Larry Tucker

Public schoolsCarver Bears1996-97 record: 4-16Coach: Durce JacksonTop players: Miguel Wilson, 5-11, Jr., G Tavon McCoy, 5-10, Soph., G; Dwayne Banks, 5-10, Jr., G; Mike Napper, 6-4, Jr., C; Chris Johnson, 6-2, Jr., FOutlook: The Bears have one of the city's best guards in Wilson, the team's leading scorer last season. Jackson says his team will be guard-oriented because it lacks height. With only three seniors, Carver will be inexperienced but will play tough defense. The Bears should exceed last season's win total but will be hard-pressed to play around .500.

RICHMOND, Va. - And then there were none. The last remaining Maryland school striving to reach the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference men's semifinals was knocked out last night when Florida A&M's Demarcus Wilkins hit a driving jump shot at the buzzer to eliminate Coppin State, 55-53, at the Richmond Coliseum. Coppin was trying to run down the clock for a final shot to win the game when Wilkins tied up Darryl Jones for a jump-ball call. The arrow favored the Rattlers and Wilkins drove the length of the court and pulled up at about 10 feet.

COCOA, Fla. - Each night at sunset, when the warm breeze gently rocks the palm trees outside his second-story apartment, Daryl Dorsey, if he chooses, can stand on his front porch, gaze at the purple skyline and soak up the sweetest sound in the whole world. Silence. "It's funny," Dorsey says, "but I was just thinking, in the two years I've lived down here, I haven't heard a single gunshot. Back home, you hear them all the time. You almost get used to it. But here? Never." About 4 1/2 years ago, "home" was a brick townhouse in Northwood, just a few blocks from Morgan State University, where Dorsey spent countless teenage afternoons with a basketball in his hands.

In what amounted to a battle for survival for a first-round bye in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference tournament, Coppin State stayed alive last night. An 11-point edge at the free-throw line and some tough defense against Bethune-Cookman's Richard Toussaint carried the Eagles to a 70-65 victory at the Coppin Center, ending a three-game losing streak. Four schools entered the night with 9-7 conference records and vying for two spots that will give them a day off in the tournament while the sixth through 11th finishers play off to gain the quarterfinals.

For most of its game against Delaware State yesterday, Coppin State bore little resemblance to a team suffering through its first 20-loss season. But in the final six minutes, with a patchwork lineup led by a player serving emergency duty as a point guard, the Eagles' otherwise strong effort came unglued and Delaware State rallied for a 67-65 win before a Coppin Center homecoming crowd of 1,081. Delaware State's Andre Matthews scored the game-winning basket with four seconds left, and the Hornets preserved the win - their first at the Coppin Center in 15 tries - by intercepting Coppin's inbounds pass.

The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference's giant-killer came to the Coppin Center last night and showed why it has become the league's eminent team. With guard Tommy Adams pouring in a career-high 32 points, Hampton never trailed Coppin and concluded its two-game Baltimore swing with an 81-69 victory over the Eagles before a crowd of 717. Hampton (6-1, 2-0 MEAC) surprised Iowa State in the first round of the NCAA tournament as the league champion last March and opened this season by beating North Carolina in Chapel Hill, N.C., 77-69.

After Coppin State's rough outing last night ended with a 64-52 win over visiting Norfolk State, the Eagles could rejoice over few parts of their victory. The Eagles turned the ball over 23 times. They allowed the Hornets 13 offensive rebounds, making the game look closer than it was. When asked whether there was some disappointment, Deke Thompson had a ready answer. "Yeah, five exclamation points, yes," said Thompson, who had 16 points to follow Jimmy Boykin's 20 points and 11 rebounds.

In a game that matched two of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference's premier guards, a pair of lesser-known players emerged to spark Norfolk State to a 63-59 win over Coppin State at the Coppin Center yesterday. Freshman guard Chakowby Hicks scored on an offensive rebound with 55 seconds left to give the Spartans the lead for good, and Norfolk held on for the win as reserve forward Jamal Mills blocked a potential game-tying shot by Coppin's Larry Tucker (Dunbar) with seven seconds left.

All-Metro Player of the Year Mark Karcher was held scoreless, while Mount St. Joseph senior guard Cory McNeill scored seemingly at will. The Gaels' game plan was working against No. 3 St. Frances.But that was just the first period. By game's end, Karcher had 28 points -- 18 in the second half -- four steals and six assists. His teammate Shawn Hampton had 26 points, including 8-for-9 shooting from the line, to go with eight each in rebounds and blocked shots.And the No. 6 Gaels?They wound up on the losing end of an 82-54 rout that dropped them to 13-4 overall and 1-2 in the Catholic League.

When Douglass forward Joe Ison went down with a concussion in the season-opener, it set the tone for an up-and-down regular season for the Ducks.Their latest bright spot couldn't have come at a better time.The Ducks pulled off a stunning upset, knocking off No. 1 Dunbar, 78-74, to win the city championship last night at Poly.Senior guard Chuckie Harris scored a game-high 34 points to lead Douglass (14-9), and Ison, a 6-foot-4 senior, finished with 14. Jamal Brown led Dunbar (20-3) with 19 points and senior Arnold Bowie contributed 17."

