THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, August 15, 1995 TAG: 9508150413
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C8 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ED MILLER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Medium: 97 lines
With Junior Burrough graduated and star recruit Melvin Whitaker not eligible for the upcoming season, the University of Virginia is pinning much of its frontcourt hopes on the broad but inexperienced shoulders of power forward Norman Nolan, coach Jeff Jones said Monday.
``Norman is the one guy inside for us this year we feel can somehow replace those points and rebounds that Junior Burrough took with him,'' Jones told the Norfolk Sports Club. ``Norman is probably a better rebounder on a per-minute basis than Junior, and Norman has probably more ability as an offensive player at this stage of his career than any player since Ralph Sampson.''
The problem is, the Cavaliers aren't sure when Nolan will be available. His eligibility depends on his performance in summer school. Nolan could be eligible at the start of the season, or he may not be available until the second semester, Jones said.
``He didn't do a real good job of managing his time, and not only Norman but I think our team could suffer from that lack of time management,'' Jones said.
Nolan, a 6-foot-8, 242-pound sophomore from Baltimore, didn't get a lot of on-court time to manage last season, despite high school All-American credentials.
``Quite honestly, we expected him probably to start, if not play a significant amount of time,'' Jones said.
But Nolan had offseason knee surgery and never got into shape. He played only eight minutes per game, averaging 2.6 points and 2.2 rebounds.
While Nolan has a long way to go, he at least is ahead of another frontcourt player who will be counted on next season, 7-foot-4 project Chase Metheney.
The tallest Cavalier since Sampson, Metheney was a redshirt last year. Jones hopes to ease him into the rotation this season.
``I would guess 10 or 15 minutes a game,'' Jones said.
The only experienced returnee inside is 6-9 senior Chris Alexander, a defensive specialist who likely will start at center, Jones said.
The frontcourt picture would have been much brighter had Whitaker, a 6-10 center from Oak Hill Academy, qualified academically. Whitaker will attend Hargrave Military Academy and plans to sign with Virginia again in November.
``We will miss him,'' Jones said. ``He would have provided us with good depth.''
And possibly a good deal more. Although Jones declined to discuss Whitaker after his speech Monday - he cited NCAA rules that prohibit coaches from commenting on possible recruits - he provided a glimpse of Whitaker's potential back in May, after Whitaker signed.
``He has a tremendous amount of physical gifts. He is a great runner, great leaper and has got a body that will continue to get stronger with work in the weight room,'' Jones said then.
One recruiting analyst said Whitaker was the ``prime-time'' center that could make Virginia a Final Four team.
Without him, the Cavaliers should be a perimeter-oriented team next year, led by guards Harold Deane and Curtis Staples, and swingmen Jamal Robinson and Courtney Alexander, a freshman.
``We might struggle before really coming together as a team late in the year - at least I hope that we'll come together as a team late in the year,'' Jones said. ``That's a pattern we've kind of established. We'd like to get off to a little bit better start, but as long as we finish strong, I'll be happy.''
In other developments, Jones confirmed that Virginia has added a transfer who will be eligible in the 1996-97 season. He declined to name the player, but reports have identified him as Monty Marcacini, a 6-5 guard/forward from Pepperdine.
Marcacini, from Sherman Oaks, Calif., averaged 10 points and 4.6 rebounds as a freshman at Pepperdine last year. He'll sit out this season and have three years of eligibility at Virginia.
A first-team all-state player in high school, Marcacini planned to sign with Indiana but took a year off to play for the Italian junior national team. When he returned to the States, he enrolled in Pepperdine because his father was ill and he wanted to stay close to home.
Jones also said he remains in favor of renovating University Hall, rather than building a new arena. But he added that he remains open to all possibilities.
The arena issue has moved to the front burner since new athletic director Terry Holland took over this spring. Holland has made upgrading the school's basketball facilities a priority, and a committee is expected to recommend next month whether to renovate 30-year old University Hall or construct a new home for the Cavaliers.
Jones said he thinks Holland favors building a new arena.
``I had been convinced that the rebuilt version was the best way to go. Given the numbers that I've seen, I still believe in that,'' he said. ``But that's not to ignore the possibility that there might be a way of managing things that I haven't seen.''
At 8,457 seats, University Hall is the smallest arena in the ACC. ILLUSTRATION: GARY C. KNAPP
Virginia basketball coach Jeff Jones discussed his team's prospects
Monday at a meeting of the Norfolk Sports Club.
by CNB