White: Memorable ACC Debut for Bennett
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com Release: 01/09/2010
By Jeff White

RALEIGH, N.C. -- During timeouts at the RBC Center, what Tony Bennett saw in his players delighted UVa's first-year basketball coach: the mental toughness and composure they've occasionally lacked this season.
The Cavaliers didn't always play well in their ACC opener Saturday -- for most of the first 30 minutes, in fact, they struggled -- but they never surrendered.
"You could see in those kids, they want it so bad," Bennett said. "In the timeouts they said, 'This is why we run the hills. This is what this is about.' And it was good to see it."
Even more pleasing for Bennett was the final score of his first ACC game: Virginia 70, N.C. State 62.
"I'm thankful for the opportunity to be here, and I just want these young men, as I said, to just keep knocking," Bennett said. "Keep trying to get better and see where that takes us and be hard to beat. I want them to be really hard to play against, and hopefully we're inching towards that. We still have a long way to go."
With 12:30 remaining, Bennett's ACC debut seemed likely to be a game he'd want to forget. The Wolfpack led by 10, and the Wahoos (1-0, 9-4) appeared headed for an ugly defeat to the team picked to finish last in the conference.
"We just had to get the ACC jitters out," junior guard Jeff Jones said.
If jitters were the problem, they finally faded at the 12:21 mark, when sophomore guard Sammy Zeglinski's 3-pointer pulled the 'Hoos to 43-36. The comeback was under way.
"It was a big shot, and I think that kind of sparked everything," sophomore swingman Sylven Landesberg said. "It got the energy back in the team on the bench, and it made us start to play better at both ends of the court."
Landesberg made a few big shots himself. He led all scorers with 23 points, tying his season high. Two came on a runner in the lane that Landesberg, the ACC rookie of the year in 2008-09, shot with his right hand while drifting to his left.
It dropped through to make it 60-55 with 1:49 left.
"He's kind of just willing the ball into the basket sometimes," Zeglinski said. "Sometimes I find myself just watching him slice through the lane. He just made a ton of big shots, and I know he wasn't feeling great."
Bennett said: "Sylven was under the weather. He's been sick. He locked in and overcame that."
Landesberg made one 3-pointer. Most of his six other field goals came, as usual, around the basket.
"He has an uncanny ability or knack for floaters, off-balance shots -- wrong foot, different hand -- and that's hard to guard," Bennett said. "He gets in the lane and he gets shots off. Those were big-time plays."
Landesberg said: "As soon as ACC play starts, something turns on. You just gotta get ready to go. I felt like a switch turned on, and I was just focused in on everything."
On an afternoon when State (0-2, 11-5) made only 16 of 26 free throws -- 9 for 16 in the second half -- UVa was nearly perfect from the line. After junior guard Mustapha Farrakhan missed the first of two foul shots with 12:58 remaining, the 'Hoos made their final 17.
"That definitely wins games," Jones said.
Virginia finished 19 for 20 on free throws.
"We always work on those," said forward Mike Scott, who made all four of his. "Coach says, 'If you miss, you gotta run.' We know what's on the line. If you miss, you're going to get on the line [and run]. That was just clutch out there."
Scott, one of the ACC's top post players, was uncharacteristically out of sync until the midpoint of the second half. He was settling for jump shots that missed the mark and struggling to stop State's 6-8, 247-pound Tracy Smith (18 points, 9 rebounds).
"I forced a lot of shots," said Scott, who was 1 for 5 in the first half. "They were rhythm, but Coach Bennett told me, 'You can get those shots anytime.' I just came out in the second half more aggressive. I said I was going to stop taking all the jump shots and go back to doing what I do best, working the post."
Scott was still stuck on 2 points when he put up an airball on a turnaround jumper with 9:56 left. Thirty seconds later, however, he scored on a jump hook, and from that point Scott dominated offensively.
The 6-8, 239-pound junior, who finished with 14 points and 7 rebounds, put UVa ahead for good with 3:55 left, tipping in a Landesberg miss to make it 54-53. Equally important, in his coach's eyes, Scott stepped up his defense late in the game.
So did the other Cavaliers. N.C. State shot only 39.3 percent from the floor in the second half.
"We really bogged down," Wolfpack coach Sidney Lowe said.
For most of the final 12 minutes, Bennett used a lineup that comprised Scott and four perimeter players: Landesberg, Zeglinski, Farrakhan and Jones. That's the group that turned the game in UVa's favor.
"You know there's a risk sometimes on the glass defensively, if they take advantage, but you have the advantage offensively," Bennett said.
Landesberg was able to beat bigger defenders to the basket, and "I thought we were a little scrappier and quicker, actually, on the defensive end and didn't get beat up too bad on the glass with that," Bennett said.
Lowe said: "While we let [the Cavaliers] make some plays on their end, we didn't take advantage on the offensive end. This was an opportunity for us to go in the paint and get a foul."
It didn't happen. N.C. State's big men include Smith, 6-9, 226-pound Dennis Horner and 6-8, 266-pound Richard Howell. They combined for only 7 points in the final 10 minutes as the Pack faded away.
"Our mental toughness was a disappointment," Lowe said. "To get a lead and let down mentally was very disappointing."
Five Cavaliers grabbed at least 5 rebounds, led by the 6-0 Zeglinski with a career-high 8. The mercurial Jones had only 1 rebound, but he contributed in other ways, coming off the bench to score 8 points in 18 minutes.
Jones' first 3-pointer pulled Virginia to 45-39 with 11:10 to play. His second was more dramatic. After Scott's two free throws at the 6:17 mark put the Cavaliers up 49-48 -- their first lead of the second half -- the Wolfpack answered with five straight points.
State had a chance to stretch its lead to six, but Smith missed an open look inside. At the other end, Zeglinski drove along the baseline and spotted Jones near the top of the key. Jones' trey made it 53-52.
"My team needed me," said Jones, who threw down a one-handed slam in the first half. "I was ready when my name was called. Those guys see me do that every day in practice."
Virginia's lead was only three when a defensive breakdown left Horner, who came in shooting 47.2 percent from 3-point range, uncovered beyond the arc with 2:15 left. He was probably too open, with too much time to think. Jones corraled the rebound when Horner's shot went long.
"He can knock those down," Landesberg said. "So when I saw him open, I just looked up and I was like, 'Oh, my God.' And when it hit the far side of the rim, I was so happy."
Next up for UVa is another challenge, a date with ACC rival Georgia Tech (1-1, 12-3). The 20th-ranked Yellow Jackets visit John Paul Jones Arena on Wednesday night.
Bennett will probably wear a tie during the game. That's been his custom at JPJ. On the road, however, he has eschewed neckwear this season, as he did home and away as Washington State's coach.
Perhaps his choice of attire helped his players Saturday, Bennett suggested.
"You want them to have some confidence, and I think because I wasn't wearing a tie, I was more relaxed," he said with a smile. "So that's probably why I had composure. That's the key."
 

