ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, March 24, 1996 TAG: 9603250023
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-11 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: HIGH SCHOOLS
SOURCE: BOB TEITLEBAUM
When Liberty's Gregg Reynolds hit the winning layup against Nansemond River in the Group AA boys' basketball tournament, it was a $9,000 shot.
That's what it was worth to the Virginia High School League.
It meant much more to Liberty. It gave the Minutemen a 59-58 semifinal victory and sent them into the championship game the next day. Liberty beat Lakeland 53-50 to win the state title, but without Reynolds' shot, the Minutemen might not have made the final.
To the sponsoring VHSL, Reynolds' shot was a huge bonus. Last year, when Liberty played in a Group AA semifinal and lost to Nansemond River, the Saturday afternoon paid crowd for the championship game was 2,559 compared with the 4,073 who came to Liberty University for the Group AA final this year.
That's a gain of 1,514 at $6 a ticket, which means the gate this year was worth an extra $9,084. Without Liberty in the final, the crowd would have been no bigger than it was last year, when Northside played in the championship game.
Actually, the Liberty-Lakeland title game was part of a huge draw for the VHSL tournament, which had six doubleheaders in three days. The six sessions had a paid attendance of 21,515 compared with 11,427 last season. It means the VHSL took in $60,000 more in revenue from its second-biggest money-maker behind the football playoffs.
Until recently, the VHSL kept almost no records, so it's hard to tell where this tournament ranks in terms of attendance and revenue. Former executive director Earl Gillespie said in The Leaguer, a VHSL publication, that the 1979 tournament sold out University Hall in Charlottesville twice and attracted more than 30,000 fans. That tournament featured future Virginia star Ralph Sampson playing for Harrisonburg.
Gillespie also ``estimated'' the 1974 and 1976 tournaments, with no Group AAA girls' competition, drew 25,000.
Basically, this was probably the most revenue ever realized by a state tournament, especially taking into account that ticket prices are higher than they were in the 1970s.
The large gate this year appears to signal a rebirth in interest in high school basketball. Finally, the VHSL appears to be making enough money to hire enough staff members to run high school athletics, debate, theater and cheerleading competition the right way.
``This is wonderful,'' said Claudia Dodson, who runs the winter state tournament as a VHSL programs supervisor. ``I like the atmosphere more than anything. It was a positive, upbeat crowd at some wonderful games.''
The VHSL, though, isn't fooling itself into believing the crowds will be this good every year. This was a charmed year in which Liberty, less than 25 miles from Lynchburg, won the Group AA title, and George Washington-Danville, which played in the same district as the Lynchburg public schools and is located less than an hour from Liberty University, won the Group AAA championship.
Also, Hopewell, the other Group AAA finalist, has a basketball following that ranks with the football fans of Salem and Pulaski County. Hopewell fans like to travel with their team.
Helping the gate were semifinal appearances by Roanoke-area schools William Fleming (AAA), Northside (AA) and Glenvar (A). All three schools brought good-sized crowds to their state tournament games.
On Friday night, the Group AAA semifinals drew a paid attendance of 5,989, which was much better than 1,330 for the same round last year. On Saturday, the Group AAA final attracted 5,409 paid, which was much better than 1,477 last year. That shows how well GW-Danville, Hopewell and even Fleming did in making this an unusually big attraction for the Group AAA schools.
BROTHER CAN YOU SPARE A TRANSFER: It's been awhile since Salem had a football transfer, but the Spartans have two for the fall in running back-defensive back Alex Dickson and his brother, wide receiver-defensive back Anthony Dickson. They played this past year at Roanoke Catholic.
The Dicksons, who are out for track this spring at Salem, simply are going to the public school in the zone where their family lives.
Alex Dickson, who will be a senior in the fall, is the better-known of the two. Playing football for the first time last season as a junior, he scored on a 28-yard touchdown run on his first carry as a high school player. He also was Catholic's fourth-leading scorer in basketball, with 120 points in 15 games.
CAPITAL IDEA: Apparently, Pulaski County has completed its football schedule with the addition of H.D. Woodson of Washington, D.C. The Cougars will meet another Washington school, Anacostia, and Woodson back-to-back in the fifth and sixth games of the year, respectively. It means Anacostia, usually Pulaski County's opener, will be tougher because it will have more practice time than before past meetings.
By the way, Pulaski County didn't drop E.C. Glass as was reported here last week. The longtime series, one of the state's best, was not renewed because of a scheduling conflict that could not be resolved.
NEW FORMAT: According to a reliable source who declined to be identified, Region IV will propose that all state tournament basketball games be played at one site, moving the quarterfinals from scattered neutral sites.
While most states go with this format, the principals in Virginia had not considered it because of the time it would mean away from the classroom for the players. The Region IV proposal is not expected to pass.
DOUBLING UP: The successful merger of Bland and Rocky Gap in football as the Bland County Bears will continue in the fall.
The VHSL's executive committee also has approved a request by Buchanan County schools Council and Whitewood to form one football team from the two schools in the Black Diamond District. The difference is that both schools already had football teams, while neither Bland nor Rocky Gap played football before joining forces for the 1992 season.
In four years, Bland County has gone 21-23, but the record has improved each fall and the Bears have been in the playoffs the past two seasons.
ON PARADE: On Tuesday, the Liberty boys' basketball team, coach Mark Hanks and the Minutemen's cheerleaders will be grand marshals of the Parade of Champions in Bedford. Participating in the parade will be other Liberty sports teams and competitive academic groups, including computer and Odyssey of the Mind teams.
The parade starts at 6 p.m. at Bedford Middle School and ends at city hall.
LENGTH: Long : 112 linesby CNB