Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, March 24, 1995 TAG: 9503240116
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BOB TEITLEBAUM STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The man who made the most famous shot in Virginia Tech's NIT history watched Wednesday as Travis Jackson sent the Hokies to the National Invitation Tournament semifinals.
Bobby Stevens, whose last-second shot enabled Tech to beat Notre Dame 92-91 in overtime at Madison Square Garden for the 1973 NIT title, was reliving his moment of stardom when Jackson's 3-point shot with 1.9 seconds left gave the Hokies a 64-61 victory over New Mexico State in the quarterfinal round at Cassell Coliseum in Blacksburg.
Tech has a chance to repeat that championship 21 years later when it travels to New York on Monday for a semifinal game tentatively set at 7 p.m. against Canisius, an 89-80 winner over Washington State on Thursday.
``It very much brought back memories,'' said Stevens, who is an assistant basketball coach for Winthrop in Rock Hill, S.C. ``I'm glad for [Jackson], because he's a kid who didn't start. I know [Tech coach Bill] Foster wanted to go with a smaller, quicker lineup.
``When Travis came in, he stayed focused. The natural ego is that `I want to start' because it's going to be a packed house and the game is on TV. Or you can take the other approach that `I'm a team player.'''
Travis Jackson, replaced by David Jackson in the starting lineup, entered the game as a reserve and made only 2 of 7 field-goal attempts before hitting the game winner. He was playing at the end because starting center Shawn Smith fouled out with 3:05 left.
``[Travis Jackson] had all his priorities, and he hits the last-second shot. Earlier, he had thrown in a couple of jumpers, but he struggled. He kept his composure when he tripped through the lane [midway of the first half] and hit a shot that people thought was lucky. He kept battling even when he was out of sync.
``I got excited for him. I could relate to the scenario of a last-second shot and the jubilation that followed. We didn't have a whole student body [at New York], but we had a packed house.''
Stevens' shot climaxed a four-game run in which the Hokies beat four teams by a total of five points.
``Travis' shot brought back other memories in that it might mean this team is destined to win another NIT,'' Stevens said. ``They showed last night they could have [and lose] big leads, not get rattled and do things necessary to win.''
Stevens, who played at Ferrum College before transferring to Tech as a junior, said the Hokies' three close losses to Louisville, South Florida and Virginia before Wednesday's victory resembled the 1973 team's play.
``We lost a last-second game at Richmond on a tip at the buzzer that everyone thought came after the buzzer,'' Stevens said. ``This team is starting to jell. There's a bonding taking place. They feel they can win those close games.''
Stevens was an assistant at Virginia Tech under Charlie Moir. When Moir left, he applied for the Hokies' head coaching job, but lost out to Frankie Allen, another of Moir's assistants.
Stevens, who said he has no bitterness about being passed over for the Tech job, was watching the game on television when Jackson nailed the game winner.
``Tech's my alma mater,'' Stevens said. ``I still follow them and see Jimmy Ferguson, the trainer. It's a beautiful school. I'm proud of my degree and the university, where it's heading. I got excited over football and the job Frank Beamer is doing up there.''
TECH NOTES: Tickets for the Hokies' Monday game may be purchased through the Madison Square Garden ticket office by calling 212-307-7171. Visa and MasterCard are accepted and tickets, which cost $24.50 or $19, can be picked up at the MSG window number-5 ... The Tech ticket office will be open from 1 to 5 p.m. this afternoon for tickets to both the Monday and Wednesday sessions. The Tech ticket office number is 1-800-VATECH4. Anyone purchasing tickets from Tech must buy them for both sessions. Tech students can purchase tickets for $10 today at the Cassell Coliseum box office by showing their student ID. ... The Hokies haven't advanced this far in a national tournament since the 1984 team reached the NIT semifinals and lost 78-75 to Michigan. The Hokies came back to win a third-place game against Southwest Louisiana 71-70 ... The Hokies have a 15-5 record in the NIT and are 6-0 in games at Blacksburg.
Keywords:
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by CNB