Washington chops down UVa
By Whitelaw Reid / wreid@dailyprogress.com | 978-7250
January 17, 2008

When Virginia Tech’s Deron Washington brings his ‘A’ game, he looks like a combination of the Phoenix Suns’ Shawn Marion and former NBA All-Star Dennis Rodman.

“What makes Deron different than everyone else is that he’s a freak,” said Virginia Tech coach Seth Greenberg. “I say that affectionately. He has the ability to make freakish plays…that’s what makes him special.”

And that’s also what makes Virginia 0-2 in ACC play for the first time since the 2004-05 season - former UVa coach Pete Gillen’s last at the helm.

Washington’s driving shot at the buzzer gave Virginia Tech a shocking 70-69 overtime victory in front of a sell-out crowd at John Paul Jones Arena. The loss was Virginia’s first ever against an ACC opponent in JPJ.

“Obviously it’s disappointing to lose any game,” said Virginia coach Dave Leitao, whose team has now lost three straight, “and to lose a game like that is a little bit more disappointing.”

Leitao was referring to blowing an eight-point lead with 7:13 remaining in the game. Virginia (10-5, 0-2 ACC) scored just one basket the rest of the way as Tech’s Jeff Allen hit two free throws to tie the game at 63.

With 30 seconds left, Calvin Baker missed a 3-pointer that could have given Virginia the lead.

“When I took the shot, I thought it was good,” Baker said. “It felt so good coming out of my hand. It felt great off my fingertips. It was one of the few shots I took tonight that actually felt like it was going in.

“When I missed it, I was surprised.”

The Hokies’ Malcolm Delaney had a chance to win the game, but his driving shot attempt was well-defended by freshman Mike Scott.

Virginia seemingly took command in the extra session. Sean Singletary, who had carried UVa all night long - he had season highs in points (34) and rebounds (10) - made a steal and set up Adrian Joseph for a driving fast-break layup to put the Cavaliers up 69-64.

But Virginia, like it did at the end of regulation, went on another scoring drought. The Cavaliers didn’t score a point over the last 3:30.

That set the stage for Washington’s heroics.

With 14 seconds to go and Tech trailing by one, Washington missed a jumper that would have given the Hokies the lead. Luckily for Tech (11-6, 2-1), the rebound bounced out of bounds off of Virginia, giving Washington another chance.

With four seconds left, Washington took the inbounds pass from Hank Thorns near midcourt and drove hard to his left around Joseph. Washington was challenged near the rim by Scott, but was able to convert an underhand scoop shot.

“We’d been having breakdowns like that throughout the game, and that happened at a moment of the game that was very crucial,” Joseph said. “It was also a bad defensive play on my behalf and it cost us the game.”

“It was a blow-by and we didn’t have help,” Singletary added. “It was a fundamental breakdown.”

Leitao wasn’t surprised by the lapse because of the way his team had been practicing leading into the game.

“You get down to final stages of games and you’re hoping for things to happen as opposed to expecting things to happen,” said Leitao, whose team hosts Boston College on Saturday. “That’s what happened tonight.”

For Virginia, things started ugly - in a similar manner to its previous two games.

Virginia Tech stormed out to a 9-0 lead. The Cavaliers missed their first seven shots and didn’t score until Singletary knocked down a 3-pointer nearly four minutes into the game.

Tech hit four of its first six shots. But Virginia, behind Singletary - and some energetic play off the bench from senior Ryan Pettinella - clawed its way back in.

Virginia, behind 23 first-half points from Singletary, led 38-34 at the break.

In the second half, Pettinella once again came up big. A 14-percent free throw shooter coming into the game, Pettinella sank two free throws - the first one off the backboard - to give Virginia a 59-50 lead.

“I had a good feeling about the game at that point,” Pettinella said, “but we just couldn’t pull away from them.

“To lose like this is very disappointing…it’s terrible. We were geared up for this game all week. We were confident we were going to win. That last shot was like a dagger in the heart.”

Dunks

Will Harris and Tunji Soroye, both suffering from back injuries, did not dress for the game.

 

One-man show not enough for Cavs
By Jerry Ratcliffe / jratcliffe@dailyprogress.com
January 17, 2008

Dave Leitao must not be getting much sleep at night. Certainly he couldn’t have last night after his Virginia basketball team was stunned at the buzzer by rival Virginia Tech in a 70-69 overtime cliffhanger at John Paul Jones Arena.

The captain of the Good Ship Wahoo has tried everything to pull his team out of a three-game losing slump. He has locked them out of their dressing room, taken away their Virginia practice jerseys. He’s put them through what amounted to Leitao’s version of basketball boot camp between blowout losses at Xavier and at Duke.

Wednesday night’s setback was of another variety, a Maalox Moment that coaches never get out of their system.

