THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, December 30, 1994 TAG: 9412300648
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JIM DUCIBELLA, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 83 lines
Like any good coach, Jeff Capel hoped to prepare his Old Dominion basketball team for everything they would encounter Thursday night against No. 1 North Carolina.
He told them about the Tar Heels' pressure defense. Their zone, too. He told them about the athleticism of center Rasheed Wallace and power forward Jerry Stackhouse.
Finally, he let them know that playing the Tar Heels at Scope might be more like a road game than they could ever imagine.
``He said there would be 10,000 people watching - and half would be for Carolina and half would be for us,'' point guard Brion Dunlap said following North Carolina's 98-79 victory. ``It wasn't a surprise.''
Actually, the crowd of 10,161 - 10th highest in ODU home history, but only 146 shy of setting an all-time record - was far more pro-Monarch than pro-Tar Heel, though the acrobatics of Wallace and Stackhouse gave what seemed to be the more than 2,000 North Carolina supporters plenty to appreciate.
``It was a true road game, even though there were two or three thousand people cheering for us,'' North Carolina coach Dean Smith said. ``And we do appreciate the Carolina folks in this area turning out.''
Although ODU's last lead was 32-31, the game was competitive until the final eight minutes. That allowed the crowd plenty of opportunity to jaw back and forth at each other.
When ODU's Mike Jones missed everything when a shot from about 20 feet in the first half, the pro-UNC crowd hooted ``Air ball ... air ball ... Air ball.'' But before they could get too smug, Tar Heel Jeff McInnis heaved an air-ball at the other end. The pro-ODU faction let loose with a derisive comeback chant of its own.
``Wherever they play, they're going to have Carolina fans,'' Capel said. ``But I'm proud of our crowd. When they introduced the Carolina players, there was a big roar. But when they introduced our players, our roar was louder. And that's what we need.''
Like his predecessor, Oliver Purnell, Capel has been hitting ODU's frat houses and talking to students about taking a more active interest in the program he coaches.
``It's their team, not my team,'' he said. ``I'm only the coach. We need to figure a way to get more students involved. My main focus has been on getting the student involved.''
Dunlap, a freshman, said his first experience against the Tar Heels gave him something to shoot for - on and off the court.
``Most of their applause was out of respect,'' he said. ``That's where we want to be, to get to the point that when we go somewhere, we get the same kind of respect. I think we can do it, and it's something for us to look forward to.''
GETH'S HOMECOMING: Former Granby High School grad Ed Geth's visit to Scope wasn't personally productive. The 6-foot-8 Geth started in place of guard Jeff McInnis and played 11 minutes. He grabbed five rebounds, but missed the three shots he took, all layups.
``I was kind of relaxed,'' Geth said. ``There was no pressure. I was a little tentative shooting the ball, but I didn't shoot more because they'd be like, `He's shooting so much because he's home.' ''
As Geth waited with family outside the Tar Heels locker room, he was asked to pose for a picture and several friends and family members came over to offer their regards.
``It's been great,'' he said. ``I haven't seen a lot of my family and friends for a few months. I have a lot of supporters.
``Missing those shots was heart-breaking, but I feel I contributed positively in other ways tonight.''
In tribute to the occasion, North Carolina guard Dante Calabria wore a blue armband with Geth's No. 40 written on it.
FREE THROWS: There were two brief scuffles in the stands that security broke up. ... North Carolina's three sophomores - Wallace, Stackhouse and McInnis - hit 40 of their 51 shots. ... North Carolina coach Smith was escorted to and from the bench by two police officers. While his team warmed up, the officers sat on either side of Smith. They handed him programs to autograph, then passed them back to fans who were standing behind an iron fence erected behind the Tar Heels' bench. ... ODU had more offensive rebounds than North Carolina, 19-17. ... Bryan Kersey, son of NBA official Jess Kersey, was among the three officials assigned to the game. ... With 3:33 to play, Mario Mullen went down, holding his right knee. He went to the bench, but returned shortly and finished the rest of the game. by CNB