ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, February 1, 1996 TAG: 9602010082
SECTION: NEIGHBORS PAGE: E-7 EDITION: METRO
TYPE: SPORTS
SOURCE: JOHN A. MONTGOMERY SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES
As native Roanokers, Brooks Berry and Phillip Taylor have long been familiar with Woody Deans and his reputation as a basketball coach.
When Berry and Taylor were in the fourth grade in 1988, Deans guided Patrick Henry High School to its first Group AAA championship. George Lynch, now a forward for the NBA's Los Angeles Lakers, was a star on that Patriots team.
Four years later, Berry and Taylor were in junior high school, and Deans guided Patrick Henry to another state title. Players from that squad included: Troy Manns, now contributing significantly to the program at Virginia Tech; Tim Basham, who starts for East Carolina; and Curtis Staples, who set an ACC record last season for 3-pointers as a freshman at Virginia.
Another four years nearly has passed, and now Berry and Taylor are carrying the baton for the Patriots. Deans has announced this season, his 13th as PH's head coach, will be his last.
A Hollywood script calls for a big finish. Reality may not be as kind.
Heading into this week's schedule, the Patriots' overall record was 8-8. They stood 2-2 in the Roanoke Valley District. Barring a quick fix, the Patriots likely will finish the season right around the .500 mark, perhaps winning a game or two in the district tournament.
But Deans, who has won more than twice as many games as he's lost, is not brooding. Rather, he's singing the praises of Berry and Taylor, two players he feels can play basketball at the college level.
``They're two of my favorite kids,'' Deans said. ``They've both worked relentlessly hard throughout their careers. They always do what you ask them to do. They're two peas in a pod.
``I only feel bad that we've had some really good teams here through the years, and our record the past two years has been off.''
PH went 6-15 during the 1994-95 season.
``For all the hard work we've put in, it's disappointing that it doesn't show in our record,'' Berry said. ``But playing basketball still has been a rewarding experience.''
``I really thought we'd do better than we have,'' Taylor said. ``We seem to have a problem jelling as a team.''
On occasion this season, PH has played impressively, such as a 42-point victory (97-55) over Franklin County on Jan.26. At other times, such as a 74-51 loss to Group AA William Byrd or a 115-73 pasting by George Washington-Danville, the Patriots clearly have been lacking in team chemistry.
Deans maintains that if every player on his roster maintained the attitude of Berry and Taylor, this season's record would be different.
At 6-foot-5, Berry is the tallest player on the PH team, but because he moves so well and handles the ball so fluidly, he shifts between the guard and forward positions.
``I prefer to call myself a swingman,'' Berry said.
At a solid 6-4, 200 pounds, Taylor spends most of his time in the paint, grabbing rebounds and putting up stick-backs.
Berry and Taylor have shown the ability to turn in some impressive numbers. Berry scored 26 points against Pulaski County and grabbed 16 rebounds against Coolidge of Washington, D.C. Taylor's season high in scoring is 18 points, and he has been in double figures in rebounds several times.
``Brooks is leading our team in free-throw percentage, and Phillip makes a high percentage of his shots from inside,'' Deans said.
But partly because Deans has tried so many lineup combinations in search of the right one, neither Berry nor Taylor has a particularly high scoring average (about 12 points per game for Berry, about 10 ppg for Taylor).
Berry has grown ``about 2 inches each summer since my freshman year.'' But the awkwardness that often accompanies rapid growth spurts is conspicuously absent.
``I think that's because I played soccer a lot when I was young,'' Berry said. ``It helped my footwork a lot.''
Berry still plays soccer as a midfielder for PH. Further indication of his versatility is his play as a member of the golf squad, with a low round of 82 in competition.
Taylor has focused solely on basketball since taking it up in the seventh grade.
``I wish I'd started earlier,'' he said. ``I think I could have accomplished more.
``When I was 12 years old - and hadn't played a lick - my grandmother signed me up for a rec league,'' Taylor said. ``I was terrible, probably the worst player on the team. But I worked and that got me where I am today.''
The mastery of fundamentals, and the understanding of the coach's game plan, are what may take Berry and Taylor to the next level in basketball.
``I try to cooperate with whatever [Deans] says,'' Taylor said. ``Whenever the other guys get out of line, I try to make them realize that the coach knows best.''
Deans ``is working hard to carry out a game plan,'' Berry said. ``I tell our players that listening to what he says only gives us a better chance.''
Taylor is strongly considering Bluefield College, while Berry has applied to several schools, including Roanoke College, Hampden-Sydney, William and Mary, Virginia and James Madison.
``Both of them are being recruited by colleges,'' Deans said. ``Both of them can play Division III ball.''
Anyone familiar with Deans' basketball judgment would be hesitant to second-guess the coach.
LENGTH: Long : 101 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: ROGER HART/Staff. 6-5 Brooks Berry (left) and 6-4by CNBPhillip Taylor are the tallest players on this year's Patrick Henry
High team.