Cav’s hot hand is not enough
By Jeff White
Published: January 11, 2009

-- BLACKSBURG -- At the 4:45 mark of the second half yesterday, the University of Virginia trailed Virginia Tech 66-51. Mustapha Farrakhan had two points and was no more than a footnote in the drama unfolding at Cassell Coliseum.

By game's end, the U.Va. reserve had almost become the story.

That distinction ultimately belonged to A.D. Vassallo and Malcolm Delaney, who combined for 53 points, on 19-for-31 shooting from the floor, to help the Hokies escape with a 78-75 victory. But the 9,847 fans at this ACC basketball game -- and everyone else in the building -- witnessed a remarkable display of late-game marksmanship by Farrakhan, a 6-4 guard from the Chicago suburbs.

In a span of 143 seconds, the grandson of Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan hit three 3-pointers and, after being fouled on another attempt from beyond the arc, three free throws.

Farrakhan's foul shots pulled Virginia to 70-65, and the left-hander wasn't through.

With 49 seconds left, his catch-and-shoot 3-pointer from the right wing cut the Hokies' lead to 72-70. Farrakhan fouled out with nine seconds remaining, trying to swipe the ball from Vassallo (29 points). When he left the court, the Hokies breathed a collective sigh of relief.

"You've got to give him credit," Tech coach Seth Greenberg said. "The guy made tough shots ... Two of them weren't good defense. Two of them the guy made killer shots."

Cavaliers coach Dave Leitao and Farrakhan's teammates said they've seen similar sprees from No. 2 in practice.

"When he gets hot, he just keeps going, and it's hard for him to turn off," said freshman swingman Sylven Landesberg, who led U.Va. (1-1, 7-6) with 20 points.

For virtually everyone else, though, Farrakhan's play was a revelation. His 17 points were five more than his previous career high and 12 more than his average coming in. Before yesterday, he'd never made more than two 3-pointers in a college game.

Farrakhan started Virginia's first two games this season. But he scored only two points in the first and zero in the second, after which he was demoted.

"It's just tough sometimes," Farrakhan said. "It's a mental roller-coaster a little bit. I just try to stay positive through it all and continue to work every day."

His role has increased over the past month, and he's scored at least nine points in four of the Cavaliers' past five games.

"I'm proud of him, the way he's playing right now," said sophomore forward Mike Scott, who contributed 16 points and six rebounds against Tech. "He's playing with a lot of confidence."

Leitao said Farrakhan has been practicing better and showing "more confidence, knowing that he's going to get an opportunity and then making the best of his opportunity. What's ailed before him is, because of all those things, he had not been able to play through some errors, and mentally he's playing through those errors a lot better."

After a freshman season in which Farrakhan played in only 19 games, many outside the program speculated that he might want to start over at another school. But his father, who was in the Cassell stands yesterday, encouraged Farrakhan to persevere at U.Va., and a transfer wasn't seriously considered.

"First year it was a tough year," Farrakhan said. "It was a new experience for me, a new setting. I just feel like this year I'm adjusted better and it's working out for me."

 

Clutch performer
By Darryl Slater
Published: January 11, 2009

-- BLACKSBURG -- The shot clock atop the basket at Cassell Coliseum showed 11 seconds, and the game clock just above it showed 25.1.

Virginia Tech point guard Malcolm Delaney dribbled the ball at the top of the key and looked to his right, toward his teammate, wing A.D. Vassallo, for whom this play was designed.

Moments earlier, Delaney made that especially clear to Vassallo. "I told him he had to get me a bucket," Delaney said.

It would be the most important one in yesterday's 78-75 victory over Virginia, a game the Hokies led by 15 points with 4:56 left, by eight with 2:36 remaining, but now by just two.

They couldn't afford to lose this game and fall to 0-2 in the ACC -- not when they almost certainly need to win nine league games to make the NCAA tournament.

Vassallo knew that just as well as he knew his plan for this play. If Virginia wing Mamadi Diane didn't cut him off on the baseline, he'd drive right for a layup. If Diane did, Vassallo would cut right, then try the step-back, fallaway jump shot he hones at the beginning of every practice.

