Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, May 13, 1993 TAG: 9305130050
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Dave Ross, an advertising representative for WJPR and former sports director of WSLS, began the service six years ago, when he became affiliated with a Birmingham, Ala., company called Scouting Report.
The company went out of business, but Ross kept the name and continued the service locally with associate Alan Spigle. Ross and Spigle estimate they have helped place 60 Southwestern Virginia athletes with college programs.
Ross and Spigle prepare a biographical sketch on each athlete, send the information to a wide range of schools from Pennsylvania to Georgia, mail updates and send film when requested. The fee is $395, with a flexible payment schedule.
Cave Spring guard Kim Stewart, whose father subscribed to the service in February, accepted a scholarship last week with Elon (N.C.) College, a Division II program.
"Potentially she could have fallen between the cracks," Joe Stewart said. "There were some Division I schools that showed interest, but they were not programs that interested Kim. The Scouting Report helped immensely."
Elon coach Jackie Myers said it was the Scouting Report that first brought Stewart to her attention.
"Not long afterward, she was recommended to me by the coach at Campbell College, but I probably wouldn't have known the girl otherwise," Myers said. "A lot depends on where [a prospect] is from. We've got a small staff and a small budget."
It is rare that one of Ross' or Spigle's clients receives a Division I scholarship, and they frankly admit the service is not intended for athletes like Cave Spring's Tiki Barber and Ronde Barber, who were rated among the top five football prospects in the state before signing with Virginia.
"I think a lot of athletes, good athletes, think of themselves as Division I prospects when they might be better suited for another level," Ross said, "but there are a lot of Division II and III programs that can't make the rounds of every high school."
Ross said it has been his policy not to call the colleges or advise athletes on what schools to select.
"This is not what you would call a hard sell," Ross said. "If a school is interested, fine, but I'm not going to call back 18 times. From my years at [Channel] 10, I just thought there were a lot of kids from our area who weren't being recruited the way they should."
\ MORE RECRUITING: Former Patrick Henry standout Tim Basham has qualified for a basketball scholarship, sources say, and is considering offers from East Carolina and Towson State. Basham, a 6-foot-5 forward, played last season at Prospect Hall in Hagerstown, Md.
It is almost certain that Virginia will not sign another basketball player before May 15, the end of the spring letter-of-intent period. The Cavaliers are pursuing 6-10 Ricardo Peral from Madrid; however, Peral will be unable to visit until his club team finishes its playoffs.
VMI continues to sign guards at an astounding rate, adding its fourth guard of the spring in 6-1 Darryl Faulkner from Northwestern High School in Hagerstown, Md. The Keydets would not have added Faulkner if they didn't stand to lose a player, since they already were at the 13-scholarship NCAA limit. VMI might find it difficult to keep guard Ryan Alston, who played only 68 minutes as a freshman.
\ A NEW LOOK: Joe Cantafio may be lonely for a little while in the VMI basketball office with the loss of his two full-time assistants, Dave Manzer and Jim Baker. Manzer, a member of the Keydets' staff for seven years, joined new Miami of Ohio coach Herb Sendak. Baker is going to Catawba (N.C.) College as an assistant and is expected to succeed longtime coach Sam Moir when he retires.
\ SUFFERING SEMINOLES: The Tallahassee (Fla.) Democrat has reported that more than half of Florida State's 13 scholarship basketball players had grade-point averages of less than 2.0 this spring and that the team GPA was 1.75. A year ago, when the team GPA was 2.25, coach Pat Kennedy vowed that his players would do better in the classroom.
The statistics would have looked better for Florida State if point guard Charlie Ward did not count as a football player for scholarship purposes. Ward, the Seminoles' quarterback, had a 3.3 grade-point average.
\ A WINNER: Randolph-Macon College senior Barbara Robertson from Salem was voted to All-Old Dominion Athletic Conference team after winning the No. 6 singles title in the conference tournament. Robertson, who was 16-1 in singles, also finished second at No. 2 doubles in the tournament.
\ TICKED OFF: Roanoke College men's lacrosse coach Bill Pilat drove five hours each way to scout Friday's game between Gettysburg and Washington College, only to learn Sunday that the Maroons had not been invited to the Division III NCAA Tournament.
"Everybody that beat us is in the tournament," said Pilat, who felt the Maroons should have joined fellow Old Dominion Athletic Conference member Washington and Lee in the field. "Obviously, we're good enough to put people in the tournament, but we're not good enough to go ourselves.
"The ODAC gets one team and the MAC [Middle Atlantic Conference] gets two: Gettysburg and Washington College. Gettysburg lost to unranked St. Lawrence. We didn't lose to an unranked team. Washington College lost to Salisbury by 12 [goals]. Nobody beats us by 12, including Salisbury."
Keywords:
TENNIS
by CNB