North Carolina State University Athletics
Wolfpack Travel To Virginia
2/11/2000 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
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#24 NC STATE WOLFPACK (15-6, 5-5) vs.
VIRGINIA CAVALIERS (15-8, 5-5)
Saturday * Feb. 12, 2000 * 7:00 p.m.
University Hall (8.457) * Charlottesville, Va.
BROADCASTS
TV: ESPN - Dave Sims (play-by-play) and Jon Albright (color)
Radio: Wolfpack-Capitol Sports Radio Network - 36 Stations (WPTF-680 Flagship); Coverage begins 30 minutes prior to tip-off. Gary Hahn (play-by-play) and Tony Haynes (color).
On The Internet: www.gopack.com
NC STATE VS. VIRGINIA: NC State and UVa have met 115 times previously with the Wolfpack holding a 68-47 lead in the overall series. UVa has won eight of the last 11 meetings between the teams, including a run of seven straight wins from 1995-98. The Pack has lost 11 consecutive games to UVA in University Hall and has won just twice in the last 21 meetings in Charlottesville. NC States last victory in Charlottesville was a 64-63 win on Feb. 27, 1988. Rodney Monroe and Charles Shackleford each had 18 points in that game. Earlier this season, NC State got a 65-62 win over UVa in Raleigh despite shooting just 37 percent (10-of-27) from the free-throw line. The Pack got 38 *Points in the Paint* in the game, led by a team-high 13 points and nine boards from freshman Damien Wilkins. The teams split their two meetings last season. In Charlottesville, the Cavaliers earned an 82-79 overtime victory led by Donald Hands 41 points. Center Ron Kelley, who had a career-high 24 points, drained a 25-footer at the buzzer to send the game into overtime.
ABOUT THE WOLFPACK: NC State is 15-6 overall, 5-5 in the ACC and is ranked No. 24 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches' Poll. The Wolfpack dropped two straight games for the first time this season (against Maryland and North Carolina). NC State is second in the ACC in scoring defense (62.5 ppg) and is forcing an average of 19.3 turnovers per game. Sophomore guard Anthony Grundy leads a balanced Wolfpack team in scoring at 13.6 ppg., while Damon Thornton is averaging 10.7 points and 7.7 rebounds per game.
A WIN: Would break the Packs string of 11 straight losses in Charlottesville. It would also be the NC States first ACC road win this season. The Pack had one ACC road win a year ago (defeating Georgia Tech 51-50) and is 5-23 in ACC road games over the last four seasons. A win would also be NC States sixth conference victory this season, matching last seasons ACC win total. The last time NC State had more than six conference victories was in 1990-91, when the Pack went 8-6 in conference play. NC State has improved its overall and ACC win total in each of Herb Sendeks four seasons as head coach. A Wolfpack victory would also mark the first time NC State has swept the season series with the Cavaliers since 1987-88.
WOLFPACK INDIVIDUAL HIGHLIGHTS VS UVa:
INJURY BUG BITES AGAIN:
NC State has been plagued by injuries over the last four seasons. Two years ago it was foot injuries. This year, four players have missed time with knee problems. Within the last two weeks, junior Ron Kelley and freshman Marshall Williams both had arthroscopic knee surgery. Kelley had the procedure to repair damaged articular cartilage in his left knee on Jan. 30 and was expected to miss 2-3 weeks. Williams had surgery to repair a partial tear of meniscus cartilage on Feb. 10 and was expected to miss at least three weeks.
