Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: MONDAY, August 14, 1995                   TAG: 9508150016
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: B3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: By DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

UVA STRIKES GOLD IN CALIF.

Marcaccini, the leading freshman scorer in the West Coast Conference during the past men's basketball season, confirmed Sunday he will transfer from Pepperdine to Virginia.

Marcaccini, a 6-foot-51/2 perimeter player from Sherman Oaks, Calif., will have three years of eligibility with the Cavaliers after sitting out the 1995-96 season.

``It was the only school I called,'' said Marcaccini, whose only other visit this summer was to Arizona State. ``After I visited Virginia, I didn't want to go anywhere else.''

Marcaccini was scheduled to visit Virginia as a senior at Notre Dame High School, but the Cavaliers stopped recruiting him when they received a commitment from another swingman, Jamal Robinson.

``They were probably one of my top two choices at the time,'' said Marcaccini, who signed with Indiana and also visited UCLA and Cal-Santa Barbara.

Marcaccini, whose father is an Italian citizen, was planning to play for Indiana until Italian basketball officials required him to play in that country or forfeit some of the privileges that come with dual citizenship.

Marcaccini helped Benetton Treviso win its league championship before returning to California, where an illness in his family made it more convenient to play at Pepperdine.

Marcaccini started 26 of 27 games and was second on the team in scoring (9.9) and rebounding (4.6). He shot 38.9 percent from the field, including 36.0 (32-of-89) from 3-point range.

``I didn't shoot the ball half as well as I could,'' said Marcaccini, who hit 65.4 percent of his free-throw attempts. ``It was almost a terrible year, not only for me personally, but for the team.''

The Waves finished 8-19 under first-year coach Tony Fuller, one reason Marcaccini considered transferring. He played small forward at Pepperdine, but was considered a guard in high school.

``Probably the best part of my game is shooting,'' said Marcaccini, 20. ``I rebound well for my size, but I've got to work on my defense because I will be guarding quicker players in the ACC.''

Marcaccini is the first Californian in memory to receive a men's basketball scholarship to Virginia, although the Cavaliers have had four women's players from Palos Verdes Estates, Calif.

Marcaccini, whose older brother, G.C., plays at George Mason, is the first men's basketball player to transfer to Virginia since Tom Calloway arrived from Old Dominion in 1984.