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

DATE: FRIDAY, November 19, 1993                   TAG: 9311190069
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: B-11   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: ANDREA KUHN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

W&L MEN'S COACH HOPING HIS TEAM GETS DEFENSIVE

That's why Canfield, entering his 30th season as head coach of the Generals, has made rejuvenating the defense his number one priority.

The Generals finished last season with a mark of 5-19 overall, 3-15 in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference. They were picked to finish ninth in the ODAC coaches preseason poll.

"Last year was rather embarrassing for me because our team did not play defense," Canfield said. ". . . Right now, our lineup and playing time depends on how they play defense."

The Generals return three of their top four scorers including 6-foot-6 center Robert Miggins. The senior averaged 9.7 points and 7.3 rebounds per game last year.

W&L returns two 6-7 players at the forward position - junior Mark Connelly (10.3 ppg) and sophomore Cam Dyer (8.7 ppg).

Starting at guard will be 5-11 sophomore Jonathan Coffman and 5-9 senior Matt Newton.

The Generals open their season tonight at 8 against John Carroll in the W&L Tipoff Tournament. In tonight's first game, Oglethorpe takes on Western Connecticut State.

"A lot of our success will depend on the first seven games," said Canfield, ranked 10th among active Division III coaches with a career record of 441-307.

"We'll play 10 to 12 people so we can maintain an intensity level. . . . We're going to do a whole lot better than last year."

Here's a look at the other ODAC teams:

\ Hampden-Sydney: The Tigers were picked to finish second in the conference behind Roanoke College. The team is young but deep, returning all but two players from a team that finished 12-13 overall, 8-10 in the ODAC. Former Patrick Henry standout Russell Turner joins the staff as an assistant coach.

\ Emory & Henry: Coach Bob Johnson said the Wasps will have a difficult time duplicating last season, when they finished 23-5, 16-2 and made their fourth consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament. E&H lost five senior starters and was picked to finish third in the league this season. Johnson, who will start four sophomores, said his team will be "small, but reasonably quick."

\ Randolph-Macon: Picked to finish fourth, the Yellow Jackets will return three starters from a team that went 18-9, 12-6. Among the losses was ODAC Player of the Year Troy Smith. The Jackets are expected to rely more on guard play, particularly Kurt Axe, the league's top freshman last year.

\ Bridgewater: The Eagles finished last season 12-12, 10-8 and were picked to finish fifth this year. Coach Bill Leatherman called his team a "mixed bag" with an astounding 13 freshmen on the 18-man roster. Mike Dayton is a transfer that should make an immediate impact. He averaged 17.8 points and 4.5 assists last season at Frederick Junior College.

\ Virginia Wesleyan: The Marlins, picked to finish sixth, hope to start the season where they left off last year. Wesleyan won the conference tournament for the first time in school history and made its first trip to the NCAA Tournament, finishing with a record of 19-9, 12-6. The Marlins took a huge hit in the preseason when Rick Chalk injured a knee. An all-ODAC and all-South Region selection last year, Chalk averaged 19.3 points and 8.1 rebounds. Coach Terry Butterfield said the senior will miss at least two months and possibly the entire season.

\ Lynchburg: The Hornets have six of their top eight players back from a team that went 5-19, 3-15 last year. Coach Joe Davis expects big things out of senior Anthony Cummings, a first-team all-ODAC selection last year. The Hornets were picked to finish seventh in the league.

\ Guilford: The Quakers posted a mark of 10-14, 7-11 last year and are picked to finish eighth in the ODAC this season. Guilford will rely on senior Paul Ferrell, who averaged 15.7 and 7.1 assists per game and is a career 87 percent free-throw shooter.

\ Eastern Mennonite: The Royals finished 7-18, 5-13 last year and could be in big trouble after losing all five starters. Second-year coach Tom Baker added 12 freshmen to his roster. The Royals were picked to finish 10th in the league.