THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, March 31, 1995 TAG: 9503310692
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C5 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY BILL LEFFLER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: PORTSMOUTH LENGTH: Medium: 54 lines
Three 7-footers. . . . Fifty-four all-conference players. . . . Eight conference Players of the Year. . . . The NAIA Player of the Year. . . . and three members from Final Four teams in the NCAA tournament.
That's the star-studded credentials of the field for the 43rd annual Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, scheduled April 5 to 8 in the Churchland High School gym.
The 64 selected players were assigned to teams and pairings were made at the annual Drawings Party at the Holiday Inn-Portside Thursday night.
The three 7-footers are Tony Maroney of Hawaii, Jermain Parker of North Carolina-Charlotte and Anthony Pelle of Fresno State.
It's going to be a B-I-G PIT. Seven other players are 6-10. Six more are 6-9.
NAIA Player of the Year Nate Driggers, a 29-point average scorer for Montevallo, has been assigned to the Bill Lewis Chevrolet team, the tourney's defending champion.
The conference Players of the Year are ODU's Petey Sessoms (Colonial), Holy Cross' Rob Feaster (Patriot); N.C.-Charlotte's Jarvis Lang (Metro), Grambling's Kenny Sykes (Southwestern Athletic); Charleston Southern's Eric Burks (Big South), Western Carolina's Frankie King (Southern), Idaho State's Jim Potter (Big Sky) and Norfolk State's Corey Williams (CIAA).
The Final Four participants are Arkansas' Corey Beck and Dwight Stewart and Oklahoma State's Randy Rutherford. Beck will play for Dolsey Ltd. and Stewart will be in the Hoechst Celanese lineup. Rutherford will be on Lewis Chevrolet.
The opening game on Wednesday at 7 p.m. will pit the Norfolk Naval Shipyard, with ODU's Sessoms and Holy Cross' Feaster, against K-Plus. The 7-1 Maroney and UNC-Charlotte's Lang will play for K-Plus.
The 9 p.m. game will match Sales Systems Ltd. with Kentucky's Andre Riddick, Virginia's Jason Williford and Sykes, against Beach/Barton Ford. Burks, Duke's Eric Meek and Marquette's Tony Miller will play for Beach/Barton Ford.
Thursday's first game will have Hoechst Celanese, including ODU's Mike Jones, Connecticut's Donny Marshall and Stewart, opposing the Portsmouth Sports Club at 7 p.m. The Sports Club has Virginia's Junior Burrough, Massachusetts' Derek Kellogg and King.
The 9 p.m. game will have Bill Lewis Chevrolet, which also has the 7-foot Pelle, against Dolsey Ltd. Norfolk State's Corey Williams joins Beck and Michigan's Ray Jackson in the Dolsey lineup.
Tickets are $6.25 at the door, if still available. Advance tickets can be purchased by calling 393-5144 or 488-6761. Group rates are available. by CNB