The short end
By Jeff White
Published: January 20, 2009

The coach of the ACC's most height-challenged men's basketball team looks forward to the day when he can once again confidently start two traditional post players.

Maryland's roster includes only two players listed at taller than 6-8, and neither is in Gary Williams' rotation. Williams starts two 6-7 forwards and three guards -- one of whom, 6-6 junior Greivis Vasquez, is the Terrapins' leading rebounder.

"You'd just like to have the versatility of being able to go either way, of playing big or playing small, and I think we can play either way next year," Williams said. "But right now we're playing the way that we can play."

In a game that's not likely to entice many viewers to switch over from coverage of the inauguration, Maryland (1-2, 12-5) hosts Virginia (1-2, 7-7) tonight in College Park.

U.Va. has faced other small-ball proponents this season, and in some cases fourth-year coach Dave Leitao has responded by keeping his tallest players on the bench. But expect to see 7-foot freshman Assane Sene on the Comcast Center court tonight.

Virginia Military Institute and Liberty often had five perimeter players on the floor at the same time, and if Maryland's system were similar, it would be difficult for Sene to fight through screens and "to chase people that want to just run around like a guard and shoot jump shots," Leitao said.

But 6-7, 207-pound Landon Milbourne and 6-7, 263-pound Dave Neal do more than launch jumpers -- though Neal has made 13 3-pointers this season -- and so Leitao plans to keep Sene, 6-8 Mike Scott and 6-9 Jamil Tucker in their customary roles tonight.

The Terrapins have been quicker than many teams they've faced. To negate their lack of size, though, they need to shoot the ball better than they have recently.

From beyond the 3-point arc, Maryland is 17 for 66 (25.8 percent) in ACC games.

"I think we have an advantage if we shoot the ball well," Williams said, "but we haven't done it so far in conference play."

Another storyline to follow tonight: the play of freshman swingman Sylven Landesberg, Virginia's leading scorer. In U.Va.'s most recent game, North Carolina held Landesberg to a season-low two points, and he failed to attempt a free throw.

The Tar Heels succeeded where most U.Va. opponents had failed, keeping Landesberg from driving to the basket and drawing fouls.

"And now it's like a chess match where [teams are] going to try to take things away that he does well," Leitao said, "and he's got to work within the framework of his game and our offense to try to get those things back and then diversity himself enough to know there's a counter to what people are taking away from him."

 

A closer look at the Terps
Jeff White
Jan 19, 2009

For U.Va., it’s Maryland week—this time in men’s basketball—which means it’s time to check again with Patrick Stevens. In the pages and on the Web site of The Washington Times, Patrick offers comprehensive coverage of the Terrapins and the ACC.

On the eve of Maryland’s visit to Scott Stadium in October, I asked Patrick several questions about the Terrapins, and he responded in kind regarding the Cavaliers. The answers were posted on our respective blogs, and we’re repeating the process for hoops. (Maryland hosts Virginia at Comcast Center tomorrow night.)

You can find my answers to Patrick’s questions on his outstanding blog. Here’s what Patrick had to say about Maryland in response to three questions from me:

1) How volatile is junior guard Greivis Vasquez’s relationship with his fellow students? Is he perceived around campus as a bad guy?

*** I would say Vasquez is probably as accessible to students than most people who would fall into the “best player on the most scrutinized team on campus” at power conference schools. He’s been known to ride around campus on a motor scooter, and I’ve never heard anything about him being a complete jerk when he’s away from basketball.

The trouble is, when it comes to basketball, he doesn’t do a very good job of separating exasperated urgings to play better from outright boos and jeers. After a good game, he’ll often mention his turnover total, since he’s received a lot of attention for that particular tendency in his career.

He also clearly enjoys playing the black hat, which would explain why he likes playing at Duke more than anywhere else.

