Disciplined Cavs done in by Duke’s deadeye
The Virginian-Pilot
© January 16, 2003

DURHAM, N.C.
Duke’s basketball team, Pete Gillen said Wednesday night, is like the Atlantic Ocean.

“Waves and waves of talent,” he observed wistfully after Virginia’s ship of hope was eventually swamped at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

“We played as hard as we could,” said Gillen. “When you play as well as we did and still lose, you take your hat off to the other guy.”

Under his sports coat, Gillen’s shirt was drenched. Sweat? Or water kicked up by a Duke tsunami named J.J. Redick?

“We zoned him,” Gillen said. “We manned him. We couldn’t stop him.”

Behind Redick’s 34 points, Duke outlasted U.Va. 104-93, but not before the visitors showed that they would not be intimidated either by the opponent or venue.

The newest wave of talent — a highly-touted freshman class — helped Duke through to its 12th victory. Another rookie, Shavlik Randolph, contributed 17 points, including several important second-half baskets. But it was Redick who did most of the damage, from the field (he hit 5 of 6 3-pointers) and free throw line (11 of 11).

It took all that, and Duke shooting 37 of 40 from the foul line, to hold off a U.Va. team that, as recently as a loss 10 days ago in Raleigh, had a reputation for swooning on the road.

“It was a weird game,” Duke point guard Chris Duhon said.

It must have seemed that way to Duke, which is not accustomed to a visiting team other than Maryland refusing to wilt in this tabernacle of college hoops.

“We couldn’t stop them,” Duhon said, “and they couldn’t stop us.”

Neither team could stop from fouling. The 61 free throws in the second half prevented the game from turning into an outstanding exhibition.

Except when Redick had the ball in his hands. If this kid from Roanoke makes many more jump shots, they’ll have to add a couple more Js to his name.

On this night, though, U.Va. may have opened almost as many eyes as Duke’s dead-eye. The Cavaliers came with a plan and stuck with it. They fed the ball into the paint, where Travis Watson and Elton Brown powered past frustrated Duke defenders time and again.

Until the end, U.Va. was able to remain keenly focused on the strategy, tuning out screeching Duke fans and playing calmly through mistakes.

This is something of a revelation for the Cavaliers, who in recent years have appeared to need a dose of Ritalin in their water bucket.

“Offensively, I thought we did a good job,” Gillen said, “but defensively we couldn’t stop them.”

Still, U.Va. won some battles. In the lane. And on the perimeter, where sophomore Keith Jenifer outplayed Duhon.

Duke has not faced a daunting schedule until recently. Mike Krzyzewski’s team is ranked No.\u20091 in the polls because it is the country’s only undefeated squad, not because it is the most talented team or a proven winner on the road.

“This team has a lot of development to go,” said Coach K. “But we’ve shown good heart.”

The Blue Devils find a way, especially when they play under their championship banners.

It was, Krzyzewski said, “kind of a different game. There was never any real flow to the game.”

Eventually, though, the waves grew larger and more ominous for U.Va., as Redick played beyond his years and made baskets from far beyond the 3-point arc.

“There are no moral victories,” Gillen said after putting on a dry shirt.

Even so, the Cavaliers exposed some of Duke’s weaknesses, while, even in defeat, overcoming some of their own.

 

Redick sticks it to Virginia
By ED MILLER, The Virginian-Pilot
© January 16, 2003

DURHAM, N.C. — Virginia’s Jason Clark gave his former Hampton Roads AAU teammate J.J. Redick a warm hug following Duke’s 104-93 win over the Cavaliers Wednesday night at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
It was one of the few times Virginia slowed the sweet-shooting Duke freshman, who scored 34 points to help keep the No.\u20091-ranked Blue Devils unbeaten at 12-0, 3-0 in the ACC.

“We zoned him, he hit shots,” Virginia coach Pete Gillen said. “We manned him. We couldn’t stop him, or their team.”

Redick, a 6-foot-4 guard, made 9 of 13 shots — including 5 of 6 3-pointers — and all 11 of his free-throw attempts. His only errant 3-point attempt was a 25-footer that rimmed out in the second half.

“My confidence is pretty high already,” Redick said. “When I hit a few in a row, my confidence just skyrockets, and I think that if I catch the ball and shoot it, it’s going in.”

And so it did, time after time. Redick curled off screens and swished jumpers. Other times he curled, caught the ball and kept moving, all the way to the rim.

“What we tried to do was get him a set where he wasn’t coming off for a jump shot,” Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. “He was coming off for a read, where he could get a move to the basket.”

Redick’s aggressive play sent him to the foul line frequently. He hit all seven attempts in the second half.

Duke, which entered the game shooting 74 percent from the line, made 37 of 40 overall, 29 of 32 in the second half.

“The free-throw shooting, aside from J.J., that’s the story of the game,” Krzyzewski said.

Virginia (10-4, 1-2 ACC) did many of the things necessary to win at Cameron. The Cavaliers pounded the ball inside against the smaller Blue Devils. Center Travis Watson scored 26 points and power forward Elton Brown added 19.

Virginia prevented Duke from embarking on any of its signature runs, the type that can turn a tie into a 10-point lead in a matter of a minute.

And, unlike many games this season, the Cavaliers hoisted just a handful of ill-advised shots.

“I thought we did a pretty good job offensively,” Gillen said.

The Cavaliers shot 51 percent, and their 93 points was a season high. They stayed within four or five points of Duke most of the second half, but could never pull closer.