The Cavaliers opened with a nine-point deficit, yet bounced back to own a nine-point lead with 9:47 to play in regulation thanks to Sean Singletary’s 34-point performance. But they couldn’t close the deal and dropped to 0-2 in the ACC with first-place Boston College coming to town on Saturday.

Give Virginia Tech all the credit in the world. Coach Seth Greenberg’s Hokies fought hard, rebounded hard, played hard-nosed defense. They just played hard. In the end, that was enough.

Virginia?

Well, Singletary showed up.

One-man gang

No one would question his fire, his passion for winning. His teammates? Well, there wasn’t much evidence of passion, fire, defense, rebounding, playing hard.

It was pretty much like Sean Singletary and the 16 Dwarfs. He hit 12 of 21 shots for 34 points and probably would have scored more if Tech had chosen not to double- and triple-team him and to play more physically against him after a 23-point first half.

“He could have had 50 tonight,” Greenberg cracked. “He might be the fiercest competitor in our conference.”

Greenberg was correct on both counts. Singletary probably needed to have scored 50 for the Cavaliers to win. Ok, maybe 40 would have done the trick.

Too bad the Dwarfs didn’t get the memo. He could have used a little help.

40-year streak snapped

Instead, Leitao was in a particularly sour mood after watching Tech win for the first time in Charlottesville since 1968. (Yeah, so they’ve only played 10 times here during that span). It also marked the first time an ACC opponent has won in the two-year-old building.

He shared that the discussion in Virginia’s huddles during the multitude of timeouts in the game involved simplistic mistakes, kind of like the one that beat the Cavaliers in the end.

“...Boxing out, transition defense. ...Part of it is not learning the proper lessons everyday in practice. Part of it is not playing with enough swagger and confidence,” Leitao said in a brief media session.

“We rely on things that other teams can and do take away, and so when that happens you get down to the final stages of games, and you hope that things will happen instead of expect that things will happen,” he continued. “That’s what happened tonight.”

Well, at least this one made it to the final stages. The two prior games, which prompted Camp Leitao and the lockout, admirable motivational tools that usually get a team’s attention, were over early. TKOs, if you will.

This one was up for grabs until the finals seconds when Hokie playmaker Deron Washington came off a stack play, curled his way to the top of the key and drove the lane, putting up a prayer that was answered with a confidence-building winner.

Greenberg said three of his guys on the floor knew what was going on because he was running a smaller lineup that normally doesn’t practice the play. Well, that was three more than Virginia’s guys, who obviously didn’t know what was going on.

“It was a fundamental breakdown,” Singletary said of the lapse of defense. “[Washington] made an aggressive move and we just let him drive by and didn’t have help.”

Freshman Mike Scott came over. Well, sort of. But it was late and not enough. Washington blew by and then kissed the Wahoos goodbye.

All this leaves us wondering what looms ahead for this basketball team. Last year, Leitao said he would ride his star guards, Singletary and now-departed J.R. Reynolds as far as they could take the program. They took Virginia to the second round of the NCAA Tournament and a few inches away from the Sweet 16.

But what of this crowd? Singletary can’t do it alone. There’s no equivalent to Reynolds’ points, defense and leadership.

We thought a couple of guys might step into the role, but that hasn’t materialized. Which leaves Virginia with what?

It’s a team that is constantly taught and reminded - well, nagged might be a better word - about playing suffocating defense, roughhouse rebounding, and generally showing some guts. The coach has tried everything to get his message across.

What else can Leitao do? Firing squad?

Something better happen quickly to end this free fall or it could get ugly. Boston College is no joke. Florida State, better than decent, looms ahead on the road. Oh-and-Four has a gut-wrenching tone to it.

“Last year we went on a losing streak,” Singletary reminded those within an earshot. “We’ve got a lot of talent. We can’t hang our heads. If we have enough character, we’ll come out of this in a positive way.”

Like Leitao said, now Wahoo Nation is hoping rather than expecting. Only a win over Boston College might take away the sting.

 

Tech edges U.Va. in OT, 70-69
Cavaliers repeatedly break down; Hokies seize the opportunity
Thursday, Jan 17, 2008 - 12:15 AM Updated: 12:36 AM
By JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER

CHARLOTTESVILLE - Deron Washington's 3-point attempt bounced off the rim, and the battle for the basketball began. University of Virginia forward Adrian Joseph, with inside position, jumped once, then again, but couldn't corral the rebound.

The ball went out of bounds off Joseph, and Virginia Tech, trailing 69-68 with 10.8 seconds left in overtime, had a reprieve.

The Hokies seized the opportunity. Washington drove past Joseph and put in a layup as time expired to give Tech its first win over U.Va. in Charlottesville in 40 years.

For the Cavaliers, it was a fitting conclusion to a game in which they broke down repeatedly on defense after intermission, surrendered 16 offensive rebounds and allowed 22 second-chance points.

"Virginia Tech's offensive rebounds killed us all game," U.Va. center Ryan Pettinella said. "That was definitely a major part of our downfall today."