Postgame Quotes
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com Release: 01/09/2010
Virginia Head Coach Tony Bennett
On the small lineup:
“We’ve gone with four guards in the past. There’s a risk that you take on the boards, but sometimes it can give you an advantage offensively. Fortunately for us it worked today.”

On trailing by 10 points:
“Our guys showed some real resiliency, especially when we were down by 10 points, and they fought back hard. They got some tough stops on defense and made adjustments on the other end. They wanted it so badly, and they were so tough mentally.”

On his ACC debut:
“I didn’t come into this game with any expectations. One of the reasons that I came to Virginia was because the ACC is a huge draw. This was a tremendous opportunity for us and I’m glad that our guys made the most of it. When you go on the road in the ACC you better be locked in.”

On Sylven Landesberg:
“Sylven has been under the weather. He’s been sick, but he locked in and made plays for us today. He has a knack for making special plays. He’s really becoming a big-time player.”

On Virginia’s poise:
“They didn’t get rattled. We’ve had some games where we’ve come back, so we’ve been there before. They stayed poised and composed and made plays, and that’s big.”

NC State Head Coach Sidney Lowe
Opening statement:
“Our lack of mental toughness was a disappointment. To get a lead and let down mentally was very disappointing. We just didn’t play well. Our main three guys didn’t play well today.”

On the offense:
“We really bogged down. In two cases during timeouts I told our guys if we didn’t get a lock to back out and reset the offense. Both times we didn’t do it.”

On Virginia going small:
“It changed because it brought Dennis and Richard out on the perimeter. While we let them make some plays on their end, we didn’t take advantage on the offensive end. This was an opportunity for us to go to the paint and get a foul.”

On the play of Mike Scott for Virginia:
“We didn’t play good defense on him. We didn’t fight him down in the post. We weren’t good on defense at all in the second half.”

On missing free throws
“It’s disappointing again because that’s what we’re doing in practice. We need guys to step up under pressure and make their free throws. We’ve got to get them in tomorrow and shoot more free throws.”
 

Postgame Notes
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com Release: 01/09/2010
VIRGINIA BASKETBALL
Postgame Notes
Virginia 70, NC State 62

Team Notes
• Virginia won its ACC opener for the second consecutive season, both on the road (won 88-84 in OT at Georgia Tech last season)
• The Cavaliers rallied from down 10 points in the second half for victory for the second time this season (vs. Cleveland State)
• Virginia shot a season-high 95 percent (19-20) from the free throw line

Individual Notes
• Sylven Landesberg tied a season-high with 23 points
• Landesberg scored in double figures for the 13th time this season (every game) and the 36th time in his career
• Landesberg had his fifth 20-point game of the season and the 17th of his career (first time this season with consecutive 20-point games)
• Mike Scott (14 pts) scored in double figures for the eighth time this season and the 28th time in his career
• Sammy Zeglinski (10 pts) scored in double figures for the ninth time this season and the 19th time in his career
• Jerome Meyinsse had an ACC career-high six points

Player Career Highs
• Sammy Zeglinski had a career-high eight rebounds
 

Cavaliers stick to game plan, subdue Wolfpack 70-62
By Michael Phillips
Published: January 10, 2010
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RALEIGH, N.C. -- After falling behind by double digits in its ACC opener, Virginia turned to a lineup of four guards, which created big plays and made clutch free throws.

The result was a 70-62 victory against N.C. State that gave the Cavs confidence that things are starting to go their way, thanks in part to Sylven Landesberg.

He scored a game-high 23, fighting off illness to create baskets at seemingly just the right times to stave off rallies.

"There are times in the game where I look up at the clock, see how much time is left, and see what the score is," he said. "Then I'll feel like, all right, this is the time. We need a basket. We need something to happen now."

With 2 minutes remaining he did that one final time, a runner through the lane that he guided in to give the Wahoos a five-point lead.

"Sometimes I just want to stop and watch him," guard Sammy Zeglinski said. "Some of the shots he made in the second half were unbelievable -- and that left-hander through the lane. He just willed it."

They protected the lead by making 17 straight free throws, finishing 19 for 20 in an arena where they couldn't practice before the game because of other events. The Wolfpack did the opposite, shooting 56 percent from the line in the second half as it tried to cling to a 10-point lead it built out of the gate.

Forward Dennis Horner, who stands at 6-9, is one of the team's most reliable 3-point shooters, but he was unable to connect after the U.Va. defense left him wide open for a potential game-tying shot. That miss turned into Landesberg's runner, and the RBC Center crowd headed for the exits.

Coach Tony Bennett said he was impressed by the resolve of the players after falling behind early in the half.

"We're not going to dominate too many teams, but I thought their composure and resiliency -- you can see, those kids, they want it so bad," he said.

The coach had cited another coach Friday night while speaking to the team, sharing what Alabama's Nick Saban told his players before the national championship game -- do what you do, and be who you are.

The message was for the Cavs not to change their style because ACC play had begun, or do things out of character when falling behind. Count that message as received, because Virginia didn't go for the "home run ball," as Bennett puts it, when down double digits.

"We're resilient," Zeglinski said. "We keep knocking on the door. We don't back down. We stick to the game plan."

The guard finished in double digits with 10, behind forward Mike Scott's 14 and Landesberg's 23. The trio combined for 16 points at the free throw line with no misses.

Also notable on the stat sheet was who didn't see time. Center Assane Sene did not take the court, with Scott picking up 30 minutes and Jerome Meyinsse 18, including some overlap time. Guard Calvin Baker played 15 minutes, mostly in the first half, as he finished 1 for 4 and continued his recent trend of poor shot selection. Most of those second-half minutes went to Mustapha Farrakhan.

But as usual the key minutes were played by Landesberg, who used the televised game to show that he's still the team's leader.

"He has an uncommon ability, or knack, for floaters, off-balance shots, wrong-foot, different hand -- and that's hard to guard," Bennett said. "Those were some big-time plays."

A charitable win for Cavs
By Whitey Reid
Published: January 10, 2010
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RALEIGH, N.C. — To many people, “The Hills” is a reality television show on MTV that follows the personal lives of several young people living in Los Angeles.

But to the Virginia men’s basketball team, it has a totally different meaning.

Late in the second half of Saturday’s game at N.C. State, those “hills” — the ones near Jefferson Park Avenue in Charlottesville where UVa players train — were referenced during a timeout.

“We just said, ‘This is why we run the hills in the summer — for moments like this,’” said Virginia guard Sammy Zeglinski.

‘There are three minutes left and all we need is three stops in a row and we win the game.’”

The psych-up session paid off.

Virginia held N.C. State to just one field goal in its next five possessions, knocked down a bevy of clutch free throws and emerged with a 70-62 victory in front of a crowd of 16,289 at the RBC Center.

