
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, June 30, 1993                   TAG: 9306300142
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: B-2   EDITION: STATE 
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

CONROY NEW ASSISTANT AT VMI

When VMI basketball coach Joe Cantafio was faced with two vacancies on his staff, two of the first names to come to mind were former Keydets star Ramon Williams and North Carolina State restricted-earnings coach Ed Conroy.

Williams accepted one of the positions in late May, and this week Cantafio got his other target when Conroy agreed to join the VMI staff. Conroy, who played against Williams in college, was a three-year starter at point guard for The Citadel and reached the rank of Cadet Lt. Colonel, the second-highest rank at the school.

"It was a tough decision, because Coach [Les] Robinson has given me a lot of opportunities," said Williams, who played under Robinson at The Citadel and was working for IBM when Robinson hired him to his first staff at N.C. State. "I've got a lot of loyalty to him, but I've always respected Coach Cantafio."

It will be the first full-time basketball position for Conroy, who worked long hours at N.C. State but was limited to a $12,000 salary by NCAA regulations. There has been talk of putting a three-year cap on the restricted-earnings positions.

"It's very tough," said Conroy, 26. "I did a lot of the on-campus recruiting and talked to a lot of high school coaches on the phone, but I lacked a lot of on-the-road experience. I don't think it will be that big of a hurdle."

by CNB