Earlier this season, junior forward Kenny Inge suffered a partial tear of his medial collateral ligament in his left knee and missed four games from Nov. 26-Dec. 17. The injury did not require surgery. Senior forward Tim Wells missed much of the preseason due to tendinitis in his left knee, then dislocated his left shoulder shortly after returning to practice. In 1997-98, NC State had seven different players miss a combined 69 games due to injury. Last season, the Wolfpack lost guard Archie Miller for the season due to a back injury. Here is a look at NC States injuries over the past four seasons:
Player Injury Season (Games Out) Marshall Williams knee 1999-00 (1) Ron Kelley knee 1999-00 (3) Kenny Inge knee 1999-00 (4) Tim Wells knee, dislocated shoulder 1999-00 (3) Cornelius Williams foot 1998-99 (1) Adam Harrington sprained ankle 1998-99 (1) Damon Thornton hip/groin 1998-99 (0*) Archie Miller back surgery 1998-99 (30) Justin Gainey strained back muscle 1997-98 (3) Damon Thornton broken foot (right) 1997-98 (29) Ron Anderson broken foot (left) 1997-98 (27) Ron Kelley sprained foot (right)1997-98 (7) Tim Wells stress fracture, shoulder 1997-98 (5) Luke Buffum broken foot 1997-98 (7) Damon Thornton hip 1996-97 (9) 11 different players 130 total games * - did not practice regularly until Jan. 1
DAMON DOMINATES: Junior Damon Thornton is averaging 10.7 points and 7.7 rebounds this season and ranks among league leaders in rebounding (6th) and blocked shots (1.7, 6th). Over the past four games, Thornton is averaging 14.8 points, nine rebounds and 3.5 blocks per game, while shooting 61.9 percent (26-of-42) from the field. He had a career-best 23 points vs. Arizona State.
THORNTON FINALLY HEALTHY: A big part of Thornton's success can be attributed to the fact that he is healthy for the first time since early in his freshman season, The 6-8 junior from Norfolk, Va., had the first healthy offseason and preseason of his college career this summer and fall, and has regained much of the explosion he showed as a freshman, when he earned ACC All-Freshman honors and finished second in the voting for Rookie of the Year (to UNC's Ed Cota). Thornton missed the final nine games of 1997 season with a hip injury, then broke his foot three games into the 1998 season and received a medical redshirt. Last year, he did not begin practicing regularly with the team until January due to a strained ligament in his hip/groin area.
DOUBLING UP: Thornton recorded his fourth double-double of the season at Maryland, finishing with 12 points and 11 rebounds. He is sixth in the ACC this season in double-doubles and has 10 career double-doubles. Thornton also had double-doubles vs. Western Carolina (11-13), Yale (16-10) and Old Dominion (16-10). He has had double-digit rebounds in two other games as well - vs. Florida State (12 rebs.) and Liberty (10 rebs.). Kenny Inge ranks third in the ACC with 16 career double-doubles but does not have a double-double this season. He had 10 boards at Maryland, his first double-digit rebound game this season.
THORNTON AMONG SCHOOL LEADERS IN FG %: While NC State has struggled shooting the ball this season, Damon Thornton has continued his accurate touch, making 57.6 percent (95-of-165) of his shots from the field. Thornton now ranks second in school history in career field-goal percentage at 58.1 percent (259-of-446). He is also being more aggressive on the offensive end, averaging 7.9 shot attempts per game this season. Prior to this season, Thornton had averaged 4.8 field-goal attempts per game.
SWAT WATCH: NC State had a season-best 11 blocks vs. Maryland on Feb. 6, its highest total since blocking 11 shots vs. UNC-A in a 99-60 win on Jan. 22, 1990. The last time NC State blocked more than 11 shots in a game was on Feb. 8, 1988, when the Pack had 12 swats vs. Baptist. Center Damon Thornton is averaging 3.5 blocks over the last four games. With two blocks vs. UNC, he passed Charles Shackleford to move into seventh place all-time in school history with 103 career blocks. He has 36 blocks this season.
LEADING THE PACK: Sophomore Anthony Grundy has picked up where he left off last season, leading the Wolfpack in scoring at 13.6 ppg. Grundy, who joined the team at midseason last year and went on to become a starter and earn All-ACC Tournament honors, is also third in the ACC in steals at 2.2 per game. The 6-2 guard has a wingspan (from fingertip to fingertip) measured at 6-6, while most people's wingspan is equal to their height. Grundy had seven steals in the Pack's win over Georgia on Nov. 19, the third-highest single-game total in school history. He has been in double figures 17 of 20 games this season.
GRUNDY NETS CAREER-HIGH 30 POINTS VS DEACS: Grundy scored a career-high 30 points in the Pack's 76-56 win over Wake Forest on Jan. 16, and has been in double figures in 10 of the last 11 games. He is averaging 14.6 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.0 assists in ACC play, while shooting 43.3 percent from the field. His 30 points was the highest single-game scoring effort by a Wolfpack player since C.C. Harrison scored 31 points at North Carolina on Feb. 21, 1998.