Obviously, Vasquez can’t go around cursing hundreds of people at a time as he did in Maryland’s last home game (Jan. 10 against Georgia Tech). But the vocal portions of Maryland’s fan base probably don’t appreciate him for how good a college player he is. Without Vasquez, the Terps would be a vastly worse team.

2) The national championship on his resume notwithstanding, is Gary Williams on at least a warm seat in College Park? What would be the effect on his job security of another trip to the NIT?

*** Let’s start with the basics. Williams has three more years guaranteed on his contract, and he’s a vital part of a major fundraising campaign at Maryland. Despite all those NITs, the school still needs him quite a bit.

Still, the aggravation level is rising with the on-court performance, and the excuses for a fade have become less palatable over the years.

In 2005, John Gilchrist imploded and D.J. Strawberry was lost for the season. In 2006, Chris McCray was declared ineligible in the middle of January. Last year and increasingly so this season, it’s an issue of depth and overall talent.

Certainly, fans are growing wearier with the results. Another NIT trip isn’t going to help Williams with the rank-and-file, but barring an utter collapse featuring a string of blowouts and a sub-.500 record, it’s hard to see the possibility of coaching change coming this year—- unless he chooses to leave on his own accord.

3) How far can Maryland go without having much of an interior game? Are there post players in the program who are expected to make contributions later this season?

*** Despite the losses at Miami and Florida State, one of the more curious developments is that Maryland is not getting eviscerated inside at the defensive end. Granted, the Terps haven’t seen the likes of Hansbrough, Booker and Johnson/Aminu, but the trend so far is welcome.

At the offensive end, Landon Milbourne is only going to be able to do so much; at 6-foot-6, he should be on the wing, but turned in an incredibly willful performance Saturday (17 points, 9 rebounds) in the overtime loss at Florida State.

Maryland has struggled to run its halfcourt offense because it has no consistent interior options, and that seems unlikely to change. Dave Neal is more of a finesse player with his scoop shots and step-back jumpers, but he is maximizing his talent and that’s about all anyone could ask.

Dino Gregory is a bit more physical, but he doesn’t have a polished offensive game. Braxton Dupree struggled again this year, though he’s shown a glimmer of becoming a more credible defensive player in the last game or two. Jerome Burney is out with a stress fracture in his right foot. Freshman Steve Goins is a project.

Maybe Maryland’s interior defense holds up this season. But no one should expect much offense to come from that frontcourt rotation, especially around the basket, and that will limit the Terps’ margin of error for much of the rest of the conference schedule.

 

Change is what Virginia seeks
After dropping three of their past four games, the Cavaliers hope to break out at Maryland.
By NORM WOOD | 247-4642
January 20, 2009

As much as Virginia coach Dave Leitao would love to be spending today in Washington for the Inauguration Day festivities, he'll instead be on a business trip in the area — a business trip with its share of headaches.

U.Va. is in College Park, Md. — less than 20 miles from Washington — today for an ACC game against Maryland (12-5 overall, 1-2 ACC). In an effort to avoid traffic, U.Va. arrived Sunday night in Maryland, but there still were logistical issues heading into what will be a crucial game for both teams.

"Once the ACC schedule came out, it was very, very late to go out and secure a hotel near the (University of Maryland)," Leitao said. "So ... we're not as close as I would've liked to be to the university."

U.Va.'s players and coaches stayed in a hotel about 30 miles away from College Park. It may sound like a minor inconvenience, but it still was a rough start to a trip U.Va. (7-7, 1-2) needs to come out of with something to build on, especially with what's on the horizon.

Starting with tonight's game, U.Va. plays four of its next six ACC games on the road, including games at Duke, North Carolina and Florida State. U.Va. has lost four of its last five games at Maryland, which is 9-1 at home this season.

Maryland and U.Va. have both lost three of their last four games. Both teams have standout guards who will be looking to bounce back after struggling in their last outings.

Maryland's Grievis Vasquez, an All-ACC candidate, had just six points Saturday on 2-for-13 shooting in a 76-73 overtime loss at FSU. Vasquez is averaging 17.1 points, 6.2 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game. He leads the team in all three categories. He's the centerpiece of a starting lineup that doesn't feature any players over 6-foot-7.

