Virginia's Men's Basketball Outlook For 2000-01 Season

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Oct. 16, 2000

2000-01 Men’s Basketball Outlook

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Much has been done. Much is left to do.

If one were to ask University of Virginia men’s head basketball coach Pete Gillen about his first two years as the Cavaliers’ leader, that would no doubt be his response. And it would be accurate.

Gillen and his staff have accomplished a lot. The feeling around the Virginia program is one of optimism and promise. Gillen’s up-tempo style of play has been instituted and accepted, a strong recruiting effort has brought several talented young players into the UVa program, his tireless efforts in the community and state have given fans a personal feeling about the Virginia team, and most importantly, the Cavaliers are winning again.

The progress was most evident last season. UVa finished with an overall record of 19-12, tied for third in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) regular-season standings with a record of 9-7, advanced to post-season play for the first time since the 1996-97 season by participating in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT), defeated three nationally-ranked opponents and averaged 81.5 points a game. The team’s scoring average was the best for the Cavaliers since the 1988-89 season and Virginia’s team field goal percentage (45.1 percent) its best since the 1990-91 season.

Four players averaged in double figures in scoring and nine players averaged at least 10 minutes of playing time a game.

“We felt we had a very good season last season,” Gillen says. “To win 19 games, go to post-season play and finish with a 9-7 record to tie for third in the ACC, we felt that was a good season.”

“There was a little frustration because we thought we could have taken another step or two. We slipped a little bit at the end of the year, got a little tired and a little run down. There were some games at the end of the season we felt we could have won, but didn’t. We wanted to go to the NCAA Tournament and were a little frustrated we just missed that goal. But it was a very good season and hopefully we can build on that for the coming year.”

Gillen’s personal appeal, the Cavaliers’ up-tempo style of play and the team’s success energized Virginia’s fans.

“I thought we had great fan participation last season,” Gillen said. “Our students and the people from the community were wonderful. I thought our home court was one of the toughest places to play in the ACC last season. Our fans have embraced our team, they know we have good people on the team as well as talented players. It’s great to play at home.

“We were 11-3 at home last season and two of our losses were in overtime. I was thrilled with our home court atmosphere. Our fans helped us win some games we would not have won. They deserve a lot of credit for our team’s successful season.”

Virginia’s progress is impressive, especially when you consider Gillen’s first UVa team in 1998-99 had just six returning lettermen and no seniors from a squad that compiled an overall record of 11-19, including a 3-13 record in the ACC, the previous season.

Despite the obvious success and progress, the UVa head coach is the first to admit there is a lot that needs to be done. The Cavaliers weren’t invited to the NCAA Tournament last season and that was a big disappointment, improvements need to be made in the areas of rebounding and defense, and with several scholarships available for 2001-2002 it’s an important year from a recruiting standpoint for the Virginia staff. In addition, the reality of competing in the ACC is always present for Gillen, and the team’s 2000-2001 non-conference schedule provides significant challenges with home games against Purdue and Missouri, a neutral site game with Tennessee, and a game at Virginia Tech.

“I think we’re headed in the right direction,” Gillen said. “We’re not where we want to be. We need some more size to even the playing field against the teams in the ACC and other top teams. The ACC is a great conference so we have to continue to get better players. We have some very good players, we just have to get some more size and continue to improve our talent base.

“We’ve made progress and are taking steps in the right direction, but we still have a ways to go. We’re not with the top teams, in my opinion, right now. We need some more size and depth in certain areas to be among the creme de la creme in this great league.”

Still, there are many positives as the Cavaliers prepare for their third season under Gillen. The team is more experienced and deeper than when Gillen arrived with 12 lettermen, including four returning starters, on the roster. Eight of the returning players averaged at least 12 minutes of playing time a game last season and the Cavaliers are becoming increasingly familiar with Gillen’s running and pressing style of play. Despite the loss of veteran players Willie Dersch and Colin Ducharme, UVa returns its top seven scorers, top six rebounders and top five players in assists from last season. As mentioned earlier, Virginia has also re-established its home court advantage, winning 11 of 14 games at home last season.

“I think the players have adapted to our style of play,” Gillen says. “Jeff Jones and his staff did a great job of bringing in good people and some talented players. Players like Donald Hand, Chris Williams and Adam Hall are very talented and have adjusted to our pressing and running style of play. I think the style has been comfortable for their games.