Missed free throws played a part. Watson missed a pair that would have cut the Duke lead to four with 2:45 left. Point guard Keith Jenifer missed 1 of 2 on Virginia’s next possession. Watson did the same on the following possession.

“It was a weird game,” Duke’s Chris Duhon said. “There were a lot of fouls. We couldn’t stop them, and they couldn’t stop us.”

No one could stop Redick, who hails from Roanoke but played AAU ball for the Boo Williams team in Hampton Roads. Guards Todd Billet and Jenifer tried early, and Redick shot over them. Clark and forward Derrick Byars each took a turn, and Redick drove by them.

“It made it a little more special that I was going against my home state,” Redick said. “And two of my best friends in the world, Elton Brown and Jason Clark.”

Redick’s 34 points broke Johnny Dawkins’ record for a Duke freshman. Dawkins, now a Duke assistant coach, scored 31 points against Maryland on Jan. 15, 1983 — exactly 20 years ago.

Redick said he was unaware that he’d broken the record. He was preoccupied with another number.

“I was just looking at the stats,” Redick said. “I had zero rebounds. I’m a little upset about that.”
 

Devils' Redick too hot

J.J. Redick scores 34 as Duke hands Virginia its eighth straight loss at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

By MARK BERMAN
THE ROANOKE TIMES

   DURHAM, N.C. - No.4 was a big reason for No.8.

    Cave Spring graduate J.J. Redick set a Duke freshman record with 34 points Wednesday to help the top-ranked Blue Devils dispatch Virginia 104-93 in front of 9,314 fans at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

    It was Virginia's eighth straight loss at Cameron. The Cavaliers (10-4, 1-2 ACC) missed 11 of their 38 free throws and made 14 turnovers.

    "We may not be ranked No.1, but we're a good team just like them," said UVa forward Elton Brown, who scored 19 points. "We just didn't hit our free throws, we made a little bit of turnovers. At the end, we just didn't convert.

    "We're going to be a team that people ain't going to want to play in the future."

    Redick scored 18 points in the first half, when he was 6-of-8 from the field and made all four of his 3-point attempts.

    "I kind of got hot. I wanted the ball," Redick said. "I was feeling it tonight. In the first half, I felt like every time I touched the ball, I got a look at it, it was going in. I knocked down a few in a row and when I get hot, that's when my confidence just skyrockets. ... I hit a lot of 3s in guys' faces. They covered me well."

    "Redick was sensational," Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said.

    Duke (12-0, 3-0), which took the lead for good with 14:32 to go, made 37 of 40 free throws. Dahntay Jones was 10-for-10 from the line and finished with 23 points.

    "There was never a real flow to the game, a lot of fouling going on by both teams," Krzyzewski said. "For our kids to be able to hit that many free throws, at that percentage ... was key."

    Jones and UVa's Jason Clark were hit with a double-technical when they got tangled up late in the first half. The officials called 37 personal fouls in the second half.

    "After the incident ... they tightened it up," said UVa forward Travis Watson, who scored 26 points. "The refs, they did their jobs. As players, sometimes that can be a hindrance. It's a problem for both teams, too, as that happens. We broke down a couple times, so it's not just the calls."

    Redick was 9-of-13 from the field, including 5-of-6 on 3-point attempts, and made all 11 of his free throws. Johnny Dawkins, now a Duke assistant, had held the freshman single-game record with 31 points against Maryland on Jan.15, 1983.

    "I was wondering why he told me to stop scoring," Redick joked.

    It was almost a perfect game for Redick.

    "I had zero rebounds. I'm a little upset about that," he said with a grin.

    After Redick opened the second half with his fifth 3-pointer of the game, UVa switched to a matchup zone defense and held him in check for some time.

    Freshman reserve forward Shavlik Randolph buried a 3-pointer to give Duke the lead for good at 66-63. He scored after a UVa turnover to extend the lead to 68-63 with 13:48 left.

    Brown scored inside to cut the lead to 76-73 with 10:35 to go. After a turnover by UVa's Todd Billet, Daniel Ewing scored on a jam for a 78-73 cushion. After Watson hit one of two free throws, Redick made a layup to extend the lead to 80-74 with 9:08 to go.

    UVa's Devin Smith made two free throws to cut the deficit to 90-87 with 4:44 left. Redick made a layup and free throw for a 93-87 advantage. Redick sank two foul shots for a 95-87 cushion with 3:59 remaining.

    "We couldn't stop them," UVa coach Pete Gillen said. "Our problem was we couldn't get any stops when we needed it."

    "They shot free throws better than us," UVa point guard Keith Jenifer said. "It came down to free throws, but we didn't get no stops. They outplayed us."

Redick plays free and easy against Cavs
By DOUG DOUGHTY
THE ROANOKE TIMES

DURHAM, N.C. - The only person J.J. Redick fears at the free-throw line is his mother, Jeanie.
Redick hasn't forgotten the night when he headed to his Roanoke County back yard and started shooting free throws, with his younger brother, David, doing the counting.

"It was about 11:30 and my mother called me inside," Redick said Wednesday night. "I think I was up to 107 in a row."

Redick had to stop before he missed that night and he had the same experience against Virginia, when he was 11-for-11 from the line as unbeaten Duke held off the Cavaliers 104-93.