"It's a good ball-handling lineup," Maryland coach Gary Williams said. "We're playing good defense with it. We've played three pretty good size teams in terms of Georgia Tech, Miami and Florida State in the league and we've been able to defend to a point pretty well. You'd just like to have the versatility of being able to go either way — playing big or playing small. ... Right now, we're playing the way that we can play and we have to do a good job with what we have this year."

U.Va.'s Sylven Landesberg, who is likely the ACC's leading candidate for rookie of the year, had a career-low two points last Thursday in an 81-63 loss to UNC. He's averaging 17.3 points per game.

Neither team has been terribly efficient shooting from the floor. Maryland is last in the ACC in field-goal percentage (41.7), while U.Va. is 11th (42.4). In 3-point field percentage, U.Va. is last in the ACC (29.8 percent) and Maryland is 11th (31.3).

Despite the significance of what's taking place in the nation's capital today, Leitao hasn't had any trouble staying focused. He's trying to keep the potential distractions out of his mindset, and he hopes his team does the same thing.

"Even if we weren't playing in the game, I would be very hesitant, because there are just so many people that are thinking the way I would be thinking," Leitao said. "It ends up being the potential for a logistical nightmare. They're closing the bridges and they're scrambling all cell phone use in town, so I think the best place for me — even if we weren't playing and were around in Charlottesville — would be watching it on TV."
 

Historical road trip for Cavaliers
UVa's game vs. Maryland is 12 miles from the site of Obama's inauguration.
By Doug Doughty
981-3129

Dave Leitao, still the only black coach at the University of Virginia, will be close to another history-making event today in the Washington, D.C., area.

Leitao and his UVa men's basketball team have an 8 p.m. game with Maryland in College Park, Md., which is located 12 miles from the site of Barack Obama's inauguration as U.S. president.

"Being this close to it, obviously there's a temptation to be part of it," Leitao said Monday, "but, even if we weren't playing the game, I'd be very hesitant because there are so many people [attending] that there's the potential for a logistical nightmare.

"They're closing the bridges and they're scrambling all cellphone use in town. The best place for me, even if we weren't playing or weren't around, would be watching it on TV."

The UVa traveling party arrived in suburban Maryland on Sunday night, nearly 48 hours before game time. Under normal circumstances, the team would have left Charlottesville no earlier than Monday after practice.

"We have arrived in Maryland, but we're not near College Park," Leitao said Sunday.

"When the ACC schedule came out, it was very, very late to go out and secure our normal hotel, or a hotel near the university. We're not as close as we'd like."

Leitao estimated the Cavaliers' commute as 30 miles one way, which could cause problems if the anticipated mid-afternoon traffic jam materializes.

Still, the inauguration of Obama, the first black to be elected president and a self-professed basketball junkie, has not gone unappreciated.

"Away from basketball, whether it's politics or what have you, it's such a historical day for this country that I've spent a lot of time focusing in on that and the opportunity to teach my children the long-term effects of what it means for our country and the future," said Leitao, a 48-year-old father of three boys.

And, what of Leitao's players?

"They are my children," he said. "The hotel will make it available for all the guests, so we'll watch it together, yes."
 

Just Wondering
Who thought it was a good idea to schedule the Virginia-Maryland basketball game in College Park, Md., on Inauguration Day?

The Maryland campus is roughly 12 miles from downtown D.C., but given the expected congestion throughout the D.C., metro area, it’s going to be an immense navigational hassle for the several dozen fans who don’t have tickets to one of the 637 Inauguration Balls scheduled Tuesday night.

Bottom line: A game between two second-tier ACC teams is an even greater afterthought than it might have been.


The ACC and its various TV partners don’t get a pass on this. The league released its 2008-09 hoops schedule in late August, almost two months after President-elect Barack Obama had clinched the Democratic nomination.

