ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, June 30, 1996 TAG: 9607010130
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-9 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
THE RADFORD COACH has gotten recruits from as far away as Texas and New Hampshire in trying to put together a winning team.
Luby Lichonczak has been to Contoocook, N.H., and he can tell you, it's not nearly as isolated as Rutland, S.D.
Lichonczak also has been to Texas, Massachusetts and Michigan in the past two years in putting together one of the most far-flung rosters in women's college basketball.
Lichonczak's latest Radford women's signee is 6-1 Jennifer Grant, a native of Quebec who spent her final year of high school in Waterloo, Iowa.
``I've been lucky to have made some contacts who, when they hear of a prospect who can play at this level, they call me and we pursue it from there,'' said Lichonczak, preparing for his seventh season as the Highlanders' coach.
``The young lady from Michigan and the one from New Hampshire were interested in coming to school in this area and looked at a number of other schools. As your program becomes more and more successful, that happens.''
That isn't to say Lichonczak takes anybody who walks in the door. He doesn't have an unlimited budget, but he makes a point of visiting in person every prospect to whom he offers a scholarship.
He didn't cross the Pacific Ocean to see New Zealand-bred recruits Samantha Gilbert and Nicole Gardiner, but watched each of them play in junior college. The same for 1995-96 center Dede Logemann from Yapavai (Ariz.) Junior College.
``I think some players, when they see that you have other players who have come some distance, they feel comfortable in knowing that those people have been able to adjust,'' Lichonczak said.
``We've played in the NCAA Tournament in Indiana. We've played in Tennessee. We're in the papers. I think girl basketball players look at the [NCAA] brackets just like boy basketball players.''
Lichonczak, who was an infant when his parents immigrated to the United States in 1950, grew up in Detroit. He played basketball and soccer at Idaho and later served as an assistant at Idaho, Ohio State, Old Dominion and Texas A&M.
``Contacts will allow you to take a lot of shortcuts,'' Lichonczak said. ``Very seldom do you want to sign a player you haven't seen play, but it's happened. We do a great job of stretching our budget; it's not as expansive as you might think.''
Lichonczak thinks he has been to every state in the country, but he is careful not to miss the prospects under his nose. The 1995-96 roster included Patti Fisher from Roanoke, Rebecca McNeil from Christiansburg, Kim Cruise from Dublin and Kim Hairston from Bassett.
``We make a very strong effort to look at every potential recruit in the area,'' Lichonczak said. ``Yes, we sign some kids from far away, but we make sure we see the local kids. That's something I'm real committed to.''
Lichonczak recruited mostly home-grown players for Ohio State and Texas A&M and didn't spend much time outside his time zone until he got to Radford. It's made for some interesting travel arrangements.
``I've had some experiences,'' he said. ``I've been on People Airlines, which is pretty much of a glorified bus. But, if you want to compete for championships, if you want to go to the NCAAs, then you've got to take a broad-based approach.''
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