The Hokie Hotline this week originated from the GobblerTown Tavern in Christiansburg. The guests were Coaches Henrickson and Stokes. following the show, there was a trivia contest with prizes from many of the show’s sponsors. It wasn’t broadcast over the Internet, however; so no further details are available.

UPCOMING SCHEDULES

The women’s team hosts the Hokie Hardwood Classic on Wednesday and Thursday. Their first game will be against Hampton. Coach Henrickson commented that Hampton is a very athletic team that has played a tough schedule so far this season. They are a good transition team; they take a lot of shots and are a good offensive rebounding team.

When Bill Roth asked about the other game, she said she felt as though Bowling Green had the edge over UNC-Charlotte. Bowling Green is a good 3-point shooting team, while UNCC is much more physical. Later in the show, she also commented that this holiday tournament is good for Virginia Tech, because it gives the team a chance to play some home games before beginning conference play. Often, the coaches don’t know what the conference schedule is going to be, and these games eliminate the possibility of playing games across the country and then turning around and playing road games to open the conference schedule, which is very difficult. She commented on the support that the booster club and the athletic department have provided. In order to get schools to come to Blacksburg for the tournament, Tech had to guarantee minimum pay-outs.

A caller asked what the out of conference schedule would look like for next season. Coach Henrickson mentioned that, in addition to Virginia, they would play ODU and Clemson (which replaces Duke as the "ACC presence" on the schedule). They will also play in Florida State’s tournament in addition to the Hokie Hardwood Classic.

Later in the program, she discussed the European trip planned for next summer. The team will get together on August 1 to practice for about ten days, and then will travel to Europe to play games in Switzerland, Monaco and France over a ten to eleven day period. In response to a question from the audience, she mentioned that the trip was beneficial for several reasons, such as additional practice time for the team and a chance to use it as a recruiting tool for this year’s recruits. Another question concerned the level of play on this trip, and the coach responded that they would be playing club or professional teams made up of players in their mid to late 20s.

There will be a fund-raiser for the women’s team on January 7th in Owens Hall, and there will be a lot of interesting "one-of-a-kind" items available.

The men’s team will play West Virginia Tuesday evening in Cassell Coliseum. Bill Roth made a point of noting that the game will tip-off at 7:00. Apparently, some of the tickets were printed with a 2:00 time on them, but the game will, in fact, be in the evening. He also commented that last year’s game was a heart-breaker, as Tech was ahead by ten points with about a minute and a half to play and lost the game.

Coach Stokes commented that West Virginia is a pressing team that has very quick guards. He also noted that Marcus Goree (sp?) is an outstanding player and one of the better forwards that Tech will face this year. They also pointed out that this will probably be the last time that these two teams meet in a non-conference game. Next year, after Tech has joined the Big East, this game will be a conference game.

Following the WVU game, Tech begins conference play with road games against Xavier and Dayton, which the coach noted was a tough trip to begin the conference season.

Coach Stokes was also asked about the schedule for next season. He stated that they were still waiting to find out what the divisional alignments would be for next year, but that he wanted to focus on playing in-state games, just as they have this season. There are already games against ODU and William and Mary planned and he would like to have an opportunity to play a school in the Northern Virginia area. Also, once the Virginia games move back on campus, he sees an opportunity to play a school in the Richmond area such as the University of Richmond or VCU.

Bill Roth asked what his thoughts were on the number of home games that he wanted to play each year, and whether he wanted to play all non-conference games at home. Coach Stokes responded that he thought it was important to play road games in preparation for the conference tournament and potential post-season tournaments. It was also pointed out that the men’s team will begin a series against Florida State beginning next season.

RECRUITING

There were several questions for Coach Henrickson on recruiting for the women’s team. She has signed a new point guard (I’m assuming the transfer from Illinois mentioned two weeks ago), but she won’t be eligible until after the seventh game of next season as she sits out a year. Her name is Lisa Guarneri, and she’s from Piscataway, NJ.

