THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, February 9, 1997 TAG: 9702090185
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Column
SOURCE: Bob Molinaro
LENGTH: 76 lines
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - A possible stress fracture is contributing to the stress factor facing the University of Virginia basketball team.
``It hurts all the time,'' said Harold Deane, looking down at his right shin.
Just then, a U.Va. trainer approached and strapped an ice bag to Deane's leg, near his ankle. According to trainer Ethan Saliba, Deane suffers from no less than serious shin splints, though the Cavaliers fear it is worse than that.
``If you're a guard and you thrive on quickness,'' Deane said, ``it's going to make things tougher on you.''
And on your team.
Playing his second game in three days, Deane limped through an ineffectual performance as North Carolina routed U.Va. Saturday 81-57.
As these things go, the Dean Dome debacle is of no great significance to U.Va. The Cavaliers never win at the Dome; they rarely make it close. Why should this year be any different? For that matter, Cavalier basketball teams have won only three games in Chapel Hill since 1911.
This loss, then, was not a psychic setback. At least, it doesn't have to be.
The condition of Deane's leg is of greater long-range concern. His limp grew more noticeable as the day went along. By the second half, it almost hurt to watch U.Va.'s court leader attempt moves that were not there.
Tar Heels guard Shammond Williams outscored Deane, 18 to 7, but later had nothing but sympathy for him.
``I saw him limp,'' Williams said. ``Being that I'm really good friends with Harold, I just didn't want to do anything to make the injury worse.
``I just hope he gets better. I hope everybody prays for him and he gets back 100 percent.''
That is not likely to happen this season. It's just as unlikely that Deane will give in to the pain.
``The season is too critical right now,'' said Deane, ``to even think about not playing.''
His coach agrees.
``Even though he's not anywhere near full strength,'' said Jeff Jones, ``he still can make a difference for our team. His toughness and his experience can't be replaced.''
Even a Deane with two good wheels, though, is not the entire answer for the Cavaliers.
``That's two disappointing performances in a row,'' said Jones, whose team lost badly at Georgia Tech Thursday. ``If we don't get things straightened out in a hurry ... well, we're going to have to get back to some very basic things.''
Such as: rebounding, hustling for loose balls, getting back on defense, taking good shots. Saturday, North Carolina owned those categories, just as Dean Smith's teams own the Cavaliers at the Dome.
``They overwhelmed us,'' said Jones.
As an attraction, this meeting between two second-division ACC teams was less than overwhelming. Even a hyperventilating Dick Vitale must have been hard-pressed to oversell this game.
With its victory, UNC jumps to .500 in league play, leapfrogging U.Va. in the standings for fifth place. Since losing at Duke, the Tar Heels have now won three in a row, each by a healthy margin.
``All of them have been in Chapel Hill,'' Smith noted. ``It's easier when you're at home, in front of a great crowd. It's another thing to play well on the road.''
Or, in U.Va.'s case, against the conference's better teams. Here's a dubious Cavalier stat: Four of U.Va.'s five ACC victories have come against bottomfeeders.
``Our margin of error,'' allows Jones, ``isn't as great as some other teams in this conference.''
With Deane hobbled, it surely grows more narrow.
No wonder the stress grows in Charlottesville as U.Va. struggles to avoid a fractured spirit. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
Harold Deane limped through an ineffectual performance against UNC.