On Point
Singletary, Paul meet for first time in ACC showdown
By Andrew Joyner / Daily Progress staff writer
January 2, 2005

Virginia coach Pete Gillen is right. It is not fair to compare UVa freshman point guard Sean Singletary to Wake Forest super sophomore Chris Paul at this stage. Tonight at University Hall, one will play in his 18th ACC contest while the other will be playing in his first.

In terms of talent, pundits can debate who’s the better passer, shooter, scorer or defender, but Paul is generally considered the best point guard in the nation and at least would get a deferential nod over Singletary at this point in their careers.

“It’s tough to compare them. Chris Paul is a first-team All-American. He’s the preseason ACC Player of the Year. Sean is an excellent player but it’s just hard to compare them at this stage and I don’t think it is fair to right now,” Gillen said.

Whether it is fair or not, the comparisons will likely be made regardless.

Dissecting each player’s game and trying to figure who gets the edge where is a tedious and perhaps a fruitless effort. As Gillen notes, Paul is a proven commodity right now and Singletary, despite some strong early performances, is still the unproven entity.

It is, however, at least plausible to claim their situations and mannerisms have, at passing, similarities.

Both arrived at their respective schools saddled with savior labels after stellar prep careers. Both were point guards each program desperately needed. Of course, their arrivals were not exactly mirror images. Paul opted to continue his collegiate career close to home at Wake Forest, a scant

15-minute drive from his native Lewisville, N.C. Singletary departed Philadelphia to fulfill a longtime fascination to play in the ACC.

Given those parameters, even Gillen, who has shown a desire to be quite protective of Singletary and his expectations, claims the situations and circumstances - if not the players themselves - are indeed similar.

“I think that is accurate. Chris was a McDonald’s All-American and Sean was close to that in high school. Both were very highly respected coming out of high school. Both have a lot of talent and a lot of character,” Gillen said.

There is little doubt both players have ample talent, but it’s interesting that Gillen notes the character issue. In many ways, Gillen just validates the thoughts of anyone who would chat with either player for mere minutes.

Yes, there are a lot of ‘Yes, sirs’ and ‘No, sirs’ and there are compliments in abundance. Take these two statements for example:

“I’ve seen him [Singletary] play a couple of times. He’s definitely a talented player. He has a toughness that you see just watching him on TV.” - Chris Paul

“Chris is a great player. He’s very quick. He does everything they need him to do. He gets the ball to people for shots and he hits his open shots. He’s definitely one of the best guards in America.” - Sean Singletary

The overriding impression one receives is that both have this maturity, humility and seriousness attached to them. It is seen in their presences on the court and off. For both, there are clear reasons for it.

During his senior season at West Forsyth High School, Paul’s grandfather, Nathaniel Jones, was murdered after being assaulted by five teenage would-be burglars in the carport of his home. Days later, Paul honored the grandfather he was so close to by scoring 61 points in a game. When Paul reached the 61-point mark (his grandfather was 61 years old when he died), he intentionally missed a free throw, then took himself out of the game with the state high school scoring record within reach. Paul had told his coach before the game that he was going to do something “very special” for his grandfather.

Singletary knows the history of Paul and his grandfather, which was often rehashed during Paul’s ACC Rookie of the Year campaign last season. When he hears it, he nods knowingly, understanding and relating to Paul’s plight.

“I know I can relate to that. I’m sure it is something that he’s going through and still is. My grandmother has cancer and my mom and dad are battling cancer as well and my brother is in Fallujah,” Singletary said. “None have passed away but I think about them all the time. Things happen for a reason. It has brought the best out of him and I know it brings the best out of me. We both have something to play for.”

When asked if he felt those real life issues were explanations for his outlook and possibly Paul’s, Singletary of course agreed.

“I know that when I was young, I thought basketball was everything. I thought it was the only thing in the world. I know he probably felt the same way,” Singletary said. “You know there is life after basketball and there are a lot of things going on in life other than basketball. We want to make our families happy. … I know we probably don’t take anything for granted.”

