ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, January 14, 1996 TAG: 9601150052
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: RADFORD
SOURCE: RANDY KING STAFF WRITER
A HOMELESS VIRGINIA TECH squad dumps La Salle 71-55 at Radford's Dedmon Center.
Homeless and Living High on the Hog.
Sounds like something off the country music charts. Instead, it's the current traveling tune for the Virginia Tech men's basketball team.
Locked out of their Blacksburg home because of roof damage at Cassell Coliseum, the Hokies brought their Atlantic 10 Conference home debut to Radford University on Saturday afternoon.
Tech could have played La Salle on I-81 and it would have made no difference. In front of a crowd of 4,111 at the Dedmon Center, 15th-ranked Tech prevailed 71-55.
The Hokies improved their record to 9-1 overall and 2-0 in the A-10 with their sixth consecutive victory. When The Associated Press' Top 25 poll comes out Monday, Tech figures to be a lock to achieve its highest ranking in history.
Not to mention the fact the Hokies will be the only top-15 team in the country without a home court. Tech's next home game - Monday's key A-10 West Division contest against George Washington - already has been switched from ailing Cassell to the Roanoke Civic Center.
Coach Bill Foster's nomads hope to move back home by Thursday, when Dayton comes calling at Cassell.
``We've got our fingers crossed on that one,'' Foster said. ``I'm afraid to ask [about the Cassell roof]. I don't know if I'd get a right answer if I asked. Hopefully, we're not going to have to do this Thursday.''
Dave Braine, Tech's athletic director, said Saturday he was confident an estimated 550 tons of snow and ice could be removed from the Cassell roof before Thursday. Because of the weight of the snow and ice, a couple of 28-foot purlins between Cassell's roof arches have shown signs of stress.
Fearing for everyone's safety, Tech officials decided to move Saturday's and Monday's games out of Cassell.
The 15-mile hop to Radford didn't faze Tech on Saturday. After starting slowly, the Hokies, sparked again by Roanoker Troy Manns, shot 60.7 percent in the second half to dispatch the Explorers (3-10, 0-2).
Manns, who had 19 points in Tech's first eight games, had 15 second-half points for the second consecutive game. The former Patrick Henry High School standout scored 10 straight points down the stretch as Tech kept 19-point underdog La Salle at arm's length.
Manns, who was 4-of-4 from 3-point range in Tech's 88-69 victory at Duquesne on Wednesday, was 3-for-5 beyond the arc Saturday. Not to mention the fact he had six assists for the second consecutive game, plus five rebounds.
``I'm just trying to give a spark to my team whenever it needs it,'' said Manns, who sat out last season after transferring from George Mason.
``Ace [Custis, Tech forward,] and [a] bunch of the guys on the team have been juking me because I wouldn't shoot the ball. And my mom told me I was missing a lot of shot opportunities I should be taking. So last game, I said, `Why not ... why not take 'em?'''
And make 'em.
``Coach [Chris] Ferguson said, `Troy is on fire,''' Custis said referring to the Tech assistant, ``so when he's got an open shot, he needs to shoot it. At first, he seemed hesitant to shoot. Now, he's firing it up and you see what's happening.''
Senior center Travis Jackson also came up big for Tech, hitting all five of his second-half shots en route to 15 points. Shawn Smith added 13 points, and Custis contributed 12.
Custis, who reached the 1,000-point plateau on his first basket of the game, a rousing dunk, said the players can't wait to get back into Cassell. The Hokies have been forced to practice in a small auxiliary gym during Cassell's shutdown.
``We haven't played in Cassell since Dec.18, and that's a long time to be away from home,'' Custis said. ``But we can't do anything about it, so we just have to suck it up and play ball. We know one day we'll be back in Cassell ... maybe.''
Following his postgame media session, Foster turned and asked, ``Where's our locker room?''
The veteran coach never could have guessed he'd be asking such a question after his team's first A-10 home victory in history.
``We haven't been in a dressing room the last two times where you could get your game plan on the blackboard,'' Foster said.
``It ain't real good, to be honest with you. I almost feel like, as a coach, the team is getting away from me. I'm kind of an organized guy who likes everything squared off and in its place. Boy, it's tough right now just to get 'em together.''
But as long as you win ...
``As long as we keep beating people,'' Jackson said, ``I don't care where we play.''
see microfilm for box score
LENGTH: Medium: 99 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: 1. ALAN KIM/Staff Everett Catlin (55) of La Salle seesby CNBhis path to the basket blocked by Jim Jackson (3) of Virginia Tech
during the Hokies' victory Saturday in Radford. color
2. ALAN KIM/Staff Shawn Smith (44) of La Salle tries to put up a
shot over the defensive pressure of Shawn Good of Virginia Tech
during Atlantic 10 action Saturday at the Dedmon Center in
Radford.