GIVING IT UP: Backcourt mates Justin Gainey and Anthony Grundy share team assist honors. Both players have totalled 61 assists this season and both have 30 assists in conference play. The duo combined for 11 assists and two turnovers against North Carolina. Grundy holds the team's single-game high this season with seven assists in the Pack's first meeting vs. North Carolina on Jan. 8. Gainey is averaging 4.3 assists over the last four games.
SCORING POINT: Gainey is averaging 13.5 ppg in the last four games, seven points better than his previous career scoring average. In the Wolfpack's loss at Clemson on Jan. 26, Gainey failed to score for the first time in 51 starts. Since then, he has made 52.9 percent (18-of-34) of his field-goal attempts and 56.3 percent (9-of-16) of his three-point attempts. Gainey had a season-high 21 points at Maryland, going 6-of-9 from the field, 4-of-5 from three-point range and 5-of-5 from the free-throw line. NC State is 25-7 in the last four years when Gainey scores in double-figures. The Pack is 8-2 when Gainey's in double figures this season.
FIXTURE: Many ACC followers remember Justin Gainey as the baby-faced freshman who played every minute of the 1997 ACC Tournament as the eighth-seeded Wolfpack made a run to the championship game. Gainey, who earned all-tournament honors, became the first player in ACC history to play all 40 minutes in four tournament games. Now the team's senior captain, Gainey ranks fourth all-time in school history in minutes played (since 1984) with 3,457 minutes logged. Gainey rarely saw the bench last season, averaging 35.9 minutes per game in ACC play, but this year he has gotten more of a break, logging 29.6 mpg. For his career, Gainey has played an average of 30.1 mpg (115 games). NC State Career Minutes Played
Player Minutes Years
1. Chris Corchiani 4097 1988-91
2. Rodney Monroe 3989 1988-91
3. Ishua Benjamin 3782 1995-98
4. Justin Gainey 3457 1997-
5. Curtis Marshall 3323 1992-96
NOTE: minutes kept since 1984
GAINEY AMONG SCHOOL ASSIST & STEALS LEADERS: With six assists vs. North Carolina, Gainey moved passed Jeremy Hyatt into ninth place in school history with 310 career assists. He also ranks seventh in school history with 161 career steals. Only seven players in NC State history rank among the school's top 10 in both career assists and steals. Chris Corchiani holds the school record with 1038 career assists and 328 career steals from 1988-91.
GAINEY'S GAME WINNERS: Justin Gainey's 12-footer with 1.8 seconds left against Maryland on Jan. 6 was the senior point guard's third game-winning shot in the last two seasons. Earlier this season, Gainey knocked in a three-pointer with 14 seconds left at Purdue. That shot looked strikingly similar to the senior's game-winner at Georgia Tech last season. Against the Yellow Jackets, Gainey slipped behind a ball screen and drained a three-pointer with 15 seconds left to give Wolfpack a 51-50 lead. Gainey then stole Tech's inbounds pass with two seconds left to seal the win.
BOARD WORK: While defense has been NC State's calling card this season, the team's ability to rebound has also been a determining factor in the 15-6 start. NC State has been outrebounded just six times this season and has a +2.7 rebound margin, fourth in the ACC. The Pack has been especially effective on the offensive glass, averaging nearly 15 ppg on second-chance points. Wolfpack freshman Damien Wilkins ranks fourth in the ACC in offensive rebounds at 2.95 per game.
PRODUCTIVE BENCH: NC State has used a deep bench in each of its first 21 contests, playing at least nine people in each game. Wolfpack reserves have outscored opponent reserves 421-231 this season and NC State is getting an average of 20 ppg off the bench.
BALANCED ATTACK: NC State has used a balanced scoring attack this season. Anthony Grundy and Damon Thornton are the only Wolfpack players averaging in double figures at 13.6 and 10.7 ppg respectively. Damien Wilkins (9.8), Ron Kelley (9.0), Justin Gainey (8.8) and Kenny Inge (8.7) are each averaging better than eight points per game. Eight different players have held team scoring honors this season, led by Thornton who has held team honors seven times. The last time NC State had more than three players average in double figures for a season was in 1990-91 when Rodney Monroe (27.0 ppg), Chris Corchiani (16.3 ppg), Tom Gugliotta (15.2 ppg) and Bryant Feggins (13.3 ppg) each averaged in double figures.
