ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, March 8, 1996 TAG: 9603080082
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: GREENSBORO, N.C.
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
Even in his absence, North Carolina coach Dean Smith was the talk of the ACC tournament Thursday.
Smith fired the first salvo, however, when he held a news conference Wednesday in Chapel Hill and complained about Duke's fans.
Specifically, Smith was upset the Duke fans serenaded Carolina guard Jeff McInnis with chants of an obscenity Sunday during the Tar Heels' 84-78 victory in Durham.
``Our crowd reacted to what it perceived to be unsportsmanlike play [by McInnis] out on the floor,'' said Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, after the Blue Devils' practice at the Greensboro Coliseum.
``If I made a comment every time I walked off the floor and somebody said something bad to me, I'd have something to say after every game. I've heard more adjectives to go with `Polack' than you could ever imagine.
``You become immune to that kind of stuff unless you're trying to divert the officials or trying to get an edge. I think [Smith's] comments were [intended] to get an edge, because they certainly came out of nowhere.''
Krzyzewski also was disturbed to hear Smith felt official Steve Gordon was ``stalking'' McInnis before citing him for a second technical foul.
``I think it's bad when you start saying an official is stalking somebody or following somebody around, because that puts pressure on the official not to do anything,'' Krzyzewski said. ``I think it's uncalled for. I don't like that.''
Another Smith diatribe concerned the message he feels the ACC sends to teen-agers by running beer commercials on its network. Smith said he does not allow beer commercials on his coach's show.
``As far as those beer commercials, if you're setting a precedent, you ought to take care of your own network,'' Krzyzewski said. ``On the Tar Heel Network, they have beer commercials.''
Krzyzewski said he wished the coaches could have aired their concerns behind closed doors, but said he was merely following Smith's lead with his candor Thursday.
``I would think we're communicating through the media since I didn't hear from anybody,'' Krzyzewski said. ``I have nothing against Dean. Dean and I have been pretty good friends.
``I don't like some of the things that people do sometimes and I tell them. They don't like everything I do and I tell them.
``I usually don't say anything about anybody,'' Krzyzewski said, ``but what are our fans going to think? I'm sticking up for them. We came off a 13-18 year and they camped out three weeks for tickets.
``Hey, look, I'm not creating anything. What I'm saying is, those remarks were uncalled for. There must be a hidden meaning, [but] in my 16 years [as Duke's coach], there's never been a hidden meaning.''
The buzz around the Greensboro Coliseum, even before Duke practiced, was that Krzyzewski had an answer for Smith. The Tar Heels traditionally do not practice at the tournament site.
``I don't care if you write about it,'' Krzyzewski said. ``I'm not looking for exposure. Believe me, I'm not looking for an edge. I'm just trying to beat Maryland.
``Talking about this doesn't help me beat Maryland. It's just something that gets me beyond [North Carolina], so I can concentrate on Maryland. I've got to pay you guys 50 bucks apiece for psychiatric time.''
LENGTH: Medium: 69 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: AP Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski isn't happy with Northby CNBCarolina coach Dean Smith's comments Wednesday about the Blue
Devils' fans or his complaints about officiating. color KEYWORDS: BASKETBALL