Streaking Cavaliers Travel To Richmond

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Dec. 16, 1999

Virginia (6-3) vs. Richmond
December 21, 1999 – 7:30 p.m.
Robins Center
Richmond, Va.

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Virginia is currently 6-3 on the season and has won its last two games.The Cavaliers defeated Loyola 98-67 (Dec. 8) and Hampton 102-56 (Dec. 10)in their last two outings. As of December 15, Richmond is 3-3 overall and1-0 in the Colonial Athletic Association. The Spiders play at SouthernMethodist on December 16 and at McNeese State on December 18, beforehosting UVa.

Television: Tuesday’s game against Richmond is not scheduled to be televised.

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. Richmond
Virginia holds a 48-36 lead in the series against Richmond thatdates back to its beginning over 80 years ago. The first meeting tookplace in the 1914-15 season with UVa winning 39-13 at home. Virginia lostthe most recent meeting, an 83-79 double overtime setback on November 16,1997 at the Robins Center in Richmond. Only two of the 84 games in theseries have gone into overtime and in both instances the games were decidedin double overtime. The first double overtime game was played in the1946-47 season with UVa winning at home 55-54.

Despite the loss in the 1997-98 season, the Cavaliers have won 11of the last 14 meetings vs. the Spiders dating back to the 1968-69 campaign.

After not playing on the Spiders’ home court for 27 years(1968-95), this is the Cavaliers’ third appearance at the Robins Center inthe last five seasons. Virginia downed Richmond 67-52 at the Robins Centerduring the 1995-96 season and lost in double overtime in 1997-98.

Virginia vs. the CAA
The Cavaliers are 137-68 (.668) against the nine schools in theColonial Athletic Association. Most of the games occurred prior to aschool’s membership in the CAA.

In all games against the current membership of the CAA, Virginia is51-26 vs. William & Mary, 48-36 vs. Richmond, 8-4 vs. Old Dominion, 10-1vs. VCU, 7-0 vs. James Madison, 6-0 vs. George Mason, 4-1 vs. American, 2-0vs. North Carolina-Wilmington and 1-0 vs. East Carolina.

Since the CAA’s inaugural season in 1982-83, the Cavaliers are 28-5vs. CAA schools for an impressive .848 winning percentage. Over the lastfive seasons, Virginia is 13-1 (.929) against CAA opponents.

End of the Road and Welcome Home
The Richmond game marks the end of a stretch that has includedseven of eight games away from the friendly confines of University Hall.Following the Richmond game, Virginia will play its next four contests atU-Hall. After defeating VMI 98-57 on November 21, UVa went 17 days beforeplaying Loyola (Dec. 8) in its next home game.

The Cavaliers home contest against Belmont on December 28, marksonly their second home game in 37 days. The Belmont contest also begins astretch of four home games in 12 days. In addition to Belmont, UVa hostsDartmouth (Jan. 2), Duke (Jan. 5) and Georgia Tech (Jan. 8).

Virginia vs. In-State Teams
This is the Cavaliers’ third of four games this season against anin-state opponent. Virginia defeated VMI 98-57 (Nov. 21) at UniversityHall and Hampton 102-56 (Dec. 10) at the Hampton Convocation Center. Inthe last 21 seasons, UVa is 90-14 (.865) against in-state opponents.

Last season, the Cavaliers’ were 5-0 against in-state opponentsdefeating Hampton, Liberty, Virginia Commonwealth, VMI and Virginia Tech.

In the 1997-98 season, the Cavaliers were 5-2 against in-statefoes. The two losses were the most against state teams since the 1987-88season when the Cavaliers were 1-3 vs. state teams. Pete Gillen is 8-2against Virginia schools as a collegiate head coach. He is 2-0 vs. VMI andHampton, 1-0 vs. Liberty, 2-1 vs. Virginia Tech, and 1-1 vs. VCU.

Gillen’s Xavier team defeated Virginia Tech 85-52 in 1993-94, whilehis 1994-95 Providence team lost to the Hokies 91-78 in the NIT. In the1993-94 season, Gillen’s Xavier team lost to VCU 79-76.

