THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, November 19, 1994 TAG: 9411190304
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ED MILLER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LOWELL, MASS. LENGTH: Short : 45 lines
It's no coincidence that Norfolk State, which ended last season with a disappointing loss in Massachusetts, is back here to start a new season, today against Merrimack College.
Norfolk State coach Mike Bernard said he wanted to return to Massachusetts to purge memories of the Spartans' poor performance in the Division II Elite Eight last March in Springfield.
``We finished the season in Massachusetts with a very disappointing loss,'' Bernard said. ``We're going to start our season in Massachusetts, and hopefully we can erase some of those memories.''
Norfolk State knocked off Virginia Union to win the NCAA South Atlantic Regional championship last February. But two weeks later, the Spartans traveled to Springfield and came out flat against Washburn College. The result was a 69-58 loss and an early trip home.
``It was probably our worst game of the season,'' Bernard said.
Bernard would have taken the Spartans back to Springfield if he could have, but instead settled for Lowell and the New England Tip-Off Weekend.
Norfolk State takes on Merrimack at 1 today at Costello Gym on the UMass-Lowell campus. The winner will meet the Concordia/UMass-Lowell winner in the tournament championship Sunday at 3.
On paper, it doesn't appear that Norfolk State will have much trouble erasing last year's bad memories. The Spartans, who were 27-6 last season and have four starters back, are considered national championship contenders. Merrimack was 11-17 last year, and UMass-Lowell was 10-18. Neither appears to have the size to match up with Norfolk State, which has four players 6-8 or taller.
Still, Bernard believes that, regardless of the competition, playing far from home early in the season is bound to help the Spartans.
``When you're that far from home you're bound to run into some sort of adversity,'' Bernard said. ``Our mental toughness will be tested in game one, not game 21. And that's just what we need.'' by CNB