Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, March 28, 1992 TAG: 9203280068
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR
DATELINE: CHARLOTTESVILLE LENGTH: Medium
The Cavaliers will entertain Vanderbilt in a meeting of what must be the world's two tallest women's basketball players named Heidi.
UVa's 6-foot-5 twins, Heather and Heidi Burge, will be looking up for one of the few times in their careers when they face 6-8 Vanderbilt sophomore Heidi Gillingham.
Gillingham had 15 points and eight rebounds Thursday night as 13th-ranked Vanderbilt handed No. 6 Miami its first loss in 30 games, 77-67, in the semifinals of the NCAA East Regional.
The Commodores (22-8) will meet No. 1-ranked UVa (31-1) at 11 a.m. at sold-out University Hall in a game that will have a national cable audience on ESPN.
The Cavaliers advanced with a 103-83 victory over West Virginia as the Burge sisters combined for 54 points, including 16 of the Cavaliers' first 21, and 17 rebounds.
"I'm kind of excited to be playing against a girl taller than I am," said Heather Burge, who had a career-high 32 points and 15 rebounds against the Mountaineers.
"It's interesting that we're playing against a girl who can block our shots - easily. I've had a chance to practice against my sister, so that's a little bit on my side."
Gillingham also has a basketball-playing sister, Gwendolyn, whom the Cavaliers saw recently when they met North Carolina in the ACC Tournament. Gwendolyn Gillingham, a 6-7 freshman, hit a 3-pointer against the Cavaliers.
Heidi Burge likes to shoot from outside, with four of her field goals Thursday night coming on jump shots of 14 feet or more. Heather does most of her damage close to the basket.
There was nothing special about the Burges in the ACC Tournament, where they combined for one rebound in a half against North Carolina, but they had 36 points and 19 rebounds Sunday in UVa's 97-58 victory over George Washington.
"It's hard to say exactly what ignites them," said UVa coach Debbie Ryan. "When they don't play well, I don't know why. When they do play well, I don't know why. They're a tough study."
As freshmen, the Burges made more turnovers "than the Pillsbury Doughboy," Ryan said. They have become progressively more sure-handed and increasingly less foul-prone.
"As players, it was difficult to have confidence in them, but the coaches kept saying they would develop," senior guard Tammi Reiss said. "Now, they're dominating threats; now, they can catch the ball.
"They've arrived. I pity the teams that have to play them next year and regret the fact I wasn't more confident with them at the start. They made a believer out of me."
It wasn't always easy to be patient with the twins, who had been playing organized basketball for only three years when they came out of high school.
"We'd be in the huddle and they'd be crying [or] screaming at each other," Reiss said. "Dawn [Staley] would have enough of them and I'd have to run over to the bench and say, `Get one of them out of there.' "
Ryan said, "They talk very fast and they talk constantly, almost incessantly. Dena Evans' biggest problem [as a point guard] was getting them to keep quiet so she could tell them what to do."
When asked about Virginia's height, Vanderbilt coach Jim Foster noted that the Commodores aren't exactly short with Gillingham and 6-2 junior Misty Lamb in the low post. Mara Cunningham, a 6-4 freshman, was lost for the season after knee surgery.
"Virginia has the player of the year in the country and her name doesn't begin with `B,' " said Foster, referring to guard Dawn Staley, whom he once coached on a U.S. Junior team.
Foster came to Vanderbilt this year after seven NCAA trips with St. Joseph's in Philadelphia, where he had several opportunities to watch the young Staley.
"Sometimes I would go watch a game to watch a game, not to recruit," Foster said. "If I would be so moved to get in my car and drive to see a kid play, that might speak to her talents."
Yet, in the next breath, Foster is careful not to sell the twins short.
"People freely toss around how great this backcourt is, but I seem remember kids named [Donna] Holt and [Daphne] Hawkins, who were pretty darn good," said Foster, referring to UVa's backcourt partners from 1984-88.
"I wouldn't mind paying to see a two-on-two game [with Staley and Reiss]. Debbie's always had great guards, but when you've got great post play and great guards, it translates into a great team."
by CNB