THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, March 15, 1996 TAG: 9603150599
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ED MILLER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Long : 141 lines
The Beltway Insiders have spoken, and decided that a son of Georgetown University should return to run things in Washington.
Four more years for Bill Clinton? Nah. Wrong sport.
No, what at least one group of Washingtonians has mandated is the return of a leader who can think on his feet, delegate to others when necessary and shoulder the burden himself when needed. Not only that, he defends his position like no one else and does it all in an extraordinarily entertaining fashion.
Two more years for Allen Iverson.
``Two More Years! Two More Years!''
That was the chant from Georgetown's student section in the closing moments of the Hoyas' 106-68 embarrassment of Villanova recently. Iverson, a 6-foot-1 sophomore from Hampton, scored 37 points and grabbed eight rebounds in what, should he decide to declare for the NBA draft, was his final college game at USAir Arena.
Knowing that, some fans wanted to savor the moment. As Iverson left the court, he placed a paper cup on the press table.
``That's Allen's cup!'' said a young man, lunging to grab this sacred relic.
This from the sons and daughters of the Eastern Establishment, the 1,300-SAT crowd that attends the university on a hill overlooking the nation's capital.
Iverson has that effect on people. When he played in three summer league games in Washington in 1994 - his first organized games since his release from prison for his part in a bowling alley brawl in 1993, a conviction that was later overturned - fans had to be turned away from 4,000-seat McDonough Arena. Inside, they packed six deep under the baskets and craned their necks like people hoping to catch a glimpse of the Queen of England.
After a freshman season in which his national freshman of the year and Big East defensive player of the year awards were tarnished by occasional out-of-control play and poor shooting, Iverson has tightened his game and turned critics into supporters.
He led the Big East in scoring, raised his shooting percentage 10 points to 49 percent, was voted the best defensive player in the conference again, and Wednesday was named a first-team All-American.
``He's the best guard I've ever seen in college,'' Providence coach Pete Gillen said after a recent Iverson encounter.
Others have reached back a basketball generation and called Iverson the best college guard since Isiah Thomas.
Thomas, of course, didn't have Iverson's athleticism. No one in college basketball is quicker. No one goes end to end any faster. No one his size gets up any higher. No one plays harder, longer.
Iverson, of course, has yet to develop Thomas' mastery of the point guard position. And he lacks something Thomas brought his Indiana team: an NCAA championship ring.
But he will attempt to remedy that starting today, when Georgetown meets Mississippi Valley State at the Richmond Coliseum.
Largely because of Iverson, the most important Georgetown recruit since Patrick Ewing, the Hoyas are given a good shot at reaching their first Final Four since 1985.
So while Georgetown, and coach John Thompson, are properly given a lot of credit for saving Allen Iverson, troubled young man, it can also be said that with fans again packing USAir Arena, with Georgetown penned through to the Meadowlands on thousands of office pool bracket sheets, and with ``Hoya Paranoia'' again loose on the land, Allen Iverson, no longer troubled, is returning the favor.
Iverson has clearly locked step with the Georgetown way of doing things. Thompson's disciplined, tough-love approach has found a willing taker, friends of Iverson say.
``He's playing well, he's not getting in trouble,'' said Wake Forest guard Tony Rutland, a former teammate of Iverson's at Bethel High. ``He's doing the right thing, and just getting along with everybody.
``What he needed was somebody to protect him, to tell him what's going on, to stay after him.''
Sounds simple. Troubled player meets stern coach and becomes new player. Thompson says it's more complicated than that.
``We're not talking about a fairy tale character here,'' Thompson said. ``We're talking about a real person we dislike at times, like at times, love at times.
``We fuss at each other, but he's handled it. I think he's worked at it, the same way that everybody else has worked at it.''
Thompson has given Iverson structure off the court, and freedom on it. He's taken nearly 200 more shots than the next most offensive-minded Hoya, guard Victor Page. But Thompson says Iverson can't be limited to merely running the offense.
``His challenge as a point guard is very different from a lot of point guards, in that he has the ability to do things for himself,'' Thompson said. ``A lot of point guards can totally focus on the operation of the team because they aren't as talented.
``He has learned to manage both of those roles. He has some ways to go.''
Iverson traces his improvement to experience.
``I'm older,'' he said after the Villanova game. ``I know the college game a little better. I've learned a lot. I'm more patient.''
Iverson's success is no surprise to anyone who watched him play at Bethel, where he led the Bruins to state football and basketball titles in the 1992-93 season. It's no surprise to anyone who saw him cover - and shut down - Maury High's 6-foot-9 Joe Smith in the closing minutes of a regional playoff game that season. No surprise to anyone who saw him score 81 points in a Hampton Roads Pro-Am league game last summer.
``He's a sight to see,'' said Boo Williams, who runs Hampton Roads' AAU basketball programs and has known Iverson since the player was 10. ``But Allen was a late bloomer. He didn't start becoming Allen Iverson until the summer between his sophomore and junior years, when he got five MVPs of five different (AAU) tournaments.''
Including the national tournament. His play in that one made Iverson a national recruit. His conviction, incarceration and eventual pardon by former Gov. Douglas Wilder made him national news.
Since coming to Georgetown, Iverson's made news only on the court, which is precisely the way the Hoyas like it. Media access to Iverson has for the most part been limited to a few minutes after games. He was not available to reporters in Richmond Thursday.
But a change in Iverson's demeanor is obvious to anyone who saw him at Bethel. Where he once taunted opponents, Iverson now smiles at them.
``He's made some mistakes,'' Thompson said. ``He's tried to rectify those mistakes.''
And play through them.
``Allen's strength is at the same time his weakness: his confidence,'' Thompson said. ``As a result of that, he's never seen a person he couldn't go by.''
If there are any he can't go by, they're probably playing at the next level. While Thompson has been critical of speculation that Iverson may turn pro, Iverson has taken it in stride. After the Villanova game, he left the door open, saying he has a lot of big decisions to make after the season.
Meanwhile, Georgetown will have him for at least one more tournament run, a confidence-inspiring thought for the Hoya squad.
``Any day of the week, I'd jump behind Allen Iverson,'' center Othella Harrington said.
The Hoyas will. Starting today. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Providence coach Pete Gillen calls Georgtown's Allen Iverson
(above), ``The best guard I've ever seen in college.''
by CNB