University of Virginia Library

Speaking Out

Gibson
On
Basketball

By Ernest Dempsey

EARS WERE GLUED TO THE RADIO and hopes were high
around the University community Monday night as Bill Gerry
sank a layup shot midway through the first half to give Virginia a
9-point lead over North Carolina State. For a brief while, it
looked as if the Cavaliers were ready to bounce back from a
devastating road slump which has cost them six consecutive ACC
losses.

HOWEVER, "Dirty Dan" Wells and Bill Benson led a
seemingly incessant State scoring spree which saw a hungry
Wolfpack outpoint Virginia, 19-3 and enter its locker room
with a 46-39 halftime bulge.

IT'S HIGHLY PROBABLE that even the staunchest of
Cavalier roundball enthusiasts were ready to forego Chris
Cramer's unusually clear broadcast in favor of "The Blue Max's"
conclusion or even a history book. After all, it is very
disheartening to have such a successful team at home (Virginia is
now 9-0 at University Hall) lose by 20 some odd points on the
road. In fact the only really bright spots in recent action have
been solid performances by Barry Parkhill and Coach Gibson's
Sunkist orange trousers.

HOW DOES COACH GIBSON EXPLAIN HIS TEAM'S
DEMISE? In an interview yesterday, the basketball mentor gave
me answers to some questions presently being asked around the
University.

WHY HAVE OUR BIG MEN BEEN SO INEFFECTIVE? We
are speaking here of physically big men, of which Virginia has
only two; Scott McCandlish at 6′10′ and Bill Gerry at 6′8″.
Neither has done particularly well in recent weeks and Coach
Gibson gave the following reason for the duo's sub-par
performances:

"OBVIOUSLY, WE'VE RELIED ON BILL AND SCOTT a
great deal this season, particularly under the boards. With our
limited physical size on the bench, Scotty and Bill both must play
37 or 38 minutes of solid ball. They were able to do this in the
early part of the season, but our opponents have now picked up
this secret and are substituting their greater number of big men
more freely. This forces Scott and Bill to run up and down the
court constantly guarded by fresh, tall men and they get tired
faster. This reduces their efficiency and as a result, ours."

DO YOU PLAN TO CHANGE YOUR STRATEGY IN ANY
WAY? Although Coach Gibson does not want to finalize his plan
for Saturday's game against North Carolina until this afternoon,
he indicated that while Virginia is a very flexible team, he doesn't
foresee any drastic change in its play. "We have to maintain a more
even tempo," said the Coach, "and that's what we will work on."

HAS THE TEAM'S SPIRIT DWINDLED AT ALL? To this,
Mr. Gibson replied an emphatic "No." "These kids have given
100% all year and perhaps have been trying too hard these past
few games. What people must remember is that we've
accomplished something that hasn't been seen here in 17 years: a
winning season. Our pre-season goal was to win 17 games and we
can do it We still have a winning spirit."

COACH GIBSON AGAIN PRAISED THE "ACC
ATMOSPHERE" at University Hall and hopes that it will not
dwindle because of the Cavaliers' recent losses. Mr. Gibson can
rest assured that his home court will be enthusiastic because a
Cavalier — North Carolina game is as unpredictable as it is
exciting. Our tournament victory over the Tarheels last year is a
sufficient example.

MORE ON THE UNC GAME. It will be interesting to see how
the Cavaliers do handle North Carolina now that the early-season
success "secret" is out. A slowdown? Nobody likes it, but it may
be necessary. Virginia can't afford to lose this one and the
Tarheels have been appropriately described as a team "of ten
starters." In any case, we'll find out Saturday at 2 p.m.