Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, January 16, 1993 TAG: 9301160125
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
SHOOTING FOR THE UPPER ECHELON
CORY ALEXANDER'S statistics at Virginia have finally started to match his reputation as one of the sharpest shooters around.\ A crowd had gathered around Kentucky coach Rick Pitino, guest lecturer one hot June afternoon at the Five-Star Basketball Camp at Radford University."Who's the best shooter here?" Pitino asked, not without ulterior motives.
As one, the group of 300 campers responded, "Cory Alexander."
"I had heard Pitino liked to do drills instead of just speak," Alexander said. "I was kind of looking forward to it, to tell the truth."
Pitino asked Alexander to guard him, then proceeded to make six or seven jumpers before Alexander recognized a pump fake and pinned Pitino's layup attempt to the glass. Then, they played a game of "quarters," with the participants taking three shots from each of six spots on the floor.
"It was a game I used to play with coach [Steve] Smith [at Oak Hill Academy]," Alexander said. "I think Pitino beat me by one point, but it was the highest score I ever had."
For almost as long as he had played basketball, Alexander had been known for his shooting, and it was a reputation that preceded him when he signed a letter-of-intent at Virginia. Smith once said that Alexander was among the top five prospects in the country at two positions, point guard and shooting guard.
That's why it didn't make sense last year when Alexander shot 37.6 percent from the field, the ACC low for players with more than 150 attempts (Alexander had 338). Also, he made only 44 of 149 3-point shots (29.5 percent).
"The numbers say a lot," said Alexander, a 6-foot-1 sophomore from Waynesboro, by way of Oak Hill Academy, "but, last year, a lot of the time I shot when I felt I had to shoot, like when I took nine 3-pointers against Georgia Tech [in the ACC Tournament]. I knew I was off the whole day."
To the credit of Virginia coach Jeff Jones and his staff, nobody attempted to change Alexander's form. They didn't have to.
"I've watched myself shooting on tape," Alexander said, "and I've also seen the way you're supposed to shoot and I don't think there's a whole lot of difference. I knew I would shoot a lot better this year."
The turnaround was not readily apparent when Alexander went 5-for-15 in UVa's opener at Pennsylvania. However, he is 29-of-55 over the past four games, including 12-of-22 on 3-pointers.
"I never got to the point of wondering, `Is he a good shooter?' " Jones said. "I was aware that he needed to improve his shot selection. I think he's become more comfortable with his role, too. You've got to remember, right now he's one-third of the way through his third season as a point guard."
Despite his responsibilities as playmaker, Alexander also leads UVa in scoring with an 18.1-point average. It is no coincidence that in games when he has shot 50 percent or better from the field, the Cavaliers are 11-0 the past two seasons.
Alexander showed he had moved into the upper echelon of ACC point guards when he scored 23 points in the Cavaliers' 80-76 victory over Florida State. He also shut down the Seminoles' Sam Cassell, who went 4-of-17 from the field after three consecutive 30-point performances.
It can be argued that Cassell isn't a point guard, but there will be no questions about the point guards Alexander will face over a six-day stretch, starting with Bobby Hurley at Duke on Sunday. That will be followed by games with North Carolina and Georgia Tech.
"Not to take anything away from the No. 1 point guard in the country," Alexander said, "but everything Hurley can do, I feel I can do. As good as Hurley is, I don't know how much better he is than Travis Best [of Georgia Tech], but he has so much more experience. That's what sets him apart.
"I respect Bobby Hurley a lot. I used to hate him [when I was] in high school. I didn't like the way he played. I think it's because he liked to complain to the referees. Now, when I watch him, a lot of the time I'm just in awe."
Although he did not become a point guard until he was a senior at Oak Hill, Alexander broke the UVa record for assists by a freshman with 145. Perhaps the most impressive aspect of his play was the way he ran the team.
Nevertheless, Alexander bristled last year when Doug Smith, ostensibly the back-up point guard, would join him in the backcourt.
"I didn't know if I had failed as a point guard or what," Alexander said. "Ever since my senior year [at Oak Hill], people have questioned whether I'm a point guard. I hate that. I don't mind if people want to call me a `lead' guard because that's a point guard who can score."
Alexander is no longer sensitive to the presence of Smith, who has developed into an offensive threat, hitting 14 of 30 3-pointers. The Cavaliers are 20-of-40 as a team on 3-pointers the past three games.
"It was definitely a problem last year, or at least an adjustment," Jones said. "They're playing better and they're playing better together. It's a case of Cory becoming more comfortable with the arrangement and Doug knowing what to do."
It hasn't hurt that the Cavaliers are winning. They are the only unbeaten team in Division I and will take the nation's longest winning streak to Cameron Indoor Stadium. As a result, Alexander no longer wonders about his decision not to sign with Michigan and join the Fab Five.
"It was really difficult at the beginning of last season and it picked up at the end, when they went to the Final Four," Alexander said. "I thought to myself, `I could be there,' not that I felt the wrong decision. Here, I've had an opportunity to be a focal point and team leader."
The failure to make the NCAA Tournament was a blow, but there will be other chances. Alexander, who once talked half-seriously of turning pro after two years, expects to be around for a while.
"I would love to be in a situation where I could choose," Alexander said, "but I don't think I'm ready. I could see that life, but I haven't proven myself. Right now I'm happy where I am."