The win was no masterpiece, but after a 4-12 campaign in ACC play last season, it was a great way to start 2010.

“One of the reasons I came to Virginia — the ACC was a huge draw,” Bennett said. “It’s an unbelievable opportunity, and with that comes a great challenge.

“I knew that when conference play starts and you’re on the road, you better be locked in.”

But early in the second half, Virginia (9-4, 1-0 ACC), which trailed by four at the break, didn’t seem to be.

N.C. State (11-5, 0-2), behind strong inside play from Tracy Smith (team-high 18 points), went on a 7-0 run that propelled them to a 43-33 lead with 12:38 remaining.

During the spurt, the Wolfpack could have blown the game open, but didn’t take full

advantage from the free-throw line. They missed seven shots and finished just 16 of 26 from the stripe for the game.

“It’s disappointing, again, because that’s what we’re doing in practice,” said N.C. State coach Sidney Lowe. “We need guys to step up under pressure and make their free throws.”

Virginia, behind Sylven Landesberg (season-high 23 points) and Mike Scott (14 points, seven rebounds) made State pay. The duo combined for 10 straight points to give the Cavs their first lead since the first half at 49-48.

The lead changed twice more before Landesberg hit an unorthodox runner in the lane to give Virginia a comfortable 60-55 lead with 1:48 to go.

“If I’m that close and able to get the shot off, I’m pretty confident that I’ll be able to make it,” said Landesberg, who was playing under the weather, according to Bennett. “It just fell.”

Landesberg said nobody gave up on the game, even after falling behind by double digits.

“Being down 10 to anyone on the road is tough, especially in the ACC. This is a tough conference,” he said. “But weren’t hanging our heads and we remained confident. There was plenty of time left. We just kept sticking to our principles on the defensive and offensive end.”

Virginia guard Jeff Jones, who knocked down two key 3-pointers in the second half, echoed Landesberg.

“We just showed a lot of resiliency,” he said. “Defensively, we showed a lot of heart because we were down 10 and could have packed it in on the road, in the ACC — but we just kept knocking on the door and stuck to what we do.”

Believe it or not, Jones said, “The Hills” had a lot to do with the win.

“It’s killer hills,” Jones explained. “You have to be mentally tough. Each week we do eight hills, then 10, the next 12, 14, and then the last week is 16.

“You’re thinking, ‘Can [I] even do this?’ But [Bennett] said that if you can be mentally tough through that, it could get you through the season.”

So far, so good.

Dunks

Before the game, Bennett, during a chat with his players, referenced a quote from Alabama football coach Nick Saban. “He said, ‘Do what we do and be who we are,’” Bennett said. ... Sophomore center Assane Sene was a DNP (coach’s decision). ... Virginia won its ACC opener for the second consecutive season, both on the road (the Cavs won 88-84 in overtime at Georgia Tech last season). ... UVa shot a season-high 95 percent (19 of 20) from the free-throw line. ... Jerome Meyinsse had an ACC career-high six points. ... Sammy Zeglinski had a career-high eight rebounds.
 

Scott’s spark rescues UVa in Raleigh
By Jerry Ratcliffe
Published: January 10, 2010
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RALEIGH, N.C.

Call it the reawakening of Mike Scott if you wish. Or maybe the Virginia junior was just smart enough to follow orders.

Whatever the case, if Scott hadn’t come alive down the stretch of Saturday’s ACC opening game, the Cavaliers would have likely tasted the familiar dissatisfaction that many recent UVa teams have experienced in their visits to the RBC Center while facing N.C. State.

Scott, playing his third straight game after missing three due to an ankle injury, put together an impressive nine-minute performance just in time to help rescue and lift the underdog Cavaliers to a 70-62 win.

Breaking the streak

N.C. State had won nine of the previous 11 meetings against UVa in the building and appeared well on its way to another victory, holding a 10-point lead (42-32) with 13:22 remaining.

That’s when things changed dramatically for both teams. That’s about when Virginia coach Tony Bennett went small, using four guards and moving the 6-foot-8 Scott to the post to take advantage of a potential mismatch in quickness.

Up until then, State’s Tracy Smith had gone on a rampage in the paint. During the ’Pack’s 9-0 run in building that 10-point bulge, Smith had scored eight of ’em, mostly bulling his way through UVa’s Pack Line defense, some of that through Scott.

However, the final nine minutes and change belonged to Scott, not Smith.

Two-way contributions

Trailing 46-39 at the 10-minute mark, Scott’s light came on. The rest of the way, the Chesapeake native scored 12 of his 14 points, all from down low. Just as importantly, he did a number against Smith, holding the Wolfpack star to only four of his team-high 18 points over the final 13 minutes of the game.

Without Scott’s ability to make the Wolfpack pay inside, UVa’s comeback in this one was questionable at best.

“We didn’t play good defense on [Scott],” N.C. State coach Sidney Lowe said. “We didn’t fight him down in the post. We weren’t good on defense at all in the second half.”

But Virginia was.

State converted only 39.3 percent of its field goal attempts the second half, while the Cavaliers made 50 percent, a rare feat against a pretty sticky N.C. State defense (seventh in the ACC in scoring defense thus far).

The Cavs did everything they needed to do, including making 17 straight free throws to pull off the upset.

Bennett, ripping a page out of Alabama football coach Nick Saban’s preparation for the national championship game earlier in the week, told his players before Saturday’s game in Raleigh to “do what we do and be who we are.”

That particularly pertained to Scott in the second half. During the first 20 minutes, Scott had missed four of five jump shots, trying to convert on some things Bennett features in his offensive system.

However, that’s not why the UVa coach pulled Scott from the game at one point. Instead it was his defense that got him in hot water with the coach.

“He wasn’t being a good help defender,” Bennett pointed out. “His guy was setting screens or Mike was coming over late on a post trap. Whatever it was, he wasn’t locked in on the defensive end, and that was hurting us, not his offense.”

Scott buckled down on defense against Smith and also perked up on offense, but only after getting a rather strong piece of advice from Virginia assistant coach Ron Sanchez before the team took the floor at the break.

“Coach Sanchez had a little talk with me,” a grinning Scott said while sitting in front of his locker after the game. “I will not say what [Sanchez] told me, but he basically said to stop the jump shots.

“He said, ‘We need you. Get to the rim, get to the post,’” Scott recounted the short but pointed conversation. “I don’t remember taking any jump shots the second half.”

That’s because there weren’t any.

Scott took the words to heart, and to the basket. While he had an inkling coming into the game that he was quicker than Smith and some of the other N.C. State post players, Scott confirmed the notion early in the game when he caught Smith up in the air on a pump-fake, moved past and then, unfortunately didn’t finish the play that resulted in a bad pass to teammate Will Sherrill and a turnover.

“I just kept that in mind the rest of the game, that I was a lot quicker,” Scott said.

He used that quickness to get around Smith and other Wolfies en route to the hoop or to draw fouls.