Gillen talks occasionally with Wake Forest coach Skip Prosser, a former assistant at Xavier, and not surprisingly their two young point guards have entered those conversations.

“Both are pretty balanced young men. Sean is a wonderful person and from talks with Skip, I understand the same about Chris. I know Sean has had some tough situations in his life with his family,” Gillen said. “He’s a beautiful young man with a great family and I understand it is the same thing with Chris Paul and his family. I’m somewhat familiar with the situation with Chris’ grandfather. I think those kind of situations make both players very balanced and very humble.”

Tonight’s game will be one of the first face-to-face meetings between the two players. Unlike many prep stars of today, Singletary and Paul did not know each other well on the AAU circuits or from summer tournaments.

There is still mutual respect and certain awareness of the other between the two. Paul very much relates to Singletary’s current situation and offers some words of wisdom and advice.

“It’s very tough being a freshman point guard in this league. You have to get your teammates to follow you. The point guard is the leader on the court. You have to come in and always give 110 percent. You have to earn that respect from your teammates,” Paul said. “You have to be extremely tough. People will try to take advantage of you each night. From what I’ve seen, he [Singletary] has that toughness. You can’t put too much pressure on yourself. You keep playing and you will get better. You want to be so good and not let your teammates down and you want to live up to your expectations. He has to keep doing what he is doing.”

Singletary acknowledges that Paul’s performance as a freshman at least provided an example of how a freshman can succeed at the point in the ACC.

“I guess in a way it is an inspiration to see him do well as a freshman point guard in the ACC. I haven’t had a lot of experience in the ACC yet. Sunday [tonight] will be my first game and I’m looking forward to it and the matchup with Chris,” Singletary said. “I know my teammates have confidence in me and that gives me more confidence. They are confident in my abilities.”

Cavaliers to begin ACC play gimpy
Leading scorer Devin Smith will be a game-time decision with a sprained ankle.
By Doug Doughty
981-3129
The Roanoke Times
 

As he reviewed a schedule that showed one game during a 25-day span, Virginia men's basketball coach Pete Gillen briefly contemplated moving a late-February road game with Providence to Dec.27

Now, he's glad he didn't.

When Virginia plays host to fifth-ranked Wake Forest at 5:30 p.m. today in the ACC opener for both teams, it will mark the first game for No.25 UVa in 10 days. The Cavaliers (8-1) wish they would have had an even longer break.

Senior forward Devin Smith, the Cavaliers' leading scorer, has not practiced since suffering a sprained ankle Dec.23, in a 79-77 overtime victory over Loyola Marymount.

"I think he's going to be a game-time decision," Gillen said Friday. "The swelling's going down, but he's not going to be 100 percent, for sure. I'm not overly optimistic, but we'll see."

Power forward Jason Clark, who missed the Loyola Marymount game with a strained Achilles tendon, has been cleared to start against the Deacons. Point guard Sean Singletary also will be available after requiring medical attention three times against Loyola Marymount.

Singletary wears a harness to stabilize his left shoulder, originally injured when he was playing football in high school.

"He's had trouble with the rotator cuff; he's got a slight tear," Gillen said. "Long term, he might need surgery. You hold your breath."

Gillen said he originally feared that Smith had broken his ankle when he was helped from the floor against Loyola Marymount. It wasn't a high-ankle sprain, which normally involves a recovery period, "just a bad low-ankle sprain," Gillen said.

"Some ligaments were stretched, so it was a pretty significant sprain. We returned Dec.28 [from Christmas break]. He's been getting constant care, getting treatment four or five hours a day. He's feeling better. He's walking around, but there's concern. It could be some time."

Smith demonstrated a high pain threshold last year, when he had two herniated disks that required surgery but contributed enough to be named the team's most valuable player.

"Sometimes, you just can't go," Gillen said, "but he does play with pain. He goes above and beyond. He's a special young man."