Delaney passed to Vassallo. The clocks ticked. Vassallo saw Diane cut off the baseline, so he did what he envisioned: dribble right, step back, flick wrist. His 15-foot shot swished through the net with 18.3 seconds left, and he nearly fell into the jubilant Tech bench. He punctuated the play in the final seconds by making all four of his free throw attempts, and the Hokies held on for the win.

"It was a must win -- period," said Vassallo, a senior.

The Hokies (1-1 ACC, 10-5) beat their in-state rival despite their third-leading scorer, forward Jeff Allen, shooting 0 for 7 from the field and scoring three points. They did it despite Virginia guard Mustapha Farrakhan almost single-handedly destroying their 15-point lead by scoring 15 points and making four 3-pointers in 3:51.

They won because their top two scorers, Vassallo and Delaney, carried them offensively, scoring 29 and 24 points (14 of Vassallo's came in the final 5:23). They won because wing Terrell Bell kept Virginia's leading scorer, guard Sylven Landesberg, in front of him just often enough to prevent Landesberg, who finished with 20 points, from dominating the game one relentless drive to the basket at a time. And they won because, unlike last Sunday's 69-44 loss at Duke, they responded when their opponent made a run.

"I saw a grittiness," Tech coach Seth Greenberg said.

The Hokies didn't show it against Duke, now the nation's second-ranked team. The Blue Devils led Tech by four with 17:33 remaining, then went on a 30-9 run to close the game.

"That was one of the things we talked about in practice the whole week: We can't take punches and not give them back," Delaney said.

They countered several times yesterday in the second half. When Virginia cut Tech's lead to 42-41 with 16:13 left, the Hokies went on a 7-0 run, which Delaney capped with a 3. When Virginia trimmed the score to 51-47 with 9:20 left, the Hokies answered with a 15-4 run to go up 15 with 4:56 remaining. When Farrakhan went on his tear immediately thereafter, Vassallo calmly nailed his step-back jumper.

"That was a big-time shot," Virginia coach Dave Leitao said. "Big-time shot."

It left the Hokies with breathing room that an 0-2 hole in the ACC wouldn't have afforded them. It helped them forget the Duke game and look toward this week's home games -- Richmond on Wednesday, Boston College on Saturday -- with the sense that, as Delaney said, "we're starting to come together."

"You can't afford to lose a home game," Greenberg said. "You sure can't afford to lose a home game coming off the second half at Duke."

 

Just out of Virginia’s reach: Cavs fall to Virginia Tech
By Whitey Reid
Published: January 11, 2009

