Friars freeze Virginia
Virginia can't solve Providence zone
By Andrew Joyner / Daily Progress staff writer
January 3, 2004

Temperatures outside of University Hall on Saturday afternoon could not have been warmer for the first week of January but inside it couldn’t have been colder. Well, at least for the home team.

Providence, using a stifling 2-3 matchup zone that the Cavaliers could never solve, raced to a 84-69 victory over Virginia.

The Friars, who had no trouble figuring out Virginia’s defense as they shot 58.2 percent, were led by 27 points from forward Ryan Gomes and Donnie McGrath’s 15 points.

“Our guys are a group that last year found out how to win and how to win on the road. We’re a very mature and focused group,” said Providence coach Tim Welsh, whose team won its fifth straight and improved to 8-1.

Virginia shot 37.1 percent for the game, which was only made respectable by a 44.1 percent shooting effort in the second half.

Virginia never seemed comfortable against the zone but also missed fairly wide-open looks from the perimeter as well. Further aiding the Friars’ defensive efforts were six blocked shots by 6-foot-10 center Marcus Douthit.

“I thought the big key to the game was Douthit. He only scored four points but had six blocks and he intimidated others,” said Gillen, who coached at Providence for four seasons before coming to Charlottesville. “Providence is a good team and they played very well. We just got too timid against their zone. They did an excellent job with the zone flicking or knocking the ball away and contesting shots.”

Elton Brown led Virginia, which has now lost two of their last three after an 8-0 start, with 16 points. Todd Billet added 12 and J.R. Reynolds had 10.

While that zone defense is a patented scheme for the Friars, the Cavaliers clearly were not able to simulate its effectiveness and level of activity in their pre-game practices.

“You really don’t see it that much. Only two teams really play it and it’s them and Syracuse. It’s just a good as Syracuse’s. They have good size on the wings. We should have attacked it more but then they had a 6-10 center in there to block shots,” Billet said.

The zone’s obvious victims were Devin Smith and Derrick Byars, who had combined for 45 points in Wednesday’s win over Iowa State. On Saturday, Byars and Smith combined for just 10 points on 5-for-21 shooting.

Byars said after the game that solving a zone defense and scoring effectively against it is something Virginia must do to become a better team.

“It’s something we obviously have to work on. Teams we’ll look at this game and we’ll start seeing more zone,” Byars said.

While Virginia did force Providence into turnovers, the Friars’ shooting performance marked the third straight game Virginia has allowed an opponent to shoot better than 50 percent. In its 8-0 start, Virginia hadn’t allowed any opponent to shoot better than 45 percent.

“We need to do a better job defensively. We put a lot of effort into it, but Providence played too well,” Gillen said. “We did some good things on offense but we had 20 turnovers ourselves and their steals and deflections led to easy baskets.

Providence extended a 34-29 halftime advantage by outscoring Virginia 16-8 over the first eight minutes of the second half. When McGrath connected on an uncontested 3-pointer with 12:50 left, the Friars had a 50-37 lead.

After Virginia briefly cut the lead to seven with just over four minutes remaining, the Friars responded by pushing the lead back up to as many as 18 in the final minutes.

Providence led 34-29 at halftime after a fairly-ragged first half that saw Virginia stay within a workable deficit despite shooting 30.6 percent compared to a 59.1 percent effort by the Friars.

Despite its continued poor shooting, Virginia did get itself back in the game thanks to the Friars’ turnovers and cut it to 30-29 on a dunk by Brown with 1:44 left before halftime.

The Cavaliers actually had a chance to take the lead but Todd Billet, a career better than 80 percent shooter from the stripe, missed both attempts after a technical was whistled against Providence’s Rob Sanders.

“I don’t really know what happened there. It was a mental error. It certainly was big point momentum-wise in the game,” Billet said.

It was announced before the game that 6-foot-8 junior forward Jason Clark has rejoined the team. Clark has not played or practiced with the team all season while he’s been serving an academic-related suspension. Clark did not play against the Friars but was on the bench in street clothes. Gillen said that Clark will be in uniform Monday against William & Mary and will have to be phased into the rotation.

