Big-time Billet
Virginia senior hits game-winning shot
Hot Dog Boy Reappears; Ms. Bull a "Pedicure" No Show
By Andrew Joyner / Daily Progress staff writer
February 15, 2004

For someone who leads his team in turnovers, junior center Elton Brown made his best pass of the season on Saturday at University Hall.

Brown spotted an open Todd Billet at the top of the key after a mad scramble and Billet drained a 3-pointer with 2.4 seconds remaining to lift Virginia to an 82-80 victory over No. 15 Georgia Tech.

“There were two guys on me and I just figured somebody was open,” said Brown, who was trapped on the sideline by the Virginia bench. “I just happened to see Todd waving his hands and jumping.”

The 6-foot Billet caught the pass and then released it just over the outstretched arms of 6-6 leaper Isma’il Muhammad. The ball swished through for his only basket and only points of the game as Billet jubilantly ran down the court before eventually leaping into the arms of Brown.

“Elton made a great skip pass and I set myself and shot. I saw Muhammad flying at me and I knew I had to get it off a little quicker and higher because he’s pretty athletic,” Billet said.

The win snapped a five-game losing streak for the Cavaliers (13-9, 3-8 ACC) and marked their first win over a ranked team since defeating then-No. 13 Maryland last March in the regular-season finale. The victory also marked Virginia’s first win over Georgia Tech (18-6, 5-5 ACC) in Charlottesville since Jan. 4, 2000.

“It was a tremendous game. Both teams played hard and I’m very proud of my team. They showed tremendous character and tremendous heart. It’s a great victory and we beat a great team,” Virginia coach Pete Gillen said.

Brown led the Cavaliers with 21 points and seven rebounds while Devin Smith had 16 - all in the second half. Freshman T.J. Bannister had a career day with 15 points, seven assists and four rebounds - all of which were career highs. J.R. Reynolds added 11.

B.J. Elder paced the Yellow Jackets with 22.

Billet’s shot capped a Virginia comeback from a seven-point deficit with 2:59 remaining. After the Jackets had grabbed the 76-69 advantage, Bannister made two free throws and Smith converted a layup to make it 76-73 with 2:10 left. A layup by Will Bynum pushed the Georgia Tech lead to 78-73 but then Smith answered with a

3-pointer. The Cavaliers ultimately cut it to 80-79 on a traditional three-point play by Bannister with 1:06 left. A missed layup by Jarrett Jack at the other end gave the ball to UVa with 53 seconds left. After nearly botching those waning seconds and being fortunate to be awarded possession on a tied-up ball, Brown ultimately would find Billet for the winning basket.

“They went ahead by six or seven and we dug down and came back. That showed a lot of heart,” Gillen said.

The Cavaliers led 37-29 at intermission in what was their first halftime advantage since a victory over William & Mary on Jan. 5.

The Cavaliers trailed for much of the first half before putting together a 15-3 run in the final minutes. Bannister, who first made another three-point play, then connected on a jumper and also made two nifty feeds for another two baskets, fueled the spurt.

The victory was perhaps as much needed as any during Gillen’s five-and-a-half year tenure at Virginia. When the final buzzer sounded, the Virginia players unleashed emotions that must have been bottled up for nearly a month.

“We did a good job of not giving up tonight and we played a full 40 minutes. We needed to get any win and getting one against a ranked team makes it a great win,” Reynolds said.

Added Smith: “It was a real big win. Even though we had lost a couple of games, nobody had their heads down or were complaining. We gave everything we had tonight.”

Note. Virginia outrebounded Georgia Tech 32-30, marking the first time it has outrebounded an opponent since Providence on January 3.
 