BLACKSBURG — In one corner, hailing from the City of Brotherly Love, was 6-foot, 179-pound Virginia guard Sammy Zeglinski. In the other, hailing from the District of Columbia, was 6-foot-7, 230-pound Virginia Tech forward Jeff Allen. (Well, at least that’s Allen’s listed weight in the media guide).
With just under five minutes to play on Saturday afternoon at Cassell Coliseum, the Zeglinski-Allen bout started and ended when Zeglinski ran smack into Allen’s pick in the Hokies’ backcourt.
Down went Zeglinski.
As the redshirt freshman lay on the court for a few seconds looking like former boxer Michael Spinks, Hokie fans howled in delight. With Virginia trailing by 15 points, this was clearly their icing on the cake — an injured UVa player.
The game, however, proved far from over. Zeglinski and his Virginia teammates, behind a career-high 17 points from sophomore Mustapha Farrakhan — including 15 in the final 4:42 — were able to get off the canvas.
The Cavaliers, bidding to win their first two ACC games to start a season since the 1994-95 campaign, were able to cut the lead all the way down to a point. But the Hokies, behind 29 points from A.D. Vassallo and 24 points from Malcolm Delaney, hung on, 78-75, in front of a crowd of 9,847.
“Credit to them,” said Virginia coach Dave Leitao. “They played hard. Vassallo and Delaney dictated the game offensively for them.
“Delaney did a great job of getting to the middle of the floor and making decisions and then when he got the ball back, making plays and shots. And then I thought that [Vassallo] from start to finish found openings and made us pay for it.”
After Sylven Landesberg (team-high 20 points) had pulled Virginia (7-6, 1-1) to 55-49 with just over seven minutes to play, Tech went on a
9-0 run to take a commanding 64-49 lead.
It was shortly after Zeglinski hit the deck when Farrakhan, out of nowhere, went berserk. The sophomore scored 15 of the team’s next 19 points to pull Virginia within two, at 72-70, with 51 seconds remaining.
However, Vassallo — with Mamadi Diane draped all over him — responded with a tough fall-away jumper from the baseline to make it 74-70.
“It was a big-time shot, late in the shot clock,” Leitao said, “and ultimately it carried them over the top.”
After a Jamil Tucker 3-pointer cut Tech’s lead to one with 3 seconds left, Virginia was forced to foul Vassallo. The senior drained both free throws to put Tech up by three.
With no timeouts remaining, Virginia’s last gasp was a Zeglinski heave from about 50 feet that sailed wide left.
“I knew I had the right distance — I just missed to the left a little,” said Zeglinski, who had a career-high eight assists. “I was wide open. I just wanted to make sure I got the shot off instead of not getting a shot off.”
Leitao said a number of factors cost his team, including 17 turnovers (the Hokies committed just 11).
“Obviously I’m disappointed with the end result today and not being able to come away with the win,” Leitao said. “I thought during the game and different parts of the game — if we could string together some things on both ends, then we would have a better opportunity.”
Virginia started the game strong. All five starters scored at least a bucket before the first television timeout.
UVa, led by Assane Sene, was also stout on defense. The freshman swatted a driving Delaney shot early on that set an aggressive tone.
Virginia took a six-point lead — its largest of the game — on an inside bucket by Mike Scott (16 points, six rebounds) before Tech started to find its groove.
The Hokies (10-5, 1-1), who had missed layups and committed foolish offensive fouls until that point, closed the half on a 7-2 run to take a 40-33 lead, the last basket coming on a Vassallo fastbreak layup after Tucker had been swatted on the other end by Chieck Diakite.
After the intermission, Virginia pulled to within a point on a Diane dunk before Tech started to open things up.
Scott said UVa’s late comeback was too little, too late. “If we would have played like that the whole game,” he said, “we would have won.”
Scott said that he and Tucker were the ones to blame for Zeglinski running into the vicious Allen screen. Their warnings of the pick could not be heard over the crowd.
“I’m a little dazed, but I feel alright,” Zeglinski said. “I used to play football, so I’m used to getting hit like that.”
Dunks
The teams meet again on Feb. 18 in Charlottesville. …Virginia still leads the all-time series, 78-50, including a 26-16 edge in Blacksburg. …UVa shot 53 percent from the field, its highest since a 54-percent outing in the season-opening win over VMI. …Jamil Tucker had a career-high three blocks. …Assane Sene tied his career high with four.

 

Farrakhan explodes for Cavs late against Hokies
By Jerry Ratcliffe
Published: January 11, 2009