To Hokies coach Seth Greenberg, most ACC games can be broken down in simple terms.

"It's one stop, it's one rebound, it's one roll of the ball," Greenberg said. "It's the difference between having a good ride home and questioning everything you're doing."

The loss left the Wahoos with more questions that answers. A season after advancing to the NCAA tournament's second round, U.Va. (0-2 ACC, 10-5 overall) is in a funk from which it shows no signs of emerging.

Even a transcendent performance by senior point guard Sean Singletary - 34 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and three steals - couldn't keep Virginia from its third consecutive defeat. U.Va.'s two other best offensive options, Joseph and junior forward Mamadi Diane, struggled again. They were a combined 7 for 23 from the floor.

"You go through slumps," Singletary said, "and unfortunately we're going through one now."

For much of the night, Virginia appeared bound for a morale-raising victory. The Cavaliers, after falling behind 9-0, rallied to take a four-point lead into intermission.

They led by nine with nine minutes left in the second half. They led by eight, 61-53, when Singletary swooped in for a layup at the 7:12 mark of the second half.

They even led 69-64 in overtime after Singletary stripped the ball from A.D. Vassallo and fed Joseph for a layup. But the final three minutes were a nightmare for Virginia, which twice failed to control rebounds after missed shots by Tech.

As recently as last weekend, U.Va. led Division I in rebounding margin. But the Hokies outrebounded the Cavaliers 47-39 last night. Jeff Allen, a 6-foot-7, 258-pound freshman, led Tech with 10 boards.

"We rebound on quickness," Greenberg said, "and Jeff rebounds on strength."

When Pettinella, perhaps the nation's worst free-throw shooter, went 2 for 2 from the line to give U.Va. a 59-50 lead with 9:47 left in the second half, the Hokies would have been forgiven for thinking this wasn't their night. Pettinella, after all, was 11 for 51 on free throws as a Cavalier before last night.

But the Hokies' resiliency carried them to a stirring victory and overshadowed one of the great efforts of Singletary's illustrious career.

"The guy's really magnificent," Greenberg said.

Next up for U.Va. is a Saturday night date with Boston College (3-0, 12-4) at the JPJ.

 

Washington leaves Cavs grounded
Thursday, Jan 17, 2008 - 12:10 AM Updated: 12:39 AM
By BOB LIPPER
TIMES-DISPATCH COLUMNIST

CHARLOTTESVILLE Very nice win for Virginia Tech.

Very bad loss for Virginia.

You want profound? Sorry, that's about as deep as it gets. This was an overtime grinder between a couple of blood rivals who look as if they're in the wishful-thinking pool for March. It hinged on a fairly clunky possession that finally went the Hokies' way for 70-69, over and out.

Deron Washington, the spring-loaded one who'd already tried to win it twice with 3-pointers (not his specialty), sank the decisive basket with a scoop shot at the buzzer. Call it a fitting conclusion. That's Washington's game, you know - making things happen around the rim.

This was his game at money time.

U.Va.'s closing two possessions ended with Washington skying (his specialty) to block a Sean Singletary drive and then forcing Singletary to abort another assault and pitch the ball to Calvin Baker, whose shot was off target.

Tech's closing two possessions began with Washington launching howitzers from beyond the arc. The second attempt was knocked out of bounds by U.Va. after a scramble. The ball flew off the court again when Baker poked it away from Hank Thorns with 4 seconds left. Still Tech's rock, one opportunity to go.

Tech coach Seth Greenberg calls Washington "a freak - I say that affectionately," but the play he ended freakishly is pretty basic in the Hokies' repertoire. Washington gets the ball at the wing, takes it to the basket - Adrian Joseph was U.Va.'s defender of the moment - and whips it to the corner if he's double-teamed. He wasn't. So he kept penetrating, got bogged down in traffic and went up and then under the crowd for the clincher. It rolled around the rim and dropped through.

"I just know to stay with it," Washington said of his efforts. "Never get your head down. Never quit. Something good will come of it. You never know."

The bulk of this evening had belonged to Singletary, who came to the building grateful in the knowledge that Jamon Gordon was seven time zones away in Turkey. Checked mostly by Gordon during his first three seasons in C'ville, Singletary averaged 13.3 points on 35.8-percent marksmanship in seven previous starts against the Hokies.

Confronted by a couple of freshmen last night, he gave thanks and hit the floor like a gunslinger in Dodge City.

The eruption began a tad less than four minutes into the game after Tech rattled off nine unanswered points. Not to worry. Singletary opened his star turn with a 3-pointer from somewhere around Crozet. He ended the first act by splitting Tech's defense for a layup that put U.Va. up 38-34 at the break.

He had 23 points at that juncture and 32 with 7:13 to go on a steal and driving layup that made it 61-53.

Virginia managed only two more points the rest of regulation.

Singletary registered but two more the remainder of regulation and overtime.