Bannister delivers in UVa's win
By Jerry Ratcliffe / Daily Progress sports editor
February 15, 2004

Sometimes, prayers get answered in the most unusual way. Early last March, two of them collided and the results could influence how Virginia’s basketball season finishes down the stretch this season.
About this time last year, T.J. Bannister, one of the heroes in Virginia’s 82-80 upset of 15th-ranked Georgia Tech on Saturday, was trying to find a home. Several college basketball programs were interested in the point guard, but he wasn’t exactly flooded with solid offers.
Only the fourth player in Jacksonville (Fla.) history to score 2,000 points in a career and third in voting for Florida’s Mr. Basketball Award, colleges were holding back.
An answered prayer
When Virginia came knocking, desperate after it became clear that Keith Jenifer would no longer remain in the program, it was the opportunity that Bannister had been praying for. He had taken unofficial visits to Florida, Alabama and Florida State. He was supposed to visit Ohio and Texas.
Once he stepped into Mr. Jefferson’s gymnasium, it was a done deal in his mind. It wasn’t the Cavaliers’ overtime upset over Maryland on his official visit last March 9. It wasn’t the academics that convinced him and it certainly wasn’t University Hall.
A big impression
What touched his heart over that dramatic weekend was something Pete Gillen did before his team even took the court that day.
“I saw Coach Gillen conduct a prayer service before the game and that impressed me because I didn’t see that anywhere else I visited,” said Bannister, a faithful young man.
When he returned to Florida, Bannister knew where he wanted to play college ball. The education, a chance to play in the ACC as a freshman, combined with the prayer service convinced him to cancel his visit to Texas. He wasn’t sure that the Longhorns’ T.J. - Ford that is - was going to leave early for the NBA.
All on the point guard
During Virginia’s struggles this season and its frustration at the point guard spot, Bannister played in spots to spell Todd Billet or to get Billet off the ball. Gillen was reluctant to turn over the pilot’s seat to the freshman until last Wednesday night in perhaps the toughest place on the planet to make your starting debut: Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Bannister played surprisingly well, clocking a career-high 30 minutes and producing five points and a career-high six assists. He gave the Cavaliers something they had missed ... a jet who could push the ball and the offense up the floor at greyhound speed.
So, that’s what Gillen’s offense is supposed to look like.
“When your point guard plays well, your team plays well,” Gillen said after the Cavs improved to 13-9, 3-8 in the ACC with at least six games remaining.
Facing Georgia Tech’s Jarrett Jack, one of the better point guards in the ACC, Bannister knew he would have his hands full. But he turned in the best performance of his career: 15 points, seven assists, four rebounds, 31 minutes (all season highs). Toss in only three turnovers, decent defense against Jack (two points), and the fact that Bannister hit some gutsy shots and Wahoo fans had something to shout about.
Bannister’s 3-pointer, his first of the entire season, ignited an 8-0 run midway through the second half as the Cavs stormed to a 60-57 lead. After the visiting Yellow Jackets, once ranked No. 3 in the nation, fought back to lead by seven (76-69 with 2:59 to play), guess who led UVa’s charge?
His two free throws at 2:46 cut it to five, followed by a Devin Smith drive and a 3-pointer, that cut it to two with 1:31 remaining. Then it was T.J.’s turn again.
He drove the lane, scored and was fouled by Tech’s Will Bynum, then made the free throw to get Virginia within a point at 80-79 with 66 seconds showing.
All that come-from-behind business led to Todd Billet’s drama at game’s end, a shot from bonusphere that lifted the Wahoos out of the ACC cellar.
Bannister, though still learning, may have started but he didn’t earn his opponents’ respect until he proved himself, particularly shooting the ball. He had made only nine shots all season and was shooting a dismal 26.5 percent (9-34).
Noticeably, opponents had been giving him plenty of room, backing off him to double-team other players, almost daring Bannister to shoot.
“He hadn’t been shooting very well,” said Tech coach Paul Hewitt. “But he shot well today.”
Bannister hit 5 of 6 attempts from the field, which lifted his confidence and gave Gillen more faith in his rookie.
“I could always shoot, I just needed to build up some confidence,” Bannister said afterward. “My coaches told me to keep working hard every day and I knew God was going to elevate me.”
Three days a week, Bannister would report for extra practice with assistants Walt Fuller and Scott Shepherd, emphasizing shooting, playing the position. Then it was off to the weightroom for extra lifting.
His mother and father phone him every night and saw dividends of their confidence in their son Saturday. His mom and uncle were in the stands. His dad, a high school girls’ coach, had his own game to coach back in Florida.
While Gillen has been encouraging him to shoot more, well maybe not from 3-point range because of a strength issue, when the opportunity came Saturday the freshman didn’t hesitate.
“I was telling myself, ‘C’mon T.J., I know I can do this,’” he said. “My father and my coaches keep telling me I can. After making that shot, my confidence level has gone a whole lot higher and my teammates’ confidence in me is higher, too.”
Bannister prayed this day would come.
“I know people have been backing off me but I knew I could shoot because I could shoot in high school,” Bannister said. “I knew that at some point I would make them respect me.”
Such respect is usually accompanied by more pressure from fans and more attention by opponents, but it isn’t anything that Tony Anthony Bannister Jr., can’t handle.
If he can continue to produce like this, he just may become the most famous T.J. in these parts in a couple of centuries.

