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

DATE: SUNDAY, June 19, 1994                   TAG: 9406190101
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: C-13   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: By DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

HARD WORK HELPS VMI COACH WIND UP WITH CORE OF KEYDETS

All he knows is, it was late.

"I was really nervous about recruiting," Bellairs, a former James Madison assistant, said. "All things considered, we ended up with a very good class."

Bellairs was appointed coach April 14 and, by the time the spring signing period ended May 15, he had signed five of the seven players who had taken campus visits.

"That's a great percentage," Bellairs said. "I've been in this business for 15 years, and I've made contacts with people who were a big help to me."

While some may have viewed 6-foot-11 Greg Robison as a project, Bellairs acted on the recommendation of Fork Union Military Academy coach Fletcher Arritt, who knew injuries had retarded Robison's progress.

Bellairs retained assistant Damon Williams from the staff of previous coach Joe Cantafio, a move that paid dividends when the Keydets signed Nate Shifflett, a VMI target since the fall.

Bellairs had been aware of Jason Bell while he was at JMU, but the Keydets didn't make a push for Indiana guard Bryan Taueg until film arrived in April.

Bellairs, like new VMI football coach Bill Stewart, elected to house recruits in the barracks during their official visits.

"There's a big difference between a good team and a good program," Bellairs said. "A good program involves the corps, the administration, the community.

"Everybody was a big help, down to the two ladies at The Palms [restaurant] who moved to a smaller table so we could all eat together."

Recruiting outlooks for other area teams followed by the Roanoke Times & World-News:

\ RADFORD: With three recruits who made first- or second-team all-state and a fourth who was a preseason all-state selection, Highlanders coach Ron Bradley seldom has recruited a class with better press clippings.

Bradley's first priority was height, and the Highlanders signed two big men during the early period: 6-foot-9 Eric Parker from Decatur, Ga., and 6-7 Kevin Robinson from Monacan High outside Richmond. They were joined in the spring by 6-7 Mike Petin, a transfer from North Carolina-Wilmington.

"Petin is a good basketball player who had some awful numbers at UNC-W," said Bradley, one of the finalists when Petin came out of Manchester High in Richmond. "In my opinion, he was in a system that wasn't right for him."

Radford landed South Carolina Class A player of the year Chibi Johnson despite some late interest from North Carolina State and South Carolina, among others, and added a 3-point threat in Corey Reed from Bremen, Ind.

"Two or three of these [recruits] will have to play next year," Bradley said, "but I don't think the staff and I have gone for quick fixes. We've got four solid recruiting classes in the program now."

\ ROANOKE: Of the six seniors who will be leaving the Maroons' program, five are perimeter players, so it's no surprise that coach Page Moir recruited four players who are 6-5 or smaller.

"After next season, we lose three big kids, so we'll be recruiting big people," Moir said. "For now there's a lot of opportunity for guards, and I would anticipate two or three playing right away."

The Maroons got two outstanding shooters in first-team All-Group AA choice Nathan Hungate from Northside and Brian Lightner, who hit 11 3-pointers in one game for Holy Cross in Lynchburg. Hungate had at least one 3-pointer in 28 consecutive games.

"It could be a very good class," Moir said. "It's not as big a group as you usually see in Division III, but the quality is outstanding."

\ FERRUM: On the subject of big recruiting classes, few can top the 10 freshmen that coach Bill Pullen will be guiding next year at Ferrum - and he may not be finished. Two of Pullen's chief targets have committed in the past month: Seminole District Player of the Year Tyrone Hancock from Appomattox and multi-talented Magna Vista guard Marcus Toney. Toney joins a Timesland contingent that includes Nathan Baker from Parry McCluer, Chad Cobb from Fieldale-Collinsville and Moe Preston from Patrick Henry.

\ WASHINGTON AND LEE: Few Division III programs recruit nationally as much as Washington and Lee, which had players from 10 states on its 1993-94 roster and got its four recruits this year from Texas, South Carolina, New York and New Jersey. Coach Verne Canfield took advantage of old contacts to land Kelly Dyer, younger brother of Generals scoring leader Cam Dyer, and Jimmy Schweer, who played at Memorial High School in Houston, alma mater of 1992 captain Mark Melton.