THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, March 10, 1995 TAG: 9503080274
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 19 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY BILL LEFFLER, CURRENTS SPORTS EDITOR
LENGTH: Medium: 64 lines
Three Portsmouth Christian High School basketball players have been selected to play on an all-star team from Virginia that will compete in the Belgium Basketball Tour.
The players are junior Danny Barton and sophomores Jason Hooper and Brian Rustay.
The three will begin practice with the state team in Richmond in July and will depart Aug. 1 for New York City, where they will meet other state teams competing in the European Community Tournament near Antwerp, Belgium, Aug. 4-5.
Each of the U.S. teams will play five games in the two days against other high school age teams from Belgium, Holland, Germany, Poland, Croatia, Italy, France, Ireland and the Czech Republic. Games will be played in Hassell and Mechelen, Belgium.
The trip will cover eight days, including a reception and a one-day tour of Paris.
The invitation from the Belgium Basketball Federation came through Sports Challenge International Inc. in Florida. There will be 24 teams from 11 states in the United States, 12 players on each team.
Barton, a 6-5 center from Chesapeake, carried a 10.6 scoring average for Portsmouth Christian this season. He averaged 15 rebounds per game.
The 6-2 Hooper, a shooting guard from Virginia Beach who also plays forward, averaged 12.6 points per game. Rustay, a point guard from Portsmouth, had a 13.5 average.
Portsmouth Christian had an up-and-down season with a 13-16 overall record but won two post-season tournament games and handed regular-season champion Broadwater its only Metro Conference loss. Denbigh Baptist defeated Portsmouth Christian in the tourney finale, 59-54.
Steve Crowther, Portsmouth Christian's leading scorer with a 13.8 average, also received an invitation to participate on the Virginia team in the Belgium games but will not be able to go.
``We're really excited about representing our state and country in Belgium,'' said Hooper. ``Playing teams from Europe should be very exciting.''
``We are looking forward to interacting with foreign athletes and seeing historical attractions in the host country,'' said Rustay.
``One interesting thing will be that the games are played by international rules,'' pointed out Barton. ``We'll have to learn to adjust to a lot of different rules.
``Jump balls will be jumped. There is no alternate possession rule. You have three seconds to inbound a ball and there is a 30-second shot clock. The international 3-point line also will be used.''
One of the strengths of the Portsmouth Christian team was its 3-point shooting. Portsmouth Christian connected on 11 in one game.
The Portsmouth Christian players have expressed appreciation to those who have assisted them in raising funds for the trip. ILLUSTRATION: Junior Danny Barton, a 6-5 center from Chesapeake, carried a
10.6 scoring average for Portsmouth Christian this season. He
averaged 15 rebounds per game.
by CNB