 

Billet nails 1 that counts
Todd Billet makes a 3-pointer in the waning seconds for his only points.
By Doug Doughty

CHARLOTTESVILLE - With 30 seconds remaining Saturday, fifth-year senior Todd Billet was sitting on Virginia's bench and looking at the first scoreless game of his UVa career.

There were some more unlikely heroes at University Hall, but given the circumstances, Billet hardly could have envisioned himself leaping into the arms of teammate Elton Brown and punching the air in exultation.

"First time I've been able to do it in my entire career," said Billet, who hit a 3-pointer with 2.4 seconds remaining to lift the Cavaliers past 15th-ranked Georgia Tech 82-80. "Of the shots I've made, this would have to be No.1."

Virginia (13-9, 3-8 ACC) appeared to be headed to its sixth straight loss when Georgia Tech (18-6, 5-5) took a 76-69 lead with 2:59 left, but the Cavaliers drew their inspiration from injury-plagued junior Devin Smith and freshman point guard T.J. Bannister.

Smith, whose herniated disc prevented him from playing Wednesday night at Duke, scored all 16 of his points in the second half Saturday. That included five points in a 13-4 UVa run during the final 2:46.

Smith had promised after the Duke game that he would play Saturday, "but, actually, when I got here today, I wasn't sure," he said. "It's hard to sit there and watch the team and not be able to go to battle with them. It was still hurting a lot, but I was just trying to block it out."

Bannister, who made his first career start Wednesday, had not scored more than five points in a game before a 15-point, seven-assist, four-rebound masterpiece Saturday. Georgia Tech point guard Jarrett Jack, who is nearly five inches taller than 5-foot-10 Bannister, missed all three of his shots from the field and finished with two points and six assists.

"I had never played in a place like [Cameron Indoor Stadium] before," said Bannister, who played 30 minutes against the Blue Devils, his career high until he played 31 on Saturday. "That helped me a lot today."

Bannister, who was shooting 26.5 percent from the field before Saturday, was 5-of-6 against the Yellow Jackets. He had two 3-point plays, the second to make it an 80-79 game with 1:06 left, and also made his first 3-point field goal of the season after 11 misses.

"What impressed me was how long he was able to play after picking up his fourth foul," said Brown, who led the Cavaliers with 21 points and seven rebounds.

Bannister picked up his fourth foul with 14:48 left but did not lose any of his aggressiveness and was able to hound Georgia Tech guard Will Bynum before Bynum's 3-point attempt fell short with 40 seconds left.

Under similar circumstances, Georgia Tech's Marvin Lewis had made a 3-pointer with one second left in 2002 that had given the Yellow Jackets a come-from-behind victory by the same score, 82-80.

"Payback, huh?" Tech coach Paul Hewitt said Saturday.

Billet's dramatic winner came from virtually the same spot on the floor where he had been the victim of a D.J. Strawberry steal as UVa was holding for a final shot 10 days earlier against Maryland. The Terrapins prevailed 71-67.

Billet, who transferred to Virginia after two years at Rutgers, has scored close to 1,500 points in his college career but has now failed to score double digits in seven straight games. He had missed all three of his field-goal attempts Saturday before re-entering the game after a dead ball with 23.8 seconds left.

The Cavaliers had used all of their timeouts, but they knew what play to run - the one that did not materialize against Maryland. They would try to work the ball to Brown, who would look for freshman J.R. Reynolds if there were a double-team.

The pass went in to Brown, but he did not handle it cleanly, finally retrieving the ball within inches of the sideline. His lob pass found Billet at the top of the key, where Billet released the ball just outside the reach of Isma'il Muhammad.

"When coach put me back in the game with 25 seconds left, I was mentally ready to go in there and make a play," Billet said. "Even as long as I've been around, you never know when you'll get the opportunity."


