ATLANTA - Speed kills. That was the message from Texas Tech coach James Dickey about Georgetown's All-American point guard Allen Iverson. Dickey made it clear that Iverson's speed and quickness were his greatest concerns entering tonight's East Region semifinal clash with No. 2 seed Georgetown.
'He's a great basketball player,' Dickey said during yesterday's news conference. 'He's quick, he has tremendous speed with the basketball, and he's so good defensively. He creates so many opportunities for them with his quickness.'
In part because of his dizzying speed, Iverson averages 24.9 points and 2.7 steals, the latter number securing him Big East Defensive Player of the Year honors for the second straight season. Not given to hyperbole, Othella Harrington, the soft-spoken center for Georgetown (28-7), called Iverson the quickest player he had ever seen at any level.
The third-seeded Red Raiders will try to slow down Iverson with senior point guard Jason Martin. In directing Texas Tech to a 30-1 record, Martin has been a remarkable floor leader, sporting an assist-to-turnover ratio of almost 4-1, but he's not known for his defensive speed. And Dickey is afraid he won't be able to give Martin much defensive help on Iverson.
'The fact that you can't afford to help out on him because of their big people inside might be the most frightening thing about him,' said Dickey of the 6-foot sophomore from Hampton, Va. 'If you send someone out to help on Iverson, then the guy who comes to help has to leave his man. They do such a tremendous job of attacking the glass that even if Iverson misses, that loose man is going to get the rebound and dunk it home on you.'
The Red Raiders have been working out all week against six-man practice squads to prepare for the Hoyas' team speed, but Dickey isn't satisfied with the simulation.
'I don't know how you prepare for them,' Dickey said. 'We put six guys on the court and that still doesn't make you as quick or aggressive as they are. We're just going to have to try to adjust. We've told our kids to work on their offensive spacing, getting rid of the ball before their traps arrive, but I don't know how you simulate the great quickness of a guy like Iverson - he's tremendous.
TEXAS TECHNICALITIES
As the Red Raiders prepare to play in their first Sweet 16 contest since the field expanded to 64 teams in 1979, trouble is brewing back home on the range. On March 1, the NCAA sent Texas Tech a letter of preliminary inquiry of possible violations, and a formal investigation is set to begin on the Lubbock campus this spring.
The investigation was triggered by a series of stories written by the Houston Chronicle claiming that Texas Tech football and basketball players accused of criminal offenses had received free legal counsel, bail bonds and other special treatment over the past four years. The law firm which allegedly provided the free counsel includes a partner who is a member of the Texas Tech board of regents.
In one particularly nasty account, former basketball player Damon Ashley (1991-93) claims that Dickey lured him to the university during the recruiting process by arranging a job for his pregnant girlfriend.
Dickey declined to comment on the possible violations after yesterday's news conference, referring all questions to Texas Tech faculty advisor Robert Sweazy, but it's not the first time Dickey has been involved in such a scandal. Dickey was an assistant coach under Eddie Sutton at Kentucky in 1988 when Sutton was implicated in a scandal involving Eric Manuel. Sutton was fired, and Dickey took a year off from coaching.
Sweazy could not be reached for comment, but as yet no current members of the Texas Tech basketball team have been named in the allegations.
HAM SLAM
Texas Tech power forward Darvin Ham captured the attention of the nation last Sunday when he shattered the backboard on a follow-up dunk during the Red Raiders' 92-73 win over North Carolina in the tournament's second round.
Ever since the monster slam, Ham has been signing pieces of souvenir glass from the Richmond Coliseum backboard.
'Oh man, I've signed so many pieces of glass over the last two days - I'd say 300,' Ham said at yesterday's news conference. 'I heard the janitor was selling pieces outside the stadium. All I know is I want a cut.'
****BOX A
TODAY'S NCAA TOURNAMENT GAMES
EAST REGION
Georgia Dome, Atlanta
* Georgetown vs. Texas Tech
7:40 p.m.: Chs. 9, 13,
AM-1260, AM-1090
Georgetown favored by 7
* Massachusetts vs. Arkansas
10:10 p.m.: Ch. 9
Massachusetts favored by 9
MIDWEST REGION
Metrodome, Minneapolis
* Kentucky vs. Utah
8 p.m.
Kentucky favored by 14
* Wake Forest vs. Louisville 10:30 p.m.: Ch. 13, AM-1090
Wake Forest by 4 1/2
****BOX B
GEORGETOWN (28-7) vs. TEXAS TECH (30-1)
7:40 p.m., Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Chs. 9, 13, AM-1260, AM-1090
Outlook: Tonight's matchup will be decided on three fronts: size and speed, experience, and depth. The Red Raiders are strong and athletic, but they don't have anyone as quick as point guard Allen Iverson or as powerful as Jahidi White. If Texas Tech point guard Jason Martin can't contain Iverson and White stays out of foul trouble, the Red Raiders are in trouble. However, the Red Raiders start four seniors, the Hoyas three underclassmen. If the Hoyas get behind early, don't expect the Red Raiders to fold. Finally, depth. John Thompson's bench is a legitimate 10-deep, albeit young; Texas Tech coach James Dickey really has only six athletes to work with. If Georgetown can wear down the Red Raiders starters with defensive intensity, Dickey won't have a lot of answers for a tired squad.
