Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, April 1, 1990 TAG: 9004010131
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE: KNOXVILLE, TENN. LENGTH: Medium
The Cavaliers, whose Final Four appearance was their first, will welcome back the top six scorers from a team that won the ACC Tournament and NCAA East Regional championships. UVa's top five scorers include two sophomores and three freshmen.
Moreover, former first-team All-ACC selection Tonya Cardoza will return from a year's academic suspension and will take over from the lone senior starter, Fran Scott, at small forward.
Get the idea that Virginia might be loaded?
"I've heard that we'll be ranked anywhere from No. 2-3 to 3-5," coach Debbie Ryan said Saturday. "It was a fun year this year because there weren't a lot of expectations. I'm very aware that those expectations will increase.
"Everybody who had a big role this year will come back prepared to have a bigger role next year. I'll just have to let the players know early on how expectations can ruin a season. I think we'll be able to handle it."
Cardoza averaged 18.2 points per game in 1988-89, when the Cavaliers were 21-10. In the absence of Cardoza and top signee Shannon Davis, a first-team Parade All-American who failed to meet Proposition 48 guidelines and did not enroll, Virginia set a school record for victories in finishing 29-6.
"I'm sure that Tonya is feeling depressed because she couldn't be around to enjoy all this," said sophomore guard Tammi Reiss. "I think we'll just become stronger when she comes back. When Tonya steps in, people can accept their roles."
The Cavaliers played well enough defensively Friday night to hold Stanford under 80 points for only the sixth time in 32 games. Offensively, though, Virginia sputtered. The Cavaliers will have more weapons next year with the return of Cardoza and the addition of 6-foot Katasha Artis, featured by Sports Illustrated after scoring 72 points in a high school game in December.
Ryan has one more scholarship available, and, while she is tempted to cash in on the Final Four appearance, the current recruiting class is relatively weak.
"I don't want to overload," Ryan said. "That goes back to chemistry. Is the team going to be selfless or not?"
Other than the intangibles, Ryan's chief concern is turnovers. The Cavaliers had 15 in the second half Friday night and 20 for the game, which was close to their season average. Many of the turnovers came on attempted entry passes to 6-4 twins Heidi and Heather Burge.
"That was emphasized by the coaches: `Get it in to the big girls,' " Reiss said. "Either we couldn't get it to them clean or they couldn't catch it."
Ryan said the guards need to be patient with the inside game.
"Instead of trying to reverse the ball and reverse the ball, we're trying to get it in there too soon," Ryan said. "If it's not there right away, we start panicking and get away from running our offense. It takes time."
Ryan said she stressed the inside game when All-America guard Dawn Staley experienced a recurrence of the cramps that had bothered her in recent games.
"She's going to have to change her diet to include some more potassium," Ryan said. "Dawn has bad eating habits, but so does her coach. A lot of times, all I'll have for lunch is a bag of ranch-flavored Fritos and a green Slurpee, so I guess I can't say anything."
by CNB