If Smith can't go, sophomore Gary Forbes would be his likely replacement. Forbes made his first start of the season against Loyola Marymount and did not score from the field, although he had contributed a season-high 21 points in a 79-67 victory over Furman on Dec.8.

Mapp proving himself
By Doug Doughty
981-3340
The Roanoke Times

Majestic Mapp, advised that his scholarship would not be renewed for a sixth year at Virginia, is averaging a team-high 18 points per game for Division II West Georgia (10-0). Mapp scored 32 points Dec. 18 against Wingate, hitting eight 3-pointers. Mapp is 29-of-77 on 3-pointers this year after going 3-for-15 last year at Virginia.

Mapp is following in the footsteps of Colin Ducharme and Nick VanderLaan, post players who became All-Americans at lower levels -- Ducharme in Division III and VanderLaan in the NAIA -- after leaving UVa.

Five years later, 2000 signees largely undistinguished
Younger Royster might fulfill brother's promise
By Doug Doughty
THE ROANOKE TIMES

This is always the time of the year when I realize how we could do The Roanoke Times Top 25 better.

Once, there was a time when anybody from Virginia who had a Division I-A scholarship offer was virtually assured a spot among the state’s top 25 prospects. Now, a majority of the second 25 also goes I-A.

Yes, it would be helpful to put their college choices somewhere. Already, 13 of the players ranked between No. 26 and 50 have made commitments to I-A programs, as has linebacker Stevon Moss from Phoebus High School in Hampton, who was No. 52. He’s going to Kent State.

A list of all committed — and uncommitted — players on The Roanoke Times top 100 is available on roanoke.com. (See link).

Another story that I should do — but never seem to get around to — is a review of a class after it completes its eligibility. Regular readers of this column might be aware that I lost my folder with Top 25s going back to 1975, and I still haven’t retrieved it, but I was able to locate the past seven in my computer.

Five years after its arrival, here is the Top 25 class that entered college in 2000:

1, Brandon Royster (Stanford); 2, Raymond Mann (UVa); 3, Chris Perry (Michigan); 4, Maurice Shanks (Maryland); 5, Chad Cooper (Virginia Tech); 6, Jeremiah Davis (Penn State); 7, John Dunn (Virginia Tech); 8, Robert Bennett (Boston College); 9, Mike Daniels (Virginia Tech); 10, Josh Spence (Va. Tech); 11, Marcus Hardy (UVa); 12, Scott Sanden (Penn State); 13, Kenny Irby (Marshall); 14, Brandon Hall (UVa); 15, Collin Hannigan (Temple); 16, Rico Lloyd (Indiana); 17, Dennis Haley (UVa); 18, Travis Conway (Va. Tech); 19, Andrew Hoffman (UVa); 20, Michael Hamlar (Wake); 21, Trey Jernigan (Tennessee); 22, Marques Hagans (Indiana); 23, Billy Schweitzer (UVa); 24, Ricardo Phillips (Marshall); 25, Chris Fields (Richmond).

Ouch! Without looking, I’m prepared to say that class might have been the all-time clunker.

Two of those players actually were profiled in The Roanoke Times this week, Haley and Conway, but as I look at the list, I can’t say what happened to half the players on it. There are maybe two impact players on the list, Perry and Hagans, and Hagans never matriculated at the school with which he was listed. Hagans, recruited by Indiana as the next Antwaan Randle-El, spent a year at Fork Union before enrolling at Virginia.

I’m embarrassed to see Hagans one spot ahead of Billy Schweitzer, who never got on the field at Virginia before transferring to Division III Trinity (Conn.).

(Maybe I should say “almost” embarrassed because a check of the Trinity website reveals that Schweitzer, listed as a junior, threw three touchdown passes Nov. 13 as Trinity wrapped up an 8-0 season with a 40-6 victory at Wesleyan. They were the only three touchdown passes he threw all season, however.).

