THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, March 21, 1996 TAG: 9603210523
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY STEVE CARLSON, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: ATLANTA LENGTH: Medium: 91 lines
Georgetown coach John Thompson's foray into legal gambling is over for now.
Thompson said Wednesday he will withdraw his application for a Nevada gaming license, an application he made nine months ago that came to light this week. Thompson had hoped to acquire 10 percent of the Las Vegas McCarran International Airport slot machine concessions, which is owned by a friend of his.
According to The Washington Post, the friend is also chairman of a separate company that owns two hotel-casinos which have legal sports books with betting on college and professional sports.
That presented a tenuous position for a college basketball coach.
Thompson, whose team meets Texas Tech here tonight in an East Regional semifinal, said his decision to pull out of the venture was based on a discussion Wednesday with Georgetown president Rev. Leo O'Donovan.
``He is a person that has been extremely supportive of me and a person I love dearly, because he has permitted me to be me,'' Thompson said. ``I have decided to drop it totally, because he asked me to.
``Every time I've asked him to do something for me, he's been there for me. It was never my intention in any way to create any grief for him.''
Thompson stressed that he never intended to get into sports gaming and that his application was never a secret. He said the university was aware of it and he sought references in submitting the license from university and NCAA personnel.
Thompson said he was bothered by the ``sanctimonious'' reaction his bid created in some circles.
``Any man who has not played a slot machine, get up and leave this room,'' Thompson said. ``Any man who has not worked for a paper that has point spreads, get up and leave this room.''
Thompson said he would discuss the reasons for his interest in the business at a later date. In Wednesday's Washington Post, Thompson indicated he wanted to make inroads in an industry with little black ownership.
QUICK HIT: Georgetown guard Allen Iverson was asked who the quickest basketball player in the world is at any level. Iverson smiled and paused.
``I don't know, there are a lot of quick guards,'' he said.
Same question for Hoyas center Othella Harrington: ``It's hard for me to say because I haven't seen everybody in the world. But from who I've played with and who I've seen, I'd have to say Allen.''
Texas Tech coach James Dickey said playing against six players in practice does not adequately prepare the Red Raiders for Georgetown's quickness and defensive aggressiveness.
``I don't know how you simulate the quickness of Iverson,'' Dickey said.
HAM'S JAM: Texas Tech forward Darvin Ham's backboard-shattering slam dunk at the Richmond Coliseum last weekend continues to be a hot topic. The Richmond Times-Dispatch reported earlier this week that a maintenance worker collected the remains of the backboard and sold the pieces for a couple bucks a pop outside of the arena.
``I've signed I don't know how many pieces of glass in the last few days,'' Ham said. ``I heard they were selling it outside the Coliseum. I want a cut.''
The Red Raiders (30-1), coming off Sunday's win over North Carolina, go into tonight's game with Georgetown continuing to decry a lack of regard for the accomplishments of the Southwest Conference champions.
``People continue to doubt us and say we haven't played anyone,'' Ham said. ``But last Sunday really opened people's eyes.''
Thompson said what perceptions people have of a team is not as important as it is in football, where so much is based on the polls.
``In basketball you don't have to be concerned about respect, because you play,'' Thompson said.
HOG-WASH: Arkansas coach Nolan Richardson has been to the last two NCAA tournament title games, and won a national title in 1994. This year, the Razorbacks are a No. 12 seed - the lowest with California of any at-large team and the lowest by far of any team left in the tournament - which means they were one of the very last teams picked for the field.
Richardson is milking the role reversal as his team prepares to play top-ranked Massachusetts tonight.
``There's a lot of pressure on UMass to continue being what most of you have selected them to be - the No. 1 team in the country,'' Richardson said during Wednesday's press conference. ``It's a target, and it's tough to wear.
``It's a little more comfortable for me to walk in here and look at (UMass coach John) Calipari and say `Man, you have to win, you have to.'
``I want to win the game, but I don't have to win.''
Calipari professed to not be biting on the psychological bait.
``The good thing about Nolan is he doesn't know me well enough to know that stuff doesn't have an effect on me,'' Calipari said. ``. . . We're still UMass and they're still Arkansas.
``They have won a national title and we have not.'' by CNB