The Duke students chanted "J.J. Redick, J.J. Redick" as they left Cameron Indoor Stadium, and their somewhat ho-hum tone suggested they had done it before and will do it again. Redick finished with a career-high 34 points to claim the Duke single-game freshman record previously held by current Blue Devils assistant Johnny Dawkins with 31.

So much has been made of Redick's accurate 3-point shooting, his improved defense and underrated ball-handling that it is easy to overlook his free-throw shooting. If opponents haven't learned already, this is one player to keep off the line.

Redick entered Wednesday night's action as the No.2 free-throw shooter in the ACC, and it took an 8-for-8 performance by league-leading Todd Billet to keep Redick in the second spot. Both players have missed three free throws this season, Billet going 50-for-53 (94.3 percent) and Redick 47-for-50 (94.0).

Billet and Redick frequently were matched against each other, with Redick using a 4-inch height advantage to make his first five 3-point shots. He had 18 points by the half, including four 3-pointers, after scoring a total of two points in the first half of Duke's preceding two games.

Blue Devils coach Mike Krzyzewski attributed some of that to matchups. Georgetown and Wake Forest used athletic small forwards on Redick and he was unable to shoot over them.

"He's not fast, but he's real quick," Krzyzewski said. "And, because he has that weapon of a shot, it adds to his quickness. He knows what he's going to do and the other guy doesn't.

"I thought he was extremely strong with the basketball today and that's why he got to the free-throw line. At the end of the clock a couple of times, he made huge plays for us."

In Krzyzewski's eyes, Redick had the play of the game, an old-fashioned 3-point play after Virginia had cut the deficit to 90-87 with 4:44 remaining. Redick drove on UVa's Jermaine Harper, drew Harper's disqualifying fifth foul, and hung in the air long enough to make the basket. Yes, he also made the free throw.

Redick moved ahead of fifth-year senior Dahntay Jones to become the leading scorer on the No.1 team in the country. Redick is averaging 17 points. Jones, who was 10-for-10 from the line and finished with 23 points, is at 16.7.

Redick had talked before the game of his excitement of playing Virginia for the first time. He spent his whole day "visualizing great things" and found it relaxing before the game when he chatted with former AAU teammates Elton Brown and Jason Clark from UVa.

Virginia was among the schools that Redick visited unofficially during the fall of his junior year at Cave Spring, but nobody else had a chance once Duke offered. Even Krzyzewski may not have known what he had.

"The thing about J.J. is that he has the maturity of a senior," Krzyzewski said. "He has his feet under him. He understands the game. He's found his niche the easiest of all of our freshmen. He's not just a good freshman; he's one of the outstanding players in the conference."

He's too good, the Cavs learned, to be getting something for free.

 

Virginia nabs 1 of state's top football prospects
By DOUG DOUGHTY
THE ROANOKE TIMES

After making his second official recruiting visit and giving it favorable reviews, Phoebus High School star Phillip Brown committed Wednesday to a school he had not visited.
Brown, scheduled to visit Virginia this week, informed the Cavaliers that he will sign a letter of intent with them in February.

Brown, a 5-foot-11, 185-pound cornerback and kick returner, was rated the No.2 prospect in the state by The Roanoke Times and the No.1 prospect by rivals.com. He had taken official visits to Maryland and Clemson and was scheduled to go to Virginia Tech from Jan.24-26.

"I've learned not to be surprised by anything in recruiting," said Bill Dee, the coach at Phoebus, winner of back-to-back Group AAA Division 5 championships. "I thought he was leaning to Virginia the past couple of weeks. He and Coach [Mike] London really hit it off.

"Phillip is a hell of a athlete. He's got great speed, but it's not all about speed. He's got the cover skills and he's got instinct, which might be more important than anything."

Brown has not met NCAA eligibility requirements and it is possible - some would say likely - that he will need a year of prep school.

"This lets him move forward and try to come up with a plan," Dee said.

 

Duke's line play blocks U.Va.
Devils hit 37 of 40 free throws
BY JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Jan 16, 2003

Duke's J.J. Redick (left) ties up Virginia's Todd Billet to force a jump ball in the first half of the Devils' victory.
(AP)
DUKE 104 U.VA. 93
DURHAM, N.C. - Virginia would not have needed a flawless performance to knock off the nation's top-ranked college basketball team last night. U.Va. couldn't afford to lag behind Duke at the foul line, though, and that's what happened in a game in which the officials called 37 fouls in the second half and 59 overall.

Virginia outshot the unbeaten Blue Devils from the floor and outrebounded them, too, if only slightly in each case. But Duke went 37 of 40 from the line, an astounding 92.5 percent. Virginia went 27 for 38, a solid 71.1 percent but not nearly enough in this ACC game.

With 4:35 left, U.Va. trailed by only three, but the Blue Devils' marksmanship helped them secure a 104-93 victory in front of 9,314 fans at Cameron Indoor Stadium and an ESPN audience. In the final 4:32, Duke made 10 of 11 from the line to seal its 21st straight victory at Cameron.

"The free-throw shooting, aside from J.J., that's the story of the game," Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "They missed some of theirs, and we made ours, basically, down the stretch."

The only Virginian on Duke's roster, freshman guard J.J. Redick, made all 11 of his free throws and scored a career-best 34 points. The graduate of Roanoke's Cave Spring High, who chose Duke over U.Va., was 5 for 6 from beyond the 3-point line.

Senior forward Dahntay Jones, 10 for 10 from the line, scored 16 of his 23 points in the second half. Shavlik Randolph, a 6-10 freshman from nearby Raleigh, came off the bench to score 17 points in 19 minutes.

