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

DATE: SATURDAY, November 13, 1993                   TAG: 9311130049
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: B-5   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: SCOTT BLANCHARD STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

HOKIES GIVE FOSTER NEW EXPERIENCE

For Bill Foster, Virginia Tech's preseason basketball practice has featured at least one little luxury.

"It's nice to have 10 or 11 guys back that know where to go," said the Hokies' coach.

And what to do. That much, Foster has told them as they prepare for an intrasquad game today at Cassell Coliseum following Tech's football game with Syracuse. The Hokies' opener is Nov. 27, against West Virginia in Landover, Md.

"We need to start getting a pecking order," Foster said. "We need to start gaining some rhythm. [Today's] important."

So are Tuesday and Nov. 21, when the Hokies play exhibition games against Finland's national team and Court Authority, both 7:30 p.m. starts at Cassell. After that, Foster said, Tech has "a week to clean it up" before beginning its quest to improve on back-to-back 10-18 seasons.

Last season, Tech practiced with seven freshmen, five of whom played during the season. This year the Hokies have added one true freshman, 6-9 Brandon Price, and three second-year freshmen - 6-8 Ace Custis, 6-6 Delwyn Dillard and 6-7 Dwayne Archbold.

"That's going to end up being a pretty good freshman class," Foster said.

Custis, coming back from major knee surgery, is not 100 percent but has played well, Foster said.

Foster added that guards Jay Purcell and Damon Watlington have shot well (a Hokie weakness last season) and that 6-10 center Jimmy Carruth has recovered well, after missing six months of court time with a broken hand in the spring.

by CNB