Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, February 10, 1995 TAG: 9502100106
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Cory Alexander's season - and probably his college basketball career - came to an end Thursday in the depressing confines of a hospital examining room.
A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed that Alexander suffered on Wednesday a fracture in the same right ankle he broke in the opening game of the 1993-94 season.
``It's not the same fracture as the one he suffered last season,'' said Dr. Frank McCue, who had hoped X-rays were showing the old injury. ``He will not play again this season.''
Although he had gained an extra season of eligibility, Alexander announced in October and reiterated this week that he would turn professional after the season. He needs to pass three courses to graduate at the end of the spring semester.
``I certainly haven't looked ahead,'' UVa coach Jeff Jones said Thursday. ``I doubt that Cory has either. At some point, probably in the near future, I'd like to have the opportunity to sit down with Cory and his parents and talk about his situation.
``With all of that, I don't want this to be a distraction for our basketball team. I don't think Cory wants this to be a distraction for our basketball team, even though it's something that's obviously very important to him and needs to be considered.''
An athletic department spokesman said Alexander would not be available for interviews until the start of next week. There was no answer Thursday night at his mother's home in Waynesboro.
``It's a situation where I've got to separate my thoughts as basketball coach of the Virginia team [from] my personal thoughts regarding Cory,'' said Jones, who accompanied Alexander for the MRI. ``He's put so much into his rehabilitation ... and now, to have it yanked away, it almost seems cruel.''
Alexander came up limping Wednesday night after a collision with North Carolina State freshman C.C. Harrison and left the floor with 8 minutes, 38 seconds remaining in the first half.
He was injured with 8:44 to go in the first half last year against Connecticut, also at University Hall.
``I don't think he wanted to believe it last year,'' Jones said. ``In some ways, I think [Thursday] he was expecting the worst. When it was confirmed that it was broken, he certainly wasn't happy, but he was businesslike about starting his rehabilitation. I'm sure he's going to go through some tough times.''
Alexander, a 6-foot-1 point guard, is the team's second leading scorer (16.6 points per game) and leads the Cavaliers in assists (110) and steals (32). He was averaging more than 40 minutes in ACC games, playing 45 minutes or more three times.
Alexander, who has started all 85 college games in which he has played, recently moved into 15th place on UVa's all-time scoring list with 1,286 points and ranks fifth in assists with 401.
The loss of Alexander leaves Virginia with eight able-bodied scholarship players, not including 7-4 freshman Chase Metheney, who has not dressed for a regular-season game. Sophomore Harold Deane will move from shooting guard to point guard, the position he played after Alexander was injured last year.
``As far as a starting lineup, no decision will be made until we take the court [Saturday] at Clemson,'' Jones said. ``We're looking at the Clemson game as a separate entity. It's not for certain that our lineup Saturday will be our lineup for the remainder of the year.''
Freshman Curtis Staples, a reserve guard from Roanoke, played a career-high 33 minutes in UVa's 65-55 victory over the Wolfpack.
``Players always want more minutes; players always want more responsibility,'' Jones said. ``Certainly, no one on our team would want to get an opportunity this way.''
The Cavaliers, ranked 17th by The Associated Press, have overcome a slow start to raise their record to 14-6 overall and 7-3 in the ACC - one game behind co-leaders Maryland and North Carolina.
``While all of us in the basketball family feel badly for Cory, we realize we've got to go on,'' Jones said. ``We don't want anyone's sympathy. We're taking the court to win. We're not feeling sorry for ourselves one little bit.''
by CNB