Brown, Cavs have intertwined struggles
Published January 25 2004
David Teel

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- Another road game, another double-digit defeat. More lineup juggling, more heat on the head coach. So it goes for Virginia's basketball team this season.

Solutions? Can't help you.

Declarations and insight regarding Pete Gillen's job security? Let's wait a month or so.

Amid the confusion, one certainty: Absent better play from Elton Brown, the Cavaliers are doomed to many more games like Saturday's 96-77 defeat here at North Carolina.

Brown, a junior center from Newport News, is Virginia's leading scorer and rebounder. He's also the team's biggest head case, an unfortunate title he inherited from last season's top scorer and rebounder - the irresponsible Travis Watson.

Don't misunderstand. I like E. Have since his days at Warwick High. He's bright, funny and quick to smile. He's also got some game, especially on offense, where his low-post moves impress NBA scouts.

But for all his personality and talent, Brown can try a coach's soul. His defense is haphazard, his skin thin. He sulks too often, perseveres too little.

"Yeah, I'm frustrated," Brown said Saturday. "I think anybody would be. But I just gotta play. It's not my call. I can't make them play me more minutes."

Brown lost his starting job after Virginia's 75-57 loss at Georgia Tech on Jan. 15. Subsequently, he played 20 minutes, about 10 fewer than usual, against Florida State, 21 against Clemson, scoring a combined nine points.

Yes, Virginia (12-5, 2-4) won both games. But that was at home against two of the ACC's worst teams. No chance Virginia survives at home, much less on the road, with similar performances against better opposition.

Take Saturday. The Cavaliers stayed close for 20-plus minutes before the seventh-ranked Tar Heels, led by point guard Raymond Felton, shifted into overdrive, assuring Virginia its fifth double-digit defeat of the season, the third on the road.

Again, Brown did not start. He played 17 minutes, many of those because of foul trouble encountered by Donte Minter and Jason Clark. But he produced a solid line of 12 points, four rebounds, two assists and two blocked shots.

"That's a big improvement," Brown said. "I felt like I was about to get it rolling, but I was never able to get in the flow. ... If I play 25 minutes, 30, there's no telling."

Still, there were moments.

After scoring inside off an inbounds pass with 7:17 remaining, Brown failed to get back on defense, allowing Sean May - no sprinter he - a layup. A few moments later Brown forced a fadeaway from the left baseline that drew nothing but air. Brown also was on the court for many of the 11 consecutive possessions on which the Tar Heels scored during the game's decisive stretch.

"I did everything defensively that I could," Brown said. "The Georgia Tech game, I didn't even think my defense was that bad."

There's the crux of the problem: Brown too often denies his shortcomings - no matter what he hears from Gillen or Walt Fuller, the assistant coach who's spent countless hours nurturing him.

It's a shame. Brown shed 30 flabby pounds during the offseason, leading many to believe he was ready for a breakout year. Yet with 10 ACC games remaining, Brown is mired in a funk, and Virginia is mired in a third consecutive losing conference season.

"A lot of people say, 'If y'all are going to win, it comes down to you,' " Brown said. "But it's still the coaches' decision. I can explain myself to Coach all day that I should play. But when the ball's up in the air, and I'm not on the court, there's nothing I can do."

Yes there is. Bust your fanny in practice this week. Earn back your starting position for next Saturday's game at Wake Forest.

"It's all mental to me now," Brown said. "All of a sudden your minutes go down and you just have to wonder, man. Sometimes you're thinking it's a dream. But it's reality."

An unpleasant one at that.
 

Snapshots from the road: visions from I-85
Matt Trogdon
Cavalier Daily Senior Writer

Driving home from Chapel Hill Saturday, I was struck by a number of impressions from Virginia's 96-77 loss to North Carolina. Here they are in short, simple paragraphs. Perfect for Monday morning.

Things are cooking again down at UNCChapel Hill is one of the holy sites of college basketball. From the Dean Dome to the dance team to the fight song, North Carolina has it all. And now, at 12-4, it has its winning team too.

Roy Williams has brought the 'Heels back into the national spotlight by doing all the right things. He gets the crowd involved before games by throwing out t-shirts and waits around afterwardsto sign autographs. He commands the respect of the fans, the players and the media. During the post-game press conference, Roy promised that if a reporter's cell phone went off again, he'd make the whole media brigade run sprints. Add these attributes to a program which already boasts talented players and one of the largest followings in the nation, and it will be a while before the ACC title leaves Tobacco Road.

Despite all that, Virginia could have won Saturday.

The recent resurgence of the Carolina program makes yesterday's loss even more frustrating. Virginia played UNC even in the first half and led early in the second. At 53-52, this reporter thought they had the Tar Heels right where they wanted them. They had come back in the first half and silenced the Dean Dome crowd. Furthermore, Carolina had lost a heartbreaker in overtime Thursday night, and even Williams acknowledged how tired his players looked.

Unfortunately for the Cavaliers, they didn't stay in the game long enough for fatigue to take effect. Two quick turnovers and two quick dunks led to an all-too-familiar ending.

Elton Brown could be a dominant player in the ACC if he wanted to.

Brown is one of the biggest guys in the league and boasts a solid repertoire of low-post moves. On a number of occasions Saturday, he made Sean May look silly. But he'll never do that on a consistent basis if he isn't in the games. And he'll never be in the games if he doesn't start rebounding and diving for loose balls. Twice the ball rolled within reach of his feet. Once he watched it roll through his legs, and the other time he ran away from it. To modify a phrase from Bill Walton, "Get on the ground, big fella!" And please, Elton, leave the fadeaway where it belongs – at home.

Byars and Gillen: Something's got to give

No one quite knows what's wrong with Derrick Byars these days. He started the season off strong but has been almost non-existent in 2004. Saturday Byars started and looked good in the opening minutes. He put away his jump shot and started taking the ball to the basket. His reward? Thirteen straight minutes on the bench. The sophomore swingman is a vital cog in the Cavalier engine, and everyone around him says he needs to keep his head up and play through the slump. It's hard to do that, however, when he's not in the game.

Something's got to give, part II

I would imagine that almost everyone at the University understands how fragile the psyche of a college student can be. But at the same time, most also can comprehend that when times are tough, you have to keep your head up. Derrick Byars is no exception. During the Carolina game, my colleagues and I watched him stand three feet outside the team huddle and hang his head during timeouts. Whatever the problem is, that type of attitude is not going to solve it. I cannot imagine the pressures of playing basketball in the ACC, and I won't try to do so. But if sports are truly the ultimate metaphor for life, then Byars is simply going to have to keep a positive attitude if he wants to get through this slump.