 

Cavaliers Edge Yellow Jackets On Billet's Shot
Senior's Only Basket Comes With 2.4 Seconds Remaining: Virginia 82, Georgia Tech 80
By Jim Reedy
Special to The Washington Post
Sunday, February 15, 2004; Page E01

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Feb. 14 -- Virginia's Todd Billet had barely caught the ball before Georgia Tech's Isma'il Muhammad, one of the game's best leapers, came flying toward him, attempting to block the last-second shot.

Muhammad was a half-second late. Billet's three-pointer sailed cleanly to the basket and through the net with 2.4 seconds remaining to give the Cavaliers an 82-80 victory over the 15th-ranked Yellow Jackets on Saturday, Virginia's biggest win of the season at a time when it desperately needed a lift.

After sinking to the bottom of the ACC standings with seven losses in nine games, Virginia (13-9, 3-8) responded with one of its most complete performances. Center Elton Brown and forward Devin Smith combined for 37 points, and point guard T.J. Bannister, a freshman making his second start, had 15 points and seven assists in outdueling his more heralded counterpart, Georgia Tech sophomore Jarrett Jack.

At the end, the game-winning shot fell to Billet, who was 0 for 3 until that point. His shot was oddly similar to the one Georgia Tech's Marvin Lewis hit here two years ago to beat Virginia with one second left -- also by an 82-80 score.

"Payback, huh?" Georgia Tech Coach Paul Hewitt said with a laugh.

His Yellow Jackets (18-6, 5-5) made Virginia work on that final possession, which began with 23 seconds left and nearly went awry several times.

Smith first tried to get the ball to Brown on the left side, but his entry pass was knocked away. Brown recovered the loose ball in front of his team's bench, but he was perilously close to the sideline and surrounded by defenders. Smith was only a few feet away along the sideline, but Muhammad slid over from the top of the key, where he had been guarding Billet.

"I knew somebody was open, and I just happened to see Todd waving his hands and jumping," said Brown, who had 21 points and seven rebounds. "He was wide open."

So Brown threw it that way, and Billet made the 294th three of his career. The fifth-year guard threw a fist in the air, leapt into Brown's bear-hug embrace and roared along with the crowd of 7,544.

"I knew [Muhammad] was coming, so I had to get it off quick," Billet said.

The game featured six ties and 13 lead changes, but with less than two minutes left, the Yellow Jackets led 78-73. Despite the deficit, Brown said he was confident entering those final minutes.

"We're not going to lose this game," he recalled telling his teammates. "I know we can beat them. Just keep fighting."

The Cavaliers closed the game with nine points on three possessions. Smith (16 points) began the spurt with a three-pointer that got Virginia briefly within two before Georgia Tech's Will Bynum found Luke Schenscher for a layup.

Bannister drove into the lane and hit a tough shot as he was fouled by Bynum, then hit the ensuing free throw to get Virginia to 80-79. At the other end, Jack missed a baseline layup with 53 seconds left, setting up Billet's winner.

The Cavaliers aren't getting too carried away with just one win. They are eighth in the ACC standings and still have to play No. 14 North Carolina and No. 20 Wake Forest and travel to Florida State, Clemson and Maryland before the end of the regular season.

Yet before Saturday, they hadn't come close to beating a ranked team. Against the Yellow Jackets, they did two things they hadn't done in weeks -- score at least 80 points and outrebound their opponent (32-30).

"They're a legitimate top-15 team, and we wanted to take that step and knock one of them off," Billet said. "Use that as a springboard for the rest of our season."
 

Billet's 3-pointer in final seconds lifts Cavaliers
By Dave Johnson
Daily Press
Published February 15, 2004

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- For 39 minutes, 57.6 seconds, Todd Billet contributed zilch. But when it truly mattered, with Virginia's season on the verge of a standing eight count, he knocked down the biggest shot of his life.

Billet's 3-pointer with 2.4 seconds remaining capped a frantic rally and lifted the Cavaliers to an 82-80 victory over 15th-ranked Georgia Tech on Saturday afternoon in University Hall. It was Billet's only basket, and in snapping a five-game losing streak it couldn't have been better timed.

