DATE: Wednesday, September 10, 1997         TAG: 9709100740

SECTION: SPORTS                  PAGE: C1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BOB MOLINARO

                                            LENGTH:   86 lines

CURRY'S A BIG FISH, BUT RALPH'S STILL THE WHOPPER

When Hampton prep messiah Ronald Curry committed his unique football and basketball talents to the University of Virginia, it ignited a celebration of hyperbole.

This is to be expected.

Athletically speaking, Curry is U.Va.'s most spectacular catch since the Cavaliers reeled all 7-feet-4 of Ralph Sampson into the boat.

Naturally, some people are getting carried away with the moment. For them, Curry is a bigger trophy than Sampson was, in part because Curry excels at two sports.

This reaction is to be expected, as well. Since we live in the United States of Amnesia and Sampson's signing with U.Va. took place 18 years ago, it's understandable that many would be unaware of the sheer excitement and incredible expectations that were created by Big Ralph's selection of a college.

As a quarterback, Curry is being counted on to take U.Va. football to great heights. He may be a superior athlete than Sampson. Judging from his high school resume, he appears to be a better winner.

Curry may yet replace Sampson as U.Va.'s most singular jock. Time will tell. For now, though, we can say with confidence that Curry's commitment to U.Va. did not set off the same sort of fireworks and wild speculation that accompanied Sampson's announcement on the final day of May 1979.

Along with about 120 other media and 14 television cameras, I was inside the Harrisonburg High gymnasium when Sampson sat at a table with his coach, Roger Bergey, and began to speak. This was before the proliferation of cable sports channels and radio squawk shows. Factoring in media inflation, those 120 media represented about 400 by today's standards.

Sampson waited a very long time to choose a school. Every other prep hotshot, including Kentucky-bound Sam Bowie, had committed. The wait led to greater anticipation.

Finally, the moment arrived. As everyone leaned forward, Sampson said, ``I have it narrowed down to Kentucky and Virginia. I was still undecided this morning, changing back and forth. But I think I'm going to Virginia.''

The gym erupted into cheers from U.Va. boosters, but seconds later a furious cry went up from the cluster of Kentucky media. What did Sampson mean, ``I think I'm going to Virginia''?

And Ralph's reply to that?

``If I don't sign with Virginia,'' he explained, ``I would sign with Kentucky.''

And so it went, with Sampson digging a deeper hole for himself every time he opened his mouth.

``He was nervous,'' his mother explained after the press conference. ``It wasn't because he hadn't made up his mind.''

Maybe so. In any case, Sampson signed with U.Va. the next day. By then, Cavaliers basketball coach Terry Holland was dreaming big.

``I think the national championship is within our reach next year,'' Holland said.

Well, now. You don't often hear that from a coach, especially one as conservative as Holland. But that's the kind of impact Sampson had. As someone so tall and yet mobile, Sampson was expected to redefine the game while reordering the structure of big-time basketball.

They say Curry is the best quarterback his age in the country, a future Heisman Trophy candidate if he remains at U.Va. more than two years. Still, I can't picture George Welsh pointing to Curry as a freshman and talking about a national championship.

As for basketball, Curry's point-guard play can't help but improve Jeff Jones' program. But in case you hadn't noticed, it's a program that needs a lot of help before it can aspire to national prominence.

Curry's arrival at U.Va. will be big news. Perhaps the Charlottesville restaurant that named a sandwich in Sampson's honor will do the same for Curry.

But the mood - the frenzy - that accompanied Sampson's signing cannot be duplicated. Thinking back, some of the expectations for Ralph were fairly outrageous. He did not reinvent the game. Who can? He could not lead U.Va. to a national title. Or even a single ACC tournament championship.

Still, Sampson put U.Va. basketball on the map for the first time. More importantly, he put the Cavaliers on national TV time after time for four years. This created capital for U.Va. and broadened its athletic vision. It put the school in a position to reach out for Welsh, who built a new era of football.

Without Sampson to set the stage, it's unlikely U.Va. could have enticed Welsh. Without Welsh and his great success in Charlottesville, Curry never chooses the Cavaliers.

So whose commitment to U.Va. looms largest today? Eighteen years later, the impact of Sampson's signing still is being felt. ILLUSTRATION: Photo

Ralph Sampson put Virginia on the national athletic map.

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