ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, March 7, 1996 TAG: 9603070028
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
Virginia basketball recruit Melvin Whitaker, who moved to Charlottesville to avoid negative influences in his hometown of Garner, N.C., has not escaped trouble in his adopted home.
Whitaker, who had not enrolled in school, was arrested Tuesday night and charged with malicious wounding, a felony for which the minimum punishment is five years' imprisonment.
Whitaker was released on a $10,000 personal recognizance bond following a hearing Wednesday. Conditions were daily contact with Offender Aid and Restoration and a 10:30 p.m. curfew.
The court appointed lawyer Lloyd Snook to represent Whitaker.
University Police reportedly received a call around 5:45 p.m. concerning an assault on a UVa student at the Slaughter Recreation Center, an intramural facility on the school grounds. Whitaker was apprehended by school police around 9:30 p.m.
``Whitaker allegedly struck the student in the face, resulting in a cut to the left cheek,'' a news release distributed by University Police read.
T.D. Layman, crime prevention officer for University Police, confirmed Whitaker was charged with striking Maurice Anderson, a freshman on the Cavaliers football team.
``The victim stated that he observed a shiny object,'' Layman said. ``The statement doesn't say where it was or what it was.''
The statement said Whitaker and Anderson had been involved in an altercation during a pick-up basketball game and that Anderson thought everything had been settled. He extended his hand, at which point Anderson said Whitaker struck him.
Anderson was treated at University Hospital and released.
``There has been no pattern of this,'' said Jeff Jones, Virginia's coach. ``At this point, we're concerned for both Melvin and Maurice and worried about their well-being. It's disturbing.''
Whitaker, who began the school year at Hargrave Military Academy in Chatham, signed a letter of intent with Virginia in November and did not return to Hargrave after meeting NCAA academic guidelines in December.
Although he could not enroll for the second semester, Whitaker was planning to participate in UVa's Summer Transition program and begin classes in the fall.
Whitaker moved to Charlottesville in February and had a job in the city. Sources said he had stopped by the basketball office as recently as Monday.
``We didn't know where he was minute by minute,'' Jones added, ``but we were staying in touch with him.''
Whitaker, who originally signed with Virginia in May 1995, had struggled academically and was unable to go directly to UVa following his graduation from Oak Hill Academy in Grayson County.
Whitaker's arrest comes less than three weeks after UVa basketball players Scott Johnson and Darryl Presley, both freshmen, were charged with petty larceny as the result of an incident at a Charlottesville department store.
Johnson and Presley face a hearing March 20, the same day Whitaker is due in court.
Jones, preparing his team for an ACC tournament game Friday against Wake Forest, said he wouldn't speculate on what effect Whitaker's arrest might have on his UVa basketball future.
``I'm kind of at a loss,'' Jones said. ``There are a lot of questions - unanswered questions - concerning everything.''
Whitaker, a 6-foot-10, 225-pounder, was the 25th-ranked prospect among seniors coming out of high school last year and was expected to make an immediate contribution for the Cavaliers.
It was the hope of Jones and his staff that Whitaker would finish the year at Hargrave.
``I'd hoped he would finish the year at Hargrave,'' said Jack Blackburn, UVa's dean of admissions.
Blackburn, upon reviewing Whitaker's transcript, gave the coaches permission to recruit him. It's the same process that all prospects undergo. However, acceptances do not become official until they are mailed sometime before April 1.
When he has rejected a student-athlete he previously has approved, Blackburn said, academics invariably have been the reason.
``Our application talks about character,'' Blackburn said, ``but, we do not ask the question, `Do you have a criminal record?' For one thing, many of our applicants are not yet 18 and their records would be private.
``We'll see what happens. Of course, you're innocent until proven guilty, but this incident will be a consideration in our evaluation.''
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