Biggest Little Man

Over the past two seasons the Deacons have not been a threat in the ACC, and this year Bogues's scoring and play-making have often been the difference between respectability and embarrassment. Against Georgia Tech, Bogues twice tied the game with three-pointers in the final moments of a wrenching 65-59 overtime loss. He finished with 18 points and 9 assists. His best performance, though, was against Clemson. The Deacons were overmatched, but Bogues helped put the game into overtime. His career-high 23 points and 17 assists were not quite enough to prevent a 91-88 loss.

Last summer Bogues starred for the U.S. at the world championships in Spain. In the second round he held Yugoslavia's 6'6" Drazen Petrovic, who averaged 26.2 points in his nine other tournament games, to 12. In the gold medal game against the Soviet Union, he had 10 steals and 5 assists as the U.S. won 87-85. The Spanish press dubbed him la Chispa Negra ("the Black Spark"). "He has nerves of steel and super-flexible muscles," gasped the newspaper El Pais. "On the court he appears to be a little brother of his teammates, but it is he who orders, commands and directs." In Oviedo, one of the tournament sites, Muggsy so endeared himself to round-ball aficionados that he was invited to return as the guest of honor at a local fiesta. But NCAA rules prohibited the free trip.

The question now is whether Bogues can play in the pros. The Harlem Globetrotters are interested, but Bogues wants to give the NBA a shot. He might get his chance on a strong team like the Los Angeles Lakers, who could use him to spell Magic Johnson. Bogues could feed the big guys, scoot around opponents' legs and generally create havoc. Skeptics abound, though. Indiana Pacers assistant coach Mel Daniels has remarked, "I don't think he'd get a shot off in the pros, and defensively he can't stop anybody."

Bogues, of course, disagrees. "In high school," he says, "I always heard, 'Muggs, you're too short for the ACC Now it's, 'Muggs, you're too short for the NBA.' But the game's not just for seven-or six-footers. It's for people who can play. And I can play as well as anybody."