THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, February 22, 1995 TAG: 9502220565
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C4 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY FRANK VEHORN, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 97 lines
Virginia coach Jeff Jones gave Georgia Tech something to think about Tuesday by promising it won't be business as usual for tonight's game between the two teams in Atlanta.
``We are going to throw a few wrinkles at them and hopefully make them adjust to us a little bit,'' Jones said during the league's weekly media conference call.
Naturally, Jones would not reveal what the wrinkles are, but one could be a shorter, quicker lineup with 6-foot-5 Jason Williford replacing 6-8 Chris Alexander.
Jones indicated freshman Curtis Staples could start instead of Jamal Robinson, who was called home on Monday because his grandfather died.
Robinson will rejoin the team in Atlanta in time to get a crash course on what plans the Cavaliers have for Georgia Tech.
``We will go over the changes and show him film of our practices the last two days,'' Jones said.
Tonight's game is, according to both coaches, ``big.''
The Cavaliers (18-6, 10-3 ACC) hope to retain a share of first place in the league and the Yellow Jackets (16-9, 6-6) want to end a three-game ACC losing streak.
The Yellow Jackets have been without guard Drew Barry (sprained ankle) for the last three games, and center James Forrest played in Saturday's loss to Wake Forest after missing six games with a broken left hand.
Georgia Tech coach Bobby Cremins said Barry probably will play against Virginia.
The Cavaliers defeated Tech, 88-85, in double overtime in Charlottesville on Jan. 22. Virginia has lost the last four games in the series in Atlanta, however.
STILL GOING: Virginia's Cory Alexander, whose season ended with a broken right ankle for the second consecutive year, repeated this week he won't return for his final year of eligibility.
That seems fine with with Jones, who has been making plans since last October (when Alexander first announced his intentions) that do not include Alexander for the 1995-96 season.
Some teammates, though, are trying to convince Alexander it would be in his best interest professionally to play a fourth season.
``People can tell you what to do, but they can't live your life for you,'' Alexander said.
``Nobody is pressuring me to leave, but I think the people here (U.Va.) have seen enough of me.''
COACH K UPDATE: Duke's acting coach Pete Gaudet reports that Mike Krzyzewski is now meeting with his coaching staff to offer advice and suggestions.
But Krzyzewski apparently still intends to stick with his earlier announcement that he will not be back on the sidelines this season.
The Blue Devils are 2-12 since Krzyzewski left the team because of health problems in early January.
Incidentally, while Duke is having one of its worst seasons ever, Krzyzewski officially is getting credit for a 9-3 season.
Gaudet gets the rap for the pile of losses the last two months.
RUMORS, RUMORS: Duke guard Jeff Capel keeps saying it isn't so, but that hasn't stopped rumors that he may transfer to Old Dominion to play for his father.
Capel says if he had such plans, he would have made the switch at the semester break.
GOOD COMPANY: Georgia Tech's Travis Best is 32 points and 26 assists shy of joining former North Carolina All-American Phil Ford as the only players in league history to score at least 2,000 points and hand out 700 assists.
Best, a senior guard, has averaged 26.7 points in his last seven games.
UPCOMING MILESTONES: Florida State senior Bob Sura is close to becoming the first ACC player to collect 2,000 points, 700 rebounds, 400 assists, and 200 steals in a career.
North Carolina sophomore Rasheed Wallace is on pace to become the league's all-time field goal percentage leader.
He's averaging 67.7 percent. The record, held by former Tar Heel Brad Daugherty (1983-86), is 62 percent.
NO MORE BURGERS: A recruiter on the staff of one high-profile ACC team was overheard saying he is tired of going after ``burgers,'' high school stars who made the McDonald's All-American team.
``There are players just as good who don't have that `burger' ego,'' the recruiter said.
Indeed, there are.
Sura, Maryland's Joe Smith, Wake Forest's Tim Duncan, Virginia's Harold Deane, and Georgia Tech freshman Matt Harpring would make an all-star team of nonburgers.
NOTABLES: Wake Forest will retire the jerseys of Randolph Childress and former star Rodney Rogers on March 4. ... FSU's James Collins is the only ACC player to have scored in double figures every game this season. ... Clemson's James Buckner is the only ACC freshman leading his team in scoring (12.6). ... N.C. State center Todd Fuller is averaging 23.6 points and 13.3 rebounds over the last three games. ... Eleven of Duke's 14 losses have been by seven points or less. ... In the eternal battle to be the NCAA's winningest team, North Carolina leads Kentucky, 1,618 to 1,606. They are followed by Kansas (1,562), St. John's (1,505), and Duke (1,472). by CNB