Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, December 24, 1994 TAG: 9412290047
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
McNeal (6-foot-2, 190 pounds) was rated one of the top 40 prospects in Florida by SuperPrep magazine before the season. Florida, Miami and Florida State were all linked with McNeal at one point.
UVa has 17 known commitments, including four from North Carolina players who still have other visits to make. They are Ricco McCain from Charlotte; J.J. McQueen from High Point, and twins Wali and Jay Rainer from West Charlotte.
Wali Rainer, rated one of the top 15 prospects in North Carolina by SuperPrep before the season, has a Jan.13 visit to Clemson but is 95-percent certain to sign with Virginia, his father said Friday.
In other sports news in the region:
William Harmon, vice president for student affairs at the University of Virginia, has been named head of a search committee to find a successor for Virginia athletic director Jim Copeland.
The commitee includes women's basketball coach Debbie Ryan and men's and women's swimming coach Mark Bernardino. Ryan is a co-chairman with Jim Candler, former president of the UVa alumni association and Virginia Student Aid Foundation.
A.J. Wood, the leading scorer for UVa's national-championship soccer team, is one of two students on the committee. The other is student council president Terry Gray.
The group also includes former Virginia football players Carl Smith and Bart Farinholt, as well as Earl Dudley, a professor of law who served on the UVa committee in 1991-92 that investigated loans to student athletes.
Craig Littlepage is serving as acting athletic director following the resignation of Copeland, who will become the athletic director at Southern Methodist University on Jan.13.
Dan Wooldridge will continue as coordinator of officiating for the Big East Football Conference, after reaching a two-year agreement with the league. Wooldridge, a Roanoke resident and former football and basketball official, also is commissioner of the Old Dominion Athletic Conference.
``Dan has done an excellent job as our football officiating coordinator,'' said Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese from the league office in Providence, R.I. ``We're very pleased he will continue to work with us in the years to come.''
Wooldridge, 60, has worked for the Big East since 1992, and formerly was supervisor of basketball officiating for the Colonial Athletic Association.
Oak Hill Academy of Mouth of Wilson knocked off the No.1-ranked boys' basketball team in the country late Thursday night to win the Reebok Holiday Prep Classic for the third time.
Ron Mercer, later named most valuable player, scored 20 points to lead seventh-ranked Oak Hill over previously unbeaten Mater Dei High School of Santa Ana, Calif., 55-53.
Rob Williams and Melvin Whitaker joined Mercer on the all-tournament team for Oak Hill, which improved its record to 14-1. Mater Dei, which led 31-26 at the half, fell to 12-1.
by CNB