University of Virginia Library

After defending Coach Bill Gibson
for the better part of six years,
I must now ask that Coach Gibson
depart from the Virginia basketball
scene. Though the quality of our
players has indeed improved since
Mr. Gibson's arrival, neither our
overall record nor our competitiveness
in the ACC has appreciably
improved in this time.

A coach should be given at least
four years to prove his worth in
collegiate competition. In that
amount of time, he can install his
system and have his recruits playing
for him. Coach Gibson has had four
years plus two, and his system and
his players are not winning.

As for specific criticisms, I
would rather stay away for emotional
individual judgments that
were found in the "Boot the Hoot"
letter several weeks ago. I do feel
though that there are two areas in
which a basketball coach can show
his expertise. One is assessing the
team's strengths and weaknesses
and arriving at a conclusion as to
the strategy that best fits his
material. Once the strategy is
chosen, the coach must then
discipline his team to the desired
strategy. Our prime assets this year
were a good rebounding and accurate
shooting front line (Gidding,
Carmichael and Wilkes), some ball
handling ability (Kennelly) and
seemingly a lot of desire. Our
outstanding liabilities were a lack of
depth and slowness afoot. I submit
that Frank Maguire, with the same
team, would have played a deliberate
and disciplined offense which
would take maximum advantage of
our strengths while minimizing our
weaknesses.

The second area on which a
coach can be judged is defense. This
phase of the game is the one which
can most readily be taught. Coach
Gibson's teams have consistently
been among the leaders in the
points allowed column ever since he
arrived at the University. Based on
this record, Coach Gibson has been
a failure in teaching this phase of
the game.

While Virginia's basketball fortunes
lay dormant the past six
years, ACC coaches such as Norm
Sloan of North Carolina State, Jack
McClosky of Wake Forest and
Frank Maguire of South Carolina
have turned around sagging basketball
fortunes. Even Clemson has a
couple of good years during this
time. Only Virginia and Maryland
have remained in the second division.
(Incidentally, Coach Fellows'
resignation at Maryland is imminent.)
Knowing that the Athletic
Department will not fire Coach
Gibson, I implore the Coach to
reassess his position at the University
very carefully.

A last suggestion would be to
the Athletic Department in naming
a replacement for Coach Gibson:
Ernie Fears, the impressive and
successful coach at Norfolk State.
With this move I foresee an
integrated and above all a more
successful basketball program.