"I thought it looked long when he shot it," said center Elton Brown, who kicked the ball back out to Billet after being trapped in the corner. "I was just hoping it would still go in, like off the back rim. I was like, 'Please hit it, please hit it.' And he did."

In winning for the first time since Jan. 20, Virginia (13-9, 3-8) climbed out of a tie for last place in the ACC standings. The Cavaliers trailed 76-69 with 2:59 left and 80-76 at 1:13 but scored nine points on their final three possessions.

Billet re-entered the game with 23.8 seconds remaining and Tech ahead 80-79, right after the Cavs' Jason Clark had been tied up under the basket with the possession arrow pointed Virginia's way. With no timeouts remaining, U.Va. coach Pete Gillen called for the ball to go into the post to Brown. If he was double-teamed, he was to kick the ball outside to freshman J.R. Reynolds.

Instead, Tech center Luke Schenscher slapped Devin Smith's entry pass away, and Brown chased it down in the corner. Trapped, Brown spotted Billet.

"I saw Todd waving his arms, jumping up and down," Brown said. "With two guys on me, somebody was open. And he was wide open."

For Billet, there was nothing left but to catch and shoot. It was not an easy shot. Tech forward Isma'il Muhammad, 6-feet-6 with a 42-inch vertical leap, flew at him at him and took a swat at the ball.

"I put a little extra arc on it because he's so athletic," Billet said. "I had to get it up quickly. I was pretty confident when I let go that it had a great chance of going in."

The Yellow Jackets (18-6, 5-5) still had a shot to win, but Will Bynum's 30-footer drew only air.

Billet wasn't Virginia's only hero. Freshman point guard T.J. Bannister played his best game with 15 points and seven assists in 31 minutes, all career highs. A 26.5-percent shooter coming in, he went 5-of-6 from the field and hit his first 3-pointer of the season. His three-point play with 1:06 left cut Tech's lead to 80-79.

Bannister also held Tech's Jarrett Jack to two points, his lowest output in 44 games. And Bannister played the final 11:34 with four fouls.

"He really played like a point guard," Brown said.

Smith, who was unable to go Wednesday night at Duke, gutted out 20 minutes with a herniated disc in his back to finish with 16 points - all in the second half - and seven rebounds.

"For him to get 16 points, I can't explain that," Gillen said.

Brown played his second solid game in a row, hitting 6-of-12 shots and getting to the free-throw line 14 times. And Reynolds' 11 first-half points enabled the Cavs to take a 37-29 halftime lead, their first at the break since Jan. 5.

In last place and with their coach's job on the line, Virginia played like a desperate team.

"This was extremely important," Billet said. "When you're losing, you hear a lot of grumbling. Winning cures a lot of things, and we were in bad need of a win."

Cavs rain retribution on Jackets
By JOHN HOLLIS
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 2/14/04

Charlottesville, Va. -- It was just two years ago that Georgia Tech was on the more preferred end of a dramatic finish at Virginia's University Hall.

The struggling Cavaliers returned the favor in this season's wild ACC matchup on Saturday afternoon, using Todd Billet's 3-point basket with 2.4 seconds left to upset the 15th-ranked Yellow Jackets 82-80.

The loss, which dropped Tech to 18-6 overall and into a tie for third place in the league at 5-5, was eerily similar to the teams' previous meeting in Charlottesville in 2002, when Marvin Lewis made a 3-point shot with one second left to lift the Jackets to a victory by the same score.

"Payback, huh?" Tech coach Paul Hewitt asked rhetorically after watching his team lose a seven-point lead with less than three minutes left.

The game-winning basket -- it was Billet's only one of the day -- followed a scramble for a loose ball that Virginia (13-9, 3-8) nearly lost out of bounds. But Elton Brown recovered it, and while fighting a double-team in the corner found Billet open at the top of the key.

Billet's shot barely got over the outstretched arms of a fast-charging Isma'il Muhammad.

"I knew he was coming, so I had to get it off a little quicker and a little higher, because he's pretty athletic," said Billet, who helped his team snap a five-game losing streak.

Said Muhammad: "I ran at it and contested it. He made a good shot."

The play had been designed to go to the Cavaliers' Elton Brown, who scored 21 points and grabbed seven rebounds. If double-teamed, Brown was supposed to look for freshman J.R. Reynolds.

That all changed when the ball was knocked loose on the entry pass.