“The players we’ve recruited are running and pressing type players, and they’ve done a good job in that area. I think the players are getting more comfortable with our style. It’s a challenging style because you’ve got to be in good shape and you’ve got to hit the weights hard, but I think it helps guys become as good as they can. There are no short cuts, but I think our players have adjusted comfortably to our up-tempo, pressing and running style.

“I think we have good quickness and we’re getting stronger as a team. We’re not a big team, but I think we’re getting physically stronger. I think we have pretty good depth on the perimeter. Our quickness and depth are certainly positives, and we have more experience. I think we’re a more experienced team than we were last year, when we had three freshmen and a junior college transfer play a lot of minutes for us.”

The strength of UVa’s 2000-2001 team appears to be on the perimeter. The Cavaliers are particularly deep in the backcourt where starters Donald Hand and Adam Hall return. That depth, however, has been diminished by a knee injury to sophomore guard Majestic Mapp.

Hand, a 5-111/2 senior, was a second-team All-ACC selection last season and has shared the team’s Bill Gibson Cavalier of the Year Award the last two seasons. A three-year starter, he was the team’s co-captain last season and a tri-captain two years ago.

The Paterson, N.J., native has been a consistent scorer the last two years and has led the team in assists for three consecutive seasons. Last year he had a career-best 133 assists (4.3 apg.) and was second on the team in scoring with an average of 15.0 points per game. Hand is currently eighth on UVa’s career assists list with 355 and ranks sixth in career three-point field goals with 119 after leading the team with 51 last season. He led the team in scoring during the 1998-99 season (17.1 ppg.) and ranks 30th on Virginia’s career-scoring list with 1,122 points.

Hand, who can play either guard position, can also get to the foul line. He has made 77.2 percent (331-429) of his free throw attempts in three years at Virginia, and was second among all ACC players in free throws made (124) and attempted (168) during the 1999-2000 regular season.

He shot a career-high 37.8 percent (139-368) from the field last season, including a career-high 31.5 percent (51-162) from three-point range. Gillen would like to see those percentages increase and he would like to see Hand’s decision-making continue to improve.

“Donald worked very hard in the spring and the summer on his game,” Gillen said. “He’s added some strength and improved in other areas. He has a chance to have a very successful senior season. I think he’ll be one of the top point guards in the ACC this year.

“Donald is very aggressive and he’s got a big heart. His judgement and decision-making must continue to develop. He had some big games for us last season and hopefully he’ll really take off this season.”

Hall, a 6-5 junior who has lettered twice, developed into the team’s top defensive player during the 1999-2000 season, and also contributed 10.1 points and 4.8 rebounds a game. He consistently drew the opponent’s top perimeter scorer as his defensive assignment and was selected to the 2000 Fans’ Guide ACC All-Defensive Team by vote of the league’s head coaches. He was second on the team in steals (49) and field goal percentage (50.9 percent, 116-228), third in rebounding and fourth in scoring last season.

A superb athlete, Hall can also play the small forward position.

“Adam is our best athlete and did a great job on the defensive end last year,” Gillen said. “He helped us win games with his defense and his athleticism. He can guard a two guard, a small forward and a point guard on occasion. Adam can score in a lot of different ways – off the break, on offensive rebounds, on alley-oop dunks. He’s also a pretty good outside shooter who just needs to be more consistent. He’s very versatile and a terrific athlete.”

Other key returning players in the backcourt include sophomore Roger Mason and senior Keith Friel.

The 6-5 Mason played in all 31 of Virginia’s games last season and started 11, including nine of the last 10. He averaged 7.6 points, 2.2 rebounds and 21.3 minutes of playing time a game, while shooting 43.0 percent (80-186) from the field and 81.8 percent (63-77) from the free throw line.

Mason ranked eighth among ACC freshmen in average points per game, ninth in field goal percentage and 10th in minutes per game. He finished second among all ACC players in free throw percentage in conference games (87.8 percent, 43-49) and earned ACC Rookie of the Week honors once. Mason will compete for the starting position at second guard and will also be the back-up to Hand at point guard in Mapp’s absence. He could also play small forward if necessary.

“Roger is an extremely hard worker,” Gillen says. “He’s put on some weight and gained some strength in the upper body. He’s one of our top one-on-one players and he is effective at getting his own shot. When Roger’s jump shot is going, he’s very difficult to guard. He’s a good shooter, but he must develop consistency with his perimeter shot.

