DATE: Tuesday, November 11, 1997            TAG: 9711110434

SECTION: SPORTS                  PAGE: C3   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY RICH RADFORD, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: NORFOLK                           LENGTH:   68 lines

BOOKERS' BASKETBALL HOPES LEANING ON WOUNDED KNEES LAST SEASON'S TOP-RANKED LOCAL TEAM NEEDS TERRY GRAY TO RETURN TO FORM AFTER BEING IDLE 2 MONTHS.

The road to basketball glory will end this season at Scope, site of four Virginia High School League championship tournaments.

But does it begin here as well?

Booker T. Washington, which officially opened practice Monday along with all other public school winter sports programs throughout the state, hopes so.

The Bookers were the top-ranked boys team in South Hampton Roads much of last season, won the Eastern District regular season crown and advanced to the state quarterfinals.

Making it one more step, to this season's state semifinals, would land the Bookers at Scope, site of the semifinal and final rounds of the VHSL's boys Group AAA, AA and A and the girls Group AAA tournaments March 12-14.

However, ``Scope'' holds double meaning for the Bookers. Their top returning player, 6-foot-6 forward Terry Gray, had his left knee scoped in February to remove a quarter-sized piece of loose cartilage under his kneecap. Over the summer, a calcium buildup was arthroscopically removed from his right knee.

The right knee then became severely infected and Gray missed all of the summer action, including playing for the Boo Williams AAU team that won the 17-and-under national title and participating in the prestigious Nike camp where the country's best players convene. The turn of events has lessened the interest of college recruiters and made Gray's senior season that much more important.

``I was off my feet for two months,'' Gray said. ``At this point, my right knee's about 75 percent and my left is 90 percent. It might be a while before I'm 100 percent. But where I was down about it last season and it affected the team, this year I'm taking a positive outlook.''

Gray was on the court for the Bookers' first workout, a Midnight Madness affair that began after the stroke of midnight Sunday. And he said the knees felt as good as they had in months.

``But that might have just been the adrenaline of the first practice,'' Gray said.

If Gray can return to form - he was a first-team All-Tidewater selection last season - the Bookers will be that much more mighty.

If not, the Bookers will still be everybody's favorite and are the probable No. 1 when the preseason South Hampton Roads rankings are released next month. With Gray back, they return four starters.

Repeating as Eastern District champions is priority No. 1 for Booker T., because the Eastern District regular-season winner enters the Eastern Region playoffs in the bracket opposite the Peninsula District champion. And defending state champion Hampton, led by sensational guard Ronald Curry, should have little problem repeating as Peninsula champion.

Both regional finalists, as usual, advance to state tournament play.

``That just adds that much more emphasis to the seeding process,'' said Bookers coach Jarrell Wilkerson.

With Booker T.'s football team involved in the regional playoffs, the Bookers opened basketball practice two shy of a full complement of players, with starting guard Kelvin Fuller and starting forward Robert Jordan still in pads.

As much as he wants to advance in the state football playoffs, basketball is still a hot topic for Fuller.

``Scope is right across the street from my house,'' said the senior as he headed for Monday's football workout. ``I want to have a good reason to cross the street.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo

``At this point, my right knee's about 75 percent and my left is 90

percent,'' said Terry Gray, Booker T. Washington senior forward.

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