Roanoke Times Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc. DATE: THURSDAY, November 4, 1993 TAG: 9311040065 SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO SOURCE: Doug Doughty DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Byington concedes that North Carolina-Wilmington was "in the middle of the pack" as he prepared to take his visits.
"They did come on a little late," said Byington after announcing he would sign a letter-of-intent to play basketball for the Seahawks, "[but] there were a number of reasons for going there."
Byington, a 6-foot-4 guard from Salem High School, picked UNC-W over George Mason and East Carolina. He also visited Richmond and gave some late thought to Radford.
Byington's last two visits were to UNC-W last week from Thursday to Saturday and George Mason from Saturday to Monday.
"It helped me compare those two schools," said Byington, a second-team All-Group AA selection and the only junior to make first-team All-Timesland.
"I was impressed by the academics at Wilmington; coach [Kevin] Eastman has a 100-percent graduation rate since he's been there. Plus, they were 17-11 last year, so it looks like the program is on the way up."
Richmond dropped from contention when the Spiders signed 6-5 Jarod Stevenson from Fayetteville, N.C., but Byington had the option of committing to Richmond early in the recruiting process.
"That was before I had made my visits," he said. "I felt it was a little too early."
Byington hopes for early playing time behind shooting guard Chris Meighen, who will be a senior next season.
\ MORE RECRUITING: A late push helped Ohio State land Robert Shelton, a first-team All-Group AA selection from Louisa High School who did not even have the Buckeyes on his list in September. Shelton, who made 92 3-pointers as a junior, was believed headed to Maryland or Texas A&M earlier in the fall.
\ ACC HOOPS: Wake Forest is awaiting word from the NCAA on the status of freshmen Makhtar Ndiaye and Ricardo Peral, both declared ineligible by the school as a matter of procedure. Ndiaye's recruiting is the subject of a self-report by Wake to the NCAA; the school also has asked the NCAA to review terms of Peral's agreement with his semi-pro team in Spain.
\ IN THE BIG EAST: It's a growing sign of respect for unbeaten West Virginia that Miami players are talking already about their trip to Morgantown on Nov. 20, even if their comments aren't totally respectful.
"We're going to be cheering for West Virginia to have a big game against Syracuse, so it makes us going up and beating West Virginia that much bigger," Hurricanes defensive end Darren Krein said prior to the Mountaineers' 43-0 romp in the Carrier Dome.
Temple coach Ron Dickerson after giving up 55 points or more in five straight games: "I used to come in the house and the dog would jump on me and wag his tail. Now he doesn't even greet me. He's upset with me, too."
\ IN THE ACC: If Charlie Ward is unable to start for Florida State at quarterback because of bruised ribs, sophomore Dan Kanell is likely to get the call over Jon Stark, a transfer from Liberty, even though Stark played the entire second half Saturday.
"It's [Kanell's] turn and he hasn't shown he doesn't deserve it," said Bowden, whose philosophy it is to play no more than two quarterbacks in any game. So far, Kanell and Stark have alternated in the back-up role.
Bowden said he will not hold Ward out of Saturday's game at Maryland in order to rest him for Notre Dame the following week. "When I saw him Monday, I thought, my goodness, it looks like he's going to miss this game and other games," Bowden said. "He looked better Tuesday."
Clemson is a 13-point underdog to North Carolina, a team the Tigers have beaten seven years in a row. The Tar Heels have not scored more than one touchdown in the last four games, which Clemson has won by a cumulative score of 116-19, including 40-7 last year.
\ THE HANDWRITING: Duke coach Barry Wilson, who announced Monday that he was stepping down after four unproductive seasons, said he held out hope until the Blue Devils lost to last-place Georgia Tech 47-14 on Saturday.
"When we beat Wake Forest [two weeks ago], obviously I had dreams that we would continue that pace for the last three games of the season," Wilson said. "I don't think it was a pipe dream, but we just didn't get it done.
"After we lost to Georgia Tech, I felt that [athletic director] Tom [Butters] probably would have to make a change and I didn't want to put him in the position of having to tell me. We've got a double-open week after Saturday and I did not want a lengthy period of speculation."
\ AROUND THE STATE: Antwan Chiles, a transfer quarterback from Florida, has moved into the starting lineup at Liberty. Fifth-year senior Travis Wilemon passed for 1,204 yards and 10 touchdowns in the first seven games, but the Flames had lost four in a row before the switch.
One time prep phenom Aaron Sparrow quit the team at Norfolk State last week, only to return on the eve of the Spartans' trip to Kentucky State. Sparrow originally said he wanted to transfer, citing "verbal abuse" by first-year Norfolk State coach Archie Cooley.
Fifth-year safety Dewayne Arkadie, one of VMI's defensive players, could miss the remainder of the season after reinjuring the knee that required season-ending surgery in 1992.
\ ROANOKER RECOGNIZED: Dave Trumbower, all-time leading rebounder at Hampden-Sydney, will be inducted into the school's athletic hall of fame Saturday. Trumbower, who also played professional baseball in the Philadelphia organization, is principal of Green Valley Elementary School in Roanoke County.
\ NON-REVENUE: Joe Basile, a senior from North Cross High in Roanoke, has played every minute of every game this year for Richmond's men's soccer team, which takes a 6-9-3 season into the Colonial Athletic Association tournament.
Basile worked with the Spiders' camera crew before getting into eight games as a sophomore in 1991. He became a part-time starter last season and this year has been a co-captain and Richmond's No. 4 scorer despite playing a defensive position.
by CNB