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

DATE: TUESDAY, March 29, 1994                   TAG: 9403290103
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: C-2   EDITION: STATE 
SOURCE: DAVE FAIRBANK NEWPORT NEWS DAILY PRESS
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

W&M CANDIDATES HAVE PATRIOTIC LOOK

William and Mary's basketball coaching search centers on three Patriot League head coaches, all of whom will come to campus early this week, sources said.

Bucknell's Charlie Woollum, Fordham coach Nick Macarchuk and Holy Cross' George Blaney will interview at W&M on separate days early this week, sources said.

Woollum is expected to interview on Wednesday. Macarchuk and Blaney were to interview Monday and today.

W&M athletic director John Randolph held preliminary interviews with a number of candidates late last week in Richmond.

Woollum has been considered the front-runner to replace Chuck Swenson, but all three candidates have outstanding credentials.

Blaney, 54, has been a head coach for 27 years, the last 22 at Holy Cross. His teams at Holy Cross have gone 357-276 and have made three trips to the NCAA Tournament, in 1977, '80 and '93. The Crusaders also have made five trips to the NIT under Blaney. His career record is 421-334. His son, Brian, was a senior this season on the Roanoke College basketball team.

Blaney is a 1961 graduate of Holy Cross and served as president of the National Association of Basketball Coaches for 1993-94.

Macarchuk, 53, has been the head coach at Fordham for the past seven years, where his teams have gone 122-95 with one NCAA Tournament and three NIT appearances. Fordham joined the Patriot League in 1990 and has finished in the upper half of the league each season. Fordham won the league in 1990-91 and 91-92, finished third a year ago and was second this season.

Macarchuk, a 1963 graduate of Fairfield University, was the head coach at Canisius for 10 years before taking the Fordham job. His career record is 271-223. Woollum, a 1962 William and Mary graduate, has been the head coach at Bucknell for 19 seasons. His teams have gone 318-221, and to the NCAA Tournament in 1987 and '89.

Randolph also interviewed Wake Forest assistant coach Ricky Stokes in Richmond last week, but did not invite him to campus for a second interview this week.

Previously, Colgate coach Jack Bruen was contacted about interviewing for the position, but he withdrew his name from consideration last week. Bruen and Woollum were among the finalists when Swenson was hired in 1987.

by CNB