Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, February 11, 1993 TAG: 9302110046
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
TECH VS. UVA ON CAMPUS? CONFLICT AT A STALEMATE
A resolution passed by the Virginia Tech student government does not conflict with athletic director Dave Braine's position on the Tech-Virginia men's basketball series.He wants the games to be held on campus, as do the students.
The challenge is getting UVa to feel the same way.
"We aren't going to play Virginia Tech at Cassell Coliseum or University Hall," Virginia coach Jeff Jones said, "and I'm not the only one here who feels that way. It's a very emotional game that has every bit as much as importance and atmosphere as a conference game.
"We already play eight games like that every year [on the road]. At some point, even if I'm not here, I doubt seriously whether you'll see the games on campus again. It's not like anybody here has tried to persuade me, much less made a compelling argument."
The series moved off campus in 1976, with 21 of 23 subsequent games played in Richmond or Roanoke. The Cavaliers are 17-6, including a 59-53 loss to the Hokies on Jan. 30.
"We were going to play them twice a year - once on campus and once at a neutral site - until Florida State joined the ACC," Braine said. "[Coach] Bill Foster has pushed to play Virginia on campus since he got here.
"Virginia wants our football game with them moved off the last weekend of the season. They said they're going to change it, period. I said we have a contract through the year 2000.
"So, I made a counter-proposal. When we play [the football game] in Charlottesville, they can play any time they want. In exchange, we'll move the basketball game to campus."
The proposal fell on deaf ears.
Kevin Mottley, president of the Student Government Association at Tech, said there was talk of a joint resolution with UVa's student government until coaches and players at UVa voiced their disapproval.
"The student council came to me with something along those lines," Jones said, "but I said it was not in the best interest of the program and it was dropped."
Mottley said he realized a crowd of 2,307 for Tech's game with Florida International does not reflect great support for the basketball team, but said he had no doubt that UVa would fill 10,000 seats at Cassell Coliseum.
"I've been very disappointed with the turnout and we've been working with Coach Foster and the athletic department to improve student support," Mottley said.
On the other hand, Mottley said the students pay an athletic fee that entitles them to a season ticket for home basketball games, and the UVa game in Roanoke is technically Tech's home game.
"It's a neutral site for which one school is designated as the home team," Braine said. "As defined, the undergraduate and graduate fee for athletics . . . allows students the privilege of picking up tickets for in-season home athletic events.
"We set aside 5,000 seats for students for home basketball games and 24,000 for football games. When that's up, it's up. We couldn't very well admit 24,000 students for a basketball game. It's not a right; it's a privilege."
\ SEMINOLES SURPRISE: Florida State basketball coach Pat Kennedy on his team's success in the ACC: "We've had a lot of outstanding accomplishments, but to stay [No.] 1, 2 or 3 in this conference since we entered it is probably the most surprising of all. I think a lot of people thought we'd be [No.] 7, 8 or 9 till we got used to the league."
\ IN THE ACC: Virginia visits a Clemson team Saturday that has played with renewed dedication since an injury to senior Kevin Hines, who was unconscious for 30 minutes after taking an inadvertent elbow to the temple last week from Georgia Tech's James Forrest.
"It's a good thing he's alive," said Clemson coach Cliff Ellis, who reported that Hines would be sidelined a minimum of two weeks with a severe concussion. Hines came to the Tigers' game with Duke against doctors' recommendation, but left after five minutes because of dizziness caused by crowd noise.
\ EXPANSION TALK: Richmond and James Madison both have expressed satisfaction with the Colonial Athletic Association while still conducting talks with the Atlantic 10, which is down to eight teams after defections by Penn State and Duquesne. The league is up in the basketball power rankings because of the emergence Massachusetts and George Washington.
Duquesne will return to the A-10 next season and the conference is considering the addition of three other teams, one prerequisite for Richmond's involvement, according to athletic director Chuck Boone. Spiders' coach Dick Tarrant told the Times-Dispatch he would like to see the Colonial expand from eight to 10 teams.
\ STILL ROLLING: Senior guard Jimmy Allen from Northside High in Roanoke broke the career assists record at Emory & Henry, which is on pace for its sixth straight 20-victory season. The Wasps have done it without Martinsville alumnus Ross Kirtley, a first-team All-Old Dominion Conference selection as a junior, who informed coach Bob Johnson before the season that he wanted to concentrate on academics.
\ HIDDEN GEM: Abingdon High football coach Randy Flinchum thinks the National Football League is not out of the question for Tyrone Brown, a 6-foot-3, 205-pound running back and linebacker who signed last week with Brigham Young.
In an obvious oversight, Brown did not make the Roanoke Times & World-News list of the top 100 prospects in the state. He took visits to James Madison and VMI before making an oral commitment to BYU.
Brown, a Mormon, is president of the senior class at Abingdon and has a 3.8 grade point average. He rushed for nearly 1,200 yards despite missing three games for the Falcons (9-3).
\ RECRUITING LEFTOVERS: Virginia continues to keep track of Al Clark, the All-Metro quarterback from Washington, D.C., who last week announced his intention to attend UVa. The Cavaliers will not sign Clark unless he meet NCAA eligibility standards.
Florida State signed 12 players who were ranked among the top five prospects in the country at their positions, one reason the Seminoles' class was ranked No. 1 in the country by virtually every recruiting service.
One of FSU's most interesting recruits was Neptune Beach, Fla., wide receiver Andre Cooper, who also averages 26.7 points for the state's top-ranked basketball team and may play both sports in college. The Seminoles also landed Aurora, Colo., kicker Scott Bentley, who has kicked seven field goals over 50 yards.
\ NON-REVENUE: Virginia Tech's volleyball team has signed its first international player, 5-foot-10 Terrie Zubert from Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Hokies, coming off their best season with a 26-11 record and No. 14 ranking, also signed 5-6 Laura Hanner from Georgetown, Texas. . . . VMI wrestler Charley Branch, who has compiled a 24-3 record at 142 pounds, has moved up to 12th nationally in rankings published by the Amateur Wrestling News.