THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, January 20, 1996 TAG: 9601200443
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY FRANK VEHORN, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 109 lines
It was after the loss to Florida State two weeks ago that The Slump finally pushed Curtis Staples over the edge.
After quietly suffering the frustration of suddenly not being able to do what he always had done so well - consistently knocking down 20-foot jump shots - Staples exploded in an uncommon fit of anger.
He accused teammates of playing like individuals, forgetting their roles, and not getting him the ball at crunch time.
A day later at a team meeting, Staples was asking his teammates for forgiveness.
``All the things I said, they just came out wrong,'' Staples said. ``I wasn't trying to point the finger at anyone. I am not that kind of person.
``I told my teammates that I loved everybody and if I said anything that made anyone uncomfortable that I didn't mean it that way.
``I was frustrated. We all were. I told everyone to hang in there with me, that I was struggling, and to just hang in there with me and things would get better.''
Lately, things seem to be getting better for Staples, a 19-year-old sophomore from Roanoke, and the timing couldn't be more critical.
Once thought to be a title-contender in the ACC, the Cavaliers are now facing a difficult struggle to produce enough wins to make the NCAA tournament.
They are 7-6 overall, 2-3 in the ACC, going into today's game in Atlanta vs. Georgia Tech, and will stay on the road to play Wake Forest and Connecticut in their next two games.
``We have to be positive about the rest of the season,'' Staples said after Wednesday's loss to North Carolina.
``We have to just say it is going to get better. Just like when I struggled so poorly, I kept telling myself it was going to get better, and it has started to get better.''
Staples had his best shooting game of the season (5 for 10) in a victory over Duke two games ago, and he contributed five 3-pointers against North Carolina.
He still isn't popping the nets like he did during a record-setting freshman season, but he believes The Slump is thawing.
``I've been waiting for it to end all season,'' he said.
``This is the first time I've ever been through anything like this, and I had to learn from it every day.''
Last year Staples was known as ``The Can't Miss Kid.''
He earned the nickname while a senior at Oak Hill Academy, where he set a school record with 164 3-pointers on 55 percent shooting from the floor.
Recruiting expert Bob Gibbons called him the top high school shooting guard in the country, and he was both a McDonald's and Parade All-American.
Staples showed his golden touch as a freshman last year by setting a Virginia single-season record with 103 3-pointers and a single-game record with nine against UNLV.
He also had one of the country's most unusual feats last year, shooting better from behind the arc (42.2 percent) than inside it (41.6).
This season, he is shooting only 25.4 percent from beyond the arc and 32.7 percent overall.
``I still cannot tell you what happened,'' Staples said.
``People tried to help by offering advice, but some it was pretty crazy stuff. They said I wasn't following through, but I've never followed through. They said I was floating, but that is just me.
``Everyone was trying to help, but it was just one of those things.''
As bad as The Slump was, Staples was determined not to allow it to affect other parts of his life.
``I idolize John Starks (of the New York Knicks) and I remembered watching him on television last year when he was going through a terrible slump,'' Staples said.
``He was having problems with his wife because he had taken his frustrations out on his family and he had allowed it to affect other parts of his game. He said he had to learn to deal with it.
``I told myself I had to do the same thing and not let it affect other parts of my life.''
Except for the outburst following the Florida State game, Staples succeeded.
``I am doing great in school. I had a 3.2 (grade point average) last semester and I am very happy about that,'' he said.
``Still, when you are a basketball player and not doing well on the court, you don't feel good in school. You do get down in the dumps.''
Staples has received support from his teammates and coaches.
``We knew what Curtis could do, and it was only a matter of time before he fought through this,'' said guard Harold Deane, who has also suffered through weak shooting spells this season.
Coach Jeff Jones' advice to Staples was to keep shooting and eventually the shots would start dropping again.
``When you know someone can do something, you just have to be overly patient with them,'' Staples said, ``and that is how everyone treated me.
``Coach Jones never told me to stop shooting. As badly as I was going, he told me to keep shooting and not to let it affect the rest of my game.
``He has given me the green light, but I have to be smart about it and take only good shots.''
Staples' 10 field goal attempts against Duke tied his season low, but his 50 percent shooting was his best since he was 6 for 12 in the final regular-season game last year.
``You know, people say patience is a virtue and I have to believe in that statement,'' Staples said.
``I think that is the key for our team, too. If we are patient and stick together, things will be fine.'' ILLUSTRATION: ASSOCIATED PRESS
Virginia's Curtis Staples, right, seen here against Virginia Tech,
has shown some improvement since his outburst.
by CNB