Hoffman has been a three-year starter at nose tackle for Virginia, as has Dunn at offensive tackle for Tech. They’re legit. So was Haley, despite all the skepticism that surrounded his commitment at UVa. He definitely had a better career than Marcus Hardy, who left UVa after four mostly inactive seasons and surfaced at Division I-AA Hampton.

Top-three pick Raymond Mann would have benefitted from a redshirt year at Virginia, but he played a lot for the Cavaliers.

One of my sons tried to tell me the other day that Royster was the biggest bust in the history of the Top 25, which is unkind and a little misleading. Who knows what he would have accomplished at Stanford if not for knee problems and if his younger brother, Evan, stays healthy, he might provide a glimpse. Evan Royster, a running back at Westfield High, was named the state’s No. 2 junior in The Roanoke Times’ most recent ratings.

Brandon Royster was not the only player to fall victim to injury or illness. Cooper never got a chance to prove himself at Tech after a crippling bout with Guillian-Barre syndrome and Spence had to quit football in 2002 after a series of concussions. Every time he was on the verge of moving into Wake Forest’s rotation at linebacker, Hamlar was sidetracked by injuries.

The entering class of 2000 might have looked better if there had been some studs among the players ranked Nos. 26-100, but there weren’t any.

OK, maybe there was one, quarterback Lang Campbell from Handley High School in Winchester. Campbell, rated the No. 41 prospect on the list, this year received the Walter Payton Award as the top player in Division I-AA.

Don’t blame me for missing that one. If he was such a promising prospect, maybe somebody else in Division I-AA would have made it worth his while not to pay his own way to William and Mary, where he eventually landed on scholarship.

Maybe I’m stupid but probably it was just a down year, coming on the heels of a 1999 entering class that boasted No. 1 Ronald Curry, No. 2 David Terrell and No. 3 Michael Vick.

Same name, different game
The sizable cousins, who share an apartment, have made powerful impressions at UVa
Elton Gillett Brown, left, played offensive guard on Virginia's football team while Elton E. Brown Jr. plays center on the school's basketball squad.
By LORENZO PEREZ, Staff Writer

Some latte-guzzling television executive scrambling to squeeze one more program out of the reality-show genre could do worse than flying to Charlottesville, Va., to visit Elton Brown and his cousin, Elton Brown. Surely there must be some madcap hilarity to film when you have two cousins who happen to be Virginia's best basketball player and Virginia's best football player living under the same roof in an off-campus apartment. Just watching them sort through the credit-card offers that come in the mail for "Big E," the football Brown, and "Little E," the basketball Brown, must be worth at least 10 minutes of footage.

But that's about as crazy as things get for Virginia's two Eltons. Their idea of a late-night outing, according to the pair, is to slip into University Hall past midnight. The Elton Brown who is the senior center on Virginia's basketball team spends that time working on some shooting drills while his cousin, the first-team All-America senior guard on the Cavaliers football team, runs up and down arena steps for conditioning.

Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie, they are not. But at least Brown and Brown have carved out enough individual attention at Virginia that professors and new acquaintances no longer ask them to show some ID to prove there is indeed more than one Elton Brown roaming the campus.

In their senior year at Virginia, the cousins vowed to cement those distinctions even further on the field and on the court.

"During the offseason, we worked out together, and we'd say, 'Let's make this year the best one,' " said the 6-foot-6, 338-pound Brown who anchored Virginia's offensive line this fall. "The first thing he said to me is, 'You set the tone for me, and I'm going to follow it and try to beat it.' "

Big E may have been the best football player in the ACC this season, at least in terms of pro potential. ESPN football analyst Mel Kiper recently ranked the Hampton, Va., native the 11th best prospect available for the 2005 NFL draft.

"My Elton loves basketball," Robin Brown-Miller said of her football-playing son. "But I had to push the football. My Elton is big and mobile when he gets upfield."

Brown-Miller named her son after her brother, Elton Brown Sr., Little E's father.

