Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, November 17, 1993 TAG: 9311170006
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV3 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: Scott Blanchard
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Virginia Tech freshman Stacy Brown, however, might do a bit more than that for the Hokies this year.
"Stacy is better than we thought she was," said Tech coach Carol Alfano, who is preparing her team for its Dec.1 opener at home against Western Carolina. "We thought maybe we'd have to redshirt her. But she's picking it up just fine." Brown averaged 20 points, 15 rebounds and four blocks per game as
a senior at Warren County High School in Hollister, N.C. Her mobility has impressed Alfano, whose team is coming off a 20-8 season and has been picked to finish second in the Metro Conference.
Alfano said Brown's weakness is weakness - her physical strength at the moment makes her "kind of like a Bambi a little bit." But Alfano expects Brown to play this year along with Tech's other freshman, guard Sherry Banks from William Byrd High School in Vinton.
Banks was the 1993 Group AA player of the year and was an honorable mention All-America by Street & Smith's magazine and USA Today. Still, she's raised some eyebrows at Tech. "She may be one of the most fundamental guards we've ever recruited," Alfano said. "She's very, very coachable. It's amazing."
Alfano said Banks, a shooting guard, has proven in practice that she can defend an opposing point guard - meaning Alfano can rest her point guard if she needs to by letting Banks take over on defense.
On offense, however, Banks will play off the ball.
"She passes better than I thought," Alfano said. "It's still the honeymoon. But she looks good every day. Sometimes freshmen get lost. She doesn't."
\ PERFORMANCES: Sophomore middle blocker Jennifer Schmidt and senior outside hitter Heather Berglund were named to the all-tournament team at the George Washington Invitational last weekend, although Tech won just one of three games. Schmidt had 40 kills in the tournament, in which Tech beat William and Mary and lost to GWU and Hofstra. Berglund had 20 kills against W&M. Next for Tech is the Metro tournament Nov. 19-21 in Louisville, Ky. . . Sophomore Angel Muncaster from Charlottesville had a good weekend for Tech's women's swimming team. On Friday at a tri-meet in Atlanta against Emory and Florida Atlantic, Muncaster won the 200-yard freestyle and 100-yard butterfly. Saturday against the same teams, she won the 200-yard freestyle and the 200-yard butterfly.
\ RUNNING BLUES: A few days after Tech's men's cross country team got the relatively good news that it received two years' probation with no recruiting sanctions for NCAA rules violations under former coach Todd Scully, the Hokies finished eighth of 36 teams last weekend at the District III Championships in Greenville, S.C., the qualifying meet for the NCAAs. Top finisher was junior Tom Lankowicz, 25th, who finished the 10-kilometer course in 31 minutes, 23 seconds. The women's team finished 23rd of 40 teams; top finisher was sophomore Michelle Barrett in 18:45 on a 5-kilometer course.
Scully was punished as well. For the next seven years, he will be unable to apply to coach at an NCAA school without dragging that school into an NCAA hearing on whether it should be penalized if it hires Scully. Scully currently is serving a 90-day jail sentence at Bedford County Jail after pleading guilty in October to misdemeanor possession of marijuana.
\ UPCOMING IN BLACKSBURG: Women's basketball exhibition, 4 p.m. Nov. 21.
by CNB