Cavaliers need to find their shots soon
By Jerry Ratcliffe / Daily Progress sports editor
January 3, 2004

Virginia fans exited University Hall after the Cavaliers’ 84-69 loss to Providence on Saturday wondering if this was the kind of game that will help UVa get ready for ACC play, or if the results were just a sign of things to come.
The visiting Friars, 8-1 with wins over Alabama and Illinois, were probably the best team Virginia has played to this point. Everyone knows that after this coming Monday night’s home game against William & Mary, there won’t be many free lunches on the 9-2 Cavaliers’ schedule.
In fact, Duke comes to town a week from today.

Regaining some touch
It’s not like Coach Pete Gillen can wave a wand over his shooters. If it were that easy, he would have waved like a madman early against Providence’s zone when his team hit only 3 of its first 15 shots and missed nine in a row as they fell behind 15-6 and never drew even.
The closest Virginia came the rest of the game was within one point with a minute-and-a-half to play in the first half with deadeye free-throw shooter Todd Billet at the line for a two-shot technical foul. Billet missed both and the Friars extended their halftime lead to 34-29, then built a 15-point lead midway through the second half.
Gillen threw practically everything in Virginia’s arsenal at Providence but the Friars continued to adjust. Every time the Cavs made a run at their Big East visitors, Providence never reached for the panic button.
The Wahoos were the ones who never solved the Friars’ zone.

Trying to beat the zone
Normally, coaches probe and probe until they find the weakness of a zone and then exploit it. Gillen knew where the hole was in the Providence zone but his team could never do anything about it.
In this case, the middle of the Friars’ zone was the place to attack, but Providence had an insurance policy in 6-foot-10 Marcus Douthit inside along with 6-7 Ryan Gomes.
The Cavaliers are an inside-out offense, which means their offense begins inside with center Elton Brown, and works out to a collection of shooters. When Brown is faced with a big obstacle like Douthit or is double-teamed, then it’s up to the shooters to bail out the Cavs.
Didn’t happen against the Friars. They stayed in their cozy zone all game long and took pleasure in Virginia’s shooting misery (30.6 the first half, 37.1 percent for the game). The Cavs hit only 6 of 23 attempts from bonusphere (26 percent).
Gillen said his team didn’t do a good job of attacking the Providence zone, which is a lot like the Jim Boeheim zones from Syracuse.
“They extend their wings really well and cover the outside,” said Billet, who finished with nine points, hitting three treys. “They may look like they’re just sitting back in the zone but they’re very active. There’s a misperception about that kind of zone ... it’s almost like they’re playing man-to-man within their regions.”
When Virginia shooters were open, it was only momentary and usually with a runner in their face.
Sound familiar?
See game summaries from the past two seasons in ACC play and you’ll discover that Virginia will be defended the same way in many upcoming league games until the Cavs shoot themselves out of the problem.
“It’s not like we didn’t know what to do,” said sophomore forward Derrick Byars. “They were in a zone the whole game. We have great shooters. We’re supposed to get the job done and get them out of [the zone].”
However, Byars was 1 for 8 and missed all four shots from beyond the arch. Devin Smith was 4 for 13, 0 for 2 from long range. Billet was 3 for 7 outside and Gary Forbes 2 for 4.
When Byars and Smith combine to for 5 for 21 and collectively score 10 points, Virginia isn’t going to win many ball games. Gillen knows it and opponents know it even more.
Meanwhile, Brown fought for all of his 16 points.
“When you have a 6-10 guy sitting there in the zone it’s going to be hard to get in there,” Brown said. “If I got it down low, I could muscle in to the basket. But I didn’t get the touches I wanted.”
Anways, Virginia has to get this inside-out thing straightened out and hope its shooters can suddenly come alive or wins will be hard to come by.
Freshman J.R. Reynolds gave Gillen a glimmer of hope that another shooter may be emerging as the rookie knocked in 10 points, including eight in a row over a less than two-minute span.
More offense. Better shooting. It couldn’t come at a better time than now.
 

Friars burn Virginia defense
Providence shoots 58.2 percent to beat ex-Friars coach Pete Gillen and UVa.
By Doug Doughty
doug.doughty@roanoke.com
981-3129

CHARLOTTESVILLE - As the coaches emptied their benches Saturday, a loud chant of "Let's Go Friars" emanated from the rafters at University Hall.

Pete Gillen once enjoyed that cheer more than he does now.

A small crowd of Providence fans was rewarded for its devotion as the Friars upset Virginia 84-69, handing UVa its first home loss this season.

