Growing up immersed in basketball isn't always fun and games. What do you say when the family debates zone versus man-to-man defense at the dinner table? How do you react when Dad's method of childcare includes hauling you and your brothers to the gym to watch his team practice?
If you're Keith Friel, you pick up a ball and start shooting.
"People ask me what it's like to grow up in a home surrounded by basketball, and I just say I don't know what it's not like," the Durham, N.H., native said. "Basketball was always the topic of conversation. It was all I knew."
Now it's time everyone else knew. Friel, whose father Gerry was the men's basketball head coach at New Hampshire from 1969 to 1988, joined the Cavaliers last season as a transfer from Notre Dame, but his road to Virginia began as a young boy watching his father from the bleachers.
It was only a matter of time before Friel himself was on the court, practicing at home during the school year and spending the summer months fine-tuning basic techniques.
"I grew up pretty much in the gym," Friel said. "I'd play on community leagues and go to camps in the summer to learn the fundamentals of the game."
And now, 14 years and countless summer camps later, the subject at the dinner table is less about zone defense and more about the incredible potential Friel has brought to the Cavaliers.
He began his collegiate career three years ago at Notre Dame and quickly established himself not only as a defensive threat but also as a formidable force behind the three-point arc. In fact, Friel set an Irish record for three-pointers in a single game, draining eight treys against Syracuse during the 1997-98 season.
The 6-foot-4 guard lettered twice for the Fighting Irish, averaging 8.9 points per game his second year and leading the team in three-point field goal percentage with 46.4 percent.
But percentages aren't everything, and at the end of the 1998 season the sophomore found himself restless. Friel said conflicts with the Notre Dame coaching staff were frequent, and eventually he decided the time was right to begin searching for a new home court.
"After two years I still wasn't happy," he said. "A lot of people said leaving was a stupid decision since I had accomplished so much and had everything in front of me, but in the end it had nothing to do with anyone else. I had to make my own decision."
Cavalier Coach Pete Gillen took advantage of Friel's cries for freedom and offered him the chance to start over in Charlottesville on his own terms.
Due to NCAA regulations, Friel was forced to sit out during his first season with the Cavs. Although he was allowed to practice with the team, he had to endure the agony of warming the bench without chance of playing time.
"Once you've had something that's been there your whole life and then it's taken away from you and you can't participate in any games, it's very frustrating," Friel said.
Even practice wasn't enough, since his primary role was to prepare the starters for the next game, which meant mimicking rival teams' defenses and running their offensive attacks - not playing the upbeat tempo and non-stop intensity that is Virginia basketball.
"Practice is so different from games," he said. "The adrenaline level is something you can't duplicate when you're just practicing."
Finally, this August, Friel got his first chance to show his stuff as a member of the 1999 Nike NIT All-Star Team. The 10-man team toured Austria and the Czech Republic, compiling an overall 9-1 record in two weeks. For Friel, it was a welcome initiation back onto the court.
"When you haven't played in a game in over a year you almost forget what the feeling is like to throw the ball up in the air," Friel said. "That's why this summer was key because it was the first time I'd played a game since I left [Notre Dame]. It was tremendous."
Friel should add much-needed depth to the team this season, and his prior experience will help the incoming freshmen adjust to the college game, but the biggest advantage the transfer from the Fighting Irish will bring to the squad is his ability to nail three-pointers.
"He is such a great deep shooter," Gillen said. "Even if he's not making [the shots], he's stretching out the defense because you have to play him. He's going to play a lot."
For the Cavaliers, this season is brimming with expectations, and as for Friel, he finally gets the chance to prove himself.
He's out to show that he made the right decision by shedding his green and gold uniform. With game time getting closer, Friel now dons orange and blue, and the sharp shooter from Notre Dame is determined to regain the superior level he once attained.
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