1/9/09 - Moving On

Groh reflects on changes
Virginia coach talks about son's departure and beefing up the offense in 2009.
By Doug Doughty

Not long after Gregg Brandon became involved in Virginia's search for an offensive coordinator, he sat down with head coach Al Groh and watched film of the Cavaliers' recently completed 5-7 season.
"We watched a lot of stuff," Groh said, "and I asked, 'What do you see?' I told him, 'I watch our offense in practice. I study our offense on film. Why don't we have a higher level of performance?' "
The Cavaliers currently stand 105th out of 119 Division I-A teams in total offense and that isn't going to change with only tonight's BCS championship game remaining. UVa hasn't cracked the top 100 in the last three years.
"I don't want to put words in Gregg's mouth," Groh said, "but what he told me was, 'I thought you were efficient. You had a good scheme. You were efficient but not explosive. You didn't have enough guys scoring touchdowns.' "
That was reflected in UVa's 114th-place ranking in scoring offense, an absence of productivity that was followed by the resignation of third-year offensive coordinator Mike Groh, son of the head coach.
"You can imagine the emotions involved with that," Al Groh said.
Whether or not Groh's superiors asked him to make changes in his staff, they didn't get much opposition.
Groh said he had discussed the matter with his son during the closing stages of the regular season.
"I said, 'It's not a question of performance,' " Groh said. "I think he is as bright and engaging as [any coaches] we've had in here, but I told him, 'For the sake of your career, you need to break away from me.' "
Groh hired Brandon as his son's replacement. Brandon was recently dismissed after six seasons as the head coach at Bowling Green, where his 2004 team was second in Division I-A in total offense.
Newspaper headlines hailed the arrival of the "spread" offense in Charlottesville, which may be a little misleading.
Less than a year ago, Mike Groh took a little-publicized trip to Lubbock, Texas, to observe the spread offense practiced by Texas Tech coach Mike Leach.
Even before that trip, Virginia occasionally utilized the empty backfields and four- and five-wide receiver sets that are usually associated with the spread.
"Just as you might see 10 different styles of the 4-3 defense, now there's become an issue with the spread," Groh said. "Oregon clearly has been one of the forerunners in the spread and this year Oregon was fourth [actually second] in rushing. Missouri, from all of its literature, runs a spread offense. Missouri was fourth in the country in passing."
Groh has always emphasized the importance of being able to run the ball in the fourth quarter and that hasn't changed.
"I think we saw that here all weekend," said Groh referring to the multitude of college bowl games and NFL playoff games on television.
Groh has been most closely involved with UVa's defense, but he took part in the formulation of an offensive playbook that gives the Cavaliers flexibility to have run-oriented and pass-oriented offenses.
Brandon apparently will be free to alter the playbook and maybe even change some of the terminology because "Gregg's got a system that's been very successful," Groh said. "He's got a very strong overview of what's going on in the spread world."
Groh has added Brandon and ex-Tennessee receivers coach Latrell Scott to his offensive staff, but he has other hires to make. He was in the process of looking for a defensive-line coach when he learned that two-year strength coach Matt Balis was going to Mississippi State.
At Mississippi State, Balis will be reunited with new Bulldogs head coach Dan Mullen, a former associate of Balis' at Utah and Florida.
West Virginia made overtures to Balis last year after ex-Gators assistant Doc Holliday joined the WVU staff.
"As soon as the Mississippi State job came open, I had an inkling they might be coming after Matt," Groh said.
"We've had two good guys in a row in [Balis] and Evan Marcus and, when you've got good people, they tend to be ambitious."
Mississippi State was able to offer Balis the opportunity to preside over its entire strength program, a position that Ed Nordenschild holds at UVa.
"We'll be filling the D-line job soon enough," Groh said, "but our priority now is with player development. We're going to have 100 players coming back for the start of our offseason program is another week and we'd like to have somebody there to greet them."

