Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, August 25, 1994 TAG: 9408250082
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Doug Doughty
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Of the 23 signees and 14 walk-ons who arrived Aug. 8, none has left.
Those would be impressive numbers for any program but especially for VMI, where defections have been a way of life. At this point a year ago, six of 23 signees already were on their way home.
``I understand that the whole corps has lost only a handful, [but] these kids have to be given credit for their perseverance,'' said Stewart, a former Air Force Academy assistant. ``You're not talking with any genius here, but we tried to expose them to as much as possible before they got here.
``When they visited, they ate every meal on post. They could have eaten downtown or stayed in a hotel, but I wasn't going to sign anybody to a scholarship unless he had stayed on the post. They're not here now because we've been soft on them.''
Stewart said a number of first-year players or ``rats'' already have made their way onto the first two teams.
``You can't keep playing rats year after year,'' Stewart said. ``You need upperclassmen to be successful. But, you can start a program by playing rats. I guarantee you, unless the bottom falls out, we will have some rats in vital roles come Sept. 3 against Richmond.''
Freshman quarterbacks Al Lester and Greg Ellen are among those under serious consideration by Stewart, who hasn't failed to remind the rats of the lack of attrition.
``They're very much aware of it,'' he said. ``It's something we challenge them with every day. I'll be honest with you. It's exceeded my expectations. Right now, my mother is not in good health and I get a little homesick some days myself.''
BARBER MAY START: Virginia football coach George Welsh said Wednesday that Ronde Barber, a red-shirt freshman from Cave Spring High in Roanoke, may start at cornerback Sept. 3 when the Cavaliers open the season at Florida State.
Barber has been competing for a starting job with sophomore Joe Crocker, who now is playing both cornerback positions. UVa was forced to shift senior Carl Smith after injuries wiped out virtually the entire safety unit.
Paul London, a starter at the end of the 1993 season, underwent knee surgery in July and may return to practice Monday, ``but, frankly, I have my doubts,'' Welsh said. Percy Ellsworth, projected to start at the other safety, underwent off-season shoulder surgery and did not participate in UVa's first scrimmage.
Uncertainty over London and Ellsworth would have created an opening for high-school All-American Anthony Poindexter from Jefferson Forest, but Poindexter underwent arthroscopic surgery last week to correct a lingering cartilage problem in his knee and will be out 2-4 weeks.
NO SUPPORT: In an unusual step, the seniors on Maryland's football team voted not to allow defensive tackle Sharrod Mack to rejoin the team after the latest in a series of violations of team policy. Mack was projected as a starter at defensive tackle despite missing spring practice with an injury.
WOOLDRIDGE RESPONDS: The college football season won't start for another week and already the Big East football officiating crew is being roasted, this time by ESPN commentator Beano Cook. ``If you took a survey, as a group, the Big East football officials are the worst,'' Cook was quoted by USA Today.
Big East supervisor of officials Dan Wooldridge hasn't talked to Cook and didn't see the interview during which the comments were made. However, he senses that Cook has been talking with Notre Dame, which recently decided to use officials from the Mid-American Conference and ended an arrangement with the Big East.
``I'm disappointed in what Beano said and disappointed that we lost Notre Dame [from an officiating standpoint] to a conference that isn't even in the bowl coalition,'' said Wooldridge, whose officials previously caught flak over calls in the Orange Bowl game between Florida State and Nebraska.
FROM THE PROS: No free-agent rookies from Virginia Tech or Virginia remain in National Football League camps after the announcements Tuesday that the Chicago Bears had waived ex-Hokies wide receiver Steve Sanders and that Dallas had cut former Virginia linebacker P.J. Killian.
RECRUITING: Duke, which has had success in obtaining early commitments, landed one of this year's top boys' basketball prospects when 6-foot-9 Taymon Domzalski from Lovington, N.M., picked the Blue Devils over many of the nation's elite programs.
Virginia, which has Cory Alexander and Chris Alexander on its current roster, is making a push for 6-5 point guard Courtney Alexander from Durham, N.C. Alexander was a basketball teammate of UVa basketball signee Adrian Burnim last year at Jordan High School.
STILL PITCHING: Matt Sewell, a would-be freshman pitcher for Washington and Lee's baseball team, played on the Trumbull, Conn., team that won the 1989 Little League World Series. Of the five Trumbull players who have graduated from high school, according to Sports Illustrated, only one intends to play in college.
SPROUTING IN BRUSSELS: Former VMI basketball coach Joe Cantafio, preparing for his first season at Furman, is taking the Paladins on a six-game tour of Belgium beginning this weekend. ... An exhibition series in France is helping Jeff Capel familiarize himself with his first Old Dominion team.
by CNB