ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, January 16, 1997 TAG: 9701160025
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: COLLEGE NOTEBOOK
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY
Any school hoping for a chance to sign All-America defensive lineman Tyrone Robertson must be prepared to make concessions.
Ed Martin, who coaches Robertson at George Washington-Danville, said he will urge Robertson to sign with a school that will accept him as a non-qualifier.
There are three of those at the moment - Virginia Tech, Tennessee and Georgia. Virginia has not made a decision and neither has North Carolina, although such a move would be unprecedented for an ACC program.
There is a chance that Robertson will meet NCAA eligibility standards, ``but he needs something he can take to the bank,'' Martin said. ``He needs to cover himself.''
Robertson, a 6-foot-5, 280-pound defensive tackle, already has the minimum required score (820) on the Scholastic Assessment Test. However, he needs to have a 2.5 grade-point average in a core curriculum of college-preparatory courses.
Many conferences make an allowance for partial qualifiers, ``but that's where the misconception is,'' Martin said. ``You can only be a partial qualifier if you don't get the score. It doesn't work the other way, with the grade-point average.
``Here is a kid who has scored 820 on the SAT and done average work in high academic classes. This 2.5 that they require is like a 2.8 or 2.9 for a regular student because a regular student can count [physical education] or band.
``That's why I'm so against the rule. I could give you name after name after name of kids who qualified under the old system whose credentials were not as good as Tyrone's. Plus, grading scales are not constant. At our school, 76 is a `D.' Somewhere else, it might be a `C.'''
Robertson was rated the No. 3 prospect in Virginia by The Roanoke Times and is considered a future NFL player by some observers.
``I don't think there's any question of that,'' Martin said. ``Coach [Phil] Fullmer at Tennessee and Coach [Jim] Donnan at Georgia have both told me Tyrone is the No.1 player on their recruiting lists.''
RECRUITING: Hampton High School quarterback Ronald Curry, named Group AAA player of the year as a junior, told the Daily Press newspaper that Virginia is at the top of a list of possible college choices that also includes North Carolina, Florida State and Florida. He wants to play football and basketball in college.
* UVa and Maryland are the leaders for the state's No. 9-rated prospect, defensive lineman Ljubomir ``Lube'' Stamenich from Langley High School in McLean. Stamenich will visit Syracuse this weekend and also has taken a trip to Virginia Tech.
SECOND CHANCE: Florida State running back Rock Preston, dismissed from school prior to the Sugar Bowl, has been readmitted as a ``special, non-degree-seeking'' student and presumably could play for the Seminoles again.
Preston, whose 7.9-yards-per-carry average led the ACC, was considered the heir apparent to senior Warrick Dunn, a two-time all-conference selection. Preston's absence proved critical when Dunn became ill at the Sugar Bowl.
TRANSFER TREND: Sophomore forward William Stringfellow, who played in 19 games last season, has announced he will transfer from Wake Forest to Houston. Stringfellow is the eighth scholarship player to leave Wake during the 1990s, including three in the last year.
``We don't recruit McDonald's All-Americans only,'' coach Dave Odom said. ``We take players we think can develop in the program. Some, if they did not decide to transfer, would have developed in four years. But, in the course of their first or second year, they become a little disenchanted.
``I'm not the kind of coach who is going to play a lot of players a lot of the time. It all boils down to playing time. I don't think any of the players who have transferred would say they weren't given a fair shot or that they didn't like the coaches or the other players.''
ACC HOOPS: Duke freshman Nate James, once considered a redshirt candidate, made his season debut Saturday after missing two months with ruptured ligaments in his right thumb. James scored 10 points in an 81-69 loss to Wake Forest.
* Maryland, off to the best start (14-1) in school history, got a lift from the news that 6-7 Laron Cephas had met NCAA eligibility standards. Cephas, a promising 1995-96 recruit, has enrolled in class and is practicing with the team after sitting out the fall.
* Florida State, which began the year with a 14-man roster, has been dressing 10 for recent games. Seldom-used Gentry Sparks decided to transfer, Kevin McClendon never became eligible, Tommy Polley decided to concentrate on football and Ronald Thompson is being redshirted.
* ``There were 1,000 ways we could have won it and only a few ways we could have lost it,'' said N.C. State women's coach Kay Yow after UVa overcame a nine-point deficit in the final 2:09 Saturday to defeat the Wolfpack for the 14th time in a row, 64-62.
TRACK BAPTISM: Virginia Tech will unveil its new $500,000, state-of-the-art indoor track Friday when 25 college teams come to Rector Field House for an invitational track-and-field meet.
The track is a 200-meter, six-lane oval, with eight lanes for the dashes. Six events will take place inside the oval, including the 55-meter dashes and hurdles. The alterations were handled by Mondo, an Italian company that also is overseeing construction of an outdoor track.
NON-REVENUE: Cameron Yancey, named junior golfer of the year in Virginia the last two years, has signed with Virginia. Yancey, who played for Nottoway High School, picked the Cavaliers over Virginia Tech and James Madison.
LENGTH: Medium: 100 linesby CNB