Three years ago, when Pete Gillen took over a Virginia men's basketball program plagued with a lack of scholarship players due to NCAA violations, many had hopes that he would restore the team to national prominence. Now, the Cavaliers are a NCAA tournament team and, with a talented quartet of recruits in the wings, the future is bright.
The recruiting trail has smiled down on the Cavaliers for the upcoming season, with Prepstars, a recruiting magazine, ranking Virginia's incoming freshman class at No. 27 nationally. But many, including Gillen, believe that the class of Elton Brown (No. 50), Jermaine Harper (No. 115), Keith Jenifer (No. 121) and Jason Clark (No. 79) is underrated.
"Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder," Gillen said. The recruits are "better than most people think."
Underrated or not, the Virginia coaches expect the four freshmen to fit right into Gillen's fast, up-tempo style of play.
"They are athletic and quick," Virginia assistant coach Tommy Herrion said. "They will have a big impact on our program and add depth and versatility."
Virginia's freshman class features an outstanding pair of guards, Jenifer and Harper, who both spent a year at prep schools to hone their court skills and their academics. Jenifer, a 6-foot-3, 160-pound recent graduate of Hargrave Military Academy, will bring his ball-handling expertise to Virginia and back up starting sophomore point guard Majestic Mapp next season.
Jenifer is "young, quick, and can penetrate" the defense, Gillen said. "He's like Majestic in his first year with Donald Hand. He's going to play a lot."
Harper also brings a great deal of quickness and athletic ability to the floor. The 6-3 shooting guard spent the past year at the Blue Ridge School, where he averaged 19 points, 7.5 rebounds and 6 steals and led it to a 21-6 record and the Virginia Independent School Championship.
"I'm really happy being here" at Virginia, said Harper, who is now taking summer classes at the University along with Jenifer and Clark. "It's really exciting getting to work out and get better and just get used to college life."
But the important portion of the class is the two post players, Brown and Clark, a much-needed addition to an undersized Virginia frontcourt that started 6-7 sophomore Travis Watson as center and 6-7 junior Chris Williams at power forward last season. Brown, at 6-9 and 225 pounds, boasts a wide range of low-post moves as well as a steady jumper. Brown has yet to achieve college eligibility. He took the SAT on June 5, and coaches expect news soon on whether or not he obtained the minimal score to qualify.
Clark spent two years at Hargrave, and the 6-8, 217-pound forward features great hustle in the low post and shot-blocking skills, which will greatly help the Cavaliers' frontcourt.
"I bring a lot of toughness and athletic ability," said Clark. "I'm excited to play with Travis. He's tough like me."
Herrion and Gillen also believe that the post-high school experiences of Clark, Jenifer and Harper will bring something special to the University, both on and off the court.
The time spent in prep school is "intrinsically invaluable," said Herrion. Experiences like "being away from home, living in a dorm room will make the transition [to college] easier."
They will be "ahead of normal freshmen," agrees Gillen. "It's a plus. They're stronger and more focused on both basketball and academics."
In addition, add Todd Billet and Nick Vander Laan - transfers who have verbally committed to come to Virginia - to the mix. Both, because of to NCAA transfer rules, will sit out the upcoming season and become eligible for NCAA competition in 2002-03.
The 6-0, 180-pound Billet was Rutgers' leading scorer last year, averaging 16.6 ppg, and he set a school-record with 82 three-pointers. At 6-10, Vander Laan, who comes from California, will fill the need for the big man in the middle. He averaged 6.2 points and 5.3 rebounds last season for the Bears.
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