University of Virginia Library

Super Players

There are plenty of good or
super basketball players around,
many playing in the ACC, but few
with real class. Barry Parkhill has
class and lots of it. After the
Virginia loss to UNC on Friday,
Barry came out with the rest of the
team to sit and watch the remaining
game. The team seats were in the
front of the Virginia student
section and there were many
students using the team seats.
Several of us offered to get up
when Barry came over, but he
refused to accept the seats,
preferring to kneel down until we
insisted.

We could not have been more
impressed. In contrast, was the
co-winner of the MVP award, USC's
chief complainer, John Roche.
(How he won the MVP award
escaped us . . . in the last two games
he shot eleven for forty-two from
the floor!). Roche has this season,
kicked a player who had fallen
down, thrown a ball at another, and
never failed to complain after every
foul called against him. But,
nothing summed up the complete
obnoxiousness of the South
Carolina team and coach than to
see Roche and teammate Tom
Riker standing in the middle of the
floor after their victory in the final
game with their middle fingers
raised. No, this wasn't a reference
to their being the number one
team, but a none too subtle
message to the crowd. Yes, John
and the same to you.