Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, April 30, 1994 TAG: 9404300017
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By SCOTT BLANCHARD STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Last week, the WAC announced it was adding Texas Christian, Southern Methodist, Rice, Tulsa, Nevada-Las Vegas and San Jose State. Schultz said of those schools, the Metro's only serious interest was in TCU.
"I don't know that it will have any great impact [on the Metro's plans]," said Schultz, the former NCAA executive director who runs a sports consulting firm.
The Metro is trying either to expand in all sports or to add football-only schools to the mix to create a league for Division I-A football independents Louisville, Tulane and Southern Mississippi. It's believed that would prevent a football-driven breakup of the Metro, home for Virginia Tech's athletic program (minus football).
"I think we're going to get one or the other done," Schultz said.
McFillen confirmed that the Metro's primary targets for an all-sports or football-only expansion are former SWC member Houston, current Great Midwest Conference members Memphis and Cincinnati, and East Carolina.
The Great Midwest, trying to keep hold of Memphis and Cincinnati, also is exploring football expansion and reportedly has met with Houston.
Before formally approaching other schools, Schultz said he has to finish negotiations with television networks to determine how much revenue the Metro can promise new additions. McFillen said the Metro recently held talks with ABC and ESPN.
Both Schultz and McFillen hinted that the WAC expansion hasn't been finalized yet, and Schultz said one school - which he would not name, but which apparently is TCU - may be stalling to wait on a proposal from the Metro. Schultz, however, said he has "written off all those schools."
"We're working with a number of schools and are pleased with the progress," said Schultz, who was asked if he'd received tentative agreements from any schools to join the Metro. "We haven't pushed it to that point yet."
\ ETC: Sophomore cornerback Danny Dunbar, who was competing for a starting spot in the Tech secondary this spring, has left the team and is expected to transfer. . . . Hargrave Military Academy forward Shawn Browne on Thursday formally signed his letter-of-intent to attend Virginia Tech next year.
\ SAY WHAT? Bad enough for Tech that the Big East Conference excluded it from its expansion in March. What to think, then, of an item in the April 13 issue of the NCAA News under the heading "Directory Changes" read: Conferences - Metropolitan Collegiate Athletic Conference: Add Virginia Polytechnic Institute to list of members.
Huh?
Tech's basketball and non-revenue sports have been in the Metro since the 1978-79 school year. Turns out each conference annually returns an information sheet to the NCAA, which uses the information to produce its NCAA Directory. The Metro forgot to list Tech as a member when it sent back its sheet this year.
Somebody in the NCAA's membership division noticed the goof and alerted membership coordinator Shirley Whitacre, said Whitacre's secretary, Shirley Comes.
"She called the conference, and they just said, `Whoops!' " Comes said.
\ WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: Watch out. Tech's women's basketball players aren't ladies anymore.
At the team's banquet April 11, noted Tech English professor Nikki Giovanni finished her presentation with, among other things, a request that the school drop the modifier from "Lady Hokies." Assistant coach Bonnie Henrickson said athletic director Dave Braine followed her to the podium and said: "Well, believe it or not, [the athletic committee] voted to today."
"There's been a trend around the country to drop `lady,' " Henrickson said. "Like, `Lady Bulls' - there's no such thing as a lady bull. We're not bent out of shape either way. [Head coach] Carol [Alfano] likes Lady Hokies. I'm indifferent about it."
Henrickson said the players were excited because they thought they'd get new sweats to reflect the name change. No such luck. The logo on their sweats and warmups is, "Tech women's basketball."
by CNB