Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, July 14, 1994 TAG: 9407270048
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Doug Doughty
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
``First of all, there were no formal talks with Notre Dame ... none,'' said Corrigan, who was athletic director at Notre Dame before he was named ACC commissioner in 1987.
``There were conversations - not serious, but not idle either. Some of our athletic directors thought we ought to take a look at them.
``I was kind of fascinated with the idea, too. When you look at Notre Dame, it has a lot in common with some of our schools, like Duke, Virginia, North Carolina and Wake Forest. They play all the `preppy' sports, like men's and women's soccer and lacrosse.''
Some of the athletic directors were interested in having the Irish play three or four ACC football opponents on a rotating basis, even if Notre Dame remained a football independent.
``That was the payoff; in the minds of some ACC people, that would have showed a sincere interest [on Notre Dame's part],'' Corrigan said Wednesday, ``but I never thought it could be pulled off.
``It wouldn't have bothered me, but I was not about to do what I did for Florida State, when we really went out on a limb. Not if I wasn't sure it was in our best interests.
``Partial membership was the real sticking point. People would have been coming to me [and] saying, `Does that mean we don't have to play football?'''
The Big East, after expansion is completed, will have six schools that play football and basketball in the conference, five that are members for basketball but not football and two (Virginia Tech and Temple) that are members for football but not basketball.
In that context, Corrigan was not surprised at the marriage with Notre Dame.
``It's just a different kind of conference,'' Corrigan said. ``I can't say that anything the Big East does surprises me.''
GOLD MEDALISTS: Virginia Tech sophomore Ace Custis started every game and Virginia sophomore Harold Deane Jr. was the leader in assists and steals for the victorious South team at the U.S. Olympic Festival in St.Louis.
Custis averaged 11.0 points and a team-high 7.8 rebounds while playing slightly more than 21 minutes per game. He was more accurate from the field (54.3 percent) than from the free-throw line (46.2). Deane averaged 7.0 points and 4.0 rebounds and had 13 assists and 13 steals in four games.
UVa junior Wendy Palmer was the leading scorer (18.9) and rebounder (9.3) for the victorious U.S. team at the Jones Cup in Taipei, Taiwan. Another Cavalier, sophomore Tora Suber, received substantial playing time but shot poorly (2-for-16 from 3-point range).
ACC HOOPS: Clemson forward Devin Gray, a third-team All-ACC selection, said Wednesday he is willing to sign a waiver if needed to return to action following an April 4 heart attack. Doctors have diagnosed a clotting problem that may be controlled through medication.
Coach Mike Krzyzewski said Duke senior Erik Meek probably will be redshirted, a process that would put him in a different class from starting center Cherokee Parks. Meek's career started slowly after he was struck by a car while jogging following his senior year in high school.
N.C. State guard Curtis Marshall is wearing a cast following surgery to repair injuries suffered when he put his right (shooting) arm through a window. Marshall, seeking entrance to a locked apartment, cut tendons and an artery and his status for the 1994-95 season is uncertain.
Rod Balanis, a seldom-used walk-on guard at Georgia Tech, has received a $450,000 offer to play professionally in Greece. Balanis, son of former William and Mary coach George Balanis, played a total of 27 minutes for the Yellow Jackets this season but would not count against the Greek league's two-American limit because his grandfather was born in Greece.
PRO CAMPS: Undrafted Cornel Parker, best known at Virginia for his defense, will have tryouts with Boston, Denver and Utah of the NBA, but is more likely to play in Europe. ... Virginia Commonwealth guard Kenny Harris has been added to the Charlotte Hornets' rookie roster as a free agent.
RECRUITING: Antwain Smith, who scored a game-high 21 points Monday for the victorious East team in the Virginia High School Coaches' Association all-star game, said he will play for St.Paul's. Smith, a 6-7 forward from Ferguson High School in Newport News, originally committed to West Virginia, but did not meet NCAA eligibility standards.
Perhaps the most obscure Division I basketball signee to come out of Virginia this year is Colorado-bound Howard Frier, a 6-3 guard from Nansemond River High School in Suffolk. ... First-team all-state selections Frankie Johnson of R.E. Lee-Staunton and Mike Byers of William Monroe (Standardsville) will spend the 1994-95 season at Hargrave Military Academy. ... Joemel Dennis, the quarterback at Phoebus High School in Hampton and a Division I prospect as a defensive back, died July 1 after being shot during an attempted robbery the previous evening.
HISTORY-MAKING WASP: Almost overlooked was the recent death of Monte Weaver, a member of the Washington Senators' pitching staff when they won their last American League pennant in 1933. Weaver, who was 22-10 as a rookie in 1932, graduated from Emory&Henry and later taught analytic geometry at UVa.
by CNB