Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, November 19, 1993 TAG: 9311190359
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-8 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: ANDREA KUHN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
The Roanoke College men's basketball season couldn't have ended on a more sorrowful note last February.
The Maroons have had all summer and fall to think about Kurt Axe's buzzer-beating jumper that snuffed out an 18-point Roanoke rally and lifted Randolph-Macon to a 60-59 victory in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference tournament semifinals.
Despite finishing 20-6 overall and 14-4 in the ODAC, the stunning loss cost the Maroons a berth in the NCAA Tournament.
"It definitely left a bad taste in my mouth," said senior Hilliary Scott, one of four returning starters for Roanoke and a candidate for All-America and Player of the Year honors this season.
"I've never had anything like that happen to me in all the years that I've been playing basketball. I know the guys are thinking about it. We don't want to get in that situation again this year."
Page Moir, entering his fifth season as coach of the Maroons, also remembers the shock and frustration.
"I didn't watch the film for a month or two later," he said. "The guy [Axe] hit a prayer to beat us. . . . My kids did a great job down the stretch. It just made us want to get the summer over that much quicker and get to this season.
"It's was disappointing at the end . . . That's the way tournament things work, especially Division III, where only 40 teams go. A lot of good teams get left out."
Moir said last year's bitter ending provided motivation for his players this season. The Maroons, picked Thursday by the ODAC coaches to finish first in the league, make their debut Saturday at 7:30 p.m. when they host Marietta in the Barker Realty-Salem Bank and Trust Tournament.
And if the Maroons need extra incentive, a victory Saturday night would be No. 1,000 in the 80-year history of the program. Only 17 of 533 Division II and III schools have reached the mark. Randolph-Macon and Virginia Union are the only Virginia schools in that group.
"It means a lot to me personally because I've been around Roanoke College basketball since the '60s," said Moir, whose father coached the Maroons from 1967-1973. ". . . I feel like I'm kind of part of the tradition. A lot of the schools ahead of us have done it over a longer period of time. We've done it in 80 years. . . . It shows what a great tradition we've had, especially the last 25 years have been fantastic for our basketball."
Moir said he's confident the 1993 Maroons will continue the program's winning tradition, with Scott leading the way.
The 6-5 guard-forward from Lynchburg led the team last season in scoring (20.5 ppg), steals (51), field-goal percentage (56.0) and 3-point percentage (42.4). He was second on the team in rebounding (7.2 rpg) and assists (74).
For his efforts, Scott earned second-team All-American honors. He was the only non-senior recognized on the first or second team, making him the leading candidate this season for Division III Player of the Year honors.
"I definitely have high expectations," Scott said. "I'm hoping to have another good season like last year. I was proud of my season last year. As far as All-American, I try not to think about it too much. It puts more pressure on me."
Moir described Scott as the type of player that thrives in pressure situations.
"I kind of look at things a little differently than I used to," Moir said. "I like having those expectations somewhat. I think he deserves that kind of recognition. We pushed hard to make sure everybody knew how good he was and what kind of year he had last year so he would get this kind of recognition. It's maybe a little bit of pressure, but it's well deserved and he can live up to it.
"I wouldn't trade him for anybody. I think he could be playing just about anywhere in college basketball."
The guard positions for the Maroons are solid with seniors Dustin Fonder of North Cross, Kevin Martin and Mike Thornton returning.
Fonder, the 6-1 point guard, led the team in assists last season with 128 and ranks fifth on the Roanoke all-time assists list with 211. He averaged 3.4 points points per game and had 33 steals.
Martin (6-4), of Collinsville, has been the Maroons' third leading scorer the past two seasons, while splitting time with Thornton (6-4). The two combined for an average of 21 points per game.
Also subbing in the guard rotation will be junior Mark Genthner, senior Brian Blaney and sophomore Akil Stewart.
"We'll play 10 guys. We'll run them in and out, try and keep them fresh and try and press a lot of the time," Moir said. "We play an up-tempo game and I think that suits our strengths perfectly this year because we have very good depth and quickness."
Roanoke's only lost starter was Rick Becker, a 6-8 forward who missed 10 games in the heart of last season with a separated shoulder. The Maroons went 7-3 without him.
Roanoke will lose some size trying to replace Becker, an all-ODAC player in 1992. Stan Clements (6-5 senior) and Joe Schrantz (6-4 junior) will share playing time. Both saw considerable action in reserve roles last year. Clements averaged 3.8 points per game and 3.2 rebounds; Schrantz averaged 5 points and 2.2 rebounds.
Also, junior Bryant Lee returns to the forward position after playing at center last year. Lee averaged 9.9 points and 6.5 rebounds per game.
At center, the Maroons will likely rely on Steve Camara, a 6-6 sophomore. Also competing for the starting position is 6-6 freshman Tim Braun.
\ ROANOKE COLLEGE\ BASKETBALL PREVIEW\ \ COACH: Page Moir, 63-42 in four seasons at Roanoke.\ \ LAST SEASON: 20-6, second in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference regular-season standings.\ \ RETURNING STARTERS: Hilliary Scott, 6-foot-5, senior (20.5 ppg, 7.2 rpg); Kevin Martin, 6-3, sr., (10.5 ppg, 3.1 rpg); Bryant Lee, 6-5, jr. (9.9 ppg, 6.5 rpg); Dustin Fonder, 6-1, sr. (3.4 ppg, 5.3 apg).\ \ TOP NEWCOMERS: Tim Braun, 6-6, fr.; Jason Bishop, 6-1, fr.\ \ POSSIBLE SURPRISE: Tim Braun, averaged 14.9 points and 9.3 rebounds at Turner Ashby High School. Said Moir: "We knew he was a good player and he would have the best chance of being our freshman to play, but really, he's starting to exceed my expectations."\ \ STRENGTHS: Depth and quickness. Moir will use an up-tempo pace utilizing 10-12 players.\ \ WEAKNESSES: The Maroons aren't as tall as they have been the past few years.\ The front line likely will be 6-6 and 6-5.\ \ FAST FACTS: Roanoke needs one victory to reach 1,000 in the school's history . . . . Fonder is still adjusting to basketball after playing a key role on the Maroons' soccer team, which made its first trip to the NCAA Tournament, losing in the quarterfinals last week.
by CNB