Virginia Prepares For Dartmouth

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Dec. 30, 1999

CHAROLETTESVILLE – Virginia is currently 8-3 on the season and has won its last four games.The Cavaliers defeated Loyola 98-67 (Dec. 8), Hampton 102-56 (Dec. 10),Richmond 69-65 (Dec. 21) and Belmont 94-74 (Dec. 28) in their last fouroutings. As of December 28, Dartmouth is 4-5 overall and 0-1 in the IvyLeague. The Big Green hosts Air Force on December 30, before traveling toCharlottesville. Dartmouth is coming off an 89-67 win at Loyola Marymount(Dec. 21).

Television: Sunday’s game against Dartmouth 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. Dartmouth

Virginia holds a 1-0 lead in the all-time series against Dartmouth.In the only meeting, UVa defeated the Big Green 99-73 at University Hall onNovember 26, 1988 in the championship game of the Investors ClassicTournament.

Virginia vs. the Ivy League

The Cavaliers are 13-8 all-time against the eight schools from theIvy League. The last time Virginia played a team from the Ivy League wasin the 1992-93 season when UVa defeated Pennsylvania 74-68 at the Palestrain the season opener on December 1, 1992.

Virginia is 2-0 vs. Columbia, 1-0 vs. Brown and Dartmouth, 7-5 vs.Pennsylvania, 2-1 vs. Yale and 0-2 vs. Princeton. The Cavaliers have neverplayed Cornell and Harvard.

Non-Conference Teams at University Hall

Virginia is 178-27 (.868) all-time in U-Hall against non-conferenceopponents since the building opened for the 1965-66 season. The Cavaliershave won 60 of their last 68 home games against non-conference opponentsdating back to the 1989-90 season (basically this decade).

Opponents Shoot Blanks at University Hall

Virginia is 37-7 against non-conference opponents at UniversityHall over the last seven seasons. Among the reasons the Cavaliers havebeen so successful in non-conference games is their ability to out-shootand out-rebound the other team.

In their wins, the Cavaliers have shot 47.0 percent from the fieldcompared to 37.1 percent for the opposition. Virginia also out-rebounds theother team by nearly 10 rebounds per game (44.1/g to 34.2/g). In contrast,the tables are turned in Virginia’s home losses. The opponents shoot muchbetter than Virginia (43.2 percent vs. 37.2 percent) and out-rebound theCavaliers by a wide margin (44.7/g to 32.4/g).

Three of the seven-highest shooting percentages by non-conferenceopponents on Virginia’s home floor the last seven seasons have come inVirginia losses. Liberty shot 50.0 percent in the 1997-98 season andstunned UVa 69-64. Ohio shot 47.4 percent in a 94-83 win during the 1994-95season, while Connecticut shot 46.3 percent in winning the 1993-94 seasonopener.

Only 16 of the last 44 non-conference opponents to come toUniversity Hall have managed to make more than 40 percent of their fieldgoal attempts. UVa’s last two opponents in U-Hall, Loyola (Dec. 8) andBelmont (Dec. 28), both managed to shoot over 40 percent. Loyola made 24of 51 attempts from the floor (47.1 percent), while Belmont was 26 of 58from the field (44.8 percent).End of the Road and Welcome Home

Virginia’s game against Belmont on December 28 (a 94-74 UVa win)marked the Cavaliers’ first home game since playing Loyola (Dec. 8) and wasonly their second home contest in 37 days. After defeating VMI 98-57 onNovember 21, UVa went 17 days before playing Loyola in its next home game.

The home game with Belmont ended a stretch that included seven ofeight games away from the friendly confines of University Hall. During therecent eight-game stretch, Virginia compiled a 4-3 record on the road andwon its only home game.

The Belmont game marked the first of four consecutive Cavaliercontests in a 12-day stretch at U-Hall. In addition to Belmont and today’sgame vs. Dartmouth, UVa hosts Duke (Jan. 5) and Georgia Tech (Jan. 8).

Looking For Five Wins in a Row

The Virginia men’s basketball team has won its last four games andthe Cavaliers will be looking for theirfifth consecutive victory when they host Dartmouth on January 2. UVahasn’t won as many as five consecutive games since the middle of the1994-95 season when it won seven straight games. Virginia’s seven-gamewinning streak consisted of victories over:

Florida State  76-63 (OT) 2/4/95  University HallN.C. State     65-55      2/8/95  University HallClemson        62-44      2/11/95 ClemsonUNLV           75-65      2/12/95 University HallDuke           64-58      2/15/95 University HallNorth Carolina 73-71      2/19/95 University HallGeorgia Tech   83-60      2/22/95 Atlanta

Eight Wins after 11 Games

With eight wins in 11 games in 1999-2000, the Cavaliers are off totheir best start in three seasons. The last time Virginia was 8-3 to begina season was in the 1996-97 campaign. UVa won its next game as well tostart the 1996-97 season with a 9-3 record.