On the subject of recruiting foreign players, she commented that one of this year’s recruits is from overseas, but that in general she likes to give opportunities to more of the US players. She noted, however, that George Washington has seven foreign players on its team. Bill Roth asked about the obstacles to signing a foreign player, and Coach Henrickson responded that in addition to taking the SAT, the foreign player must also pass the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language).

Coach Stokes only had one recruiting question, and it concerned the recruiting of foreign players. He commented that it is a viable option and that there is some contact with coaches of some foreign players. He also admitted that there is a definite need for some "big guys" and that the positions could be filled by foreign players.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL NOTES

Coach Henrickson began by discussing Emily Lipton’s injury. She has a stress fracture in her right foot, and will be unavailable for a period of time, but the amount of time is completely up to her and how quickly she is able to heal. In the mean time, Amy Wetzel will be the point guard for the team. Later she commented that Davina Simmons, one of the high school recruits for next season was injured and had surgery, but will be available for next season for the Hokies.

In response to a question about her expectations for the team, she said that she thinks there is a chance for the team to win the conference championship this year and that the team is actually in a similar position to a few years ago. The team could easily be 8-1 at this point, she said, with the only certain loss to Oregon earlier in the year.

Finally, she fielded several calls on her summer basketball camps, which will be held in June and July.

MEN’S BASKETBALL NOTES

Bill Roth and Coach Stokes began by discussing the team’s trip to San Juan and its third place finish in the San Juan Shootout. Roth pointed out that the focus for the team had been the chance to get away for a little while in a good setting and a nice climate, measure the team’s progress by playing three games in three days, and determine what the addition of Brian Chase would mean for the team. He commented that the team deserved all A’s based on these factors and the coach agreed that it had certainly been a good trip for the team.

The team had played some of its best basketball of the season against Louisiana-Lafayette when they had been down by double figures and come back to win the game for third place in the tournament. Roth pointed out that the team had gone on 13-0 and 20-7 runs following time-outs and asked what the secret was. Coach Stokes credited the assistant coaches, for their input before going into the huddle, and the players, for executing the game plan. He also mentioned that it was sometimes funny to hear what the players were saying to each other prior to the huddles, when the coaches were in their own discussions.

Someone from the audience asked whether a leader had emerged from the team during the tournament in San Juan. The coach emphasized that it had really been a team effort, but that Rolan Roberts had stepped it up with about 10 minutes to play in the final game. He also said that Andre Ray had played well defensively, holding one of the leading scorers to just three points, and that Jon Smith had been one of the best outside post players.

Someone else in the audience asked about the status of Clinton McPherson and Brian Felts. Coach Stokes seemed unsure of exactly where each was, but said that he believed that both had transferred to division II schools closer to their homes, and that the decisions in each case had been mutual.

Another member of the audience asked how the transition of moving to Blacksburg had been. He said that he was excited to be in the Hokie family.

Most of the remaining questions had to do with specific players and their condition and/or progress. Following is a review of what the Coach Stokes said about each (in the general order in which they were asked):

Brian Chase: Responded that he was "in good shape," and that the team has really helped him acclimate despite only having one hour of practice before leaving for San Juan. Shouldn’t expect too much from him right away. He is only a freshman with three games of college experience, but he will definitely give the team another threat offensively.

Brendan Dunlop: A true leader for the team who should remain in the starting line-up.

Keith Willis: He is available for the basketball team, but he is on a football scholarship. He is in New Orleans with the football team now, and will be with the team once the conference season begins. He is a little behind in basketball conditioning and skill development at this point.

Russ Wheeler: The team missed him when he was out of the lineup. He’s not yet back to where he was before the injury, but he will be back shortly. For now, he is wearing a knee brace to provide support.

Rolan Roberts: He is working hard and guarding some quicker opponents. He is adjusting well and the situation is working well for the team.

MISCELLANEOUS NOTES

Beginning Thursday, special editions of Hokie Hotline will air every day from New Orleans, beginning at 7:00 each evening.

Continuing GalaxHokie’s tradition from football season, as of Monday, the Hokies were at Day 87 in possession of the Commonwealth Cup.

Also, as of Monday, Virginia Tech’s first appearance in the National Championship Game is only 8 days away.