ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, February 18, 1997 TAG: 9702180085
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: TECH NOTES
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG
SOURCE: RANDY KING STAFF WRITER
Virginia Tech athletic director Dave Braine said Monday he felt the school is closer than ever to gaining all-sports membership in the Big East Conference.
Braine said conversation and vibes from this past week's Big East meetings in Newport, R.I., led him to firmly believe the Hokies will be a full conference member before the turn of the century.
``At this stage, yes, I think that will happen,'' Braine said.
Tech plays only football in the Big East. The Hokies' other sports programs compete in the Atlantic 10 Conference.
The Hokies had hoped to have a long-awaited, all-sports home in March 1994, when the Big East expanded. Instead, the Hokies were left out in the cold when Big East school presidents voted to add West Virginia and Rutgers as its 11th and 12th full members, and left Tech and Temple as football-only members.
The Big East has since added Notre Dame as a 13th member. The Irish remains a football independent by choice, but competes in the Big East in all other sports.
Braine said he thinks the Big East, plus other conferences, will continue to undergo realignment.
``I think those changes will come in the next three years,'' Braine said. ``And with the the super [bowl] alliance taking place and some people unhappy with conferences, things will fall into place [for Tech]. And I still think that's the case.''
ETERNAL OPTIMIST: Despite damaging losses at La Salle and Dayton this past week, coach Bill Foster said he still thinks his Tech men's basketball team can slip in through the NIT's back door.
``I still think we can make our own bed, but we'd better wake up,'' Foster said Monday.
The Hokies need to win three of their final five regular-season games to get to 16 victories, the magic number Foster thinks it will take to land an NIT bid. Some feel the NIT would give Tech any benefit of the doubt because it has won the event twice (1973 and '95), the Foster swan-song story and the fact it has a marquee name in Ace Custis.
The Hokies, as requested by the NIT, sent in their information packet Monday. But Tech must win some games before worrying about getting a call in March.
Tech's first order of business: Temple and coach John Chaney's matchup zone at 9:30 tonight at Cassell Coliseum.
``That's not exactly what you want to see to get things turned around,'' Foster said. ``My main thing is getting the seniors to forget about disappointing people and letting folks down.
``I'm telling those guys, `Forget it ... you guys were the ones who helped turn this program around. Just go out and play and forget about any pressure. I don't care if you go 0-5, just go play.'''
Tech, which is 9-2 at home, can get to 16 victories by winning its final three at Cassell against Temple, Duquesne (Sunday) and Xavier (March 2).
``That's the one thing we've got going for us,'' Foster said. ``We need all the help we can get right now.''
TECH TIDBITS: The two losses to sub-.500 teams dropped Tech to 103rd in the Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) rankings. That's eighth in the A-10, behind St. Joseph's (22nd), Massachusetts (25th), Temple (28th), Xavier (30th), Rhode Island (41st), George Washington (76th) and St.Bonaventure (89th). ... Tech's scoring defense of 59.6 points per game ranks 15th among the 305 NCAA Division I schools. ... Freshman Brendan Dunlop's first collegiate start at Dayton means all 11 players on the Tech roster have started at least once this season. .... Former Tech player Jimmy Carruth, who blocked 11 shots in Fort Wayne's overtime victory over Connecticut on Feb.9, leads the Continental Basketball Association in rejections (3.2 per game) despite averaging only 22 minutes per game. ... Because of next week's spring break, Tech has decided to hold Senior Day this Sunday against Duquesne. ``We thought it would be nice for the students to be around to send those guys out,'' Foster said.
LENGTH: Medium: 75 linesby CNB