ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, March 2, 1996 TAG: 9603030001
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DANIEL UTHMAN STAFF WRITER
THE NORTHSIDE HIGH SCHOOL graduate is as easygoing off the court as he is talkative on it.
Fans see the tangled, uncombed hair on his head and think Nathan Hungate's brain is the same way.
They wonder about the strange and funny look of his eyes and figure there must be something sinister about his ever-present grin. ``He's definitely a little different,'' said Hampden-Sydney guard Ryan Odom.
But it's the other basketball teams' fans, not Hungate, who act differently when he's on the court for Roanoke College. Normally sane men of the Roanoke Valley utter but one word in his presence, a nasally, lispy version of his name: ``Nayy-than!!!''
They ride him and rib him incessantly. Sometimes it's warranted. In the first round of the Old Dominion Athletic Conference tournament two weeks ago, Eastern Mennonite freshman Matt Yoder missed two free throws that could have sealed a victory. Roanoke won the game on a jumper with four-tenths of a second on the clock.
Hungate was in street clothes recovering from the flu, but he lined up to shake hands after the game. When Hungate got to Yoder, he gave him his hand and these words: ``Nice foul shooting.''
``He's ruthless,'' said teammate and friend Jason Bishop.
``Sometimes my emotions get to me on the court,'' said Hungate. ``It's not really that bad.''
Hungate is different from your average basketball babbler. He never raises his arms or voice. If you're not on the court, the only way to find out what he's telling the other guy is by reading lips. ``He means it all in good fun,'' said Roanoke coach Page Moir. ``He's such a good-natured kid. He never gets too down.''
At least not anymore. His freshman year as a Maroon wasn't nearly as pleasant as the current season, in which he's averaged more than 10 points per game and has moved into fifth place on the Roanoke single-season assist list with 146.
Following his graduation from Northside High School in 1994, Hungate, a former first-team all-Group AA selection, enrolled at Roanoke and was content on being the little man on campus. Moir says the point guard was hesitant to take control on the court because he lacked seniority and didn't feel it was his time.
He let himself get down in the 1994-95 season opener against Augsburg. Moir put him in the lineup, but members of the Pi Kappa Phi fraternity were yelling for their brother, Courtney Fitch, to be put in the game instead. With their welps and wishes blowing around in his head, Hungate dribbled the ball off his foot and shot an air ball on a 3-point attempt. ``He had a terrible experience,'' Moir said.
The next day Hungate visited Moir's office and said, ``Coach, I don't know if I can play much varsity for you this year.''
Moir fired back, ``Look, is that the way you're going to respond to adversity? This is a chance to show what you're made of. Don't worry about [the Pi Kaps].
``He was about ready to give it all up,'' Moir said. ``The next day against Ferrum, he played in a way that suited his style. The rest is history.''
Now the Maroons, the Pi Kaps, and even those mad ODAC fans can't get enough of him. It wasn't a coincidence that when Moir took him out of Thursday night's NCAA first-round game with 7:34 left in the first half, Roanoke had a turnover and Shenandoah scored two quick baskets and made a steal. That Hungate is so irreplaceable on a very deep team says a lot. Should Hungate get into foul trouble or be injured in tonight's second-round matchup with Hendrix (Ark.), the Maroons' chances for victory could plummet.
``We need Nathan to be in the game to be good,'' Moir said.
Moir added that the Hungate he's watched this season reminds him of the leader he saw on the court at Northside. He's certainly not timid. But Hungate said lately he's tried to keep his lips sealed, or at least make his teammates the only objects of his court conversations.
``I try not to talk as much as people think I do,'' he said. ``My game does a lot of the talking.''
'NOKE NOTES: If Roanoke reaches the final eight of the NCAA tournament, Moir would pass his father, Charlie, on the all-time Roanoke College victory list. Charlie won 133 games in six seasons, while Page has won 131 in seven. attempted (41-of-56) and 3-point percentage (65.0). ... Game time tonight is 7:30. Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for students and senior citizens. Roanoke College students are admitted free with a valid identification.
LENGTH: Medium: 87 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: DON PETERSEN/Staff. Roanoke College basketball coachby CNBPage Moir said of Nathan Hungate: ``We need Nathan to be in the game
to be good.'' color