Courtesy of Virginia Sports InformationOld Gold and Black Reporter
Courtesy of Virginia Sports Information
Junior guard Harold Deane, along with sophomore Curtis Staples, anchor the Virginia backcourt which is arguably one of the best tandems in the entire country.
The Virginia squad of 1994-95 experienced a great year. Not only did they tie for the regular-season title, but they made it into the Great Eight of the NCAA Tournament, upsetting No. 1 seed Kansas in the process.
That was the good news for this team that ended with a 25-9 record. The bad news -- this year the Cavaliers are without the under-the-basket prowess of Junior Burrough and outside threat Cory Alexander, both of whom bolted for the NBA draft. With this loss, expect the team to depend on defense and for them to keep games in the 60s.
Arguably, the best backcourt in the ACC remains with Curtis Staples and Harold Deane. Staples was the most productive three-point shooting freshman last year, making 42 percent. Deane had 16 points per game last year, and he is expected to be a fantastic playmaker for the Cavaliers this year.
There is a large gap between their backcourt and the rest of the team. Jamal Robinson, a 6-7 wing player, is very erratic and will need to improve on his 5.4 points per game. Underneath the basket, sophomore Norman Nolan is trying to learn the ropes and get accustomed to the position. In his 33 career games, he has never had an assist. He must learn quickly to give up the ball on occasion.
Center Chris Alexander, a 6-9 senior, is very effective on defense and in collecting rebounds. He shot 57.4 percent from the floor last year.
As far as recruiting talent goes, the two freshmen Courtney Alexander and Darryl Presley could have an impact as well. The 6-6 Alexander has Head Coach Jeff Jones and teammates licking their chops for a chance to see this brash youngster strut his stuff. Cocky and arrogant with all the tools to back it up, look for Alexander to join the list of high-impact newcomers in the league.
Virginia will be tested early against Kansas in the Great 8 Tournament and a matchup against Connecticut, but their only other true threats in the non-conference slate will be Vanderbilt and cross-state rivals Virginia Tech and Virginia Commonwealth.
There are too many pieces missing in Virginia's puzzle to seriously compete. They will play up to their potential, which will give them an opportunity to be competitive in most games.