Redick's 34 points were the most by a Duke freshman under Krzyzewski. Johnny Dawkins, now Coach K's top assistant, set the previous record of 31 on Jan. 15, 1983, against Maryland.

"I was excited about this game, simply because it was an ACC game," Redick said. "But it made it a little more special that I was going against my home state and two of my best friends in the world: Elton Brown and Jason Clark."

U.Va. sophomores Brown and Clark played with Redick on Boo Williams' AAU team.

Virginia (1-2, 10-4) pulled to 90-87 on Devin Smith's two free throws with 4:44 left. That simply set the stage for another huge play by the 6-4 Redick. He curled across the lane, caught an entry pass and banked in a leaner while drawing U.Va. guard Jermaine Harper's fifth foul. Redick added the free throw for a 93-87 lead with 4:32 remaining.

Redick wasn't through. After Virginia guard Todd Billet missed a contested 3-point attempt, Redick drove and was fouled by Billet. Redick calmly sank both free throws to make it an eight-point game with 3:59 left.

Billet (18 points) hit all eight of his free throws, and sophomore forward Devin Smith was 2 for 2 from the line. Their teammates, however, were a combined 17 for 28. Travis Watson, who played the final 9:36 with four fouls, and Brown dominated inside, scoring 26 and 19 points, respectively. But between them, they also missed nine free throws.

Duke, up 50-45 at the break, stretched its lead to eight when Redick opened the second-half scoring with a trey. But Virginia answered with a 9-0 run capped by two free throws by Billet following a technical on Krzyzewski with 17:50 remaining. After Billet's jumper made it 63-63 with 14:58 remaining, Duke finally went ahead to stay on a Randolph 3-pointer.

"How good is he?" U.Va. coach Pete Gillen said with admiration.

Gillen, who chose not to play Majestic Mapp last night, got another strong effort from point guard Keith Jenifer. The 6-3 sophomore had 12 points, a team-high six rebounds, five assists, two steals and two turnovers in 36 minutes.

"We played as hard as we could," Gillen said. "I thought offensively we did a good job; just defensively we couldn't stop them. We couldn't stop them with man, we couldn't stop them with zone, we just couldn't defend them."
 

More than shooting star, Redick has complete game
BOB LIPPER
TIMES-DISPATCH COLUMNIST Jan 16, 2003
Contact Bob Lipper at (804) 649-6555 or e-mail blipper@timesdispatch.com

DURHAM, N.C. Jeez, the kid can play.

Notice I didn't say: Jeez, the kid can shoot. That, boys and girls, is a given. Nobody - I mean nobody - ever has questioned J.J. Redick's ability to deposit a basketball into twine from zip codes that haven't been invented. Range? He's got it. Form? He's got it. Radar? He's got it.

Game?

Oh, my, yes, he's got that, too.

Let's distill last night's 104-93, Duke-outlasts-Virginia foulathon into one J.J. Redick moment. It's 90-87 Duke with just over 4˝ minutes to go. Blue Devils' ball. Daniel Ewing dribbling 20-some feet from the basket. Redick slicing across the lane from right to left with U.Va.'s Jermaine Harper in pursuit.

The ball is passed to Redick. He dribbles with his left hand, then goes up and does a half-turn to get a look at the rim. And is fouled by Harper. And shifts the ball to his right hand. And hangs in midair - who says white men can't jump? - long enough to bank home a runner that practically blows the roof off Cameron Indoor Stadium.

He makes the free throw, too. The lead is six. The Cavs never get closer. Ballgame. Film at 11. Over and out.

"That was a huge play," Mike Krzyzewski would say later. "That may be, for us, the biggest play, 'cause he not only got fouled, he somehow put that shot in."

The kid put lots of shots in last night. Three-point shots (5 of 6). Foul shots (11 for 11). Nine shots in all in 13 attempts, plus the free throws for a haul of 34 points - the most ever by a Duke freshman. Redick had his sixth 20-point outing of the year 10 seconds into the second half. And he kept on delivering - which, as a matter of fact, was his vision.

"All day long, I saw myself doing great things on the basketball court," Redick said. "I expect myself to make good plays. When the game gets close, I want the ball in my hands."

He was the difference in this matchup. Yeah, yeah, Duke was more accurate from the line than Virginia, and the Cavs didn't make enough defensive stops at crunch time to give themselves more of a shot. But in this messy, alley-cat scrap of a game - "There was never a real flow," Krzyzewski observed -Redick was the one played whose flame burned steadily from start to final horn. Without him, Duke is 11-1 and preparing to descend from its No. 1-in-the-polls perch.

"He was amazing tonight," Chris Duhon said. "He carried us."

Redick carried Roanoke's Cave Spring High to a state championship last March. He rang up 43 points in the final, drained a tournament-record 20 3-pointers over three nights, later nailed 5 of 6 from beyond the arc in the McDonald's all-star game. He once sank 107 straight foul shots at his backyard hoop. Kid's a shooter, after all.

But so much more as well.

"Certainly Redick was sensational," Krzyzewski said. "He's not fast, but he's real quick with the ball. And because he has that weapon with the shot, that even makes him quicker."

No U.Va. defender could handle him. Not Keith Jenifer, not Todd Billet, not Harper. "We had hands in his face, we were up on him," Billet said. "He was still able to make the shots."

