THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, December 15, 1995 TAG: 9512150622
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C4 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ROBIN BRINKLEY, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 72 lines
Indian River coach Freddie Spellman says it will take at least a month before the Braves become the smooth-running machine that everyone expects.
Indian River will have played two games and had two days of practice with its returning football players before leaving today for the 16-team Barnett Bank/City of Palms Classic in Fort Myers, Fla.
The Braves could play as many as four games and Spellman will be happy if they break even.
Indian River is seeded fifth and opens play Saturday at 4:20 p.m. against Vero Beach High, ranked No. 10 among large schools in the state. The winner of that game figures to meet St. Patrick's of Elizabeth, N.J., and its All-American point guard Shaheen Holloway in the quarterfinals.
Dominquez High of Compton, Calif., and Glen Oaks of Baton Rouge, La., are seeded first and second, respectively. Glen Oaks features 6-foot-9 Lester Earl, a coveted recruit who has talked about going straight to the NBA.
GETTING THERE: First Colonial (0-3) has lost 25 games in a row dating to 1993-94, but it wouldn't be far off the mark to call the Patriots the most improved team in the area.
First Colonial opened with a three-point loss to Kempsville and Brian Bersticker, took unbeaten Granby into overtime and led No. 2 Tallwood at the half before succumbing 79-65.
That's a marked improvement over last season when the Patriots lost 10 games by at least 25 points.
The Patriots were ripped asunder last year when five key players transferred to other schools. Then coach Leo Anthony resigned.
``The biggest difference this year is that we're focused on what we can do,'' coach Chris Lowery said.
Rebounding is still a problem, but the offense is more consistent. The Patriots are averaging 61 points per game after being held to less than 50 points 13 times last season.
Anthony Coles and Josh Withers are averaging 12.3 and 12 points per game, respectively, and Bill Kennedy is doing the dirty work.
The next chance to end the streak is tonight at Princess Anne, where the Cavaliers also are 0-3.
``Hopefully this will put us over the hump,'' Lowery said.
MILEAGE CHAMPS: Atlantic Shores' schedule reads like a Mid-Atlantic tour guide with stops in Charlottesville and Mouth of Wilson in Virginia; Manteo, Durham and Greensboro in North Carolina; and Bethesda and Laurel in Maryland.
The Seahawks were forced to travel when most schools in South Hampton Roads elected not to schedule them. Atlantic Shores played all five Eastern District teams as well as four Tidewater Conference teams last season, but only Norview and Cape Henry are back on the schedule.
``We contacted most of those schools again but they refused to play us,'' said assistant athletic director Walter Mebane.
One reason could be that Seahawks star forward Damon Thornton is a fifth-year senior. That would make him ineligible at a public school.
Atlantic Shores' travel itinerary is nothing compared to one of the teams in the Seahawks' Hampton Roads Holiday Prep Classic. The American School from Bogota, Colombia is entered in the eight-team field.
SUPER SUB: An unsung hero for No. 4 Maury has been junior perimeter player Jake Schultz. He is averaging 9.2 points per game and scored a team-high 14 Tuesday in a 42-41 win over Deep Creek. Schultz was best known previously for sharing his home with 6-9 Brazilian center Ricardo Trevisan.
Both attended Granby last year and transferred together when the Schultzes moved into the Maury zone. Trevisan, who has orally committed to the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, was considered a big catch for the Commodores while Schultz went largely overlooked.
``Jake is our sixth man and has really saved us a couple times,'' Baker said. ``I consider him a starter, but I like him coming off the bench.'' by CNB