Ogletree leaving; Cavs get commitment/Doug Doughty

Efforts to rebuild Virginia’s offense took an initial blow Thursday with the announcement that top playmaker Kevin Ogletree will make himself available for the NFL Draft.

Ogletree, who returned from reconstructive knee surgery to catch 58 passes this past season, graduated in December but was eligible to play as a graduate student in 2008.

“Kevin feels this is the appropriate time for him to move on,” coach Al Groh said in a statement released by UVa’s sports information office. “We agree and support him in his decision and wish him much success.”

Ogletree led the Cavaliers in receptions, receiving yards (723) and touchdown receptions (five). He was the second on the team in scoring and all-purpose yardage.

“Kevin has been a significant part of our team,” Groh said in an understatement.
Ogletree is scheduled to speak to the media on a teleconference tonight at 8 p.m.

His departure leaves Jared Green, who had 12 receptions this past season as a redshirt freshman, as the Cavaliers’ top returning wide receiver.

Senior Cary Koch, who had 30 receptions as a slot receiver, is preparing an appeal for an extra year of eligibility.

In other news concerning the Cavaliers, 6-foot-7, 300-pound offensive lineman Hunter Steward from Kellam High School in Virginia Beach has made an oral commitment to Virginia.

Steward, rated the No. 31 senior in Virginia by The Roanoke Times, moved to Virginia Beach from Canada before the season. He turned 17 over the Christmas break and may spend the 2009 season at Fork Union Military Academy, although he meets NCAA eligibility guidelines.

“He did a great job for us but he’s only begun to scratch the surface,” said Kellam coach Chris Dewitt, who said Steward picked UVa over Marshall.

Steward, who will join fellow Canadians Austin Pasztor and Brent Urban in the UVa program, is the 23rd player to commit to the Cavaliers for 2009.

Cavs losing key WR
By Jeff White
Published: January 8, 2009

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- The job of the University of Virginia's new wide receivers coach, Latrell Scott, got more difficult this week. Kevin Ogletree is passing up his senior season to enter the NFL draft.

The 6-1, 189-pound Ogletree would have been the ACC's top returning receiver in 2009. He caught 58 passes for 723 yards and five touchdowns in 2008 and was named honorable-mention all-conference.

"It's a decision I've been thinking about for a while, and I'm happy with it," Ogletree, speaking by phone from Florida, told reporters last night. "I'm going to attack it 100 percent."

Ogletree, 21, signed this week with an agent, Joe Flanagan of BTI Sports Advisors. Ogletree graduated from U.Va. with a bachelor's in sociology last month.

That "makes feel so much more comfortable with this decision," Ogletree said, "in that I have that to fall back on. That's what I signed to come to school for. I wanted to get my degree and play [against] top competition, and now I feel I'm honestly ready to be presented with some new challenges and try some new things."

After the regular season ended, Ogletree submitted his name to the NFL's advisory committee for feedback about where he might go in the 2009 draft. He declined last night to disclose what the committee told him but said it "was positive, and it was enough for me to make this decision. I wouldn't be doing this if [the committee had] said, 'You'll go in the seventh round, guy.' I would be back in school right now."

A native of Queens, N.Y., Ogletree played sparingly as a true freshman in 2005, then broke out in '06, catching 52 passes for 582 yards and four TDs and receiving all-ACC honorable mention. He missed the 2007 season while recovering from a torn ACL, but showed no signs of the injury in '08.

"Kevin has been a significant part of our team," Virginia coach Al Groh said in a statement. "He was a strong performer and an excellent teammate. Kevin received his degree in December and feels this is the appropriate time for him to move on. We agree and support him in his decision and wish him much success."

Ogletree's departure further depletes a receiving corps whose seniors in 2008 included Maurice Covington (33 catches) and Cary Koch (30 catches), though Koch is expected to petition the NCAA for another year of eligibility.

Of the Cavaliers' returning wideouts, rising sophomore Jared Green was the most productive in 2008. He caught 12 passes for 144 yards and one TD. Virginia's new offensive coordinator would prefer to have inherited more experience at that position. Gregg Brandon routinely uses four receivers at a time in his trademark spread offense.

