Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, May 2, 1990                   TAG: 9005020026
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: B4   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: By SCOTT BLANCHARD SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

TECH'S COLES IS IN DEMAND ON AND OFF THE COURT

Coles' agent said the former Hokie has agreed to play in a $150,000 one-on-one basketball tournament June 25 at the Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City, N.J. The tournament will include, among others, LaSalle's Lionel Simmons, Syracuse's Derrick Coleman, Oregon State's Gary Payton and Louisiana State's Chris Jackson.

And, Coles may be a pro prospect in another sport: baseball.

Bobby Myrick, the Atlantic region scouting supervisor for the California Angels who is based in Roanoke, has talked to Coles and expressed interest in the former Olympic basketball player - even though Coles hasn't played baseball since high school. Apparently, Coles' athletic ability is enough to earn him a shot at playing pro baseball.

Coles, expected to be a first-round pick in the NBA draft in June, is bemused by the baseball talk. He said he played "a little bit everywhere" for Greenbrier East High School's baseball team and said he was offered a deal by the Philadelphia Phillies as a high school senior. But he was intent on playing basketball at Tech.

"I haven't really thought about it at all," he said of Myrick's interest. "He just told me he would come down and talk to me later.

"It's something to look at."

Myrick could not be reached for comment, and a spokesman for Angels' scouting director Bob Fontaine said Fontaine's policy is not to discuss potential free-agent signees. But Tech basketball coach Frankie Allen said Myrick hinted that the Angels may choose Coles in a late round in the Major League Baseball draft in early June.

Coles' agent, Bob Woolf, said he hasn't talked to Coles about his baseball prospects, but he didn't dismiss the Angels' interest.

"I always leave all options open. I never close any doors," Woolf said.

Coles, however, left little doubt what is foremost in his mind.

"After I'm drafted [by an NBA team], maybe I'd talk a little bit more [about baseball]," he said. "The NBA draft is what's first."

Though several NBA scouts said Coles played well at a recent tournament showcasing NBA hopefuls in Orlando, Fla., the question apparently remains as to whether he can become an NBA point guard. Another gathering of draftable college players will compete in a similar tournament in Chicago in the first week of June, but Coles said he is not planning to play.

Marty Blake, the NBA's scouting director, is disappointed.

"That's his biggest mistake," said Blake, who nevertheless said he thinks Coles can be an effective point guard in the league. "He should play, so our coaches could see him. He can only improve [his standing]."

Coles said recently, "It's not going to be the best players in the country. I'm not going to go up there and [have] somebody under me play better."

Coles, though, may be an underdog at the One-On-One Collegiate Challenge, which is being promoted by Mike Trainer, who is boxer Sugar Ray Leonard's attorney. Trainer, who runs Victory Promotions Inc. in Bethesda, Md., said eight players who have used up their eligibility will compete in the tournament with the winner receiving $100,000 and the runner-up $50,000. All eight players will be paid appearance fees.

Trainer said he will announce today that Simmons, Coleman, Payton and Jackson have committed to play in the tournament. Simmons, only the fifth NCAA player to score more than 3,000 points in his career, won several player-of-the-year awards last season, including the John Wooden Award. Coleman, Payton and Jackson joined Simmons as first-team Associated Press All-America choices. Jackson, a sophomore, has declared himself eligible for the NBA draft. Coles was an honorable mention All-America. Trainer said he will officially announce Coles' name with the other three participants at a later date.

Trainer said the tournament will be available on pay-per-view television. There will be a "vertical dunking" contest using a basket that can be raised as high as 14 feet, and Trainer said he'll try to get the winner - who will be paid $50,000 - into the "Guinness Book of World Records." Trainer said the contest is open to non-professionals - "guys from the playground," he said - and may include some college players who have completed their eligibility.