ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, December 8, 1996 TAG: 9612100031
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG
SOURCE: RANDY KING STAFF WRITER
A FORMER STARTER comes off the bench to help Virginia Tech beat Coastal Carolina 63-45.
Call off the search party. Forget the all-points bulletin.
There has been a Myron Guillory sighting.
Missing in action for most of Virginia Tech's first four games, Guillory stepped out of the closet Saturday afternoon, scoring a career-high 18 points as the Hokies downed pesky Coastal Carolina 63-45 at Cassell Coliseum.
Coming off the bench after opening the season as Tech's starter at shooting guard, Guillory scored nine points in a decisive 19-2 run midway in the second half that enabled the Hokies (3-2) to shake the stubborn Big South Conference visitors in front of a crowd of 5,281.
"Believe me, it's nice to contribute,'' said Guillory. "I haven't felt good about the way I've been playing.
"Personally, it hurts a little [not starting], but I know I didn't play well in Hawaii. I think from the coach's standpoint, that's something he needed to do. I understand it and I appreciate it. It's really got me focused now.''
It was a pretty sight to Bill Foster. The Tech coach had been sold on Guillory in preseason, calling the junior "the club's best outside shooter.''
But Guillory didn't exactly follow Foster's script when he opened the season by missing 17 of his first 22 shots, not to mention getting burned on the defensive end.
Guillory finally stepped up and delivered Saturday. He hit five of seven shots, including three of four 3-point attempts.
"Myron was great off the bench,'' Foster said. "I'm guessing he'll grade out pretty good from this film.''
Tech star Ace Custis, who led the Hokies with 21 points and 10 rebounds, said Guillory came back by not burying his head when he was yanked from the starting lineup before the East Tennessee State game.
"That takes a lot out of a man, not seeing his name up on the board,'' Custis said. "But Myron hung in there and stepped it up today.''
Surprisingly, the Hokies needed all the help they could get against the Chanticleers (1-5). Tech was awful on both ends of the court the first 15 minutes and trailed 23-18 to a club it beat by 44 last season.
Thanks to three late baskets by junior forward Shawn Browne, Tech led 28-25 at halftime. The 6-6 Browne finished with a career-high eight points and seven rebounds in his first college start.
"I found out I was starting when we came in [the locker room] before going out on the court,'' Browne said.
"I was real excited. I didn't expect to do that well offensively; I just wanted to focus on defense. Then it seemed like the baskets starting coming when we really needed it. For 15 minutes, it could get no worse for us.''
Custis said the guy the Hokies call "Smoke'' should be credited with a rescue.
``Smoke proved to be the difference in the first half,'' Custis said. "He kept a lot of offensive rebounds alive, he hit open shots and kept us in the game.''
After Greg Smith's 3-pointer put Coastal ahead 34-33 with 13:54 left, Tech went to work. Sparked by Guillory, the Hokies scored 19 of the game's next 21 points to go up 52-36 with 5:33 left. During Tech's run, the Chants went 6:57 without scoring.
"That was the game right there,'' said Coastal coach Michael Hopkins, whose club hit just seven of 30 shots (23.3 percent) in the second half and was 16-for-54 (29.6) from the field for the game.
"We wanted to be around at the end. In the last five or six minutes, and we're the underdog, that's how upsets occur.''
Foster, juggling to find chemistry after losing four starters, realizes nothing will come easy this season.
"It ain't going to be pretty,'' he said. "It's going to be an adventure most every night out.''
LENGTH: Medium: 80 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: GENE DALTON Staff. Virginia Tech's Troy Manns (right)by CNBsteals a pass intended for Coastal Carolina's Brandon Smith during
the second half of their game at Cassell Coliseum on Saturday.
NOTE: Please see microfilm for scores. KEYWORDS: BASKETBALL