WILKINS - INSIDE THE NUMBERS: Freshman Damien Wilkins' quiet all-around play has snuck up on many. Wilkins is among NC State's top three in scoring (9.8 ppg), rebounding (6.3 rpg), assists (48), blocks (12) and steals (30). He also leads the Pack in minutes played at 30.5 mpg. Wilkins is fourth among all conference players in offensive rebounding (2.95 per game). In ACC play, Wilkins ranks eighth in free-throw percentage at 76 percent.
LONG-RANGE BOMBER: Sophomore guard Archie Miller made his first two two-pointers of the season vs. North Carolina, finishing with four points. Miller is 2-of-14 from inside the arc this season, 29-of-79 (36.7 percent) beyond it. Miller has scored in double figures in three of the past five games, averaging 9.6 ppg. Ninety-one of his 109 career field goal have been from three-point range.
INGE SLUMPING: Junior forward Kenny Inge is averaging just 5.8 points and 5.5 rebounds per game in the last six contests. In each of his first two seasons Inge has averaged 11 ppg, but this season he is averaging 8.7 ppg. A big part of the scoring difference can be attributed to getting to the free-throw line less frequently. In the previous two seasons, Inge has averaged 5.6 FTAs per game, but this season he is getting to the line just 3.5 times per game. Almost 33 percent of Inge's career points have come at the free-throw line (280-of-851).
FREE-THROW TURNAROUND: After shooting just 10-of-27 (37 percent) from the free-throw line against UVa on Jan. 12, NC State has made 71.9 percent (120-of-167) from the line in the past eight games. NC State entered the Wake game on Jan. 16 making just 58.3 percent from the stripe, but has lifted its season free-throw shooting to 63.1 percent (315-of-499). Freshman Damien Wilkins, who entered the Wake game shooting 48 percent from the line, has gone 33-of-41 (80.5 percent) from the line in the last eight games and ranks seventh in the league in free-throw percentage (76 percent) in ACC play.
GETTING TO THE LINE IMPORTANT: NC State is 13-0 this season when attempting more free throws than its opponents in games, 2-6 when getting to the line fewer times than foes. The Wolfpack is averaging 23.8 FTAs per game. NC State matched a season-high with 37 free throw attempts against Wake Forest, making a season-best 31 (83.8 percent).
DOING IT DEFENSIVELY: Defense has been the catalyst to NC State's 15 wins this season. NC State is holding opponents to just 62.5 ppg (second in the ACC). Wolfpack opponents are shooting 40.5 percent from the field, while committing an average of 19.3 turnovers per game. 17 of NC State's 21 opponents have committed at least 15 TOs, led by Liberty's 31 turnovers, the most by a Wolfpack opponent since Florida Atlantic had 35 turnovers on Nov. 22, 1996.
SCORELESS STRETCHES: NC State's defense has been able to hold several of its opponents without a field goal for long stretches during games this season. Against Florida State, the 'Noles had three stretches of more than six minutes without a field goal.The Wolfpack held UNC Asheville without a field goal for 11:47. Against Yale, the Pack held the Bulldogs without a field goal for 9:55 in the first half. Ten of NC State's opponents have been held without a field goal for stretches of at least five minutes or more.
Opponent Longest Stretch w/o FG Georgia 4:13 Old Dominion 14:57 Stetson 7:57 Purdue 7:31 Providence 4:55 UNC Asheville 11:47 Liberty 5:25 Tulane 4:44 Yale 9:55 W Carolina 3:40 Maryland 4:08 North Carolina 7:50 Virginia 4:06 Wake Forest 10:23 Duke 7:52 Georgia Tech 4:49 Clemson 8:34 Arizona State 4:23 Florida State 7:46 Maryland 4:22 North Carolina 3:23
DEFENSE LOCKS UP FSU: NC State had an outstanding defensive performance in its 68-58 win over Florida State. The Pack held FSU to 32.7 percent (17-of-52) field-goal shooting, the lowest outing by an ACC opponent since Clemson shot 30.6 percent (15-of-49) from the field on Jan. 18, 1997. FSU had a season-low 18 points at halftime and went without a field goal for three stretches of at least six minutes. The Seminoles had made just 12 field goals with 2:00 remaining in the game. Earlier this season, the Pack held Virginia to 17 field goals in a 65-62 win on Jan. 12.
