THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, November 17, 1994 TAG: 9411170584
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C01 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY TOM ROBINSON, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 94 lines
Sure thing. Virginia Tech basketball coach Bill Foster was able, willing and more than ready to join the Big East last March. He had all but sent moving announcements to recruits, so supposedly solid was Tech's switch from the Metro Conference.
``We were led to believe it was a done deal,'' Foster said. ``I thought we were going to the Big East until the day it went the other way.''
Now look at the Hokies. The Big East pulled its invitation and continues to harbor Tech for football only. Meanwhile, the Metro has reached the brink of disintegration, with Louisville, Tulane and Southern Mississippi jumping ship next year for a new, football-driven conference that so far includes Cincinnati, Houston and Memphis.
That has left Tech, Virginia Commonwealth, South Florida and North Carolina-Charlotte figuring that the Metro is dead and that new homes should be found post-haste.
The machinations are those of presidents and athletic directors, however, not a basketball coach who thinks he'll have a decent team with which to bid goodbye to the Metro, which is expected to be ruled by Tulane, Louisville or UNC-Charlotte.
Certainly, Foster has Tech athletic director Dave Braine's ear. And if you press him, Foster will say that, among existing leagues but not including the Big East or the ACC, the Atlantic-10 would be the Hokies' best fit despite intensive overtures from the Colonial Athletic Association.
``To me, the big difference is the A-10 TV package appears to be a much better package,'' Foster said. ``Plus, they've had an average of something like three teams in the NCAA tournament over the last 12 years. It seems the league offers more visibility, and that's what it's all about now.''
Foster offers those thoughts for the consumption of everyone but his athletes, among the best of whom are steady sophomore forward Ace Custis (10.9 points per game, 9.1 rebounds per game), Shawn Smith (11.3 ppg, 4.9 rpg) and Jim Jackson (12.1 ppg) - though Jackson's availability is in question because of his recuperation from back surgery.
While Jackson probably will miss the season, and 6-foot-8 junior-college transfer Keefe Matthews will be out till January because of knee surgery, the Hokies plan to offset a lack of depth with versatility, in that their starters can be used at various positions.
Yet discussing the pros and cons of conferences with the team is nothing that Foster spends even a minute on, for the simple reason the team has nothing to say about it.
The only way the Hokies can influence any decision is by performing on the court, Foster said. Attractive conferences woo attractive prospective members, and a program that consistently wins 20 will find its card full.
That's where the Hokies, who haven't won 20 in eight seasons, aren't, though they are on the rise after last season's 18-10 record.
They were snubbed for postseason play, however, and Foster, in his fourth season in Blacksburg, hopes to reach only his second NCAA tournament in 28 seasons as a head coach.
The Hokies haven't played in a postseason tournament since their first-round NCAA loss to Villanova in 1986.
``We got kind of caught up last year in going to the Big East,'' Foster said. ``I'm not going to get into that scenario and all that stuff. I've told them, `Don't worry about it, (the administration) will let us know when something happens. The best thing we can do is go out and win 20 games and go to the playoffs.' ''
The uncertainty is a nuisance, though, and would be an actual hardship if Tech had any seniors. But because he has all underclassmen, Foster and his staff are recruiting high school juniors.
Tech expects to know its conference fate perhaps within two months, plenty of time to get the word out to those prospects.
``It would be a whole lot better to be set,'' Foster said. ``If we needed to get five kids this year, I think it would really be detrimental. We'll be OK if we know by the end of January. It takes a while to get your recruiting geared towards where you're going to be.''
Despite the apparent assurances that Tech was Big East-bound, Foster said he did not use that in his recruiting pitch last year.
Myron Guillory, a freshman guard from Lake Charles, La., said the Big East talk had nothing to do with his choice of Tech.
``I had heard something like that. There was a rumor out, but I knew it wasn't for certain,'' Guillory said. ``It's something that's in the back of your mind. You do think about it, but it wasn't really a major factor in my signing with Virginia Tech.
As for the current state of flux, Guillory said he and his teammates simply ``would like to have a real good conference'' to play in next season. ``There hasn't been much talk about it.''
Which is understandable. You can't play next season till you play this season. Concerning Tech basketball, that's about the only sure thing going. ILLUSTRATION: Photo by GENE DALTON/LANDMARK NEWS SERVICE
With the Metro Conference collapsing, Virginia Tech coach Bill
Foster likes the Atlantic 10's TV package and NCAA visibility.
by CNB