ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, October 31, 1996 TAG: 9610310013
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: COLLEGE NOTEBOOK
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY
North Carolina basketball player Makhtar Ndiaye, who signed with Wake Forest four years ago but never played for the Deacons, may have his ACC debut delayed a little longer.
The Tar Heels have been investigating reports that Ndiaye accepted a plane ticket from adidas representative Sonny Vaccaro, who is involved with a summer all-star camp in Las Vegas.
``He hasn't done anything wrong,'' North Carolina coach Dean Smith said Sunday at the ACC's annual Operation Basketball. ``I feel sorry for him. He couldn't continue at Wake Forest because of what Wake Forest did.''
The NCAA ruled that Ndiaye could not play for Wake Forest because of improper contact between Ndiaye and a translator provided by the school. He subsequently enrolled at Michigan, where he spent 1 1/2 seasons before transferring to UNC.
Ndiaye's status came into question when Vaccaro, who had provided airline tickets to the camp for St. John's standouts Felipe Lopez and Zendon Hamilton, said he had enjoyed a similar relationship with Ndiaye.
In fact, during past summers, when Ndiaye did not return to his native Senegal, he would spend time during the summers with either Vaccaro or the family of Ndiaye's coach at Oak Hill Academy, Steve Smith.
``He couldn't come down to Wake Forest, whom he had signed with, so he lives with Vaccaro for six weeks,'' Dean Smith said. ``I didn't even know that until this year.''
North Carolina might have to declare Ndiaye ineligible and petition the NCAA for reinstatement, but Smith expects the issue to be resolved without great incident.
``I surely do,'' Smith said Sunday. ``I wouldn't want to say anything more, but, my gosh, everybody's looked into it.''
MORE TIGER TROUBLE: Clemson football player Tony Horne, who leads the Tigers in receiving despite missing two of six games, apparently has been lost for the season after being suspended from school for undisclosed reasons.
Horne was suspended from the team after striking another student at a party following the Tigers' game at North Carolina on Aug.31. Before he was reinstated, he was told to stay away from the student in question, Lionel Martin.
Horne told the The State newspaper in Columbia, S.C., that he would appeal the suspension and that Martin had an ax to grind with the football players. Horne, one of nine Clemson players to be arrested since the end of the 1995 season, had 16 receptions in the past three games.
``One of the first things you hear on campus is, `Watch out for football players,''' another wide receiver, Kenya Crooks, said. ``I'm not saying this is everyone. But, people believe stereotypes. They base things off that, instead of getting to know us.''
ELSEWHERE IN THE ACC: Keon Russell, who was at quarterback during the latter stages of Maryland's 22-19 victory over Duke, is a non-scholarship transfer from Division II American International. Brian Cummings, who missed the Duke game with a concussion, is expected to start Saturday at Clemson.
IN THE BIG EAST: Boston College coach Dan Henning isn't happy about the state of the Eagles' defense, so you can imagine how Phil Elmassian is feeling in his first year as defensive coordinator after stops at Virginia Tech (twice), Virginia and Washington.
``I have overall concern about not being able to put together a defensive scheme and the people to run it in the past 20 games at Boston College,'' said Henning, who has watched the Eagles give up 34 or more points in four games, one of them a win over Navy. ``We can't win on a regular basis with that going on.''
* West Virginia assistant coach coach Desmond Robinson said he considered using Curtis Keaton at running back Saturday night against Miami until he realized that Keaton, the Mountaineers' No.3 tailback last season as a true freshman, was not in uniform.
Keaton was expected to challenge for the starting job this year until he was sidelined by meningitis. Starter Amos Zereoue missed Saturday's game with a sprained toe (he should play this week) and Khari Mott and Alvin Swoope were both injured for a time.
WOMEN'S HOOPS: UVa has received a pair of women's basketball commitments, one from 5-7 Erin Stovall from Irvine, Calif., rated the No.15 prospect in the nation by the Blue Star Report. The Cavaliers other recruit is Deanna Mitchelson, a 6-2 Hawaiian.
NON-REVENUE: Virginia Tech men's tennis player Oliver Mayo, a senior from Canberra, Australia, has moved up to No.24 in the Rolex collegiate rankings after ending the 1995-96 season 49th. Tech sophomore Aaron Marchetti, is 75th.
* Virginia lacrosse player Henry Oakey, the son of former Roanoker Ted Oakey, required reconstructive knee surgery after he was injured in a summer-league game and may miss the 1997 season.
LENGTH: Medium: 88 linesby CNB