Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, April 15, 1993 TAG: 9304150036
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Doug Doughty
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
TECH TAKING A HARD LOOK AT PROSPECTS
Each of the men's basketball prospects who have visited Virginia Tech this year can rest assured he received the Hokies' undivided attention.There have been only two - none for more than six months before 6-foot-8 Lewis Sims from Anderson (S.C.) Junior College was on campus last weekend.
"It's kind of 50-50 whether we sign anybody," Tech coach Bill Foster said Wednesday, the opening day of the spring signing period. "We're not going to sign somebody just to sign somebody. If [a prospect] can't give us a bump, we're not interested. We don't need a project."
Tech signed 6-9 Brandon Price from Floresville, Texas, during the fall and has reached the NCAA limit of 13 scholarships for the 1993-94 season. The Hokies can't sign another player unless a scholarship player leaves, and Foster won't know about that until he meets individually with his players starting with the end of classes April 28.
"If we brought somebody in, it would be an inside player," said Foster. "We wouldn't bring in more than one."
Foster said the Tech coaches have devoted approximately 75 percent of their attention to juniors. He does not intend to bring more than two or three players to campus this spring.
"There are some interesting possibilities out there - high-school kids who have taken two or three [of their allotted five] visits, junior-college players, some foreign kids," Foster said. "I know of one European player who won't make his decision till June."
If a prospect is going to make a decision in the next week, he won't be going to Tech.
"One of these days things will be back to normal," said Foster, who entertained 12 players last year, eight of whom signed with the Hokies. "The thing that plays havoc with everybody is the limit. If you're Duke or [North] Carolina, no problem, but it doesn't leave the rest of us much margin for error."
\ ON GUARDS AT VMI: VMI reached into the talent-rich Peninsula District for the second time this spring when the Keydets signed point guard Jamel Grey from Hampton High. Grey, a second-team All-Peninsula District selection, joins earlier VMI recruit Warren Johnson from Denbigh.
"I think it'll be a great combination," said Grey, who averaged 13 points and seven assists in helping Hampton to a 21-6 record. He was chosen the top point guard at the summer's first Five-Star backcourt camp.
"I was sort of wishy-washy about the military at first," said Grey, who picked the Keydets over Loyola of Baltimore, "but I think the discipline will be good for me."
\ THE WAIT CONTINUES: A Charlottesville television station reported Tuesday that Parade All-America center Jason Lawson would sign today with Virginia, but sources close to the situation said Wednesday they do not believe it is a done deal. Considerable pressure has been put on Lawson to stay home and go to Villanova.
\ MORE RECRUITING: UVa's top-rated signee, 6-6 Jamal Robinson from Queens, N.Y., learned this week that he scored more than 700 on the Scholastic Assessment Test, formerly the Scholastic Aptitude Test, and will be eligible next season. . . . Georgia Tech received an oral commitment from 6-9 Ed Elisma, a promising shooter from New York City. . . . Liberty signed 6-7, 225-pound Darren Hall, who averaged 23.8 points and 12.0 rebounds as a senior in Davidsonville, Md.
\ STATE OF FLUX: Old Dominion finished 68th in the final USA Today poll, an improvement of almost 100 places from last year, when the Monarchs were 165th. Three other state programs - No. 17 Virginia, No. 65 James Madison and No. 163 William and Mary - had their best showings in more than five years.
Four other state programs dropped more than 30 places. Virginia Tech fell from 138th to No. 185, Liberty from 169 to 238, Radford from 198 to 249 and VMI from 262 to 294. The Big South Conference was ranked 31st out of 32 conferences, one reason Liberty and Radford fell so far.
\ FOOTBALL: Glen Rountree, rated one of the top 25 prospects in Virginia by the Roanoke Times & World-News in 1991, has signed with Clemson. Rountree, who had 18 1/2 sacks as a senior at Nansemond-Suffolk Academy, went to Air Force Academy Prep but didn't like the lifestyle. He picked Clemson over Virginia Tech, Oklahoma State and Rice.
Laurel Park linebacker Sidney Cutchin, the lone unsigned member of this year's top 25, has visited several Division II and III programs. He was at Concord (W.Va.) College, a perennially strong NAIA program, on Wednesday. Virginia wants him to walk on.
"It really makes me wonder," Laurel Park coach John Kovack said. "Here's a kid who is fine academically and he was recruited by a major program [UVa] almost until the signing day. You'd think the [Division I-AA] schools would be interested and the Division IIIs would be falling all over him."
\ NON-WALKING WOUNDED: Ferrum's football staff recently was put out of commission when 32-year head coach Hank Norton had five-hour disc surgery, defensive coordinator Dave Davis injured his back while sleigh-riding and defensive line coach Dave Harper sprained an ankle.
"I've got a real problem," Norton said. "I've been told not to lift anything more than 10 pounds and turkey season starts Saturday. My 12-gauge [shotgun] probably weighs more than that."
\ SLUGGING GOODMANS: Sara Goodman, a right-fielder from Cave Spring High in Roanoke, was hitting .466 with 29 RBI through 27 games for the softball team at Campbell University. Goodman was an All-Big South selection at catcher in her first two seasons.
Goodman's brother, Will, is a senior first baseman at Cave Spring, where he is batting over .400. Will Goodman, a quarterback on the Knights' football team, plans to play baseball at Virginia Tech.