Men's Basketball Opens Season With Wins

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Nov. 22, 1999

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -Puerto Rico Shootout-

This is Virginia’s first appearance in the Puerto Rico Shootout andonly the second time UVa has played outside of the United States. The onlyother time was in the 1982-83 season when the Terry Holland-coachedCavaliers travelled to Tokyo, Japan, to play Houston (a 72-63 win) and Utah(an 80-57 win) in the Suntory Ball Classic. With the two wins Virginia wonthe Suntory Ball Classic title.

UVa opens the Puerto Rico Shootout on Thursday, November 25 versusSouth Carolina. The Cavaliers will play either Michigan State orProvidence in the second round on Friday, November 26.

Virginia (1998-99 record: 14-16/4-12 ACC) opened the 1999-2000 season withvictories over Elon College (97-66 on Friday) and VMI (98-57 on Sunday).

South Carolina (1998-99 record: 8-21/3-13 SEC) is 2-0 this year afterbeating Wofford 76-62 on Friday and The Citadel 68-51 on Sunday.

Television: Today’s game will be televised by Home Team Sports.

Radio: All UVa games are heard on the Virginia Sports Network originatingat WINA/WQMZ in Charlottesville. Mac McDonald calls the play by play. JimHobgood provides the analysis.

The Series vs. South Carolina

The Cavaliers meet South Carolina for the third time in nine yearsin the first round of the Puerto Rico Shootout. The previous two meetingsalso came in early-season tournaments. In the last meeting during in the1996-97 season, the Cavaliers defeated South Carolina 93-70 in the firstround of the Maui Invitational. In the 1990-91 campaign, UVa beat theGamecocks 65-59 in the second round of the Great Alaska Shootout.

Virginia leads the all-time series against South Carolina 25-22.The two schools met often from 1955-71 when South Carolina was a league foein the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Since South Carolina left the ACC following the 1970-71 season, theteams have met just in the Maui Invitational and Great Alaska Shootout.

Virginia vs. the Southeastern Conference

Virginia is 13-20 (.394) against the SEC all-time dating back tothat league’s first season in 1932-33. In their last matchup against anSEC team, the Cavaliers lost to Arkansas 85-83 last season (Nov. 20) in thefirst round of the Top of the World Classic in Fairbanks, Alaska.

Taking games played when a school was in the SEC only, the serieslook like this (records listed for UVa): vs. Alabama 1-4, Arkansas 0-2,Florida 1-0, Georgia Tech 0-1, Georgia 2-1, Kentucky 0-4, Louisiana State1-0, Mississippi 1-0, Mississippi State 1-1, South Carolina 1-0, Tennessee4-2 and Vanderbilt 1-5. Virginia has never played Auburn, Sewanee orTulane while those schools were members of the SEC. (Please note thatVirginia has played all of these schools, but not while they were membersof the SEC.)

In all games against the 12 current league members, Virginia is49-52 (.485).Head Coach Pete Gillen

Pete Gillen is in his 15th season as a collegiate head coach andsports a 290-144 record. Gillen is in his second year as head coach atVirginia. He has led his teams to postseason play 11 times in 14 seasons(eight NCAA, three NIT). Gillen has been selected as the conference Coachof the Year five times – all while coaching Xavier (Midwestern CollegiateConference).

He successfully began his coaching career at Virginia with an 86-70win over Virginia Commonwealth on November 13, 1998.

Virginia Against the Puerto Rico Shootout Field

Virginia has a combined record of 27-27 against the teams in the1999 Puerto Rico Shootout. Here is Virginia’s all-time series recordsagainst those teams:

American Univ. of P.R. Have never metArizona State          Have never metDePaul                 0-2 - last meeting   '85-86, L, 68-72Michigan State         0-2 - last meeting   '48-49, L, 43-62Providence             2-1 - last meeting   '88-89, W, 100-97South Carolina         25-22 - last meeting '96-97, W, 93-70Texas                  Have never met

Back-to-Back 90 Point Games

The Cavaliers scored over 90 points in back-to-back games to openthe season for the first time since the 1975-76 season. Virginia began the1999-2000 season with a 97-66 win over Elon, then defeated VMI 98-57. Thelast time the Cavaliers scored that many points in the first two games of aseason was in 1975-76 when they posted 113-65 and 101-57 victories overHampden-Sydney and Washington & Lee, respectively.