“I think he surprised some people last season. He had a good reputation, but not as big a reputation as some of the players he out-played during his freshman year. Roger is not afraid. He took some big shots for us and made some big free throws. I think he has a chance to be a very special player with his talent and work ethic.”

Mason had an opportunity to play some at point guard during the team’s trip to Europe in August, and Gillen believes he made progress at the position.

“Roger started at least one game at the point and did a good job,” Gillen said. “We had 12 practices before we left and he did a very good job. He can play the point. His natural position is a two guard, but he can play the point. Roger still has things to learn about the position, but he can be a very solid back-up point guard for us.”

The 6-4 Friel provided Virginia with long range offense off the bench last season and is expected to compete for increased playing time this season. In his first season of action after transferring from Notre Dame, he played in all 31 games and started once. Friel averaged 5.8 points a game and was the team’s leading three-point (41.3 percent, 45-109) and free throw (90.0 percent, 27-30) shooter. He made 44.2 percent (34-77) of his three-point field goal attempts in the last 21 games of the season. He averaged 12.2 minutes of playing time a game, and 45 of his 54 field goals were three pointers. Friel’s play in Virginia’s victory at North Carolina last season indicates the impact he can have on a game. He played 3:38 in the game, all during one stretch in the second half, and scored 11 points. He made three three-point field goals in a span of 1:42 and also made two free throws during his time in the game.

“Keith will have an expanded role this year,” Gillen said. “He had some great moments for us last year. He was the player of the game for us at North Carolina when he scored 11 points in a hurry. He’s worked hard during the off-season and is a very valuable player for us.

“Keith can do a lot of things, he’s not just a shooter. He’s smart, he can play without the ball pretty well and he’s a better defender than he gets credit for by many people. He’s a very good ball player.”

Gillen was also pleased with Friel’s play on the European trip.

“Keith shot the ball very well on the trip,” Gillen said. “He’s a smart player and a tough kid. With Majestic out, his time will go up. He can put the ball in the basket. He’s a great shooter.”

The 6-2 Mapp is expected to be out of action four to six months after suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee.

“This injury is a big blow to the team,” Gillen said. “Majestic is a tremendous young player and I feel bad for him, his family and his teammates. He’s overcome other things and he’ll overcome this injury. He recovered quickly from arthroscopic surgery on his left shoulder this spring.”

Mapp provided valuable minutes at the point guard position for the Cavaliers last season. He played in all 31 games, starting two, and averaged 5.3 points, 2.2 assists and 18.7 minutes of playing time a game.

An excellent passer, he was second on the team in assists (69) and fourth among ACC freshmen in that department. Mapp had 35 assists and only 12 turnovers in a 15-game stretch starting with a game against Dartmouth on January 2 and continuing through a game at North Carolina on February 20.

“Majestic is a tremendous young point guard who I thought had a very good freshman campaign,” Gillen said. “He was in at the end of games many times and made some pressure free throws for us. He’s a terrific passer and players enjoy playing with him because they know he’ll see them when they’re open and share the basketball.

“Majestic has gotten stronger. He’s been one of our hardest workers in the off-season. I think he has a tremendous future as a point guard and he’s also done a great job in the classroom. We’re going to miss him.”

Providing UVa with additional depth in the backcourt are seniors Josh Hare (6-2) and Greg Lyons (6-4), and junior Jason Dowling (6-3).

Hare’s playing time diminished last season, but he could see more minutes in 2000-2001 because of his tenacious defensive play and athletic ability, and Mapp’s injury. A two-year letterman, he played in 17 games last season, averaging 3.2 minutes of playing time a game. Hare was a valuable reserve in 1998-99 after joining the team as a walk-on selected during a tryout session for the student body. He averaged 3.6 points, 2.5 rebounds and 20.8 minutes a game that season, and started two games.

“Josh is a very hard worker,” Gillen says. “He did not play that much last season because of our depth. He may get more time this year because of the injury to Majestic Mapp. He certainly can play and contribute in the ACC. He proved that two years ago.

“Josh helps us a great deal in practice, pushing our other players. I’d like to find time to play him more if I can because he causes problems with his defense and his toughness. He does a lot of little things on the court that help you win?defense, rebounding, taking a charge, getting a deflection.”

