ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, November 22, 1996 TAG: 9611220033
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-7 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RAY COX STAFF WRITER
RADFORD SHOULD BATTLE Liberty for supremacy in the Big South Conference.
Radford University and Liberty University have enjoyed (or suffered through, depending on what the scoreboard may happen to read) a spirited men's basketball rivalry.
That rivalry may be taking on a new dimension this season.
Big South Conference soothsayers have overwhelmingly installed the Flames as the league favorite. Radford, these wise men figure, is the choice for second.
Flattered but ever cautious, Liberty coach Jeff Meyer set aside his whistle recently and tried his hand at spin doctoring.
``You talk about us, but what about Radford?'' he said. ``An excellent backcourt, experienced inside players - Radford will be very good.''
Which is what you might expect of a squad that returns 10 of 11 players from a year ago, including versatile guard Anthony Walker, a 6-foot senior who has done a little bit of everything since starting as a freshman.
Radford also has fond hopes for an inside game built on the collective back of 6-foot-6 muscleman Eric Bowens, lean 6-8 forward Kevin Robinson, and 6-9 blade of a forward Eric Parker.
Fond hopes are better than being on the ropes, where the Highlanders seemed to be more often than they wanted to be during the course of a 14-13 1995-96 campaign. Radford won six of its last eight regular season games to finish with an 8-6, fifth-place finish in the conference. Before that, the Highlanders had bottomed out with stretches in which they'd lost five of six and four of five.
``We didn't feel as though we played up to potential last year,'' Radford coach Ron Bradley said.
The potential may be even greater this year, as long as Walker can find a way to shake free from extensive defensive attention. Walker has piled up the statistics, most notably 379 assists (five shy of a school record), 146 steals, 80.4 percent free throw shooting accuracy, and 1,184 points scored in three seasons.
If defenses gang up on Walker, the inside triumvirate of Bowens, Parker, and Robinson should have room to roam. Bowens was good for 11.2 points per game last year and Robinson 9.4 points and a team-high 6.1 rebounds.
Radford will have as much depth inside as it has had in years with 6-9 Jermaine Williams and 6-7 Mike Petin.
In the backcourt, Marquiz Williamson, Leslie Ballard, Corey Reed, and Chibi Johnson are available. Williamson will play a lot of minutes, Ballard was one of the league's top freshmen a year ago and Reed made 52 percent of his 3-point shots last season. Johnson was slowed by injuries last year, but when healthy, he is one of the team's most versatile and athletic players.
This year's freshman class of 6-4 Jon Belt, 6-9 Ryan Charles, and 6-1 Rian Everett are all expected to contribute.
Bradley is looking forward to the flexibility such an athletic lineup will afford him.
``We've had to back off the full court defense that I like to play the past couple of years because we didn't have the players for it,'' he said. ``I don't think we'll have to do that this year.''
The schedule includes games at Georgia Tech, Virginia, Evansville, and East Tennessee State as well as home dates with Virginia Commonwealth, Richmond, Marshall, and VMI. Richmond and Marshall will be two of four televised games for the Highlanders.
Four returning starters from a 17-12 team establish Liberty as the team to beat in the Big South. Peter Aluma, the 6-10 Nigerian, is the circuit's dominant player. He led the league in scoring (18.9 ppg.), blocked shots and field goal percentage.
The Flames are solid in the backcourt with point guard Marcus White and shooting guard Larry Jackson (13.3 ppg), a three-year starter.
``The drawing board calls for tough team defense, improved rebounding, and more efficiency in our offensive game,'' Meyer said.
Elsewhere in the Big South, Charleston Southern and North Carolina-Asheville both have new coaches. Veteran assistant Tom Conrad takes over for Gary Edwards at Charleston Southern and Eddie Biedenbach is the man at UNCA. Biedenbach will welcome transfer Kevin Martin from Ohio State. Martin is expected to have an immediate impact.
RADFORD SCHEDULE
November
24, at Evansville; 26, at Tennessee-Martin; 29, at Georgia Tech.
December
2, Virginia Commonwealth; 5, Richmond; 7, Marshall; 10, VMI; 12, Concord (W.Va.); 21, at Ohio University; 28, at Virginia; 30, at East Tennessee State.
January
4, at Duquesne; 9, North Carolina-Asheville; 11, at Maryland-Baltimore County; 18, North Carolina-Greensboro; 22, Winthrop; 25, Coastal Carolina; 28, Charleston Southern.
February
1, at Liberty; 3, Maryland-Baltimore County; 8, North Carolina-Asheville; 10, Winthrop; 13, at North Carolina-Greensboro; 15, at Charleston Southern; 17, at Coastal Carolina; 22, Liberty; 26-March 1, Big South Conference tournament at Liberty University.
LENGTH: Medium: 96 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: (headshot) Bradleyby CNB