THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, January 10, 1997 TAG: 9701100688
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C6 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY PAUL WHITE, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 68 lines
What's a first-year coach with virtually an entire roster of new players doing going on the road to play the second-ranked team in the nation?
``Don't look at me,'' said Atlantic Shores coach Matt Borgeson, whose Seahawks are in Durham, N.C., today for a game against USA Today No. 2 Mt. Zion Christian. ``I inherited this schedule.''
The home-and-home series - Mt. Zion visits Atlantic Shores on Feb. 18 - was set up by former Atlantic Shores coach and athletic director Mark Phelps. The teams also met last year.
This season, Mt. Zion is 15-0 and is led by Tracy McGrady, a 6-foot-8 senior forward who has announced he will bypass college and make himself available for the NBA draft.
``It'll be fun, good exposure and a good self-check for the kids,'' Borgeson said.
The Seahawks will be in the spotlight again Feb. 22 during the Hill City Shootout in Lynchburg. The one-day, 10-team event features six of the USA Today's top-25 teams, including Mt. Zion and No. 4 St. John's at Prospect Hall featuring former Indian River star Jason Capel. Atlantic Shores will play against Maryland's Riverdale Baptist.
Only four Atlantic Shores' players returned from a year ago, and all saw limited minutes.
The new-look Seahawks, winners of four of their last six, are led by Channing Robertson, an athletic 6-5 Norview transfer who averages 15 points and 10 rebounds a game.
TOP TALENT: Capel has made a smooth transition to the highest level of high school ball. The junior is averaging 21 points and nine rebounds a game while seeing time at all five positions for St. John's, which is unbeaten in 10 games.
Over the Christmas break, Capel was named the most valuable player of the Iolani Prep Classic in Honolulu.
``He's fit in real nicely,'' St. John's coach Stu Vetter said. ``He's been a real asset.''
COMMODORE BLUES: Previously winless Norcom's 63-59 victory over Maury left the Commodores in a rare two-game losing streak. Maury (5-4) has lost two games in a row only five times the last eight years.
A loss by No. 10 Maury to No. 6 Granby tonight would mark the Commodores' first three-game losing streak since 1983.
``It's frustrating because I don't think we're playing as well as we can,'' Maury coach Jack Baker said.
Although Norcom hadn't won any of its first seven games, a breakthrough victory seemed only a matter of time.
Five of the losses were by five points or less, two games were decided in overtime and the combined record of the seven teams, all of whom are over
The Greyhounds will meet their first sub-.500 opponent tonight when they visit Churchland (0-9). Hickory (0-10) is the area's only other winless team.
RIM SHOTS: Antoine Willie's 39-point effort against Hickory, a single-game area high, marked the fourth time he's cracked the 30-point mark. Tallwood's Terrell Taylor (35), First Colonial's Ricky Butts (31) and Josh Withers (31), and Lakeland's Damon Tillery (30) have all done it once. . . . Tabernacle Baptist coach Gordon Cook, who began the year with a 486-123 record through 25 years, is now three victories shy of 500. The Patriots will go for win No. 498 tonight when they host Landmark. . . . Western Branch, which got 20 points from David Fanning in a 56-44 victory over Lakeland Tuesday, hopes to play its first real home game Jan. 15 against Western Branch. The Bruins have played their two previous ``home'' games at Churchland while renovations to the Western Branch gym continue.