THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, December 18, 1994 TAG: 9412160277
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 22 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JULIE GOODRICH, CLIPPER SPORTS EDITOR
LENGTH: Medium: 93 lines
ATLANTIC SHORES basketball coach Mark Phelps leans back in his chair and reaches over to open a drawer in his filing cabinet. He pulls out folders on two of his players, both several inches thick, and opens them on his desk.
Both contain the same thing - correspondence from various colleges. Old Dominion, James Madison, Campbell, UNC Wilmington, and Clemson are all represented.
Whereas your average high school coach has a single high-profile player who attracts attention, Phelps has been blessed with two. They may suit up for a small private school, but the location is unimportant - Damon Thornton and Kenny Inge would be something special no matter where they played.
``These are just letters from the start of the season,'' said Phelps, motioning toward the folders. ``And they've only got their best basketball ahead of them.''
The similarities between Thornton and Inge are striking. Both are 6-7 and play at either forward or center. They're both juniors playing their first season with the Seahawks after transferring from the public school system - Thornton from Granby and Inge from First Colonial.
Unlike a lot of players their size, both are ``very good passers,'' according to Phelps. ``Neither one is the kind of big man where you stick them in the post and don't let them touch the ball. We want them to be involved in the offense.''
Although both are athletic, Inge is more acrobatic when blocking shots or pulling down rebounds, all arms and spindly legs. Inge is more of a showman, and a ``fierce competitor. Kenny backs down from nothing or no one,'' said Phelps.
Thornton has the better body, outweighing Inge by 30 pounds, 215 to 185. He's also got better touch down low on short jumpers and put-backs off of rebounds.
Thornton also has nice touch out on the perimeter. In a recent game against Manteo (N.C.), Thornton and Inge thrilled the crowd with dunk after dunk early in the game. But in the fourth quarter, Thornton squared up from the right side of the key and drilled a 3-pointer that caught Manteo and the crowd totally off guard.
``He shoots them all the time in practice,'' said Phelps. ``He knocks them down, but he's not really comfortable yet trying it in a game. But I think he was happier with the 3-pointer against Manteo than he was with any of his dunks.''
``Coach always tells me to shoot, but I don't want to sometimes because I don't want people calling me a hog,'' said Thornton. ``My self-confidence (in the 3-pointer) is a weakness. I don't want to shoot it because I don't want to make a mistake - I want to play a perfect game, even though I know that's impossible.''
When Thornton gets confidence in his perimeter game, he'll be nearly impossible for one man to guard. It's hard to believe this is his first year playing organized basketball.
While at Granby, Thornton rode the bench on the junior varsity team his freshman year and never got into a game. The experience kept him from even trying out as a sophomore.
``Then my mom decided she liked the idea of me going to a Christian school, and I didn't like my relationship with the teachers and students at Granby anyways,'' said Thornton. ``I wanted to improve my grades in order to play college ball.''
For Inge, the decision to leave First Colonial came down to the same thing - getting into a better school. Inge says he didn't mind the transfer.
``It didn't matter where I went, as long as I could play basketball.''
With such size to work with, the priority for Atlantic Shores is getting the ball inside to Thornton or Inge. Enter point guard Brandon Wynn.
``He's the man. He absolutely throws the best alley-oop passes I've ever seen,'' said Phelps. Wynn, a senior transfer from Great Bridge, notched 16 assists against Manteo. ``He's sacrificed his scoring to lead the team this year. He's a great defender, a great passer, and a great scorer, even though he hasn't had to show that yet.''
But the inside game is where the action is for Atlantic Shores. Phelps tries to play Thornton and Inge together, and the two complement each other nicely.
``If I'm having a bad game, Damon will be there to back me up and have a strong game, and if he has a bad game I can step up,'' said Inge. ``No matter what, one of us is getting the job done.''
``They get along well, especially on the court. They're each other's biggest fan and cheerleader,'' said Phelps. ``They challenge each other, but whatever rivalry is there, it's a healthy one.'' ILLUSTRATION: Staff photos by STEVE EARLEY
Damon Thornton, a junior, transferred to Atlantic Shores from
Granby.
Junior Kenny Inge, who transferred to Atlantic Shores from First
Colonial High School, plays either forward or center for the
Seahawks.
by CNB