"We tried to get the ball out of his hands and make him pass it," Washington said - and who among us could devise a better strategy?

The Cavs entered this matchup shooting 45 percent from the floor - but a misleading 45 percent constructed mostly against inferior opponents. They're at slightly better than 38 percent in their five losses. Mamadi Diane and Joseph - options two and three - are 15 for 54 over the past three outings, each a setback that has this bunch reeling.

Tech, on the other hand, has won five of six. It's a flawed team, too young in the backcourt to assume too much - but gritty as well as consecutive comebacks against Maryland and U.Va. attest.

"We had a lot of unsung heroes," Greenberg said.

Deron Washington wasn't among them.

He soared. He soared when it mattered most.

 

Va. Tech stacks up
Washington's shot at buzzer lifts Hokies to victory over Cavs
Thursday, Jan 17, 2008 - 12:07 AM Updated: 12:54 AM
By DARRYL SLATER
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Four seconds remained in overtime, and Virginia Tech coach Seth Greenberg placed his fists on top of each other and pounded them together. He wanted to run his stack play, a staple of last season's offense. But last night, in this important situation, some of Tech's players looked confused.

Not senior forward Deron Washington. He remembers last season and knows, perhaps too well, that with three starters gone from that team, he is the face of Tech basketball. He absorbed too much of that pressure the past few months, making him overeager to carry the Hokies.

Here it came again last night, the pressure building at John Paul Jones Arena, Virginia up one point as freshman guard Hank Thorns stood in front of Tech's bench, preparing to inbound the ball on the stack play. Washington sprinted to the top of the key, caught Thorns' pass, cut left past Adrian Joseph, drove toward the basket, scooped the ball up with both hands and watched it fall through the net, the buzzer sounding, his teammates wrapping themselves around his shoulders, the weight on them lighter now after Hokies 70, Cavaliers 69.

Washington embodied Tech's resiliency last night. He made just 3 of 10 shots before his game-winner and had missed his previous two shots in overtime, both 3-pointers. The Hokies (2-1 ACC, 11-6) trailed by nine with 9:47 left in the second half and by five with 3:34 left in overtime.

The Cavaliers (0-2, 10-5) led by one with 1:28 remaining in overtime when Washington made his best play to that point. Virginia senior point guard Sean Singletary sliced in for a layup -- which would have given him 36 points -- but Washington stretched every inch of his 6-7, 210-pound elasticized body to block it.

"What makes him different than everyone else is he's a freak," Greenberg said. "And I say that affectionately. He has the ability to make freakish plays. When he buys into that, he can change the game single-handedly, and he did today. When he flies around like that, he's different than most people in our league."

Trouble is, Washington has tried to do too much this season, Greenberg said. In Tech's last game, against Maryland, he shot 1 of 8 and had nine points.

"I feel like I've been putting a lot of pressure on myself because I know we lost a lot [from] last year," Washington said.

His teammates notice this.

Junior guard A.D. Vassallo: "Sometimes, he goes a little too fast."

Freshman guard Dorenzo Hudson: "If he calms down a little bit and just lets everything take care of itself, we'll be fine."

Greenberg implores Washington to "be who you are," and he is a slasher, not a spot-up shooter. He is the ideal target for the out-of-bounds stack play. Last year with the play, Tech usually passed to senior guard Jamon Gordon, who waited for a double team and dished to Vassallo for a 3.

No double team came last night. Washington darted toward the basket, hoping that if he missed, a teammate could tip in the ball. But he was optimistic about his chances after missing two consecutive 3s.

"I had a feeling one was going to have to fall," he said.

His nerves tensed as he watched it roll around the rim before finally dropping through, handing the Cavaliers their first loss in nine ACC games at John Paul Jones.

It was a valuable win for Tech and its six freshmen. Especially because freshman guard Malcolm Delaney played admirable defense against Singletary, who, Greenberg said, "could have had 50." Especially with another road game Saturday against Georgia Tech. Especially now that Washington can free himself of the pressure, at least for one night.

"He proved tonight how much of a leader he was," Thorns said. "He stayed with us."

 

Alas, for Cavs, Singletary just a solitary force
Posted to: Tom Robinson
Tom Robinson
The Virginian-Pilot
© January 17, 2008
CHARLOTTESVILLE

I CAN SAY with conviction that not many two-time all-ACC point guards have paired with walk-on shooting guards for their senior season.

Welcome to Sean Singletary’s world at the University of Virginia.

The Cavaliers’ mercurial star is as compelling a player as there is in college basketball. He plays his game within a cloak of electricity. It crackles and hisses sometimes into crazy shots and reckless drives to the hoop, but such is the untamed nature of the force.

One of the best things you can say about an athlete is you take your eyes off them at your own risk. You say that first, loudly, about Singletary, who blistered Virginia Tech on Wednesday night for 34 points and 10 rebounds in Virginia’s 70-69 overtime loss.

