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

DATE: FRIDAY, November 3, 1995                   TAG: 9511030068
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: B2   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: DANIEL UTHMAN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

TIGERS SEEN AS ODAC'S TEAM TO BEAT

Hampden-Sydney's Tony Shaver feels good about that, perhaps even better than he feels about his team. The defending ODAC champs and NCAA South Region finalists received a league-high six first-place votes in the balloting announced Wednesday at the league's tip-off activities.

``I'm surprised to see us picked that high at the top,'' Shaver said. ``We've never had more holes to fill.''

The Tigers lost three of their top four players to graduation, including star point guard Tee Jennings, a William Fleming High School alumnus.

Emory & Henry had three first-place votes to grab second place, and Roanoke College was third. Maroons coach Page Moir picked his team first.

Washington and Lee, under first-year coach Kevin Moore, was tabbed sixth. ``That's realistic for us,'' Moore said. ``I'd be disappointed if we didn't finish that high.''

Tom Baker of Eastern Mennonite, whose team was picked last, said, ``The other coaches talk about the accuracy of their predictions; I hope they got stupid all of a sudden.''

MAHER A MAROON: Jon Maher, a former Blacksburg High School standout who originally attended Johns Hopkins, will play for Moir at Roanoke this season.

Moir recruited Maher when he still was at Blacksburg. Maher spent two seasons a part-time player at Hopkins and came to Roanoke last season. He took a year off from basketball to prepare for pre-medical exams.

At 6 feet 6, 205 pounds, Maher will play in the power forward spot for the Maroons.

``He should step in and be one of the better players in the league,'' Moir said.

MOORE SPEED: Lexington, already home of one of the most up-tempo teams in Division I, VMI, seems to have found another one in Division III.

W&L's Moore said the Generals will sprint up the floor on offense and press full-court on defense, although not on his team's missed shots, as VMI's Bart Bellairs plans to do.

Last season at his former school, Elmira (N.Y.), Moore saw his team average 89 points per game and reach the NCAA Tournament. In 1993-94, the Soaring Eagles peaked at 93 points per game, a school record.

SITTING SMITH: Patrick Henry High School graduate Turk Smith is a senior at Lynchburg beginning his third season with the Hornets. He isn't likely to make the starting lineup, though, and he doesn't mind.

``I'd rather come off the bench, to tell you the truth,'' Smith said. ``Some guys want to start. It can make them feel better.''

While unpretentious, Smith also is valuable to the Hornets. He averaged 8.6 points and 4.6 rebounds per game last season, shooting 55 percent from the field.