Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, March 18, 1994 TAG: 9403180107
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-11 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHARLOTTESVILLE LENGTH: Medium
It's hard to say Alexander had much of a career until the day in mid-December when he walked into coach Jeff Jones' office and questioned his lack of playing time.
Jones didn't tell Alexander everything he wanted to hear, but it wasn't long before Alexander was the first big man off the Cavaliers' bench and could count on playing in every game.
"The good thing that came out of it was, I let him know that I wanted to be out there," Alexander said. "I felt I did the only thing I could do. I couldn't put myself out on the floor."
Until the meeting, Alexander had played in 16 of 36 games during his first two seasons, only once for as long as 10 minutes - this for a team sorely in need of an inside presence.
Alexander won't scare anybody offensively, and his rebounding has been inconsistent. Nevertheless, Virginia has not had a better shot-blocker since three-time national player of the year Ralph Sampson in the early 1980s.
"His improvement has been very important to the success of our team," Jones said. "To me, that's one of our team awards [most improved] that doesn't require a moment's consideration."
In the first game after his meeting with Jones, Alexander played three minutes against Liberty. Since then, he has played 10 or more minutes in 21 of 22 games and at least 20 minutes in six games.
"It's not part of my personality," Alexander said of his decision to confront Jones. "It's something I felt needed to be done because I was on the border of becoming a negative influence.
"I was very emotional. I wasn't really thinking, but whatever I said was from the heart. I don't know if he agreed with everything I said, but he listened."
Alexander, listed at 6 feet 8 and 216 pounds, received considerable recruiting interest as a senior at Long Branch (N.J.) High School, but at least part of that was his outstanding grades.
It was readily apparent that Alexander's talents were unrefined, however, and he played in only two games in 1991-92 before an appeal to the NCAA gained him another year of eligibility.
"He came to see me before our Stanford game [Dec. 22], and he was upset," Jones said. "But I told him, `Shawn Wilson has outplayed you. If you want to play more, you've got to play better.'
"Shawn went in before Chris against Stanford, but, when Shawn broke his nose, Chris stood up and played like a man for the first time in his career."
Alexander is averaging only 1.8 points and 2.5 rebounds per game, but his 39 blocked shots have moved him up to sixth on UVa's single-season list - with Sampson holding the first four spots.
Alexander had three blocks in 13 minutes against Virginia Tech, one of his four three-block games of the season. He is averaging nearly four blocks every 40 minutes, a rate comparable to the NCAA Division I leaders.
The Cavaliers can live with a lack of offensive production - Alexander failed to score during a recent five-game stretch - but they think he should be a better rebounder.
"A major area of improvement for Chris is his rebounding - offensively and defensively - and he needs to learn to finish a play," Jones said. "I'm not sure how much you can improve your hands, but there are drills you can do. You can try."
Said Alexander: "I need to work on it, but when you're playing against an [Eric] Montross or Sharone Wright, I feel you've done part of your job if neither one of you gets the rebound."
Because of his quickness and timing, Alexander has been able to stay out of foul trouble, although he picked up four fouls Sunday, when North Carolina coach Dean Smith said the Cavaliers were hanging all over Montross in the ACC tournament final.
"I've never seen a team with as many talented and skilled individuals complain as much as North Carolina does," Alexander said. "All you can do is ignore it."
If he continues to improve at his current rate, it is not unreasonable to believe Alexander could start as a fifth-year senior in 1994-95, which hardly seemed possible before December.
"I never thought about leaving," Alexander said. "Besides basketball, there were a lot of things I was happy with, like academics and my social situation, but I think I would have been increasingly unhappy.
"I'd say I'm pretty happy now."
Keywords:
BASKETBALL
by CNB