“I love that guy,” Virginia Tech coach Seth Greenberg said. “He just imposes his will. He’s relentless, on both ends. The guy’s 5-9, he got 10 rebounds, OK? They list him at 6-feet; he’s 5-9. He might be the fiercest competitor in the conference.”

Singletary’s scoring performance – his best ever in an ACC game and three off his career high – drove the jammed-to-the-roof crowd of 14,433 at John Paul Jones Arena silly.

The majority left crestfallen, ultimately, when Tech’s Deron Washington took a side-court inbounds pass with four seconds left and bolted to the basket, laying in the winning shot as time expired.

“That last possession, we let a man drive straight down the middle,” said Calvin Baker, the walk-on who started beside Singletary for the second straight game in place of freshman Jeff Jones. “That should never happen.”

What happened in the end was the young Hokies – six of the 10 who played are freshmen – expected to win. Greenberg gets a kick out of saying they’re too young to know better. Maybe so.

Virginia coach Dave Leitao thought the opposite of his players; they hoped to win. Big difference. More likely they hoped that Singletary, after carrying them all night, would save them at the wire.

Not this night. The Hokies got at least five points from six players, led by A.D. Vassallo’s 22. Virginia, which trailed early 9-0, had no one in any kind of flow besides Singletary, and paid for it with its third straight loss.

The out-of-sorts included Baker, who’s a feel-good story in that he transferred from William and Mary after making the Colonial Athletic Association’s all-rookie team.

Can’t blame him there; Baker sought a bigger stage than what was offered upon leaving Newport News’ Woodside High as the state’s Group AAA Player of the Year.

He’s got the platform now, even though Virginia still has no scholarship available for him. “I’m just going on faith,” Baker said.

That wasn’t enough when Baker, who shoots with minimal arc, missed a potential game-winning 3-pointer with 28 seconds left in regulation. Nor could Baker send home a short baseline jumper with 48 seconds to play in overtime that would have given the Cavs a three-point lead.

U.Va. never got off another shot.

“You make some, and you miss some. Today I just missed them,” said Baker, who’s averaged 9.5 points but managed just five against Tech on 2-of-8 shooting. “I’m sure throughout my career I’m gonna be in another position to take those same shots and I’m still gonna take them. And I’m confident that the next one will go in.”

Pretty much his entire squad could’ve used more “swagger and confidence” against Tech’s brass, Leitao said, with the hope it would’ve meant more buckets.

Take away Singletary – a shudder-worthy thought for U.Va. – and the Cavaliers made 12 of 42 attempts from the floor and 4 of 18 3-pointers. Virginia stood around too often watching Singletary’s show, Baker said.

The result was dead weight directly upon Singletary’s shoulders.

“That’s not really good for our offense,” Baker said. “Even when Sean is playing good, like he was playing good today, we still need to keep the ball moving and not get so stagnant like we did.”

Consider it a group lesson, a harsh counterpoint for U.Va. on its star’s singular solo flight.

 

Shot of revenge
Deron Washington hits the winning shot at the OT buzzer to atone for three losses at U.Va.
BY NORM WOOD | 247-4642
11:27 PM EST, January 16, 2008
 

CHARLOTTESVILLE - The play wasn't designed for anyone in particular, but Virginia Tech senior Deron Washington wanted the ball. He'd come to Charlottesville three times before Wednesday night. Three times he left as part of a losing team.

He wasn't planning on taking another quiet bus ride back to Blacksburg.

Washington drove past Virginia's Adrian Joseph and scooped in a shot with his left hand that rolled on the rim and fell through the net as time expired to give Tech a 70-69 overtime victory. It wasn't just Washington's first win in Charlottesville. It was also Tech's first win on U.Va.'s home floor since 1968.

"I had a pretty good idea it was going to go in," said Washington, who scored 11 points. "I saw it roll around for a second. It made me nervous, but then it dropped and that was it."

Washington's shot overshadowed a huge scoring night by U.Va. guard Sean Singletary, who had 34 points on 12-of-21 shooting, including 5-of-7 from 3-point range. He added 10 rebounds.

"It is disappointing to lose any game, and to lose a game like that is even more disappointing," said U.Va. coach Dave Leitao, whose team fell behind 9-0 in the first three minutes.

"Part of it is not learning the proper lessons every day in practice. Part of it is not playing with enough swagger and confidence."

Forward A.D. Vassallo, who led Tech with 22 points, said the final play was one the Hokies had run several times in recent seasons. It was designed primarily for former Tech guard Jamon Gordon to work off his dribble and draw two defenders, but with Gordon no longer in the fold, Washington decided to take the responsibility.

"Deron just made a great play and avoided everybody so he could take the shot," Vassallo said.

Tech (11-6, 2-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) shot just 36 percent for the game, but still managed to recover from a four-point deficit in the final 2 minutes and 28 seconds of overtime. Tech trailed by as many as nine points in the second half before going on an 11-2 run, capped by a 3-pointer by Washington that tied the game 61-61 with 4:18 left.

