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Oct. 26, 1999
The biggest question that Virginia faces this season is who is going to replace DeMya Walker? With the graduation of the two-time first team All-ACC Walker, the Cavaliers lose their leading scorer, rebounder, blocked shot leader and leader in field goal percentage. She also led the team in assists for most of last season before Renee Robinson overtook her in the last month of the season. She led the team in nearly ever statistical category and finding a replacement might be a group effort.
But Head Coach Debbie Ryan isn?t worried. What she knows of the team that will bring Virginia into the new century is this: the team has great chemistry. The Cavaliers have struggled in the last few years with team harmony and leadership, but the 2000 squad has already shown, that playing as a team will be its greatest strength.
?One of the things that is going to make this team strong is its chemistry and the fact that it has a good rapport with each other,? noted Ryan. ?There are many players on this team that are going to have a chance to step up. The key for us is to have consistency night in and night out. I don?t see anybody having to take on a role of scoring 20 points every night. I think we?re going to get plenty of production from our older players who have been waiting for a chance to do that. They are a really good cohesive group and I?m pleased with the work ethic of the group.?
Many people think that this might be a rebuilding year for Virginia basketball with the graduation of three of its top four players from a year ago: Walker, Lesley Brown and Monick Foote. Brown played for the Detroit Shock in the WNBA last season while Foote, an All-ACC third team selection, is playing professional ball overseas. This trio accounted for over 30 points and 13 rebounds a game. But Ryan isn?t worried about finding replacements.
?I would say the talent level of this team is better than people think. They have a lot of confidence in themselves. They exude confidence, you can see it in the way they work.?
It is true the Cavaliers return only two starters from the 20-9 team of a year ago, but it also returns 10 letterwinners?10 players who have been waiting for their chance to shine.
?Everyone may think this is a rebuilding year, but I have 10 players that have a lot of experience?10 players that have significant minutes,? said Ryan. ?I know that they?ve been waiting for a chance. A lot of times when you unleash someone who has been sitting back and waiting for their turn, it is amazing what you find out what they can do. And it?s just a matter of how we fit the pieces of the puzzle together.?
One player who has had some time in the spotlight is junior guard Erin Stovall. A pre-season All-ACC selection, she is the Cavaliers? top returning scorer (14.5 ppg) and she proved last year that she can light up the scoreboard. She produced Virginia?s top four scoring efforts of the season with a career-high 27 points at Georgia Tech, 26 vs. Clemson, 25 at Duke and 24 vs. North Carolina. She has the ability to score off the fast break, go inside or hit the three-pointer. Stovall is a dangerous player from everywhere on the court.
?Stovall has a little bit more pressure to score, but I think she is ready for that,? said Ryan. ?She was the icing on the cake when the responsibility fell on Monick Foote?s shoulders last year, but I think Erin knows that she?s the one we?re counting for good, stable point production.?
An area of concern for the Cavaliers is rebounding. Virginia looks to senior forward Lisa Hosac and junior center Elena Kravchenko to improve on the boards. To Hosac?s credit, she was the third leading rebounder on the team (4.4 rpg) last season. But with three of the top four rebounders gone from last season in Walker (8.5 rpg), Foote (4.8 rpg) and Brown (4.0 rpg), other players will need to step up their prowess on the boards. Incoming freshman forward Schuye LaRue (pronounced Sky) could help the Cavaliers on the glass as well as junior forward Chalois Lias.
The Guards
Renee Robinson returns for her senior season at point guard. The three-year starter worked out with a vengeance over the summer and returns as the leading candidate to run the point.
?Renee spent the summer really working on her offensive skills and playing a lot of basketball,? said Ryan. ?She has come back in tremendous physical condition and is very strong and ready to have a great senior year.?
Robinson showed marked improvement in the latter half of the 1999 season improving her field goal percentage, scoring, rebounding and assists. She also worked hard during the summer on expanding her shooting range. Robinson will be challenged by sophomore Telisha Quarles who had a solid freshman year and gained a better understanding of the position. Quarles is very underrated player who has a very fluid three-point shot and good passing skills. She led the ACC in assist to turnover ratio 2.1:1 last season.
?Telisha has gained a lot of strength and will have to back-up Renee in the point position. I?m hoping she can take on two different positions this year,? Ryan said. ?Last year she struggled a little bit with playing at the two position, but she has a really nice offensive game and she plays with instinct. I?d like to see her lead the team a little bit better this year.?
Stovall hopefully can stay at the two guard position and create scoring opportunities. She worked out with intensity over the summer to improve her endurance and foot speed. Already the fastest player in the league, if not the country, Stovall has worked hard to harness her quickness to make it work for her.
Joining the backcourt in December will be junior Katie Tracy. A stand-out midfielder on the nationally ranked Virginia women?s soccer team, Tracy adds quality depth to the guard position. Her intelligent play and great fundamentals earned her a starting spot in one game last season.
Lauren Swierczek rounds out the backcourt. She can bring the ball up the floor, can shoot the three and provides leadership both on and off the court.