"It was just like a scramble on defense," said B.J. Elder, who scored a game-high 22 points to lead four Tech players in double figures. "I thought we had some pretty good pressure. [Muhammad] tried to hustle out and get to him, but it was too late. He just made a good shot."

The Jackets, who play at Maryland on Thursday, had one last chance, but Will Bynum's desperation try from half-court missed.

"A lot of guys can hit shots when you're tied, but when you're down one and able to hit a shot, it's something special," Billet said.

Tech, which lost despite shooting 62 percent in the second half (64 percent from the 3-point line) led 76-69 following a Luke Schenscher free throw with 2:59 remaining.

The Jackets trailed by as many as 11 points in the first half. There were 14 ties or lead changes in the second half.

"You've got some great teams in this league," Hewitt said. "Unless you bring it every night, anybody can lose."

Virginia had lost its previous four games to Tech and five of the past six at University Hall.
 

Billet's '3' lifts Virginia
Cavs nip Yellow Jackets to end losing string and leave ACC cellar
BY JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Feb 15, 2004

CHARLOTTESVILLE - Two seasons ago, Marvin Lewis hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give Georgia Tech an 82-80 win over Virginia at University Hall.

Yesterday, on the same court, Todd Billet's trey with 2.4 seconds left lifted U.Va. to an 82-80 win over Tech.

"Payback, huh?" Yellow Jackets coach Paul Hewitt said.

No. 15 Georgia Tech called time out after Billet's basket and set up a final play, but guard Will Bynum's desperation 40-footer fell short, and the Cavaliers' five-game losing streak was over. Moreover, by beating the Jackets (5-5, 18-6) for only the fourth time in their past 19 meetings, U.Va. (3-8, 13-9) moved out of the ACC cellar.

"We needed this win," junior forward Devin Smith said. "I think we finally played together as a team for the whole game."

The Cavaliers went into halftime ahead for the first time in nearly six weeks, but Georgia Tech appeared in control after stretching its lead to 76-69 on junior center Luke Schenscher's free throw with 2:59 left.

"You got to give Virginia a lot of credit," Hewitt said. "They easily could have folded down the stretch when we got it to seven, but they kept battling back and they scored on us pretty easily. We're a good defensive team, and they did some big things today to get this win."

U.Va.'s final three possessions produced nine points. Smith's trey with 1:30 left pulled the Cavaliers to 78-76. After Schenscher scored inside to make it 80-76, Virginia point guard T.J. Bannister's three-point play made it a one-point game. Jackets point guard Jarrett Jack's shot went in and out with 50 seconds left, and the Cavs rebounded.

Smith missed inside with about 26 seconds left, but teammate Jason Clark got the rebound. Junior guard B.J. Elder (game-high 22 points) tied up Clark on his follow attempt, but U.Va. retained pos- session with 23.8 seconds remaining.

Billet's trey - he was scoreless to that point - came after Smith's entry pass to center Elton Brown in the post was deflected. Brown retrieved the ball near the sideline in front of Virginia's bench. Two Tech defenders converged on Brown, who spotted Billet alone at the top of the key.

A moment after Billet caught the ball, Jackets forward Isma'il Muhammad - he of the 40-inch vertical jump - lunged at the senior guard. Too late.

"I knew he was coming," Billet said, "so I had to get it off a little bit quicker and a little higher."

After scoring 27 points in a Jan. 18 win over Florida State, Billet has totaled only 39 in the seven games. It's safe to say he'll treasure yesterday's ending.

"A lot of guys can hit shots when you're tied, but when you're down one and able to hit a shot, it's something special," Billet said. "It's the first time I've been able to do it in my career."

Bannister, in only his second start, outdueled Jack, one of the ACC's premier point guards. The 5-10 Bannister collected 15 points, seven assists and four rebounds - all career highs. He made 5 of 6 shots from the floor, including his first 3-pointer in 12 attempts this season.

"We don't win, obviously, without him having a great night," U.Va. coach Pete Gillen said.

Brown led Virginia with 21 points. Smith came off the bench to score 16, and freshman guard J.R. Reynolds added 11. All of Reynolds' points came in the first half, all of Smith's after intermission.

"I haven't practiced in a long time, and it took me awhile to get back in rhythm," said Smith, whose bad back kept him from playing Wednesday against top-ranked Duke.