And make plays. On Duke's next possession after the banked-home runner, Duhon brought the ball into the frontcourt and glanced toward his bench. Krzyzewski pointed toward the right wing. That's where Redick was camped. He got the ball, took Billet to the hole, got fouled, swished two shots for an eight-point bulge. He's a playuh. Mark it down.
 

Football futures decided
Phoebus' Brown opts for U.Va.
BY JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Jan 16, 2003


All-Group AAA football player Philip Brown, whom recruiting analysts rank among the state's top three prospects, said yesterday that he has committed to the University of Virginia.

"I kind of had that in my mind already, and I just thought it was time," said Brown, a 5-11, 185-pound senior at Hampton's Phoebus High, which also produced former U.Va. star Antwoine Womack.

Defensive line coach Mike London, who graduated from another Hampton high school, Bethel, recruited Brown for U.Va.

Brown, rated the state's No. 2 prospect by The Roanoke Times, spent four years on the varsity at Phoebus, which won state Division 5 titles in 2001 and'02. He made the coaches' all-Group AAA first team as a defensive back and a kick-returner in 2002

He's projected to play cornerback at U.Va.

Brown, who's headed to Virginia this weekend, said he'll cancel the official visits he had scheduled to N.C. State and Virginia Tech. His other finalists were Maryland and Clemson.

An indifferent student for much of his high school career, Brown isn't a lock to meet NCAA eligibility requirements. But he's taking an SAT prep course and said, "I'm doing everything I can to qualify right now."

Asked if he might spend 2003-04 at a prep school, Brown said, "I'm thinking that I'm going to make it [this year]. But if I had to go to a Fork Union or a Hargrave, anything I could do that would get me to Virginia, I would try to take that route.
 

Brown stays close to his 'good-luck charm'
Phoebus senior picks U.Va. over Clemson, Terps
By Jennifer Garvin
Daily Press
Published January 16, 2003

HAMPTON -- Phoebus' Philip Brown looked at schools all over the region before deciding that the one closest to home was the best fit.

On Wednesday, Brown announced he will play football for the University of Virginia. He will sign a letter-of-intent with the school on Feb. 5, which is national signing day.

Brown, a 5-foot-11, 185-pound cornerback, took official visits to Maryland and Clemson before deciding on the Cavaliers. He has canceled scheduled visits to North Carolina State and Virginia Tech.

"I really like Clemson a lot, but it was so far away," he said. "It was hard. So many good schools and you can only choose one.

"They're real consistent and coach Al Groh and (assistant) Mike London believed in me," Brown said of Virginia. "When they talked to me, they talked about life and not just football."

Brown also likes that his mother will be able to attend the games in Charlottesville.

"She hasn't missed a game since I've been playing at Phoebus," he said. "With her, we won back-to-back championships. She's my good-luck charm."

An all-state selection at defensive back and a second-team pick at returner, Brown finished with six interceptions, a fumble recovery and a touchdown as a defensive back this season. He averaged 29 yards and scored four touchdowns on punt returns.

He becomes the 18th player to commit to the Cavaliers and the only cornerback.

Brown said he also liked Virginia Tech.

"That would've been a great situation too," he said, "but there was just something about Virginia. It's a young program, it's high energy. I just 'felt' it and I wanted to go ahead and do it."

Said Phoebus coach Bill Dee: "Philip's going where he wants to go and that's the main thing. I'm really happy for him."

Although Brown has not qualified academically, he is working to raise his grades and SAT. He is taking an SAT preparatory class and is not participating in winter sports.

"Now that it's over, I can really attack my work and do it. It's gonna happen for me."

You sure Redick is a rookie?
By David Teel
Published January 16, 2003

DURHAM, N.C. -- Shrewd game plan: check. Sound execution: check. Sustained poise: check. One problem: J.J. Redick.

Virginia never blinked Wednesday night at Duke, only to be foiled by a freshman the Blue Devils heisted from the Commonwealth.

OK, so the Cavaliers played next-to-no defense. That's been a given since Pete Gillen arrived as head coach. They shot better than 50 percent, committed only 14 turnovers and outrebounded the nation's No. 1 team - on the road.

But Redick, a 6-foot-4 guard from Roanoke, made shots from every conceivable distance and angle to lead Duke to a 104-93 victory at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Redick scored 34 points, made all 11 of his free throws and missed only one of six 3-point attempts.

So can we please dispense with the he's-white-so-he-must-be-a-jump-shooter-only stereotype? Redick is athletic, can beat you off the dribble and is effective moving toward the basket.

Oh, and he's a helluva jump-shooter, too. One of the best you'll see this season, with a chance to become one of the best the ACC has ever seen.

"He's not fast, but he's real quick with the ball," Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "I thought he was extremely strong with the ball tonight."

Redick's peerless range only adds to his quickness. Defenders must crowd him from 30 feet in or risk a flood of 3-pointers.

Still, the Blue Devils are as flawed as a No. 1 team can be, and the formula for beating them is obvious. Attack the interior. Expose Shelden Williams, Nick Horvath and Casey Sanders. Post them up. Punish them on the glass. They're not very strong, not very good.

Away from the basket, secure the ball. Don't commit the turnovers and allow the breakout dunks that fuel Duke's offense.

Most critical, withstand the Blue Devils' inevitable binge. The Dookies' collective 3-point range virtually assures a stretch during which you'll swear they're gonna score 200 points. But that run will pass, and when it does, Duke becomes a quality team replete with freshmen. Nothing more, nothing less.

