Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, February 12, 1991 TAG: 9102120093
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
UVa won its first five games without Oliver before dropping three straight, all on the road.
"It's been very obvious in the last three games, any time we've gotten in a half-court game, that we miss his ability to score," Jones said.
Cornel Parker, a 6-foot-7 freshman, has provided adequate defense in Oliver's absence, but is an inconsistent scorer. Oliver was averaging 10.4 points at the time of his injury and was the only UVa player shooting better than 50 percent from the field.
There had been talk of outfitting Oliver with a soft cast in hopes that he could return before three weeks. Oliver may wear some protective device this week, although it will have been nearly four weeks since his injury.
Oliver started 47 of 48 games before his injury and is expected to resume his former role. "My intention all along, when he got back to full speed, was to return him to the starting lineup," Jones said.
\ Jones expressed more disgust with his team's play Sunday in a 74-66 loss to Wake Forest than he did after earlier, more lopsided setbacks to Duke and North Carolina.
"Watching the film today [Monday] only got me more upset with what might have been," Jones said. "It was amazing that we still had a chance to win up until the last minute.
"When the game was on the line, we had some defensive breakdowns come from guys not concentrating. In the first half, we played great defense. In the second half, we were absolutely awful."
\ Jones confirmed that he talked with ACC assistant commissioner and supervisor of officials Fred Barakat on Monday morning that his youth and low-key demeanor might put him at a disadvantage with officials.
\ Emily Perrin, 4-month-old daughter of UVa assistant Tom Perrin, is recovering from a compression fracture of the skull suffered when the Cavaliers' Bryant Stith crashed into the first row of seats Feb. 4 during UVa's 87-54 victory over Radford.
"If it had happened to any of us, we would have gotten a bump on the forehead, but it creates an indentation on an infant's forehead," Perrin said. His daughter was hospitalized 24 hours for observation.
\ There is talk that freshman Corey Stewart will re-evaluate his situation after the season, possibly with an eye toward transferring.
Stewart, a 6-7 freshman, has played sparingly and knows UVa has signed three frontcourt players. The coaching staff thinks Stewart has potential but would like to see more intensity from him in practice.
\ Jones has awarded a scholarship to walk-on guard Bernie Floriani. Floriani, who was recruited to UVa to play golf, has played in seven games in three years.
Jones said the new scholarship limit of 13, down from 15, probably will keep coaches from rewarding walk-ons such as Floriani, whose greatest contributions come in practice.
\ NOTES: Virginia point guard John Crotty, who had better than a 2 1/2-to-1 assist-turnover ratio before the road trip, had 11 assists and 13 turnovers in three games in North Carolina. Crotty shot 13-of-39 from the field, but showed signs of breaking out of his 3-point slump. Crotty was 3-of-27 on 3-pointers over a nine-game period. . . . Crotty, with his 18 points Sunday, moved over the 1,500-point mark for his career. He ranks eighth on UVa's all-time list with 1,506 points. Richard Morgan is seventh at 1,540. . . . Junior forward Bryant Stith ranks fifth on UVa's career list with 1,685 points. . . . All-time Virginia scoring leader Jeff Lamp is averaging more than 27 points per game for Venice of the Italian pro league.
by CNB