Steward Commits To Cavaliers
By Sabre Staff
TheSabre.com
Jan 07, 2009

Kellam (Virginia Beach, VA) standout Hunter Steward, 6-7, 300-pound offensive tackle, has committed to the University of Virginia football program. Steward earned spots on the first team of the Group AAA and All-Tidewater recognition lists. He joins Luke Bowanko, Sean Cascarano, and Cody Wallace as offensive line recruits; Steward is expected to be headed to prep school before arriving at UVa.

Steward, who called the decision a "gut feeling", informed coach Al Groh and coach Bob Pruett of his choice Wednesday afternoon. He said the December school break helped him wrap his mind around the decision.

"It was just one of those things you know. I just felt like Virginia was where I needed to be," Steward said. "I told Al Groh and Bob Pruett of my decision this afternoon. They were pretty happy and excited about it. They're ready to get things moving with me."

Barring a change, Steward will enroll at Fork Union Military Academy before coming to Virginia. He has a solid GPA and his SAT scores are good, but his transfer from Canada to Kellum in Virginia Beach contributed to the move toward FUMA.

Steward thinks the Fork Union experience could help him.

"I'm actually starting to get pretty keen on the idea of going to Fork Union," he said. "I think it will be good for me. I can go through a college type program and be kind of a college guy when I get to Virginia."

As for being the latest in a line of Canadian commitments - defensive end commitment Brent Urban and current freshman Austin Pasztor are also from Canada - Steward said it didn't play much of a role in his decision to become a Cavalier.

"It wasn't a big factor, but I guess it is pretty cool," he said.

Steward has an official visit scheduled to UVa on Jan. 16.

Virginia wide receiver Kevin Ogletree has decided to forgo his final season of college eligibility to declare for the NFL draft in April, according to a release from U.Va.'s athletic department.

Ogletree, a 6-foot-2, 189-pounder from Queens, N.Y., finished his U.Va. career with 117 catches for 1,332 yards and nine touchdowns. He's seventh in school history in receptions and 13th in receiving yards. He tore an anterior cruciate ligament in 2007 spring drills and missed the '07 season, but he returned this season to lead U.Va. with 58 catches for 723 yards and five touchdowns. He graduated last month — a semester ahead of schedule — with a degree in sociology.

"Kevin has been a significant part of our team," U.Va. coach Al Groh said in the release. "He was a strong performer and an excellent teammate. Kevin received his degree in December and feels this is the appropriate time for him to move on. We agree and support him in his decision and wish him much success."

Ogletree is one of 26 players in ACC history to have two 50-catch seasons in a career. In '06, he had 52 catches for 582 yards and four touchdowns.

"I feel like I had two strong seasons," Ogletree said during a Wednesday night teleconference. "I was real young when I first got in there as a freshman, a wide-eyed freshman. I was real young with some tools and some talent, but didn't really know how to use any of that, and still had that in my sophomore year. I think it took until I really got hurt to really try to make my game better, do some things and make my body a little bit better. I'm happy looking back at my U.Va. career ... and I loved every minute there and I'm going to miss it."

Despite his junior eligibility status, he participated Nov. 22 before U.Va.'s home game against Clemson in Senior Day ceremonies with his senior teammates.

All of the players honored were in the same class Ogletree was in when he arrived in Charlottesville.

With Ogletree gone, and senior receivers Maurice Covington and Cary Koch out of eligibility, redshirt freshman Jared Green will be U.Va.'s leading returning receiver. He had 12 catches for 144 yards and a touchdown in 2008.

Cavs’ Ogletree is NFL-bound
By Jay Jenkins
Published: January 8, 2009

The opportunity was just too good to pass up.

After filing paperwork with the NFL advisory committee to check on his stock for the upcoming NFL draft, Virginia wide receiver Kevin Ogletree was left with only one decision. On Wednesday, that decision was made public.