The combined margin of victory over Elon and VMI (72 points) is thelargest in the first two games of a season since 1975-76 when UVa won by 92points.

Dersch and Hand Elected Captains

Senior forward/guard Willie Dersch and junior guard Donald Handhave been elected captains of the 1999-2000 Virginia basketball team bytheir teammates. Both players served as captains of the basketball teamlast season.

In 1998-99, Dersch started 26 of the 30 games in which he playedand received the team’s Michael McCann Leadership Award. He averaged 10.2points and 2.8 rebounds a game last season. The three-year letterwinner isthe only senior on the 1999-2000 UVa team.

Hand started all 30 games last season and was the co-recipient ofthe Bill Gibson Cavalier of the Year Award as the team’s most valuableplayer. Hand led the Cavaliers in scoring (17.1 ppg), assists (123, 4.1ppg.), steals (57) free throw shooting (86.2 percent, 162-188) andthree-point field goals (50). He was the top free throw shooter in theAtlantic Coast Conference last season. His 41 points in Virginia’s 82-79overtime victory over North Carolina State last February are a UVasophomore record and the most points scored by a Virginia player sinceBarry Parkhill established a school record with 51 points againstBaldwin-Wallace during the 1971-72 season.

Double Double in Debut

Freshman forward Travis Watson became only the third freshman in Virginiahistory since the restoration of freshman eligibility in 1972-73 to recorda “double double” in the first game of his career. Oddly enough, it isalso the second straight year that it has happened.Watson totaled 15 points and 14 rebounds in only 19 minutes in the seasonopener against Elon on Friday night. He earned his first career startagainst VMI on Sunday and totaled 16 points (7 of 9 FGs, 2-2 FTs), sevenrebounds, two assists, two blocked shots and two steals in 25 minutes ofaction.

Current sophomore Chris Williams opened his UVa career with a 20-point,10-rebound “double double” against Virginia Commonwealth last season.The first player to record a double double in his first game was ScottJohnson, who scored 11 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in 27 minutes in the1995-96 season opener against Tennessee-Martin.The performances of several notable Cavaliers in their college debuts arelisted below.

Who?              Opp./Yr.            Pts.   Rebs.Junior Burrough   W&M 91-92             17   6Bryant Stith      Dartmouth 88-89       12   6Olden Polynice    Lafayette 83-84        8   5Ralph Sampson     Johns Hopkins 79-80   17   8Jeff Lamp         James Madison 77-78   24   3Marc Iavaroni     W&L 74-75             14   9Wally Walker      WFU 72-73              7   3

Ducharme Eighth on Blocked Shot List

Junior center Colin Ducharme is currently eighth on Virginia’sall-time blocked shot list with 78. He needs five more blocks to move pastTed Jefferies (1990-93) into seventh place.

Ducharme is tied with current teammate Chris Williams for theninth-best single season block total with 41. Ducharme notched his 41blocks while leading the team in that category in 1996-97. Williams’ 41blocks came last year. In addition to leading the team in blocks in1996-97, Ducharme also held that honor in 1997-98 with 34.

Cavaliers Successfully Open Season for 75th Time

Virginia began its 1999-2000 season with a 97-66 win over Elon onFriday evening, marking the 75th season-opening victory for the Cavaliersin 95 opportunities. That is a .789 winning percentage. The Cavaliershave now won 11 of their last 13 season openers dating back to 1987-88.Virginia’s last loss in a season opener was in 1997-98 when it dropped an83-79 double overtime decision at Richmond.

Head coach Pete Gillen improved to 13-2 in season openers as acollegiate head coach and has now won 10 straight, including the last twoat Virginia. He was 7-2 at Xavier (1986-94) and 4-0 at Providence(1995-98) in season openers.

Almost the Same Starting Lineup

The Cavaliers have had four players start all four games (includingthe two exhibitions) this season. Junior transfer Stephane Dondon andsophomore Chris Williams have started at the two forward positions. JuniorDonald Hand and sophomore Adam Hall earned the starting berths in thebackcourt for Virginia. Junior Colin Ducharme started at center the firstthree games, but freshman Travis Watson earned the starting nod against VMIafter a terrific debut against Elon.

