Defense Earns 'Hoos Share of ACC Lead
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 02/03/2010
By Jeff White
CHARLOTTESVILLE -- As old school as he may be in his coaching philosophy, Tony
Bennett readily acknowledged the impact of the thunderous dunk Mustapha
Farrakhan threw down Wednesday night.
The slam over N.C. State guard Javier Gonzalez electrified the crowd at John
Paul Jones Arena, energized Farrakhan's teammates and, after the 6-4 junior
added the free throw to complete the three-point play, extended UVa's lead to
46-36 with 6:57 to play.
A "terrific dunk," Bennett called it, and he'll happily take such plays from
Farrakhan in every game. Still, what thrilled the Cavaliers' first-year coach
most was his players' defensive intensity after intermission.
N.C. State missed 17 of 24 shots from the floor and scored only 19 points in the
second half, and the Wahoos rallied for a 59-47 victory that moved them into a
tie with Duke for first place in the ACC.
Not since a 55-46 victory over the Wolfpack on Feb. 19, 1997, had Virginia
allowed so few points in an ACC game.
At halftime Wednesday night, the 'Hoos (5-2, 14-6) trailed 28-25. State was
shooting 45.8 percent from the floor, and its big men, Tracy Smith and Richard
Howell, were dominating in the paint. Bennett challenged his players to ratchet
up their defensive effort.
"I said, 'That's not who we are, who we have to be,'" Bennett said. "And they
worked a lot harder, they were more together defensively. I thought with some
guys being a little cold, that second half defensively won it for us, and I like
to see that. That was good how much they battled."
Bennett's players also talked a lot about defense afterward. Topic No. 1,
however, might have been Farrakhan's vicious slam. After a Wolfpack turnover, he
came up with the ball in the open court and dribbled straight for the basket.
Gonzalez, who stands 6-0, unwisely challenged Farrakhan.
"I just had in my mind I was going to make an aggressive play at the rim,"
Farrakhan said. "I knew I had the jumping ability to do it, so I just wanted to
try to make a real aggressive play at the rim."
Farrakhan is a lefty, but he likes to jump off one leg -- his left -- and dunk
with his right hand. He did so with authority Wednesday, drawing a foul from
Gonzalez and waking a crowd that had seen little from the 'Hoos offensively to
that point. Farrakhan's teammates were just as excited.
"That was probably the greatest dunk I've ever seen in person," UVa center
Jerome Meyinsse said.
Virginia guard Calvin Baker said: "His dunk was crazy. I walked up to him and
showed him the goose bumps on my arms ... I would give [the dunk] a 10. He
actually did that to me over the summer. Maybe that was why I had goose bumps. I
guess it gave me a flashback."
Sylven Landesberg wrapped Farrakhan in a bear hug after the play.
"I told him he better TiVo SportsCenter tonight," Landesberg said afterward.
Sure enough, ESPN rated Farrakhan's dunk the best of Wednesday's top plays. His
other contributions were less dramatic but no less important. In 21 minutes off
the bench, Farrakhan played rugged defense, finished with 11 points and
rediscovered his outside touch.
He came in having made only 1 of his previous 8 attempts from beyond the arc,
but Farrakhan was 2 for 3 on 3-pointers against the Wolfpack (2-6, 14-9).
The miss came on his first attempt from long range, but Farrakhan remained
patient.
"I thought he played within himself, and then, like I said, the looks he got, he
took," Bennett said. "And he worked hard on his shot these last two days, really
hard, and it's good to see him make that, and I thought he slid his feet really
well. And he's complete when he can do that. Gives us a nice weapon."
In 2008-09, their fourth and final season under Dave Leitao, the Cavaliers won
four ACC games. With nine to play, they've already exceeded that total after
sweeping its regular-season series with N.C. State. And UVa will head into its
Saturday matinee at JPJ against Wake Forest (5-3, 15-5) at or near the top of
the ACC standings.
That's heady stuff for a team that media members who cover the ACC picked to
finish 11th in the 12-team league.
"I just want to say thank you [to voters] for giving us a lot of motivation,"
Landesberg said with a huge smile. "I still have the preseason poll posted up on
my wall, and I look at it every day."
Had Bennett been told before the season that come Feb. 4 his team would be tied
for first in the ACC, "I would have taken it, that's for sure. I would have
said, 'That sounds good to me.'
"It's good. It's a good place to be in, but by no means does that mean we've
arrived. I just want them to keep improving. And I thought they won in a way
today that they haven't in the second half.
"It was more with our defense, with some of our key guys not shooting it well."
For the first time this season, Landesberg (7 points) failed to score in double
figures. He was 2 for 10 from the floor. Sophomore guard Sammy Zeglinski was 3
for 12. Several Cavaliers shot well, most notably Mike Scott (15 points),
Farrakhan and Meyinsse (10 points), but overall this was not an offensive clinic
from the home team.
The 'Hoos shot 40.7 percent from the floor.
"It's exciting when you don't play your best game and you still win by double
digits," Zeglinski said. "Defensively, holding them under 50 points is big time
in this conference."
State made a concerted effort to limit Landesberg's scoring, and it succeeded.