Scott scored from the baseline at the 9:28 mark to cut State’s lead to 46-41, chopping that 10-point bulge in half. Moments later, the Cavalier’s authoritative dunk made it 46-43 and within moments, his two foul shots, along with four Sylven Landesberg points put the Cavs on top 49-48 with 6:17 to play.

Scott was golden the rest of the way, finishing with 14 points and seven rebounds. For the record, the Cavalier hit 4 of 7 shots from the floor and all four free throws down the stretch in leading Virginia to its ACC opening win.

“I decided to go back to doing what I do best — working the post,” Scott said, although that doesn’t mean he’s abandoning future opportunities for jumpers in the Bennett scheme. “I just wanted to be more aggressive and get to the basket.”

And to limit Smith.

“Man, that guy was strong,” Scott said, obviously tired by the assignment of containing the State widebody. “I don’t know if he’s 247 [the 6-foot-8 Smith’s listed weight]. He may be 260. I just tried to make him uncomfortable in the post. That’s what I did.”

As Saban and Bennett said, that’s all he had to do.

“It’s a big help when Mike plays like that,” said Landesberg, who led UVa (now 9-4, 1-0 in the ACC) with 23 points. “When defenses start to key on me and Mike is hitting shots, and Sammy [Zeglinski] is hitting, it’s hard to key on one person. It opens things up for everybody else.”

Landesberg said that a confident Scott, making big buckets down the stretch, being a guy the team can rely on, is a huge factor for this team moving forward.

Scott appears open to that responsibility, especially with Sanchez in his ear as a subtle, or perhaps not-so-subtle reminder.
 

Virginia beats N.C. State 70-62 in ACC opener
By Norm Wood Daily Press

RALEIGH, N.C. -- - Mike Scott can't mention in polite company what assistant coach Ron Sanchez told him at halftime Saturday in Virginia's 70-62 victory at North Carolina State. Just rest assured it was a not-so gentle reminder of coach Tony Bennett's play-within-yourself philosophy.

If U.Va. (9-4 overall, 1-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) is going to be successful this season, it'll have to do it with more of these kinds of efforts, where turnovers are kept to a minimum, free throws are made and guard Sylven Landesberg is the only player permitted to freelance a little on offense.

U.Va. did all those things against N.C. State (11-5, 0-2) -- committing just 10 turnovers, connecting on its last 17 consecutive free throw attempts and 19 of 20 for the game and getting 23 points from Landesberg on an array of driving lay-ups in traffic and off-balance shots. In the process, the Cavaliers snapped a seven-game ACC road losing streak dating back to Dec. 28, 2008.

"You can't change who you are when you step in to the first game in the ACC," said Bennett, whose team rallied from a 10-point deficit in the final 12½ minutes to win his ACC debut.

"That's something we continue to fight, because we shot a little quick at times and we hurt ourselves, but then they kind of rallied back and said 'Alright, we've got to do this with tough stops and taking care of the ball and probably squeaking them out.' We're not going to dominate too many teams. You can see those kids want it so bad in the timeouts. They said 'This is why we run the hills.' This is what it's about that mental toughness and composure."

After missing four of his five shots in the first half while settling for jumpers, Scott heeded Sanchez's halftime advice and focused in the second half on staying around the basket. Scott made four of six shots in the final 20 minutes, and finished with 14 points and seven rebounds.

"I will not say what (coach Sanchez) said to me," Scott said. "It was basically 'Stop all the jump shots. We know you're a lot quicker than this guy (guarding you). Get to the rim. Get to the post.' That's what I did."

U.Va. shot 36.7 percent from the floor in the first half, but bounced back in the second half with 50 percent shooting. The Cavaliers committed just three turnovers in the second half.

N.C. State shot just 40 percent from the floor for the game, and made 16 of 26 free throws. Forward Tracy Smith led the Wolfpack with 18 points and nine rebounds.

With 12:38 left, N.C. State matched its biggest lead at 43-33. U.Va., which has already equaled the victory total it took them until Feb. 18 last season to reach, went on a 16-5 run in the next six minutes, keyed by 3-pointers from guards Sammy Zeglinski and Jeff Jones. Scott also had six points during the run.

After the run, neither team led by more than four points until Landesberg drove in to the lane and hoisted a successful right-handed shot while drifting to his left with 1:51 remaining to put U.Va. up 60-55.

"If I'm that close, and I'm able to get the shot off, I'm pretty confident I'll be able to make it," Landesberg said.

Forward Dennis Horner had two late chances to give N.C. State big boosts, but he failed on both of his 3-point attempts. With the Wolfpack trailing 58-55, he misfired on a shot from in front of N.C. State's bench with 2:14 remaining. Then, with his team trailing 62-57, he air-balled a 3-pointer with 54 seconds left.

Horner, who had 12 points, entered the game averaging 47 percent (17 of 36) from 3-point range. While U.Va. got hot from the free throw line down the stretch, N.C. State missed nine of its last 20 attempts.
 

Impressionist work of Landesburg artfully rallies the Cavaliers
David Teel

RALEIGH, N.C. --

With the NFL playoffs kicking off later Saturday afternoon, Tony Bennett recalled two of football's most unflappable performers.

"Poised when it gets crazy," he said of Joe Montana and Brett Favre.

The reference came moments after Bennett's University of Virginia basketball team showed admirable composure under far more modest circumstances.

Opening their ACC season, the Cavaliers trailed North Carolina State by 10 points in a taffy pull between two of the conference's least talented squads. Virginia couldn't stop dribble penetration or simple screen-and-rolls, and even the easiest of shots weren't falling.

Playing on the road for a first-year coach, the Cavaliers appeared on the brink of folding.

But they didn't. With significant assistance from Bennett, they rallied for a 70-62 victory.

The eye-candy stat is free throws. Virginia made its final 17 foul shots and 19-of-20 overall; N.C. State made 16-of-26.

But the Cavaliers' comeback -- they trailed 43-33 with 12:30 remaining -- was about much more.

First, Bennett went small, installing a four-guard lineup of Mike Scott in the post and Jeff Jones, Sammy Zeglinski, Mustapha Farrakhan and Landesberg on the perimeter.

The alignment was risky defensively, giving N.C. State decided size advantages at several positions. But Virginia switched on screens faster and double-teamed the post to compensate.

Offensively, the Cavaliers (9-4, 1-0) spread the Wolfpack defense, used their quickness and showcased the best player on the floor.

Yes, as renowned as Bennett is for complex X's and O's, he's wise enough to make the game uncommonly simple. For Virginia, that means getting out of Landesberg's way.

The 6-foot-6 sophomore and reigning ACC rookie of the year, Landesberg matched his season-best with a game-high 23 points. He scored on a variety of floaters and runners near the basket and made all eight of his free-throw attempts.

Players need "to have the freedom to use their creativity," Bennett said.