Spreading the Minutes Around

True to his word, head coach Pete Gillen is going deep into hisbench in 1999-2000. After the first two games of the season, Virginia has10 players averaging double figures in minutes. No player has seen morethan 28 minutes of playing time in a game.

Sophomore forward Chris Williams has played 28 minutes in bothgames, while sophomore guard Adam Hall is second at 24 minutes per game.The other players averaging double figure minutes are: junior guard DonaldHand (23.0), freshman forward/center Travis Watson (22.0), junior forwardStephane Dondon (18.5), freshman guard Majestic Mapp (16.0), senior forwardWillie Dersch (14.5), freshman guard Roger Mason (13.5), junior guard KeithFriel (12.5), and junior center Colin Ducharme (10.0).

Not so “Free” Throws

After leading the ACC in free throw percentage (.734) for the firsttime since 1979 last season, the Cavaliers have struggled from the freethrow in the early portion of the 1999-2000 campaign.

In the first two games of the season, UVa has shot 62.4 percent(53-85) from the free throw line. The Cavaliers shot 60 percent (27-45)against Elon and 65 percent (26-40) vs. VMI.

Season Opener Against Elon

Junior guard Donald Hand led five Virginia players in double figurescoring with a game-high 18 points in the Cavaliers’ season-opening 97-66win over Elon College at University Hall on November 19. Sophomore forwardChris Williams recorded 16 points, nine rebounds, four steals and threeassists, while freshman forward/center Travis Watson came off the bench toregister a “double double” with 15 points and 14 rebounds. He added threeassists, two steals and a blocked shot as well. Virginia had two otherfreshmen come off the bench to score in double figures as guards MajesticMapp and Roger Mason tallied 10 points apiece.

Against VMI

The Cavaliers improved to 2-0 with a 98-57 win over VirginiaMilitary Institute on November 21 at University Hall. Sophomore forwardChris Williams and freshman forward/center Travis Watson paced UVa with 16points apiece. Williams contributed five rebounds, two assists and twosteals as well. Watson’s stat line included seven rebounds, two assists,two steals and two blocked shots. Sophomore guard Adam Hall notched 12points, a team-high eight rebounds and three steals, while freshman guardMajestic Mapp rounded out UVa’s double figure scorers with 10 points. Healso added three assists.

Two Exhibition Wins

Virginia won both of its 1999-2000 exhibition games. The Cavaliersdefeated the Down Under Bandits 97-67 on November 4 at University Hall.UVa closed the exhibition season with a 94-70 victory over the NantucketNectars Naturals on November 10, also at University Hall.

Leaders in Exhibition Games

Sophomore guard Adam Hall led the Cavaliers in scoring in the twoexhibition games by averaging 15 points. Junior guard Donald Hand averaged11 points, including a team-high 16 points against the Down Under Bandits.Junior center Colin Ducharme averaged 13 rebounds per game and added sixblocked shots. His return after missing most of the 1998-99 season with abroken ankle gives the Cavaliers a much needed boost in the reboundingdepartment. Freshman forward Travis Watson added 17 points and 13 reboundsin the two wins.

Cavaliers Shake off Slow Start to Defeat Nantucket

Junior center Colin Ducharme recorded a double-double with 10points and 12 rebounds to lead Virginia to a 94-70 exhibition win over theNantucket Nectars Naturals before a crowd of 2,313 on November 10 atUniversity Hall.

In 22 minutes of action, Ducharme connected on three of five fieldgoal attempts and converted four of five free throws en route to his 10points. Sophomore guard Adam Hall led the Cavaliers in scoring with 15points on six of nine shooting from the field. A pair of freshmen, forwardTravis Watson and point guard Majestic Mapp, contributed 12 points each offthe bench for UVa. Watson made five of six attempts from the floor and alsopulled down nine rebounds. Mapp scored his 12 points on four of sevenshooting from the field and made three of five free throws as well. As ateam, Virginia shot a respectable 48.6 percent from the field as itconnected on 36 of 74 shots. The Cavaliers also held a 51-38 reboundingadvantage.

Guard Brian Gilgeous led the Nantucket Nectars Naturals with agame-high 17 points, while forward Kenny Wood contributed 16 points andeight rebounds.

