ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, March 16, 1997 TAG: 9703180102
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY THE ROANOKE TIMES
Four starters and coach Jeff Jones are expected to return as Virginia attempts to build on an 18-13 season.
At 30,000 feet, less than 15 hours removed from a season-ending loss to Iowa, Virginia men's basketball coach Jeff Jones sat Friday and made notes to himself.
``Some were mental, some were on paper,'' Jones said above the drone of a Delta jet. ``There are a lot of things we have to do better, things we have to demand from the players to get improved performance.
``Right now, where we want to be is still playing, [but] I feel the program is back on track. I feel good about the direction we're headed.''
Clearly there was progress from 1995-96, when the Cavaliers were 12-15. Moreover, UVa (18-13) was invited to the NCAA Tournament and has not failed to make the field in back-to-back years since 1979-80.
There was a flip side. UVa ended the season with seven losses in its last 10 games, eight of its 13 losses were by 10 points or more and the Cavaliers have gone 30-29 since reaching the Midwest Regional final in 1995.
It could be argued that Virginia played its best basketball in November, when it defeated South Carolina and Massachusetts in the Maui Invitational and was tied with Kansas at the half.
Not long after that, point guard Harold Deane began feeling the effects of a leg injury that would plague him all season. And now Deane, a four-year starter and one of the grittiest players to wear a UVa uniform, is gone.
The more Deane limped, the more he played. After going the full 40 minutes in two of UVa's previous three games, Deane did not leave the floor Thursday until a few seconds remained and the game was out of reach.
It was out of fear that Deane might self-destruct that Jones nixed talk of redshirting Jamal Robinson and bringing him back in 1997-98 as Deane's successor. Robinson and Deane were the Cavaliers' only scholarship seniors. They also were the primary ball-handlers, which might be a cause for alarm.
Virginia's lone fall signee, 6-1 Chezley Watson from Gainesville, Ga., is likely to get the first crack at replacing Deane at point guard.
Jones said Friday that he would like to sign one or two more players, perhaps another point guard and a small forward, but the Cavaliers are not looking at big men. All five of UVa's post players were underclassmen.
None of them distinguished himself Thursday, with the possible exception of 6-10 freshman Kris Hunter, who had a team-high eight rebounds in six minutes. For the season, Hunter had 20 points and 24 rebounds in 67 minutes.
``Kris had been practicing very well,'' Jones said. ``Even though he had less experience than the others, I asked the staff after Tuesday's practice, `Should he be the first big guy to go in?'
``He gets himself out of position, but he can make plays. That's been the case all year. I think, with last night's game and the practices, he has moved up the depth chart.''
Jones, who was the youngest NCAA Division I head coach when he was hired in 1990, has one year remaining on his contract and expects an extension.
``Coach [Terry] Holland and I talked back in January,'' said Jones, referring to the Cavaliers' athletic director. ``There are some specifics we need to talk about, but we've agreed on some things.''
Jones said he expects all Virginia players with eligibility remaining to return, although he doesn't always appear to be on the same wavelength with sophomore Courtney Alexander, the Cavaliers' leading scorer.
Alexander spent 10 minutes on the bench Thursday night at a time when Virginia was trailing by 20 points and, presumably, needed scoring. Monte Marcaccini, who was in the game while Alexander sat, did not have a point or rebound in 11 minutes.
Alexander has said it is his intention to return for his junior year, so there is no reason to expect a change in his status, although he did not speak to the media Friday.
``I think he's upset right now,'' junior guard Curtis Staples said of Alexander. ``He felt he should have played more. I don't know what his status is. He's the kind of person who's hard to read.
``Regardless of how he feels right now, he needs to know that he still has two years in school. If he wants to make a move and throw it all away, it definitely could come back to haunt him.''
No one had a more rocky start than Staples, who found himself wanting to leave UVa after three months. He kept his mouth shut and has emerged as the likely leader of next season's team.
The Cavaliers should have four returning starters, including power forward Norman Nolan, who averaged a career-high 11.3 points, and center Colin Ducharme. Staples led the ACC in 3-point field goals, and Alexander was first in 3-point percentage.
``If everybody returns, we have the potential to be really good,'' Staples said. ``This year, I thought we had the potential to be really good, but we were just a little better than average. Who knows what the future holds?''
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