Patrick Hite, Staunton News Leader
University Hall, the longtime home for University of Virginia basketball before John Paul Jones Arena was built, will be imploded on Saturday.
There are plenty of great basketball memories from the building involving the Cavaliers, but don't forget that a lot of great high school games were played there also.
Let's take a look at 10 of the most memorable involving area teams.
1990: Lee High 70, Matoaca 53
"It was very massive," Marcus Reed said. "That thing was huge,"
With less than 8,500 seats, University Hall is anything but huge by today's standards, but for a group of high school kids used to playing in small gyms getting the chance to play at a college facility was an amazing experience.
Reed was part of the Lee High team that beat Matoaca that year for Coach Paul Hatcher's second state championship. The Leemen finished the season 28-0 and are considered by most that have watched Lee basketball over the years as the best Lee High team ever. The team trailed once in the fourth quarter all season.
And the fans responded. Reed remembers the support the team got, especially at University Hall on that March day for the championship.
"The atmosphere was like the final four for high schools," Reed said.
Reed said while the arena was big for high school kids, what he remembers most was the calming influence of Hatcher that year.
"He was so prepared," Reed said. "He was confident. And he instilled all of that to us in practice."
1980: Fort Defiance 69, Central Woodstock 43
Fort Defiance's 1980 state championship on the front of the sports section. (Photo: File)
You want to know where Stephen Curry gets his shooting ability? Look no further than his dad, Dell Curry. In the 1980 state championship game at University Hall, Dell Curry, then a high school sophomore, hit all 11 field goals he attempted in helping Fort Defiance to the state title.
Don Landes, Fort's coach, said the background of U Hall was great for shooters. Unlike some bigger arenas where high school players struggle to shoot, his Indians had no trouble in that game
"I wouldn't expect that from really anybody," Landes said of Curry's performance. "The whole team shot the ball well, but Dell especially.:"
It helped that Fort had played in the state tournament at University Hall the year before, losing in the semifinals. Landes believes that experience helped them the next year when they returned.
Landes remembered his team walking out of U Hall after that loss. They all stopped for a moment and looked up at the scoreboard. Right then they knew what they wanted the next year.
"I think that set the stage for the following year," Landes said. "They were very focused. They knew what they wanted. And having played there once they had a good feel when we got back."
1984: Robert E. Lee 81, Martinsville 70
If the 1990 Lee High team was the greatest ever, the 1984 team had the player considered by many to be the best in Lee High basketball history.
Kevin Madden was a junior on that team. Much like Fort Defiance in 1980, Lee lost the year before in the semifinals. Madden said that motivated the team the following year.
Madden, who would go on to play at the University of North Carolina, had 35 points and 13 rebounds in the game as the Leemen finished the season 27-0. It was the first state championship for Hatcher.
After Lee High beat Martinsville, USA Today ranked the team as the 12th best high school team in the nation that season.
1991: Waynesboro 71, Robert E. Lee 51
Waynesboro claimed a state title over Lee High in University Hall in 1991. (Photo: File)
Shannon Bearfield scored 25 points in helping Waynesboro win its first state championship in boys basketball. The title was made even sweeter by beating its biggest rival, Robert E. Lee.
Just a year earlier, Lee High won the state title convincingly. But Waynesboro dominated in the title game in 1991, scoring the first 18 points of the second half to pull away. Waynesboro actually put together a 27-2 run in the second half.
Waynesboro coach Randy Coulling was quoted in the News Leader the next day as saying defense was the key. Lee missed its first 10 shots of the second half, in part because of that defense, and the game was pretty much over at that point.
1971: Robert E. Lee 50, Jefferson Senior 48
This game was the Northwest Regional final in 1971, Lee High's first win over Jefferson Senior that season. It's on the list because Paul Hatcher calls it his favorite game he ever coached. That's high praise from a coach who won 897 games and four state championships.
A week earlier, in the Western District Tournament, Lee had the ball late in a tie game against Jefferson. Hatcher thought about holding the ball, but didn't. Lee missed a shot, Jefferson got the rebound, scored and held on for the win. Hatcher swore he would hold the ball if he had the chance later that season.
He got that chance in the regional final. Hatcher told his team to hold the ball with the score tied and 2:38 left. Lee held it for more than two minutes. Then Mouse Patterson went to the free throw line where he hit two shots to win the game.
There was a photo in the News Leader the next day of Patterson at the line. Hatcher still has copy of that photo hanging in his house.
A photo that appeared in the March 7, 1971 News-Leader shows Tom "Mouse" Patterson shooting the game-winning free throw in the Northwest Regional final.(Photo: File)
2003: Robert E. Lee 86, Albemarle 55
On the surface, this just appears to be another regular-season game. It was part of the Daily Progress Tournament in 2003, and it wasn't even the championship game of the event. It was the third-place game after Lee lost to Culpeper in the semifinals.
The reason this game is significant is because it was win number one of a remarkable 85-game win streak that stretched into 2006.