Changes in Virginia’s Starting Lineup
Virginia head coach Pete Gillen has used seven different startinglineups and has had a total of 10 different players start in the first ninegames of the Cavaliers’ 1999-2000 season. Virginia is 5-2 in games thisseason with new starting lineups. Only one player, sophomore Adam Hall, hasstarted all nine games.

The Cavaliers opened the season with junior Stephane Dondon andsophomore Chris Williams at forward, and junior Colin Ducharme at center.Junior Donald Hand and Hall started in the backcourt. In the second game, a98-57 triumph over VMI, Gillen started freshman Travis Watson at centerinstead of Ducharme. With the same starting lineup in the third game ofthe season against South Carolina, the Cavaliers suffered a 73-71 setback.

Gillen changed his starting lineup for the third time againstProvidence and it resulted in an 80-64 victory. Hall, Williams and Watsonremained in the starting lineup, but junior guard Keith Friel and freshmanguard Majestic Mapp started in place of Hand and Dondon. The Cavaliersused their fourth different starting combination against Arizona State(Hall, Williams, Watson, Mapp and Hand) and came away with a 70-64 victory.

In a 74-62 loss at Minnesota in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge onNovember 30, Virginia started senior Willie Dersch, Ducharme, Hall, Handand Watson. UVa started its sixth different lineup against St. John’s (Dec.4) when freshman Roger Mason, Hall, Hand, Watson and Williams were in thestarting lineup.

Gillen used his seventh different starting lineup in a 98-67 winover Loyola (Dec. 8). Dersch and Williams started at forward with Watson atcenter. At the two guard positions, Hand and Hall received the startingnod.

Hall Breaks Out of Scoring Slump
After four consecutive games without scoring in double figures,sophomore guard Adam Hall has broken out of his scoring slump withback-to-back double figure outings. In a 98-67 win over Loyola (Dec. 8),Hall scored all of his team-high 18 points in the first half. AgainstHampton (Dec. 10), Hall tallied 15 points in a 102-56 UVa win. In the lasttwo games, Hall has shot an impressive 82.4 percent from the field as hehas made 14 of 17 attempts. He has also made four of his last fivethree-point attempts after starting the season one for 11 (9.1 percent).

On the season, Hall is shooting 57.6 percent (34-59) from thefield, but is struggling at the free throw line having made 14 of 31attempts (45.2 percent).

Double-Double for Hand
Junior guard Donald Hand registered his first double-double of theseason and the third of his career against Hampton (Dec. 10) with 15 pointsand 11 assists. Hand’s 11 assists established a new career high. Hisformer career high was nine assists against Duke (Jan. 24, 1998). It isHand’s first double-double in points and assists. His first twodouble-doubles came last season against Wake Forest (Feb. 3) – 25 points,11 rebounds, and Georgia Tech (Feb. 25) – 28 points, 13 rebounds.

School Record Pace for Steals
The Cavaliers are averaging 10.9 steals per game in the 1999-2000season and at that pace, UVa would set a school record for steals. Lastyear, Virginia posted an all-time best 257 steals for an average of 8.6 pergame. At their current rate, the Cavaliers would conclude the season witha school record 327 steals.

On four different occasions this season, Virginia has registered 15steals in a game, which ties for 11th place on UVa’s single game stealslist.

Donald Hand and Travis Watson Lead the Way
Junior guard Donald Hand led the Cavaliers in scoring last season(17.1 ppg.) and is leading the team in scoring through the first nine gamesof the 1999-2000 season (15.0 ppg.). He is also the team leader in assists(4.6 per game). Hand has led the team in scoring in three games and hasone double-double to his credit. Freshman forward/center Travis Watson isthird on the team in scoring (12.3 ppg.) and is the team’s leadingrebounder (9.0 rpg.). Watson has led the team in scoring twice and inrebounding seven times, including the last four contests. He has twodouble-doubles in points and rebounds.

