Newspapers / Daily Tar Heel (Chapel … / Nov. 16, 1990, edition 1 / Page 16
Part of Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.) / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
67Basketba!l '90-916 Daily Tar HeelFriday, November 16, 1990 k i : i . Cavalier swingman Bryant Stith averaged 20.5 points a game last season IdDHJMMMDBDM TheSoutWs Largest Inventory Schwinn Cannondale j& Diamond Back it GT Mongoose Ross Overnight Service Schwinn certified mechanics Mountain Bike walloy wheels Cr, Mo. Frame, 15 Speed regularly $299- raGDE2!SBS Great economical student trcxnsportation! Dorrthaulabike from out-of-town; buy it from us and take advantage of 6 months free adjustment! the Co Since 1971 CO. VISA. Olni Financing 90 days same as cash OPEN: MON-SAT 9-7 SUN 1-5 IN SEASON 967-5104 104 W. Main Street, Carrboro (across fiom Wendy's) Guaranteed Lowest Prices Can Cavaliers bury Terry? Youthful Jones leads experienced UVa. squad By JAY EXUM Staff Writer For the past few years, the University of Virginia's basketball team has been the Rodney Dangerfield of the ACC. Terry Holland's teams have overachieved their way to several suc cessful seasons in a row, but for what ever reason, the Cavaliers have rarely garnered the press they have deserved. Even off the court, UVa. has been overlooked. While the coaching change at N.C. State attracted more than its share of media attention, the changing of the guard at Virginia has been largely ignored. For those who don't know, 1 6 year coach Holland has become the athletic director at Davidson. His re placement is 29-year-old former assis tant Jeff Jones, the youngest head coach in ACC history. This year, the Cavs are out to get their respect. And, as the conference's most experienced team, they should do just that. Most preseason polls are predicting Jones first team to finish third in the ACC, and Virginia is ranked in the top 20 in most national ratings. But the pressure of those high expectations doesn't seem to faze Jones. "I don't feel any pressure," Jones said. "I think I know the school, I know the basketball program, and I think I know what it takes to be successful not only athletically, but socially and academically as well." The veteran Virginia players seem to have had no trouble adjusting to their former assistant coach's promotion. "I think the transition will be very smooth," Cavalier forward Bryant Stith said, "because Coach Jones has been a part of our program for several years now. We can almost just go back and pick up where we left off last year. "It's strange. Coach Jones was like one of the guys last year, and he's in a position where we have to respect him now." Virginia finished off 1989-90 strongly, with late-season wins over Duke, Georgia Tech and UNC, as well as an appearance in the ACC Tourna ment final and a trouncing of Notre. Dame in the NCAA tourney's first round. A narrow 63-61 loss to power house Syracuse in the second round finished the Cavs' season at 20-12 and Virginia No. Player Pos. Ht. Wt. CI. 4 T.Kirby G 6-3 212 So. 5 B.FIoriani G 5-10 156 Sr. 10 A. Oliver G 6-4 185 Jr. 11 D.Smith G 6-1 170 So. 12 K. Turner F 6-6 227 Sr. 15 C. Havlicek G 6-5 183 Fr. 20 B. Stith FG 6-5 202 Jr. 21 O.Johnson G 6-2 170 Fr. 22 J.Crotty G 6-1 179 Sr. 23 B.Ford G 6-2 170 So. 24 D.Katstra GF 6-6 210 Sr. 30 M. Blundin F 6-7 226 Sr. 31 B.Graves G 6-4 180 Fr. 33 C.Parker GF 6-7 200 Fr. 42 T.Jeffries FC 6-9 248 So. 44 C.Stewart F 6-7 210 Fr. 52 S.Wilson FC 6-11 225 Fr. Head Coach: Jeff JOpones (Virginia, 1982). Overall Coaching Record: 1 styear as a head coach 6-8 in the ACC. Virginia's hopes for this season rest in the return of all five starters from last year's lineup. In the high-powered ACC, there is no substitute for experience. At the top of the list is the 6-foot-5 Stith, last season's top scorer (20.8 points per game) and No. 2 rebounder (6.9 rpg) and a member of this summer's U.S. National team. The summer experience under Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski helped make Stith a better player, especially defensively, but the non-stop play has taken its toll. "I think that playing all summer is beginning to catch up with me," Stith said. "Already I have had a back sprain, an ankle sprain, and my knee is begin ning to bother me. Last week, my back was hurting so bad I could hardly bend my head to look down at my shoes." Virginia's next biggest weapon is point guard John Crotty. Crotty's 16 points and 6.7 assists per game last year make him a threat to every UVa. op ponent. An honorable mention All America last year by The Sporting News and the Associated Press, Crotty's out side shot is the most highly regarded part of his game. His 7-of-13 perfor mance from 3-point territory led to an 81-80 upset of North Carolina in Charlottesville last season. At the other guard position will be junior Anthony Oliver. While no slouch offensively (10.1 ppg), Oliver is best known as Virginia's "eraser." He usu ally has the unenviable task of shutting down the opposition's most prolific scorer, but he has risen to the occasion. In what was probably his best perfor mance of last season, Oliver held Georgia Tech's Dennis Scott to 3-of-1 6 shooting and 1 1 points in a 73-7 1 upset of the Yellow Jackets in Atlanta. Returning on his ever-so-gimpy knees at forward for Virginia is senior Kenny Turner. Despite leading the league with five lifetime knee operations. Turner started every game last season. His seven rebounds per game led the team and his 12.2 scoring average ranked third. Rest assured that Jones is pulling hard for Turner's knees in '90-91. More than any other player, Virginia's transition from a good team to an elite one depends on the improvement of 6 9 center Ted Jeffries (that's right, 6-9 center). For the Cavaliers to fulfill their promise, his 3.9 rebounds and3.5 points a game must jump dramatically. His teammates seem to think that's no problem. "If there is anyone in the ACC who is a leading candidate for most improved player in the league, I think that would be Ted," Stith said. "He's really im proved; he's looking to score more; he's lost weight; he's gotten stronger. I think he's improved in every area. We're expecting bigger and better things from him." The first man off the bench is banger Matt Blundin, who is also, appropriately, a football player. Just hearing B lundin's name is enough to shake up some ACC post players. Year after year, Blundin has made up for what he lacks in raw talent with his bruising inside play. The rest of the bench's biggest stars include Terry Kirby, also a football player, and freshman Cornell Parker. The Cavaliers must wait for Kirby to complete his football pursuits, but the upperclassmen are expecting immedi ate contributions from Parker. "Cornell is playing very well," Stith said. "With his being a very versatile player, he can relieve both Anthony and myself." Save On your Hoop Shots With a v Flash Photo Lab Processing Card. n? Present this card during the Basketball season ftfp and receive a 20 discount on 4x6 i i M processing, reprints, or enlargements. tP U lMS PJ Present the card below and we will UnZuOa uu give you a permanent one. J jggyj Froflllll f FLASH PHOTO LAB 1 L I DdM Am PROCESSING CARD xSSm 20 Discount on all in-house processing. L. FrL9-5 SaLUM Not good with other specials p -fQ -r lLAB
Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Nov. 16, 1990, edition 1
16
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75