BLACKSBURG — All during his freshman season, Mustapha Farrakhan struggled to fight his way through the shortcomings and found it difficult to get off Virginia’s bench.
Virginia coach Dave Leitao labeled the young guard a perfectionist, too easily distracted by anything less than the best.
Lesson learned
A year later Leitao’s message has seemingly kicked in, as evidenced by Farrakhan’s near perfect performance in UVa’s 78-75 loss to rival Virginia Tech.
Had Farrakhan not rode to the Cavaliers’ rescue, the trip to Cassell Coliseum, where Virginia hasn’t won since Jan. 15, 2006, could have turned into a lopsided loss. The host Hokies had put together a 15-4 run to lead 66-51 with just under five minutes to play.
Blood in the water
It was about to be Blowout City and the few fans in the crowd that festooned themselves in orange and blue had to wonder if their Cavs would respond or wave the white flag.
All Farrakhan waved was his right hand as he initiated a near one-man comeback. The sophomore who grew up in Chicago’s burbs lit up the Hokies in a memorable four-minute stretch that saw him score 15 of UVa’s 19 points with flawless shooting from Bonusphere.
The 6-foot-4 shooting guard hit three straight
3-pointers before teammate Sylven Landesberg contributed two free throws. Farrakhan was fouled on a 3-point attempt on the next possession and made all three free throws before Landesberg hit a short jumper.
Farrakhan ended his shooting exhibition with yet another trey with 49 seconds to go, cutting Tech’s lead to 72-70.
While the Hokies managed to fight off Virginia’s desperate comeback attempt over the final minute, Farrakhan’s performance was significant.
Tech coach Seth Greenberg was impressed.
“When you’re down 15, what do you have to lose?” Greenberg said. “They did a good job of freeing him. But you’ve got to give [Farrakhan] credit. The guy made tough shots. Two of ‘em we didn’t play good defense. Two of ‘em the guy made killer shots.”
In any form, the 3-point barrage was welcomed by Leitao who would like to see more in the future.
“We desperately need more help on both ends, defensively and offensively,” Leitao said after watching his team fall to 7-6 overall, 1-1 in the ACC. “We’ve got to find it somewhere.”
Perhaps that somewhere, or rather someone is Farrakhan, who up until Saturday had been known more for his family name than his deeds on the basketball court. He is the grandson of Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan.
Leitao has been searching for someone other than Landesberg that can deliver night in and night out. Jeff Jones hasn’t answered the bell. Jamil Tucker has been too inconsistent much like some other players.
If Farrakhan isn’t a one-game wonder, then he could make a significant impact on this young Cavalier squad.
“I don’t think any of us were surprised,” said freshman Landesberg, who finished with 20 points, the eighth time in 13 games that he’s led the team in scoring. “When Mu gets hot, he just keeps going and it’s hard for him to turn off.”
Leitao has mentioned Farrakhan’s shooting prowess in practice several times over the past year, but practice hasn’t translated into game performance.
“I’ve seen it before from [Farrakhan] and others,” Leitao said about practice shooting. “But getting that from where I’ve seen it to in games and consistency is where all the guys have to do a better job.”
According to the coach, the sophomore is practicing better, which has built confidence. Always a positive-thinking kid, Farrakhan isn’t allowing things to bother him as much as a year ago.
Farrakhan wouldn’t disagree with that notion.
“Last year if something wasn’t going right I would think about it a little bit and Coach Leitao would say, ‘Let it roll off,’ don’t let it snowball,” Farrakhan said. “That’s very difficult to do but I know that to be a good player you’ve got to have a short memory.”
It was evident that his confidence was soaring late in Saturday’s state showdown. For the record, he finished with 17 points even though he had only two points heading into the final five minutes. He connected on 5 of 7 field goal attempts, 4 of 5 from behind the arc. Both his point totals and 3-point baskets were career highs in spite of the fact he played but 12 minutes.
“What’s ailed him before is he had not been able to play through some errors and now, mentally he’s playing through those things a little better,” Leitao said of the sharpshooter.
He appears to be making the most of opportunities heading into his second ACC season, something that could not be said a year ago when he played in 19 games but didn’t start and averaged only 6.1 minutes of playing time, but 7.2 minutes in conference games.
His numbers spoke volumes: 36.4 percent shooting from the field, 31.4 percent from 3-point range.
Heading into Blacksburg, those figures had jumped dramatically, even though he hasn’t started a game, with a 41.5 field goal accuracy and even higher 43.8 from Bonusphere, both averages that will climb due to his deadeye aim against the Hokies.
Yesterday’s game felt more like old times for Farrakhan, who would often scored 20 points or more in the first half at Thornton Township High back in Harvey, Ill., where he was an all-state player and Chicago Sun-Times All-Area performer.
“Last year was a mental rollercoaster, but I tried to stay positive through it all and just work hard every day,” Farrakhan said.
He admitted his freshman campaign was a tough year. It was a new experience going from high school star to a face in the college crowd in a new setting. When he started UVa’s first exhibition game this year but then found minutes hard to come by he got down on himself.
He just couldn’t get comfortable last season. His playing time would come in spurts and when he couldn’t find a rhythm immediately, he’d get jerked out of the game. Maybe it’s just me, but how could anyone find a rhythm under those circumstances?
“It was a learning experience that a lot of freshmen have to go through,” Farrakhan admitted. “This year I’m adjusting better and it’s working for me.”
The thought of transferring to another school popped into his mind a few times as it does to most kids struggling through a first season. But he decided to hang in, fight the negative thoughts and sought solace through his father, Mustapha, who attends as many of Virginia’s games as he can, including Saturday’s contest at Tech.
“I talk to my dad probably seven times a day,” the Cavalier said. “He’s my best friend and he’s really been a big help in my success. My dad has always stayed positive and tells me to say my prayers every night and work hard in practice every day.”
Sounds like a pretty good formula.
His work ethic isn’t just talk. He works hard every day on his jump shot, staying after practice in search of perfection.
“Everybody knows on the team that I have a good jump shot and if you’re hitting, they’re going to keep coming back to you,” Farrakhan said.
Memo to the rest of the team: maybe next time get a feel for that in the first five minutes instead of waiting until the last five.
“I’m confident when I shoot,” he said. “God blessed me today to have a good shooting night. When I’m open and it’s a good shot, I’m going to take it. It’s the same routine as in practice.”
While Leitao had to be pleased with Farrakhan’s shooting antics, he wasn’t ready to declare the sophomore as the guy who could help lift Virginia to the upper echelons of the league. Farrakhan wasn’t about to do that either.
“I honestly don’t know [if he turned the corner Saturday],” the youngster said. “All I can say is that whenever my name is called, I will try to be aggressive.”
That’s all Leitao can ask for.
 

