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| Virginia guard Todd Billet |
In Pete Gillens 5 years at Virginia, he has a very respectable 86-65 overall record. However, there seems to be a perception that his job may be in trouble this year. The problem seems to be linked to Virginias 3-14 record in the month of March during Gillens tenure. The Cavaliers March flameout has begun to develop into an annual occurrence in Charlottesville. Last years Virginia team started the season 8-2, which included a win over Kentucky in the Maui Invitational. However, the Cavaliers concluded their season by losing 9 of their last 11 games. The 2001-2002 Virginia team started the season 9-0, but closed their season by losing 6 of their last 7. If Gillen can avoid these type of late season meltdowns, the 2003-2004 season could be a very good one in Charlottesville.
Travis Watson is a big loss from last years team, but there is enough talent returning, and Gillen had enough success on the recruiting trail, that Virginia could challenge for a high finish in the ACC standings. In the frontcourt, the Cavaliers return 6-9 sophomore Elton Brown (9.6 PPG, 4.3 RPG), and 6-5 junior Devin Smith (11.6 PPG, 4.2 RPG). Those 2 should start in the frontcourt. Brown is big and burly and has a soft shooting touch, but he needs to get tougher inside and also needs to improve his rebounding and defensive prowness. Smith could be the Cavaliers leading scorer this season and has excellent range on his shot. His offensive production could be a big key for the success of this team in 2003-2004. The other frontcourt starter will likely be 6-8 junior Jason Clark (4.7 PPG, 2.5 RPG), or 6-7 sophomore Derrick Byars (6.5 PPG, 2.9 RPG). Byars appears to be the most likely to win that last frontcourt starting spot. He has good athletic ability, has good range on his shot, and is a good defender. Also, 6-6 freshman Gary Forbes is a very talented addition to Gillens Cavaliers and will likely see minutes on the wing, and could challenge for a starting spot at some point during the season.
The Virginia backcourt will be lead by 6-0 senior Todd Billet (13.5, 3.4 APG, 42% 3-point shooting). Billet is capable of playing either backcourt positions, but he is more effective on the wing where he can work to get free for his highly effective 3-point shooting. He needs to improve his driving ability so that he can get to the line more often where he shoots a phenomenal 86%.Majestic Mapp returned to the Cavaliers roster last season after 3 years of knee problems. Mapp was a highly-regarded point guard prospect coming out of high school, but his injury problems have severely limited his playing time and hampered his mobility. If he can come closer to fulfilling his promise and take over the reins at the point for Gillen, it would free up Billet to play more at his natural wing guard position. Gillen has the potential to have good depth in the backcourt if freshmen 6-3 J. R. Reynolds and 5-11 T. J. Bannister are able to contribute early. Bannister is a pure point guard and may challenge Mapp for the starting spot at the point, while Reynolds is a wing guard. Jermaine Harper, a 6-3 junior, should provide some valuable minutes off the bench in the backcourt for the Cavaliers. Harper has a good, but inconsistent, 3-point shooting stroke.
The 2003-2004 edition of the Virginia Cavaliers has the potential to be very good. They return 7 players who averaged, at least, 13 MPG last season. They also add a four-man freshman class, which should add valuable depth. If they can avoid the annual March meltdown of recent Virginia teams, they could make the NCAA tournament for the 1st time since the 2000-2001 season. However, it is more likely that they will have trouble climbing into the 1st division of the ACC and will have a return engagement in the NIT.
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