Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, October 15, 1993 TAG: 9310150023
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
On Thursday he put an end to the disclaimers.
Staples, who has been rated among the top 25 basketball prospects in the country, said Thursday he will sign with the Cavaliers during the early period Nov. 10-17.
"At first, I didn't know a lot about Virginia," said Staples, a 6-foot-2 guard from Roanoke. "I had [UVa] on my list mostly because it was a state school. To tell the truth, I had never really pictured myself playing there."
Staples said he was able to keep an open mind until two weeks ago, when he made his official visit to UVa. He went to Wake Forest last week and has canceled a trip to Ohio State scheduled for this weekend.
"I've gotten to know a lot of the players at Virginia, and I think I will be able to play right away and make a contribution," he said.
Staples, a second-team All-Group AAA selection as a sophomore at Patrick Henry, will spend his senior year at Oak Hill Academy in Grayson County. Oak Hill, coming off a 36-0 season, is a candidate for the preseason No. 1 ranking in the country.
Staples, who has met NCAA academic guidelines for freshman eligibility, has played on teams the past two years at Patrick Henry and St. John's of Frederick, Md., that were a combined 49-3.
"I want that to stay at three [losses]," Staples said. "I'm glad I've got this out. This will give me a chance to start concentrating on team and individual goals like the national championship and Mr. Basketball [in Virginia]."
Staples says the highlight of his career was playing on the 1991-92 Patrick Henry team that won the Group AAA state championship. He was the leading scorer on that team, with a 16.9-point average, and was named Sizzlin' Sophomore of the Year in Timesland.
Staples left Patrick Henry, which finished No. 12 in the country in 1992, for would-be national power St. John's, which was ranked No. 6 in 1993. St. John's only losses were to Oak Hill.
Staples has not gone into detail about his decision to leave St. John's, but said he found Oak Hill to be a more comfortable environment.
"I think he's the best shooter we've ever had here," said Steve Smith, Oak Hill's coach. "I'd compare Curtis to Cory [Alexander], except Curtis isn't quite as streaky. He'll kill you from the 3-point line.
"He's [Staples] the first guy we've given the green light. He does even more things than I thought: He handles [the ball], he passes it well, he's a good defensive player."
Virginia has not had a player from Roanoke since Landon Buchanan in 1941, although Richard Morgan from Salem was an All-ACC selection for the Cavaliers in 1989. Staples will be the third player from Oak Hill to sign with Virginia in three years, joining Alexander and Junior Burrough.
"It's true that I've followed the same path as Cory," said Staples, who was escorted by Alexander on his visit, "but I didn't do it purposely."
Staples, the only player under 6-6 on UVa's recruiting list, will join Alexander and three perimeter players who are freshmen this season. Cornel Parker, who starts for UVa at shooting guard, is a senior.
"They have guards, but they don't have a true two-guard," said Staples, the leading scorer for St. John's last season with a 19-point average. "I haven't played against [the underclassmen], but from what I've seen, they're more like combination guards."
He has been a fan of North Carolina and former Patrick Henry star George Lynch, "but it came time to do what was best for Curtis," Staples said. "North Carolina was talking about me as a point guard, which I'm not right now."
The schools that had home visits with Staples were Virginia, Wake Forest, Ohio State, Villanova and Pittsburgh.
"I don't know where the rumors got started," Staples said, "but, at the beginning of the summer, a coach from Florida came up to me at [camp] and asked, `Is it true you're going to go to Virginia?'
"I said, `Now, where did you hear that? I haven't even thought about it.' "
He has now.
by CNB