University of Virginia Library

Basketeers Open Big Six Schedule

By Joe Schlabotnik
College Topics Staff Writer

Cavalier Defender Takes Blue Devil With Him In Wonderful Block Thrown Last Year At Scott Stadium

Colgate, With A Defense Boasting A Mysterious Invisible Shield And Lasting Full Game Protection, Is 4-5

Virginia's confident cagers launch
their 1970-71 campaign in two weeks
facing the state's big six college fives
(minus Washington and Lee) in the
annual Big Five tournament in
Hampton's modern coliseum.

The addition of old rival W&L to
the Cavaliers' regular season schedule
means that all of Virginia's major
teams will have to face the Scourges of
Charlottesville. This year's group of
daring dribblers has only two new faces
in the starting lineup, with only one
member of last season's surprise
edition, Chip Case, going on to join the
ranks of successful Virginia graduates.

Head court mentor Bill Gibson is
embarking upon his eighth season of
leading the Orange and Blue and
figures on having a good run at the
confusion-infested ACC tourney
championship. "The Hoot" is debuting
second year-superman Barry Parkhill in
the backcourt to displace a returning
letterman and to give Virginia the
smoothest moving, sharpest shooting,
highest leaping guard that the school
has seen in many a campaign. Joining
Parkhill in the ball handling duties is
third year letterman Tim. Rash, a six
foot court general who came into his
own is a shooter at the tail end of the
season last year, hitting for 25 points
against Charlie Scott on the opening
night of the ACC circus.

The kingpin of the Cavalier
roundball team, this year will be its
captain and only degree candidate, 6-7
Bill Gerry, who, in two previous ACC
years as a starting forward, learned
enough about throwing his hulking 230
pounds around under the boards to be
named the conference's Most Improved
Player. Gerry led the ball club in
scoring last season with an 18 point
average and will be joined at forward
by either 6-4 letterman Frank Dewitt,
6-5 Mike Wilkes who lettered for two
years before sitting out a season, or
blooming Jim Hobgood, a 6-4 second
yearman with great potential.

College Topics shares Coach
Gibson's view that "We feel that the
University of Virginia has turned the
corner in its basketball program. We
should have an excellent competing
contingent. Our style of play will be
quite different in the past. We will be
faster, a little deeper, and more
explosive. We should be a first division
contender in 1970-71."