After a layup by Mamadi Diane with 3:13 left, U.Va. (10-5, 0-2) looked like it was about to reclaim momentum, but both teams struggled to find shots in the next three minutes. Diane was whistled for an intentional foul with 1:34 remaining when he sent 258-pound forward Jeff Allen into the basket support. Allen hit two free throws to tie the game 63-63 with 1:34 left.

Guard Calvin Baker had a chance to give U.Va. the lead with 30 seconds left, but his 3-pointer banged off the front of the rim. Then it was Tech's turn. Hokies guard Malcolm Delaney missed a jumper with 3 seconds left to send the game to overtime.

U.Va., which shot just 38 percent, jumped to a 69-64 lead in the first 1½ minutes of overtime. Forward Adrian Joseph's layup in transition with 3:34 remaining would represent U.Va.'s last points.

As the Hokies huddled with 2½ minutes left, trailing by four pointsjust before two free-throw attempts by Delaney, freshman guard Hank Thorns brought all chatter to a standstill.

"I went in the huddle and I was like, 'We're going to win this game,' " Thorns said. "We just had to keep playing. All we were worried about was playing defense, getting stops."

Washington answered Thorns' call.

Tech clawed its way back to 69-68 with less than two minutes left by making 4 of 6 free throws. Singletary, who was guarded by Delaney and Thorns for most of the game, attacked the rim with 1:29 left and appeared to have an open layup. Instead, Washington showed up in the nick of time to block Singletary's shot.

Washington's game-winning shot was fitting, considering he missed two 3-pointers late in overtime, from the left corner with 1:19 remaining and missed another one from the top of the key with 12 seconds left.

"These teams just compete at a very, very high level," Tech coach Seth Greenberg said. "Both of us are building our programs on playing hard and playing defense, and that's what that game was all about. There's nothing special that we did. ? It's one stop, one rebound, one roll of the ball."

 

Lack of 'swagger' a concern
Virginia gets outworked on the boards, giving up 22 second-chance points.
By MELINDA WALDROP | 247-4634
11:19 PM EST, January 16, 2008
 

CHARLOTTESVILLE - With 10.8 seconds to play, Adrian Joseph had a Virginia victory in his hands.

But the rebound off Deron Washington's missed 3-pointer slipped out of bounds, and 10 seconds later, Washington's layup gave Virginia Tech a 70-69 overtime victory.

U.Va. (10-5, 0-2 ACC), which came into the game tied for second in the nation with a plus-11.4 rebounding margin, was outrebounded 47-39 by the Hokies (11-6, 2-1), who scored 22 second-chance points.

"That gave them confidence," said senior guard Sean Singletary, who scored 34 points but had just 11 in the second half. "They were confident going to the boards, and therefore they were getting second-chance opportunities and converting off of it. So we've definitely got to go back to the drawing board with that. It was a lot of fundamental breakdowns tonight."

The biggest came when Virginia Tech inbounded the ball with four seconds to play in overtime. Washington got the ball at the top of the key and drove around Joseph, then scooped the game-winning shot around Mike Scott as the buzzer sounded.

"We don't play with enough swagger and confidence, and rely on things that other teams can and do take away," Virginia coach Dave Leitao said. "When that happens, you get down the final stages of games, and you're hoping for things to happen instead of expecting things to happen."

In the second half, the Hokies limited Singletary, who poured in 23 points in the first 20 minutes. On the Cavs' final play of regulation and on their last possession in overtime, Tech's defense forced the ball out of his hands, and U.Va. missed shots on both trips.

Tech fell behind by nine with 9:47 to play on two free throws by senior forward Ryan Pettinella -- the first time the Penn transfer went 2-for-2 from the line in a U.Va. uniform. But the Hokies' comeback started with an offensive rebound that A.D. Vassallo, who led Tech with 22 points, converted into a 3-pointer.

"(Rebounding) was our focal point the whole week, without a doubt," Virginia Tech coach Seth Greenberg said. "Excluding (forward) Jeff (Allen), we don't have one dominant rebounder, but we've got a bunch of guys that dug in."

A late intentional foul on Mamadi Diane led to a pair of free throws from Allen, who had 11 points and eight rebounds, that tied the game at 63 and forced overtime. But trouble for the Cavs was brewing much earlier. Late in the first half, Tech -- which raced out to a 9-0 lead -- cut a six-point lead to two on Cheick Diakite's rebound and stickback and Hank Thorns' follow of his own miss.

That play left Leitao with his hands on his hips, scowling at his team even as Singletary split two defenders and hit a double-clutching layup to put the Cavs up 38-34 at halftime.

"We've been having a lot of breakdowns defensively, and it happened throughout the game," said Joseph, Virginia's only other scorer in double digits with 11 points. "We were up nine, and they cut the lead down because of offensive rebounds."