COCOA, Fla. - Each night at sunset, when the warm breeze gently rocks the palm trees outside his second-story apartment, Daryl Dorsey, if he chooses, can stand on his front porch, gaze at the purple skyline and soak up the sweetest sound in the whole world. Silence. "It's funny," Dorsey says, "but I was just thinking, in the two years I've lived down here, I haven't heard a single gunshot. Back home, you hear them all the time. You almost get used to it. But here? Never." About 4 1/2 years ago, "home" was a brick townhouse in Northwood, just a few blocks from Morgan State University, where Dorsey spent countless teenage afternoons with a basketball in his hands.

Hoping to take another step in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference race, Coppin State found only disappointment last night during a 65-51 loss to visiting Hampton. After holding the Pirates (14-8, 10-3) to 28.6 percent shooting in the first half, Coppin was out-rebounded 45-23 for the game and its defensive effectiveness faded in the second half, allowing reserve Mackal Purvis to lead a 13-4 run that made much of the difference. In a game postponed by a day because of the snowstorm, the loss dropped the Eagles (9-14, 9-5)

After Coppin State's rough outing last night ended with a 64-52 win over visiting Norfolk State, the Eagles could rejoice over few parts of their victory. The Eagles turned the ball over 23 times. They allowed the Hornets 13 offensive rebounds, making the game look closer than it was. When asked whether there was some disappointment, Deke Thompson had a ready answer. "Yeah, five exclamation points, yes," said Thompson, who had 16 points to follow Jimmy Boykin's 20 points and 11 rebounds.

RICHMOND, Va. - In a game with an ugly imprint all over it, Coppin State was eliminated from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference men's basketball tournament last night at the Richmond Coliseum. Coppin and second-seeded Delaware State slugged it out defensively most of the way until the Hornets finally found a productive shooter and pulled away to a 54-45 quarterfinal victory. Futility on offense was the earmark of their third meeting this season, all won by Delaware State (16-12). Even the return of point guard Rasheem Sims could not invigorate the Coppin attack, which has struggled all season.

RICHMOND, Va. -- The glue is back and everything is well again with the Coppin State men's basketball team. With senior point guard Rasheem Sims orchestrating, the Eagles exorcised a nemesis from their midst and completed a first-round siege of upsets in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference tournament at the Arthur Ashe Center yesterday. Tenth seed Coppin pulled away in the final 4 1/2 minutes to rout No. 7 Norfolk State, 61-46, and advance to tomorrow's quarterfinals against No. 2 seed Delaware State.

For most of its game against Delaware State yesterday, Coppin State bore little resemblance to a team suffering through its first 20-loss season. But in the final six minutes, with a patchwork lineup led by a player serving emergency duty as a point guard, the Eagles' otherwise strong effort came unglued and Delaware State rallied for a 67-65 win before a Coppin Center homecoming crowd of 1,081. Delaware State's Andre Matthews scored the game-winning basket with four seconds left, and the Hornets preserved the win - their first at the Coppin Center in 15 tries - by intercepting Coppin's inbounds pass.

Hoping to take another step in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference race, Coppin State found only disappointment last night during a 65-51 loss to visiting Hampton. After holding the Pirates (14-8, 10-3) to 28.6 percent shooting in the first half, Coppin was out-rebounded 45-23 for the game and its defensive effectiveness faded in the second half, allowing reserve Mackal Purvis to lead a 13-4 run that made much of the difference. In a game postponed by a day because of the snowstorm, the loss dropped the Eagles (9-14, 9-5)

In the preseason, Dunbar coach Lynn Badham wasn't quite sure his Poets deserved the area's No. 1 ranking, and Saturday's shaky season-opening victory over Anacostia of Washington did little to soothe his nerves."

Coppin State coach Fang Mitchell stresses that most basketball games are won or lost in the last five minutes. With Mitchell's top two players - Rasheem Sims and Larry Tucker - unavailable for most of that stretch yesterday against South Carolina State, the result was predictable. The Bulldogs closed the game with a 15-4 run, pushing past shorthanded Coppin State, 54-50, in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference matchup at Coppin Center. Sims, the Eagles' All-MEAC point guard, missed his 12th straight game with a broken bone in his foot, and Tucker, averaging a team-best 16.2 points, fouled out with 3:59 left.

The Coppin State men's basketball team has been emotionally ravaged since the death of head coach Fang Mitchell's wife, Yvonne, last week. Last night, only hours after the first lady of the Eagles was buried in New Jersey, the players went all out to provide the absent Mitchell with a victory at the Coppin Center. It wasn't to be in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference game against Maryland-Eastern Shore, a team that has been an upstart in the league. Coppin toiled hard, but crashed in the final five minutes and lost a 64-59 decision in a game postponed from Monday night.