THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, January 18, 1996 TAG: 9601170117
SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN PAGE: 17 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JAMI FRANKENBERRY, SUN SPORTS EDITOR
DATELINE: SUFFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 69 lines
MONTORIA VALENTINE must starve himself the day of a Nansemond River boys basketball game. How else could he look so hungry scrambling after a loose ball or battling underneath the basket for a rebound?
At 6-foot-3, Valentine says he was made for the dirty work: Playing tenacious defense, rebounding and coming through with a big basket in the clutch. Whether it's grabbing 17 rebounds against Franklin or hitting three free throws in the final 30 seconds to beat Lakeland - which he has done in the past two weeks - Valentine is your man.
``He has a job: Whatever it takes,'' Nansemond River coach Spencer Mayfield said of Valentine. ``Everybody on this team has a job. Sometimes his best is not scoring or rebounding, so he plays great defense. We don't put one thing on Montoria, he's got to do it all.''
Valentine hasn't disappointed this season. Before Tuesday's game at Poquoson, the senior guard-forward-center was averaging 13.3 points, 15.7 rebounds and nearly four steals for a 9-2 Warriors team that has won seven straight and is ranked No. 7 in South Hampton Roads.
``So far, the scoring ain't there,'' said Valentine, who averaged 17.4 points on a Nansemond River team that won the 1994-95 Group AA state title, ``but I don't worry about that. I just let the game come to me to help us win. I don't try to do what I can't.''
What Valentine can do is frustrate opposing teams. He rarely stays at the same position during a game, playing guard and both post positions.
``He can do so many things,'' said Franklin coach James Jones, who saw Valentine torch his team for 25 points last week. ``He can go outside, post up or hit a short jumper. And he can always turn it up and make a play for you.
``No doubt, he's the best offensive rebounder I've seen in this area (in eight years as Franklin's head coach). The only way to stop him is to get a player as athletic and as quick with that size, and I don't think we have one in the (Bay Rivers District).''
Mayfield says that the Warriors' team approach to basketball sometimes masks Valentine's individual talent.
``Put him on any team in the state of Virginia and he's a star,'' Mayfield said. ``The kid is just that good at any position. On this team, you have a role to play. The job is team - period.''
Valentine says he doesn't mind taking a backseat in the scoring statistics to the Warriors' Antoine Willie, who leads the team with 25.1 points per game.
``You can't have two leading scorers,'' Valentine said. ``I like to play defense and hit the boards. We can't win a game if we don't have defense.''
Mayfield doesn't allow college recruiters to speak with his players until the season ends, so where Valentine will play next year won't be decided until then. Valentine, who carries B and C averages in his classes, expects to qualify academically and will receive results from his Scholastic Aptitude Test in the next few months.
``He can play anywhere, Division I, II or III,'' Mayfield said, ``but we're taking one thing at a time. The coach that gets him has a jewel.''
Valentine's first priority, though, is helping Nansemond River add a second straight state championship to its crown.
``(A second state championship) will be better than last year,'' Valentine said. ``It's my senior year, so I'll enjoy that.''
And so will the Bay Rivers District coaches. Because that will mean they won't have to worry about matching up with Valentine anymore. ILLUSTRATION: Photo by L. TODD SPENCER
Nansemond River's Montoria Valentine takes the ball down court in
the Pepsi Challenge tournament game against Lakeland High.
by CNB