THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, January 6, 1996 TAG: 9601060404
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY FRANK VEHORN, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 86 lines
Virginia coach Jeff Jones admits it makes sense to give Jamal Robinson a starting role, and that is a possibility for today's ACC game against North Carolina State.
The problem: If Robinson starts, who sits?
The most apparent solution is to bench senior center Chris Alexander, move big forward Norm Nolan to the post and replace him with the versatile 6-foot-7 Robinson.
Jones is reluctant to do that because Alexander plays great inside defense. But he provides little offense, having taken only 27 shots in nine games (2.7 ppg), and Robinson is a better rebounder.
One of the Cavaliers' problems in their disappointing 5-4 start is that the offense normally doesn't begin perking until Robinson gets off the bench.
``If you go strictly by who has played best for us, Robinson should have been (in the starting lineup) a long time ago,'' Jones said.
``Maybe he could give us a lift at the beginning of games. That is something to think about.''
Robinson led Virginia with 17 points in only 25 minutes in Wednesday's league-opening loss to Florida State.
SAY WHO? Cavaliers guard Curtis Staples didn't call names when he accused some teammates of forgetting their roles and playing like individuals, but someone who might fit that description is point guard Harold Deane.
It's been apparent since the first game that Deane, a star of the past two seasons, simply is trying to do too much and putting too much pressure on himself instead of trying to set up his teammates.
Deane is leading the team in scoring (15.7), but is hitting only 29.7 percent from the floor and even worse, 22 percent, from 3-point range.
Meanwhile, freshman Courtney Alexander is averaging 10.5 points while shooting 49 percent from the floor and going 3 for 4 from behind the arc.
WHAT LUCH: Florida State's Kirk Luchman may be the most improved player in the league.
The 6-foot-10 junior had 18 points and 10 rebounds in the Seminoles' win over Virginia, and coach Pat Kennedy said the Cavaliers could blame one of their own for Luchman's improvement.
``He attended (former Cavalier) Marc Iavaroni's big-man camp last summer and it really helped him,'' Kennedy said.
YEAR LATER: Maryland's Cole Field House will be jumping for North Carolina's visit tonight, but the excitement isn't nearly what it was a year ago when students camped out for days to get choice seats.
The Terps are a disappointing 6-4, including Wednesday's league-opening loss to Georgia Tech.
Coach Gary Williams says he's ``disappointed but not discouraged,'' with his team, the preseason favorite to win the conference.
Other than missing Joe Smith, the big problem for the Terps is the same as it is for Virginia - they can't get the ball in the hoop consistently.
Maryland is making only 44.9 percent of its field-goal attempts and is last in the league in 3-point shooting.
BEDEVILED: Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski left the floor at Clemson blaming officials for the Blue Devils' 51-48 loss, and he had a legitimate complaint.
Clemson scored the winning goal after gaining possession when Duke's Ricky Price was called out of bounds.
Krzyzewski contended Price was pushed out of bounds, and he got support from the player who did the deed, Clemson's Merle Code.
``We were going for a loose ball, but if I had been the official, I would have called a foul on me,'' said the remarkably honest Code.
Duke is 9-3, 0-1 going into Sunday's game against Georgia Tech - the same as it was last year when Krzyzewski left the team for medical reasons.
BIG HAUL: Recruiting expert Bob Gibbons says in his latest All-Star Sports Report that the ACC did the best recruiting job during the early signing period.
He ranked the Southeastern Conference second, followed by the Big Ten and the Big East.
Thirteen of Gibbons' top 18 prep prospects, though, have not yet signed with a college.
ACC DRIBBLES: Virginia has a seven-game winning streak against N.C. State in University Hall. ... Over the last seven game's, Duke's Greg Newton has made 52 of 59 field goals (88.1 percent). ... Maryland's Johnny Rhodes, with two steals against Georgia Tech, moved ahead of Tyrone Bogues and into second place among the ACC's all-time steals leaders. He now has 276 thefts. Former Wolfpacker Chris Corchiani is No. 1 with 328 steals. ... Since being taken out of the starting lineup, Maryland's Mario Lucas has averaged 18.7 points and 7.7 rebounds in the last three games. by CNB