The Nantucket Nectars Naturals held a five-point lead, 15-10, with12:02 to play in the first half. Virginia overcame the early deficit byclosing out the first half on a 32-16 run to take a 42-31 lead intointermission.

UVa Opens Exhibition Season with Impressive Win

Virginia won its 1999-2000 exhibition opener 97-67 over the DownUnder Bandits on November 4 at University Hall.

Junior guard Donald Hand and sophomore guard Adam Hall combined for31 points on 11 of 17 shooting from the field to lead the Cavaliers to thevictory. Hand led the Cavaliers with 16 points on six of 11 shooting fromthe field, while Hall scored 12 of his 15 points in the decisive firsthalf. On the night, Hall made five of six attempts from the floor andgrabbed eight rebounds, including five offensive boards. Sophomore forwardChris Williams and junior guard Keith Friel both added 11 points to roundout the Cavaliers’ double figure scorers. Junior center Colin Ducharme ledall players with 14 rebounds and five blocked shots.

Forward Ryan Stolberg scored 22 points to lead the Down UnderBandits. Forward Scott Mitchell added 18 points and eight rebounds.

Virginia shot 47.9 percent from the floor in the contest,connecting on 35 of 73 attempts. The Cavaliers forced 23 turnovers,including 17 in the first half, and held the Down Under Bandits to 33.3percent shooting in the game (21-63).1999-2000 ACC Pre-Season Media Prediction(Indicates first place votes)

       Team   Points  1.   North Carolina (74)   792  2.   Duke (16)             712  3.   Wake Forest           577  4.   Maryland              481  5.   NC State              442   6.   Georgia Tech          396  7.   Virginia              358  8.   Florida State         179  9.   Clemson               113

Five Players Mentioned for ACC Pre-Season Honors

Virginia had five players receive votes for various 1999-2000Pre-Season Atlantic Coast Conference teams as selected by the mediaattending the conference’s 38th annual Operation Basketball held on October24 in Greensboro.

Headlining the UVa list is sophomore forward Chris Williams who wasselected to the pre-season All-ACC second team. Williams also receivedconsideration as the pre-season ACC Player of the Year. Last season,Williams was named the ACC Rookie of the Year and also garnered third teamaccolades. He was Virginia’s second leading scorer at 16.8 points per gameand also led the squad with 7.5 rebounds per outing.

Junior guard Donald Hand was a 1999-2000 honorable mentionpre-season All-ACC selection, having received the 13th-most votes. Handled the Cavaliers in scoring in 1998-99 with 17.1 points per game and wasan honorable mention All-ACC pick at the conclusion of the season.

Three members of Virginia’s heralded freshman class receivedconsideration as the 1999-2000 pre-season ACC Rookie of the Year. Pointguard Majestic Mapp, guard Roger Mason and forward Travis Watson were amongseven league players to receive votes for Rookie of the Year.

Two New Staff Members

Head Coach Pete Gillen welcomes two new members to his staff, ScottShepherd and Alexis Sherard.

Shepherd and Sherard replace Bobby Gonzalez, who became the headcoach at Manhattan College, and Michael Malone, who is now an assistantcoach at Manhattan.

Shepherd joins the Virginia coaching staff after spending the lastfive years as the head post-graduate basketball coach at Hargrave MilitaryAcademy.

Sherard is the director of men’s basketball administration. Hecomes to Virginia after spending last year as an assistant coach atBinghamton University in Binghamton, N.Y. No stranger to head coach PeteGillen, Sherard worked for Gillen for two years (1996-98) as theadministrative assistant in the men’s basketball office at ProvidenceCollege.

Friel Ready to Play

After sitting out the 1998-99 season due to NCAA transfer rules,junior guard Keith Friel is expected to be a major contributor in the1999-2000 campaign. The 6-4 shooting guard averaged 8.9 points and 2.0rebounds as a sophomore at Notre Dame during the 1997-98 season. He ledthe Irish in three-point field goals (45) and three-point field goalpercentage (46.4 percent – 45 of 97) that season and provides the Cavalierswith a long range shooting threat. Friel has two years of eligibility atVirginia.

