Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, March 10, 1990 TAG: 9003102394
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE: CHARLOTTE, N.C. LENGTH: Medium
Since incurring coach Terry Holland's wrath at Maryland, Oliver has been a changed basketball player, hitting 10 of 11 shots Friday in Virginia's 92-85 overtime victory over North Carolina in the first round of the ACC Tournament.
Oliver was coming off an 18-point performance, including 14 in the second half after Holland's tirade, in the 89-74 loss at Maryland.
Holland overturned a water cooler, threw a chair and kicked a tray of oranges in the direction of Oliver, a 6-foot-4 sophomore from Faison, N.C.
"Everything seemed to float into my lap," said Oliver, who was 1-of-6 in the first half against the Terrapins. "I was scared to death. I thought he was going to pick up a chair or something and clobber me.
"I didn't move until he calmed down. I wasn't going to throw [the oranges] down on the floor or else he might have gotten even more mad at me."
Oliver sometimes infuriates the UVa staff with his sophomoric mistakes, but he has become a defensive stopper who invariably is assigned to cover scorers such as Dennis Scott of Georgia Tech or Rodney Monroe of North Carolina State.
Although he had scored 21 points on two earlier occasions, Oliver had never been as assertive on offense as he was Friday, when he had a career-high 23 points in 22 minutes against the Tar Heels (19-12).
"Oliver seemed to come out of nowhere," said North Carolina forward Rick Fox.
Actually, Oliver came off the bench, where he had spent more than eight minutes after picking up his fourth foul with 12:17 remaining.
Oliver returned with 4:11 remaining, just in time to hit a jumper with 3:39 left that put the Cavaliers ahead 73-68.
"The first thing I said when I came in the game was not to shoot right away because I was cold," Oliver said. "I passed up a couple of shots when the ball came to me, but when I got it back there were only five seconds on the shot clock."
Oliver was to score eight of Virginia's 11 points in overtime, including the jumper that put the Cavaliers (18-10) on top for good, 86-85, with 2:09 left.
"I was kind of amazed at some of the shots I hit," said Oliver, who made his first shot of the game, missed his second, and then made his last nine. "But if I was wide open, I had to take it."
Oliver, the first North Carolinian to play for Virginia in more than 10 years, grew up as a UNC fan and was scouted by the Tar Heels as a senior at North Duplin High.
"He was a Carolina fan and felt we could use a rest before the NCAA Tournament," said Dean Smith, the Tar Heels' coach. "We would have recruited him, but we had already signed Hubert Davis."
Ironically, Hubert Davis is from Burke, Va., although he is the nephew of former Tar Heels great Walter Davis. Hubert Davis signed in the fall of 1987, with Virginia landing Oliver in the spring.
"I've got something to prove to a lot of schools," Oliver said. "They were saying, `You're having a good year, but it's a fluke. When you go away, you'll fall on your face.' "
When the Cavaliers get a scouting report on North Carolina, Oliver invariably checks on Davis, who is averaging 10.1 points per game. Oliver has lifted his average to 10.5.
"It's nothing against him and nothing against North Carolina," Oliver said of Davis. "I just like to see how he's doing."
Oliver had 12 points in 15 minutes against North Carolina in the Cavaliers' 106-83 victory in 1988-89, but managed only two points this season in his first start against Carolina at the Dean Smith Center.
Oliver, an uneasy flyer, said he was still shaken after an engine caught fire and the Cavaliers' flight to Chapel Hill, N.C., was re-routed to Richmond on the night before the game.
"The pilot said the plane could have crashed," Oliver said. "It wasn't a good scene at all."
It didn't help matters that Oliver picked up two quick fouls in that game and played only 16 minutes before a large contingent from Faison.
"It means more to me when we play against these teams from North Carolina because my parents can see me play," Oliver said. "But I'm more happy that we won our first-round ACC Tournament game than the fact we beat Carolina."
by CNB