WILLIAMS MAKES THE BIG PLAYS: With 0.8 seconds left at No. 5 Duke, freshman Marshall Williams made the biggest play of his short Wolfpack career. Point guard Justin Gainey intentionally missed a free throw and Williams tipped the ball into the basket, tying the game at 79 and sending it into overtime. Williams' driving layup with 3.3 seconds left cut the lead to three points. He finished the game with 12 points. He also had 12 points vs. Georgia Tech, going 3-of-4 from the field and 4-of-4 from the free-throw line. Williams made two free throws after the Yellow Jackets had cut the NC State lead to four points, 62-58, with 42 seconds left, sealing the victory.
PACK-DEVILS BATTLE TO OT: NC State's 92-88 overtime loss at No. 5 Duke had 16 lead changes and 15 ties, including 10 lead changes in the second half. The Devils took a 79-74 lead after NC State was assessed a technical foul for calling a timeout that the Wolfpack did not have. Freshman Marshall Williams then converted a layup with 3.3 seconds left to cut the Devils lead to three points, then followed Justin Gainey's intentionally missed free throw at the horn to send the game into overtime. The Blue Devils pulled away in OT, but NC State cut the lead to two points with 4.8 seconds left before two free throws from Duke's Nate James sealed the win.
CHARTING DEFLECTIONS: Wolfpack coach Herb Sendek charts deflections as a barometer for defensive play and the Wolfpack has averaged 48 deflections per contest this season. Last year, NC State averaged 40 deflections per game. Center Damon Thornton leads the team in deflections, averaging nearly nine per contest.
PICKPOCKETS: NC State ranks third in the ACC in steals, averaging 9.6 thefts per game. Justin Gainey and Anthony Grundy rank among league leaders in steals at 2.2 (3rd) and 1.8 (7th) respectively. Grundy had a season-best seven steals vs. Georgia, while Gainey had five steals against FSU and Liberty. Freshman Marshall Williams also had five steals vs. Yale and North Carolina. As a team, NC State had a season-high 19 steals vs. Liberty, matching the second-best total in school history.
SOLID AS A ROCK: Call him the "Prudential Man." That's how Herb Sendek refers to point guard Gainey, who he says is "rock solid." Gainey may be the poster-child for improvement as he has continued to get better throughout his career. Gainey increased his three-point and free-throw shooting percentages by at least 10 points each last season. He went up an incredible 22 percent at the free-throw line (from 65.4 percent in '98 to 87.4 percent last year), finishing with the third-highest percentage in school history. Gainey also improved his field-goal percentage by five points (from 37.1 percent in '98 to 42.7 percent last year). After shooting a career-best 34.1 percent (28-of-82) from three-point range last season, Gainey is making 40.3 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc this year. As a freshman, Gainey began the year by committing 24 turnovers in the Pack's first 16 games, but had just eight TOs in the final 10 games.
POINTS IN THE PAINT: The Wolfpack has had a decisive advantage over its opponents in the paint this season. Through 21 games, NC State has 592 "Points in the Paint" compared to 493 for its foes. Against Arizona State, the Wolfpack had a 38-14 lead in the paint.
NONCONFERENCE WIN STREAK EXTENDED: With its 79-68 win over Arizona State on Jan. 29, NC State has now won 47 straight regular-season games against nonconference opponents at home. The Wolfpack's last loss in the regular season to a nonconference opponent at home was Dec. 10, 1994, when the Pack fell 96-91 to third-ranked Kansas. Since Herb Sendek took over as NC State's head coach in 1996, NC State is 32-0 against nonconference foes at home during the regular season. NC State did drop postseason NIT games against West Virginia (76-73, 3/17/97), Georgia (61-55, 3/17/98) and Princeton (61-58, 3/15/99). In the 90's, NC State is 70-11 against nonconference foes at home during the regular season.
IF YOU BUILD IT: NC State's attendance has skyrocketed in the 19,722-seat ESA this season. Since moving from 12,400-seat Reynolds Coliseum, the Pack has already set a single-season mark for attendance with 255,104 in 15 homes games (two home games remain). The previous best for season attendance was 188,282 in 18 home games during the 1987-88 season. NC State is averaging 17,007 fans per game this season compared to a previous best of 12,120 fans in 10 home games during the 1974-75 season. For ACC games the average attendance is 19,454. This year's average attendance has increased 6.207 per game. NC State ranked 30th in the nation last year in Division I attendance, averaging 10,800 spectators per game. Based on last year's figures, NC State would rank among the top eight schools in the nation in average attendance.
