ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, January 3, 1996 TAG: 9601030059
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: UVA NOTES
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
MELVIN WHITAKER could enroll at Virginia for the second semester, but is more likely to complete the school year at Hargrave Military Academy.
Melvin Whitaker, the recruit on whom Virginia has pinned its big-man hopes for the past two basketball seasons, has met NCAA admissions standards and has begun the process that would enable him to enroll at UVa for the second semester.
However, Whitaker will not be in uniform for the Cavaliers' ACC opener tonight against Florida State and is not likely to play for UVa this season, sources said.
``I could play,'' said Whitaker, a 6-foot-10, 215-pounder from the Raleigh, N.C., suburb of Garner. ``It's tempting, but if the coaches don't want me to, then that's fine with me.
``They're talking about me sitting out. I could redshirt and get stronger, faster and be a student. I wouldn't mind that.''
UVa coach Jeff Jones was unavailable for comment.
Whitaker was rated the No.31 prospect in the country last year, when he averaged 10.4 points and 8.6 rebounds and had 142 blocks for Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson.
Whitaker originally signed with UVa in the spring, but failed to post the required standardized test score for freshman eligibility. He elected to spend an extra year of high school at Hargrave Military Academy in Chatham.
Whitaker said he learned Dec.26 he had scored 910 on the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) - well above the 820 that was required.
``Best Christmas present I got,'' said Whitaker, who signed a second letter of intent with UVa in November.
Scott Shepherd, Hargrave's coach, indicated Whitaker had played his last game for the prep school, but that is not necessarily the case.
``There's still a lot of paperwork involved in me getting into school [at Virginia] for the second semester,'' Whitaker said. ``I could still go to Hargrave.''
That would be fine with Shepherd, whose team was off to a 13-2 start with Whitaker averaging 15 points, 10 rebounds and six blocks.
``He was fun to coach and fun to watch,'' Shepherd said. ``I was really impressed. There are no hard feelings for Melvin or Virginia. I just hope it all works out.''
Insiders say UVa's coaches feel Whitaker would benefit from the discipline and the playing time he would get from another half-season in a military environment, but the strain of 11/2 years at boarding school has taken its toll.
``I came real, real, real, real close to leaving in August,'' Whitaker said. ``I've gone to Oak Hill and Hargrave to prepare myself for college. Now that I've qualified, I don't want to wait any longer.''
FOOTBALL RECRUITING: Adam Westcott, a 6-6, 230-pound tight end, is ready to become the first football player from Texas to sign a letter of intent with Virginia during coach George Welsh's 14-year tenure, but he wouldn't be the first athlete from Texas - or even his school - to play for UVa.
Westcott was an All-Greater Houston selection this year for McCullough High School, the alma mater of one-time Virginia basketball recruit Lance Blanks. Senior wide receiver Patrick Jeffers is a Texas native who walked on with the Cavaliers.
In the mid-1980s, the UVa football staff thought it had a commitment from offensive lineman Steve Wisniewski from Houston, but Wisniewski reneged and went to Penn State.
Westcott was rated among the top 35 prospects in Texas before the season by SuperPrep magazine. SuperPrep editor Allen Wallace said Tuesday that Westcott was a postseason All-America candidate based on visits he had scheduled to UVa, Georgia Tech, LSU, Oklahoma and Notre Dame.
Westcott, who lived in Louisiana for 13 years, said his final two choices were Virginia and LSU. One of the selling points was an assurance he would be allowed to play tight end. Ben Westcott, his older brother, is a 6-7, 280-pound tight end for Rice.
ARENA GONE? The Major League Soccer franchise in Washington, D.C., has called a news conference today at which it is expected to name Bruce Arena as its first head coach.
Arena, who directed Virginia to four consecutive NCAA Division I championships from 1991-94, had been selected to coach the under-23 national team that will represent the United States at the Olympics in Atlanta.
Virginia athletic director Terry Holland has said he is willing to give Arena a one-year leave of absence. However, the MLS team, known as D.C. United, may want more than a one-year commitment from its coach.
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