The streak is still a state record and perhaps the most remarkable accomplishment in high school sports history among Staunton and Augusta County schools.
Lee High's Tyler Crawford goes up for a shot against Albemarle's Daniel Johnson and Brett Maynard during a game at University Hall in 2003.(Photo: File Photo)
1983: John F. Kennedy 53, Robert E. Lee 52 (OT)
The year before finally winning a state championship for Paul Hatcher, Lee High lost in the semifinals by a point. Kennedy's strategy for stopping Kevin Madden that year was by fouling him. It kind of worked. Madden was 10-of-22 from the foul line.
Still, Lee led by a point in overtime with just 12 seconds left. Kennedy took a timeout to set up the final play.
Hatcher has often said Kennedy took the worst shot a team could take, with the Kennedy player throwing up a shot just over halfcourt.
The player's shot bounced off the back of the rim and ended up in the hands of one of his teammates. That Kennedy player who got the rebound hit a shot at the buzzer from the top of the key for the win. Kennedy won the state title by 20 over Martinsville.
1987: Brunswick 54, Robert E. Lee 52 (OT)
Another game, another buzzer-beating loss for Lee High. This time it was in the state championship. Brunswick's Terrell Owens hit a 30-foot desperation shot at the buzzer to win the state championship in overtime.
With just under six minutes left in regulation, Lee led by six points. Poor foul shooting doomed Lee late in the game and sent it to overtime.
Brunswick's star Bryant Stith finished with 27 points and 15 rebounds in the game.
1967: Robert E. Lee 88, Northside 58
Steve Dodge and Ronnie Snyder each scored 16 points as Lee High won the 1967 state championship for Coach Milnes Austin.
The title was in Group 1-B. Lee had lost in the title game the year before, but opened up a 13-point lead in the first quarter and never were really challenged by Northside out of Roanoke.
Dodge had five steals and 11 points in the first quarter to spark the Leemen to the win.
1978: Harrisonburg 60, Lee High 49
Virginia fan Susan Lee holds up a sign for former Virginia player Ralph Sampson during the final game at University Hall on March 5, 2006. (Photo: AP)
In 1978, Ralph Sampson's junior year, the only team that could come close to Harrisonburg was Lee High. The two teams played five times, with Harrisonburg winning three.
After splitting two regular-season games, the two teams had to play a special playoff to determine the district champion.
Paul Hatcher had an idea to play the game at University Hall. He knew the University of Virginia wanted Sampson to play basketball for them, so he knew they wouldn't deny a request for the star to play in their building.
He was right. Hatcher doesn't know how the details were finalized — "The ADs worked that out," he said — but Lee and Harrisonburg squared off in a building that one day would be called the House that Ralph Built.
University Hall, the longtime home for University of Virginia basketball before John Paul Jones Arena was built, will be imploded on Saturday.
There are plenty of great basketball memories from the building involving the Cavaliers, but don't forget that a lot of great high school games were played there also.
Let's take a look at 10 of the most memorable involving area teams.
1990: Lee High 70, Matoaca 53
"It was very massive," Marcus Reed said. "That thing was huge,"
With less than 8,500 seats, University Hall is anything but huge by today's standards, but for a group of high school kids used to playing in small gyms getting the chance to play at a college facility was an amazing experience.
Reed was part of the Lee High team that beat Matoaca that year for Coach Paul Hatcher's second state championship. The Leemen finished the season 28-0 and are considered by most that have watched Lee basketball over the years as the best Lee High team ever. The team trailed once in the fourth quarter all season.
And the fans responded. Reed remembers the support the team got, especially at University Hall on that March day for the championship.
"The atmosphere was like the final four for high schools," Reed said.
Reed said while the arena was big for high school kids, what he remembers most was the calming influence of Hatcher that year.
"He was so prepared," Reed said. "He was confident. And he instilled all of that to us in practice."
1980: Fort Defiance 69, Central Woodstock 43
Fort Defiance's 1980 state championship on the front of the sports section. (Photo: File)
You want to know where Stephen Curry gets his shooting ability? Look no further than his dad, Dell Curry. In the 1980 state championship game at University Hall, Dell Curry, then a high school sophomore, hit all 11 field goals he attempted in helping Fort Defiance to the state title.
Don Landes, Fort's coach, said the background of U Hall was great for shooters. Unlike some bigger arenas where high school players struggle to shoot, his Indians had no trouble in that game
"I wouldn't expect that from really anybody," Landes said of Curry's performance. "The whole team shot the ball well, but Dell especially.:"
It helped that Fort had played in the state tournament at University Hall the year before, losing in the semifinals. Landes believes that experience helped them the next year when they returned.
Landes remembered his team walking out of U Hall after that loss. They all stopped for a moment and looked up at the scoreboard. Right then they knew what they wanted the next year.
"I think that set the stage for the following year," Landes said. "They were very focused. They knew what they wanted. And having played there once they had a good feel when we got back."
