THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, April 6, 1995 TAG: 9504060490
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C5 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY RICH RADFORD, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 100 lines
The Truckers are going prime time.
Churchland High basketball players D.J. Dunbar, a 6-foot-3 guard, and Marvin Rodgers, a 6-8 forward, will play in the National High School Coaches Association All-Star Basketball Classic on Friday at the Omni in Atlanta.
The game tips off at 4 p.m. as a prelude to that night's NBA game between the Hawks and the Indiana Pacers.
The NHSCA All-Star Game will also be telecast on tape delay by SportsSouth and Prime Network April 26 at 8 p.m.
Dunbar and Rodgers' presence once again points out that it doesn't hurt to know people. While both players have the necessary credentials to play in such an event, their participation received a nudge from Jon Steinberg, an assistant media relations director for the Hawks and a graduate of Churchland High.
``I'd heard a lot about Marvin,'' Steinberg said. ``And I told the promoter (Nick Garone of X-Cel Promotions and Development, Inc.) that he should invite him if he was worthy.''
Rodgers, however, told Garone he didn't want to come unless D.J. was invited as well.
The roster for the East also includes Old Dominion University signee Reggie Bassette of Highland Springs High. And it includes a bit of information the Truckers are still vehemently denying: Rodgers is listed on the roster as having committed to West Virginia.
A couple of West Virginia-based newspapers have also run stories claiming Rodgers has committed to the Mountaineers. But Rodgers denies the reports.
``I don't know where they are getting their information,'' Churchland coach Mac Carroll said. ``They aren't getting it from us.''
Neither Dunbar nor Rodgers has achieved NCAA academic eligibility standards.
FLEGAL STEPS DOWN: Saying he wants to spend more time with his children, Bob Flegal has resigned as Princess Anne's boys basketball coach.
Flegal was 56-105 in eight years as head coach at Princess Anne. In his high-water season, the Cavaliers were 12-10 two seasons ago. But they slumped to 4-16 this season and missed making the Beach District postseason tournament field.
``I've been doing it for 19 years,'' said Flegal, 45, who coached at Lynnhaven Junior High for 11 seasons before taking the Princess Anne post. ``I've got three kids I'd like to spend more time with. I've already got mixed feelings about this. But I've promised myself that I'll take at least a year off before I try to get back into it, if I do try.''
GOING SOUTH: First Colonial, the area's top-ranked baseball team, will measure itself against stiff competition when it travels to Ocala, Fla., this weekend to take part in the Diamond Jubilee National Baseball Tournament at Vanguard High.
The Patriots still don't know who they will face in their opening game next Monday. But they are sure to see a lot of baseball on the trip.
The team leaves Friday and will stop over in Columbia, S.C., where it will take in the Mississippi State-South Carolina game.
Next Wednesday, the Patriots will see the Florida vs. Florida A&M game. The following Friday before heading home, they will see Vanderbilt vs. Florida.
``The bonus is that the major leagues have finally got their act together and we'll be right in the center of a bunch of spring training sites,'' Wilson said. ``We're looking into where we can go see some major league teams right now.''
The Patriots also will play four games.
``Historically, the best teams in the country come from Florida, Texas and California,'' Wilson said. ``I hear the other seven teams (all from Florida) are all quality teams. We'll see how we stack up. Of course, we will have played only three games when we get there. They will have all played 15 or more.''
WOUNDED KNEE: Kempsville midfielder Kristin Cholewa, a first team All-Tidewater soccer selection a year ago, has sustained a knee injury and is out for the season. It marks the second time in three years the Chiefs have lost a star early in the season. High-scoring forward Lisa Echea went down with a knee injury in 1993.
DUELING MEETS: The hottest race in high school track this week was the competition for teams between an established meet, the Captain's Classic at Christopher Newport, and the new-kid-on-the-block Norfolk State Relays.
Give the edge to the Captains, who nipped Norfolk State at the tape with the commitment Tuesday of Deep Creek, the Group AAA indoor champions, and Beach powerhouse Green Run.
CNU also got commitments from Norcom, Western Branch and Great Bridge as well as most of the Peninsula District.
NSU, meanwhile, will have about a dozen local schools, with Kellam, Bayside, Norview, Booker T. and Salem leading the pack.
NSU made its move in the last few days after dropping its entry fee from $75 per team to $50. The Captain's Classic is charging $40 per team, and one Beach district coach complained last week that he could get two teams in the CNU meet for what it would cost to get one in at Norfolk State.
Some coaches, like Lake Taylor's Floyd Conley, opted to split their squads and will send a group to each meet. Conley, an NSU grad, said he didn't want to miss an opportunity to compete on his alma mater's brand new track.
Saturday's meet will be the first ever on the NSU campus, and will feature not only high schools, but college and Olympic development competition as well. MEMO: Staff writers Paul White and Ed Miller contributed to this story.
by CNB