THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, February 7, 1995 TAG: 9502070418
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY RICH RADFORD, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Medium: 95 lines
As Bayside High's winning streak reached 14 games last week, one could imagine point guard Shawn Blassingill basking in the Marlins' success.
Instead, he was fretting over a C in calculus.
Forget the first-semester A's he made in U.S. government, accounting and keyboarding/business management. Or the B in English.
The C was grating at him, even though calculus is a math class many avoid taking until college.
``I was disappointed,'' said Blassingill, a senior who has already been offered an academic scholarship to William and Mary. ``But now I see how much work I have ahead of me.''
Bayside coach Ron Jenkins has no doubts that the calculus grade will improve before the school year is out.
Jenkins has coached the 5-foot-8, 150-pound Blassingill for three years and knows Blassingill's quiet, unassuming demeanor masks a bulldog's determination.
``I've always said a team's altitude depends on its attitude,'' said Jenkins, whose Marlins have been ranked No. 1 in South Hampton Roads since preseason. ``Shawn is team-oriented and he's well-liked. I've had teams where the leader wasn't liked. It makes a difference.''
Blassingill is the quintessential leader by example. It begins with a 3.514 grade point average, the team's highest. Blassingill ranks 13th in his graduating class. And if a teammate is having difficulty with a class, Blassingill is usually the first to lend a hand in the team's pre-practice study hall.
It continues on the court, where Blassingill revels in the little things that can go unnoticed.
Blassingill is averaging just 6.6 points per game. Five of his teammates average more. But Blassingill leads the Marlins in assists (8.1 per game) and steals (5.3 per game).
``One of my roles on the court is to take care of the smaller aspects,'' Blassingill said. ``That lets the others worry about playing their game.''
And occasionally, Blassingill scores. He had a 25-point outburst last month in a 69-59 victory over Green Run. But he's also had seven games in which he scored four points or less.
``It doesn't affect him one way or the other,'' said Jenkins, who threw a scrawny, 5-6 Blassingill into the starting lineup two years ago as a sophomore. ``This guy understands you don't have to score to be a big contributor.''
Whether on a large scale or not, Blassingill hopes to get a chance to contribute to William and Mary's basketball program next season. ... if he goes there. He's also awaiting word on applications for similar academic scholarships to North Carolina, N.C. State and George Mason.
Should he land at William and Mary, he will do so with the shining recommendation of Boo Williams, the point man for local AAU basketball.
Williams, who has tutored such talents as Alonzo Mourning and Joe Smith in his summer leagues, intends to meet with first-year William and Mary coach Charlie Woollum on Blassingill's behalf.
``Forget basketball for a minute,'' Williams said. ``Shawn's a great kid and, yeah, I'm going to make a pitch for him. I'm not saying he can start at William and Mary. But I think Charlie will look at him. What's he got to lose? Shawn would be a walk-on. It's not like he has to offer him a scholarship. The kid's already got one.''
Williams points to the one aspect of Blassingill that probably speaks loudest: In the Marlins' only loss this season, a 71-54 setback to Martin Luther King of New York, Blassingill was on the sidelines nursing a severely bruised hip. And his absence was felt.
If it is a cliche to call a point guard a ``coach on the court,'' then Jenkins pleads guilty.
``When defenses change, he knows what to call,'' Jenkins said. ``If we're behind he knows how to push the tempo. If we're ahead, he understands what milking the clock is all about.
``He's very, very good at picking up little things. In our game at Booker T. Washington earlier this season, the Bookers were playing a triangle-and-two, but they were disguising it as a matchup zone.
``Shawn realized the Bookers were keying on Lashawn Jones and Eric Carballo, so he switched us to a motion offense and we scored a couple quick baskets. That's the kind of stuff you need from a point guard.''
And yet, Blassingill says he doesn't need basketball.
``It's fun for me and that's what it's all about,'' Blassingill said. ``And if I don't play in college, that's OK. I'm not saying I can't compete at the college level, but I've got to face reality. I'm not very big and I'm going to college to be an accountant, not a basketball player.
``My family and friends have given me a sense of what real life is like. And basketball isn't everything, it can't be your whole life.'' ILLUSTRATION: MOTOYA NAKAMURA/Staff color photos
Shawn Blassingill is averaging just 6.6 points per game, but he
leads Bayside in assists (8.1 per game) and steals (5.3 per game).
by CNB