Watson Among the ACC Rookies
Freshman forward/center Travis Watson ranks highly among all ACCrookies in five statistical categories. He is tops among rookies inrebounds (9.0 rpg.) and field goal percentage (60.6 percent – 43-71). Heranks third in scoring (12.3 ppg.) and blocked shots (0.9 bpg.), and istied for fourth in steals (1.7 spg.). Figures are for games played as ofWednesday, December 15.

Hare Sets Career High
Junior guard Josh Hare scored a career-high 10 points in theCavaliers’ 102-56 win over Hampton (Dec. 10). He made four of eightattempts from the floor (1-4 on three-pointers) and one of two free throws.The field goals attempted and made are career bests as well. He also addedfour rebounds.

Warming Up From Long Range
In its last two games Virginia has heated up from three-pointrange, as it has made 20 three-point field goals on 53 attempts for 37.7percent. The percentage of three-pointers made isn’t great, butconsidering what the Cavaliers were shooting beyond the arc in the firstseven games (26.6 percent – 33-124), it is significant. In the first sevengames, UVa made 4.7 threes per game, compared to 10.0 per outing in thelast two contests.

Virginia made a season-high 11 three-point field goals againstLoyola (Dec. 8) with seven different players accounting for the threes.The 11 three-pointers are the 11th highest total in school history. (TheCavaliers made 11 three-pointers in a game eight other times.)

Freshmen Making Significant Contribution
Three freshmen are playing significant minutes for Virginia in theearly part of the 1999-2000 season. Forward/center Travis Watson, andguards Majestic Mapp and Roger Mason have each seen action in all nine ofVirginia’s games.

Watson has started eight games for the Cavaliers and is the team’sleading rebounder (9.0 rpg.) and third leading scorer (12.3 ppg.). He alsoleads the team in field goal percentage (60.6 percent, 43-71) and blockedshots (eight), and is second on the team in steals (15). Watson isaveraging 25.2 minutes of playing time a game. Watson is fourth among allACC players in rebounding with his average of 9.0 rebounds per game.

Mapp is averaging 6.0 points and 0.8 rebound a game while playing17.9 minutes per contest. He has started two games and is shooting ateam-high 45.0 percent (9-20) from three-point range. Mapp has 23 assistsand 21 turnovers and 10 steals.

Mason is averaging 6.2 points and 2.2 rebounds a game. He isaveraging 16.2 minutes of playing time a game and has 11 steals and nineassists.

Ten Different Double Figure Scorers
In the first nine games of the 1999-2000 season, the Cavaliers havehad 10 different players score in double figures in a game. Virginia hadonly seven players reach double figures in scoring last season. Juniorguard Josh Hare became the 10th Cavalier to score in double figures in the1999-2000 season when he tallied 10 points against Hampton (Dec. 10). Theother double figure scorers this season are: (only first double digitperformance is listed) sophomore guard Adam Hall (12 vs. VMI), junior guardDonald Hand (18 vs. Elon), freshman guard Majestic Mapp (10 vs. Elon),freshman guard Roger Mason (10 vs. Elon), freshman forward/center TravisWatson (15 vs. Elon), sophomore forward Chris Williams (16 vs. Elon),junior guard Keith Friel (14 vs. South Carolina), junior center ColinDucharme (10 vs. South Carolina), and senior forward Willie Dersch (10 vs.Arizona State).

Head Coach Pete Gillen
Pete Gillen is in his 15th season as a collegiate head coach andsports a 294-147 record for a .667 winning percentage. Gillen is in hissecond year as head coach at Virginia. His two Virginia teams havecompiled an overall record of 20-19. Gillen has led his teams topostseason play 11 times (eight NCAA, three NIT). He has been selected asthe conference Coach of the Year five times – all while coaching Xavier(Midwestern Collegiate Conference).

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

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 line in the early portion of the 1999-2000 campaign.

Through the first nine games of the season, UVa has shot 65.8percent (160-243) from the free throw line. The Cavaliers have shot over65 percent from the charity stripe only four times this season, but haveeclipsed that mark in three of the last four contests.

