Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, May 1, 1993 TAG: 9305010009
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
So, what gives?
It has been more than 11 weeks since NCAA Director of Enforcement Chuck Smrt said the committee could be expected to file a report in four to six weeks.
"That's the same thing they told Clemson," ACC assistant commissioner Tom Mickle said Thursday, "and that [report] ended up taking 15 weeks."
The delay should not be viewed by Virginia as a cause for alarm, sources familiar with the infractions process said.
"I hope the members of the committee don't kill me for saying this, but these cases invariably take much longer than they expect," said ACC compliance officer David Thompson, who once worked for the NCAA. "It would be a real squeeze to complete the report in four or five weeks."
Thompson, an assistant commissioner, was with the Virginia group when it met with the infractions committee. From all indications there was little material that was not covered in the school's original 543-page report.
The NCAA responded with a letter of inquiry that raised questions in nine areas pertaining to loans made to student-athletes between 1987-91 and the payment of graduate-assistant football coaches.
"The Lock Haven wrestling case is the longest I can remember," said Alan Williams, the Virginia professor who chaired the infractions committee until last September. "That took three months. We were up to our eyeballs in work.
"But, this is a really unusual case."
The most unusual aspect of the case was the appointment of "independent factfinder" James Park to determine the role of Dick Schultz, now the executive director of the NCAA, when he was athletic director at Virginia from 1981-87.
Although the loans started in 1982, the enforcement committee has chosen to observe a four-year statute of limitations and review only activities occuring between 1987-91.
\ THE BARBER TWINS: Geraldine Barber, mother of Virginia football signees Tiki and Ronde Barber, says her sons have received written assurance from UVa that they will be allowed to participate in track and field in college.
Coach George Welsh has told the Barber twins they will be expected to play spring football as freshmen, but will have their choice after that. They will be permitted to run indoor track during the winter of their freshman year and participate in those spring meets that do not conflict with football.
\ FLOYD FLASH: Junior Pam Lemons from Floyd was UVa's high scorer in the ACC women's track and field championship. Lemons finished third in the 100 meters in 11.8 seconds, fourth in the 200 (24.72) and fourth in the long jump at 19-9 1/2. Lemons also ran legs on UVa's 400- and 1,600-meter relays, both of which took fifth.
\ MULTIPLE RANKINGS: Of Virginia's 23 athletic programs, 14 have been ranked at some point this year. Eight are women's teams, including the No. 1-ranked women's lacrosse team, which is bidding for its second national championship in three years.
Five of the nine programs that have not been ranked are in the related pursuits of men's cross country, and men's and women's indoor and outdoor track. UVa's football and men's basketball teams both reached the top 10 before dropping out of the polls, although the final basketball poll was conducted before UVa reached the final 16 in the NCAA Tournament.
\ ONE HURRAH: Ex-Virginia standout John Crotty, in his first season with the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association, did not score in double figures all season before he hit for 14 in Utah's next-to-last regular-season game.
Crotty, who played in the Global Basketball Association, played in only 40 of 82 games for Utah and averaged 2.6 points. His former UVa teammate Bryant Stith, a first-round draft pick, averaged 8.9 points for Denver but was limited to 39 games by a broken foot and broken hand. Stith never missed a game at Virginia.
\ STILL LOVES IT: Terry Kirby, selected by the Miami Dolphins in the third round of the National Football League draft, said he did not give up basketball after two seasons because of the demands resulting from playing two sports.
"I'd still be [playing basketball] today if I was playing," said Kirby, whose time dwindled after a productive first year. "I'm not the kind of guy who gets excited about going in for two minutes at the end of a game."
\ EXTRA POINTS: Two UVa football players have signed as free agents, center Tim Samec with Pittsburgh and place-kicker Michael Husted with Tampa Bay. . . . Offensive tackle David Ware from Roanoke, the fourth-round pick of the New York Jets, said he will use his bonus check to buy a new Land Rover. . . . Kareem Martin, a reserve defensive back who had a crucial blocked punt in the Cavaliers' 41-38 victory over Virginia Tech, has left the team. Martin, who reportedly had academic problems, may re-apply in the fall. . . . Virginia went into overtime four times in the space of five games before beating Roanoke College 16-7 earlier this week in men's lacrosse. Of UVa's 12 games, five have been decided by one goal and two by two goals. . . . Dennis Womack, who has won more games than any UVa baseball coach, had exactly a .500 record (314-314-5) before Thursday's 1-0 victory over Duke. Tom Crowley's shutout was the first by a UVa pitcher in 87 games.
by CNB