Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, March 24, 1995 TAG: 9503240122
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-8 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: KANSAS CITY, MO. LENGTH: Long
Memories are hazy about the discussion that helped shape Virginia's current defensive philosophy.
As then-UVa assistant Dave Odom recalls, talk turned one day to the lack of success the United States was having in international play.
``I don't remember the specific conversation,'' said Jeff Jones, also an assistant under former Cavaliers' head coach Terry Holland. ``I do know the concept he's talking about.
``When you're playing international teams, you can't run down to the lanes and then to your man because they'll skip the ball over your head. But, even before that, our emphasis was on individual defense.''
It's no coincidence that Wake Forest, coached by Odom, and Virginia rank 1-2 in the ACC in field-goal percentage defense. It's the second straight year that UVa opponents have shot less than 40 percent.
``There are different ways to measure defensive success,'' said Jones, in his fifth season as UVa's head coach. ``We're more concerned with field-goal percentage than steals or blocked shots.''
No team shot better than 50 percent from the field against Virginia this season, which is maybe the main reason the Cavaliers (24-8) have gotten as far as the Midwest Region semifinals, where they will meet Kansas (25-5) at 10:30 tonight at Kemper Arena.
``What's equally impressive to me is that their opponents shot only 29 percent on 3-pointers in ACC games,'' said Herb Sendek, coach of Miami of Ohio. ``Usually, there's more of a balance.
``When you see a low field-goal percentage [defense], maybe it's because a team is crowding the post and giving up more from the outside, but their stat sheet almost looks like the coach put in the defensive numbers he wants.''
That's what Sendek said before the Cavaliers defeated the Redskins 60-54 in an NCAA second-round game. Miami shot 32.8 percent from the field, its season low, and was 3-of-20 on 3-pointers.
``I think it's well-documented that Virginia is one of the outstanding defensive teams in the country year in and year out,'' Sendek said afterwards. ``I told Jeff, `Sometime in the spring, if we're out recruiting together, I'd just like to grab you and ask you a few questions about your defense.'''
Sendek might be surprised to learn that Virginia has few secrets. The Cavaliers play virtually no zone defense, rarely trap and do not emphasize switching.
``Everybody talks about `help' defense,'' Jones said. ``The way we've approached it is, we don't want to have to help. Those help situations are generally caused by defensive breakdowns where another player has to react.
``If you can't break me down, then, as a team, we don't have to react. We've spent more time making sure guys could guard people 1-on-1 that most teams probably do.''
Last year Virginia had perhaps the premier defensive specialist in the ACC in Cornel Parker, a 6-foot-7 senior who shut down anybody from Grant Hill to the most elusive point guard, but there has been no dropoff this year.
``Not for a second did I think we wouldn't be as good [on defense] or at least comparable,'' Jones said. ``Cornel was a great defensive player, but we had excellent defensive teams before he got here.''
If the Cavaliers have a stopper this year, it is 6-9 junior Chris Alexander, who held North Carolina's Jerry Stackhouse to 6-of-29 shooting in two games. But, Jones isn't opposed to putting leading scorer Junior Burrough on an opposing big man.
``It's established from Day One that if you don't play defense, no matter how good an offensive player you are, you won't play,'' said freshman Curtis Staples, whose minutes increased in proportion to his attention to both ends of the floor.
Teams have shot 50 percent or better against Virginia in only five of the last 102 games dating back to the 1991-92 season. Over the same span, six UVa opponents have failed to shoot 30 percent, including three this season.
Wake Forest was the ACC team that most resembled Virginia defensively ``but, with Tim Duncan, things changed,'' Jones said.
``We're definitely different than Maryland, North Carolina and Duke, the way [the Blue Devils] overplay,'' Jones said. ``We play between you and the basket; other people play in the passing lanes.
``I don't understand why people pay so much attention to blocks and steals and don't see the opportunities those teams give up. Sometimes your best defensive players are the ones with hardly any blocks or steals.''
Maybe that's why Virginia the last two years has held opponents under 39.5 percent - a figure that would have led Division I for 11 straight years between 1977-87 - and didn't have a player ranked among the top 10 in the ACC in steals.
``They try to make sure every pass inside and every shot you take - whether it's inside or inside - is challenged,'' Kansas coach Roy Williams said. ``They're not going to let you get the positions on the floor you want. They just emphasize [defense], and that's the most important thing. Jeff's done a great job of getting those kids to understand that defense, a lot of the times, is the difference between whether you win or lose.''
by CNB