“I came up with this decision here recently with my family to enter the draft this year,” Ogletree said. “I am feeling comfortable about it. It is a decision that I have been thinking about for a while and I am happy with it.”

Ogletree, listed at 6-foot-1 and 189 pounds, had one year of eligibility remaining after he was sidelined in 2007 after knee surgery. Yet with his sociology degree and a pair of 50-catch seasons under his belt, the New York native elected to pass up an opportunity to play in new offensive coordinator Gregg Brandon’s spread offense.

“The fact that I graduated makes me feel so much more comfortable with this decision,” Ogletree said. “I have that to fall back on. That’s what I signed to come to school for. I wanted to get my degree and play with the top competition.

“Now, I feel like I am ready to be presented with some new challenges and try some new things. I am excited about the future, and having the degree did provide me with some extra enthusiasm going into this.”

This season, Ogletree amassed 58 catches for 723 yards and five touchdowns, which would have been the top figures for a returning receiver in the ACC.

Ogletree also hauled in 52 passes for 582 yards and four touchdowns in 2006. Both seasons that he played, however, finished without a postseason appearance for the Cavaliers.

“Hopefully the reason that we were 5-7 wasn’t because I was starting at receiver,” Ogletree joked.

After making his announcement and signing with an agent, Ogletree boarded a plane and flew to Fort Lauderdale, Fla. He will train there and remains hopeful to land an invitation to the NFL Combine in Indianapolis, something Virginia senior left tackle Eugene Monroe received earlier this week.

“I am going to be training in Davie, Florida, for six weeks leading up to the draft,” Ogletree said. “I am working out down here and hopefully this hard work for six weeks will pay off in Indianapolis.

“I am just trying to get ready and do my part.”

While the exact information from the advisory committee was not something Ogletree disclosed, he said that information, research he completed on his own and discussions with his family contributed to the decision.

“It was positive and it was enough for me to make this decision,” he said. “I wouldn’t be doing this if I got a grade back that said I would go in the seventh round. I would be back in school right now.

“They have a few grades that they give out. I am not going to go into too much detail about it, but it was what I wanted to hear. It was enough for me to feel comfortable about this decision. Obviously, it was a draftable grade and something that I am going to work on to make even better.”

Ogletree, who has been clocked as fast as 4.31 in the 40-yard dash in the past year, said he also talked extensively with Virginia coach Al Groh.

“Coach Groh told me he would love to have me on his team, but he would support any decision that I made,” he said. “We always had the relationship where we could sit down and talk about things or issues that were around. I told him before the season started about a four-year plan that I was thinking about after my injury when I came back, and he told me that we would sit down after the season and talk about it more in detail, which we did.

“When I got home I did some of my own work and research and sent that draft report in to that advisory committee. It was a combination of things to try and gather the best information and the best feedback so I would be making the right choice.”

Groh praised Ogletree for his performance as a Cavalier.

“Kevin has been a significant part of our team,” Groh said. “He was a strong performer and an excellent teammate. Kevin received his degree in December and feels this is the appropriate time for him to move on.

“We agree and support him in his decision and wish him much success.”

Ogletree’s departure is a crushing blow to Virginia’s offense. The Cavaliers — barring permission from the NCAA to grant Tulane transfer Cary Koch a fifth year of eligibility, a move he will have to explore on his own through an appeal — do not boast a wideout that hauled in more than 12 catches this season.

Virginia could, of course, employ cornerback Vic Hall in slot on offense, a move that could be bolstered by the return of cornerback Chris Cook to the secondary. Cook will return to classes next week, as will quarterback Jameel Sewell and linebacker Darnell Carter, all of whom were suspended from school for two semesters after receiving academic suspensions.

“I know what we have coming back. I love the guys on my team and they will always be friends of mine,” Ogletree said. “You have to look at situations like that but my situation is different. I am looking at a bunch of things. It is not like there is any big instability at Virginia. They will be fine and have that ironed out.

