THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, November 28, 1994 TAG: 9411280131
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ED MILLER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: MEMPHIS, TENN. LENGTH: Medium: 86 lines
Georgetown coach John Thompson has seen a lot of great players over the years, and there's one immutable law that applies to them all:
``A freshman is a freshman,'' Thompson said.
Even Allen Iverson.
Iverson, the much-hyped Hoya freshman from Hampton's Bethel High, shot just 5-of-18 and committed eight turnovers in his college debut Sunday, a 97-79 loss to Arkansas in the Martin Luther King Classic at The Pyramid.
In the other King Classic game, Jason Ivey scored 15 points and Temple opened its season with a 65-54 victory over Southern Cal.
Iverson scored a team-high 19 points, but was often out of sync with his teammates, and was thrown off balance by an aggressive Arkansas defense designed to stop him.
``He had so many people coming at him all game,'' Arkansas guard Reggie Garrett said. ``He was just rushing his shot, I guess.''
But if Iverson's shot wasn't falling, neither was his stock. The 6-foot-1 point guard showed enough talent and athleticism to convince Arkansas coach Nolan Richardson that he's for real.
``You cannot match up with him one-on-one,'' Richardson said. ``You better have two, or maybe even three.''
Thompson also said he saw no reason to doubt that Iverson will be as good as advertised.
``Allen is going to be a great player, there's no question in my mind, or anybody else's mind,'' Thompson said. ``All the superlatives are warranted.''
And the superlatives have been flowing since August, when Iverson lit up a Washington summer league with three scintillating performances. They continued during preseason, when Iverson scored 75 points in two Hoya exhibitions.
Sunday's game was not only Iverson's first college game, it was his first regular-season game in 20 months. The fact that it came against the defending national champions, on national television, made it all the more anticipated.
Iverson, sporting a new tattoo on his left biceps, was clearly pumped up for the game. His face broke into a huge smile when the partisan crowd stood and cheered as Arkansas came on the floor during pregame warmups.
Iverson wasted little time putting the ball up, missing a jumper from the foul line about 30 seconds into the game. He then picked up two quick fouls, and missed a 3-point attempt before hitting a trey from the top of the key at the 17:00 mark.
Iverson hit two more threes about four minutes later, but wasn't able to find his shot consistently.
Neither were his teammates. The Hoyas, with six new players, had no continuity on offense.
``We were a little impatient,'' Thompson said. ``Not just Allen. Nobody wants to get their butt kicked that way.''
Arkansas confounded the Hoyas by switching defenses, from man-to-man to a matchup zone to a 1-3-1 zone. The Razorbacks forced 28 Hoyas turnovers for the game and built a 15-point halftime lead they never relinquished. Corliss Williamson led the Razorbacks with 22 points and 16 rebounds.
Garrett, Clint McDaniel and Corey Beck took turns shadowing Iverson. With his jumper not falling, Iverson began penetrating more in the second half, but was banged around in the lane by the Razorbacks' inside players.
``He was shooting the ball out of of control,'' Beck said. ``I heard his teammates tell him a couple of times: Pass the ball.''
Iverson had just two assists. But if he was frustrated in his attempts to make something happen, it wasn't all his fault, Georgetown forward Don Reid said.
``We didn't get a lot of movement,'' Reid said. ``He didn't have anywhere to go.
Iverson, like all Georgetown freshmen, is prohibited from talking to the media.
Hoyas center Othella Harrington said he thought Iverson played well for his first outing.
``He held his own against those guys,'' Harrington said. ``Most of those guys are seasoned players.''
Iverson certainly wasn't shy, jacking up twice as many shots as any of his teammates.
``I think he's got a lot of confidence in himself,'' Beck said.
Garrett, a junior who was able to exploit Iverson a couple of times with pump fakes before easy baskets, sounded almost paternal.
``I'm proud of him,'' Garrett said. ``I think he did great.'' ILLUSTRATION: ASSOCIATED PRESS photo
Bethel High product Allen Iverson of Georgetown defends Arkansas'
Corey Beck during the Razorbacks' win Sunday.
by CNB