THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, March 7, 1996 TAG: 9603070589
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JON GLASS AND HARRY MINIUM, STAFF WRITERS
LENGTH: Long : 121 lines
Allegations that gamblers, possibly including drug dealers, may have conspired to fix basketball games at two city high schools make it more likely that athletes will be randomly screened for drugs, Norfolk school officials said Wednesday night.
``I think you can count on seeing random testing of athletes in Norfolk next year,'' School Board member Joseph Waldo said shortly after the board's budget meeting. ``This may be the spark that drives this initiative.''
Superintendent Roy D. Nichols Jr., when told later of Waldo's remarks, said, ``I could see how that's possible. This may help edge us putting into a place a policy to test some students.''
The School Board, alarmed by a reported rise in marijuana use among high school students, initially raised the possibility of testing athletes and other student leaders in January. They cited a U.S. Supreme Court ruling last summer that gives schools the legal right to test athletes.
Now comes the allegation that a Maury player may have helped fix the Commodores' 69-57 double-overtime loss to Green Run last week in the Eastern Region playoffs. Norfolk police, who also learned that one or more Booker T. Washington games may have been fixed during the 1994-95 season, have launched an investigation.
Nichols said he was unsure how long the inquiry would take, but estimated it could be at least two weeks.
Even though Waldo said he favors student drug testing, he and other school board members said they do not believe students were involved in gambling.
``We have never, ever heard the first hint that there may be some problem with gambling,'' Waldo said. ``We're as shocked as anyone else in the community. We support them 100 percent until we've been told there is a problem.''
The possibility that drug money could be involved added to concerns.
``If in fact this is true, you can expect us to take steps - there won't be any denials,'' said Waldo, whose daughter attends Maury.
``I think we've got to have more community awareness that the drug culture is affecting every facet of our community, regardless of your social and economic status,'' said board member Anita Poston, whose son attends Maury.``There's an environment surrounding our high school that we should be doing everything we can to eliminate.''
Board chairman Ulysses Turner said it would be a ``tragedy'' if the allegations are true.
``If we find them to be factual, then it is an absolute must to take the necessary steps to remedy the situation so it will never happen again,'' Turner said.
Nichols said coaches in high-profile sports already have been instructed to tell athletes that ``it's not good for us or them to hang out with people of questionable reputation, and how it could ruin scholarship opportunities for them or even their chances to play for us.''
Police say they haven't yet begun an investigation of alleged fixing at Booker T. Washington, which they learned of while investigating the Maury game.
``We have not focused any of our attention on a game involving Booker T. Washington,'' police spokesman Larry Hill said. ``The investigation is still focused on the Maury-Green Run game. We have not interviewed anybody at Booker T. and do not anticipate any immediate interviews with anybody at Booker T.''
Norfolk Police Chief Melvin C. High spoke to Norfolk City Council members about the investigation in a closed executive session on Monday.
``The council received a very short briefing from the chief,'' Norfolk Mayor Paul D. Fraim said. ``That process must be completed before we can begin to assess the situation.
``Obviously the Council is very disturbed about the allegations and the implications.''
Reaction among a dozen Maury students interviewed Wednesday was mixed, with half saying they believe the game was fixed and the other half saying they've never seen gambling.
``Nobody did it,'' said Torii Williams, a senior cheerleader. ``Everybody wanted to go to (the state tournament) too bad to do something like this to ruin it.''
``I think it's not true at all,'' added senior David White. ``They would not give up something this big for money.''
But said a female Maury student, who asked not to be identified: ``The general consensus is that somebody did it. Students do bet on games all the time for doing homework, cigarettes, drugs, money, whatever.''
Another student, who also requested anonymity, said he heard a man in his 30s say he had bet $500 on a Booker T.-Maury game last year.
At Green Run, many students apparently think the allegation is sour grapes because the Stallions upset then-No. 1-ranked Maury.
``I think somebody (at Maury) is lying,'' said Kris Kelly, a freshman who moved to Virginia Beach from the Maury zone last summer. ``I think they're making it all up because they lost.''
Meanwhile, gambling on high school basketball games allegedly occurs in Chesapeake, too. Ed Seward, a 6-foot-8 center from Indian River High School, said he has seen gamblers after home games.
``I've had people I don't even know walk up to me after games, pat me on the back and say, `Thanks man, you won me $40 tonight,' '' he said. ``That really makes you wonder what's going on.''
Churchland coach Mac Carroll said he also saw gamblers while scouting a game in Norfolk. He declined to say which of the five city schools.
``Three or four years ago I was scouting a game and I saw betting in the stands,'' he said. ``I saw money change hands on free throws. I thought it was an isolated case.
``It's a sad day if somebody tries to bribe a youngster in high school.''
At other schools, students said they weren't sure whether the allegations are true, but nonetheless were shaken.
``People wonder how much does it take to do that to your school, how much could they have been paid to fix it?'' said Wilbert Daniels, an Indian River freshman. ``You start thinking about the possibilities. Maybe a guy's paid to miss a couple shots to make it interesting.
``But no amount of money can make up for not going as far in the playoffs as you can.''
Added Kevin Lewis, a Churchland senior basketball player: ``As long as I've been here, I've never heard of anything like this. I would think any high school athlete would rather win a championship than take money not to play well.
``You can spend the money. Money comes and goes. Championships are forever.'' MEMO: Staff writers Rich Radford, Lee Tolliver, Jami Frankenberry, Bill
Leffler and Robin Brinkley contributed to this report.
KEYWORDS: GAME-FIXING GAMBLING DRUG TESTS HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL by CNB