ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1995, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, December 21, 1995 TAG: 9512210042
SECTION: NEIGHBORS PAGE: E-10 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOHN A. MONTGOMERY SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES
When the Roanoke Valley Christian boys' basketball team whipped Lord Botetourt - a Group AA school - by 18 points last week, the event's significance did not escape Jim Farmer's notice.
``It was the biggest win in school history,'' the Eagles' coach said flatly.
With convincing victories over Meadow Bridge (W.Va.) on Thursday (58-50) and Shawsville on Friday (88-58), Roanoke Valley Christian improved its record to 5-1 overall, 1-1 in the Virginia Independent Conference.
The Eagles have emerged as the primary challenger to Carlisle in the eight-team VIC South.
Farmer's cumulative record for his previous four seasons as RVC's head coach was 37-50, so 30-point victories have not been the norm. But the Eagles' success this season is no mystery to him. He feels the explanation is obvious, and his players seem to agree.
Teamwork, camaraderie and selflessness appear to permeate the roster.
``The kids who are not starting for us are good players,'' Farmer said, ``but they're satisfied to cheer the others on. The support from our bench personnel has been fantastic.
``All the kids get along great; no one is the star.''
Farmer, an alumnus of Berean Christian, returned to coach at his alma mater for three years before it closed. He then moved to Patrick Henry for a year to coach a freshman team that included future Virginia recruits Curtis Staples (basketball) and Shannon Taylor (football).
Eagles point guard Eric Johnson, a 5-foot-9 sophomore who began the week averaging 13.2 points per game, understands Farmer's thinking.
``Coach talks to us about our role players,'' Johnson said. ``Even if they don't get into the game, they're very important to us because of what they do in practice. They get us prepared for our games.''
Balanced scoring has been common for the Eagles. In addition to Johnson, 6-4 senior center Joel Nester (14.3 ppg) and 5-11 junior shooting guards Mark DeLong and Chris Huffman (11.2 ppg each) are averaging double figures, and Johnson's backup, 5-10 senior Simon Foster, is very close (9.2 ppg).
Farmer, who patterns his coaching philosophy after that of Duke University's Mike Krzyzewski, believes in using his bench, and virtually all 12 Eagles have played in every game.
Against Shawsville on Dec.15, 11 players scored for RVC, led by Huffman with 20 points. The Eagles hit a season-high 12 3-pointers.
``All of our team has been real supportive,'' Nester said. ``If you have 20 points one game and four the next, it really doesn't matter.''
``Whoever's hitting that particular night gets the ball,'' Johnson added.
In the watershed victory over Lord Botetourt, Nester scored a career-high 27 points and grabbed 11 rebounds.
``He really took it to Botetourt,'' Farmer said. ``He was relentless, and that was the difference.''
The Eagles' performance has been particularly surprising considering last season's leading scorer (Mark Arbogast, 14.4 ppg) is not yet performing up to expectations. Arbogast, who began the season as a starter, has been moved to sixth man.
``Mark's upbeat,'' Nester said. ``He's had his head up all year. He's been struggling, but he'll come around.''
``Mark's really strong mentally,'' DeLong said. ``He works hard on his shot.''
The 3-pointer has been the Eagles' trademark this season. The team is hitting an impressive 36 percent of its shots from beyond the arc, a figure that include's Arbogast's 3-for-22 numbers.
DeLong leads the squad in 3-point accuracy at 47 percent (9-for-19). Huffman is close behind at 42 percent (13-for-31).
The Eagles are familiar with fast starts, opening last season 7-2 before fizzling to finish 10-12. They are determined to avoid a repeat of that performance.
``We didn't have this team unity last year,'' Foster said.
``We're more together,'' Nester said. ``Coach reminds us how sick we felt after our loss this year [a 75-72 defeat at the hands of Timberlake Christian]. We didn't like it.''
Most Roanoke Valley Christian players have been associated with the school for most of their academic careers. Nester and Foster, for example, have been friends since preschool.
The long-term bonding pays dividends on the court.
``I definitely think so,'' Johnson said. ``We know how to read each other, and it helps us click.''
Win or lose, Farmer teaches fundamentals during practice, then allows his players to make most of the floor decisions once the game starts.
``There's not a whole lot you can do to change things during the game,'' Farmer said. ``We teach principles in practice, such as the motion offense.
``Then I pretty much come out and watch.''
Thus far, Farmer has liked what he's seen.
LENGTH: Medium: 92 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: WAYNE DEEL/Staff. Roanoke Valley Christian sophomoreby CNBEric Johnson (left) with teammates Simon Foster, Joel Nester and
Mark DeLong. color.