Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, November 22, 1994 TAG: 9411220086
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: SCOTT BLANCHARD STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Its disbanding schools are another matter.
Whether it's to prolong coaching careers, hasten a rebuilding plan or take advantage of Metro heavyweights Louisville and Tulane fielding non-dominant teams, there's a win-now strategy throughout the Metro symbolized by 14 junior-college or Division I transfers entering the league.
Only Louisville, which signed one of the nation's top freshman classes, and Tulane, which will rely on a sparkling sophomore class, didn't welcome at least one player who's worn another college's sweatshirt.
South Florida's Bobby Paschal, who won 58 games from 1989-92 but only 18 in the past two seasons, signed four junior college players. Virginia Commonwealth's Sonny Smith, who'll admit a 73-72 mark in five years in Richmond isn't what he ordered, has four, a Division I and a Division II transfer.
And UNC Charlotte's Jeff Mullins, whose club has finished second twice and fourth once in three Metro seasons, signed four junior-college players and one out of Fork Union Military Academy.
During the Metro's media day, Mullins said the Metro's level of competition sometimes demanded signing JUCOs to keep up. He also acknowledged that unless you're Louisville's Denny Crum or Tulane's Perry Clark, it's hard to sign an impact freshman at a Metro school. Of the 12 Top 50 recruits, as rated by recruiting maven Bob Gibbons, who have signed with Metro schools since 1991, only one - Southern Mississippi's Glen Whisby, the No.25 prospect in '91 - signed with a school other than Louisville (seven top 50 signees) or Tulane (four).
Mullins said new recruiting rules limiting a coach's observation periods make it harder to evaluate a prep player.
``We had a bunch of untried, young players [last year],'' Mullins said. ``If we brought in more untried, young players, it's be hard for us to compete for the top.
``[JUCOs and other transfers] have been recruited before, and also probably have a better idea what they're looking for. For that reason, they're easier to recruit. A lot of the fluff is taken out, the peer pressure. It isn't as important to a JUCO player if they're on TV 10 times or seven.''
UNCC, one of the Metro's three National Invitation Tournament teams last year, returns preseason player of the year forward Jarvis Lang (16.4 points per game, 10.4 rebounds per game) and should finish in the top three with Louisville and Tulane.
``Last year, we all beat up on each other,'' Mullins said. ``This year it could very well happen again, with the one difference [that] in the beating up, everybody may be better. It squeezes it together.''
Following is a look at every Metro team except Virginia Tech, covered in an earlier story:
LOUISVILLE: The Cardinals went 28-6 last year and won their 10th Metro regular-season title and their 10th tournament championship while sweeping the conference's coach-, rookie- and player-of-the-year awards.
The coach, 546-game winner Denny Crum, and the rookie, guard DeJuan Wheat, return. Wheat and sophomore Jason Osborne welcome a freshman class including 6-foot-9 Samaki Walker, who is predicted to be Louisville's fourth Metro rookie of the year (joining Wheat, Pervis Ellison and Darrell Griffith). Missing, however, is Oak Hill Academy standout Alex Sanders, who is ineligible this year.
Fittingly, the last Metro tournament will be at Freedom Hall, which has played host to the event eight times.
UNC CHARLOTTE: Mullins may be worrying about finding the right combinations with five prominent returnees and five promising newcomers, but he won't worry about Lang. The 6-7 forward leads a team trying to improve on a 16-13 finish last year.
Even without gunner Andre Davis (sitting out the year for personal reasons), Mullins has shooters in guards Shanderic Downs and Roderick Howard (combined 63 3-pointers). The key is whether junior-college transfer Ponce James can move in at point guard.
Seven-foot Jermain Parker is a shot-blocker but won't lure any inside defensive pressure away from Lang. Forward Bobby Kummer is a wing player; the 49ers need 6-8 JUCO transfer Quincy Alexander or 6-8 Fork Union product DeMarco Johnson to back up Lang.
SOUTH FLORIDA: Guard Chucky Atkins and ex-Florida State forward Jesse Salters are the most recognizable Bulls, but 6-7 Jerome Robinson led the team with 13.3 points and 7.2 rebounds in Metro games.
Ninth-year coach Bobby Paschal expects contributions from 6-7 James Harper (Central Florida transfer) and 6-7 freshman Torrance Archie. Despite Atkins, the returning backcourt is weak and needs help from incoming Chris King (44.6 percent 3-pointers at Pensacola Junior College), and freshmen Brian Lamb and Billy Adams, each of whom averaged almost 30 points per game in high school.
South Florida, which was in the NCAA Tournament in 1992, needs serious improvement to avoid a second straight last-place Metro finish.
SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI: Whether the Golden Eagles' strong finish last season - two Metro tournament victories, an eight-point loss to Louisville and an NIT bid - was a forecast of their '94-95 chances remains to be seen.
USM is without Bernard Haslett and Herman Myers (combined 30 points, 13 rebounds per game) and returns enigmatic 6-9 Glen Whisby (14.2 ppg, 8.3 rpg) and a handful of versatile players that are USM's trademark. A six-man recruiting class includes junior college transfer Steve Anderson (6-9, 260) and 6-7 forward Damien Roberts.
Nineteenth-year coach M.K. Turk did his team no favors, sprinkling USM's schedule with non-conference foes such as Mississippi State, Mississippi, Southwestern Louisiana, Memphis, Alabama and Auburn.
TULANE: Sixth-year coach Perry Clark prays that junior guard LeVeldro Simmons continues what he did at the end of last season, averaging 18.2 points over his last nine regular-season games.
If that was the real Simmons, Tulane should challenge for the Metro title because the Green Wave's sophomore class is solid. Forward Jerald Honeycutt led the 18-11 team with 15.3 points and 6.7 rebounds per game to go with 37 3-pointers. Rayshard Allen added 8.8 points and five rebounds, and classmates Chris Cameron and Correy Childs are expected to develop.
A young team will be tested early, beginning with the Maui Classic (including Indiana, Maryland and Michigan) followed by December games against Old Dominion, Florida State, Mississippi and Alabama.
VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH: Four of the top five scorers are gone, leaving 6-5 swingman Tyron McCoy (15.7 ppg) to mesh with a bunch of newcomers as VCU tries to improve on a 14-13 year.
John Smith, a 6-8 transfer from Wichita State, 6-6 Ivan Chappell and 6-7 Bernard Hopkins have the most notable credentials among the new players. Smith started 49 of 50 games at Wichita State and was a two-time honorable mention all-Missouri Valley Conference choice. Chappell averaged 18.1 points and 4.4 rebounds for Otero (Colo.) Junior College last year. Hopkins was a second-team JUCO All-American last year after averaging 23.3 points and 12.3 rebounds for Hagerstown (Md.) Junior College.
by CNB