Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, August 18, 1994 TAG: 9408180107
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Scott Blanchard
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
``A lot of the media has put a lot of players out there. I wanted to play against some of those players,'' said Custis, an Eastville native who was not a nationally known recruit. ``When I first received my letter [inviting him to the Festival], I thought, `I've come from basically nowhere, a little small school that no one ever heard of [Northampton], then coming [to Tech] to try to get on the map, then being chosen for the U.S. Olympic Festival.' That was a great feeling.''
Custis and another relatively unknown recruit, Virginia's Harold Deane, turned their St.Louis trip into a gold medal playing for Tulane coach Perry Clark, a former Georgia Tech assistant who has coached against Tech and UVa. Custis was one of Clark's top frontcourt players, and Deane became Clark's preferred point guard.
``We became a team quicker than the other groups,'' Clark said. ``I think both of those guys had a lot to do with it in different ways.''
Deane led the South in assists and steals; Custis led the team in rebounding.
``Ace really had to step up, which he did,'' Clark said. ``He did more than hold his own.''
Said Custis: ``I wasn't really shocked. We're equal. That's the way I look at it. That made me play even harder; I knew everyone was looking at [the well-known players], and if I did something good, they would look at me.''
Even though Clark knew Deane likely will play off the ball for Virginia because Cory Alexander is due back from an injury this season, he put Deane at the point because he wanted the Ettrick native's ``leadership and heart.''
At halftime of one game, Clark said, he wanted Deane to perk up.
``I said, `I saw you playing against North Carolina. You ain't playing as hard as you did then. Act like you see some blue,''' said Clark, who then watched Deane spark a South victory.
Custis, who said he and Deane have been good friends since they played together in the Virginia High School Coaches' Association all-star game, got some insight on a coach he'll probably face at least six more times during his college career.
``I knew he was going to be a tough coach, because of [Tulane's] work ethic when we play against them,'' Custis said. ``I knew we only had two days to prepare. I didn't expect to do all that running. He wants you to be prepared mentally and physically. He's easy to play for; he's a great motivator, and he treats his players with respect.''
FOR OPENERS: The Roanoke College men's soccer team, which made the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals last year, will start the 1994 season with a stout September schedule. The Maroons, who have nine starters back from a 20-4 team and will be ranked in the preseason poll by Soccer America magazine, likely will play Kean (N.J.) in the season-opening Domino's Classic at the River's Edge complex in Roanoke, and will play host Elizabethtown (Pa.) in the Pizza Hut Blue Jay Classic the following week. Kean was the 1992 NCAA Division III champion, and Elizabethtown won the NCAA Division III title in 1989 and has been to postseason play for 18 consecutive years. Roanoke's early schedule also includes dates with '94 NCAA Tournament teams Mary Washington and Virginia Wesleyan.
REDSKIN CONNECTIONS: Washington Redskins rookie Gus Frerotte, a quarterback from Ford City, Pa., has Virginia in his background. His uncle, Al, was a letterman at the University of Virginia from 1938-40 after playing at Massanutten Military Academy.
MOVING ON: Robert Lineburg, Virginia Tech's administrative intern in men's basketball, has been hired as a restricted-earnings coach at North Carolina-Greensboro, the preseason pick to win the Big South Conference championship. The Radford native, son of Radford High School football coach Norm Lineburg, described his time spent with Tech coach Bill Foster and assistants Bobby Hussey, Chris Ferguson and Dean Keener as an ``absolute fantastic experience working for four of the best guys in the business.''
RADFORD RAMBLINGS: Radford University's Samantha Gilbert has won the Big South Conference's 1993-94 George A. Christenberry Award for Academic Excellence. Gilbert, a women's basketball player, graduated with a 4.0 grade-point average and a degree in history. ... Men's basketball player Tyrone Travis, the Highlanders' leading scorer (16.4 points per game) and rebounder (6.3) last season, has signed to play professionally in Holland.
ETC: The UVa men's and women's soccer teams are ranked in Soccer America magazine's preseason Division I Top 20 polls. The Cavalier men, three-time defending NCAA champions, are the preseason No.1 selection ahead of ACC rivals North Carolina (No.4) and Clemson (No.6). Two other state teams are ranked: James Madison at No.10 and William and Mary at No.19. UVa's women, who finished last season ranked 19th by the magazine, are No.13 in the preseason and one of five ACC teams in the rankings. William and Mary's women are ranked eighth; George Mason is No.4. ... Television broadcaster Billy Packer is in Radford tonight to speak at the Radford University Athletic Association's annual summer banquet. ... Orbit Magazine, subscribed to primarily by satellite-dish owners, ranked Virginia Tech 10th in its college football preview written by USA Today's Steve Wieberg and ESPN's Lee Corso.
by CNB