Indeed, but if Landesberg is an impressionist, his teammates are paint-by-numbers types. That makes his task more difficult as defenses shade toward him.

N.C. State (11-5, 0-2) still couldn't stop Landesberg, even with its best defender, C.J. Williams, shadowing him.

Williams blanketed Landesberg on one of his toughest attempts, a floater in the lane on which he faded to his left and pushed the ball back toward the rim with his right hand. The ball nestled into the net with 1:51 remaining to give the Cavaliers a 60-55 edge.

"Sylven has been under the weather," Bennett said, describing symptoms of a cold. "But he locked in and made plays for us. He has a knack for making special plays. ... He's becoming more complete. That's what I like."

Not to portray this as a one-man effort. Scott scored 12 of his 14 points after halftime, while Zeglinski (10 points and a career-high eight rebounds) and Jones (eight points) each made 2-of-2 from beyond the 3-point arc.

Zeglinski has made 32-of-63 3s this season, a remarkable percentage for a spot-up shooter whom defenses should always follow.

"I'm not going to get as many looks from (deep)," he said. "Teams are starting to scout us."

We pause now for the insect-in-the-onion-dip portion of our show.

The Cavaliers opened ACC play last season with a victory at Georgia Tech. They promptly lost their next eight league contests, finished 4-12 in conference and cost coach Dave Leitao his job.

Moreover, this N.C. State squad is as uninspiring as last season's Georgia Tech bunch, which went 2-14 in the ACC. Back to the-glass-is-half-full mode.

Prior to the game I chatted with N.C. State assistant coach Pete Strickland, a former Old Dominion staff member. He said the most impressive thing about watching Virginia on tape was how the players seem to have accepted the drastic changes Bennett has installed.

Changes such as a more disciplined, structured offense, and more half-court, physical defense.

Explaining the comeback, Landesberg confirmed Strickland's observations.

"We just kept sticking to our principles on offense and defense," he said.

That speaks to not only the players' early acceptance of Bennett, but also Bennett's ability to communicate and instill confidence in a team that finished 11th in the ACC a year ago.

Certainly, Virginia will careen into potholes, perhaps as soon as Wednesday night at home against Georgia Tech. But Saturday it didn't.

"Our lack of mental toughness was a disappointment," Wolfpack coach Sidney Lowe said.

The precise opposite was true of the Cavaliers. Their considerable toughness was encouraging.

UVa gets victory in ACC opener
The Cavaliers-- winners of five straight -- make 17 consecutive free throws in the final 12:57.
By Doug Doughty
981-3129

RALEIGH, N.C. -- When nothing else was working Saturday, Virginia tried to play defense with offensive players.

And, it worked.

The Cavaliers, who trailed by as many as 10 points in the second half, rallied for a 70-62 victory at North Carolina State in their first ACC game under coach Tony Bennett.

It was the fifth victory in a row for UVa, which didn't take the lead for good until Mike Scott scored on a tip-in with 3:53 left to put the Cavaliers ahead 54-53 at the RBC Center.

Virginia (9-4, 1-0 ACC) scored on its last 10 possessions and made 17 straight free throws over the final 12:57. UVa was 19-of-20 from the line for the game.

"We talk about doing things to eliminate losing," Bennett said. "Well, making a majority of your free throws when you're in tight games is certainly one of them.

"You know, we didn't get to practice in here last night with [the Carolina Hurricanes'] hockey game."

Noon tipoff was so early that the Cavaliers didn't even have a shootaround.

Maybe that had something to do with Virginia's 36.7 percent field-goal shooting in the first half, when the Wolfpack (11-5, 0-2) went more than seven minutes without a field goal but emerged with a 30-26 lead.

State extended its lead to 43-33 prior to a UVa timeout with 11:20 left, when Bennett went to a four-guard lineup that included a single post player, Scott.

With the exception of a late offense-defense substitution to protect Scott, who had four fouls, that lineup played virtually the rest of the way.

"I think, when you looked around, you saw a lot of experience out there on the floor," junior Jeff Jones said.

Jones, who was the ninth Virginia player to get in the game, played 13 minutes in the second half and hit all three of his shots, including a pair of 3-pointers.

Jones isn't known for his defense and neither is sophomore Sylven Landesberg, but Landesberg had a key block on a driving Dennis Horner with 3:34 left.

A Horner layup at that point would have allowed State to retake the lead and Horner could have tied the score when UVa left him alone in the corner with 2:14 remaining and the Wolfpack trailing 58-55.

"It was a case of miscommunication and I'll take the blame for it," Landesberg said, "but, sometimes you can be so open that you just freeze out there."

Horner, who came into the game shooting 47.2 percent on 3-pointers for the season, hit the far rim on his open look and also missed a 3-pointer with 54 seconds left and the score 62-57.

"Our main three guys didn't play well," said State coach Sidney Lowe, referring to double-figure scorers Horner, Tracy Smith and Javier Gonzalez.

Smith scored the Wolfpack's first nine points of the second half and finished with a team-high 18 points, but he had one field goal in the final 14 12 minutes as Scott and UVa teammate Jerome Meyinsse battled him on the inside.

Scott, admittedly working on his conditioning after missing one month with a high-ankle sprain, had 12 of his 14 points in the final 9:25.

Landesberg led the Cavaliers with 23 points.

"Sylven was under the weather," Bennett said.

"He's been sick. He locked in and overcame it, his cold or whatever he has. He has an uncanny ability or knack for floaters -- off-balance shots, wrong foot, different hand and that's hard to guard."

Bennett had not been pleased by the Cavaliers' performance Monday night in a 72-53 victory over lowly Texas-Pan American and borrowed a line from Alabama football coach Nick Saban, who won the national championship with a 37-21 victory over Texas on Thursday.

"They asked him how his team prepared and he said, 'Do what we do and be who we are,' " Bennett said. "That was his message to his team and I told [UVa's team] what Nick Saban said.

"You can't change who you are and say, 'Oh, it's the first game of the ACC. We're on the road. We've got to become someone different from who we are.' We want to be a team that's hard to beat and hopefully we're inching toward that."

Pack lets one slip away
BY J.P. GIGLIO - staff writer
Tags: basketball | high school | ncsu | sports

RALEIGH -- Sylven Landesberg stepped to the free-throw line with 22.3 seconds left in Virginia's 70-62 win over N.C. State.

"Miss it!" pleaded one still hopeful Wolfpack fan.

No such luck. Landesberg hit both attempts to give him 23 points as Virginia closed the game by making 17 straight free throws.
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Conversely, the Wolfpack, which led by 10 points in the second half, made just 16 of 26 from the free-throw line.

"You have step up there and make free throws," Wolfpack coach Sidney Lowe said. "They did. We just didn't make them."

The Wolfpack's free-throw woes weren't Lowe's only complaint after State fell to 0-2 in the ACC.

State (10-5) led 45-36 with 11:20 left in the game when forward Dennis Horner was called for a charge near the basket.