Playing on an 8-4 Cavaliers team that capped its football season with a 37-34, overtime loss to Fresno State in the MPC Computers Bowl, Brown won the Jacobs Blocking Trophy -- awarded to the ACC's top blocker -- for a second consecutive year.

Bulky but agile, Brown was a fearsome sight for would-be tacklers as he cut upfield on the edge to clear a path for a Virginia rushing attack that averaged a league-best 241.3 yards a game. He also led the team in knockdown blocks and had at least five every game but one this fall.

That doesn't stop his basketball-playing cousin -- who stands three inches taller but carries 83 pounds less on his frame -- from playfully lining up like a defensive lineman and challenging him in their apartment.

"I'll get in my three-point stance, and he'll be like, 'Look, I ain't playing,' " Elton Brown Jr. said with a laugh.

The laugh dries up, however, when Brown Jr. gets asked where he ranks among ACC post players.

He has trimmed at least 25 pounds off his formerly doughy build since he arrived in Charlottesville in 2001, and the 2003-04 honorable-mention All-ACC selection said he deserves attention alongside Duke's Shelden Williams, North Carolina's Sean May and Wake Forest's Eric Williams.

"I want to prove a lot of people wrong," said Brown, who is averaging 16.7 points and 9.8 rebounds a game heading into No. 25 Virginia's Sunday night home game against No. 5 Wake Forest. "They don't ever mention my name, but all those players supposedly at the top, I've held my own against them."

Brown posted six double-doubles in Virginia's first eight games this season and earned ACC Player of the Week honors after scoring 25 points and grabbing eight rebounds in a 79-77 overtime win over Loyola Marymount on Dec. 23.

His roommate admitted to taking a break from running arena steps this summer to challenge Brown on the basketball court late one night. That didn't work out so well for Big E, the football Brown.

"I challenged him to a game of H-O-R-S-E and maybe 10 games of one-on-one," he said. "He won all of them."

If the two have gripes about sharing a name and an apartment, they are minor. The basketball Brown occasionally will nitpick about keeping the apartment clean, his cousin said.

The football Brown, on the other hand, plays nothing but syrupy R & B slow jams, his cousin joked.

Not much to complain about during a senior year that's working out well for Brown and Brown.

Virginia Tech Ready to Take Vick Back
By PAUL NEWBERRY
AP Sports Writer

NEW ORLEANS — Marcus Vick, the younger brother of NFL star Michael Vick, is on track to return to Virginia Tech's football team in 2005.

The 20-year-old Vick was suspended this season after a night of drinking with underage girls. He avoided jail by pleading no contest to a misdemeanor charge.

The Hokies left the door open for Vick's return, as long as he completed a drug education and counseling program. So far, he's fulfilled the conditions for being readmitted to school in time for spring practice.

"We're hoping for a happy ending, a successful ending to this story," coach Frank Beamer said Friday before a Sugar Bowl practice. "Marcus is a good person. He's got a good heart. We all want this to work out."

The No. 9 Hokies (10-2) meet third-ranked Auburn in the Sugar Bowl on Monday night. It will be the final college game for senior quarterback Bryan Randall, the Atlantic Coast Conference player of the year.

Vick would certainly contend for the starting job next season if he rejoins the team. He played in 11 games as a redshirt freshman in 2003, throwing for 475 yards with two touchdowns and five interceptions.

"He's a talented guy," Beamer said. "We'll have to see how we can develop that talent."

Vick still hopes to follow in his brother's footsteps.

Michael Vick led the Hokies to the national championship game as a redshirt freshman in 1999, playing brilliantly in a Sugar Bowl loss to Florida State.

He left school after two seasons, was the top overall pick in the NFL draft by the Atlanta Falcons and already has been selected for the Pro Bowl twice in his four-year pro career.

His younger brother has yet to show whether he can come close to matching those accomplishments, largely because of problems off the field.