BACK IN TOP 25: NC State is ranked No. 24 in the latest USA Today/ESPN coaches' poll, moving down two spots from No. 22 last week. The Pack was rated No. 21 in the AP Poll and No. 25 in the coaches' poll on Jan. 24, marking the first time NC State has been in both polls since Dec. 12, 1989, when the Pack was No. 15 in the UPI poll and No. 16 in the AP. The No. 21 ranking in the AP poll was NC State's highest ranking since being No. 19 in the Jan. 16, 1990 top 20. Earlier this season, NC State was ranked No. 25 in the AP poll on Dec. 20, but fell out of the rankings following its loss to Tulane on Dec. 22. It had been 293 games (3,618 days) since NC State was ranked in the top 25.
WILLIAMS WINS ACC ROOKIE HONORS DEC. 20: While Damien Wilkins has garnered much of the attention handed to NC State's freshman class, newcomers Marshall Williams and Clifford Crawford have also played prominent roles in NC State's early success. Williams was named the ACC Rookie of the Week Dec. 20 after scoring a team-high 17 points off the bench against Liberty. He finished the game 5-of-11 from the field, while adding four rebounds and two steals. He earned his first career start (in Anthony Grundy's absence) against Yale and finished with 10 points.
WILKINS EARNS ROOKIE HONORS DEC. 6: NC State freshman Damien Wilkins was named the ACC's Rookie of the Week on Dec. 6 following two outstanding all-around performances vs. Purdue and Providence. Against the Boilermakers, Wilkins finished with eight points, 13 rebounds, three assists, three blocks and two steals. He recorded the first double-double of his career against Providence with 14 points and 10 rebounds. He led NC State in nearly every statistical category against Stetson on Nov. 26, recording team highs in points (22), rebounds (8), assists (5) and steals (3). Against Tulane, Wilkins had a team high 15 points.
SENDEK COACHES 200th CAREER GAME: NC State coach Herb Sendek will coached his 200th career game in the Pack's 76-56 win over Wake Forest on Jan. 16. Sendek has compiled a 130-74 (.637) in seven seasons as a head coach and is 67-48 (.583) in four years at NC State. Sendek's 100th career game was Jan. 7, 1997, when NC State defeated Texas-P.A., 75-25. He earned his 100th career victory last season vs. Coastal Carolina (81-50, 11/21/98).
HOME-GROWN TALENT IN FALL CLASS: In a year when North Carolina's high school senior class is considered the strongest ever, NC State announced the signing of the state's top three prospects. Michael Bell, 6-9 of Raleigh, Marcus Melvin, 6-9 of Fayetteville, and Scooter Sherrill, 6-3 of Mt. Ulla, each signed a national letter-of-intent to attend NC State next year during the fall signing period. "The signing of these three players is somewhat unprecedented in my memory, as far as getting the top three players in the state of North Carolina," said recruiting analyst Bob Gibbons, who ranks all three players among his national top 50 seniors. Sherrill, who led West Rowan High to the state 2-A title as a freshman and the state 3-A championship game last season, was rated No. 17 nationally by Recruiter's Handbook. He averaged 23 points, six rebounds and four assists last season, making 53 percent of his field-goal attempts and 81 percent from the free-throw line. He finished as the third-leading scorer at last summer's USA Basketball Youth Development Festival in Colorado Springs, Colo., averaging 17.8 points per game. Sherrill had 22 points, nine assists and six rebounds to lead the South team to a 124-108 win in the gold-medal game. Bell also played in the USA Basketball Festival, averaging 12.2 points and 4.6 rebounds while leading all players in field-goal shooting at 63.4 percent. As a junior at Enloe High, he averaged 24 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks per game, An outstanding outside shooter capable of playing either forward position according to Gibbons, who ranks Bell 46th nationally Melvin averaged 21.2 points and 13 rebounds as a junior at Byrd High. He was the most dominant player at the N.C. Scouting Alliance Mid-Summer. Gibbons ranks Melvin No. 42 nationally.
