Chaminade basketball tries to upset Virginia for second time
By Brandon Masuoka
Advertiser Staff Writer
LAHAINA — Chaminade rarely needs an introduction these days.
Known as the team that upset No. 1 Virginia in 1982, the Silverswords have found that fame has no expiration date.
"People know Chaminade because of that upset," Silverswords head coach Aaron Griess said.
Nearly 20 years later, Chaminade and Virginia will play again, this time in today's EA Sports Maui Invitational at the Lahaina Civic Center.
Chaminade is still the underdog, but that means nothing to many Silverswords fans who pepper Griess with pep talk.
"For a month coming up to the tournament, everyone says, 'You're going to win again! You better win!' So yeah, there's no pressure here," said Griess, tongue firmly in cheek.
Each year, the Silverswords try for another upset in the Maui Invitational. They have been trying for nine years, with their last victory coming against Stanford, 71-63, in double overtime in 1992. Chaminade is 3-49 since the tournament started in 1984.
But times have changed. And this season, the 31-year-old Griess, entering his third season as head coach, believes he may have his best team yet with the addition of five junior college transfers, and the leadership of second-team All-Pacific West Conference guard Kashif Reyes.
"We're hoping every year that we can put the effort out there," said Griess, who is also the school's athletic director. "We've been close here several times. I tell my guys, close doesn't count. We just have to try to finish it up one of these times."
Last week, Chaminade hosted a reunion that brought together players from the 1982 Chaminade and Virginia teams. The guest of honor, Virginia's 7-foot-4 All-American Ralph Sampson, impressed many current Chaminade players who came away motivated by the stories of the game called by many as the greatest upset in college basketball history.
"We have got to come out hard, come out strong and try to make our own history," said Chaminade guard Jaborri Thomas, who attended the reunion. "They did their thing 20 years ago. We're the new age. We have to do our thing. It's all on us. We're going in with nothing to lose. Chaminade has always been the underdog, and will forever be the underdog. But we always try to come out on top."
A handful of players from the 1982 Chaminade and Virginia teams, including Sampson, are scheduled to watch the rematch today.
• Star-studded field: Five of the eight teams competing in this year's tournament — Utah, Virginia, Massachusetts, Indiana and Kentucky — are former NCAA Final Four teams that have combined for 25 visits to the Final Four.
Overall, teams competing in the EA Sports Maui Invitational since its debut in 1984 have accounted for 48 of 64 NCAA titles.
• Must-see TV: More than eight million television viewers watched the 2001 EA Sports Maui Invitational during its 17 hours of live coverage on ESPN and ESPN2. With a record nine games on television this year, six on ESPN and three on ESPN2, the numbers are sure to increase.
• Internet gets boost: For the first time, a real-time Webcast of the tournament — complete with scores, stats and play-by-play — will be provided by Get-The-Game. While other sites sometimes take minutes to refresh information, Get-The-Game will take only a few seconds, said Todd Zaroban, president of Get-The-Game. Fans who want to see the Webcast can visit www.mauiinvitational.com.
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EAS SPORTS MAUI INVITATIONAL CAPSULES
Chaminade
Coach: Aaron Griess (32-22, 2 seasons; 16-11 last season)
Conference: Pacific West
Leading returning scorer: Leon Ballard (13.6 ppg)
Leading returning rebounder: Mike Donegan (6.1 rpg)
Fun fact: Low-budget Chaminade runs an extremely clean program with Griess still having to do the team's laundry. Griess, 31, is the youngest coach in the Pacific West Conference.
Arizona State
Coach: Rob Evans (60-60, 4 seasons; 14-15 last season)
Conference: Pacific-10
Leading returning scorer: Curtis Millage (13.5 ppg)
Leading returning rebounder: Tommy Smith (5.3 rpg)
Fun fact: The Sun Devils got four big wins last year against Oregon, Arizona, UCLA and Utah. "Our goal is always to get to the NCAA Tournament," Evans said. "We are certainly headed in the right direction."
Gonzaga
Coach: Mark Few (81-20, 3 seasons; 29-4 last season)
Conference: West Coast
Leading returning scorer: Zach Gourde (13.2 ppg)
Leading returning rebounder: Cory Violette (8.3 rpg)
Fun fact: Gourde and Violette lead what preseason publications say is one of the best front lines in the country. The two combined to average 25 ppg and 14 rpg.
Indiana
Coach: Mike Davis (46-25, 2 seasons; 25-12 last season)
Conference: Big Ten
Leading returning scorer: Tom Coverdale (11.9 ppg)
Leading returning rebounder: Jeff Newton (5.1 rpg)
Fun fact: Last year's NCAA runner-up has beaten four Top 4-ranked programs under Davis (No. 1 Michigan State and No. 4 Illinois in 2000-01, and No. 1 Duke and No. 3 Oklahoma last season).
Kentucky
Coach: Orlando "Tubby" Smith (132-43, 5 seasons; 22-10 last season)
Conference: Southeastern
Leading returning scorer: Keith Bogans (11.6 ppg)
Leading returning rebounder: Gerald Fitch (5.4 rpg)
Fun fact: If Smith's talented Wildcats jell this season, look out. "The strength of our team will depend greatly on how well we come together, believe in the system and execute," Smith said.
Massachusetts
Coach: Steve Lappas (13-16, 1 season; 13-16 last season)
Conference: Atlantic 10
Leading returning scorer: Anthony Anderson (10 ppg)
Leading returning rebounder: Micah Brand (5.7 rpg)
Fun fact: Anderson and Brand will carry much of the load for the Minutemen, who feature seven players who weren't in uniform a year ago.
Utah
Coach: Rick Majerus (283-82, 13 seasons; 21-9 last season)
Conference: Mountain West
Leading returning scorer: Nick Jacobson (13.0 ppg)
Leading returning rebounder: Britton Johnsen (6.3 rpg)
Fun fact: Johnsen, the Mountain West Player of the Year, leads a young team with five of the 11 scholarship players being freshmen.
Virginia
Coach: Pete Gillen (70-49, 4 seasons; 17-12 last season)
Conference: Atlantic Coast
Leading returning scorer: Travis Watson (14.1 ppg)
Leading returning rebounder: Watson (9.7 rpg)
Fun fact: Watson is downright scary. The 6-8 senior forward/center led the ACC in rebounding, double-doubles (17), offensive rebounds (3.43 rpg) and defensive rebounds (6.29 rpg).
