Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, November 5, 1994 TAG: 9411080009
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: SCOTT BLANCHARD STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG LENGTH: Medium
Ace Custis is ordering new business cards. Smaller ones.
``I wanted to play small forward coming out of high school, no matter what college I went to,'' said the Virginia Tech sophomore, who earned Metro Conference rookie honors last year playing at power forward.
``Most of my playing time [last year] was coming inside. I accepted it.''
Tech's preparations for the 1994-95 season include trying Custis at small forward, where Jim Jackson and Corey Jackson played last year.
Corey Jackson used up his eligibility and Jim Jackson might be sitting to protect a bad back.
To Custis, whose upper left arm bears an ``ace of spades'' tattoo, there's no temporary about it. The move might limit the tenacious Custis' rebounding - he set a Tech freshman record for boards last year - but ``they don't need rebounding from the three spot anyway,'' he said.
Tech's coaches, though, don't figure to let Custis wander too far from the basket, even if he's a small forward. Offensively, Custis says he's worked on his jump shot and would rather not back a defender into the paint.
``You get the opportunity to face your man, make a move on him [as a small forward],'' Custis said after a recent Tech practice. ``At power forward it was back-to-the-goal, muscle and pounding. I played some power forwards last year that outweighed me.''
Tech coach Bill Foster wants the move to work out because it lets him play 6-8 Keefe Mathews or Travis Jackson with 6-6 Shawn Smith and 6-7 Custis up front.
Custis expects to play a little at power forward, and Foster probably won't hesitate to use him there.
``I see a stronger Ace,'' said Foster, whose team plays an exhibition game Tuesday night against Court Authority. ``He's just physically a lot more mature than a year ago.''
Custis might need to help Tech compensate for losing some defensive tenacity in departed Jay Purcell, Jimmy Carruth and Don Corker. It's one of Foster's biggest worries: Last year, teams knew they'd finish a game against Tech with bruises and scratches. This year?
``We don't have that same mentality,'' Foster said. ``We lost a big part of our defensive presence.''
The newcomers - Mathews, Shawn Browne, Myron Guillory and David Jackson - have potential but ``don't understand until somebody kind of knocks them up into Row X,'' Foster said. Returnees such as Smith and Travis Jackson need to prove their irascibility.
``I don't think we can finesse our way through a schedule,'' Foster said. ``We're better off, but I still don't think we're to the point where we can go out and look pretty.''
Custis, a third-year sophomore from a Group A school on Virginia's eastern shore, probably is the toughest Hokie right now.
``We have to teach the young guys the tradition of our defense here,'' Custis said. ``I take it in stride. I'll do whatever it takes to help the team out.''
by CNB