Vick was arrested last February, along with teammates Mike Imoh and Brenden Hill, after an encounter with 14- and 15-year-old girls at the quarterback's apartment in Blacksburg, Va.

Vick also pleaded guilty to reckless driving and no contest to marijuana possession after a traffic stop last summer.

During the suspension, Vick has spent time with his brother in Atlanta and worked to meet all the conditions set by Virginia Tech for his return.

Beamer is willing to let Vick back on team, provided he makes no more mistakes. The school has made it clear that any more transgressions — even those involving athletic department or university policies — would result in him being kicked out of school permanently.

"He made a mistake in judgment. That's it," Beamer said. "If you do what you're supposed to do, you shouldn't be punished forever."

BCS still ranks as a failure
AP's withdrawal only adds to the problems
By Mark Blaudschun | January 2, 2005

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- Two days before college football's biggest game of the season -- the BCS national championship Orange Bowl matchup between No. 1 Southern Cal and No. 2 Oklahoma -- college football itself is again on the precipice of chaos.

As the BCS finishes another campaign marked by controversy, there is a more serious problem. And it is not just a matter of fixing some language in the BCS bylaws.

With the Associated Press's dramatic withdrawal from any official participation in the selection process, the BCS foundation has been severely damaged.

When BCS coordinator Kevin Weiberg makes his "State of the BCS" address here Tuesday morning, there will be more questions than answers.

"Right now, we have a few ideas, but solutions? We haven't gotten to that point," said Weiberg from Pasadena, Calif., where he was attending yesterday's Rose Bowl between Texas and Michigan as part of his day job, which is commissioner of the Big 12. "We're going to have to sit down and talk about things over the next several months, starting next week in Dallas at the NCAA convention."

Weiberg knows that without the AP, the BCS must make a major decision on how it selects its teams, and not just the No. 1 and No. 2 teams. He knows that before you can rank teams, you have to have a ranking system.

The method used this year -- the one that had USC No. 1, Oklahoma No. 2, and Auburn No. 3 in the pecking order of unbeaten major conference champions -- gave equal weight to the AP writers' poll, the coaches' poll, and the computers. With the AP gone, and with some questioning the integrity of the coaches' poll -- for one thing, the coaches do not have to reveal their ballots -- Weiberg says he is hesitant to just use that and the computers.

"I'm not sure I'm comfortable with that," he said.

Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese, who proposed a selection committee that would use the rankings but not be bound by them, is also not comfortable with using the coaches' poll as the sole human input.

"That can't work," said Tranghese. "I think the only solution is the committee."

A committee concept was something the bowls could accept as well.

"I could live with that," said Orange Bowl executive director Keith Tribble, who made it clear he wanted the bowls' voices to be heard in any such group.

Tribble knows the system needs to be overhauled.

"This is not tweaking," he said. "It's more than that. The issue is not controversy. We can deal with it. It will always be around without a playoff. It's credibility."

Weiberg said he would want to look at all options before going the committee route.

"We could come up with another poll," he said. "But I don't know how we would form it. So the idea of a committee seems to make the most sense."

Weiberg said a selection committee could use every public poll available -- including the AP's -- but the polls would not be part of the official selection process.

A committee could include representatives of all the conferences and probably the four BCS bowls, and Weiberg and Tranghese agree that there would be no more weekly BCS polls in that event. On the final selection weekend, the committee would make its decisions on all the bowl games.

"Why would you need a weekly BCS poll?" said Tranghese. "Just do it at the end of the season."

Weiberg thinks it could work if an agreement could be reached on the makeup of the committee.

Weiberg wants to emphasize that even if the system is totally rebuilt, there would be no playoffs, because the school presidents remain opposed to that.

"Nothing I've heard in the last several days has changed on that," he said.

He also knows there is some sentiment for "blowing up" the BCS and going back to the old bowl system. But that can't happen easily, either, because there are lucrative television contracts in place.

