ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, January 7, 1997 TAG: 9701070072
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
COURTNEY ALEXANDER is focusing on becoming a complete player after Virginia coaches and teammates questioned his commitment to defense.
When Courtney Alexander left University Hall on Thursday night, no one knew if he would be returning.
Maybe Alexander didn't know himself.
If he gave thought to leaving the Virginia men's basketball team, Alexander changed his mind by the morning and reported for practice before joining his teammates for a trip to Maryland.
Although he did not start, Alexander played 28 minutes and finished with 18 points as the Terps defeated the Cavaliers 78-62 at Cole Field House.
Alexander would not discuss the circumstances that resulted in his benching Thursday night, when he did not play for the final 8:01 of a 67-61 victory over Loyola (Md.). However, he was upbeat about his late-game defensive assignment Saturday on Maryland's Keith Booth.
``It's going to help me build my total game,'' said Alexander, who held Booth without a field goal in an abbreviated stint. ``That's going to make me grow. I grew during this game.''
It has been Alexander's occasional inattentiveness to his defensive responsibilities that has caused him to spend more time on the bench than he would like.
``It was the first time I've stepped up to the challenge,'' Alexander said. ``I'm not going to pump it up into something it wasn't. I wasn't on him the whole game, [but] I know I can play defense.
``For defensive-minded people, like Harold Deane, it's in their makeup. He's a go-at-it-all-the-time player. I play defense in spurts. Right now, Courtney Alexander needs to concentrate on the defensive game.''
That's not to say Alexander ignored the offensive end Saturday. During one period of the second half, it seemed he shot every time he touched the ball.
``My shot selection was not that good,'' said Alexander, who was 7-of-18 from the field. ``I'm not going to sit here and say that other people's was bad and mine was good, but I was in a groove. Coach [Jeff] Jones was calling plays for me and I was supposed to shoot the ball.
``But even if a play is called for me, that doesn't give me the right to shoot the ball if it's not a good shot. I believe I took three ill-advised shots.''
There was one stretch of eight UVa possessions when the Cavaliers turned over the ball once and Alexander shot the ball on the other seven.
``Courtney got some shots to go down that weren't good shots,'' Jones said. ``But, that's the thing about Courtney: If the shots are going, you live with him; if the shots aren't going, you can either take him out or he's got to help you in another way. He takes some tough shots.''
From all indications, it was not Alexander's defense or shot selection that got him pulled against Loyola. It was his lack of enthusiasm, apparently from not being included in the starting lineup.
According to several accounts, senior guard Harold Deane ripped into Alexander at halftime of the Loyola game. When the players returned to the court, Alexander sat on the bench and did not join his teammates for warmups.
``We had to come out and play Virginia basketball,'' said Deane, careful in his comments to the media after the Loyola game. ``All of us didn't get here because we were All-Americans. I know I didn't. I'm all about hard work and playing defense and giving it all I have.
``When I don't see my teammates or myself doing that, I feel I've got to voice my opinion.''
After coming out of the game for the last time, Alexander went to the end of the bench and wrapped himself in towels. At least once, teammates huddled during a timeout and Alexander did not join them.
Judging by the talk in the locker room, nobody wanted Alexander to leave, but no one was begging him to stay.
``I think things will be better in time,'' Cavaliers guard Curtis Staples said at Maryland. ``It hasn't been very long [since the Loyola game]. I think, for the most part, everybody on the team has the team's best interests at heart, regardless of what has happened.''
The Maryland game was the fourth in eight days for the Cavaliers, who have a four-day break before visiting Florida State on Wednesday.
``After you play back-to-back like this, I think everybody gets a little tired,'' Staples said. ``We definitely can use the time off right now.''
NOTES: Freshman center Craig McAndrew has struggled since serving a seven-game NCAA-imposed suspension for his affiliation with the Perth Wildcats in the Australian pro league. McAndrew played 16 minutes Saturday and had one point, one rebound, four fouls and four turnovers. Junior forward Norman Nolan, who rarely shoots more than five feet from the basket, is 21-of-69 (30.4 percent) in the past seven games. Staples and Deane rank sixth and ninth, respectively, in ACC history in 3-point field goals with 228 and 212.
LENGTH: Medium: 87 linesby CNB