1984: Robert E. Lee 81, Martinsville 70
If the 1990 Lee High team was the greatest ever, the 1984 team had the player considered by many to be the best in Lee High basketball history.
Kevin Madden was a junior on that team. Much like Fort Defiance in 1980, Lee lost the year before in the semifinals. Madden said that motivated the team the following year.
Madden, who would go on to play at the University of North Carolina, had 35 points and 13 rebounds in the game as the Leemen finished the season 27-0. It was the first state championship for Hatcher.
After Lee High beat Martinsville, USA Today ranked the team as the 12th best high school team in the nation that season.
1991: Waynesboro 71, Robert E. Lee 51
Waynesboro claimed a state title over Lee High in University Hall in 1991. (Photo: File)
Shannon Bearfield scored 25 points in helping Waynesboro win its first state championship in boys basketball. The title was made even sweeter by beating its biggest rival, Robert E. Lee.
Just a year earlier, Lee High won the state title convincingly. But Waynesboro dominated in the title game in 1991, scoring the first 18 points of the second half to pull away. Waynesboro actually put together a 27-2 run in the second half.
Waynesboro coach Randy Coulling was quoted in the News Leader the next day as saying defense was the key. Lee missed its first 10 shots of the second half, in part because of that defense, and the game was pretty much over at that point.
1971: Robert E. Lee 50, Jefferson Senior 48
This game was the Northwest Regional final in 1971, Lee High's first win over Jefferson Senior that season. It's on the list because Paul Hatcher calls it his favorite game he ever coached. That's high praise from a coach who won 897 games and four state championships.
A week earlier, in the Western District Tournament, Lee had the ball late in a tie game against Jefferson. Hatcher thought about holding the ball, but didn't. Lee missed a shot, Jefferson got the rebound, scored and held on for the win. Hatcher swore he would hold the ball if he had the chance later that season.
He got that chance in the regional final. Hatcher told his team to hold the ball with the score tied and 2:38 left. Lee held it for more than two minutes. Then Mouse Patterson went to the free throw line where he hit two shots to win the game.
There was a photo in the News Leader the next day of Patterson at the line. Hatcher still has copy of that photo hanging in his house.
2003: Robert E. Lee 86, Albemarle 55
On the surface, this just appears to be another regular-season game. It was part of the Daily Progress Tournament in 2003, and it wasn't even the championship game of the event. It was the third-place game after Lee lost to Culpeper in the semifinals.
The reason this game is significant is because it was win number one of a remarkable 85-game win streak that stretched into 2006.
The streak is still a state record and perhaps the most remarkable accomplishment in high school sports history among Staunton and Augusta County schools.
1983: John F. Kennedy 53, Robert E. Lee 52 (OT)
The year before finally winning a state championship for Paul Hatcher, Lee High lost in the semifinals by a point. Kennedy's strategy for stopping Kevin Madden that year was by fouling him. It kind of worked. Madden was 10-of-22 from the foul line.
Still, Lee led by a point in overtime with just 12 seconds left. Kennedy took a timeout to set up the final play.
Hatcher has often said Kennedy took the worst shot a team could take, with the Kennedy player throwing up a shot just over halfcourt.
The player's shot bounced off the back of the rim and ended up in the hands of one of his teammates. That Kennedy player who got the rebound hit a shot at the buzzer from the top of the key for the win. Kennedy won the state title by 20 over Martinsville.
1987: Brunswick 54, Robert E. Lee 52 (OT)
Another game, another buzzer-beating loss for Lee High. This time it was in the state championship. Brunswick's Terrell Owens hit a 30-foot desperation shot at the buzzer to win the state championship in overtime.
With just under six minutes left in regulation, Lee led by six points. Poor foul shooting doomed Lee late in the game and sent it to overtime.
Brunswick's star Bryant Stith finished with 27 points and 15 rebounds in the game.
1967: Robert E. Lee 88, Northside 58
Steve Dodge and Ronnie Snyder each scored 16 points as Lee High won the 1967 state championship for Coach Milnes Austin.
The title was in Group 1-B. Lee had lost in the title game the year before, but opened up a 13-point lead in the first quarter and never were really challenged by Northside out of Roanoke.
Dodge had five steals and 11 points in the first quarter to spark the Leemen to the win.
1978: Harrisonburg 60, Lee High 49
Virginia fan Susan Lee holds up a sign for former Virginia player Ralph Sampson during the final game at University Hall on March 5, 2006. (Photo: AP)
In 1978, Ralph Sampson's junior year, the only team that could come close to Harrisonburg was Lee High. The two teams played five times, with Harrisonburg winning three.
After splitting two regular-season games, the two teams had to play a special playoff to determine the district champion.
Paul Hatcher had an idea to play the game at University Hall. He knew the University of Virginia wanted Sampson to play basketball for them, so he knew they wouldn't deny a request for the star to play in their building.
He was right. Hatcher doesn't know how the details were finalized — "The ADs worked that out," he said — but Lee and Harrisonburg squared off in a building that one day would be called the House that Ralph Built.
