Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, November 12, 1993 TAG: 9311120217
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BY ANDREA KUHN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
While Roanoke College soccer players have been sharpening skills for their NCAA Tournament quarterfinal game Sunday against UC San Diego, head coach Scott Allison has been going through his coaching checklist.
"Being a player, you're probably only worried about yourself, doing your job," he said. "As a coach, you're not only worried about you doing your job, but also about the 18 kids who are playing, plus four travelers, making sure they get to where they're going on time. It's a larger responsibility as coach."
Allison, who is also athletic director, is coaching the Maroons in their first appearance in the NCAA Division III soccer tournament. However, he is no stranger to the stress and strain of national competition. As lacrosse coach in 1987 and 1988, he guided Roanoke to the national playoffs. He was also a member of Roanoke's 1978 national championship lacrosse team.
Allison also played soccer for Roanoke and was chosen the school's male athlete of the year in 1979. In 1991, he was inducted into Roanoke's athletic hall of fame.
After graduating with a business degree, Allison said he decided to "give coaching a whirl." He held assistant jobs at Washington (Pa.) College, Salisbury State and the Naval Academy before landing his first head coaching job at Dartmouth. He coached the women's soccer and men's lacrosse teams for three years.
Allison, however, has a formula for making career decisions and the computations weren't working out at Dartmouth.
"I've always felt that you need to make decisions on where you want to be 10 years from now," he said.
In 1986, Allison was hired as Roanoke's lacrosse and soccer coach and as an assistant athletic director. He has since become Roanoke's all-time winningest coach and has earned Old Dominion Athletic Conference coach of the year honors four times - twice each in soccer and lacrosse.
In 1989, the year he became athletic director, Allison decided to split the coaching responsibilities.
"I came to a realization that, in order for us to maintain the success that we had in lacrosse and elevate our status in soccer, that I would need to be on the phone at least two or three times a week. My last year of coaching lacrosse, I wasn't doing that," he said. ". . . I was feeling as if I couldn't do the lacrosse program as much justice nor give the soccer program the amount of attention I thought it needed and deserved."
Allison said he shocked some people when he chose to coach soccer and not lacrosse, but one specific experience with a future Roanoke All-American helped seal his decision.
"My last year of recruiting for both sports, I sat in Grayson Prillaman's living room . . . when he was a senior [at North Cross] and I really felt in my talk with him I kind of committed myself to him for four years. When the decision came down, I know that didn't make me stay with soccer, but it was in the back of my mind. I told Grayson I would be his coach for four years."
Allison said landing premiere high school recruits has been the key to the program's success. At Roanoke, Allison has compiled a record of 77-43-10. The Maroons are 20-3 this season, including 14 shutouts, and are ranked 19th in the nation.
"A quality high school soccer, lacrosse, basketball, football player is going to want to play for a quality program with quality players. I don't think we had those when I first got here," he said.
Senior forward Dustin Fonder, this season's ODAC player of the year, said Allison played a big part in his decision to attend Roanoke.
"He's a real player's coach," said Fonder, also a member of the Maroons' basketball team. "[Allison] played two sports here, so I knew he understood what it takes to balance athletics and academics."
Junior back Tres Moore also described Allison as a player's coach.
"He knows everything we do - on the field and on campus," he said. "Basically, nothing gets by him. But anytime I want to, I can go and talk to him. He has an open-door policy and we can talk about anything."
The hottest topic of conversation this week has been UC San Diego, a two-time national champion. The team is 16-2-1 and ranked fifth in the nation.
"I think we feel as if we know we're really going to be tested," Allison said. "We know we're going to have to have a tremendous performance on Sunday to win.
"I know that they're going to be extremely well organized. [The coach] is an English coach and their going to play an English-style of game which is very direct. We know we've got our work cut out for us. But at the same time . . . we're not intimidated at all."
Roanoke, which advanced to Sunday's game by beating Methodist 1-0 and rival Virginia Wesleyan 3-0, has its sights set on the national championship.
"I thought if we could make it through the Methodist game that we could win the championship game," Allison said.
"We're just very solid and fast in the back and we don't give people much room and time to maneuver, and I think that's key."
by CNB