THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, May 6, 1996 TAG: 9605060147
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C5 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JAMES C. BLACK, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 51 lines
The NBA in Hampton Roads? Not quite but there were all the elements of a professional game during the fifth annual Hoop-It-Up 3-on-3 tournament Sunday afternoon.
From the banging and complaining to the technicals and ejections, the only thing missing was Dennis Rodman throwing his jersey into the stands.
``There's no comparison between the players here and the NBA,'' said league official Tony Brothers, who refereed Nike Top Gun games during this weekend's event at the Naval Station.
``These guys really weren't playing basketball. They were just kind of banging it up.''
But amid the hard fouls and controversy, Team Bojangles accomplished the familiar: winning the Top Gun championship.
Bojangles put a closure on the two-day event by defeating Trump Tight 21-14 in the final. The Kinston, N.C., squad - winners of the first three Norfolk tournaments - felt no pressure to redeem themselves after being knocked out in the semifinals last year.
``We play in too many other tournaments to think about one,'' Bojangles' Phillip Hill said. ``After one tournament is over, we worry about the next tournament we will play in.''
And having played in so many tournaments, Bojangles was ready for the antics of their opponent, Team Sheppard, in the divisional championship.
Sheppard was disqualified in its game against Bojangles when one of the players refused to leave the court after being ejected.
The dispute followed a whistle on a hard foul - a constant throughout the weekend.
``Since it was windy, they wanted to foul as much as they could, put players on the line and let them try to win from the free-throw line,'' said Brothers, a Chesapeake native.
Leroy Richardson of Virginia Beach, fresh off his first NBA season, was also blowing the whistle Sunday. He worked the Chicago Bulls NBA-record 70th victory.
In the women's Top Gun division, Elegant Image defeated Stingers 21-17. ILLUSTRATION: Photo by L. TODD SPENCER
Bojangles' Phillip Hill, right, goes up against Trump Tight's
Clinton Wright in the Top Gun championship.
by CNB