Granted, no one knew for sure that Obama would win come November, but his rock star chops were well established at that point. Everyone knew that were he to win, the hype-o-meter would spin itself silly.

Even if Republican John McCain had won, which would have reduced the hoo-ha surrounding the presidential transition to a low roar, scheduling a major college hoops game in Washington, D.C., on Inauguration Day is like setting up a climate change booth on the Virginia Beach boardwalk on the July 4th weekend. Folks might be interested, but not there and not then.

You might argue that Virginia-Maryland doesn’t exactly deserve millions of eyeballs and might be better served by limited interest. The Terps (12-5, 1-2) and Cavs (7-7, 1-2) each have lost three of four. Neither figures to be a factor in the ACC race.

But the ACC and its schools don’t operate that way. The league and the schools are brands as much as they are sports, and everyone wants maximum exposure.

You could make the argument that Virginia and Maryland need all the exposure they can get, what with the likelihood of sub-pardown seasons and Carolina, Wake Forest, Duke and Clemson taking up a good deal of the league’s oxygen.

Scheduling a game on a Tuesday night in which history is being made just around the corner won’t provide that.

Posted by Dave Fairbank
 

Terrapins provide next challenge for Cavs
Virginia looks to improve shot selection after UNC game; young team finds leadership from Landesberg, Farrakhan
Sam Adams, Cavalier Daily Staff Writer
Published: Tuesday, January 20 2009

Sophomore guard Mustapha Farrakhan has served as the Cavaliers’ 3-point specialist this season. He will look to improve upon a two-for-seven 3-point percentage against North Carolina Tuesday against Maryland. In a conference that boasts four of the nation’s top 10 teams, lack of offensive rhythm on any given evening can quickly lead to a resounding defeat. The Virginia men’s basketball team must cope with its most recent stagnant performance as it tries tonight to prevent a three-game conference slide.

Maryland (12-5, 1-2 ACC), fresh off consecutive losses to Miami and Florida State, will give Virginia a chance to rebound from this past week’s disappointment. Despite their recent losing streak, the Terrapins pose a formidable threat and could give the struggling Virginia squad its eighth loss of the year.

While Thursday night’s North Carolina game lingers in the past as an example of a blown opportunity, coach Dave Leitao and his team will try to solve their offensive woes before they move into the thick of their conference schedule. For the Cavaliers, the answer seems to lie in their shot selection.

“I felt like we were off balance on offense,” junior forward Jamil Tucker said. “Just having that, every shot’s not going to be as good as it could’ve [been] if we were in rhythm. I feel like a lot of my shots did come a little bit forced.”

Tucker was not the only one who felt his decision-making could improve in the future; many Cavaliers noted their inability to find a rhythm and hit open shots. In particular, freshman guard Sylven Landesberg, who has emerged as the number one option for Virginia this season, had trouble making jump shots and could not adjust when North Carolina played to prevent his patented drives into the lane.

“You could tell their game plan [went] real good for them,” junior guard Calvin Baker said. “They tried to take the drive away, force him to shoot ... I think they did a real good job of guarding Sylven.”

In addition, Leitao seemed to think 3-point specialist sophomore guard Mustapha Farrakhan also could have chosen his shots better. While Farrakhan’s four 3-pointers in the final minutes against Virginia Tech nearly allowed the team to overcome a 15-point deficit, his hot hand went cold against the Tar Heel defense. He finished 4-15 on field goals for the evening, including only 2-7 from beyond the arc.
“I’m not sure all 11 [missed shots] were either good or bad,” Leitao said. “He made his first one and then went through a stretch where I know, especially when he drove, he was off-balance on some of those, and those are not good shots.”

Farrakhan noted that he was not letting the large number of misses affect his mindset. He insisted that his shots were good ones — it was just a matter of finding a rhythm.

“It was a bit frustrating,” Farrakhan said. “Knowing that I can shoot the ball pretty good and seeing them rattle in and out — I mean, sometimes it gets a little frustrating. I just try not to let it get into my psyche; I was thinking the next four were going to go in.”