Virginia’s best performance from the free throw line was a perfecteight for eight outing against Minnesota on November 30. The effort tiedfor the sixth best performance in school history. UVa made all eightattempts from the line vs. Wake Forest (1/26/85) and Houston (12/10/89).Prior to the Minnesota game, the last time the Cavaliers were perfect fromthe free throw line was a six for six effort against Georgia Tech onFebruary 22, 1990.

Spreading the Minutes Around
True to his word, head coach Pete Gillen is going deep into hisbench in 1999-2000. After the first nine games of the season, Virginia hasnine players averaging double figures in minutes. No player is averaging30 minutes of playing time per game.

Only four players, junior guard Donald Hand (28.6), sophomoreforward Chris Williams (28.2), freshman forward/center Travis Watson (25.2)and sophomore guard Adam Hall (24.3), are averaging more than 20 minutesper contest. The other players averaging double figure minutes are:freshman guard Majestic Mapp (17.9), freshman guard Roger Mason (16.2),senior forward Willie Dersch (15.2), junior guard Keith Friel (12.0), andjunior forward Stephane Dondon (11.1). Junior center Colin Ducharme isaveraging 9.6 minutes per game.

Ducharme Eighth on Blocked Shot List
Junior center Colin Ducharme is currently eighth on Virginia’sall-time blocked shot list with 80. He needs three more blocks to movepast Ted 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.

Three Opponents Shoot 50 Percent
Earlier this season, Virginia had three consecutive opponents shoot50 percent or better. Arizona State shot exactly 50 percent (28-56) onNovember 27, Minnesota connected on 55.1 percent (27-49) from the floor onNovember 30, and St. John’s converted a UVa opponent-best 55.4 percent(31-56) from the field on December 4.

Last year, Virginia did not have opponents shoot 50 percent orbetter in three-straight contests, however, on two occasions the oppositionshot better than 50 percent in back-to back games.

Duke (1/10) shot 60.5 percent (46-76) followed by a 58.0 percent(29-50) outing by N.C. State (1/14) for the first back-to-back 50 percentshooting performance. In the second instance, Maryland (2/6) shot 54.2percent (32-59) followed by a 58.7 percent (37-63) effort by Duke (2/11).

Cavaliers Roll to Victory over Hampton
Six UVa players scored in double figures in a 102-56 win overHampton on December 10 at the Hampton Convocation Center. All fivestarters scored in double figures and shot better than 50 percent from thefloor. As a team the Cavaliers shot a season high 54.3 percent (38-70).Forward Chris Williams led the way with a game-high 18 points, while juniorDonald Hand and sophomore Adam Hall both contributed 15 points. SeniorWillie Dersch (11), freshman Travis Watson (10) and junior Josh Hare (10)rounded out UVa’s double figure scorers. Hand also dished out acareer-high 11 assists for his first double-double of the season.

Tommy Adams led Hampton (0-4) with 14 points and he also added fiverebounds, five assists and two steals.

Virginia jumped out to a 20-0 lead and shot 63.2 percent (24-38) enroute to a 59-23 halftime advantage.

Virginia Defeats Loyola
The Cavaliers halted their two-game losing streak with a 98-67 winover Loyola on December 8 at University Hall. UVa shot a then season-high53.7 percent (36-67) from the floor and also registered another season bestwith 11 three-pointers. Sophomore Adam Hall led five Virginia players indouble figure scoring with a season-high 18 points, all of which came inthe first half. Hall was eight of 10 from the field. Freshman TravisWatson added 14 points and a game-high eight rebounds, while junior DonaldHand tossed in 13 points. Watson recorded four steals and Hand dished outeight assists. Freshman Roger Mason (12) and senior Willie Dersch (10)rounded out the double figure scorers for UVa.

Guard Jason Rowe led Loyola with 19 points, while forward BlanchardHurd added 17.

