Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, December 30, 1993 TAG: 9312300159
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B9 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
"I was hoping for 10 good items a night," said Moir, the Roanoke College men's basketball coach. "I think we're looking at 15 or more."
The items will be raffled, with the proceeds going to The V Foundation and the American Cancer Society. Roanoke's first-round opponent, St. Mary's, is coached by Bob Valvano, younger brother of former North Carolina State coach Jim Valvano, who died this year of cancer.
Moir said the raffle the first night might include a ball autographed by the Atlanta Hawks, 10 or 12 game jerseys and a pair of shoes autographed by Dell Curry, Larry Johnson or their former Charlotte Hornets teammate, Johnny Newman.
Moir said Virginia coach Jeff Jones sent one of his jerseys from his playing career at UVa (1978-82) and autographed it. "I've got about two jerseys from when I played," Moir, a former Virginia Tech reserve said, "so I know this must be valuable to him."
Other jerseys were furnished and signed by coaches from Duke, Wake Forest, Maryland, Louisville, Georgia Tech, Kentucky and Michigan. Kansas coach Roy Williams sent a jersey belonging to Adonis Jordan from last year's Final Four team.
Moir also was pleased to receive a ball autographed by members of this year's North Carolina basketball team, a favorite to repeat as NCAA champion. Raffle tickets are $3, with tournament tickets $6 in advance and $4 at the door per night.
"The tournament may be overshadowed by the raffle," said Moir, who expects crowds of more than 1,000 at Bast Center, "but the teams will be coming in with a combined record of 25-6."
\ SLACK TICKET SALES: North Carolina State, which received a Hall of Fame Bowl bid over Virginia at least partly on the basis of fan support, sold slightly more than 4,000 tickets.
Wolfpack athletic director Todd Turner, expected to purchase 10,000 tickets as part of the ACC's tie-in, instead committed himself for 15,000 in anticipation of a large following.
Turner can eat his tickets with Virginia athletic director Jim Copeland, whose supporters have bought approximately 3,000 of the 14,000 Carquest Bowl tickets that Copeland agreed to buy.
The truth be known, Copeland could have gotten the bid with a significantly smaller commitment, but having been roasted over the Cavaliers' weak Hall of Fame pitch, he wasn't taking any chances.
The Carquest Bowl will have to rely on local turnout for any kind of crowd because Boston College, which has been evasive about its sales figures, reportedly sold only half of its 10,000 allotment.
\ MORE BOWL STUFF: Alabama, a three-point underdog to North Carolina in the Gator Bowl, has given up 92 points in its past four games after yielding only 66 in the first seven.
That's sweet music for the high-scoring Tar Heels, who scored more than 40 points six times and set school records for total offense (5,626 yards) and scoring (35.1 points per game).
Clemson has discovered that Tommy West is the first coach in Division I-A history to coach a team in a bowl after not serving as an assistant for the same squad during the regular season.
Only one other coach in ACC history, Danny Ford, made his coaching debut in a bowl game. Ford took over as Clemson coach when Charley Pell resigned as coach before the 1978 Peach Bowl.
Robert Jackson, one of Clemson's starting offensive tackles, had a few scary moments after a blood clot was discovered in one of his legs. Jackson is undergoing treatment and will miss the Peach Bowl.
\ IN THE ACC: Georgia Tech is holding open a spot on its football staff in hopes that George O'Leary, defensive line coach of the San Diego Chargers, will return as defensive coordinator.
The Yellow Jackets have needed a coordinator since head coach Bill Lewis fired three assistants. O'Leary previously coached at Georgia Tech under Bobby Ross, now the Chargers' head coach.
Although there has been a growing trend toward field goals in pro football, it wasn't reflected in the ACC, where field goals were down from 121 to 88. Virginia had eight, its lowest total in George Welsh's 12 years as head coach, and Maryland had one.
\ HOOPS TRIVIA: Dean Smith has averaged 24.19 victories in his 32 seasons as North Carolina basketball coach, ranking first among Division I-A coaches with 10 years' service, but only by the narrowest of margins.
Jim Boeheim has averaged 24.18 victories in his 17 years at Syracuse, followed by Nolan Richardson, with 23.7 wins at Tulsa and Arkansas, Louisville coach Denny Crum at 23.6 and Georgetown's John Thompson at 23.1.
\ SAT SURVEY: Less than 100 points separated Scholastic Assessment Test scores at the eight football-playing members of the Big East Conference, according to a survey published by USA Today.
Boston College was at the high end of the scale with an 882 average for its entering freshmen football players during 1990-92. Miami was last at 791, with Virginia Tech in the middle at 834.
Virginia, with an average of 955, ranked fourth in Division I-A behind Stanford, Northwestern and Duke. ACC scores ranged from Duke's 1,003 to Clemson's 781.
The study also compared SAT scores of entering freshmen to those of the student body and discovered that the greatest disparity was at Rice, with SAT averages of 1,324 for all students and 942 for football players, followed by Wake Forest (1,250-896).
by CNB