ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, November 8, 1996 TAG: 9611080070
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DANIEL UTHMAN STAFF WRITER
THE MAROONS don't have to campaign to get the coaches' vote in preseason men's basketball balloting.
There may be company near the top of the Old Dominion Athletic Conference preseason men's basketball coaches' poll, but there is no comfort.
Roanoke College, the 1996 conference champion, was named the favorite on eight of 10 ballots during the ODAC's media day activities Thursday at the Salem Civic Center. Bridgewater was the second choice, although coach Bill Leatherman said, ``I just don't see it right now.'' Virginia Wesleyan was picked to finish third.
Roanoke's Page Moir has his top seven scorers back from last season's team, which reached the round of 16 in the NCAA Division III Tournament, and said he also is pleased with the play of his freshmen - particularly 6-foot-6 center Ramsey Hathaway and 6-5 forward Tom Detloff. But Moir also shied away from the praise his coaching peers showered on him throughout their luncheon.
``We're no shoo-in,'' he said. ``We won three ODAC tournament games by seven points last season.''
Washington and Lee coach Kevin Moore, whose young Generals were picked to finish last, said the Maroons should live up to their billing. ``They're a Sweet 16 or better team,'' he said.
Moore wants the Generals to improve on last season's 3-21 record. They'll have to do that with a roster that includes nine freshmen. The best should be 6-6 forward Rich Peterson, a true post player who is close to earning a spot in the starting five.
SENIOR CITIZEN: Swingman Otis Tucker III, a second-team All-ODAC pick the past two seasons for Lynchburg, is older than all but two of the league's assistant coaches. Tucker, 27, spent four years in the U.S. Army, along with his wife, Melanie, before enrolling at Lynchburg.
Only Guilford assistant Buzz Dunning and Roanoke assistant Garland Berry are older than Tucker.
PLUG HIM IN: Hampden-Sydney has an intriguing addition to its team this season. Forward Carlos Holland, a Franklin County High School alumnus, has transferred from Virginia Union, where he did not play basketball.
Holland's 6-1, 240-pound build may be better suited to football, but he has rebounded well whenever he's wanted to, coach Tony Shaver said. Shaver is just trying to figure out the best way to utilize his unusual prospect. ``That's the $10,000 question,'' Shaver said.
ROUGH BEGINNING: Jack Jensen, Guilford's head coach, left his office in Greensboro, N.C., on Thursday morning for the trip to Salem, but cut his head on a door frame when he entered his car. He went to a hospital to get the wound dressed and missed the luncheon.
LOCAL FLAVOR: There are 17 former Timesland players on ODAC men's basketball rosters. Emory & Henry has the most representatives, with four: Jason Light from Floyd County High School, Justin Porterfield from Northside, Donald Childress from William Byrd and Bryan Monroe from Salem.
LENGTH: Medium: 60 lines ILLUSTRATION: GRAPHIC: chart - ODAC Basketball STAFF KEYWORDS: MGRby CNB