Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, December 1, 1994 TAG: 9412010053
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-3 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: RAY COX STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Since there are no two-team districts, the New River's three-team-circuit is simplicity itself. So is the path out of the district and into postseason competition, everybody's goal. Win the regular season title, and you go to regionals. Win the tournament and you go to regionals. Win one of the two tournament games and you go to regionals.
Simplicity itself.
Beyond that, it gets to be more complicated. Supposedly.
Nobody can pronounce with certainty before the season begins who the ultimate winner will be. But we can place an educated bet. This year as with most years, the smart money is on Blacksburg.
Why Blacksburg? Tradition, mostly. Teams that have won four-straight district championships and 32-straight league games, as the Indians have, deserve respect.
This year will be no different, although Christiansburg and Carroll County may also make a substantial case for themselves.
But first, Blacksburg.
The Indians ran the table last year in the district, winning all six games they played in addition to two more in the tournament. Three starters or part-time starters are back including swingman Tony Wheeler, a surefire district player of the year candidate before the first ball has been tossed aloft.
Wheeler may not play that soon, though. A shoulder that has been wrecked for the better part of two years underwent surgery this fall. Only recently was he cleared for light workouts.
``We hope to have him before the first of the year,'' Indians coach Bob Trear said. ``But he's not back yet. He has scar tissue that still needs to heal.''
That isn't the only early-season complication. As of Nov. 26, when it was to entertain Richlands for the Group AA Division 4 Region IV championship, Blacksburg was still playing football. That means guys such a veteran guard Greg Shockley and promising newcomer Jim Reemsnyder might not be around for basketball duties anytime soon.
Nor, for that matter, will Wheeler, who also plays football and has said he planned to be back for the state semifinals next weekend.
When Trear assembles a whole team, it ought to be a formidable outfit. Wheeler, a 6-foot-2 bruiser, can go inside or outside with comparable effectiveness. A year ago, he led the team with 15 points and 10 rebounds per game.
Trent Peterson and Mark Decker are among a core of experienced players. One of the least-tested players at the varsity level, sophomore forward Phillip Klaus, has drawn some attention. Klaus is being touted for his passing and ballhandling skills. Another player off the JV, 6-foot Jon Hutchins, is being expected to score and handle the ball.
``The big question for us will be how we'll do on the boards,'' Trear said. ``But we're faced with that every year. The kids usually come in and do what we ask them to do.''
Over at Christiansburg, the team's marching orders from Gerald Thompson, the coach, are straightforward enough:
``Shoot, shoot, shoot - try to get as many shots as we possibly can,'' he said. ``Uptempo. One pass and shoot. Kentucky style. There's been tremendous competition in practice. But I do know we have some guys who can shoot. We have five or six guys who can stand back there and bust a 3 [point shot]. They're legit. We'll score some points.''
The question is, how many are the Demons going to allow? If the intention is to win shootouts, then people such as point guard Mischa Alexander, forwards Darrell Calloway and Ryan Hubble, and center Donald Thompson are going to have to emerge as threats.
No question, it's a dangerous game the Demons play. Lots of long shots can produce lots of points, or lots of long rebounds and fast breaks going in the opposite direction. As Thompson sees it, there is no alternative except to hold the ball, and that isn't any fun at all.
Fun the Demons will be as long as they keep pouring them in. If they don't, then the only ones having a nice time will be the other team.
Carroll County doesn't have much in the way of experience, but at least it does have some proven scoring in 6-1 Matt Larrowe. A senior, Larrowe started the first three games of the 1993-94 season and averaged 16 points. Then he sustained a stress fracture in his lower leg and missed most of the rest of the season.
Other returning starters include beefy center Anthony Thomas (6-5, 220 pounds) and forward Barry Stockner. Contributions are also expected from new point guard Casey McCreary, shooting guard Kevin Dalton and 6-5 sophomore Jeremy Ogle.
by CNB