Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, March 11, 1994 TAG: 9403110079
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JACK BOGACZYK
DATELINE: CHARLOTTE, N.C. LENGTH: Medium
He showed up. He also showed he shouldn't play today in the Cavaliers' noon quarterfinal against Maryland - and he won't.
In an NCAA bubblicious game against the Terrapins (16-10), poor-shooting UVa (15-11) certainly could use someone like the junior point guard to create quality shots for himself and his basketball teammates. Alas, what has been a fractured fairy tale of a season for Alexander continues.
"I have high hopes of playing again, and I will play, and I'll play a lot better," Alexander said after he went through drills with his teammates at the Charlotte Coliseum. "But it won't be this year. I'd say I'm only 40 or 50 percent."
Whether the Cavs' season continues next week in the NCAA Tournament or the National Invitation Tournament, Alexander will assume the position he'll take today, the one he has not enjoyed since breaking his right ankle 11 minutes into UVa's season-opening disaster against Connecticut.
There won't be any teasing in warmups. If there is anyone new in the Cavaliers' lineup - speculation centers on freshman forward Jamal Robinson - it won't be Alexander.
"I'm not going to be in uniform," he said. "I'll be in street clothes on the bench, like always.
"I did think about it. But I wouldn't have been fair to the other guys when they've been out there for a season, and I wouldn't have been fair to myself to try to come back for three or four games."
It's from the seat of his pants that Alexander, the former Oak Hill Academy star, has watched his preseason plans of leaving school a year early for the NBA wither.
"I'll definitely be back [at UVa] next year," said the Waynesboro native, who will turn 21 in June. He said that after a 1994-95 season the Cavaliers are all but certain of starting in the Preseason NIT, he'll stick with his pro plans.
"It would be my class coming out anyway, with Junior [Burrough], Jason [Williford] and Yuri [Barnes] being seniors," Alexander said. "Hopefully, someone will need a point guard as a high draft pick."
It's been more than five weeks since Alexander had the cast/brace removed from his ankle, and for the next 2 1/2 weeks he thought he might play this season. That ended when he couldn't play by the Feb. 19 loss at North Carolina. He practiced with his teammates Monday for the first time since November.
"I wanted things over with now," he said. "It's just something I've had to deal with. The rehab has taken a toll on me. It's still sore. It's still weak."
Alexander admits the constant speculation on when or if he would return was a distraction to his teammates. Alexander said he thought the Cavaliers would have more than 15 victories, particularly after a 6-3 start that stretched to 12-5.
"I thought they'd struggle more at the beginning, then become a better team," he said. "What surprised me was the 6-2 [start] in the ACC. They were beating quality teams.
"Once they did that, I think a lot of people started to expect that kind of quality basketball. The biggest thing that happened when we got to the midpoint of the ACC season is that we didn't have one person step up and become a leader, I don't think. And we have a lot of guys capable of doing it."
Alexander's absence has altered coach Jeff Jones' offense. There is more structure and fewer shots off the dribble. The lost time hasn't damaged Alexander's confidence, however, and it will enhance his game next season, he promises.
"From the perspective I've had, I think I'm much more knowledgeable about the game," Alexander said. "From over there, I've seen places where I could easily get shots. I've learned where Junior like the ball the best. I've seen how you can pick apart a defense."
Alexander always was an instinctive player, or, as he said, "the type of person who, when I came to college, it's like, `Throw him in the water and let him swim.' " He said that won't change, but he is more analytical about his sport.
And how does he analyze his season of inactivity as it relates to his NBA aspirations?
"The biggest thing is, I don't feel that this year has made me feel like I'm not ready [for the NBA]," he said. "I just need another year because I didn't play this year."
by CNB