Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, May 27, 1993 TAG: 9305270077
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Doug Doughty
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
"It hadn't crossed my mind," said Williams, who ranks third on the Keydets' all-time basketball scoring list with 1,630 points.
Funny thing, Williams was the first person VMI coach Joe Cantafio considered when the first of two jobs came vacant on the Keydets' staff.
"I've been thinking of Ramon for some time," said Cantafio, who officially offered one of the positions to Williams as soon as it had been advertised for the required five days.
Williams, the first alumnus to serve on VMI's basketball staff since Charlie Schmaus was head coach in 1982, begins work Tuesday. Cantafio, who received more than 20 applications for the two jobs, will wait somewhat longer before introducing his other assistant.
The new coaches will replace Dave Manzer, who left after seven seasons to join the staff at Miami of Ohio, and two-year assistant Jim Baker, who will be the assistant at Catawba next year before replacing Sam Moir as head coach.
Williams, 25, worked in computer recycling following his graduation from VMI and later operated a trucking company with his twin brother, Damon. Damon Williams is fourth on the Keydets' all-time scoring list.
The Williams twins, who played at William Fleming High in Roanoke, were substitute teachers this past winter and assisted first-year Salem High basketball coach Charlie Morgan.
"Working with the Salem team and Charlie Morgan spurred my interest in coaching," Ramon said. "Plus, my dad [Joe] was a coach for more than 20 years, so I guess you could say it's in my blood."
Ramon has been studying the NCAA manual in preparation for a certification test June 3, although coaches may not go on the road to recruit until July.
"That's going to be a new experience for him," Cantafio said, "but Ramon and his brother were recruiters for us from the moment they got here. Nobody could possibly know more about the VMI system."
\ HOOPS RECRUITING: Former All-Group AAA guard Michael Evans, selected Mr. Basketball in Virginia by the Roanoke Times & World-News in 1992, has announced he will attend New Orleans after earlier indicating he would return to Norfolk to play for Old Dominion.
Evans committed to Virginia as a senior at Booker T. Washington High School in Norfolk, but did not meet NCAA eligibility standards. He spent the past season at Oklaloosa-Walton Community College in Niceville, Fla., and will not be eligible to play or practice for New Orleans until the 1994-95 season.
\ SPARTANS IN DEMAND: First-team All-Group AA quarterback Tra Wilson and one of his Salem High teammates, place-kicker Jason Hilger, have accepted scholarship offers from Concord (W.Va.) College, an NAIA program coached by ex-Virginia Tech assistant Duke Strager.
Concord, which will move to Division II status in 1995, already has begun to follow NCAA academic guidelines. As a result, Wilson, who passed for 1,146 yards and 16 touchdowns as a senior, must sit out the 1993 season, although he will be eligible for aid on a need basis.
Wilson and Hilger, whose strong leg made him attractive to several Division I programs as a walk-on, bring to four the number of Spartans who will receive scholarships. Offensive lineman Josh Pugh signed with Marshall and linebacker Andy Myers got a scholarship from Division II Wingate (N.C.) College.
Salem High football coach Willis White said 6-foot-6, 260-pound defensive tackle Chad Custer could be the No. 1 prospect in the state if he qualifies academically (math is a problem). That's no knock on Spartans tailback Marcus Parker, who will be recruited nationally, but there are few players at Custer's position who have his speed - 4.8 seconds for 40 yards.
\ LACROSSE: Former men's lacrosse coach Paul Griffin and all-time scoring leader Paul Goldsmith were inducted into the Roanoke College Athletic Hall of Fame this past Saturday. Griffin, also an athletic director during his Roanoke tenure, guided the Maroons to the 1978 Division II-III championship.
\ BASEBALL: Central Michigan athletic director Dave Keilitz, chairman of the NCAA Division I baseball committee, said Virginia Tech was one of 10 teams in "the bubble category" when bids were extended to 48 teams this past week. . . . Liberty, which meets top-seeded Georgia Tech in the first game of the Atlantic Regional, had the worst record in the tournament at 23-23.
\ HONORS: Claire Dudley and Josh Levinson were named the most valuable male and female athletes at Washington and Lee in ceremonies Tuesday night. Dudley was a two-time All-America swimmer who qualified for the Division III nationals for four straight years and Levinson was a co-captain in football and lacrosse.
The outstanding freshman athletes were Craig Fantuzzi, a starter in football and baseball, and Josephine Schaeffer, an All-American in cross-country. The outstanding scholar-athlete was cross-country standout Bo Hannah, who had a 3.9 grade-point average, and football player Phil Spears was recognized for spirit and sportsmanship.
by CNB