Defense again was the story for Virginia, as Providence (8-1) shot 58.2 percent from the field and the Cavaliers (9-2) shot a season-low 37.1 percent. It was the third straight game in which a UVa opponent had shot 50 percent or better.

Virginia managed to survive a similar assault Wednesday night when it overcame a late second-half deficit to defeat previously unbeaten Iowa State 85-74, but the Friars met every challenge.

"It wasn't just our bad defense," said Gillen, the head coach at Providence from 1994-98. "We did some good things, causing 24 turnovers, but the steals and deflections that led to layups hurt us."

Three days after committing a season-low five turnovers against Iowa State, the Cavaliers had a season-high 20 against the Friars.

The result was Virginia's second nonconference loss at home in Gillen's six seasons and the first since St.John's beat Virginia 95-68 in Gillen's first season, 1998-99. UVa had beaten 34 consecutive non-ACC opponents at University Hall.

"Our guys are a group that, at the end of last year, had learned to win on the road," said Tim Welsh, who succeeded Gillen as Friars coach. "We're a mature team, and we've played in a lot of tough places."

Providence won three NIT games before finishing 18-14 last year, and they came to Charlottesville with victories this year over then-No.14 Illinois and Alabama.

"I thought the key to the game was a guy who only scored four points, [Marcus] Douthit," Gillen said. "He had six blocks and intimidated a lot of other shots."

Virginia, a two-point favorite, had not faced a shot-blocker this year with Douthit's credentials. A 6-foot-10, 235-pound senior, he entered the game with 231 career blocks and set the tone early, although the Cavaliers had several opportunities to seize the momentum.

After falling behind 15-6 and 23-12, the Cavaliers forced four straight turnovers in cutting the deficit to 30-29. When the Friars were called for an intentional foul, Virginia responded by sending Todd Billet, a career 81.5 percent free-throw shooter, to the line.

Billet missed both free throws, Elton Brown missed a layup on the subsequent UVa possession, and Providence was able to build its lead to 34-29 at the half.

"That's something I can't do as a senior," Billet said. "I've got to take advantage of that. I don't miss two foul shots in a row too many times. It was out of character. You can't ever miss two like that when we could have taken the lead there."

Another key play occurred early in the second half, when Devin Smith was fouled on a drive with 18:27 left. The basket counted, cutting the deficit to 34-31, and even though Smith missed the free throw, teammate Derrick Byars was able to grab the rebound.

However, when Byars attempted to throw the ball outside, Rob Sanders intercepted for the Friars and drove the length of the floor for a dunk.

"The last couple minutes of the first half and the first couple minutes of the second half are big in every game," Gillen said.

A bright spot for the Cavaliers was the play of J.R. Reynolds, a 6-2 1/2 freshman from Roanoke who had a career-high 12 points in 15 minutes, including a 3-pointer with 4:14 that cut the deficit to 65-58. That turned out to be UVa's last gasp.

Smith and Byars, who had combined for 45 points against Iowa State, were 5-for-21 from the field Saturday and missed all six of their 3-point attempts.

Ryan Gomes, a 6-7, 245-pound Providence junior, had been averaging a double-double and he finished with 27 points and 11 rebounds - game highs in both categories.

"He's one of my all-time favorite players - maybe my favorite player I've ever coached because he's a guy who's just a gamer," said Welsh, formerly the head coach at Iona and an assistant before that at Syracuse and Florida State. "He's becoming an All-American, in my eyes, and today he showed why."

 

Cavaliers miss their shot at quality non-conference win
By Dave Johnson
Daily Press
Published January 4, 2004

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- In one of the great mysteries of life, Providence was No. 5 in the CollegeRPI.com ratings. With that in mind, Saturday afternoon was a big-time opportunity for Virginia and its longshot hopes of getting back to the NCAA Tournament.

Instead, the Cavaliers proved just how far they have to go. In a game it had every hope of winning, Virginia was dreadful on both ends of the floor in an 84-69 loss that saw the groans in University Hall give way to boos. The Cavaliers gave up 58-percent shooting while hitting 37 percent themselves, a statistical discrepancy that pretty much tells the story.

"We were timid against their zone," said U.Va. coach Pete Gillen, who coached at Providence for four seasons. "We were a step slow - I don't know why - and they're a very quick, athletic team."

Offensively, Virginia (9-2) got a combined 5-of-21 shooting from forwards Derrick Byars and Devin Smith, two players Gillen considers team leaders. Todd Billet hit three 3-pointers but got only seven attempts. Thirty-seven percent is bad enough, but throw in 20 turnovers - 15 coming on Friar steals - and you have your basic nightmare.