 

Believe it or not, Tech senior's 'D' was key
David Teel
11:15 PM EST, January 16, 2008
CHARLOTTESVILLE

Deron Washington won the game with a driving shot at the buzzer. That's the highlight you'll see of Virginia Tech's 70-69 overtime conquest of Virginia on Wednesday.

But Washington actually won this compelling contest by defending Sean Singletary.

Sounds preposterous, doesn't it? Singletary torched the Hokies for 34 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and three steals. He looked every bit like the nation's premier point guard.

"He could have had 50," Tech coach Seth Greenberg said.

The reason he didn't have at least 40 was Washington.

At 6-foot-7, Washington is the Hokies' best defender. He's quick, long, and leaps like few others.

But for much of Wednesday, matchups dictated that Washington guard Adrian Joseph, leaving freshmen Malcolm Delaney and Hank Thorns to check Singletary.

Uh, no.

Singletary dusted them with crossover dribbles and drove past them for layups. He backed them off before making 3-pointers and swiped their rookie-mistake passes.

In seven career games against the Hokies, Singletary never had gone off. He had not shot better than 50 percent or scored more than 23 points. His scoring average (13.3) and shooting percentage (35.8) were pedestrian.

Wednesday was anything but. "Relentless" and "magnificent" were Greenberg's words.

Said Washington: "You never know what he's going to do."

But at three critical moments, Washington seemed to know precisely what Singletary would do.

With less than two minutes remaining in regulation and the Cavaliers nursing a 63-61 lead, Singletary lost Delaney and drove toward the bucket, only to have Washington boldly challenge him at the rim. Singletary missed, triggering a Hokies break that led to Jeff Allen tying the game with two free throws.

On Virginia's final possession of regulation, Greenberg, logical matchups be damned, switched Washington onto Singletary during a timeout with 36.6 seconds left. Using his 7-inch height advantage, Washington forced the driving Singletary to pass the ball out to Calvin Baker, whose 3-pointer from the left wing missed.

Singletary "was going to get a shot off against Malcolm or Hank," Greenberg said. "I had to put my best defender on their best player."

Man, sometimes coaching is "See Spot run" simple.

But coaching had little to do with Washington's final and most acrobatic stop. With less than two minutes remaining in overtime and Tech down 69-68, Singletary split the defense with a spin dribble, and Washington flew in from the weak side to block his shot.

"That's Deron's game," Delaney said, "hustle plays."

"I noticed that every time (Singletary) went to the basket, he tried to scoop it up with his outside hand," Washington said.

On Tech's next two possessions, Greenberg wanted to strangle Washington. A 27-percent 3-point shooter entering the game, Washington twice launched from beyond the arc, missing both.

But Virginia failed to convert, and with the score still 69-68, the game hinged on an inbounds play. Four seconds remained as Thorns prepared to restart play from in front of the Hokies' bench.

With no timeouts, Greenberg yelled the play: "Stack."

One problem: "Stack" can mean a pass to anyone. The three freshmen on the floor -- Thorns, Allen and Delaney -- looked lost.

Washington raised his hand for Thorns to see. Translation: Get me the ball.

Tech's sole significant senior drove left on Joseph, and his funky shot banked in to give Tech its first victory in Charlottesville in 40 years and hand Virginia its first ACC defeat at John Paul Jones Arena.

The Hokies (11-6, 2-1) were far more balanced than the Cavaliers (10-5, 0-2). Allen overcame first-half foul trouble to finish with 11 points and nine boards; A.D. Vassallo made five 3-pointers and scored a team-high 22 points; Delaney had six assists and only one turnover in 40 minutes; Terrell Bell, another freshman, scored five points in seven minutes.

But the difference was Washington.

"What makes him different than anyone else is he's a freak," Greenberg said. "I say that affectionately."

By freakish, Greenberg explained, Washington is blessed with the athleticism to make game-changing plays.

Or, in the case of Wednesday, game-winning plays.

 

Cavs fall to Hokies as time expires
Washington converts acrobatic layup to down Cavs in overtime
Anders Sleight, Cavalier Daily Associate Editor

A raucous home crowd at John Paul Jones Arena was treated to a physical, intense and exciting overtime game last night from the Virginia men's basketball team. After suffering a tough loss Sunday at Duke, Virginia was dealt a harsh blow from another conference rival as the Hokies edged the Cavaliers 70-69.

After the Cavaliers held off Virginia Tech (11-6, 2-1 ACC) time after time, Hokie senior forward Deron Washington got off an acrobatic shot that fell in just as time expired. Washington's basket gave the Hokies the win, deflated an excited JPJ crowd and sent Virginia fans home with the sour taste of defeat.

"This loss really hurts," sophomore guard Calvin Baker said. "We were playing really hard and we always try to protect our home."