The Post
In the post, Hosac and juniors Svetlana Volnaya and Elena Kravchenko could become big factors on both offense and defense. Between the three of them, they accounted for 17 points a game, but for Hosac, who played in the shadow of Walker for the last three years, should have more opportunities to score.
?Lisa anchors the post game now,? noted Ryan. ?Her experience is going to be very important to us and she?s going to have to step her game up this year and play a lot of minutes with a lot of production. It is something I know she is capable of doing.? Ryan added ?There have been flashes of brilliance from Lisa. She knows this is her team and has really embraced this team from the beginning of last year when she was elected captain. She has approached it with a strong effort to get the most out of everything this year.?
And with a year of experience at the Division I level, Volnaya has the ability to put big numbers on the board.
?Svetlana came back very strong and is in great physical condition. We?re hoping to get a lot more from her. She?s going to have to play a bigger role this year.?
Kravchenko, at 6-10, is the tallest player in Division I women?s basketball. Despite her slight build, she has proven she can compete against stronger post players on the offensive end. She has great scoring instincts and could work her way into a starting role.
?Elena looks very good offensively, her footwork is always strong. She is stronger in the upper body,? said Ryan. ?I know that she has a strong desire to play and she?s going to push very hard to start. I?m hoping to get at least 20 minutes of playing time from her every game and that will translate into point production, because there?s one thing that Elena can do, and that is score.?
Other players that have been waiting in the wings are Lias and junior Dean?na Mitchelson. Mitchelson is a powerful player who could help the Cavaliers on the boards while Lias is more of a finesse player. Both players could work their way into a sixth-man role. After sitting behind Walker and Brown for the last two years, they will get a chance to step up and get extended playing time.
Newcomers
LaRue headlines a freshman class of three post players. The 6-3 LaRue should become an immediate contributor on both offense and defense for the Cavaliers. She comes into the Virginia program as the 17th ranked prep player in the country and averaged 22 points, 15 rebounds, seven blocked shots and five assists per game for Archbishop Carroll High School in Washington, D.C. Comparisons to Walker have already begun, but LaRue might have an advantage in overall skills which would allow her to play anywhere on the court.
?Schuye is definitely going to contribute this year and probably in a very big way,? noted Ryan. ?She can play inside. She can play outside. She has nice ballhandling skills. She can shoot the three. She does a lot of things. She will probably start in the post and we?ll move her to the outside as the season goes along and let her play a little bit of both.?
Adding to the freshman class is Marcie Dickson (6-1) and Anna Crosswhite (6-2). Dickson has been compared with Lesley Brown in terms of athleticism and raw talent.
?Marcie has been a very pleasant surprise for us,? said Ryan. ?She is very athletic and has a nice offensive game. She will challenge for some playing time this year. There is no question in my mind that she will work hard to earn some time.?
Rounding out the rookie class is Australian Anna Crosswhite. The 6-1 forward underwent surgery on her knee over the summer to repair damage to her ACL. Ryan hopes that she will be able to join the team in December after successful physical therapy. Crosswhite is another post player who can play down low or swing out and shoot the three.
The Schedule
The Virginia coaching staff took notice during the NCAA pairings last season and decided to schedule teams that would help get them ready for post-season play in the 2000 season.
The Cavaliers won?t have an easy task in the exhibition season when they meet the U.S. National Team and the Russian National Team. By being in an Olympic year, these two teams will feature some of their respective nation?s finest players and will prove to be a daunting task for the Cavaliers.
Virginia opens the regular season with the 1999 Atlantic 10 champion St. Joseph?s at home and then head to Hawaii for a high-caliber field in the Rainbow Wahine Classic. The Cavaliers meet Grambling in the first round game in Hawaii and are in the bracket with Texas and Long Beach State. Other potential match-ups in the tournament include VCU, Portland, Washington and host Hawaii.
There will be no early gifts in December as Virginia returns home to meet Duke in an early season ACC match-up followed by games with in-state rivals and nationally-ranked Old Dominion and Virginia Tech. Virginia closes out December with games with Butler and Syracuse before heading into the unpredictable ACC slate.
?I think the ACC is up for grabs,? said Ryan. ?I don?t really see a dominant team. North Carolina was put in the top position because they have a very athletic team and the most returning players. But looking at top to bottom, you have Florida State, Wake Forest and Maryland with players that match up five versus five, man for man. It?s going to come down to the next three to five players on the bench that will make the difference in the game. Every team has a legitimate shot this year. I don?t see any team as a clear cut favorite.?
Overall, the schedule includes five teams that advanced to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen last year (Duke, Virginia Tech, Old Dominion, Clemson and North Carolina) and four more that made it to the NCAA Tournament (Texas, St. Joseph?s, Grambling, and N.C. State). Ryan feels that this schedule is a bit tougher than last year and hopes that it prepares the team for post season action.
?We made sure that our RPI would be really high this year and that the winning percentage of each that we play will be high. We play a really tough schedule in Hawaii, so we will have good competition early. It?s a difficult schedule, but I?m very confident with the schedule.?
Expectations run high among the Cavalier faithful and if the team works together, anything is possible. As Ryan notes, ?I think everyone who comes to Virginia starts off with the goal of winning a national championship. I don?t think any team is going to start the year without that goal.?