Leitao noted that the team’s lack of foul line production was a product of an impatient offense as well. Against North Carolina, the Tar Heels more than tripled Virginia’s free throw production.

“It’s different things — it’s settling, it’s not running — as I mentioned — quality offense; if you get the ball, as I keep saying, below 15 feet enough — and I don’t think that we have — you look down the line,” Leitao said. “Sylven’s about the only guy that gets fouled a lot ... We’ve got to do a better job at realizing that and working to get the ball in a position to get fouled more.”

North Carolina’s degree of talent may have magnified the Cavaliers’ problems, but the team recognizes that things must change, and change quickly, if they want to beat Maryland and try to stay competitive in the ACC race.

Baker described the team’s mindset heading into the game: “We feel like we have to win against Maryland.”

 

Still looking for defense
By Whitey Reid
Published: January 20, 2009

A promise of change will be the underlying theme during Barack Obama’s inauguration this evening in Washington D.C.
Last March, that was also the gist of Virginia coach Dave Leitao’s postgame press conference after his team lost at home to Bradley in the inaugural College Basketball Invitational.
Tonight, just a few miles down the road from Obama, Leitao’s seemingly eternal quest to have his team play better defense continues when UVa plays at Maryland.
After finishing second-to-last in the ACC in scoring defense (74.8 PPG) and field goal percentage defense (43.5 percent) in 2007-08, Leitao said he was going to do whatever was necessary to find players who had more than just a passing interest in stopping opponents.
Well, through 14 games this season, Virginia is dead last in both categories.
But, according to Leitao, those stats are a little misleading.
“It’s strange when you look at the numbers,” Leitao said. “I believe we’ve gotten better and better as the weeks have gone on… my eyes tell me that we’ve gotten better.”
Virginia is allowing opponents to score 72.1 points and shoot 42.4 percent this season.
“It’s not great, but it’s not bad,” Leitao said, “but at the same point in time that puts us last in the league…
“Other teams are playing excellent defense for long stretches of time, so although we’re better, we have to get better because we still have to catch up to the rest of the league.”
In the loss to North Carolina on Thursday, Virginia allowed UNC to shoot 50 percent from the field in the first half. UVa’s lethargic transition defense against the uber-athletic Tar Heels proved fatal.
The good news for the Wahoos
(7-7, 1-2) is that tonight they won’t be facing UNC. They’ll be facing the worst shooting team in the ACC in Maryland (42 percent from the field).
But defense hasn’t been Virginia’s only problem. UVa was 4 of 27 from 3-point range against UNC. The Cavaliers are shooting just 30 percent from behind the arc on the season, last in the ACC.
Guards Sylven Landesberg and Sammy Zeglinski will both be looking to have bounce-back games. Landesberg was held to a career-low two points against UNC.
“I think he has the body of work so far that one [bad] game isn’t going to take him off his game,” said Maryland coach Gary Williams. “Carolina could do a lot of things with the depth that they have, [which] most teams don’t have the luxury to do. We’re going to have to play our way and hopefully do a good job against him and keep him under control …but it’s not just stopping Landesberg, it’s stopping Virginia.”
Landesberg and Zeglinski will be facing one of the better backcourts in the league in Grevis Vasquez and Eric Hayes. Vasquez is averaging a team-leading 17.1 points and 4.9 assists.
How well Zeglinski, Landesberg, Calvin Baker and company can slow down Vasquez will be a major factor. “He’s one of the best players in this league,” Leitao said.
Maryland (12-4, 1-1) is coming off close road losses to Miami and Florida State. “I think our club feels if we could have just shot the ball a little better, we could have gotten both,” Williams said.
Virginia and Maryland both have unsightly blotches on their ledgers. Early in the season, UVa lost to Liberty; Maryland was defeated by Morgan State on Jan. 7.
“It will be a battle, particularly on the road,” Leitao said. “They’ve shown a great ability to play extremely well at home so far and coming off a close, tough loss, I’m sure their mindset will be to get back on the winning track.”
Dunks
Maryland leads the all-time
series, 102-67… The teams split two meetings last season, with each squad winning at home …Leitao said his team will watch Obama’s inauguration speech together at their hotel… Maryland coach Gary Williams expects struggling Mamadi Diane, who starred at nearby DeMatha Catholic, to play better than he has. “I fully expect him to play with a lot of confidence coming back to his hometown fans and everything,” Williams said. “We’re coming out with the idea that he’s really going to come ready to play.”

