EMMITSBURG -- Virtually every time Erica Herbert played in a college basketball game anywhere in Maryland, her younger brother, Aaron, was in the crowd to cheer her on.
"I came to almost every home game the Mount played or whenever they were at Loyola or UMBC," Aaron said yesterday. "I followed her all the way because my game was molded by her. She really influenced me."
So, his sister will have a spiritual role Friday when Herbert starts at point guard for Mount St. Mary's against second-ranked Michigan State in the opening round of the NCAA Midwest Regional in Milwaukee.
Nearly three years ago, Erica Herbert -- only three years out of college -- was killed in an automobile accident while driving home from North Carolina with her boyfriend. She never played in an NCAA tournament.
"I'm dedicating this to her," said Aaron, a sophomore who gained the full confidence of coach Jim Phelan late in the season and joined the starting lineup for the final eight games. "Technicalities prevented her from going to the tournament, so this is for Erica."
The Randallstown native said he and Erica worked on their games together "all the time, on many, many weekends. She was always telling me how to dribble and how to take the right form on the jump shot."
"She was a very good player," said longtime Mount men's assistant Don Anderson, who is particularly proud of Aaron's progress this season. "They were both point guards, but I think she had a little more fire and he is a little more conservative."
In four years spanning 81 games, Erica averaged 6.6 points, 3.6 assists and 3.3 rebounds. Her best season was 1991-92, when, as a junior who started all 28 games, she averaged 7.5 points and 3.7 assists.
Aaron began his high school career at Milford Mill but transferred to Calvert Hall to gain more exposure, play against tougher competition and learn from Mark Amatucci, the former Loyola College coach.
"It was just a better program, and the system was closer to college ball. They play the flex [offense] there and here, and some of the sets are similar," he said. "Coach Amatucci always got the Edwards brothers [former Mount standouts Darryle and Paul] to come back and play with us. They beat up on us pretty good."
A business major, Aaron did not choose Mount St. Mary's over schools like George Mason, James Madison and Wagner simply because Erica played here.
"She had a part in it," he said. "But I wanted to play in Division I, so that eliminated the smaller programs, and I wanted to play where my parents could see me. That was the important thing."
His freshman year was pretty much a wipeout. He played in only 12 games, primarily because of a midseason ankle injury, took just 15 shots and averaged less than a point. His best effort was a 22-minute, six-point stint in a victory over Manhattan.
But he has matured this season and has taken over a crucial full-time job, steering the Mount through the NEC tournament. On Dec. 19 -- in a reserve role -- he scored a career-high 15 points during a loss at Loyola, and he had nine points in two of the three tournament games.
"It's just time that has made him better," Anderson said. "And Coach [Phelan] began to believe in him."
Aaron said the team "wasn't really surprised" when it won the Northeast Conference tournament, "but we were so happy, it was overwhelming. We had struggled all year, we knew we were picked no lower than third in the preseason, so we realized we could do it."
The fact that Phelan put on no additional pressure because he was shooting for a milestone (his 800th win in the NEC final) also eased the tension on the Mount players. "He never said a word about that to us," Herbert said. "It's always about the team getting a win."
Herbert promised that the Mount "is not going to go out and fold" just because the draw is one of the nation's premier teams. "This is just a game to us, and we don't even think about something like losing by 60. We look at it as great exposure."
A third Herbert child, Jason, is a junior at Poly and also a basketball player. Aaron tries to see him play whenever possible.
Anderson said they never talked about Erica, but her memory is vivid with her brother. "He wears her number on his sneakers," said the coach. "He's never far away from her."
At the Bradley Center on Friday, Erica will be very much present in spirit.
Next for Mount
Opponent: Michigan State
When: Friday, 7: 55 p.m.
Where: Bradley Center, Milwaukee
TV/Radio: Ch. 13/WXTR (820 AM)
Seeds: Mount St. Mary's No. 16, Michigan State No. 1 in NCAA Midwest Regional
Line: Michigan State by 26 Pub Date: 3/10/99