“Having that new offensive coordinator and some new guys around there isn’t the worst thing, and it would have provided a little bit of change. Who knows what would have happened. That was big coming down the stretch as I was about to make my decision whether to go back and try it out with the new offensive coordinator and the new receiver coach, Latrell Scott. But the family decision at the end of the day was to go ahead and try to pursue this professional career.”

Ogletree makes a puzzling decision
By Jerry Ratcliffe
Published: January 8, 2009

For the last five years or so, Virginia coach Al Groh has made it an annual practice of sitting down with some of his players in December to help them evaluate their pro football possibilities.

Groh fills out the paperwork, sends it off to the NFL and awaits the assessment. While it’s a formality, Groh usually has just as good a handle on the individual’s chances because he used to evaluate talent for the New York Giants, New York Jets and New England Patriots.

Still, he wants his players to get every bit of information possible before making a move, usually on whether to jump before their senior year.

Wide receiver Kevin Ogletree made that jump on Wednesday even though Groh didn’t think it was a good idea.

More seasoning needed?

Ogletree has been a solid receiver for the Cavaliers. He has already graduated, but has another year of eligibility. Instead of sticking around and perhaps thriving in UVa’s new spread offense next season, he opted to ignore the information presented to him and contacted an agent.

Groh supported the move and likes Ogletree, but cringed when asked about the decision.

“If you can go in the first round, it’s a good thing to do,” Groh said.

That’s likely not the case here.

It appears that Ogletree’s jump isn’t a wise decision. When the NFL returns paperwork on players, the results come back with three answers and Ogletree’s was returned with this message:

“Does not have potential to be drafted in the first three rounds.”

Some NFL player personnel evaluators we are familiar with rated Ogletree as a possible fifth-rounder. In a league where wide receivers are a dime a dozen, this decision appears to be a mistake.

“Some guys just got to find out,” Groh said.

Kai’s cautionary tale

That’s what happened with former UVa linebacker Kai Parham a few years ago. Those same talent evaluators rated him a sixth- or seventh-round pick, and he wasn’t drafted at all and never made it as a free agent.

Other guys like D’Brickashaw Ferguson and Chris Long could have jumped early but benefited greatly from an extra year. They listened to Groh and made a lot of extra money by doing so. On the other hand, Groh told Heath Miller that he’d be crazy not to go early, and that worked out rather well as the big tight end was the Steelers’ first-round pick.

As a junior, Ferguson was rated as a first-rounder, but probably around the 20th pick of the draft. Groh explained to the offensive left tackle to consider the physical stature of the players he would be going up against and the expectations of a starting left tackle, the guy who is supposed to protect the quarterback. He also explained the benefits of another year to prepare.

Ferguson listened and had a standout senior season and went from the projected 20th draft position to No. 4, which amounted to about another $20 million on his contract, money that can’t be made up.

Long listened to the same information, and while his decision wasn’t based on money, it ended up making him a lot more as the overall No. 2 choice in the draft (and there was speculation he would go No. 1). He used the extra year to make himself the best defensive end in the college game.

Ogletree might not have moved up to a first-rounder, but another year might have advanced him into the first three rounds, especially learning from new offensive coordinator Gregg Brandon.

Pro football talent evaluators weren’t impressed with the Virginia receiver’s ability to beat press coverage and some of the little things like taking out the strong safety on a downfield play — the kinds of things that make or break wide receivers trying to win a roster spot.

Meanwhile, Groh isn’t hitting the panic button. He believes sophomore Jared Green, redshirt freshman Javaris Brown (both are speed merchants) and a flock of incoming receivers will flourish in the new offensive system and allow the Cavaliers to do things they couldn’t do before — even with Ogletree.

UVa adds another Canadian recruit
By Jay Jenkins
Published: January 8, 2009

The Virginia Canucks may be a more appropriate moniker than the Cavaliers at this point.

For the third time in the past two years, Virginia’s football team landed a Canadian-born football recruit.