Cavaliers Welcome Five Newcomers

The 1999-2000 Virginia men’s basketball team features five newfaces, not including junior Keith Friel. Joining nine returning lettermen,including four returning starters, are Stephane Dondon, Majestic Mapp,Roger Mason, Jason Rogers and Travis Watson.

Dondon, a 6-8 forward from Toulouse, France, is a junior transferfrom Collin County Community College. He earned All-North Texas JuniorCollege Athletic Conference honors both seasons at Collin County CommunityCollege. He is the school’s all-time leading rebounder (550) and ranksfifth in scoring (859 points). He averaged 14.2 points and 8.5 reboundsper game in 1998-99 and led the team to a 22-12 record. In 1997-98, Dondonaveraged 12.1 points and 8.5 rebounds as the team finished the year with a20-11 record. Dondon was Collin County Community College’s Two-YearStudent-Athlete of the Year Award recipient.

Mapp is a 6-2 point guard from St. Raymond’s High School in NewYork City. A highly-rated prospect, Mapp was a four-year starter and twiceearned All-New York City and All-State accolades. He was a McDonald’sAll-America selection and also earned third-team Parade All-America honors.

Mason, a 6-5 guard from Silver Spring, Md., is another freshmanguard who is expected to make an impact in 1999-2000. A three-year starterat Good Counsel High School (he started at Sidwell Friends High School as afreshman before transferring to Good Counsel), Mason averaged 18.7 points,5.5 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game as a senior. He was Powerade “Mr.Basketball,” as the best player in the Washington, D.C. area, as a senior.

Rogers is a 6-10 center/forward from Staunton, Va. He averaged18.3 points, 11.9 rebounds and 5.9 blocked shots per game as a senior atRobert E. Lee High School. Rogers was a unanimous first-team All-Stateselection by The Associated Press and was also named the Gatorade Player ofthe Year in Virginia.

Watson, a 6-7 forward from Brookneal, Va., was one of 16 finalistsfor the USA Basketball Men’s Junior World Championship Team. He withdrewfor personal reasons before the final 12-man roster was selected. He willcontend for a starting spot on the front line. Watson helped lead Oak HillAcademy to a perfect 31-0 record and a number one ranking in the nation onthe USA Today Super 25 list last season. As a senior, he averaged 16points, 10.7 rebounds, 2.5 steals, 1.3 assists and 1.2 blocked shots agame.

Williams and Hall Win Silver

Sophomores Chris Williams and Adam Hall played on the USABasketball Men’s Junior World Championship Team that earned a silver medalat the 16-team 1999 FIBA Men’s Junior World Championships in Portugal inJuly. Williams, the 1998-99 ACC Rookie of the Year and All-ACC third-teampick, set a tournament record for the USA with 12 blocked shots during thecompetition. He averaged 10.4 points and 4.4 rebounds per game.

Four Starters Return for 1999-2000

The Cavaliers return four starters from last season-Donald Hand,Chris Williams, Willie Dersch and Chezley Watson. In addition, UVa alsoreturns Adam Hall, who started 17 games, and Colin Ducharme, a two-yearstarter, who was injured after last year’s season-opener. A total of ninelettermen are back to take the hardwood in 1999-2000.

With the return of the nine letterwinners, it’s not surprising thatVirginia returns from last season:

95.3 percent (245 of 257)     of the steals92.9 percent (382 of 411)     of the assists91.0 percent (1986 of 2183)   of the points85.6 percent (5,176 of 6,050) of the minutes82.1 percent (814 of 992)     of the rebounds

Blocked shots…

is the only category where the Cavaliers lost ahigher percentage than they return. Virginia returns players thataccounted for 41 percent (64 of 156 blocks) of its blocked shots. The goodnews on the blocked shot front is Colin Ducharme, who swatted 75 shots inhis first two seasons, returns.

Ducharme Living on The Lawn

Redshirt junior Colin Ducharme was selected to live in one ofVirginia’s prestigious Lawn rooms during the 1999-2000 academic year. Heis the 15th men’s basketball player to be chosen to live on The Lawn andthe first since Matt Blundin, who played both basketball and football atVirginia, lived on The Lawn in 1992.

Ricky Stokes (1984), Ralph Sampson (1983) and Terry Gates (1980)are the other most recent basketball players to live on The Lawn.