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SPORTS
The Cavalier Daily
BASKETBALL Freshman point guard heats up during ACC play Continued from page 9 Team selection, Perrantes can lock down opposing guards. The freshman has recorded 23 steals this season — good for second-best on the team — and matched up on North Carolina sophomore guard and leading scorer Marcus Paige for much of Monday’s game. Paige, who entered the tilt averaging 17.2 points per game, finished with just nine. “He sees things that most guys don’t see,” Bennett said. “He was
very complete. He was pretty good to start, but I think with the experience of playing and being in these settings he’s shown what a lot of people out West missed on him.” Perrantes, who hails from Crespi Carmelite High in Los Angeles, Calif., received offers from Pac-12 teams Southern California, Arizona State and Washington State, as well as Illinois and various smaller California schools. However, the Trojans’ coaching situation was in flux at the time, and UCLA — the state’s premier basketball powerhouse and the of-
fer he truly wanted — didn’t show much interest. “It motivates me,” Perrantes said. “We watched the UCLA game the other day and it kind of frustrates me. But then again, God has a plan for all of us and this is where he wants me to be. I’m going to take it and go with it.” It didn’t start out this way. Perrantes began the season adjusting to the college game, as his shooting, particularly, was not up to his expectations. But after beginning the season shooting just 24 percent, Perrantes believes experience, as well as his extra work after
practice with Jones, has been paying dividends. He has been on a scoring tear recently, making 50 percent of his shots from both the floor and 3-point range in conference games. Perrantes appears to be the shooting threat at point guard the team lacked in Evans, as well as the Cavaliers’ second-most reliable free-throw shooter, averaging 81.3 percent from the charity stripe. “I feel like I was thinking about it too much for my first couple of games,” Perrantes said. “It’s a big stage — a whole lot different
than my little high school, we had the smallest gym. But I feel like I stopped thinking about [it] and just started going out and playing.” Despite his overt confidence, Perrantes admitted he’s still a little surprised by his sudden rise to prominence. “I mean you always have the dreams of coming in as a freshman and wanting to start and play big time minutes,” Perrantes said. “I just wanted to be able to come in and help the team win, even coming off the bench a little bit. But it’s escalated quickly and I feel like I’ve responded to it.”
TENNIS Cavaliers must replace program superstar Jarmere Jenkins Continued from page 9 when Virginia was upset by Ohio State in the semifinals in Charlottesville. The opening match this year could pose a bigger test than usual, as No. 46 Elon is coming off an upset of then-No. 7 Duke. The winner of that match will advance to play the winner of No. 56 Indiana and No. 65 Samford on Saturday evening, with the losers also facing each other. As the reigning national champions, coach Brian Boland’s players enter this season with a big target on their backs. But rather than stepping back from the challenge, the players say they are actually looking forward to it. “It’s a good thing, because we have the confidence that we’ve done it and we can do it again,” senior Alex Domijan said. “I think everyone feels that pressure, but we’re going to go out and try to do it again.” The most difficult task for Virginia this year looks to be replacing superstar Jarmere Jenkins, a 2013 graduate. Jenkins almost became the fourth player ever to win the NCAA Tennis Triple Crown — Singles, Doubles and Team — before falling in the Singles final. “I don’t think you can really replace someone like Jarmere Jenkins,” Frank said. “He’s one of the
greatest players in U.Va. history. But I think there’s no doubt in our minds or our coaches minds that this can be the best team in U.Va. history, so it should be exciting journey and we’re excited to get started.” Leading the team on and off the court will be the three captains — Frank, Domijan and senior Justin Shane. The trio have a collective eight appearances in NCAA Finals, a level of experience that could prove invaluable as the Cavaliers try to make it a fourth straight NCAA Final. Frank and Domijan are two of the best singles players in the country, combining to win the last four consecutive ITA All-American Championships. They’re already impressed with the commitment their teammates have shown to maintaining their status as the best team in the nation. “We’re off to a great start, and all we need is competition,” Domijan said. “This is the most disciplined team I’ve been on. We take care of ourselves off the court better than any team I’ve been a part of. That’ll help us down the road and makes our jobs easier as captains.” The veterans will be helped out by an excellent incoming group of freshmen. Rated as the best recruiting class in the nation by the Tennis Recruiting Network, the
quartet of Thai-Son Kwiatkowski, Luca Corinteli, J.C. Aragone and Jordan Daigle could contribute immediately for the Cavaliers. This is the second top-ranked class in a row to come into Virginia, with now-sophomores Ryan Shane and Mac Styslinger proving exceptional additions last year. “We’ve got a lot of first-years that we think are going to make a big impact on the team right from the start,” associate head coach Andres Pedroso said. “ The y’ve shown that they can compete with pretty much anyone in the c o u n t r y, based on their fall results and what they’ve shown in practice. We’re looking for them to play an in-
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tegral role in our team right from the start.” Though Virginia finally got the monkey off its back by winning the program’s first national championship last year, the expectations are no lower this year. The coaches and players fully believe this team can make it back to another title, and finishing any lower would likely be considered a dis-
appointment. “I think this is probably the deepest team we’ve ever had,” Pedroso said. “One of the things that Brian has done with this program year after year is always give us a shot at winning a national championship. They’re as well prepared as they’ve ever been, so we’re expecting a lot of great things from these guys.”