THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, January 20, 1997 TAG: 9701200138
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY DOUG DOUGHTY, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 67 lines
There is a positive side to the one-game suspension for not carrying enough classes that caused Virginia basketball star Harold Deane to miss the Cavaliers' game Saturday night at Duke.
Deane has been plagued by a shin injury that hasn't kept him out of games but can only get better through rest.
``Harold has not been able to practice now for about two weeks,'' coach Jeff Jones said. ``He's joined us in walkthrough situations and done some drills, (but) I'd say the maximum he's practiced any one day is 30 minutes.
``It's a suspected stress fracture. It's been a problem for over a month now, but it's gotten gradually more and more painful. At Wake Forest (on Wednesday night), he was limping in the first minute of the game.''
Deane has been unable to hide his discomfort from his teammates, but there was no way he wanted to miss the Cavaliers' trip to Duke. The 13th-ranked Blue Devils beat UVa 78-59.
``He was crushed,'' Curtis Staples said. ``Definitely crushed. I couldn't believe it. He's a big leader on this team. He does a lot of things that go unnoticed.
``He brings confidence to a lot of people. When we found that out, it hurt us because everything in the gameplan involved Harold. It changed everything up at the last minute.''
The general feeling in the Cavaliers' camp was that Deane's suspension could have been avoided if the UVa academic-advising office had been more conscientious. Jones chose his words carefully when asked his reaction.
``I guess disappointed,'' he said after a moment's hesitation.
Disappointed with whom?
``Let's just leave it at disappointed,'' Jones said. ``I was surprised that something like that happened.''
According to coaches and teammates, Deane knew he had to be enrolled in 12 credit hours and was planning to add a course during the school's add-drop period.
That would have been fine for any other student, but a five-day grace period for athletes applies only to practice. As a result, Deane was ineligible Wednesday night when he played in a 58-54 loss to Wake Forest.
Jones said his guess is that the Cavaliers, who led for more than 35 minutes against Wake, would have been obliged to forfeit if they had won. The Cavaliers reported the violation to the NCAA.
It meant that Virginia had only one day of practice to prepare senior Jamal Robinson and freshman Willie Dersch to play point guard. Dersch hadn't played the point all season.
``I think (the players) seemed fairly determined Friday,'' Jones said. ``We actually had as good a practice as we've had in a while. It was spirited.
``There was good sharing of the basketball and patience. But, all of a sudden, you come into a pressure situation here tonight and it's a different environment than practice.''
MARCACCINI ON REBOUND: Monte Marcaccini, a 6-foot-5 transfer from Pepperdine, had not played in three games before grabbing 12 rebounds in a 26-minute relief role.
``For us, Monte probably gave a better effort than anyone,'' Jones said. ``He's gone from not playing much of all, to starting, to not playing. To me, he looked very, very hungry.
``We went through a stretch where chemistry was something we really tried to achieve. By reducing numbers, I think we had improved our chemistry till now.''
HUNTER PRODUCES: Freshman center Kris Hunter had a pair of tip-ins Saturday night and reached the 40-minute mark - the equivalent of a full game - with 15 points, 13 rebounds and four blocked shots.
North Carolina reporters shared the surprise of their Virginia counterparts that Hunter does not receive more playing time. Craig McAndrew, who plays ahead of Hunter, is looking for his first field goal since Nov. 27.