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DECEMBER 2018 15 Former Virginia bas- ketball players Bobby and Ricky Stokes are brothers five years apart who resembled each other enough that UNC legend James Worthy did a double-take the first time he saw Ricky on the court, as if to say, Didn't you graduate al- ready? Another similarity is all these years later, when most would exaggerate their accomplishments since enough time has passed it'd be difficult for even the most hard- core fan to call them out on it, both downplay and deflect their numer- ous achievements, passing credit to others for where they have been and are today. Bobby, who was part of the Cavaliers' first ACC championship squad in 1976 and averaged more than 20 minutes per game each season from 1976-79, noted head coach Terry Holland and his staff discovered a player who was originally headed to Randolph Macon and showed him a world of opportunity. "I went to a high school where we had 500 kids in grades 8-12. I had more kids in my dormitory than I did in my high school," he recalled. "It was an eye-opening experience for me. … I knew basketball wouldn't last forever, and coming to this university opened up a whole new set of doors for me that otherwise I wouldn't have had." Before college the furthest he had been from his King William, Va., home was Hershey Park, Pa., and Washington, D.C. Once on Grounds, he took his first of many plane rides, going as far away as Hawai'i and New Orleans to play basketball, and received count- less enrichment chances on and off the court. "I had some great mentors, professors and advisors, and they helped me achieve my dream, which was to one day be a family practitioner and own my own practice," the now Dr. Stokes said. "They were able to help guide me along the way and help my dream come true." Ricky also ended up at Virginia, but Bobby didn't even realize his former coaches wanted his little brother until he signed. Big brother was "proud and elated" Ricky came to Charlottesville, but was also nervous because of the natural comparisons that come with kin playing at the same school. Just like Bobby, however under the radar he was as a recruit, Ricky thrived in Charlottesville, from 1981-84. It did take some time, though. He recalls calling prep coach George Lancaster after his first practice and admitting he was in over his head — literally. The 5-10 guard had never seen a roster with the height that Holland's staff had assembled, starting with 7-4 center Ralph Sampson, but Lancaster reassured him he was in the right place and could do it. "Needless to say, I got my butt kicked every day," Ricky remem- bered with a laugh. When games started, it was opponents who were taking the beatings Stokes got used to in practice, and he got the chance alongside future UVA legends to help fuel a squad that went 109-25 during his career. "I didn't even know if I would play in a game … but I worked hard, found a niche and was able to do some things," he said. "But who couldn't do what I did with the front line of 7-4, 6-9 and 6-9?" Stokes eventually rose to heights of his own nobody saw com- ing. He helped the Cavaliers to two Final Fours, and his final year he served as a co-captain and won the Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award, annually presented to the nation's best senior under six- feet tall. "My teammates said the prize was half a trophy," he quipped. Ricky broke Bobby's school record with 134 consecutive games played, but unlike his brother he wasn't always focused on a cer- tain dream job. He coached, was in the business sector for a bit, worked in development at his alma mater and the University of Pennsylvania, and is now in his ninth year as the Mid-American Conference's senior associate commissioner for basketball. Virginia opened doors for both Stokes brothers they never could've imagined, and that is exactly why they continue to give back through the Virginia Athletics Foundation (VAF). They continued to flourish after college, and between the two of them four daughters have also graduated from Virginia and are on their own paths to success. "I wouldn't be in the position that I am today without having an opportunity to be a student-athlete at the University of Virginia," Ricky said. "We were two small-town, country guys and had the opportunity to have such a positive and engaging experience as student-athletes, not only in the athletic arena but doing things outside the university. "Both of us are in the IMP Society, both of us had the op- portunity to live on The Lawn and do University Union. That's the beauty of Virginia — having the opportunity to broaden your horizons and meet terrific people. We know what a special place it is." "I'm just grateful and honored that Coach Hol- land and his staff took a long gamble on me," Bobby concluded. "They gave me a scholarship and then helped me fulfill my dreams." Now through continued involvement with the VAF, the Stokes broth- ers are ensuring the next generation of Virginia stu- dent-athletes receive the same opportunity they did to reach their goals on and off the playing field. — Ryan Tice CONTINUED SUCCESS: BOBBY (1976-79) AND RICKY (1981-84) STOKES Ricky Stokes, who helped the Cavaliers to a 109-25 record and two Final Four appear- ances from 1981-84, is now in his ninth year as the Mid-American Conference's senior associate commissioner for basketball. PHOTO COURTESY UVA Bobby Stokes, who was part of the Cavaliers' first ACC championship squad in 1976, went on to graduate from the UVA School of Medi- cine and has been a physician for more than three decades. PHOTO COURTESY UVA