Dowling, who has lettered twice, saw limited action last season when he played in seven games. Like Hare, he joined the team as a walk-on prior to the 1998-99 season. Lyons returns to the team after not playing last season. He played in 13 games during the 1998-99 season and scored 24 points. He has lettered twice.

“Jason and Greg help us in practice,” Gillen says. “They hustle and push our other players, and challenge them to improve. They are great young men with wonderful attitudes who help us in a lot of ways.”

While the European tour provided an opportunity for Mason and Hare to play some at point guard, the situation at the position is still a concern for the Virginia head coach.

“We’re still concerned about the situation at point guard,” Gillen said. “When you lose a player like Majestic Mapp, who’s a tremendous young player, that could cost us some games this year. People don’t realize Majestic was in at the end of a lot of games last year, and made free throws and handled the ball. We’re going to miss him dearly, but I think Roger Mason can do a very good job. Josh Hare started at the point one game in Europe and should be able to fill the gap for a couple of minutes. I’d feel much better if we had Majestic, but I think our point guard situation will be in good hands.”

Freshman Maurice Young is expected to compete for playing time at small forward. The 6-4 Young is from Mitchellville, Md., and averaged 25 points and eight rebounds a game for Bishop McNamara High School as a senior last season.

“Maurice is a small forward who is an excellent scorer,” Gillen said. “He has a great feel for the game, is a terrific passer, moves very well without the ball and is an excellent offensive rebounder. He’s a good outside shooter, but I consider him more of a scorer than a pure shooter.

“I think Maurice will make us better in a lot of different areas. He’s a good athlete, he knows how to play and he’ll help make our other players better. I believe he can make a serious contribution this year as a freshman.”

The Cavaliers are not quite as deep up front where junior Chris Williams, a second-team All-ACC selection last season and the conference’s Rookie of the Year in 1999, and sophomore Travis Watson, an All-ACC Freshmen Team selection last season, are the top returning players. As is the case in the back court, a number of Virginia’s front court players have the versatility to help out at more than one position.

The 6-7 Williams is a two-year starter and another of UVa’s versatile players. An unheralded player out of high school, he can play either small or big forward and displayed his versatility last season. He led the team in scoring (15.5 ppg.) and steals (51), was second in rebounding (6.1 rpg.) and third in field goal percentage (50.7 percent, 173-341). Williams led the team in scoring 14 times, in rebounding eight times, and in assists five times. He shared the team’s Bill Gibson Cavalier of the Year Award with Hand for the second consecutive season.

Williams scored in double figures a team-leading 27 times during the 1999-2000 season and scored 20 or more points in eight games. He has scored 984 points in his first two seasons in the Virginia program and needs just 16 points to become UVa’s 34th 1000-point scorer. He is currently ninth on UVa’s career list for three-point field goals made (70). For his collegiate career, he has made 51.0 percent (361-708) of his field goal attempts and 71.4 percent (192-269) of his free throw attempts.

Williams ranked fourth in the ACC in field goal percentage last season and made 36.6 percent (34-93) of his three-point field goal attempts, including 43.8 percent (28-64) from three-point range in the last 18 games.

“Chris is one of the premier players in the ACC,” Gillen said. “He’s a ?silent assassin’ in that he’s not flashy, but he helps you win. Chris is a very good percentage shooter and rebounder, and he’s a deceptive defensive player. He can block shots, create steals, he gets deflections and helps you in a lot of subtle ways on the defensive end that people don’t always see.

“Chris is very versatile. He can play either forward position and can play some big guard if needed.”

The 6-8, 254-pound Watson was an impact player for Virginia in 1999-2000 and provided the Cavaliers with a presence inside even though he played out of position at center most of the season. Despite being the shortest player in the ACC playing center, he averaged 11.4 points and a team-leading 8.3 rebounds a game, while shooting a team-leading 53.5 percent (137-256) from the field last season. He also led the team in blocked shots (29) and grabbed at least 10 rebounds in a game nine times.

Watson ranked fourth in the ACC in rebounding and in double-doubles (eight). He was selected to the All-ACC Freshmen Team, was named ACC Rookie of the Week twice and was an honorable mention All-ACC selection. Watson ranked first among ACC freshmen in defensive rebounds, offensive rebounds, total rebounds, double-doubles and blocked shots during the 1999-2000 regular season despite ranking sixth in minutes played. He was second among ACC freshmen in field goal percentage, and fourth in field goals made, points scored and scoring average during the regular season.

