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

DATE: TUESDAY, August 23, 1994                   TAG: 9408250023
SECTION: WELCOME STUDENTS                    PAGE: 40   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: CHRIS KING Special To The Roanoke Times & World-News
DATELINE: DUBLIN                                 LENGTH: Medium

COMMUNITY COLLEGE SPORTS MARCH TO A DIFFERENT DRUM

The basketball team - the only "extramural" sport offered at the college - has played a name game since it formed in the late 1970s.

Now they're the Knights, but in years past they've been the Lumberjacks and Currents. As the monikers changed, so did the uniform colors. After sporting green and white duds for many years, the NRCC basketball team will be fashionably decked out in predominantly black uniforms this season.

Those are just a few of the reasons why college basketball is a different game at New River than it is at larger schools.

Few NRCC students are aware their school even has a basketball team.

It plays its home games in front of an estimated 50 fans per game at the Pulaski YMCA. There is no recruiting, there are no basketball scholarships.

While some teams worry about shoe contracts, folks at New River are just concerned with filling shoes. Because the makeup of the all-commuter student body changes from year to year, school officials usually do not know until fall whether or not NRCC will sponsor a team.

"If we have enough [student] interest we have a team; if not we don't," said Rita Dixon, director of student affairs. "Sports is not the main emphasis here. We want a well-rounded cultural program."

With that in mind, Ben Kramer, the activities counselor, will begin posting notices for people interested in continuing their athletic careers. If student response is what he expects it to be, the NRCC Knights will field a team.

For Kramer and his players, the sport is not all-consuming. There is no 20-hour-a-week limit on practices as there is at schools under the NCAA jurisdiction, and there's no need for one. The team practices no more than 10 hours a week during the season's busiest stretch.

"It is a lot of fun and a good stress reliever after a long day at classes," said James Moles, a Pulaski County High School graduate, who wrestled for seven years but never played basketball before enrolling at NRCC. "When I didn't get a wrestling scholarship, I felt lost, and this was my last chance."

Kramer, who received a master's degree from Radford University in counseling psychology, got his first taste of competitive basketball last season. That made it a learning experience, not only for the kids making the adjustment to college, but also for the coach.

"One of the biggest pitfalls I had during the season was that we started late and invited anyone who loved basketball out to our first game, and I gave them a uniform," said Kramer, who was assisted by Jack Leahy, executive director of the Pulaski YMCA, and James McClanahan.

The result was a bench that was as crowded as a Los Angeles courtroom. That first game proved to be a nightmare, as Kramer rotated players in and out of the game to determine who could help the team. That game impressed upon Kramer the importance of making cuts and getting started earlier this season.

"Now that I have my first experience as a coach, I want to see if I can get a little more involved. Last year my primary responsibilities were setting up games and travel," said Kramer, 26. "We will hold an information meeting and, if a lot of students are interested, hopefully we can get the season started in November and set practice dates."

Once the game starts, the players are as competitive as those at a four-year institution. But once the game is over, there's no lost sleep for the participants.

"Community-college basketball is competitive to the player, but if you lose, its like, 'We messed up; where do we go from here?'" Kramer said. "Its not as serious as a four-year school, where they are out for titles. We are going out for titles but are more interested in the process of getting there."

Though the team struggled last season, finishing 1-9, it hopes to build off a last-second victory over regional rival Virginia Western Community College that allowed it to finish fifth in the state tournament.

Still, "Academics are the primary concern," said Kramer, who avoids scheduling games on weeknights whenever possible.

"It's great," said Moles, who didn't know the program existed until he began attending NRCC. "It allows a lot of team unity to develop."