Traditionally a man-to-man team under Gillen, U.Va. played zone exclusively yesterday. Gillen didn't like the way the Jackets penetrated at will against Virginia in Atlanta last month, so he unveiled a zone that, for a half at least, proved effective. Georgia Tech shot only 34.5 percent in the first 20 minutes.

"We knew they'd adjust to it, but we just wanted to make them shoot over us and beat us from the outside," Gillen said.

The Jackets nearly did so, draining seven 3-pointers and shooting 62.1 percent in the second half. Somehow, though, the Cavaliers found a way to win.

"It's a great victory," Gillen said, "and we beat a tremendous team."
 

Virginia's problems prove springboard for freshman
JOHN MARKON
POINT OF VIEW: Feb 15, 2004

CHARLOTTESVILLE Basketball players don't like to talk about it or admit it, but they all know it. One of the few redeeming aspects of playing for a struggling team is that the elevator from the end of the bench to the starting lineup can move very quickly.

For University of Virginia freshman T.J. Bannister, it's moving quickly enough to cause whiplash.

Just 10 days ago, Bannister was just one of several unsuccessful candidates U.Va. coach Pete Gillen had attempted to plug into his troublesome point guard position. In a Feb. 4 home-court loss to Maryland, Bannister was down to Option C, playing only five scoreless minutes.

Advance the videotape to yesterday's 82-80 upset of 15th-ranked Georgia Tech at University Hall and you'll quickly spot Bannister as the suddenly indispensable Cavalier, ringing up career highs in points (15), assists (seven) and rebounds (four).

Bannister picked up his fourth personal foul with 14:48 remaining, but Gillen wanted no part of playing without him. With 11:34 to play, Bannister was back on the court and there he stayed. With the exception of Todd Billet's game-winning 3-pointer with 2.4 seconds left, Bannister was in the middle of just about every big play Virginia made down the stretch.

"We needed T.J.'s quickness against the great athleticism of Georgia Tech," Gillen said. "He's the only point we have who gives us that.

"As a team, we need quickness. Majestic Mapp is very skilled, but he's had six [knee] surgeries and can't move like he used to. Todd Billet's really a 'combo' guard. We need what T.J. gave us today."

Who knew Bannister had it to give? He was a very late recruiting catch last season, picked up in March after the Cavs cut ties with Keith Jennifer, who'd bombed out on and off the court. One of Virginia's earliest signees for September delivery was Philadelphia point guard Sean Singletary, billed as a potential freshman starter.

Meanwhile, Bannister's freshman season was sliding off the radar screen. He was given an extended audition in the Cavaliers' late-December and early-January games but was simply too much of an offensive cipher to keep on the floor. Even after a fairly productive outing at Duke on Wednesday in his first career start, Bannister was still shooting 26.5 percent and still awaiting his first collegiate 3-point goal (0 for 10) as of yesterday's tipoff.

"Oh, I could always shoot," Bannister said, "but my game is thinking 'team' first and knocking down my shots if I have to. Georgia Tech was giving me open shots today; I had to show them they needed to guard me."

There was nothing open about Bannister's biggest shot, a driving, off-balance layup he hit after contact with Tech's Will Bynum with 1:06 left. Bannister's eventual three-point play got Virginia to 80-79 and set up what was to follow.

Not all the Cavs bothered to contain their enthusiasm for the team's new look. Center Elton Brown, who's thriving on Bannister's ability to make the post-entry pass, was talking about an NCAA at-large bid.

"People are going to laugh," Brown admitted, "but a couple more wins and we're right in the middle of it. This week has been like a new birth for us."

While frustrated Virginia fans love to take issue with the way Gillen runs his program, one aspect of the coach's style that must command the attention of his players is that Gillen won't stand pat in a losing streak. On this year's team, in particular, every role and every minute of playing time seem to be on the table in every game.

Since elevators move up and down, not all the Cavaliers are moving in Bannister's direction. Freshmen Gary Forbes and Donte Minter, to name two, had significantly larger roles a month ago than they appear to have today.

"That's the way the game works," Bannister said. "We can't have guys getting discouraged and giving up. If you keep working hard, your opportunity will come sooner or later."

On an eighth-place team in a nine-team league, bet on "sooner" every time.