Virginia (9-4) guard Sammy Zeglinski, a help defender, stepped in and took the contact.

Under a new NCAA rule instituted this season, that call is supposed to be an automatic blocking foul if it occurs within the designated 18-by-24-inch area, which is unmarked, under the basket.

Lowe lamented the lack of a visible line on the court to assist the officials in making the proper call.

"That was a big play," Lowe said. "It's just a bad rule."

The foul, called by referee Mike Wood, wiped out Horner's basket and then Virginia's Jeff Jones responded with a 3-pointer on the Cavs' next possession.

Landesberg and forward Mike Scott took control of the game from there. Scott scored 12 of his 14 points after Horner's charge.

Scott's tip-in of a Landes-berg miss at 3:56 gave Virginia the lead for good, 54-53. His post move over Tracy Smith extended the Hoos' lead to 58-55.

State's best chance to get back in the game came when Horner was open from in front of the State bench at 2:13.

Horner's 3 went long and Landesberg hit a running shot in the lane for a 60-55 lead. The Cavs made all 10 of their free throws in the final 62 seconds to cement the win for rookie coach Tony Bennett in his ACC debut.

"Were we perfect?" Bennett said. "They missed some shots."

The second half started the opposite way. After closing the first half on a 16-6 run to take a 30-26 halftime lead, State started the second half with a 12-6 surge. Ironically Smith's free throw at 13:21 put them up 42-32.

Smith, who led the Pack with 18 points, said State didn't handle the second-half lead properly.

"We came out and kind of got comfortable with the lead," Smith said. "They got the momentum, and it was hard for us to get back in the game."

Dropping to 0-2 in the conference, for the fourth time under Lowe, was especially tough to take considering the upcoming stretch of games: at Florida State, home against Clemson and Duke, at Maryland and home against UNC.

"It's two games," Lowe said. "We still have a long season to go, but we have to get better. We have to be smarter. We were not smart today at all."

Virginia beats N.C. State, 70-62, in Tony Bennett's ACC opener
By Zach Berman
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, January 10, 2010

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Ever since Tony Bennett agreed to become Virginia's head coach more than nine months ago, the Wisconsin native who cut his teeth coaching on the West Coast has fielded questions about joining the ACC. Bennett praised his new conference, but reminded questioners that working in the Pacific-10 as Washington State's head coach was not an easy job.

In this region, though, the ACC is king. And the epicenter of the conference is North Carolina, making it fitting that Bennett's ACC debut came in the state's capital. Although North Carolina State was predicted to finish last in the conference, Virginia's 70-62 win over the Wolfpack on Saturday was the first indication that the defense-first style Bennett brought to the ACC just might work in an offense-first conference.

In the locker room before Saturday's game, Bennett borrowed a phrase from Alabama football Coach Nick Saban: "Do what we do, be who we are," Saban told the Crimson Tide before the Bowl Championship Series title game on Thursday. Bennett did not want his team to change the way it plays just because it was in an ACC game on the road, and because the pace might be different.

"It's something we continue to fight because I thought we shot a little quick at times and hurt ourselves," Bennett said. "But then they kind of rallied back, and [we] said: 'We got to do this with tough stops, taking care of the ball, and winning it probably squeaking it out.' We're not going to dominate too many teams."
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Guard Jeff Jones said Virginia (9-4, 1-0) must keep opponents' point totals in the 60s to win in the ACC. Fellow guard Sammy Zeglinski pointed out the Cavaliers have allowed more than 70 points just once this season -- in the season opener, when the system was still being installed.

The game almost crept away from the Cavaliers in the second half, when N.C. State built a 10-point lead with just less than 13 minutes remaining.

Sylven Landesberg was the team's only offensive option, scoring most of his game-high 23 points using his creativity and not out of more traditional set plays.

During last season's game in the same building, Virginia cut into a double-digit deficit but never took a lead -- often trying to do too much to regain an advantage. This season, the Cavaliers believed in Bennett's system. A pair of three-pointers by Zeglinski and Jones helped cut into the Wolfpack's lead. Forward Mike Scott, who struggled in the first half, found his rhythm and started calling for the ball.

The offensive balance helped open scoring for Landesberg, who connected on critical shots in the game's waning minutes. All the while, the Cavaliers raised the defensive intensity and held N.C. State (11-5, 0-2) to just two field goals during a 15-5 run to tie the score with about six minutes left.

"It's a mind-set: Just get these stops one possession at a time, and one turns into three," said Scott, who finished with 14 points and seven rebounds. "Then keep getting rebounds, keep hitting free throws, and next thing you know, you're able to win."

That mentality was exhibited on the free throw line, where the Cavaliers hit 19 of 20, including their final 17 attempts. It's a testament to one of Bennett's mantras, which is to become a difficult team to beat. True to form, Bennett wanted to know who suffered the lone miss. (The answer is Mustapha Farrakhan, the team's best free throw shooter.)

"If we miss, we got to run," Scott said. "We know what's on the line. If we miss, we got to get on the line."

Scott said winning the ACC opener on the road was one of his most satisfying victories in a Virginia uniform. But the win must be kept in perspective -- especially because the Cavaliers beat Georgia Tech on the road in last season's opener before losing their next eight conference games. Ironically, Virginia hosts the 17th-ranked Yellow Jackets on Wednesday in another attempt to prove that Bennett's system will work in the ACC.

"This is a defensive team, and we'll build it off of that," Jones said. "It's scary what we've been doing, and I can't wait to see how we end up in the ACC."

Men's Basketball: Bennett using deeper rotation than expected

Before the season, Virginia Coach Tony Bennett spoke about his experience coaching teams with short benches and those with deep benches. Bennett said he prefers an eight-man rotation, but that's not always possible. Bennett also has pointed out that Virginia's roster has much parity.

However, Bennett has not yet pared that rotation down -- and don't expect him to begin with the ACC season starting Saturday at North Carolina State.

Even without Jamil Tucker in the rotation or Tristan Spurlock, the Cavaliers continue to use 10 players: Sylven Landesberg, Sammy Zeglinski, Mike Scott, Assane Sene, Will Sherrill, Jeff Jones, Calvin Baker, Mustapha Farrakhan, Jerome Meyinsse and Jontel Evans. Although their minutes fluctuate, each is playing at least 12 minutes per game.

Bennett was recently watching an NBA game when commentator Mark Jackson quoted Pat Riley: "Have a nine-man rotation, play eight and trust five."

"I kind of laughed at that," Bennett said. "I think every coach tries to find a rotation. But every coach realizes, or I do at least, if you have not a lot of separation, you have to try different combinations and go with what works. Some games that might be a tighter rotation. Some games that's not working and you have to expand it a bit. That's where we're at right now. Doesn't mean we'll stay that way."