Weiberg preaches patience for now. He has the meeting in Dallas, several conference calls, a meeting at the Final Four in St. Louis in early April, and -- he hopes -- a solution at the next scheduled BCS meeting in Phoenix in late April.

Weiberg concedes it won't be easy. He knows that one of the problems this season -- three unbeaten major conference teams, five overall, and only two slots for a championship game -- could not be solved without a playoff system.

A compromise might be the Plus One bowl system that was rejected by the presidents last fall. Under that plan, two teams from among the four winners of the BCS games would be selected to play in a championship game. If that were in place this season, Auburn (if it won the Sugar Bowl) could play the USC-Oklahoma winner in a quasi championship game, although Utah might have something to say about that if it won.

Weiberg is sure of only one thing as he approaches what should be some intense grilling by the media Tuesday: He will be busy, as will everyone connected with the BCS as they again attempt to fix something that appears to be broken.

Virginia Will Find Out if It Is ACC Ready
By Mark Schlabach
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, January 2, 2005; Page E03

Virginia's basketball team beat Arizona by 18 points, Richmond by 27 and Auburn by two. Coach Pete Gillen even took his team on the road during the first month of the season, losing at Iowa State and winning at Northwestern. Gillen will learn tonight whether that increased non-conference competition will lead to better results in the rugged ACC.

The No. 25 Cavaliers (8-1) will open ACC play today against No. 5 Wake Forest at University Hall. Virginia has lost its last nine ACC openers -- the Cavaliers haven't won their first conference game since an 81-75 win over Florida State to start the 1994-95 season. The Demon Deacons (11-1) have won six consecutive games and have won 15 of their last 23 games against Virginia.

Coach Pete Gillen and No. 25 Cavaliers will host No. 5 Wake Forest today. (John Mcdonnell -- The Washington Post)

"Hopefully, it will help us," Gillen said of his team's tougher nonconference schedule, which has helped the Cavaliers earn a No. 12 ranking in the latest Ratings Percentage Index, which the NCAA men's basketball committee uses to determine seeds and at-large bids for its tournament. "I think we know what our weaknesses are. We don't have misconceptions about who we are. Hopefully, we can translate that into some good things happening in the league."

The Cavaliers will get off to a better start if they have leading scorer Devin Smith, who sprained his right ankle in the team's 79-77 overtime victory over Loyola Marymount on Dec. 23. Smith, who is averaging 17.4 points and 6.6 rebounds, will be a game-time decision to play against Wake Forest, Gillen said. Starting forward Jason Clark, who is averaging 6.9 points and 5.5 rebounds, should play after missing the Loyola Marymount game with an Achilles' tendon injury.

It won't take long for the Cavaliers to gauge whether they'll be serious contenders in the ACC, which has seven teams ranked in this week's Associated Press top 25 poll. After playing the Demon Deacons and hosting Western Kentucky on Wednesday night, the Cavaliers begin a grueling 12-day stretch in which they will play at No. 9 Georgia Tech on Saturday, host Miami on Jan. 12 and play at No. 6 Duke on Jan. 16 and No. 24 Maryland on Jan. 19.

Beating the Demon Deacons would be a good start for Virginia. The game will be a big test for freshman point guard Sean Singletary, who will go against Wake Forest all-American Chris Paul. Demon Deacons senior guard Justin Gray is averaging 15.5 points, and slimmed-down center Eric Williams is averaging 14.5 points and 5.7 rebounds.

"You just have to score because they're going to score 80 or 82 points," Gillen said. "It's tough to stop them because they've got so many dangerous weapons. They're going to score, but you just can't let them go crazy."
 

WFU will be trying to end skid at Virginia
Deacons have not won in Charlottesville since before Prosser took over
By Dan Collins
JOURNAL REPORTER

Few, if any, excursions taken by Wake Forest during the course of its ACC schedule are as pleasing to the eye as the easy, four-hour ride down Route 29 from Charlottesville back home to Winston-Salem.