Senior guard Sean Singletary scored 34 points, pulled down 10 rebounds and added three assists in the close match. The star guard hit two big free throws in the extra period and forced a turnover that led to an easy lay-up for senior forward Adrian Joseph. The senior co-captains attempted to will the exhausted Cavaliers to victory, but they came up just short. The loss drops Virginia's record to 10-5 (0-2 ACC).

Virginia got off to a sluggish start as it missed its first three shot attempts -- including two long-range 3-point attempts from Baker and Singletary. Virginia Tech, on the other hand, opened up the game on a 9-point run. With 17:16 remaining in the first half, Virginia coach Dave Leitao was forced to call a time-out in order to regroup his team and to stall Virginia Tech's momentum.

Leitao's attempt to rally his players, however, did not have the immediate effect he was looking for. On Virginia's ensuing possession Joseph air-balled a 3-point attempt, and the Cavaliers turned the ball over on their next possession.

Singletary, however, worked the Cavaliers out of their slump as he knocked down a deep 3-pointer to put Virginia on the board.

Just a few minutes later, Singletary brought all of JPJ to its feet twice as he drained a 3-pointer off a transition situation and beautifully dropped a lay-up over the outstretched hand of a Hokie defender. Singletary's heroics drew the Cavaliers even with the Hokies, 15-15, with 13 minutes to play in the opening half.

Over the next several minutes both teams traded points during a fast-paced and aggressive stretch.

Singletary continued his hot streak throughout the period as he hit several more big 3-pointers. The senior guard's heroics gave Virginia a 4-point lead at halftime, and he accounted for 23 of Virginia's 38 first-half points.

Singletary and the Cavaliers picked up in the second half right where they left off as they continued their up-tempo play in the opening minutes of the period. Virginia Tech, however, matched Virginia's intensity step for step and kept things close. The Hokies received two easy baskets in the first six minutes and played very strongly in the post and paint.

Fortunately for Virginia, Joseph stepped up and responded to Virginia Tech's tough play by draining two well-guarded 3-pointers. Joseph's hot hand gave the crowd renewed energy and Virginia a 53-50 lead with 12 minutes to play.

Five minutes later, Singletary continued the wave of emotion and energy cresting over JPJ when he forced a turnover, dribbled coast to coast and banked in an acrobatic lay-up around a sprawling Virginia Tech defender. Singletary's bucket gave Virginia a 61-53 lead with 6:53 remaining and forced Virginia Tech coach Seth Greenberg to call a time-out to subdue the energy of the JPJ faithful.

That lead, however, disappeared in less than two minutes. Washington capped an 8-0 Hokie run as he converted a 3-pointer from the corner to tie the game at 61 with 3:42 left. Virginia's best attempt to break the tie came with 30 seconds to play as Baker received a pass from Singletary and attempted a wide-open 3-pointer. Baker's attempt, however, did not fall, and the teams entered overtime tied at 63.

"It was a hard-fought basketball game," Greenberg said. "There's no magic theory why we won. It's one play and one stop."

 

London would be historic hire
Spiders never have had black head coach of a major sport
Thursday, Jan 17, 2008 - 12:07 AM
By JOHN PACKETT
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER

The University of Richmond appears ready to hire its first black head coach of a major sport.

Mike London is the leading candidate for the UR job, according to sources familiar with the school's search. London, 47, is the University of Virginia's defensive coordinator and a former Spiders player and assistant coach.

The only other African-American to be in charge of any program at UR was LaRee Sugg, who served as the women's golf coach for three years and was the men's coach for one year before becoming an assistant athletic director at the Colonial Athletic Association school.

There have been two previous African-American head football coaches in the CAA (formerly Atlantic 10): Alex Wood at James Madison and Floyd Keith at Rhode Island. Outside of historically black schools such as Hampton University, there are only 12 minority head football coaches in Division I and I-AA combined, according to the Black Coaches and Administrators Web site.

"I have talked to the school about the consideration of hiring someone of color," said Keith, who now is executive director of the BCA. "Not about the hiring of Mike London, just hiring someone of color."

London was interviewed for the job when Dave Clawson was named in 2004, but this time, it looks like he's the front-runner.

London, a Hampton native, graduated in 1983 from UR, where he played defensive back. He coached Richmond's outside linebackers in 1988 and '89 and again from 1994-96. He was the Spiders' recruiting coordinator during his second stint there.

The 2007 season was London's sixth as a U.Va. assistant and second as coach Al Groh's defensive coordinator. London left Groh's staff to coach the NFL Houston Texans' defensive line in 2005 and returned to Charlottesville the following season.

"This whole issue of hiring someone of color is much bigger than just the University of Richmond," Keith said. "It would be a visible breakthrough, yes, but what would be significant to me is when you have 20 percent of the coaches on the sideline, which would be commensurate with the number of participants on the field."

No one was commenting on the search for Clawson's successor yesterday, but sources have indicated there's a possibility the school will be having a press conference tomorrow for that purpose.