doug.doughty@roanoke.com 981-3129

There might be more glamorous destinations than Montreal in early October, but, for Virginia men's basketball coach Pete Gillen, three weekend exhibition games in Canada will suit the Cavaliers' needs.

If Virginia had taken a trip before school started, the Cavaliers would not have been able to take freshmen Sean Singletary, Adrian Joseph and Tunji Soroye. Plus, going to Canada this weekend means that the Cavaliers will miss only one day of class.

UVa has its fall break, or "reading days," at the start of next week. The Cavaliers will play Royal Military College on Friday, Concordia University on Saturday and McGill University on Sunday.

Gillen said Monday that he will start a different lineup in all three games, but allowed that 6-foot-8, 245-pound senior Jason Clark has been the most impressive player in preseason drills. He also indicated that Singletary, a celebrated point-guard recruit, has lived up to his buildup.

The preseason trip has enabled the Cavaliers to hold 10 practice sessions prior to the traditional start for Division I teams on Oct. 15. Gillen said that senior forward Devin Smith, who underwent May surgery for a herniated disk, has missed only one of the first seven practices and is experiencing only stiffness, not pain.