ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, March 9, 1997 TAG: 9703110038
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-3 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: ACC NOTES
DATELINE: GREENSBORO, N.C.
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY THE ROANOKE TIMES
Before he headed home Friday night, Florida State coach Pat Kennedy sounded like a beleaguered politician who knew he was hopelessly behind in the polls.
Kennedy continued to hit the stump, questioning the logic of predictions that six other ACC teams will make the NCAA Tournament and not the Seminoles.
``I found it interesting when I looked at Steve Wieberg's picks [in USA Today] and thought about Florida State and our 16 wins and four wins over top-10 teams,'' Kennedy said. ``I looked at some of the conferences with six teams in the tournament [according to Wieberg], and only one or two of those teams are ranked.''
Although he fudged a little bit on his figures, Kennedy essentially was correct. The Seminoles beat Maryland, Clemson and Wake Forest when those teams were ranked No.5, 8 and 5, respectively. A fourth victory was over Carolina, ranked 19th at the time but now No.5.
Florida State's position was not helped Saturday by North Carolina State's victory over Maryland. If the Wolfpack wins the championship and gets the ACC's automatic berth, the NCAA selection committee would have a hard time picking Virginia as a seventh ACC team, much less FSU as an eighth.
FLETCHER SIGHTING: One-time VMI coach Marty Fletcher used old coaching ties to get a pass to the ACC tournament, where he was taking stock of the job market.
Fletcher, who had been at Southwestern Louisiana for 11 years, said he asked for permission to pursue other jobs after his request for a three-year contract extension was turned down. Fletcher had one year remaining on his contract, but he was eager to sever ties when his 12-year-old daughter found a note on her school locker that read, ``Go home, Yankee,'' among other unpleasantries.
At 45, Fletcher wants to remain in coaching, although he is not in a position of strength after a 12-16 season. He is interested in several of the openings in the Colonial Athletic Association.
MORE COACHING TALK: Another former Keydet, Wyoming athletic director Lee Moon, is a frequent visitor to the ACC tournament and this week had a chance to conduct some business.
Clemson assistant coach Larry Shyatt is said to be at the top of Moon's list to replace fired basketball coach Joby Wright. Moon has conducted football and basketball searches despite being on the job for only nine months.
Duke assistant Tommy Amaker and Georgia Tech assistant Dereck Whittenburg have been liked with the openings at George Mason and American University. Furman has shown interest in former North Carolina standout Jeff Lebo, an assistant at South Carolina.
FACELIFT IN ATLANTA: There is speculation that Georgia Tech sophomore Gary Saunders and freshman Kevin Morris will not be back next season. Saunders almost missed this season for academic reasons.
Morris was 1-for-8 from the field Thursday in the Yellow Jackets' 60-46 loss to N.C. State and shot 27.4 percent for the season. That was the low by an ACC player with at least 100 attempts; Georgia Tech classmate Jon Babul shot 25.8 percent on 66 attempts.
FROM THE BRICKYARD: Clemson forward Andrius Jurkunas, who was 51-for-121 from 3-point range last season, is 3-for-36 this season. ... Maryland's Keith Booth is 1-for-19 from beyond the arc after going 7-for-34 last season.
Two years ago, Virginia swingman Jamal Robinson shot 81.8 from the free-throw line. This year, Robinson is shooting 43.1 percent (25-of-58). That's the low for an ACC player with more than 50 attempts.
OUT FOR THE YEAR: N.C. State, looking for a postseason bid after a late-season winning streak, will be without one-time starting center Damon Thornton.
Thornton had hoped to play in the ACC tournament and tried to practice Monday, to little avail. On Tuesday, a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) test revealed a bone bruise to his right hip. State coach Herb Sendek said the injury will heal through rest, but added that the season would not last long enough for Thornton to return.
LONG COMMUTE: Walk-on Luke Buffum, who has become the sixth man for N.C. State, comes from one of America's most famous zip codes, 90210. Buffum, who lived in North Carolina until he was 12, graduated from Beverly Hills (Calif.) High School.
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