 

Team holds high expectations despite losing four players
Even with four seniors and three of top six players gone, Virginia is poised to once again compete for title; Shabaz, Inglot contribute to singles, doubles teams
Cayce Troxel, Cavalier Daily Senior Writer
Published: Tuesday, January 20 2009

Sophomore Sanam Singh not only made the All-ACC team last season, but also made the All-ACC academic squad. After a team that reached the national semifinals loses three of its top six players, the following season may come with relatively low expectations for success. Add the fact that one of these players was arguably among the greatest singles champions in collegiate tennis history and that, together, the trio had lost only a handful of matches in their entire careers, and a team might have reason to write off the spring entirely.

For Virginia men’s tennis, however, there is no such thing as a rebuilding year.

“We feel like we have a very talented team,” sophomore Michael Shabaz said, adding. “there’s no reason” why Virginia could not win a national championship.

Heading into their first match of the spring season today at William & Mary, the Cavaliers find themselves No. 5 in the preseason Intercollegiate Tennis Association polls. That ranking speaks to the depth of last year’s juggernaut, the program’s first unblemished regular season before the postseason loss to eventual national champion Georgia. Although the team will be without Somdev Devvarman, winner of two straight NCAA singles titles, as well as his doubles partner, Treat Huey, the Cavaliers are still expected to contend with perennial tennis powers Ohio State and Texas for the team title come May.

“It’s only a matter of time before we hit our full stride,” coach Brian Boland said. “We’re young, talented, and I believe we have the right chemistry and work ethic to do some great things.”

The young talent begins with Shabaz, who is coming off a fall campaign during which he leapt from outside the ITA top-100 to No. 11 in the preseason polls. After making a run to the ITA All-American Championship singles quarters in Tulsa in October, Shabaz paired with senior Dominic Inglot in stringing together a host of upsets en route to winning the doubles’ backdraw of the ITA National Indoor Championships. The team’s starting six spots for the spring season have yet to be determined, but it is likely that the duo will provide the Cavaliers with a strong 1-2 singles punch up front and a formidable doubles pair.

“If I can win the singles or the doubles with Michael, that’d be another cherry on the cake,” Inglot said. “I think the main thing is just to win our matches in the team event.”

While winning matches was not a problem for Virginia during last spring’s regular season — the squad managed to go a perfect 25-0 while out-scoring ACC opponents 68-9 in conference matches — they’ve been tripped up in the national semifinals two consecutive years. Last season’s loss to Georgia was especially disappointing, considering the squad entered the tournament as the No. 1 seed and the clear favorite to win it all.

“It’s tough, because obviously we didn’t win the whole, entire thing,” Shabaz said. “At the same time, we did have an unbelievable season — by far the best in the country. But if you told me we could win a national championship and lose three other matches, everyone would take that because it’s a national championship.”

The Cavaliers will look to use last year’s disappointment as this year’s fuel as they attempt to extend their streak of 34 straight regular-season victories. Some coaches might fear their teams would have a been there, done that mentality after so many straight seasons of success on the court, but Boland’s athletes are far from complacent.

“I feel like a lot of people — all the guys returning — are going to remember how that felt and show the freshmen who aren’t familiar with it what it means,” Inglot said. “We don’t want to go through that again; it was a heartache to train so hard just to miss so narrowly.”