University of Virginia Library

More Than The Score

Basketball
Woes

By Steve Giannini

A BIG, DARK CLOUD has descended over Virginia
Basketball even before the season is really underway. It's not only
about the 72-49 lost to Georgia Tech. It's the things that have
happened off the court.

To begin with the Cavalier cagers lost a couple of players that
could have helped. Last year's leading team scorer, Mike Wilkes,
decided to finish school in January and go on to graduate school
elsewhere. A promising junior forward who saw some action last
year, Bill Fulton, likewise decided to pursue other interests.

This coupled with the dismissal of two starters, John English
and Tony Kinn, after their part in the "player revolt" in
Charlotte following the Cavaliers' first round loss in the ACC
tournament put Coach Bibson in a tight position for experienced
personnel.

The latest basketball drop-out is guard Tom Joyce. Joyce
apparently decided to quit school as well as Virginia basketball
and took off for Europe to play semi-pro ball with a commercial
team.

With a little more experience Joyce could have certainly
helped the team.

SO COACH BILL GIBSON finds himself at the beginning of a
tough schedule in perhaps the best basketball conference in the
nation with a group of five unproven sophomores, five juniors,
only two of whom have much playing time, and one proven
senior, Chip Case, intact now but with a pair of questionable
knees.

There is no question that Virginia will be outclassed by
everyone in the ACC except maybe Clemson. Sports illustrated
lists three conference teams in the top twenty - South Carolina,
North Carolina, and Duke. That magazine ranks the Gamecocks
number one as does the AP.

With pre-season rankings such as these the Atlantic Coast
Conference has placed more teams in the top 20 than any other
league in the nation. For years the top ACC teams have been
national powers, and the conference champion has gone to at
least the NCAA quarterfinals for the last six years.

Hence, it appears Virginia can take come consolation (?) in
being whipped by the best.

TO ADD TO COACH GIBSON'S WOES two groups of
students opened up their "Boot the Hoot" campaign before the
season began. One group ordered "Boot the Hoot" buttons
through Mincers', the other from an outside source. The group
that ordered the buttons through the outside source has agreed to
withhold distribution for the time being at least. What has
happened to the buttons at Mincers' has not been ascertained.
However, they are not in the hands of the students who ordered
them. The Athletic Department does not have them. Who does
and why could be an interesting story.

Since college teams depend on recruiting to build their
programs, Virginia's basketball fortunes could continue to be
dismal. It will be very hard to get academically qualified "blue
chippers" to come to the University when they see the condition
the program is now in. Coach Gibson's job may rest on this sad
state of affairs. It does not seem likely the Cavaliers will have a
winning season, and much of Mr. Gibson's merit may be weighed
by the players he can recruit.

HOW MUCH SUPPORT THE CAGERS will receive from the
student body remains to be seen. There is hardly any enthusiasm.
There will be that segment of fans who enjoy basketball and are
loyal to the University through thick and thin and will go to the
games. It will be interesting to see from where the majority of
these fans come.