And it's high time, junior Justin Gray said, for the Deacons to enjoy the trip.

Instead, a dark cloud of defeat has hovered over the Wake Forest team bus coming down Route 29 in each of Skip Prosser's three seasons as the Deacons head coach. In those three seasons, Prosser has won at North Carolina, Georgia Tech, N.C. State, Maryland and every other pre-expansion ACC port except Duke and Virginia.

Wake Forest actually hasn't won in Charlottesville since the 1999-2000 season, when Dave Odom was in his next-to-last season as the Deacons head coach and Gray was a sophomore at West Charlotte High School.

The Deacons, in order to get off to a successful start in ACC play, will have to break that streak when the teams play in University Hall today at 5:30. Wake Forest is 11-1 and ranked No. 5. Virginia is 8-1 and ranked No. 25.

"We want to start the New Year off right, with a win,'' Gray said. "And it's ACC play, so you've got to play big and you've got to play with a lot of courage -- especially on the road up there.

"We haven't gotten a win up there yet, so hopefully Sunday will be the first one for me.''

Prosser, in assessing the challenge, detects signs of another ambush.

Although forward Devin Smith, the Cavaliers' leading scorer with 17.4 points a game, sprained his ankle against Loyola Marymount, he may return by tonight's game. Coach Pete Gillen said that whether Smith plays will be a game-time decision.

The Cavaliers, coming off a disappointing 18-13 season (6-10 in ACC play) in Gillen's sixth season as coach, have been energized by the arrival of point guard Sean Singletary. A freshman from Philadelphia, Singletary is averaging 10.3 points and 3.8 assists.

But perhaps most foreboding for Prosser is the realization that Gillen, for whom he worked for nine years as an assistant coach at Xavier, apparently set up his schedule with today's game in mind. The Cavaliers have played one game (a 79-77 overtime victory against Loyola Marymount on Dec. 23) since Dec. 8.

Wake Forest, in the meantime, has played Temple and New Mexico on the road and Elon, Texas and N.C. A&T at home.

"Coach Gillen is masterful when he has as much time to prepare for a game as he does for this one,'' Prosser said. "I think they will know us through and through. I've seen him in action, and he does a great job preparing for one game.

"This is a huge game for Virginia and so it will be a great challenge for us.''

The return of Smith would provide the Cavaliers with a big lift. Last year in Charlottesville, in 19 minutes of play, Smith contributed 15 points and six rebounds to Virginia's 84-82 victory.

Still, the marquee matchup is Singletary against Chris Paul, the Deacons' point guard. Paul said he doesn't know Singletary, but he does know what he's going through.

Paul was in Singletary's sneakers a season ago, playing point guard in the ACC as a freshman.

"I think of my position last year as a freshman and trying to be a point guard,'' Paul said. "So I know how he feels right now.

"There are a lot of different burdens and probably a lot of pressure. But he seems to be doing really well.''

Guard T.J. Bannister had some impressive moments last season as a freshman, when he started 10 games and had 93 assists against 57 turnovers. But Bannister has been relegated to a reserve role by Singletary, the Philadelphia Inquirer's Player of the Year last year in Philadelphia who scored 25 points against Auburn on Dec. 3.

The Cavaliers are expected to start 6-2 sophomore R.J. Reynolds in the backcourt with Singletary, 6-8 sophomore Jason Clark at forward and 6-9 senior Elton Brown at center. Reynolds is averaging 10.1 points, Clark is averaging 6.9 points and 5.3 rebounds and Brown is averaging 16.7 points and 9.8 rebounds.

The Cavaliers are averaging 78 points and shooting 47.9 percent from the floor, up from 74.4 points a game and a 44.6 field-goal percentage a year ago. Prosser attributes much of the difference to Singletary.

"(Singletary) has done certainly what Chris did for our team last year,'' Prosser said. "He has energized their team.

"In my opinion they're a totally different team because of him. Their ability to get cheap baskets has increased dramatically because of his influence.''