"We have shooters, but we just couldn't get it to go down," Byars said. "The shots just didn't fall, it's as simple as that."

Defensively, the Cavs had no answer for forward Ryan Gomes, who had 27 points on 11-of-18 shooting, or guards Donnie McGrath and Sheiku Kabba, who were a combined 7-of-14 from the 3-point arc. Virginia's last three opponents have shot a combined 54.7 percent from the floor.

"A lot of it, this game anyway, has been steals leading to three-on-ones," Gillen said. "It's turnovers leading to layups."

Virginia ended up with its worst home non-conference loss since St. John's won 95-68 in Gillen's first season (1998-99). And to drive home the point, a large group of Providence fans derisively chanted Gillen's name.

Though the game turned into a blowout, there were three key stretches.

Leading 6-2 with 17:17 left the first half, Virginia went scoreless over the next 5:47. In 10 possessions, the Cavs were 0-for-9 with six turnovers. With a 13-0 run, the Friars went from down four to up nine.

Trailing 30-29, Virginia got a break with PC's Rob Sanders was called for a technical foul with 1:44 left in the first half. But Billet, an 82-percent career shooter, missed both free throws. Providence scored the final four points of the half to take a 34-29 lead at the break.

"I don't know what happened there," Billet said. "I can't do that as a senior."

After his basket cut the Friars' lead to 34-31 with 18:27 left in the game, Smith went to the line for a 3-point play opportunity. He missed his free throw, but Byars rebounded. He took the ball to the right corner and tried a half-court pass to Billet. But Sanders intercepted at the top of the key and took it in for a dunk to spark an 18-6 run.

The only good news for Gillen was that forward Jason Clark, who has not played this season for academic reasons, has been cleared to rejoin the team. Clark was on the bench in street clothes and will resume practice today. Gillen said Clark will be in uniform for Monday night's home game against William and Mary.

Cavs Don't Make Much of Outside Chance
Providence 84, Virginia Men 69
By Jim Reedy
Special to The Washington Post
Sunday, January 4, 2004; Page E03

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Jan. 3 -- Virginia wasn't having much luck shooting perimeter jumpers Saturday, but that's about all the Providence defense would allow. The Friars' aggressive, 2-3 zone defense pressured each ball-handler and discouraged passes to Elton Brown in the post, so the Cavaliers were stuck firing from outside.

The formula was not particularly successful for Virginia, which shot 37 percent, committed a season-high 20 turnovers and trailed by double digits for most of the second half en route to an 84-69 loss, its second in three games.

"I played against Syracuse for a number of years and [Providence's zone] was pretty much just as good as theirs," said Virginia guard Todd Billet, who spent two years at Rutgers.

"You've just got to make smart plays," teammate Derrick Byars added. "I think this was the first time we faced a [team] that extended the zone so high."

With pressure up top and 6-foot-10 shot blocker Marcus Douthit in the middle, the Friars (8-1) force teams to beat them from the outside. Rhode Island did it a month ago, making 10 of 14 three-pointers in handing Providence its only loss, but the Cavaliers (9-2) joined the ranks of those who could not, missing 17 of 23 from behind the arc. Byars and Devin Smith, two of Virginia's top players and best outside shooters, combined to hit 5 of 21 shots for 10 points.

"We missed some good shots, but I thought we got a little hesitant, a little tentative against it when they got steals and when they blocked some shots," said Cavaliers Coach Pete Gillen, who coached at Providence for four years before coming to Virginia in 1998. "We've got to do a lot better job against the zone. And when they got their confidence rolling, they started hitting shots and that was it."

Virginia's defense wasn't great either, allowing Providence to shoot 58 percent -- the third straight opponent over 50 percent. Ryan Gomes, the Friars' strong, athletic forward, had a game-high and season-best 27 points. Five teammates added at least eight points apiece to help snap the Cavaliers' regular season streak of 34 consecutive home wins against nonconference opponents.

The Cavaliers fell behind early but made a push in the minutes before halftime to cut the visitors' lead to 30-29. But Billet, usually a dead-on foul shooter, missed two free throws after a technical foul and the Friars closed the half with four straight points.

"I told them [at halftime], 'If we can clean up the basics of basketball, I think we'll be in good shape,' " Friars Coach Tim Welsh said.

