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

DATE: SATURDAY, June 2, 1990                   TAG: 9006020259
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: B-5   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Scott Blanchard
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

HOKIES GET 6-9 TRANSFER IN BASKETBALL

Johnny Tooley, a 6-foot-9, 210-pound freshman at Arkansas-Little Rock, said Friday he plans to transfer to Virginia Tech.

Tooley would have to sit out a year after transferring and would have three years of eligibility at Tech beginning in 1991-92. He averaged 9.1 points and 6.8 rebounds per game as a senior at Princeton (Ind.) High School, but averaged only two minutes per game as a freshman at Arkansas-Little Rock, in part because of a sprained ankle.

The Hokies added another transfer, Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College 7-footer Erik Wilson, during the April signing period. Tooley said he will be on scholarship this fall at Tech, meaning the Hokies have used their last available grant.

Tooley said he visited Tech and Pepperdine and also had interest from South Alabama, Texas-El Paso, Tennessee Tech and Texas Tech.

"I thought the best program for me would be Virginia Tech because I felt more comfortable with the coaches," said Tooley.

Tooley said he played just two years of high school basketball, in part because of growth-related stress fractures in his feet during his sophomore year. As a senior, he said, he visited UALR, Kent State and Eastern Michigan before signing with the Trojans.

by CNB