THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, July 29, 1995 TAG: 9507290423
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C7 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY TOM ROBINSON, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: DENVER LENGTH: Medium: 67 lines
Matt Harpring, one of the best freshman basketball players in the Atlantic Coast Conference last season, was panicked. It was early February 1994, one day before high school football recruits were to sign with colleges, a day Harpring dreaded.
At least two Division I schools wanted him to play quarterback for them. But in the midst of his senior basketball season, playing for a team that would go 32-0 and finish fifth-ranked in the nation by USA Today, Harpring discovered he was pretty good at that game, too.
``I remember at the end of January still not even knowing what I was going to do,'' said Harpring, from Dunwoody, Ga. and Georgia Tech. ``I knew I had something in football guaranteed. I didn't know if I had something in basketball. I was taking a big risk.''
The risk came when he eventually bucked his family's football tradition and, the day before the Feb. 2 signing date, told coaches at Wisconsin and Northwestern he wouldn't accept their scholarship offers.
``I'm sure if I was them I wouldn't have liked it,'' Harpring said. ``I didn't do it on purpose. I just really didn't know.''
Harpring's father, Jack, was a high school All-American who played football at Michigan. His brother Brian is a senior lineman at Northwestern and his brother John is a free safety at Akron.
``It's weird,'' said Harpring, a 6-foot-6, 202-pound forward playing for the South team at the Olympic Festival. ``I just played basketball for fun. But one day my coach sat me down and said, `Matt, you could have a future in basketball.'
``I had never thought about it. My whole family's football. My coach called some college coaches and they said, `Yeah, he can play Division I.' So I started thinking, well, which is more fun for me? And I thought basketball was a little more fun.''
In short order, Harpring, who never attended a summer basketball camp, drew a scholarship from Georgia Tech coach Bobby Cremins. And after starting his first season tentatively, Harpring wound up averaging 12 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. He was named ACC rookie of the week three times and was named to the all-rookie team.
In April he had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee, and the Festival is his first time going hard on it since then. Harpring considered not accepting the Festival invitation in deference to his recovery, but is glad now that he did.
``This will bring my name out a little bit more, that's why Coach Cremins wanted me to come and play,'' Harpring said. ``He thought it would publicize me a little bit. He thinks I'm a good player, so he wants to show everyone else.''
Harpring averaged only 3.3 points through the South's first three games. The team is 1-2 and will play for the bronze medal today.
NOTABLE: Nate Friends of the Hampton Roads Mariners will play for the United States in two soccer exhibitions against Egypt on July 31 and Aug. 3, then will go with the team to the World University Games in Japan from Aug. 23 to Sept. 3. Friends' East team played for the Olympic Festival gold medal late Friday. . . . Leading scorers among the ACC men's basketball players are Virginia's Curtis Staples and Florida State's LaMar Greer, at 6.7 points. . . on the winning East road cycling team. . . . Former Great Bridge pole-vaulter Rich Fulford was the second man out of Friday's competition. He failed to clear 17-4 3/4. by CNB