ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, March 13, 1996 TAG: 9603140010
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-3 EDITION: METRO
TYPE: COLLEGE BASKETBALL
SOURCE: From Associated Press reports
Marcus Camby came within one vote of being a unanimous selection to The Associated Press All-America basketball team Tuesday, and the Big East became the first conference ever to have three players selected to the first team.
Camby, the 6-foot-11 junior center who drew as much attention this season for collapsing before a game as for what he did on the court, is the first player from Massachusetts to be selected to the first team.
He was joined by Ray Allen of Connecticut, Allen Iverson of Georgetown and Kerry Kittles - all from the Big East - and Wake Forest center Tim Duncan.
Virginia Tech forward Ace Custis was an honorable mention selection.
All but one voter on the 66-member national media panel had Camby on the first team. He received 328 points in the 5-3-1 voting, edging Allen, the junior swingman who had 324.
Iverson, a sophomore guard, received 318 points, four more than Duncan, a junior who plays the more traditional center role than Camby's open-court style. Kittles, the only senior on the first team, had 246.
Duncan and Kittles both ended long droughts for first-team honors for their schools. Wake Forest's last first-team selection was Len Chappell in 1962; for Villanova it was Howard Porter in 1971.
Camby averaged 20.7 points, 8.0 rebounds and 3.8 blocks this season as the Minutemen went 31-1 and held the No.1 ranking for 10 weeks, longer than any other team.
``There are some terrific players around the country but with Marcus I don't have to do any posturing,'' Massachusetts coach John Calipari said Tuesday. ``Other people say he is the best player in the country, I don't have to.''
Camby, an honorable mention All-America selection as a sophomore, collapsed before the St. Bonaventure game in January, missed four games and returned to lead the Minutemen to their fifth straight Atlantic 10 regular-season and tournament championships.
Allen, a 6-5 junior, made the jump from third team to first team by averaging 23.3 points and 6.5 rebounds while leading the Huskies to the Big East regular-season and tournament titles, the former with a league-record 17-1 mark.
The only sophomore on the first team, the 6-1 Iverson was a highlight clip waiting to happen this season for the Hoyas, averaging 24.7 points, 3.8 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 3.5 steals. He was selected the Big East defensive player of the year for the second time and was an honorable mention All-American last season.
The 6-10 Duncan put up consistent numbers as the Demon Deacons became the first team to repeat as Atlantic Coast Conference tournament champions in 14 years. A third-team selection last year as a sophomore, he averaged 19.6 points, 12.3 rebounds and 3.8 blocks this season while playing 37.6 minutes per game.
Kittles, a 6-5 guard who averaged 20.5 points, 7.1 rebounds and 3.5 assists this season, became Villanova's career scoring leader in the opening game of the Big East tournament.
Keith Van Horn of Utah led the second team with 189 points and was joined by Tony Delk of Kentucky, Danny Fortson of Cincinnati, Jacque Vaughn of Kansas and John Wallace of Syracuse.
The third team featured two freshmen - Stephon Marbury of Georgia Tech and Shareef Abdur-Rahim of California - Lorenzen Wright of Memphis, Brian Evans of Indiana and Jason Sasser of Texas Tech.
In other news:
CREMINS TOP DOG: Georgia Tech's Bobby Cremins, whose club finished atop the ACC standings after starting the season 6-7, was named The Associated Press coach of the year in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
The Yellow Jackets (22-11), with the nation's toughest schedule, became the first team in ACC history to win the regular-season title with a .500 or worse non-conference record.
Cremins, who has a record of 296-171 in 15 seasons at Georgia Tech, received 74 of 107 votes cast by members of the Atlantic Coast Sports Writers Association. Clemson's Rick Barnes was second with 17, while Duke's Mike Krzyzewski got 11.
FSU FIRES WOMEN'S COACH: Florida State women's basketball coach Marynell Meadors was fired Tuesday after posting an 8-20 record during the 1995-96 season. Meadors had a 132-152 record in her 10 years as Florida State's head coach.
PRINCETON PICKS COACH: Bill Carmody, a longtime assistant basketball coach at Princeton, will succeed retiring Pete Carril as coach of the Tigers. Carril said he would step down after the NCAA Tournament. Princeton plays UCLA on Thursday in the Southeast Regional.
LENGTH: Medium: 87 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: (headshot) Cremins.by CNB