Virginia followed the plan. Travis Watson and Elton Brown combined for 45 points inside, and point guard Keith Jenifer committed only two turnovers in 36 minutes.

The Blue Devils' run? They scored on nine consecutive possessions late in the first half, but the Cavaliers nearly matched them and trailed only 50-45 at intermission.

The second half was brutal, an unsightly foul-a-thon (37 hacks in 20 minutes) that lasted more than an hour. Only Redick lended some grace to the proceedings.

With Virginia lingering within 90-87, he curled off a screen, absorbed a foul from Jermaine Harper, banked home a short jumper and made the free throw to double Duke's lead. Redick then pressured Todd Billet into a miss before making two free throws to give the Blue Devils a 95-87 cushion with 3:59 remaining.

"He shoots like that in practice all the time, never missing," Williams said. "But in a game, it just blows you away. It's part of his personality. He's one of those guys who likes to be in charge."

Redick played the same way at Cave Spring High, the same way in summer ball with Boo Williams' Hampton Roads team, on which he shared many a van trip with Virginia's Brown and Jason Clark.

But many wondered how quickly Redick would adjust to the ACC. Wonder no longer.

"When the game winds down," Redick said, "I want the ball in my hands."

Doesn't sound like a rookie. Doesn't play like one.
 

J.J. finds way
BRYAN STRICKLAND : The Herald-Sun
bstrickland@heraldsun.com
Jan 15, 2003 : 11:36 pm ET

Duke freshman J.J. Redick always dreamed of playing for the Blue Devils, but Wednesday night, Redick’s second choice — the University of Virginia — paid a visit to Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Needless to say, the Cavaliers wish that Redick had made a different decision. Wednesday night, Redick reinforced the Cavaliers’ wishful thinking.

Redick pumped in a career-high 34 points — the most points for a freshman in Duke history — to help the top-ranked Blue Devils survive a 104-93 shootout against the Cavaliers.

Redick, who is from Roanoke, Va., shook off the added pressure of playing against his state school and playing against former AAU teammates Jason Clark and Elton Brown.

As a result, the Blue Devils (12-0, 3-0 ACC) shook off a Virginia team that showed no signs of its past shakiness in ACC road games.

"Being from Virginia and playing against those two guys, it made me a little bit more nervous," said Redick, who hit 5 of 6 from 3-point range and all 11 of his free throws. "I saw Jason and Elton before the game and joked around with them a little bit, and the fact that they talked to me probably eased my tension a little bit.

"All day today I was just visualizing myself doing great things on the basketball court."

Even with Redick on target from the opening tip — he scored 18 first-half points — the Cavaliers (10-4, 1-2) never made it easy. Virginia led early in the second half in a game that featured 14 ties, but the Blue Devils had just enough to forge a small lead that slowly grew down the stretch.

Redick was a factor the whole way, but he got plenty of help. Dahntay Jones also scored a career high, with 16 of his 23 points in the second half. Fellow freshman Shavlik Randolph scored seven of his 17 points during a stretch that gave Duke the lead for good, and the Blue Devils nailed an amazing 37 of 40 free throws in the game, including 29 of 32 in the second half.

Virginia guard Todd Billet — who scored 18 points in a game in which six players scored 17 or more — sent the game to the final 15 minutes tied at 63-all on a baseline jumper. But Randolph responded with a 3-pointer from the top of the key, then he drove the baseline for a layup to push the lead to 68-63.

Duke never trailed again, though the Blue Devils never led by double digits until the game’s final minute.

"I was just looking for my shot," said Randolph, sporting a bloodied lip. "I got into a little rhythm, and the team was getting me the ball, and my shots were going down.

"If I get my feet set and get a good look at the rim, I feel like I can shoot as good as anyone — except J.J."

Redick’s red-hot shooting highlighted a game that turned into a shootout midway through the first half. Both teams started out warm but then boiled over: With Duke trailing 26-22, the Blue Devils scored on 13 of their final 16 possessions of the half, including nine straight in one stretch.

But after Duke tied it at 26-all, an undaunted Virginia team scored on nine of its next 13 possessions. Duke made seven straight shots during one stretch; Virginia made seven straight shots during one stretch; and Redick made seven straight shots during one stretch.

When Redick’s seventh straight shot fell, a 3-pointer to open the second half, the Blue Devils grabbed their biggest lead at 53-45. But the Cavaliers — behind post players Travis Watson (26 points) and Elton Brown (19) — came right back, helping Virginia regain a brief lead.

"We weren’t coming in here to hang with them ...we were coming in to win the game," Billet said. "And I thought we had a good chance to.

"I think the little things separated the game. They shot foul shots a little bit better, and that kind of gave them a couple-point lead. They did a little better down the stretch."

Free throws made a major difference down the stretch, when 27 of the game’s final 37 points were scored from the line. The referees seemed to call it a little closer after some chippy moments, like double technical fouls when Jones and Clark tangled late in the first half and Krzyzewski’s first technical foul of the season early in the second half.

The Blue Devils, however, thrived at the line. Redick and Jones were a combined 21-for-21, and even freshman Shelden Williams — a 59-percent shooter from the line — made all four of his attempts.

"That helped us win the game," said Duke point guard Chris Duhon, whose 4-of-5 showing at the line actually was below-average on this night. "And those free throws weren’t just free throws where you could go up there and be loose — these were to keep one- or two-possession leads.

