THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, January 21, 1995 TAG: 9501210326
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ED MILLER, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 73 lines
In recent years, you could make a case - and many Virginia Union fans liked to make the case - that the best basketball team in Richmond was not Virginia Commonwealth or the University of Richmond but the Division II Panthers.
Virginia Union certainly was the most successful team, winning the Division II national championship in 1992 and going 54-6 over the next two years.
The feelings of many fans were summed up in a 1992 cartoon in the Richmond Times-Dispatch. In the cartoon, a VCU player had just slam-dunked a Richmond player through a nearby rim and was holding a trophy that said ``City Champions.'' Over his shoulder, however, was a giant with ``VUU'' emblazoned on his sneakers.
``Excuse me,'' the Virginia Union player said. ``How 'bout a game of one-on-one?''
The answer, as usual, was no.
``We wanted to play one of the local Division I schools,'' Virginia Union athletic director James Battle said. ``But we hadn't been able to bring it about, because they just wouldn't play us, to put it mildly.''
That changed last spring, when VCU found itself with a hole in its schedule. The Rams had a game scheduled with Xavier, but Xavier asked out when it got a chance to play Notre Dame on national television.
VCU went looking for another game. When the Rams couldn't find a Division I foe, they called Virginia Union. They'll meet for the first time in more than 20 years at 1 p.m. today in the Richmond Coliseum.
``The athletic department saw a chance to make a lot of money,'' VCU coach Sonny Smith said. ``I would assume the game will be close to a sellout.''
Which is good for VCU's pocketbook, but not for Smith's peace of mind. Smith said he has no interest in playing Virginia Union.
``It's a lose-lose situation for me,'' he said. ``They have a great program, are well-coached and have tremendous athletes. They're very very dangerous.
``It's got a lot of pluses for everyone but the coach.''
Virginia Union coach Dave Robbins is not as high on the game as he could be, either. He said it's ironic that the year he finally gets a shot at one of Richmond's big boys, he has to do it with 11 new players.
``I've always felt like that with our very fine teams, we could compete (with Division I schools),'' Robbins said. ``If you can compete, you have a chance to win.
``I used to joke that we didn't know if we could beat them, but we could scare the pants off them.''
Virginia Union signed a contract to play James Madison last season but the Colonial Athletic Association forced James Madison to cancel, citing a policy against league members playing Division II schools. It's the same policy that prevents Old Dominion from playing Norfolk State, a matchup NSU officials say they'll pursue if the Spartans go Division I as planned in 1997.
With most of last year's team gone, Robbins, for a change, wasn't looking for a Division I game this year. Then Smith called.
``With what we had returning, we didn't want to play,'' Robbins said. ``But we felt like if we turned them down, they'd never ask us again.''
They still might not. Smith says he sees the game as a one-time thing.
Robbins, understandably, says he'd like to make it an annual event.
``If it's competitive and the crowd loves it, VCU could see this as a way to make a whole lot of money,'' Robbins said. ``Some of the people they bring in there now don't pay the light bill for them when they play.''
Of course, a Panthers victory - they were 12-2 and ranked fifth in Division II after a loss to Norfolk State Thursday night - could put a quick end to the series.
``We'll definitely be the underdog,'' Robbins said.
But a dog that has finally gotten its day in the big time. by CNB