BLACKSBURG LOSES WHEELER TO INJURY

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

DATE: TUESDAY, January 5, 1993                   TAG: 9301050151
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: B7   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: Staff
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short
BLACKSBURG LOSES WHEELER TO INJURY
Tony Wheeler, the Blacksburg High basketball team's second-leading scorer and its leading rebounder, will be out of action for a minimum of four weeks in hopes that a chipped bone in his left shoulder can heal.
If the shoulder doesn't come around, then it is likely that he will undergo surgery.
In either case, Indians coach Bob Trear isn't counting on having the 6-foot-1 sophomore any time soon, if at all, this season.
"He's probably gone for the season," Trear said. "Even if he can play in four weeks, then it's still going to take another couple of weeks to get him ready and that puts us up to tournament time."
Wheeler aggravated a football injury last week in a 60-56 loss to Salem.
"I've advised him that he'd probably be better off getting the surgery now, but that's up to him," Trear said.
Wheeler was averaging 15 points and seven rebounds per game. Starting in his place will be ace sixth man Jay Safford, who was leading the team with 20 points per game.
This comes at a particularly bad time for Blacksburg. In the next 10 days, the Indians (1-6) play at Salem tonight, at Alleghany, Pulaski County, at Tazewell, Northside, and Radford.

by Bhavesh Jinadra by CNB