"And our guys did an amazing job of stepping up there with confidence and knocking them down. And once a couple went in, it just rubbed off on everybody else."

NOTES — Before Wednesday, Duke assistant coach Johnny Dawkins had Duke’s freshman scoring record. Dawkins scored 31 points against Maryland on Jan. 15, 1983 — exactly 20 years ago. ... Duke beat Virginia at Cameron Indoor Stadium for the eighth straight time. The Blue Devils have gone over the 100-point mark in five of their last six games against Virginia at Cameron.

 

For Cavs, Another Bad Visit
Freshman Lifts Top-Ranked Duke: Duke 104, Virginia 93
By Jim Reedy
Special to The Washington Post
Thursday, January 16, 2003; Page D01

DURHAM, N.C., Jan. 15 -- Virginia played its best game of the season, hanging tough against No. 1 Duke for more than 35 minutes, but the Blue Devils held strong in the closing minutes for a 104-93 victory at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Duke freshman J.J. Redick, a sharp-shooting Roanoke native recruited heavily by Virginia, scored 34 points, including 18 in a tightly contested first half. He and his teammates made 37 of 40 free throws, while the Cavaliers made 27 of 38, including 2 of 5 in their ultimately futile struggle to tie the game in the final three minutes.

"The free throw shooting -- that's the story of the game," said Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski, whose team committed 27 fouls to Virginia's 32. "There was never a real flow to the game. A lot of fouling going on by both teams and for our kids to hit those free throws . . . was key."

Virginia (10-4, 1-2 ACC) trailed 50-45 at halftime and stayed within five points of the Blue Devils (12-0, 3-0) for most of the second half. With 4 minutes 47 seconds left, Virginia small forward Devin Smith hit a pair of free throws to cut Duke's lead to 90-87.

Redick answered on the next two possessions. The 6-foot-4 guard, who had dominated the first half with three-pointers, drove into the lane and made a leaner while drawing Jermaine Harper's fifth foul, then hit the ensuing free throw to push the lead back to five points. After Virginia's Todd Billet clanked a three-point attempt, Redick used his quickness again to draw a foul on a drive. His two free throws gave Duke a 95-87 lead with 3:59 remaining.

"Our problem was we just couldn't get stops when we needed it," Virginia Coach Pete Gillen said.

Krzyzewski said Redick -- who shot 9 of 13 from the field, including 5 of 6 on three-pointers, and 11 of 11 on free throws -- has already become "one of the outstanding players in the conference.

"He's not fast, but he's real quick with the ball," Krzyzewski said. "And because he has that weapon of a shot, it adds to his quickness."

Virginia senior Travis Watson (26 points) had a chance to cut the Duke lead to four on a pair of free throws with 2:46 left, but he missed both, leaving the margin at 95-89. The Cavaliers got no closer the rest of the way, as the Blue Devils, who had shot 69 percent from the line before tonight, hit 7 of 8 free throws in the final 11/2 minutes.

Duke point guard Chris Duhon, who has more assists and a better assist-to-turnover ratio than any other player in the ACC, scored only six points on 1-of-5 shooting, but the Blue Devils compensated with scoring from Redick, senior small forward Dahntay Jones (23 points) and freshman big man Shavlik Randolph (17).

Redick scored "every time they needed a hoop. He was terrific," Gillen said. "We couldn't stop him or their team."

Watson, who played 29 minutes because of foul trouble, led four Cavaliers who scored in double figures. Sophomore power forward Elton Brown (19 points) had one of his best games of the season, while junior guard Todd Billet -- Jones's former teammate at Rutgers -- added 18 points and sophomore point guard Keith Jenifer had 12.

Duke's slim margin at halftime was reminiscent of last season's Virginia visit to Cameron. In that game the Cavaliers were tied at halftime before falling behind by double digits in the opening five minutes of the second half. Tonight, after shooting 58 percent in the first half to Duke's 56 percent, they stayed in the Devils' rear-view mirror.

Virginia beat Duke in Charlottesville in each of the past two seasons, but the Cavaliers have lost 42 of 50 games at Cameron, including eight straight and 18 of 20 since Ralph Sampson's 1983 graduation.

Notes: Redick's total was the highest by a freshman since Krzyzewski became coach in 1980-81. . . . Virginia freshman Derrick Byars played 18 minutes after missing most of Saturday's game against North Carolina when his left shoulder popped out of joint in the opening minute. . . . Virginia has allowed at least 100 points in five of its past six games at Duke. . . . The Cavaliers are 1-24 against top-ranked teams.
 

School says James' mother helping in SUV probe
Wednesday, January 15, 2003
By TOM WITHERS
ASSOCIATED PRESS

CLEVELAND (AP) - LeBron James' mother has cooperated with state officials investigating whether her son has risked his amateur status by accepting a sports utility vehicle as a gift.

Gloria James has spoken to Ohio High School Athletic Association commissioner Clair Muscaro and provided records, said Grant Innocenzi, athletic director at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School.

On Monday, the OHSAA began an inquiry to determine how James, regarded as the nation's best high school player, acquired a 2003 Hummer H2 vehicle.

State officials were concerned that James, a senior, might have violated a state bylaw that says an athlete forfeits his or her amateur status by "capitalizing on athletic fame by receiving money or gifts of monetary value."

Gloria James reportedly obtained a bank loan and bought the Hummer _ outfitted with three TVs, embroidered seats and computer hookups _ as an 18th birthday gift for her son, who is expected to be the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft when he turns pro.