“Travis had a tremendous freshman season,” Gillen says. “I thought he was one of the best freshmen power forwards in the country last year. He really helped us on the front line, both offensively with his scoring, and defensively with his rebounding and interior defense. He was a very valuable player for our team last season.

“Travis has gotten stronger and I think he has a chance to be an outstanding player in the ACC in the years to come. He plays bigger than 6-8.”

Senior forward Stephane Dondon is expected to provide additional scoring and rebounding for the Cavaliers during the 2000-2001 season after a year of adjustment to Division I basketball. The 6-9, 236-pound Dondon joined the UVa program last season after transferring to Virginia from Collin County Community College. He played in all 31 games for the Cavaliers, starting three games early in the season, and averaged 3.4 points, 2.9 rebounds and 13.8 minutes a game. Dondon has good range on his jump shot and is a fine interior defender. He can play both forward positions.

“We’re hoping for big things from Stephane,” Gillen says. “He made the adjustment very well from playing in junior college to playing in the premier college basketball league in the country last season. He finished strong at the end of the year.

“I think Stephane will be more comfortable this year, knowing the league and the venues. He’s a tough match-up for teams because he can shoot from the perimeter and put the ball on the floor, and he’s our best interior defender. I think his shooting percentage will improve this season with more experience and more confidence. I believe he’s a better shooter than his statistics indicated last season.

“He’s a very valuable player for us and we’re hoping Stephane has a breakout senior season.”

Sophomore Jason Rogers and freshman J. C. Mathis are two young players who will have the opportunity to contribute valuable minutes during the 2000-2001 season after the departure of the 6-9 Ducharme.

The 6-10 Rogers lettered last season after playing in 13 games. He scored 22 points, making 10 of 16 shots from the field (62.5 percent), and grabbed 11 rebounds in 37 minutes of action. He could provide needed help for the Cavaliers on the defensive end with his rebounding and shot-blocking ability.

“Jason is a young man who’s going to be thrown into the fire this year,” Gillen said. “He got a chance to play and did well on the trip to Europe. He started two games and did a good job. He still has work to do and he has to get stronger, but it was encouraging. Jason did some nice things. We think he’s going to be able to help us.

“How many minutes will he play? We don’t know that yet, but he certainly showed signs he can help us. I think it was good for him. Jason played beside Travis Watson and they played well together at times. We’re going to need him because we’re very thin on the front line.

“Jason’s a very eager young man, a good athlete and I think he’s going to be a contributor. He’ll play some more this season and hopefully each year his role will expand. Right now his defense is very good. He can block shots and play good interior defense, we just have to continue his strength and offensive development.”

Mathis, a 6-8, 231-pound forward from Brooklyn, N.Y., averaged 17.2 points, 10.5 rebounds and four blocked shots a game as a senior for John F. Kennedy High School in the Bronx last season.

“J.C. gives us some more strength and power on our front line,” Gillen says. “He’s a very versatile front court player who can play on the perimeter, in the high post and inside. My guess is J.C. will be one of our hardest workers and I think he’s going to be a contributor right away.

“J.C. can shoot from the outside and he can score inside. His versatility and his work ethic help make him a good player.

“I think it’s important for Jason and J.C. to be contributors, to help us rebound, score inside and give us a physical presence with the type of teams we’re going to be playing. I have confidence both of them will be contributors, we’ll just have to wait and see how many minutes they play. I believe in both of them.”

The Cavaliers had good depth last season and that should be the case again in 2000-2001.

“I think we have pretty good depth, especially on the perimeter,” Gillen says. “We need some more depth inside. We don’t have enough big guys. Travis Watson and Jason Rogers are players that can play both center and big forward. Stephane Dondon is a forward, but at times he has to play inside defensively. We could use more depth in the post area especially on defense. The addition of J.C. Mathis will help us, but we need more size and power on the front line.

“On the perimeter we have pretty good depth. Josh Hare is a guy that can come in and give us some minutes, and he should play a little more this year.”

