ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, March 1, 1996 TAG: 9603010028
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-4 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: RIVERDAWGS NOTES
SOURCE: DANIEL UTHMAN STAFF WRITER
Last fall, during his first semester at Duke, Jay Heaps was a soccer player. This winter, he's a walk-on point guard for the Blue Devils. By summertime, he'll be a Roanoke RiverDawg.
Heaps, a midfielder, is one of six players who this week committed to play for the United Systems of Independent Soccer Leagues (USISL) franchise. He was the second-leading scorer last season for Duke's NCAA runner-up team and was named the ACC's freshman of the year.
``He's going to be a player down the line, probably in MLS,'' the new U.S. pro league starting in April, said Phil Benne, the RiverDawgs' director of player personnel. ``You can't ask for much more than that.''
Roanoke also has received commitments from two of Heaps' teammates, junior midfielder Michael Dunne (sixth among the Blue Devils in scoring) and sophomore forward Andy Kwon (fourth). As a freshman in 1993, Dunne picked up the first assist of his career against Roanoke College.
The other three players who have committed to the RiverDawgs played last season at South Carolina: junior goalie John Mills (rated among the top 11 goalkeepers in the nation by Soccer News), sophomore midfielder and third-leading scorer David Tart and junior defender Jeff Wilson. Benne said all six definitely will make Roanoke's 24-man roster.
The RiverDawgs previously landed Jeff Knittel, a Syracuse freshman forward and former Parade All-American.
``We're going to have depth,'' Benne said. ``The top 11 won't be secure like in the past. They'll know there's somebody behind them.''
Heaps was playing frequent pickup games with members of the Duke men's basketball team when injuries led coach Mike Krzyzewski to invite him to join the squad in early February. His hoops highlight so far has been an assist late in the Blue Devils' 85-66 victory over UCLA on Sunday. But his place is the soccer field, where he had 15 goals and nine assists as a freshman.
``You never can expect a freshman to make the impact he made,'' said Dave Smyth, a Duke assistant soccer coach. Smyth added that with the expansion of the USISL, he and head coach John Rennie thought the league's amateur division would benefit their players and, in the fall, their team.
``We want them to be practicing and playing year-round,'' Smyth said. ``In the past, they would go back to their hometowns. With [USISL] expansion, it's an opportunity to play in a very competitive environment.''
The RiverDawgs will have a number of local players on their roster, including Tait Duus (Cave Spring High School), former Roanoke College All-Americans Grayson Prillaman, Dustin Fonder and Aaron Ewert and Eduardo Wissar (Radford University). Benne still is trying to reach agreements with 1995 team members Byron Mitchell and Radford standout Ian Spooner.
PLAY TIME: The RiverDawgs have finalized their 1996 USISL schedule. It includes home games against Select Division foes the Hampton Roads Mariners, Richmond Kickers and Carolina Dynamo. All home games are at Cave Spring Junior High School. All start at 7:30 p.m., except the June 30 matchup with the Philadelphia Freedom, which starts at 2 p.m.
The league season begins May 4 against Premier Division rivals the Jackson (Miss.) Chargers. Roanoke will play a non-league game April 27 against a club team from Chapel Hill, N.C.
'DAWG BITES: Roanoke will hold invitational tryouts March 30-31. For the RiverDawgs to qualify as an amateur team, at least three of their 24 roster spots must be filled by under-19 players. ... Patrick Henry High School coach Ed McMichael this week is expected to sign on for a second season as the RiverDawgs' coach. ... Roanoke has begun looking for a corporate sponsor for the upcoming season.
LENGTH: Medium: 68 linesby CNB