Without the extras, the vehicle has a base retail price of $50,000.

Gloria James has refused to comment on the situation.

Muscaro, who was unavailable for comment Wednesday, had hoped the investigation would be concluded by end of the week.

In a statement released by St. Vincent-St. Mary, Innocenzi said the OHSAA has not made any requests of the school relevant to the state inquiry.

Innocenzi added that the records provided by Gloria James have not been disclosed to the school.

St. Vincent-St. Mary principal David Rathz has not returned phone calls.

On Tuesday, school officials contacted Muscaro before St. Vincent-St. Mary's game against Mentor to see if James was eligible to compete, Innocenzi said.

The OHSAA said James was allowed to play, and he promptly scored a school record 50 points to lead the nation's top-ranked team to a 92-56 win.

James dazzled a sellout crowd of 6,000 by making 11 3-pointers _ another school mark _ and scoring his first 45 points in just three quarters.

After banking in his 10th 3-pointer in the closing seconds of the third period, James did a little dance before heading to his team's bench.

At the same time, Gloria James bolted from her seat and began walking around the concourse of James A. Rhodes Arena. While passing sections of Mentor fans, she teased the crowd by waving a hand fan at them with her son's picture on it.

Before the game, LeBron toyed with SUV controversy by playing with a remote-controlled Hummer on the arena floor.

 

The Redick show
COLLEGE BASKETBALLDuke freshman scores 34 points
By LUCIANA CHAVEZ, Staff Writer

DURHAM -- The Virginia Cavaliers had sunk their teeth into the top-ranked Duke Blue Devils and weren't about to let go Wednesday night in Cameron Indoor Stadium.
It took a Virginia native to make them relinquish their grip.

With Duke leading by three points with just over four minute remaining, Duke freshman J.J. Redick of Roanoke, Va., slashed to the hoop for a three-point play, then hit four more free throws down the stretch en route to setting a Duke freshman scoring record with 34 points to lead the No. 1 Devils to a 104-93 victory over Virginia.

"We zoned him, he hit shots. We manned him, we couldn't stop him or his team," Virginia coach Pete Gillen said of Redick, who made nine of 13 shots and all 11 free throws.

Even with Redick becoming the first Duke freshman to score 30 points in a game since Duke associate head coach Johnny Dawkins scored 31 on the same date 20 years ago, the game turned out to be a worthy clash.

With 2:40 left in the game and both teams in the double bonus, the Cavs trailed 95-89 and had a chance to cut the lead to four points, but Virginia senior Travis Watson missed back-to-back free throws.

Duke senior Dahntay Jones threw down two of his 23 points on a dunk at the other end.

Virginia guard Keith Jenifer made one of two free throws, and UVa still trailed by seven.

Then Watson -- who scored 26 points, including 12-of-17 from the line, to lead the Cavs -- had a chance to cut the lead to five, but he missed one of two free throws to make it 97-91 Duke with 1:38 left in the game.

The Devils, en route to nailing an impressive 37 of 40 free throws for the game with Jones a perfect 10-for-10 also, made seven of their last eight at the line to put the game away.

"I'm proud of our guys because we beat a heck of a basketball team tonight in a different kind of game," Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said.

Even Krzyzewski had to work for it. The Duke head coach, with nearly three decades worth of experience, said he was asking officials to make more calls around Redick, who was being hounded by both Jenifer, who had 12 points, and Todd Billet, who finished with 18.

Speaking a little too vociferously for referee Stephen Gordon's taste, Krzyzewski was tagged with his first technical foul of the season.

Virginia led 54-53 with 17:50 left in the game when Billet, the ACC's best free-throw shooter, made both shots. Jones hit two free throws for Duke on its next possession and then freshman forward Shavlik Randolph found his game.

Randolph scored 11 of Duke's next 15 points, including his fourth and fifth 3s of the season. The last of his field goals came on a strong offensive rebound and putback to give Duke a 70-65 lead.

"I was looking for my shot, and I got into a little rhythm," said Randolph, who has put together three consecutive solid outings off the bench. "That's what happens when you get into the flow of the game."

Gillen was chagrined.

"How good is he, God help us," Gillen said. "What is he, a 6-9, 6-10 guy shooting 3s? It's like the Atlantic Ocean, [coming in] waves and waves."

Virginia made it a game in the first half while doing as good as job as any team at tempering the Cameron Indoor crowd, at least for a while.

Gillen's liberal use of timeouts kept the crowd at bay and allowed the Cavaliers to regroup several times when it looked as though the Devils might jump out.

Double-technicals called on Jones and Jason Clark overshadowed the solid job Watson and Elton Brown did in beating Duke's interior players to the right spots inside the paint in scoring 12 and 11 first-half points, respectively.

Brown finished with 19 points.

But Redick already had started his one-man show with 18 first-half points. He hit shot after shot coming off of screens, off balance, shooting across his body or a combination of all three in making all four of his 3s.

"I felt coming off screens today was the best I've done all seasons," Redick said. "Because when they were trailing me, I was curling [to the basket] and when they weren't, I was shooting. And I made pretty good reads tonight."

Duke's last three opponents haven't succumbed automatically to the Devil juggernaut. And that has made for some lively games in Cameron.

"It's not like we're the top team and no one wants to play us," Krzyzewski said. "Everybody wants to play us because we have young guys."