ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, April 17, 1997 TAG: 9704170027
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-8 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: COLLEGE NOTEBOOK
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY
As expected, there was a showdown Saturday between the No.3 and 5 teams in Division III men's lacrosse, Roanoke College and Denison.
However, it took place in the parking lot, where Denison coach Mike Caravana told Maroons officials that he was putting his team on the bus and going home. The game was never played.
``I wouldn't say it was confrontational,'' Roanoke coach Bill Pilat said. ``It was more along the lines of, `We've got a problem here. What are we going to do about it?'''
Roanoke athletic director Scott Allison was unwilling to use Alumni Field, which has been resodded, because of the damage that might result during a steady rain. The proposal to Caravana was to move the game to an adjacent practice field.
``You'd have to ask Roanoke if [Alumni Field] was playable,'' Caravana said. ``We thought it was dangerous to the players to move the game. Roanoke thought it was dangerous to the field not to move it.''
Caravana estimated that the cost of an 800-mile, 14-hour round trip to Salem, with one night in a hotel, was $3,000.
``I was shocked,'' said Pilat, who said Roanoke volunteered to pay for Denison's meals if the Big Red stayed in town for a second night. ``It was one of the biggest games in Division III that day.''
In addition to his injury fears, Caravana said he didn't want his team's NCAA Tournament hopes decided on a bare, rain-slickened surface.
``You've got to respect my position, which is to protect the best interests of Roanoke College,'' said Allison, who put the cost for improvements to Alumni Field at $18,000. ``I think our job as an institution is to provide a field, which we did, and he took his team and went home.''
Roanoke has written a letter to the NCAA Lacrosse Committee, which is likely to view the game as a no-contest, although Allison isn't sure a forfeit isn't in order.
``I think it should be discussed,'' Allison said. ``If not, you certainly have to wonder when it might happen again. Packing your bags and going home is not what Division III is all about.''
And what about the series between Denison and Roanoke, regular rivals in recent years.
``I'm certainly not interested in going back up there,'' Allison said.
SPARTAN A PIONEER: It is believed that John Humphries from Salem became the first Roanoke Valley lacrosse player to receive a Division I scholarship out of high school when he signed a letter of intent with VMI.
Humphries, a midfielder, was a sophomore in 1995 when he won the Brian Thornhill Award as the outstanding player in the Roanoke Valley High School Lacrosse League. He came to VMI's attention when he attended the Keydets' camp and long has been a target of coach Doug Bartlett.
GRINDSTAFF HONORED: Virginia Tech basketball signee Jenis Grindstaff, the first 2,000-point scorer at McDowell High School in Marion, N.C., has been named Mr. Basketball in North Carolina by The Charlotte Observer.
(Bullet) Tech nearly landed Mr. and Ms. Basketball from North Carolina. Tere Williams was a contender for that latter honor and was the only North Carolinian to make Parade All-American. Williams, a fourth-team choice, is the first Tech women's signee to make the Parade team.
RECRUITING: Georgia Tech has signed 6-3 Travis Spivey from Mount Zion Academy in Durham, N.C., with hopes that he can fill the vacancy created when freshman point guard Kevin Morris was advised to transfer to another school.
(Bullet) Little-used Andre McCullum is expected to leave North Carolina State, which would create a spot for high-scoring shooting guard Byron Mouton, who is considering the Wolfpack, Kentucky and LSU. State earlier had signed 6-7 Rouldra Thomas from Natchez, Miss.
HOLDING HIS OWN: Radford University has received an unusual number of inquiries from pro basketball scouts concerning senior guard Anthony Walker, who was plagued by a sprained ankle in the Big South tournament but had an outstanding performance at the Portsmouth Invitational all-star tournament.
PYNE IN DEMAND: The Denver Broncos reportedly are close to making an offer to Jim Pyne, an All-America center at Virginia Tech. Pyne has played left guard for Tampa Bay and had started 24 straight games before suffering a broken leg in the 15th game.
BACK ON HIS FEET: Dan Henning, who lasted two years as the head coach at Boston College, has taken a job as the new offensive coordinator and new quarterbacks coach for the Buffalo Bills. Henning played for Buffalo head coach Marv Levy as a senior at William and Mary in 1964.
A COACHING START: Former Salem football standout Shaine Miles, a reserve tight end and special-teams demon at Virginia, has accepted a position on the staff of former Jefferson Forest coach Bob Christmas at Bainbridge (Ga.) High School.
ANOTHER FIRST: Karin Miller, winner of the USTA Challenger of Roanoke last summer, has jumped to No.1 in the collegiate tennis rankings. Miller, a freshman from Trenton, N.J., plays second singles at Duke behind another 1996 Roanoke competitor, Vanessa Webb.
NON-REVENUE: VMI senior W.G. Smith was ranked in the top 10 in the Southern Conference in three pitching categories, including strikeouts and complete games, when he was dismissed from the team along with sophomore Heith Helms. They violated team rules.
(Bullet) Hollins College will send four riders to the Intercollegiate Horse Show in South Hadley, Mass., all of them sophomores or freshmen. Hillary Schreiber a freshman from Chester, Conn., will compete for the Cacchione Cup, the equestrian equivalent to the Heisman Trophy.
LOCAL UPDATE: James Madison distance runner Ben Cooke from Floyd County finished fifth among collegiate runners when he ran 5,000 meters in 14:26.11 at the Duke Invitational. That was the fastest 5,000 time ever by a JMU freshman.
LENGTH: Long : 102 linesby CNB