Virginia ranked first in the ACC in turnover margin (+4.5), second in scoring (81.5 ppg.), third in scoring margin (+6.1) and three-point field goals per game (6.8 pg), and fourth in field goal percentage (45.1 percent) last season. Gillen feels the Cavaliers will again be able to score as a result of their running and pressing style of play.

“I think offensively we’re doing a pretty good job,” Gillen said. “We run our fast break pretty well, we attack the basket pretty well and get to the free throw line a good bit. We have to improve our free throw shooting because it slipped a little bit last season from the year before, but we’re getting to the line because we’re aggressively attacking the basket. We have a little bit of an inside game now with the addition of Travis Watson and Stephane Dondon last season, and Chris Williams can slip inside to score on occasion.

“We need to be more consistent with our perimeter shooting. We’re not always consistent with our outside shooting, some days we shoot it great and some days we shoot it poorly. Our consistency from the outside has to get a little better.”

Size and the ability to rebound consistently are concerns for Gillen and his staff as they prepare for the 2000-2001 season. UVa ranked last in the ACC in scoring defense (75.4 ppg.), field goal percentage defense (46.4 percent) and rebound margin (-2.3 rpg.) last season.

“Our size is not great for this tremendous league we’re playing in,” Gillen said. “We’re not as big as we’d like to be. We need some more help in the middle. Travis Watson is a power forward. He’s done a wonderful job, but he needs some help inside.

“We have to do a better job of rebounding. Travis did a great job as a power forward playing center last season, but he needs some more help. Our guards have to do a better job of rebounding as well as our other front line guys. We have to do a better job on the boards to enable us to get out on the break and get easy baskets in transition. Rebounding was something we worked hard on last season and we got a little better at it, and hopefully we can continue to improve on it this year.

“Our defense has to improve a little bit. I think we’re a pretty good defensive team. We play full court with a different style that creates a lot of turnovers, but we’ve got to do a little better job on our perimeter defense and our half court defense.

“Our pressing game is pretty good, we don’t do anything great, but we do a couple of things fairly well. We try to find the achilles heel of our opponent?whether zone pressure or man pressure or man traps might bother them, or perhaps a zone defense might bother them on occasion. We’re multiple in our defensive alignments and philosophy, but we’re always going to be pressing and aggressive in different forms and patterns.

“We need to cut down our field goal percentage defense. Teams are scoring against us at a little too high a rate and a lot of that is second shots. So when our rebounding improves, hopefully our field goal percentage defense will improve. Part of defense is certainly defensive rebounding, finish the defensive possession by rebounding the ball. Our defensive rebounding has to get better and our half court defense also has to improve a little.”

As mentioned earlier, the schedule presents a significant challenge.

“I think we have a very difficult schedule which is what we like,” Gillen says. “We’ll play 16 games in the ACC, which I think will once again be the premier basketball conference in the country. Maryland and North Carolina will be Top 10 teams in many preseason polls, and Duke might be number one in the preseason. Our league should be great.

“We play Purdue in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge at University Hall. I think our fans will enjoy playing Purdue and a Hall of Fame coach in Gene Keady. Tennessee will be a Top 10 team in many preseason magazines and our game against them in the Meadowlands is another big challenge for us. Missouri is a power in the Big 12 and went to the NCAA Tournament last year, and we play them at home. Playing at Virginia Tech will also be a great challenge and we’ll be on the road at VMI.

“Our schedule is tough and I believe our team is ready for that challenge. We have to be ready to play every night. I think that’s very important for us. It’s hard to do over the course of a long season, but we have to be physically, mentally and emotionally ready to play every night. I think we’ll be a better team, but will we have a better record than 19-12? We’ll have to work hard to have a better record.”

Gillen had an opportunity to get a good look at his team, minus the freshmen, when the Cavaliers won five of six games in Europe in August.

“There were a number of things we wanted to accomplish on our trip to Europe,” Gillen said. “We wanted to come closer together as a team. I thought we had a pretty good closeness last year, but we wanted to improve our team unity and team chemistry.

“We wanted to have fun and we wanted to learn about the cultures of Germany, Belgium and France. We also wanted to improve individually and as a team, and we wanted to win some games.

“I thought we were fortunate to reach those goals. The trip was a great experience for our players and our coaches. I think we got a lot out of the trip and will appreciate it more as time goes on.”

With the successful trip now behind him and his team, the Virginia head coach should know a good bit more about his 2000-2001 team and what needs to be done before the start of the season in November.