Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, April 3, 1995 TAG: 9504040046
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JACK BOGACZYK STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: SEATTLE LENGTH: Long
So, have sophomore stars Jerry Stackhouse and Rasheed Wallace played their last basketball game in North Carolina blue?
After the Tar Heels' Final Four loss to Arkansas on Saturday night, Stackhouse seemed the more committed of the pair to staying in school.
``Right now, I definitely plan on coming back,'' said Stackhouse, who led Carolina (28-6) in scoring. ``It's not written in stone, and a lot of speculation is going to happen. There's going to have to be some talking done.
``But, the way I feel, I'm definitely planning to come back. My goal in college was to play on a Final Four championship team.''
Wallace, the All-America center whose season ended with a poor second-half performance against the Razorbacks, said his decision on the NBA ``isn't going to be a nail-biter.''
The Tar Heels left Seattle early Sunday morning, and Wallace said he will be back in classes in Chapel Hill today.
``I'm going to think it all over,'' he said. ``I'm going to try to come to a decision as fast as I can. When I do, that will be it. I'm not the kind of person to second-guess myself.''
WIZARD WELCOME: For the first time since his wife, Nell, died a decade ago, UCLA coaching legend John Wooden will attend the Final Four to watch the Bruins play.
Wooden flew home to Los Angeles on Sunday night from an appearance at the McDonald's All-America high school game in St.Louis, and is planning to fly to Seattle today for the UCLA-Arkansas game.
``I've said many times that my biggest thrill in coaching at UCLA is having Coach Wooden come to our games,'' said Jim Harrick, the Bruins' coach. ``We've embraced him. It would be easy to hide from the so-called ghosts of the past, but John Wooden and I are very good friends far beyond what basketball means.''
The Bruins have not won the NCAA title since Wooden retired in 1975. Asked whether he would ask Wooden to address the Bruins before the title game, Harrick answered, ``Maybe.''
``He's the greatest coach of all time,'' said UCLA forward Charles O'Bannon. ``I'd be honored if Coach Wooden would speak to us. He's won 10 national titles, so I'd say he probably knows a little bit about what has to be said before the game.''
DECISIONS: Maybe Harrick hasn't won a national championship at UCLA, but the doubts about his coaching ability have melted during this NCAA Tournament.
What may have been the most crucial possession in the Bruins' Saturday semifinal victory over Oklahoma State came with 2:01 left, after the Cowboys called a timeout.
Eddie Sutton, Oklahoma State's coach, told his team to get the ball inside to 7-foot Bryant Reeves against the Bruins' man-to-man defense.
One problem. Harrick switched UCLA, a team that played strictly man-to-man the previous weekend in the West Regional, to a zone during the timeout.
As the ball was passed inbounds, Reeves looked at Sutton and threw his hands in the air.
``They [the Cowboys] are a very strong man-to-man set offensive team,'' Harrick said. ``It's their whole mentality. Their game is setting screens and running plays. We wanted to change it up.''
Harrick did.
WHO'S THAT?: Was that TCU coach Billy Tubbs grinning in the Kingdome media room before Saturday's semifinals.
No, it was Jack Nicholson. He somehow got a media pass to the Final Four, and sat for about 10 minutes in the working media room before he was ejected by an NCAA official.
Nicholson, Tom Hanks and Kevin Costner were the Oscar winners at Saturday's Final Four games. And on the Oklahoma State bench, coach Eddie Sutton bore a slight resemblance to Gene Hackman in ``Hoosiers.''
CONTRAST: UCLA has attempted 339 shots from beyond the 3-point arc this season. Arkansas has made 351 3-pointers - and attempted 550 more than the Bruins in only six more games.
DRIBBLES: Teams from the Southeastern and Pacific-10 conferences haven't met for an NCAA title since Wooden's last UCLA squad beat Kentucky in San Diego 20 years ago. ... In November, Arkansas began the season as No.1 in the preseason polls. UCLA was No.6. Sandwiched between - in order - were North Carolina, Massachusetts, Kentucky and Arizona. ... Davis Romar, the father of UCLA assistant coach Lorenzo Romar, underwent emergency surgery for an aneurysm Saturday night at Harborview Hospital. The elder Romar was taken from the Kingdome during the second half of the UCLA-Oklahoma State semifinal. Lorenzo Romar was informed of his father's illness after the game. Davis Romar was in stable condition Sunday. ... The game officials tonight will be Ted Valentine, John Cahill and Jim Burr. This is Cahill's first Final Four. Burr, in his sixth consecutive Final Four, and Valentine called last year's title game. ... Arkansas star Corliss Williamson has the opportunity to become the first two-time Most Outstanding Player of a Final Four since UCLA's Bill Walton in 1972 and '73. The only other multiple winners of the award are Jerry Lucas (Ohio State, 1960-61) and Lew Alcindor (UCLA, 1967-69).
by CNB