Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, February 24, 1994 TAG: 9402240253
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
The Lancers, who stood 3-4 after a 96-91 loss at Averett on Dec. 8, set a school record of 17 straight victories by beating Queens College of Charlotte, N.C., 71-64 on Wednesday night.
Longwood moved into the Division II poll this week at No. 20, the program's first ranking since 1980, when the Lancers belonged to Division III. The last time Longwood won 20 games was in 1988-89, when it was 20-7 under Cal Luther.
Carr, a Blacksburg High School graduate and former Virginia Tech assistant, was hired by then-athletic director Tom Fletcher before the 1990-91 season. Carr's first team went 11-17, which was followed by records of 14-14 and 17-10.
"Actually, I thought last year's team might be our best [of the four]," said Carr before boarding the team bus Wednesday. "I've got to admit, I was pretty discouraged at the 3-4 start because I thought the tougher part of our schedule was ahead of us.
"We had a win over Pfeiffer [in the ninth game] that gave us a big lift. We got a little more confidence with each win, to the point where we started to think we were pretty good. I wasn't about to tell them any different."
The Lancers have put together their streak with a leading scorer, sophomore Benji Webb from Tabb, who scores fewer than 13 points a game. However, seven Longwood players average 7.5 points or more.
Longwood has a decidedly Virginia flavor, with seven of the top nine players from in-state, but Carr said that's by necessity. The number of scholarships he awards are determined by a budget, and out-of-state tuition at Longwood is $6,000 more than in-state fees.
The Lancers are bidding for their first NCAA invitation in 14 years of Division II play. They are ranked No. 3 in the South Atlantic Region; six teams from the region will get bids, but not necessarily the top six teams.
"A lot will come down to the tournament," Carr said. "Two conferences [the CIAA and South Atlantic] get automatic bids, so we have to hope there aren't any upset. But, most of all, we've got to win our games."
\ MORTON RECOGNIZED: Clinch Valley sophomore Darren Morton, who scored 41 points last Thursday in a 121-112 overtime victory over Montreat-Anderson, was voted player of the week in the Tennessee Virginia Athletic Conference.
Morton, a 5-foot-10 sophomore guard from Blacksburg, had 20 points and 13 assists two nights later against Bryan College.
Three victories during the week gave Clinch Valley a 20-11 record and a spot in the NAIA Division II playoffs for the first time.
\ HEALTH CONCERN: Virginia coach Jeff Jones said he was worried that senior guard Cornel Parker had become so severely dehydrated that he might collapse on the court Tuesday night against Georgia Tech, which is one reason freshman Jamal Robinson played a season-high 36 minutes in the Cavaliers' 73-72 overtime victory.
\ STAPLES ALERT: The McDonald's All-Americans will be announced Sunday at halftime of the CBS telecast of the St. John's-Syracuse basketball game, with every indication that Virginia signee Curtis Staples from Roanoke and Oak Hill Academy will be on the team.
Staples, who began his career at Patrick Henry High School, is the leading scorer for Oak Hill, ranked third in the country by USA Today. The Warriors (28-1) will be without 6-foot-11 junior Mark Blount, suspended for a violation of team policy, when they end the season tonight at Concord (N.C.) High School.
\ IN THE PROS: Former Virginia standout Olden Polynice, traded from the Detroit Pistons to the Sacramento Kings twice in the same week, has been No. 2 in the National Basketball Association in rebounding for much of the season.
Polynice, who had 25 rebounds in one game against Atlanta, originally was traded to the Kings for Duane Causwell, but the deal was voided when Causwell did not pass a physical. Sacramento subsequently sent former North Carolina big man Pete Chilcutt and some draft picks to the Pistons.
\ COACHING SCUTTLEBUTT: One name that keeps coming up in the Clemson basketball sweepstakes is Lefty Driesell, in his sixth season at James Madison after 17 years in the ACC at Maryland. According to one version, Driesell is interested in seeing that his son, Chuck, succeeds him at JMU.
Duke assistant Mike Brey is the apparent front-runner at Marshall, where Dwight Freeman has announced his resignation, effective at the end of the season. Thundering Herd athletic director Lee Moon also likes Virginia assistant Dennis Wolff, with whom he will meet informally this week.
\ WILL MEET PRESIDENT: The UVa soccer team, which won the Division I men's championship this year for the third year in a row, will visit Washington on Friday for a tour of the White House and a 3 p.m. ceremony with President Clinton and Vice President Gore. The team will be the guest of Senators Charles Robb and John Warner from Virginia and Harry Reid from Nevada, whose son, Key, was a part-time starter for the Cavaliers.
\ RECRUITING: Virginia Tech is in the picture for 6-9 basketball prospect Lamont Boozer from Rock Hill, S.C., although Wake Forest may be the team to beat. Boozer also has visited JMU.
by CNB