Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, January 9, 1993 TAG: 9301090031
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B3 EDITION: STATE
SOURCE: SCOTT BLANCHARD STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NEW ORLEANS LENGTH: Medium
HOKIES WILL REDSHIRT DILLARD, ARCHBOLD
Virginia Tech basketball freshmen Delwyn Dillard and Dwayne Archbold made the Hokies' first road trip of the season, but they're along strictly for show.Both will redshirt this season. With the preseason loss of forward Ace Custis to a knee injury, only five of Tech's record eight-man freshman class will see action. And so far, 6-8 forward Travis Jackson - once targeted to back up Jimmy Carruth at center - hasn't played much.
Tech's coaches told Dillard, a 6-6 forward from Sussex, to decide whether he wanted to play or sit out this year. Tech has used junior Corey Jackson, junior Don Corker and freshman Jim Jackson at small forward this year.
"If I played, I wouldn't play that much," Dillard said.
"I felt like I could play when I signed - get a lot of playing time. I didn't know we were going to have all these freshmen. The only thing that bothers me is sitting there not playing. But it helped me out in a way, to work on my game."
As for Tech's coaches telling Dillard to make up his own mind, the former Group A player of the year said:
"I'd rather for them to have told me straight up. But after they said [for me to decide], I figured that's what they wanted."
\ CARRUTH'S ABSENCE: Tech's 6-10 center Carruth had five blocked shots in the first half Thursday night against Southern Mississippi and was the only Tech defender who bothered USM's 6-9 Glen Whisby. But Carruth exited with his third foul with 17:57 left in the second half and didn't return until 4:02 remained in the second overtime.
Then, Carruth was replaced by Shawn Smith with 1:29 left, and was not on the floor when Whisby tipped in the game-winner over Smith and Thomas Elliott.
"I have no idea," Carruth said when asked why Tech coach Bill Foster didn't put him back in. "I felt like I was doing an OK job [guarding Whisby]."
Foster liked Carruth's defense, but . . .
"The problem is, you've got to go to the other end of the floor," Foster said. "Smith was giving us so much on the offensive end."
Smith had a career-high 20 points on nine of 12 field-goal shooting.
"The two leading rebounders [Elliott and Smith] were on the floor," Foster said. "Jimmy's bigger, but that doesn't mean he would've gotten it, either."
\ ETC.: Virginia Tech opponents are shooting 37 percent from the field, ranking the Hokies seventh nationally in field-goal percentage defense. . . . Entering Thursday's game, Carruth's average of three blocked shots per game ranked him 11th nationally. His average now is 3.5.
Memo: shorter version ran in the Metro edition.