Virginia Loses to St. John’s in Madison Square Garden
Despite a season-high 20 points from forward Chris Williams, and 10points and nine rebounds from Travis Watson, UVa dropped an 85-63 decisionto St. John’s University in Madison Square Garden on December 4. ErickBarkley led five St. John’s players in double figures with 27 points. TheRed Storm shot 55.4 percent (31-56) from the field, including 50 percent(6-12) from three-point range, in the victory over the Cavaliers. The losswas Virginia’s second in a row.

UVa Loses to Minnesota in ACC/Big Ten Challenge
Virginia shot a season-low 36.4 percent from the field and theCavaliers were out-rebounded 41-32 in a 74-62 loss at Minnesota in theACC/Big Ten Challenge on November 30. Terrance Simmons paced fourMinnesota players in double figures with 15 points, while freshman forwardTravis Watson scored a game-high 16 points and grabbed a team-high sevenrebounds to lead Virginia.

Cavaliers Finish Fifth in Puerto Rico Shootout
After dropping its first round game in the Puerto Rico Shootout toSouth Carolina 73-71 on November 25, UVa won its next two games to finishfifth in the tournament. The Cavaliers defeated Providence 80-64 onNovember 26, and then posted a 70-64 victory over Arizona State in thefifth place game on November 27.

Junior guard Donald Hand was named to the All-Tournament team afteraveraging 19.3 points in the three contests. He was 20 of 28 (71.4percent) from the free throw line, including a 14 of 17 effort againstProvidence. Hand scored a season-high 26 points in the win over PC.

Double-Double in Debut
Freshman forward Travis Watson became only the third freshman inVirginia history since the restoration of freshman eligibility in 1972-73to record a double-double in the first game of his career. Oddly enough,it is also the second straight year that it has happened.

Watson totaled 15 points and 14 rebounds in only 19 minutes in theseason opener against Elon on November 19. He earned his first careerstart against VMI on November 21 and totaled 16 points (7 of 9 FGs, 2-2FTs), seven rebounds, two assists, two blocked shots and two steals in 25minutes of action.

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 wasScott Johnson, who scored 11 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in 27 minutesin the 1995-96 season opener against Tennessee-Martin.The performances of several notable Cavaliers in their college debuts arelisted below.

No Three-Pointers
Virginia held Arizona State without a three-point field goal onNovember 27, marking the sixth time since the inception of the three-pointfield goal in the 1986-87 season that UVa has accomplished the feat.Interestingly, two of the five previous games that Virginia held opponentswithout a three-pointer came last season in a span of eight days (Loyola0-7 on 12/30/98 and Maryland 0-7 on 1/7/99).

Only Two in Double Figure Scoring
The Cavaliers had only two players score in double figures in theirvictory against Providence (Nov. 26) and their loss to St. John’s (Dec. 4),marking the only times this season Virginia has not had at least threeplayers score in double figures in a game. Last season, Virginia failed tohave at least three players score in double figures four times, but onlywon one of those contests (a 65-58 win over Clemson on January 17, 1999).

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.

Watson Perfect From Field
Freshman forward/center Travis Watson was a perfect six-for-sixfrom the field against South Carolina on November 25 to tie for Virginia’sfifth best perfect shooting game from the field of all time. It is the11th time that a player has made all six attempts from the field. Prior toWatson, the last UVa player to make every attempt (minimum of five) fromthe floor was Kenny Turner, who tied the school record with a nine-for-nineeffort against Samford on 11/28/89. Jeff Jones (vs. Alabama-Birmingham3/18/82) also shares the school record with Turner.

Dersch and Hand Elected Captains
Senior forward Willie Dersch and junior guard Donald Hand have beenelected captains of the 1999-2000 Virginia basketball team by theirteammates. Both players served as captains of the basketball team lastseason.

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.

1999-2000 ACC Pre-Season Media Prediction
(Indicates first place votes)

TeamPoints 1.North Carolina (74)792 2.Duke (16)712 3.Wake Forest577 4.Maryland481 5.NC State442 6.Georgia Tech396 7.Virginia358 8.Florida State179 9.Clemson113

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.

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.

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.