It's late in the season to alter the rotation, so I think you'll continue seeing Bennett use a deep bench. Sherrill is a player few expected to be part of the group before the season, and perhaps his minutes decrease if other players start to add some of the "little things" that Sherrill does. These include keeping keep possessions alive, setting good screens and grabbing offensive rebounds, although few others have shown a willingness or ability to do these.

Meyinsse's role increased when it appeared the Cavaliers lacked interior depth, and Bennett has found different roles for the Baker/Jones/Farrakhan logjam at in the back court.

"In some ways," Bennett said, "you can't fight it."

By Zach Berman

White: Football Program Adds Midyear Recruit
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 01/07/2010
By Jeff White

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- For the second consecutive year, the UVa football program is adding a recruit in January.

In 2009 it was defensive end Will Hill, who graduated in December '08 from Lafayette High in Williamsburg.

This year it's quarterback Michael Strauss, a recent graduate of Gulliver Prep in Pinecrest, Fla., about a dozen miles south of Miami.

A 6-2, 215-pound right-hander, Strauss initially committed to Tulane. In early December, however, he switched to UVa, less than a day after Mike London was introduced as head coach.

Strauss will not sign a national letter of intent. He was officially offered admission to UVa last week and accepted. Strauss will start classes at the University on Jan. 20.

He also had scholarship offers from such schools as Alabama, Memphis and UAB.

By enrolling at midyear, Strauss will be able to go through spring practice with the Cavaliers, who must replace Jameel Sewell, their starting quarterback for most of 2009.

Quarterbacks already in the program include Marc Verica, Ross Metheny and Riko Smalls.

At Gulliver Prep, Strauss' coach was Earl Sims, a former UVa linebacker. Sims was a fifth-year senior in 2001, London's first season as the Wahoos' defensive line coach.

As a junior, Strauss completed 218 of 307 passes for 3,113 yards and 32 touchdowns, with 11 interceptions, and helped Gulliver Prep advance to the state Class 2A championship game.

Gulliver Prep finished 8-4 in 2009, and Strauss was 170 for 298 passing, for 2,714 yards and 28 TDs. He threw 12 interceptions.

In 2009, Hill became the first UVa football recruit since linebacker Ahmad Brooks to enroll at midyear. Brooks started classes at UVa in January 2003 after spending a postgraduate semester at Hargrave Military Academy.

On the eve of training camp last summer, Al Groh, then UVa's coach, praised Hill's work ethic on and off the field.

"He's excelled academically," Groh said in late July. "He is a highly purposeful, very high-motor player in practice and in his training activities. He's all business."

Hill appeared in all 12 games as a true freshman in 2009. He was in for 84 plays -- 19 on defense and 65 on special teams.

Here are some comments that Strauss gave by e-mail to a member of the UVa football staff last week:

Q. When did you learn that you'd be allowed to enroll in January, and what was your reaction?

A. It was sort of unclear because we were proceeding as if I was going to enroll and getting everything ready like paperwork and forms required for admissions, but no one ever really came out and told me it was a done deal till this week. I knew it was probably going to happen but I was not 100% sure, so when I realized that it was happening I was relieved, because it was what I had been preparing for and planning on for a long time.

Q. When are you due to arrive in Charlottesville? Where will you live during the spring semester?

A. I will be flying in to Charlottesville on Sunday the 17th with my parents. I have midyear orientation on the 18th, and on that date I will also be able to move into my dorm. I will be living on campus, but since I am coming in midyear all the double rooms were occupied so they have put me in a single in Hereford College for the time being.

Q. You were eager to enroll in January. What made that prospect so appealing to you? Would you have picked another school if UVa hadn't offered you midyear admission?

A. In my mind, I always wanted to go to a college where the academics were as important as football. University of Virginia -- it doesn't get much better than that, because they take their football program seriously, as well as academics. It's the best of both worlds.

I always told Coach London and Coach [Bob] Price that a January admission was not a make-or-break deal but that it was something I had been working toward for a long time. The opportunity to start school in January is big for me because it gives me time to get used to the classes and the environment before football season starts. Being there in the spring, with a new offense, I will be on the same page as everyone else. I will have the opportunity to compete equally.

Q. Given that you'll go through spring practice at UVa, are you looking to play as a true freshman?

A. I will go out there and compete and work hard. I will always prepare to play and be ready. It will be up to the coaches to make that decision.

Q. What has Coach London told you about your prospects for playing this fall?

A. We basically just spoke about how the opportunity is there to come in and compete.

Q. Have you spoken to Will Hill about his experience as a midyear admit? If so, what advice did he give you?

A. I met him briefly on my visit to UVa last month, but we never really had the opportunity to talk about that.

 

Reid has history with UVa
By Jay Jenkins
Published: January 10, 2010
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Some of the details remain sketchy for Virginia’s new defensive coordinator.

That is understandable. The memorable discussion did take place almost four decades ago for Jim Reid.

In his first coaching stint at Massachusetts, Reid was sent on a road trip by his boss, legendary coach Dick MacPherson.

The message?

“I’m going to send you down on spring break to who I would consider the finest coach in America,” recounted Reid, who accepted an offer from Virginia coach Mike London to lead the Cavaliers’ defense.

Reid said he was certain that an all-expenses-paid trip to Michigan, Nebraska, Ohio State or Oklahoma awaited him.

He was shocked when he learned that he was being shipped south to Annapolis, Md., to study Navy coach George Welsh.

“[MacPherson] said, ‘I want you to watch coach Welsh. I want you to watch his organization,’” Reid said. “I want you to watch the detail with which he runs the program and with which his players play with, and I want you to sit in the meetings if he allows you to. I want you to listen to him, and I want you to observe that. You’ll become a much better coach.’”

Welsh later left the Naval Academy to ultimately turn around Virginia’s lackluster football program, something Reid witnessed during countless trips to Charlottesville. Now, as was the case with Welsh, Reid will look to turn around the Cavaliers’ program as a part of London’s staff.

There is work to do — Virginia is coming off a dismal 3-9 season that saw attendance drop and left the program without a postseason bid.

How comfortable will Reid truly be coaching under London? When Reid was the head coach at Richmond, London worked on his staff as an assistant coach.

Apparently, that will not be an issue.

“Any coach that I have ever hired has worked with me, not for me,” Reid said.

Having watched London’s progression as an assistant and then as the head coach at Richmond has also answered another question — Reid is not pressured to chime in with advice for his new boss.

“I don’t know that we need to help Coach grow any more than he has. He’s put together a program that won the national championship [at Richmond],” Reid said. “When you win a national championship at any level, as I understand that [Virginia has] a number of time in this department, it means that you know exactly what you’re doing and your vision is correct.

“Vision was a quality that coach London had when he was an assistant coach with me. He has got great vision. He doesn’t need any help from me. I can tell you that. I think he’s got a perfect vision as he’s articulated to me for what he wants this program to be.”
 

