Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, May 2, 1993 TAG: 9305020035
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B10 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BOB TEITLEBAUM
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Banks, a 6-foot center and the younger sister of Timesland player of the year Sherry Banks, averaged 10 points for Group AA state runner-up William Byrd. Jaclyn Banks, Cathy Smith and Kelli Runyon were three freshman starters along with seniors Sherry Banks and Ashley McCallum as Byrd won the Region III championship and lost to unbeaten Blacksburg in the state championship game.
The Banks family has moved to the Cave Spring area in Roanoke County. Jaclyn Banks can continue to attend Byrd or she can transfer to Cave Spring and be eligible to play immediately.
Either way, Jaclyn Banks will win. Byrd figures to be strong again next year, as does Cave Spring, which reached the Group AAA state semifinals and returns two starters plus a strong group of young players.
"She really hasn't decided, and I'm not going to force her to go where she doesn't want to go," said Jaclyn's father, Twyman Banks. "We haven't talked to the coach [Linda Long] at Cave Spring, but a lot of parents have been wanting Jaclyn to go there. She wants to stay with her friends at William Byrd, but then Sherry has already left. So it's up to her."
Sherry Banks has a scholarship to Virginia Tech where she will play next winter. This summer, both Banks girls will be in AAU national tournaments with Sherry going to Chattanooga, Tenn., and Jaclyn to Utah. Sherry Banks also is scheduled to play in the Virginia High School Coaches' Association East-West all-star game at Hampton.
\ NOT A BAD LOSS: When Blacksburg's Katie Ollendick was beaten by teammate Nikki Hunt in a 400-meter race this past week, it was quite a surprise given the fact Ollendick is the state's best Group AA quarter-miler.
Ollendick won the state title a year ago as a junior and is headed to Virginia on a track scholarship.
Actually, coach Cecille Newcombe admits to telling Ollendick to lose.
"We told her just to get second place. We wanted to enter her in the 800 meters, which she likes. She wanted a crack at winning it and it's kind of new to her," Newcombe added.
Ollendick did win the 800 and now must decide whether to scrap the 200 meters for the new event when district meets roll around in two weeks. She still intends to enter the 400 and high jump, which she also won at the state meet.
"We were trying to get the most points we could [by entering Ollendick in the 400] and at the same time do what's best for her [finding out her potential in the 800]," said Newcombe.
\ ANOTHER AWARD: Add another award to the resume of Cave Spring's Tiki Barber. The Knights' running back has won the Virginia High School League Achievement Scholarship Award as the Group AAA male athlete of the year.
The award is based on an athlete's attaining a minimum cumulative grade-point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale, winning at least one varsity letter or the equivalent in a VHSL sport or activity, involvement in other school-sponsored events as well as activities outside of school and writing a personal essay. Two letters of support also are required.
The VHSL chooses a girls' and boys' athletic winner as well as one academic activities events' participant in each classification.
Barber, who will be honored at a luncheon in two weeks, would have been eligible to receive a $1,000 scholarship for the contest sponsored by Central Fidelity Bank and Virginia News Network. Because Barber has a football scholarship to Virginia, he gets only the honor of having been one of nine high school seniors to win from among 141 nominations submitted by 75 schools.
\ BLACKSBURG LEADING: Because the team reached the Group AA state volleyball tournament, Blacksburg leads the Group AA Central Fidelity Cup standings by 20 points over Tabb heading into the spring sports championship season. There is one cup awarded in each classification to the school with the best overall excellence in athletics based on state tournament participation.
Blacksburg has 157.50 points to 137.50 for Tabb and is a strong favorite to win the Group AA cup because the Indians have three sports (soccer, boys' tennis and girls' track) that should all do well and score points in state competition this month.
by CNB