickness and unflappable play.
Cassell's 3-for-14 shooting night in the overtime regional semifinal victory over Western Kentucky mirrored FSU's offensive struggle. Similarly, when Cassell hit an NCAA Tournament-record 7-for-7 from behind the 3-point line in a second-round mashing of Tulane, the Seminoles were unstoppable.
He's not FSU's scoring leader. Sura is. He's not the Seminoles' floor leader. Point guard Charlie Ward is. He's not the go-to guy for coach Pat Kennedy's club. Power forward Doug Edwards is.
Maybe that's why, despite his team-high 37-minute average, despite his 18.4 scoring average, despite his 2-to-1 assists-turnover ratio, Cassell hasn't made first-team All-ACC in either of his two seasons since transferring from San Jacinto (Texas) Junior College.
"The All-ACC thing doesn't bother me," Cassell said. "That's just people's opinion. I have the respect of guys on the court, on both teams.
"No guy on the court is saying, `He's not a good player.' If they do, I'll go for 40 on them. What people write doesn't matter. I like to win, play ball and have fun.
"I'm a first-team fun guy."
Before quarterback Ward returned to hoops after being the Orange Bowl's most valuable player, Cassell had to play point. When Ward dislocated a shoulder and was in and out of the lineup, Cassell switched back and forth between scorer and passer.
"That's affected my game some," Cassell said. "It's put more of a burden on my shoulders. . . . We've had a lot of guys hurt. Sometimes it seems like we have only two healthy guys out there.
"You forget that when you get to this point. We're focused on business. We love to play when people say we have no chance. Take any team and put it through some of the injuries and the schedule we've been through. See how they do."
Because Kentucky has superior depth to Kennedy's seven-man rotation, Cassell's durability will be tested today, particularly because he and Ward will be asked to extend their defensive pressure outside the arc against the long-shooting Wildcats.
"I'm not scared of anybody," said Cassell, whose fearlessness has been infectious among the Seminoles.
The Southeast winner will meet the West Region champion next Saturday at the Louisiana Superdome. Cassell has dared consider a New Orleans visit.
"If we can win this one, and get to the Final Four, it will be a big steppingstone for Florida State basketball.
"Everybody knows what our football team has done. When people say `college basketball' they don't think `Florida State.' This is a chance to do something about that."
Memo: shorter version ran in the Metro edition.