High-flying Razorbacks get presidential acclaim

Sporting News, The, Jan 10, 1994 by Gene Wojciechowski

Iverson is expected to be paroled August 23 if all goes well.

Here's hoping it does.

A winged freshman

Cincinnati freshman Dontonio Wingfield knew something was wrong with his right foot.

So after scoring just six points in 20 minutes (his lowest point total of the season) against Robert Morris last week, Wingfield was examined by team physicians. A bone scan and X-rays later revealed a stress fracture in his second toe. Recovery time: anywhere from three to six weeks.

Too bad for the Bearcats, and too bad for Wingfield. The 6-8 forward, whose foot is in a cast, is averaging 16.8 points and 8.5 rebounds.

Blue Devils find rotation

Duke has settled on an eight-man rotation and, for the moment at least, it doesn't include freshman forward Joey Beard. Also seeing less playing time is freshman center Greg Newton.

One freshman making an immediate impact is guard Jeff Capel, who recently earned a starting job. Capel is no star -- yet -- but he does take some of the ballhandling responsibilities off swingman Grant Hill, which allows Hill more offensive freedom.

Also earning boffo reviews is center Cherokee Parks, who, at last check, was leading the Blue Devils in scoring (16.7-point average) and was picking up 9.7 rebounds per game. In a game against Xavier -- and last year's Midwestern Collegiate Conference player of the year Brian Grant -- Parks had 20 rebounds, the most by a Duke player since 1970.

How much do the Duke players care for former Blue Devil star Bobby Hurley, who was seriously injured in a December 12 auto accident? Consider this: Parks called Coach Mike Krzyzewski at 2:30 a.m. on December 13 to find out Hurley's condition. Since then, several Duke players have called or written Hurley to pass along their best wishes.

There is a chance Hurley might return to Duke's medical facilities to complete his rehabilitation.

Ward ready for new season

Now that the football season has ended, Heisman Trophy winner Charlie Ward says he hopes to be in the Florida State basketball lineup for the Seminoles' game Tuesday at Maryland.

Ward, Florida State's starting point guard, is not rushing things. Last year he rejoined the team five days after playing in the Orange Bowl. This time he's doubling the rest period between sports.

Ward worked on his shooting several times during the Christmas break, "but I'm smart enough to know not to play basketball during the football season," he says.

Ward is looking forward to his return to basketball.

"In my position (at point guard), I'm not the leading scorer," says Ward, who averaged 7.8 points last season. "I just go out there and do my thing quietly."

Ward is modest. He needs 10 more steals to become the school's career leader in that category. His name already ranks among the program's top 10 assists leaders.