Family Affair

Today’s game features a matchup of the Friel brothers. Keith, ajunior guard, has played in all 11 games with one start for the Cavaliers,and is averaging 5.5 points per game. Greg, a freshman guard/forward atDartmouth, has played in four contests and is averaging 3.5 points per game(as of December 28).

Another interesting note is that Dartmouth head coach Dave Faucherwas an assistant coach under the Friel’s father, Gerry, at the Universityof New Hampshire from 1973-75. (Gerry Friel was the head coach at NewHampshire from 1969-70 to 1988-89).

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 11games 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 11 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. That lineup has started Virginia’s last four games.

Forcing Turnovers

The Cavaliers have forced their opponents into 20 or more turnoversin the last four games, and in nine of 11 games this season. Minnesota(11) and St. John’s (9) are the only teams that turned the ball over lessthan 20 times against Virginia this season. UVa’s opponents are averaging21.5 turnovers per game (237 in 11 games) in 1999-2000.

School Record Pace for Steals

The Cavaliers are averaging 10.3 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 309 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.

Leading Rebounder

Freshman forward/center Travis Watson came to Virginia with thereputation as a great rebounder and has lived up to that billing so far in1999-2000. Watson has led the team in rebounding in nine of 11 games thisseason, including the last six. He is averaging a team-best 9.0 reboundsper game and has been in double figures in rebounds three times.

Hall Breaks Out of Scoring Slump

After four consecutive games without scoring in double figures,sophomore guard Adam Hall broke out of his scoring slump with threeconsecutive double figure outings. His streak of double-digit performanceswas snapped when he scored seven points in a 94-74 win over Belmont (Dec.28). In a 98-67 win over Loyola (Dec. 8), Hall scored all of his team-high18 points in the first half. Against Hampton (Dec. 10), Hall tallied 15points in a 102-56 UVa win. He scored a game-high 23 points in Virginia’s69-65 win at Richmond on December 21. The 23 point total is his highest ofthe season.

In the last four games, Hall has shot an impressive 69.4 percentfrom the field as he has made 25 of 36 attempts. He has also made eight ofhis last 14 three-point attempts after starting the season one for 11 (9.1percent).

On the season, Hall is shooting 57.7 percent (45-78) from thefield, but is struggling at the free throw line having made 18 of 40attempts (45.0 percent).

Mason’s First Three-Pointer a Big One

Freshman guard Roger Mason’s first three-point field goal forVirginia couldn’t have come at a better time. Mason’s first three-pointfield goal of his collegiate career came with 3:21 remaining to play in theCavaliers’ game at the University of Richmond on December 21 and broke a59-59 tie. The three-pointer gave UVa a lead it would not surrender in thegame’s closing moments as Virginia defeated the Spiders 69-65. It was theonly three-point attempt of the game for Mason, who missed his first 10three-point attempts this season.

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.

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 11 gamesof the 1999-2000 season (14.2 ppg.). He is also the team leader in assists(5.1 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 (11.8 ppg.) and is the team’s leadingrebounder (9.0 rpg.).

Watson has led the team in scoring twice and in rebounding ninetimes, including the last six contests. He has three double-doubles inpoints and rebounds.

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 four games Virginia has heated up from three-pointrange, as it has made 34 three-point field goals in 91 attempts for 37.4percent. 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 8.5 per outing in the lastfour contests.

Overall, UVa is shooting 31.2 percent (67-215) from three-pointrange. Virginia made a season-high 11 three-point field goals againstLoyola (Dec. 8) and Belmont (Dec. 28) with seven different playersaccounting for the threes against Loyola. The 11 three-pointers are the11th highest total in school history. (The Cavaliers made 11 three-pointersin a game eight other times prior to this season.)

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 11 ofVirginia’s games.

Watson has started 10 games for the Cavaliers and is the team’sleading rebounder (9.0 rpg.) and third leading scorer (11.8 ppg.). He alsoleads the team in field goal percentage at 58.0 percent, 51-88 (playerswith at least 15 field goals attempted) and blocked shots (12), and issecond on the team in steals (17). Watson is averaging 25.8 minutes ofplaying time a game.

