Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, February 10, 1995                   TAG: 9502100048
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV-14   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: RAY COX
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

HERE'S ONE ALL-STAR GAME THAT YOU'LL NEVER SEE

To be sure, there are some compelling stories ongoing, such as the Christiansburg revival, the Pulaski County iron man six, and the trials and tribulations of Giles, Auburn, Narrows, Floyd County, and certainly Shawsville.

But nothing to really send the blood pressure spiraling dangerously upward.

Of course, this ought to change fairly soon. The tournaments start in a couple of weeks, and those noisy affairs seem to transform selected ones of us much in the same manner as a full moon acts on residents of certain obscure regions of Transylvania.

Meanwhile, though, we need something to get things hopping around these frozen and wind-blown parts. The National Basketball Association and Major League baseball hit on a novel solution to the midseason blahs years ago. In the case of baseball, it's the only decent inspiration those rich and greedy knuckleheads have come up with in half a century or so.

What we're discussing is an all-star game. The proposal here is to pilfer the concept from the pros and have our own little local high school all-star game. Choose a nice central location - somewhere in Radford would probably work - and have the10 best players from the New River Valley go at it.

Nobody needs to be told that such a brilliant concept will never fly. The Virginia High School League or the coaches' association or some other windy and heartless body will find a way to nix it.

Just to show you what you'll be missing, here's what this year's game might have looked like:

On one team, you might have Tyrone Hash of Pulaski County at shooting guard and Anthony Myers of Giles at point guard, Terry Millirons of Auburn at power forward, and John Hairston of Christiansburg at small forward, and Tony Wheeler of Blacksburg at center.

Opposing them, you could send out Patrick Bailey of Narrows at shooting guard, Brian Harman of Floyd County at the point, Eric Webb of Pulaski County at power forward, Jon Reed of Auburn at small forward, and Jon Lilly of Pulaski County at center.

Each team could have a couple of reserves (because we anticipate a fast-paced game). Jeremy Nichols of Shawsville (his 91-plus percent free throw accuracy gives him the nod), Norman Perkins of Narrows (10-plus rebounds per game), Darrell Calloway of Christiansburg, and Philip Klaus of Blacksburg.

As for the starters, you got to like Hash because of his ability and athleticism. Versatility is an asset, too, because you could just as easily rotate him inside. Myers is dishing out over six assists per game, so he ought to keep things moving.

As for Millirons, here's a pure scorer who can also get up on the boards. You could play him either facing the basket or with his back to it.

Hairston is another athletic scorer. Although he's better suited to the wing, he could move in and grab some rebounds if needed. Good range, too.

Wheeler is just a tough kid. His size makes him better suited for the inside game, but he can handle the ball and play out front.

On the other team, Eric Webb leads a well-rounded inside-outside attack. Webb has a guard's height (6-foot-1), but a power forward's muscle. That and a soft touch make him hard for a lot of people to guard. Webb's teammate Lilly is a big strong rebounder-defender type.

In Bailey and Reed, you have two guys who have all kinds of range. For somebody who takes as many long shots as Reed does, he is an amazingly accurate. Bailey is a cold-blooded gunslinger in his own right.

Harman can distribute the ball, score when necessary, and shoot free throws. He'll fit in fine with the other four.