Virginia put together one final run in the second half, getting within 65-58 on J.R. Reynolds's three-pointer. As the clock ticked toward four minutes remaining, the University Hall crowd was alive for the moment, but Sheiku Kabba answered for Providence with two free throws and Donnie McGrath followed on the next possession with a three-pointer to boost the margin back to 12.

Cavaliers Note: Forward Jason Clark has regained his academic eligibility and will be in uniform Monday against William & Mary.
 

Loss is all systems no for Cavs
All systems no for Cavs Virginia plagued by poor shooting, defense and ball-handling in defeat
BY JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Jan 4, 2004
PROVIDENCE 84 VIRGINIA 69

CHARLOTTESVILLE - In a season in which Virginia will face few quality non-conference opponents, one visited University Hall yesterday.

The Cavaliers didn't come close to meeting the challenge. Providence hammered U.Va. 84-69 before 7,470 fans, a small but vocal portion of whom showed up to cheer the visitors and chanted, "Let's Go Friars!" in the final minutes.

Virginia (9-2) closed to 65-58 on freshman guard J.R. Reynolds' 3-pointer with 4:11 left, but that didn't faze Providence. The Friars (8-1) scored on nine of their final 11 possessions to win going away.

Providence junior Ryan Gomes, a 6-7, 245-pound forward, finished with 27 points and 11 rebounds - both game highs - and added four steals and two assists. Donnie McGrath, a sophomore guard, sank five treys and scored 15 points for the Friars, whose former coach, Pete Gillen, is in his sixth season at Virginia.

The loss was U.Va.'s first at home in the regular season to a non-conference foe since Dec. 12, 1998, when another Big East team, St. John's, romped 95-68.

The Cavaliers shot abysmally, handled the ball terri- bly and defended poorly yesterday. Other than that, U.Va. fans had little to complain about.

The athletic Friars' trademark 2-3 zone defense befuddled the Cavaliers. It didn't help Virginia that Providence's Marcus Douthit patrolled the back of the zone. The 6-10, 235-pound senior blocked six shots and altered several others.

Virginia shot a season-low 37.1 percent from the floor, had a season-high 20 turnovers and made only 6 of 23 shots from beyond the 3-point line.

"You got to make jump shots against a zone," Gillen said.

Sophomore forward Derrick Byars was 1 for 8 from the floor and scored a season-low two points. Junior forward Devin Smith (eight points) missed 9 of 13 field-goal attempts. In Virginia's win over Iowa State on Wednesday, Byars and Smith combined for 45 points.

"When those two guys get 10 points between them, it's going to be tough for us to win," Gillen said.

Providence, meanwhile, shot 58.2 percent from the floor - the third straight opponent to make more than half of its field-goal attempts against U.Va. - and made 15 steals. The Friars went ahead to stay on Gomes' fast-break layup with 15:48 left in the first half.

Virginia led 6-2 at the 17:16 mark. The Cavaliers didn't score again, however, until senior guard Todd Billet hit a 3-pointer nearly six minutes later. Providence rang up 13 points during U.Va.'s scoreless stretch and later went ahead 23-12 on a McGrath trey.

The Cavaliers fought back, though, and junior center Elton Brown's dunk made it 30-29 with 1:45 left in the opening half. The crowd's cheers grew louder when Providence's Rob Sanders was called for a technical foul at the 1:31 mark.

Billet, who'd made 84.5 percent of his free throws in two seasons at Virginia, went to the line with a chance to put the Wahoos ahead. He missed both shots, however, and Providence went into the break with a 34-29 lead.

"That's something I can't do as a senior," Billet said. "I've got to take advantage of that [opportunity]."

Virginia blew another opportunity early in the second half. After scoring inside, Smith missed a free throw that would have made it a two-point game. Byars soared for the rebound but then made a critical mistake, attempting a crosscourt pass that Sanders intercepted. His dunk started a 13-4 spurt for the Friars.

Brown led Virginia with 16 points, and Reynolds, perhaps the team's most impressive player yesterday, added a career-best 10.

NOTABLE: U.Va.'s Jason Clark, cleared Friday to rejoin the team, sat on the bench in street clothes. The 6-8, 235-pound junior, who missed the first semester for academic reasons, will be in uniform tomorrow night against William and Mary, Gillen said. Clark started 15 games last season.