Mapp is averaging 5.5 points and 0.6 rebound a game while playing17.5 minutes per contest. He has started two games and is shooting ateam-high 43.5 percent (10-23) from three-point range. Mapp has 25 assistsand 25 turnovers, and also has 10 steals.

Mason is averaging 6.2 points and 2.3 rebounds a game. He isaveraging 16.9 minutes of playing time a game and has 12 steals and 11assists.

Head Coach Pete Gillen

Pete Gillen is in his 15th season as a collegiate head coach andsports a 296-147 record for a .668 winning percentage. Gillen is in hissecond year as head coach at Virginia. His two Virginia teams havecompiled an overall record of 22-19. 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.

Ten Different Double Figure Scorers

In the first 11 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).

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 11 games of the season, UVa has shot 65.4 percent(197-301) from the free throw line. The Cavaliers have shot over 65percent from the charity stripe only five times this season, but haveeclipsed that mark in four of the last six 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 11 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, sophomore forward Chris Williams (28.6), juniorguard Donald Hand (28.5), freshman forward/center Travis Watson (25.8) andsophomore guard Adam Hall (24.4), are averaging more than 20 minutes percontest. The other players averaging double figure minutes are: freshmanguard Majestic Mapp (17.5), freshman guard Roger Mason (16.9), seniorforward Willie Dersch (16.5), junior guard Keith Friel (11.9), and juniorforward Stephane Dondon (10.3). Junior center Colin Ducharme is averaging8.8 minutes per game.

Ducharme Tied for Seventh on Blocked Shot List

Junior center Colin Ducharme is currently tied for seventh place onVirginia’s all-time blocked shot list with 82. He holds the seventh spotwith Ted Jeffries (1990-93). Olden Polynice (1984-86) is sixth with 86career blocks.

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 Knock Off Belmont

Virginia defeated Belmont 94-74 at University Hall on December 28for its fourth consecutive victory.

Sophomore forward Chris Williams led four UVa players in doublefigure scoring with 20 points on eight of 12 shooting from the floor. Healso made four of seven free throws. Junior guard Donald Hand added 17points and eight assists, while senior forward Willie Dersch and juniorguard Keith Friel both contributed 12 points. All 12 of Friel’s pointscame on three-pointers.

The Cavaliers shot an impressive 54.1 percent (33-61) from thefield and equaled their season high with 11 three-pointers on 28 attempts(39.3 percent).

The Bruins jumped out to a 9-2 lead less than four minutes into thegame. Dersch then scored six of Virginia’s nine points in a 9-0 run as UVatook an 11-9 advantage with 14:40 to play in the first half. After sixties and seven lead changes, the Cavaliers jumped out in front for good,24-23, on a basket by Hand with 7:30 to go in the first stanza.

Belmont, which made 12 three-pointers in the game, was led by B.J.Proffitt, who scored 17 points.

UVa Rallies to Defeat Richmond

Virginia, down by as many as 11 points in the first half and byseven points at halftime, rallied for a 69-65 victory at the University ofRichmond on December 21.

Sophomore guardAdam Hall scored a game-high 23points to lead four Virginia players in double figures. Sophomore forwardChris Williams scored 14 points, freshman center/forward Travis Watson hadhis third double-double of the season with 10 points and 12 rebounds, andfreshman guard Roger Mason scored 10 points.

UVa was down by eight points (55-47) with 10:24 left in the game,but the Cavaliers scored nine consecutive points to take a 56-55 lead with6:50 left to play. Hall scored the final five points in Virginia’snine-point surge.

The Cavaliers took the lead for good when Mason broke a 59-59 tiewith a three-point field goal with 3:44 left in the game. It was the finalfield goal of the game for UVa.

Virginia made seven of eight free throws down the stretch to holdoff the Spiders. Williams made five of six free throw attempts in thegame’s closing moments.

Greg Stevenson led Richmond with 22 points.

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 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 18 points, all of which came in the first half.Hall was eight of 10 from the field. Freshman Travis Watson added 14points and a game-high eight rebounds, while junior Donald Hand tossed in13 points. Watson recorded four steals and Hand dished out eight assists.Freshman Roger Mason (12) and senior Willie Dersch (10) rounded out thedouble 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 DebutFreshman 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 is alsothe second straight year that it has happened.Watson totaled 15 points and 14 rebounds in only 19 minutes in the seasonopener against Elon on November 19. He earned his first career startagainst VMI on November 21 and totaled 16 points (7 of 9 FGs, 2-2 FTs),seven rebounds, two assists, two blocked shots and two steals in 25 minutesof 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 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.

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).

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).

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.

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.

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, N.C.

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.

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.