Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, February 18, 1994 TAG: 9402180113
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-10 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: Ray Cox
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Recent attempts at gazing at tea leaves, peering into the crystal sphere, and shuffling the magical cards from my station at the glamorous and luxurious sports headquarters of this newspaper have yielded the following conclusions:
It would be a delightfully mild and benign winter, absent of appreciable snowfall and harsh temperatures.
Tonya Harding, a sweet and upright girl, would be unjustly hounded off her skates for her alleged role in heinous crimes and misdemeanors.
Mitch Williams, now mature and no longer prone to dangerous impulse, would have four saves en route to World Series MVP honors.
Pulaski County would flatten outmanned Annandale like an elephant sitting down on an ant on an unseasonably balmy December day.
In other words, I've got as much business in the soothsaying trade as Bill and Hillary have in the land development racket.
But neither fear nor common sense has ever shared a place at this keyboard so there is a compelling urgency to the task at hand. RAY COX COMMENTARY We shall press forward, you and I, to pick the winners of the upcoming high school basketball tournaments.
As a wise man once said, such a narrow and debris-strewn path to tread, such a long way to fall.
First, lets go with the big boys. The Roanoke Valley District has been hugely entertaining this year, mainly because of the unexpected. Cave Spring in the lead in the last week of the season? Pulaski County struggling for almost the entire campaign? William Fleming a possible third-place regular-season finisher? This league has been like a carnival ride: It's left some dizzy and others sick.
At least four of the five teams have a shot at winning it, and Franklin County is capable of making somebody miserable. Fleming is astutely coached by Burrall Paye, has a great point guard - essential at tournament time - in Derrick Hines, has a nice inside game, and has tradition. Patrick Henry is big, strong and hot. Cave Spring can score (the Knights had 14 3-pointers against Pulaski County in one game). Pulaski County has a whole lot more talent in guys such as Eric Webb and Tyrone Hash than its record indicates.
PH is going to win the tournament. We're talking worst to first here. The Patriots are somewhat suspect in the backcourt, but nobody can stop the likes of bruisers Shannon Taylor and Chris Combs inside. Eugene Cook has also emerged as a force in the paint.
The girls' tournament could be intriguing, too. Before this week, the inclination was to say that Pulaski County was going to win it going away. Then, the Cougars stumbled against William Fleming.
Cave Spring has a nice team and lots of pride and tradition. Fleming always seems to give Pulaski County fits. The pick is still Pulaski County.
In the New River District, I don't see anybody beating Blacksburg. The Indians have the horses in Jay Safford, Tony Wheeler and Ben Araman. Christiansburg has made a terrific turnaround under Gerald Thompson, but Blacksburg is the class of the league. It's as simple as that.
Now, my favorite, the Mountain Empire District. The way to go about handicapping that baby is to figure out who can't win it. Only a couple, for sure.
When it comes to tournament handicapping, look for the hot teams first. In the MED, that means Giles and Narrows, who have made people over there forget all about football, a feat akin to line dancing across the New River without hitting bottom.
No question about it, the Spartans and Green Wave are as hot as Rush Limbaugh's microphone. Each could go far. Grayson County is worthy, as is Auburn, a recent swoon notwithstanding.
Still, the choice is Floyd County. The Buffaloes can go outside with a number of shooters, or they can bang it inside to 6-foot-5 Jason Light, whom nobody in the district can handle one-on-one.
Plus, the Buffaloes have an added incentive. Their basketball-playing girls won the state in the fall, a fact not lost on the guys.
The pressure's on, dudes.
by CNB