ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, January 18, 1997 TAG: 9701200107
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG
SOURCE: RANDY KING STAFF WRITER
Ace Custis can't help but wonder what the story is at his house right now.
When Virginia Tech's main man looks around Cassell Coliseum these days, he finds himself asking the same question, over and over: Where did everybody go? Custis wants to know.
And he's not just talking about Shawn Smith, Damon Watlington, Shawn Good and Travis Jackson, his fellow starters off last season's 23-6 NCAA Tournament team.
Ace knew the party was over for that senior quartet. But he never expected the fans to bolt, too.
``It's very upsetting,'' Custis said. ``I just don't understand it. Where is everybody?''
Well, they sure haven't been at Cassell this season. Through its first seven home dates, Tech has averaged 4,376 fans per game, a startling drop-off from last season's 8,357 average.
So the 10,000-seat Cassell suddenly has gone quiet. And Ace, a fellow who prefers his house rocking and rolling, isn't happy.
``You turn on TV and you see other colleges filling up their coliseums even though they're TV games,'' Custis said. ``My freshman year we didn't have any big crowds. Then my sophomore year we had the NIT run, and last year everybody knew about us and came out and supported us. We even had some people camping out [for tickets] sometime.
``But this year you can wait. You can come to the game and don't even need a ticket because you can sit anywhere you want. That's upsetting.''
At present pace, the Hokies are on line to finish with the worst home attendance number in two decades. The previous low since 1975 was 4,432 in 1992-93, Foster's second season. The Hokies averaged 6,219 in 1993-94 and 6,241 in '94-95 before last season's sudden uprise.
``I don't know what the deal is,'' said Foster, working his final season on the Tech bench.
Sure, this team isn't as strong as last season's club. But the talent drop-off certainly isn't enough to justify almost a 50 percent decline at the turnstiles.
In the fans' defense, weather has been a factor. Winter storms hit Blacksburg on the day of both the East Tennessee State (3,254) and William and Mary (3,681) games. There was a threat of a late-night ice storm for Wednesday's Georgia Southern game, which drew 3,628.
Also, there's strength of opposition. While Tech's overall schedule rates much stronger than last season - just two weeks ago the Hokies had played the country's eighth-toughest schedule, according to the Rating Percentage Index (RPI) - only one of those toughies, Georgia, has come to Cassell.
The rest of Tech's home menu to this point - ETSU, Coastal Carolina, UNC Greensboro, St. Bonaventure, W&M and Georgia Southern - doesn't exactly rate as a scalpers' buffet.
Today, though, even that excuse won't jibe. In an Atlantic 10 game that Tech (8-6 overall, 2-2 A-10) desperately needs, highly regarded Rhode Island (10-4, 4-0) comes calling at noon.
``We need a crowd in here because this is a big game for us,'' Custis said. ``The crowd can intimidate. When Cassell is loud and really rocking, the adrenaline is in the air and it's unreal. That pumps us up and makes us play harder.''
Foster said his club needs ``the sixth man.''
``We go into a lot of other buildings and the place is sold out,'' Foster said. ``We could use that kind of help at home.
``These kids deserve to go out with a little fan support because they've all had a part in kind of getting this thing turned around, particularly Ace. I'd hate to see Ace's senior year be one where we continue to go with 3,500, 4,500, 5,500 we need some of that 7,500, 8,000 and 8,500.''
Tech will need all of its available weapons to handle Rhode Island. The Rams may not be ranked in the polls, but they were No. 15 in this week's Sagarin power ratings.
Certainly, Foster won't need any pregame motivational speeches. Custis claimed the Hokies have been waiting for this one since last season's Atlantic 10 tournament in Philadelphia, where Rhode Island upset Tech 77-71 in the first round.
``I told Smitty and the guys in the locker room after that game that we owed those guys,'' Custis said. ``We told the four seniors that we'll get 'em back for them.
``This is our opportunity to get them. They beat us in the tournament, gave us an early exit and caused us to get in a [NCAA Midwest Region] bracket with Kentucky, which hurt our season.
``So we owe these guys. They were talking a lot during the course of the game, but there was nothing you could say because they were beating us. We want to redeem ourselves and show 'em what it's like to play in Cassell.''
In front of somebody, he hopes.
LENGTH: Medium: 89 lines KEYWORDS: BASKETBALLby CNB