Farrakhan burst comes a bit late for UVa in Tech game
The sophomore's 15 points in the final 4:42 helps Virginia get within one point of Tech.
By Doug Doughty
981-3129

BLACKSBURG -- When it seemed as if the Virginia-Virginia Tech men's basketball game was over, Mustapha Farrakhan was just getting started Saturday.

Farrakhan, a 6-foot-4 sophomore from Harvey, Ill., scored 15 points in the final 4:42 but a Cavaliers' rally fell short in a 78-75 defeat at Cassell Coliseum.

UVa trailed by 15 points with less than five minutes remaining, 66-51, but got as close as 76-75 on a Jamil Tucker 3-pointer with 3 seconds left.

Farrakhan might have taken that shot if he hadn't fouled out with 9.3 seconds to go.

He finished with a career-high 17 points in 12 minutes, and he was actually out of the game for more than a minute during his late-game barrage.

After he was fouled on a 3-point attempt and made all three free throws with 2:16 remaining, Farrakhan came out of the game and did not return until there was 1:00 on the clock.

He quickly drained another 3-pointer to cut the deficit to 72-70 with 49.7 remaining.

"I've seen it before," said UVa coach Dave Leitao, who was effusive over Farrakhan's shooting ability before he ever played in a game for the Cavaliers. "Getting it from where I've seen it [in practice] to seeing it in games is where all the guys need to do a better job."

Farrakhan was 2-for-16 on 3-pointers as a freshman, when his overall 18.4 shooting percentage led to a steady decline in his playing time.

Some were surprised when Farrakhan didn't transfer after his freshman year.

"Sometimes it comes in your mind," said Farrakhan, grandson of Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan.

"I just try to stay positive and leave that as far out of my mind as possible. Sometimes you might hear that [in conversation] but I try not to fill my head up with all that."

Farrakhan was surprised that he didn't have more of an impact as a freshman.

"I came out and played in the first exhibition game and, after that, minutes came real hard," he said. "It was just a learning experience. A lot of people have to go through it, I guess."

Farrakhan's father, also named Mustapha, was at the game Saturday and attends many of the Cavaliers' games.

"I talk to my dad about seven times a day," said Little 'Mu,' as he is known to family members. "That's my best friend. My dad's always been one to stay positive and [tell me] to stay in it mentally, say my prayers every night and just go to practice and work."