Hunter Steward, a 6-foot-7, 300-pound offensive tackle, announced that he would follow fellow Candian players Austin Pasztor, a rising sophomore at UVa, and 2009 recruit Brent Urban.

“I committed to Virginia [on Wednesday],” Steward said. “I called coach Groh and [UVa defensive coordinator] Bob Pruett to inform them.”

Steward, who transferred to Kellam High in Virginia Beach prior to the season, may end up counting for the recruiting class in 2010. Despite solid grades, it is expected that Steward will play in 2009 for Fork Union postgraduate coach John Shuman.

After a stellar season at Kellam, Steward was named an All-Group AAA performer.

He becomes the fourth offensive line recruit to verbally commit to UVa, joining Luke Bowanko, Sean Cascarano and Cody Wallace. Virginia is also pursuing two highly-regarded uncommitted offensive linemen, four-star prospect Oday Aboushi from Brooklyn, N.Y. and five-star Morgan Moses from Richmond.

With 22 commitments in place, Virginia currently ranks No. 36 in the team rankings as compiled by rivals.com.

Virginia center struts his stuff
By Whitey Reid
Published: January 8, 2009

If Virginia freshman John Brandenburg doesn’t have a nickname yet, maybe teammates should start calling him “Kareem.”

In UVa’s win over Brown on Tuesday night, Brandenburg once again showed off a pretty hook shot. It wasn’t quite the skyhook that NBA hall of famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar made famous, but in limited minutes this season, the shot has seemed effective.

“That’s new,” Brandenburg said. “We’ve really worked on developing that since I got here. In high school I was more of a jumpshooter and didn’t really need the hook because I was so much taller than everyone. Now, because everyone’s so athletic, I really need to use that hook.

“I think it’s going to be great at this level.”

Brandenburg finished with two points and a rebound in his four minutes. Both his shot attempts were jump hooks, the first of which was a longer one that hit nothing but net.

“I wasn’t even thinking at that point,” said the 6-foot-11 St. Louis native. “Instinct took over and all the reps [in practice] we’ve done just took over. I just took the hook.

“After I shot it, I was like, ‘Wow, that hook was like 10 feet away — I shouldn’t have even shot that,’ but it worked out alright.”

Virginia coach Dave Leitao has seemed satisfied with Brandenburg’s progression, despite the fact he has appeared in just four games.

“For him, we’re trying to get him to be aggressive in everything that he does — running, defensively, offensively — just adjusting to the pace of college basketball,” Leitao said. “I think at 6-11, he’s been so used to being five, six, seven, eight inches taller than everybody, that playing against same-sized guys and guys like Assane [Sene] is a new experience for him. He’s just getting adjusted and caught up with that.”

Even if he doesn’t make much of an impact this season, Brandenburg says he’s glad that he wasn’t redshirted, which many UVa fans were thinking he might be.

“If I was a redshirt, there would be no [motivation],” he said. “I think now I can really get rewarded if I practice well. I think it’s always nice having that in front of me.”

The upbeat Brandenburg does not seem down about his limited playing time.

“Every time you reach a new level, you’re either going to excel quickly or it’s going to take some time for you to get comfortable,” he said. “Obviously for me, the main thing for me has been strength. I’m just trying to get stronger.”

When Brandenburg arrived at Virginia in the summer, he weighed 225 pounds and looked very light on his feet for someone of his height. Since then, under the guidance of strength and conditioning coach Shawn Brown, he has added over 20 pounds.

“Now I’m just eating everything and trying to put on a lot of weight … Shawn will put weight on anybody,” said Brandenburg, smiling. “That’s a little heavy for me right now because I don’t know if it’s all good weight. I’m having a little trouble running.”

With Virginia about to get into the teeth of its conference schedule, Brandenburg doesn’t figure to see much, if any, action in the next few games. But you have to figure that if UVa performs as poorly as a lot of people expect — the Cavs were picked to finish last in the ACC — Brandenburg will get his chance before long as Leitao looks to the future.

