THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, March 16, 1996 TAG: 9603160506
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY TOM ROBINSON, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: DALLAS LENGTH: Medium: 92 lines
Against second-ranked and top-seeded Kentucky today in the Midwest Regional, Virginia Tech knows it will face relentless defensive pressure from a team of awesome depth and talent.
It would help if the ninth-seeded Hokies could count on something else - a third straight huge offensive performance from senior point guard Shawn Good.
They hope that Good, whose instincts run to protecting and dishing the ball above all else, cops another uncharacteristically aggressive stance.
One that, Good says, comes from realizing his next college game could be his last.
``I'm just trying to leave everything out there on the floor,'' Good said Friday before the Hokies practiced for their meeting with a squad many office-poolers expect to give coach Rick Pitino his first national championship.
If the Hokies are to somehow halt the Wildcats' determined march, Good might have to be the reluctant scorer, again. Directing Tech through Kentucky's press with a minimum of error will be the least coach Bill Foster will ask of Good.
Getting 20 or more points from him could be a necessity, what with forward Shawn Smith's slightly separated shoulder and shooting guard Damon Watlington's sprained ankle holding them back.
Sensing that crisis, Good, who scored in double figures just five times during the regular season, responded with a season-high 21 points last week in an Atlantic 10 tournament loss to Rhode Island.
Then Thursday, he topped that with a career-high 25 in a 61-48 victory over Wisconsin-Green Bay.
``People have questioned his scoring, but he's showing everyone now that he can be a scorer and bring another dimension to his game,'' forward Ace Custis said.
It makes you wonder, though, how Good, a four-year starter, has averaged only 8.5 points for his career. The simple answer is you can't score if you don't shoot, and Good usually does so economically within Foster's half-court set.
``You have to prod and push him a little bit to look for his shots,'' Foster said. ``He's been so focused on getting in our offense and communicating with the coaches, I think he forgets about being an offensive factor.''
That could indicate lack of offensive confidence or skill, but Good's 49-percent shooting touch from the floor - 39 percent from 3-point range - dispels that notion.
``Over the course of his career ... maybe we've asked him to do so many other things that shooting's become second, third or fourth on his list,'' Foster said.
``But like he's said, he knows now every game could be his last one. That doesn't mean he's going to take a bad shot. I think he's just thinking more aggressive now than he might have when he knew there was another game next week.''
To Good, it's a matter of practicality, of filling the gaps in the name of teamwork. Watlington, who averages 13, and Smith, who averages 11, are laboring, so he must plug the hole. Easy as that, he has.
``I know coaches have gotten on me to try to score more. My father has,'' says Good, a native of Columbus, Ind., where his dad coaches girls basketball. ``But probably since elementary school, I really haven't shot the ball a lot.
``I try to see what the team needs. If they need somebody to get the ball to everybody else, I'll try to do that. If they need me to score, then I'll shoot a little more. It all depends on how I think the game's going.''
For Tech to run with Kentucky, it's probable Good's game is going to have to be just one thing. Close to great.
Pitino gushed over the Hokies on Friday, noting how they ``remind me a lot of teams a long time ago when I played college basketball, the way it's played. They really understand how the game is played. You can't ask for any tougher opponent than Virginia Tech.''
Meanwhile, Pitino's players were quick to compare Tech's style to Wisconsin-Green Bay, which Kentucky beat this season 74-62. ``They are a team that plays each and every possession,'' guard Tony Delk said. ``I think it is going to be key for us to study their plays and be ready for them.''
The Kentucky game tape that Foster has shown his players is of Mississippi State's 84-73 victory in the Southeastern Conference tournament final. ``You know they're beatable,'' Good said.
The schools have met three times, the last in the 1962-63 season. Kentucky holds a 2-1 edge. A January meeting between the teams in Lexington was in the works before the season. But Foster nixed it because Kentucky refused to agree to a return visit to Blacksburg. ILLUSTRATION: ASSOCIATED PRESS
Shawn Good has scored 21 and 25 points in his last two games. The
Hokies are hoping for at least 20 more today.
by CNB