THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, January 20, 1997 TAG: 9701200131
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JAMES C. BLACK, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: 60 lines
The ``most difficult week'' of Mike Beckles' life made basketball rough for the whole Norfolk State squad this weekend.
Beckles sat out Saturday's 73-64 loss to Elizabeth City State and is expected to miss the remainder of the season after breaking a bone in his left foot against Virginia Union on Thursday.
The freshman forward awkwardly landed on his foot after coming down from a rebound and hobbled to the bench when a timeout was called with 2:04 remaining.
``I just thought it was something minor,'' said Beckles, who was averaging six points and 4.9 rebounds a contest. ``I thought I would be able to walk it off.''
Unfortunately for NSU (8-5, 3-2 CIAA), Beckles will be walking with crutches for the next nine weeks. And of immediate importance, he'll have to watch as the Spartans tangle with first-place St. Paul's (9-2, 7-1) in the Freedom Classic at Richmond's Ashe Center at 6:15 tonight. Virginia State plays Virginia Union in the second game of the doubleheader at 8:30 p.m.
Beckles missed major minutes of the Spartans' previous two games when he suffered blurry vision after being poked in the eye against St. Paul's last weekend.
``It hurts for two reasons because he can't play for the remainder of the season,'' NSU coach Mike Bernard said, ``and it will have an impact on the team. But the team has to make a commitment to play as well or better without him in the lineup.''
The Spartans failed their first test without Beckles as ECSU forward Maurice Mincey scored a game-high 28 points and had 12 rebounds on Saturday. Mincey, a factor throughout the game, was a bit more noticeable while NSU's Rodney Carmichael sat on the bench for nearly seven minutes down the stretch with four fouls.
In the first half, the Spartans lost Maurice Whitfield for 14 minutes after he picked up his second foul. And while Carmichael still managed to lead his team with 21 points and 16 rebounds, Whitfield was held scoreless.
``Coach (Barry) Hamler stressed all week about Carmichael . . . and Whitfield,'' Mincey said. ``Our whole plan was to stop those two. We knew the other three guys were role players.''
Statistically, NSU's frontcourt actually out-scored ECSU's 58-46. But many of those points for the Spartans came from outside the paint. Forward Tajai Young, who finished with 16 points, and Carmichael hit their seventh and third 3-pointers respectively of the season.
The forwards' outside shooting was a testament of the Vikings taking guard Dion Woods out of the game.
Woods, who combined for nine treys in the Livingstone and Union victories, only scored six points Saturday on 2-for-9 shooting.
``We were able to push their offense outside where he was not in shooting range,'' said Hamler, a former Booker T. Washington High coach.
As for tonight, the Spartans will have to find a way to open up the outside shot in addition to buckling down on St. Paul's Antwain Smith.
Smith scored 25 points in the earlier game and hurt the Spartans from outside as well as scoring on a plethora of dunks and layups.
``It is pretty much known Smith is the main person in their attack,'' Bernard said. ``We're just going to have to do a better job of staying with him wherever he goes.''