Dunks

Leitao said Sene, who is now 5 of 14 from the free-throw line after going 0 of 4 on Tuesday, has been affected by an injury to his thumb. “It’s heavily taped and has a pretty good amount of stuff going on underneath it,” Leitao said. “He doesn’t quite feel the ball, so not only has it hindered his ability to make them consistently, but I think it’s affected him mentally, too. But he has a pretty good touch and without [the injury], I’d like to think he’d be around 60-65 percent and going up as the years go on…I’m not worried about it over the long haul.”

The other half of the first-year twin towers
Jeff White
Jan 07, 2009

CHARLOTTESVILLE – It’s too early to say if he’ll one day make the all-ACC basketball team, but U.Va. freshman John Brandenburg is probably a lock to make the all-interview team.

Brandenburg, who stands 6-11, spoke with several reporters, myself included, after Virginia’s rout of Brown at John Paul Jones Arena last night. He was engaging and well-spoken, which is to be expected of a young man whose other college options included Stanford.

Against the Bears, Brandenburg entered the game with 4:05 remaining. Moments later, he took a pass in the low post and, without hesitating, put up a jump hook that dropped through the net.

“I wasn’t even thinking at that point,” Brandenburg said with a smile. “Instincts took over, and all the reps we’ve done just hit, and I just took a dribble and took the hook. And after I shot it, I was like, ‘Wow, that hook was, like, 10 feet away. I shouldn’t have even shot that.’ But it worked out all right.”

That shot is relatively new to his repertoire.

“We’ve really been working on developing that since I got here,” Brandenburg said. “In high school I was more of a jump-shooter. I really didn’t need the hook, because I was so much taller than everybody. And now, since everyone’s so athletic, I really need to use that hook. So I think it’s going to be great at this level.”

Brandenburg, who’s from Des Peres, Mo., near St. Louis, has played in four games this season, scoring six points and grabbing four rebounds in 14 minutes. He’s made 3 of 5 shots from the floor.

Coach Dave Leitao said Brandenburg needs to work, first and foremost, on being more aggressive. On being more like classmate Assane Sene, a 7-footer who has established himself as Virginia’s starting center.

“For [Brandenburg], we’re trying to get him every day in practice to be aggressive in everything that he does: running, defensively, offensively, just adjusting to the pace of college basketball,” Leitao said.

“I think at 6-11, he’s been so used to being five, six, seven, eight inches taller than everybody, that playing against same-sized guys and playing at the pace, particularly of a guy like Assane, is a new experience for him, and he’s just getting adjusted and caught up with that.”

Brandenburg is probably the Cavaliers’ No. 4 center, behind Sene, junior Jerome Meyinsse and senior Tunji Soroye, and some observers believe he should be redshirting this season. Not Brandenburg.

“I think it’s actually more motivation [to be playing],” he said. “If I was a redshirt, there would be motivation to get better, but I think now that I can really get rewarded if I practice well. I think it’s nice always having that in front of me.”

The transition to college hoops has been difficult, Brandenburg said, but that “happens to a lot of players coming from high school. Any time you reach a new level, you’re either going to excel quickly, or it’s going to take some time for you to get comfortable. Obviously for me a big thing has been strength. So I’m just trying to get stronger and ease into it I guess.”

When he arrived at U.Va., he weighed 225 pounds. Brandenburg said he weighed in at 248 the other day.

“That’s a little heavy for me right now,” he said. “I don’t know if it’s all good weight. I’m having a little trouble running, but we’re working on slimming me down.”

He may not supplant Soroye or Meyinsse in the rotation this season, but Brandenburg said he doesn’t believe he’s “that far behind, especially talent-wise and things. I think I’m right there. [Leitao] just wants to see a little more out of me in practice, a little more endurance. He wants to see me getting that loose ball, getting that box-out in the last two minutes of the scrimmage. Just little things, I think, will get me up to where I need to be minutes-wise.”