Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, March 14, 1994 TAG: 9403140040
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BOB TEITLEBAUM
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Davis watched Salem beat Louisa County 67-59 as the Spartans claimed the school's first state title in boys' basketball.
With that victory, Davis no longer is the answer to the trivia question: Who is the only coach to guide a Blue Ridge District team to a state boys' basketball title?
Davis took Glenvar to the 1975 title. Unlike Salem, which went into the state tournament as the state's top-ranked team, the Highlanders were an underdog simply because no Blue Ridge team had ever played that well in the state tournament.
"Watching Salem play was like watching that Glenvar team," Davis said. "They opened in a 2-1-2 zone press and then went to a 1-3-1 zone defense just like we did at Glenvar."
The mastermind of Salem's basketball success was Charlie Morgan. Few people felt anyone could turn around the Spartans' basketball program so quickly, much less win a state championship.
Morgan was blessed with a lot of good players from a team that had gone 9-11 the season before he was hired.
Still, no Salem team had won a district tournament game since 1989 or beaten Northside, considered the premier program in the Blue Ridge when Morgan arrived. Salem hadn't even come within 10 points of the Vikings since the first year the two schools dropped from the Roanoke Valley District into the Blue Ridge in 1989.
Morgan took over with no illusions.
"I thought, `If I can't get the program turned around in three years, I'll resign,' " he said.
By turning the program around, Morgan wasn't talking about winning or losing. "I wanted the kids to go out and play hard and have some fun. I didn't come here just to win a state championship, but I came to have the best possible program and one the city of Salem could be proud of [having]."
Morgan still must prove what he can win with players he develops from the grade school level to high school. So far, he's won with players who learned much of their basketball before he got to Salem. The most demanding test of a coach is to develop young players into high school standouts.
The future looks bright for the Spartans, with four of Morgan's top six players returning next season. It's not likely Salem will win a second consecutive state title, but it is very possible that the rivalry built up with Northside in this season's six meetings will be even stronger next winter as the same two teams fight for district supremacy.
Meanwhile, William Fleming didn't win the state title. The Colonels had won back-to-back Group AA state crowns in 1954-55, but this would have been a special one in the Group AAA ranks. Fleming made a great run and if Derrick Hines doesn't gallop out of town to another school, the Colonels will be a very strong contender in 1995.
Hines is noncommittal about whether he'll jump ship. The fact is he has some unfinished business at Fleming. He can be the state's premier player next season if he stays and brings the Colonels the state championship that just eluded them.
Hines established his credentials with the media this season. All they could ask after catching a glimpse of the junior guard in Friday night's semifinals is, "Does he do that all the time?" Meadowbrook might have won the Group AAA title, but Hines stole the hearts of the media and the fans with his play at point guard.
If Hines leaves, he won't enhance his career any more than Curtis Staples did when he tried to better himself by leaving Patrick Henry for Prospect Hall and then Oak Hill Academy. Had Staples remained at PH, he likely still would have signed with the University of Virginia and still would have been recommended to the All-USA team that will be picked later this year.
\ FIRST WAS BEST: Two of the three boys' teams ranked No. 1 by the sportswriters in the Associated Press polls - Salem (AA) and William Monroe (A) - won state titles. Meadowbrook, which was first much of the season until falling to third after a late-season loss to Prince George, lived up to its earlier rating by winning the Group AAA crown.
In Group A, the four semifinalists were ranked in the top five. The only upset was No. 3 Parry McCluer beating No. 2 Twin Springs in a Group A semifinal.
The surprise teams were Louisa County and William Fleming. Both were unranked, yet they played in state championship games. Louisa County blamed a sluggish 7-5 start on bad weather postponing games. Remember, Louisa County is the team that played and won a doubleheader at James Monroe the last week of regular season.
Fleming struggled early with a young team that missed Reggie Reynolds while he recovered from an illness. Once Reynolds returned to help Hines lead the team, Fleming played some serious basketball.
by CNB