Q&A: After 36 years, U.Va. defensive coordinator Jim Reid still has goals, enthusiasm
By Norm Wood Daily Press

After 36 years of football coaching, it might be easy to assume Jim Reid has done just about everything he sought out to do in the profession.

To a certain extent, that's true. He spent 19 years coaching at the flagship university of his home state of Massachusetts. He has worked at the Championship and Bowl Subdivision levels. He was able to gain experience in the National Football League.

With that kind of resume, what would inspire a 59-year-old man to want to take over the roles of associate head coach and defensive coordinator at a Virginia program that has had losing seasons in three of the last four years?

Well, the new guy in the big football office -- Bethel High graduate Mike London -- certainly had a lot to do with Reid's decision. London was an assistant coach for two years under Reid when Reid coached at Richmond.

It's also clear Reid, who also coached at Virginia Military Institute, has some ambitious goals left to achieve. Oh ? and there's no shortage of enthusiasm.

Q: You were in a 3-4 defense with the Dolphins. Mike has said he's going to run a 4-3 at Virginia. What's been your defensive background? How interchangeable are the two in terms of moving 3-4 players to a 4-3 defense?

A: The first time I got a chance to look at tape of (U.Va.'s players) was about 15 minutes before we started this call. ? We were a 3-4 defense in my career all the way until we started working with Dan Henning at Boston College when I was the (defensive) coordinator there (in 1994). What we did was we ended up running a 4-3 stack defense. We had some terrific, high upfield pass-rush-type players and it was a great change-up. We ran that defense all the way up until this past year with Miami when we went back to the 3-4. You have to recruit to those defenses. ? They're interchangeable. Certainly, from a technique standpoint, a 3-4 defensive lineman can be a shade 4-3 defensive lineman.

Q: Have you been given an indication what your recruiting area is going to be?

A: No, sir. I haven't -- just that there will be an in-state and out-of-state area. When I was the head coach at the University of Richmond and then at VMI, every spring I would take an area just so I could get to know the coaches. I would change the area up. I really enjoy recruiting. I love talking to families and young athletes. One area that I did miss the last couple years was the recruiting aspect. I know some people don't like recruiting. I've always loved it.

Q: Is it going to be an adjustment working for Mike as opposed to the other way around?

A: I can just tell you this. Any coach I've ever hired has never worked for me, he's worked with me. I believe that Coach London has the vision, has the plan, has the detail and we'll all work with him to make sure that plan gets implemented. He's a terrific coach, outstanding coach, a championship coach and a better man, if you understand what I'm saying. I just think that we're all going to get in this together with his leadership, and he'll direct us to exactly where he wants us to go and exactly what he wants us to do.

Q: Does it look like this (2010) schedule is almost designed for you because Virginia plays VMI and Richmond?

A: (Laughs) This is the truth, and I know you're not going to believe this, but I didn't even find that out until I think it might've been even (Friday) morning. ? Right now, I'm not even looking at the schedule. We've got to find out who we are, what we're going to be and what we need to get better and compete and to win.

Q: Are you viewing this job as kind of your final job, or do you have any ambitions of going back to the NFL at some point?

A: I think, honestly, at age 59, it would be great to just have a recruiting area -- a couple of recruiting areas -- stay in there, welcome high school coaches in to talk some football, to win and just to be able to stay here. ? I promised my wife I wouldn't make college coaching a transient profession. My first 19 years were spent at the University of Massachusetts. I was going to live and die there. Then, I ended up coming to Richmond for two years, to Boston College for a year, to Richmond for nine years, to Syracuse for a year, to Bucknell for a year, to VMI for two years, to the Miami Dolphins for two years and she never said a word. Then, I said I'd like to go to the University of Virginia, and she said, 'Do you remember that promise you made to me years ago?' I had to make that promise again. As long as we can do a good job here -- no, no -- I know we'll do a good job. As long as I can do a good job here for the University of Virginia and Coach London, I'd like to stay here and win some championships. I remember George Welsh telling me when they redid the facility here, 'We did it right. We can win a national championship.' So, that's the goal.

Football: Virginia DC/AHC Reid discusses new job

Expect much more about new defensive coordinator and associate head coach Jim Reid in the coming days, but here are a few tidbits from Reid's teleconference:

- Mike London contacted Reid before receiving the job asking if Reid had interest, and Reid said he would. He said he did not want to further speak with London until Miami Dolphins Coach Tony Sparano entered in the discussion. Reid spoke to London again "just before Christmas" and then at the end of the Dolphins season.

"With our children and our grandchildren here, and working at the University of Virginia -- a place I admire and am very familiar with -- we made a very tough decision," Reid said.

Much of his family lives in Richmond.

- Reid has experience in New England and Virginia, although he does not yet know the area he will recruit. Reid said recruiting was aspect of the job he missed most when going to the NFL, and he was excited to return to the trail.

"There will be an in-state and an out-of-state area," Reid said. "When I was head coach University of Richmond and VMI, every spring I would take an area just so I would get to know the coaches. I would change the area up. I really enjoy the recruiting. I love talking to families and young athletes."

- Reid does not yet know how he'll split his roles as defensive coordinator and associate head coach.

"I just know that Coach London and I, in just about every aspect of running a program, we're kind of on the same page and see eye-to-eye," Reid said. "I don't know what that's going to entail at all. I just don't know."

- Interestingly, Virginia plays both VMI and Richmond. Reid did not find that out until Friday morning. A Virginia official joked, "We haven't told him we go to USC this year."

- Reid anticipates this being the final stop of his coaching career. At age 59 and with his optimism in Virginia's program, Reid hopes to remain with the Cavaliers and not move his family another time.

"As long as I can do a good job here for the University of Virginia and Coach London, I'd like to stay here and win some championships," Reid said. "I remember Coach Welsh telling me when they re-did the facility here. He said, 'We did it right, we can win a national championship.' That's the goal."

By Zach Berman

Tech is close to a deal with Groh to coach its defense
5:45 pm January 9, 2010, by Mark Bradley
Al Groh: Headed to Tech as DC?

Groh: Headed to Tech as DC?

Georgia Tech is close to an agreement with former Virginia head coach Al Groh to become the Yellow Jackets’ defensive coordinator, according to someone with knowledge of the situation. Tech coach Paul Johnson and Groh have discussed the position and plan to meet again, possibly before the weekend is out.

Asked if he and Groh were indeed close to an agreement, Johnson said Saturday: “No. Not really. I don’t know how this [talk of Groh] got started.”

Johnson attended Tech’s basketball game Saturday — the Jackets upset No. 5 Duke at Alexander Memorial Coliseum — and responded to the question at halftime.

Final agreement would likely come only after Johnson and Groh meet face to face.

Tech announced Friday that Dave Wommack, who served as Johnson’s defensive coordinator his two seasons here, would not be retained. Rumors had already begun to swirl about Groh, who was fired after eight seasons at Virginia, being in line as a replacement. Groh has been a defensive coordinator in the NFL.