ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, February 27, 1996 TAG: 9602270091
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: CHARLOTTESVILLE
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
IT'S BEEN an up-and-down season for UVa sophomore guard Curtis Staples.
The remarkable thing about Curtis Staples and the Virginia men's basketball team is that somehow they've retained their sanity.
Although it may not be reflected in the Cavaliers' won-lost record or in Staples' shooting percentage, both are playing their best basketball of the season.
``My play has gone up in a lot of areas,'' said Staples, a sophomore from Roanoke, ``but I felt it would be a bigger leap overall. I don't feel like I've had a good season, despite the records - the ones I've broken and the one I'm nearing.
``But, hey, the season isn't over yet. We're the spoilers.''
That was before the Cavaliers upset 10th-ranked Wake Forest 67-49 and prevented the Deacons from taking over the top spot in the ACC.
Staples, coming off back-to-back 20-point games for the first time in his college career, made four of five shots in the second half against Wake and finished with 13 points.
``I don't think I've necessarily been doing anything differently,'' said Staples, a 6-foot-3 guard. ``I think everything looks better for us as a team and our chemistry is fine, but it still hurts because we've been losing.''
The victory over Wake Forest snapped a three-game losing streak for the Cavaliers, who have led at some point in the second half during their past nine games, four of them losses.
``I've been up and down, up and down every game,'' Staples said. ``It kills me when we lose, particularly when we don't play well, because I always feel I could have done something to make a difference. Sometimes I can't sleep [because] I've got so much on my mind.''
Staples, voted to the ACC All-Rookie team when he scored 11.9 points per game last year, has lifted his scoring average to 13.6. However, his field-goal percentage has dropped from 39.2 to 36.1, and his 3-point percentage has fallen from 42.2 to 31.9.
``I don't think my touch has left me,'' said Staples, who started only six games during the 1994-95 season. ``Last year, I kind of snuck up on people.
``I think people are keying on me more, plus, early in the year, I was shooting myself in the foot by taking shots I shouldn't have been taking.''
That included a 3-for-14 outing against Florida State, a 2-for-10 night against Liberty and two 4-for-13 games. Less than two weeks ago, he was 1-for-10 against Duke, but he is 21-of-43 in the past three games.
Staples scored three times on drives Saturday, and he has made his last 20 free-throw attempts, but the 3-pointer remains the cornerstone of his game. He has made 176 in his career, three shy of John Crotty's school record.
``For a career?'' Staples asked, almost incredulous. ``I've been here less than two years, so I really wasn't thinking about any of the career records. I guess, once I get it, nobody's going to catch me for a while.''
Actually, backcourt mate Harold Deane, a junior, might beat Staples to the mark. Deane, after hitting five 3-pointers Saturday, is up to 178. Staples and Deane rank 1-2 in the ACC in 3-point field goals in conference games this season.
Staples is averaging 3.0 made 3-pointers in all games in his bid to lead the conference for the second year in a row. Staples is on a pace that would break the ACC career record of 351, held by Dennis Scott of Georgia Tech, and he appears to have a shot at the Division I mark of 401 set by Radford's Doug Day.
He would need to play more than the 27 games the Cavaliers will play this season if they don't win a game in the ACC tournament.
``We can't dwell on our record [12-13] because that's over and done with,'' Staples said. ``We can't get those games back. I think everybody is looking forward to the ACC tournament because we're playing well and, obviously, we can keep playing if we win it.
``That's not something we can't do. We really think we can go on and win the tournament and shock everybody.''
If it doesn't happen, Staples doesn't think the season would be a total loss.
``It's definitely been a lesson for me, personally,'' he said. ``You can't just think everything is going to be fine. The lesson is that basketball is maybe more mental than physical. You can't take anything for granted.''
As he approaches the midway point in his career, Staples thinks he has more to add than an occasional long-range bomb.
``When the going got tough this season, a lot of times people put their heads down,'' he said. ``In the past, that's when [1994-95 senior] Jason Williford stepped in. That's somebody I want to be.''
LENGTH: Medium: 88 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: STEPHANIE KLEIN-DAVIS/Staff. UVa sophomore Curtisby CNBStaples has 176 career 3-pointers, and he could break the Division I
record of 401, set by Radford's Doug Day. color.