It would be misleading to call Saturday's performance his breakout game because Farrakhan has been a different player since a Dec. 23 game with Hampton, when he scored a career-high 10 points.

He followed that with a 12-point outing in UVa's 88-84 overtime victory over Georgia Tech and is averaging 10.6 points over the last five games without having played more than 16 minutes in any of them.

"Coach Leitao would always call me a 'perfectionist' last year," said Farrakhan, who is 11-for-21 on 3-pointers this year and has made all 16 of his free throws. "If something wasn't going right, I would think about it a little too much and he would tell me, 'Let it roll off. Don't let it snowball.'"

The Cavaliers (7-6, 1-1 ACC) scored on each of their last 10 possessions Saturday, but it was a little too late. The game got away during a 2:19 stretch when the Hokies (10-5, 1-1) outscored the Cavaliers 9-0.

On an afternoon when the Cavaliers shot 52.7 percent and outrebounded the Hokies 33-32, they also committed 17 turnovers to Tech's 11.

"When you don't win, you can pick your poison," said Leitao, whose teams have now lost four of their last five games with Tech. "If you look at one thing like that as a cause, I think you go about it the wrong way."

Freshman Sylven Landesberg had six of the turnovers but finished with a team-high 20 points, eight rebounds and five assists.

What also hurt was reliable free-throw shooters Sammy Zeglinski and Mike Scott going to the free-throw line in the second half and both missing both ends of two-shot opportunities.

"You've got to make free throws on the road and can't just give away points like that," Zeglinski said.

"We knew it would be a tough game coming in here and just made too many mistakes."
 

Mohammed back at full strength
By Jay Jenkins
Published: January 11, 2009

During the good times and the bad, Virginia coach Debbie Ryan has always leaned on a passionate fanbase.
While actual attendance figures often fluctuate based on the talents of the opposition (or lack thereof), those that arrive with consistency seldom miss a storyline.
That was evidenced last week when Aisha Mohammed, the team’s star center, returned off the bench against Georgia after missing four games following minor knee surgery.
The fans screamed in unison at decibel level matched only by the introduction of Ryan and junior forward Monica Wright during the flashy pregame activities at John Paul Jones Arena, a feat that is likely to occur today in the Cavaliers’ ACC opener against Wake Forest at 2 p.m.
Mohammed, however, was caught off guard by the reaction. While she appreciated the gesture, something she earned with 19 career double-doubles, Mohammed failed to score in her return.
She just was not comfortable, managing to play in a pair of stints as a reserve for the first time in her career.
On Monday against St. Francis (Pa.), Mohammed returned to her natural spot, earning a start in the 16-point victory that lifted Virginia to 13-2 overall. She scored 16 points and grabbed a team-best 12 rebounds.
“I would say that it made a difference for me starting,” said Mohammed, who is from Lagos, Nigeria. “Sitting on the bench you can’t warm up before you can go into the game.
“For me starting is really good. It kind of helped me.”
While Mohammed’s return finally gave Virginia’s starting lineup the look that many expected when Lyndra Littles returned from her early-season absence, the Cavaliers’ bench struggled. In fact, the six reserves that played shot 23.3 percent (7 for 30) from the field.
“Part of it is youth,” Ryan said. “There is a lot of youth in that second group. Part of is that and part of it is that somebody has to light a fire under them. I guess I do. I am doing that right now. They know.
“We didn’t back off [in practice]. We went through a drill that was supposed to be five minutes and ended up going 20 minutes. That’s on them. Practice is as long as they want it to be.”
With a marquee matchup at No. 2 North Carolina on Friday looming, Wake Forest could provide the Cavaliers’ second unit an opportunity to showcase their improvements.
After opening the season 12-0, the Demon Deacons have struggled of late, dropping games this week at Richmond (45-33) and at Maryland (92-65).
Layups
Wright currently ranks sixth nationally in scoring (22.0 ppg) and seventh in steals (3.6 spg). ... Today’s contest is Family Day. Fans can purchase four tickets, four sodas and four hot dogs for $32.