Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, December 22, 1994 TAG: 9412220083
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
The Stanford traveling party had just concluded a tour of the White House on Tuesday morning when shots rang out and players and coaches were ordered to their knees by the U.S. Park Police.
``We were taking pictures and having a good time,'' sports information director Bob Vazquez said, ``and then we heard this commotion. There was a guy on the sidewalk holding an object, and, all of a sudden, he was surrounded by three officers holding guns.
``We were telling ourselves, ``Oh, my gosh, this can't be happening.' At no point were we scared or did we think we were in danger. The officers kept saying, `Drop it.' Then, we heard two shots. When they yelled at us to get down, nobody asked why.
``We were about 300 feet away, inside the gates of the White House lawn. But, everybody treated it as a serious matter. We were with a larger tourist group and one woman was crying and obviously shaken.''
The incident took place around 9:30 a.m., and the players were able to make their next scheduled stop at the FBI, although there were innumerable interview requests. The suspect, Marcelino Corniel, was shot twice and died Wednesday night.
``I couldn't speculate on why they shot him,'' Vazquez said. ``We could see everything, but we couldn't hear much. It did seem that he was given every opportunity to drop his weapon.''
President Clinton was in the White House, although he could not meet with the team. Coach Mike Montgomery actually had investigated the possibility of Clinton jogging with the Stanford coaching staff.
``We're certainly not going to forget this,'' Vazquez said. ``You see these things on TV and we knew what had happened Saturday [when shots were fired at the White House], but never would you think you'd be this close.''
UVA GETS BIGGIE: All-state offensive tackle Evan Hunt, a 6-foot-7, 295-pounder from Group AA state champion Spotsylvania, has given an oral commitment to Virginia. Hunt took back-to-back visits to Duke and UVa last week.
``Both schools were equal going into the visits,'' said Hunt, who turned down trips to UCLA, Florida and North Carolina. ``I felt more at home at Virginia, which is only natural because it's just over an hour from my home. Also, Virginia offered me the day I got out of school [in June]. That got my attention quickly.''
UVa also received a commitment from one of its top running-back targets, Anthony Southern, a 6-1, 195-pounder from Fork Union Military Academy. Southern, who picked the Cavaliers over North Carolina State, is a Whiteville, N.C., product who has been timed in 4.43 seconds for 40 yards.
The Cavaliers have commitments from at least 12 players, including 6-5, 225-pound Casey Crawford, a tight end and defensive end from Bishop O'Connell in Arlington. Another five Virginia targets, four from North Carolina, have one or more visits remaining but have told UVa they are coming.
Former All-Group AAA quarterback Shannon Taylor said Wednesday he will take visits to Tennessee, Virginia Tech and Virginia on successive weekends in January. Taylor, who committed to UVa as a senior at Patrick Henry, injured his shoulder this fall at Fork Union and missed half the season.
BOWL TRIVIA: South Carolina, which meets West Virginia in the Carquest Bowl, has an 0-8 record in postseason play. No other Division I-A team has lost more than four bowl games without a victory. ... Wisconsin, which plays Duke in the Hall of Fame Bowl, sold 23,000 tickets by Dec. 1.
HODGE WON'T SUFFER: Reconstructive knee surgery won't cost former Laurel Park basketball star Odell Hodge a year's eligibility at Old Dominion. Hodge, the 1993-94 Colonial Athletic Association player of the year, is eligible for a hardship year after playing in only four games.
IN THE ACC: There is precedence for North Carolina forward Pat Sullivan to receive a sixth season of basketball eligibility after undergoing disc surgery Dec. 8; however, coach Dean Smith is eager to have Sullivan rejoin a team with nine recruited scholarship players.
TRANSFER TALK: Greg Simpson, a two-time Mr. Basketball in Ohio, reportedly has made an oral commitment to West Virginia after leaving Ohio State. Simpson, a 6-1 point guard, averaged 11.1 points for the Buckeyes last season but later was suspended by coach Randy Ayers for disciplinary reasons.
PRICE IS RIGHT: Tic Price, named interim basketball coach at New Orleans when former boss Tommy Joe Eagles suffered a fatal heart attack, has been given a contract extension through the 1997-98 season.
Price played at Virginia Tech and was an assistant at Tech and Old Dominion before joining Eagles last year at Auburn. Price will have a $90,000 base salary, a $20,000 broadcast fee and a bonus if the Privateers get a postseason bid.
HULL TO MAT: Washington and Lee football standout Robert Hull, a Division III All-American at defensive tackle, has joined the Generals' wrestling team for the first time.
Hull, who won a state championship as a heavyweight at Lexington High School, played lacrosse in his first two seasons at W&L. He won three matches at the Lebanon Valley (Pa.) Invitational in his season's debut.
NON-REVENUE: Former state junior champion Chip Glover from Fort Defiance High School has signed a letter-of-intent to play golf for Virginia Tech. Glover, considered the top prospect in the state, picked the Hokies over Virginia.
The departure of Virginia Tech assistant football coach Gary Tranquill for Michigan State has sent Radford's gymnastics team looking for a new choreographer to replace Tranquill's wife, Shirley, who held that post.
by CNB