But the 6-6 sophomore punished the Pack in other ways. He finished with a
career-best 9 assists, went 3 for 3 from the line and grabbed 6 rebounds.
His players defended Landesberg well, "but he still made the right plays," State
coach Sidney Lowe said. "What makes him so tough is that he is big and strong
and can see over the defense. He's a very good basketball player. There aren't
many teams in the country that have a player that can control the game in so
many different ways. If you take away his scoring, he's going to do something
creative for other people."
UVa lost the lead with 14:08 left in the first half, when a three-point play put
State up 10-7. The Cavaliers didn't regain it until the 14:15 mark of the second
half, when Landesberg, after a wild succession of missed shots by both teams,
passed to Zeglinski, who buried a jumper in transition to make it 33-32.
The Pack had been stuck on 32 points since the 16:55 mark, and the scoreboard
clock showed 9:37 when Lowe's team finally scored again.
"The first half we weren't great, we were a little lethargic," Zeglinski said.
"But the second half, after Coach got after us a little bit at halftime, we
responded, and it was pretty gratifying to be able to come out like that."
Bennett played for his father at Wisconsin-Green Bay. One of Dick Bennett's
favorite sayings has stayed with his son.
"When you whip a donkey, it kicks. When you kick a thoroughbred, it responds,"
Tony Bennett said.
"I'm not saying we're thoroughbreds by any means, but I'm just saying [the
players] responded when they were challenged, and that was what we needed. I
told them I was proud of them for that. But just because we did it for a second
half doesn't mean it's going to show up automatically. That's something you
always have to understand as a defensive team."
Postgame Quotes
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com Release: 02/03/2010
Virginia Head Coach Tony Bennett
On the Cavaliers’ defensive effort in the second half…
“I was proud of how we stepped up and defended. We were way too indecisive in
the first half and gave up way too many points in the paint. We did not have a
sense of urgency. At halftime I really challenged them hard, I said, ‘that’s not
who we are or who we have to be.’ They worked a lot harder and were more
together defensively in the second half, and I thought that with some of the
guys being a little cold tonight, that second half defense won it for us. I like
to see that, it was good how much they battled.”
On Sylven Landesberg’s lowest scoring game in ACC play, off-set by his nine
assists…
“They are really stacking the lane on him, and at times that is why I went with
Calvin [Baker] and Jontel [Evans]. I thought we had a good rotation and a little
bit more of a threat from the outside. Sylven did a great job of making the next
pass. He got guys wide open looks – he had nine assists, six rebounds, he made
his free-throws – he was solid. I liked what I saw in him.”
On Mustapha Farrakhan’s contribution tonight, following some off-games…
“With our team, I wish I could always know which guy was going to be right. That
is why I give guys looks in the first half to try to get a feel for what is
going on. I thought he did a nice job defensively, and he hit two threes – those
were big. He has been a little cold the last couple games and I was teasing him
that maybe someone was leaving the door open on a couple of his shots. But when
we got back he really worked hard tightening up his shot, and trying to really
let the game come to him. Obviously he got the crowd going with that terrific
dunk and he really energized us.”
“I thought he let it come. Sometimes guys will press if they make their first
shot, but he really was patient. I thought he played within himself, and the
looks he got, he took. He has worked hard on his shot these last two days –
really hard – and it is good to see him make that. I thought he slid his feet
really well. He is a nice weapon.”
On NC State’s points in the paint in the first half…
“They scored in the paint way too much. Sometimes we put our trap on and
sometimes we did not, but we were indecisive. Either we came too late, or we
trapped out too far on the floor. We did not have good rotations on the weak
side, we had poor vision, we were just really reactive. Against good post
players and good teams, you cannot be reactive. You have to anticipate, as we
say you have to come in high and hard and close the door. Those things were
really absent, and I was disappointed in that. We worked harder in the second
half and clamped down a little better.”
On responding to foul trouble tonight and putting in Assane Sene…
“They had two bigs on the floor, and I was matching up with them on the glass in
case we needed our trap. We can do it at times with Sylven but it is a little
harder. I thought Assane did a good job against North Carolina in limited
minutes with his size, and I thought that was the decision to make. We were
obviously in foul trouble with our bigs and I felt comfortable going big. We
needed to match up that way.”
On being tied for first in the ACC…
“The kids have responded. It is still very early, but the kids have responded
and bounced back from a tough loss both times and have battled. It is a good
place to be in, but by no means does that mean that we have arrived. I just want
them to keep improving. I thought they won in a way today that they haven’t
before in the second half. It was with our defense and with some of our key guys
not shooting well, so that is a good sign. We won with some foul trouble and
cold shooting, but the defense clamped down, and we will take it.”
On Jerome Meyinsse’s performance this season and tonight…
“He was a little out of sorts early defensively and offensively but he responded
at halftime. That was good to see because I thought he was defensively settling
behind. He was not in sync, and it has been a strength of his until now. He had
a little fumble-itis a couple times on some baskets but he cleaned it up in the
second half. He has given us a great lift, he really has - just as Will
[Sherrill] and Assane [Sene] did, and Calvin [Baker] and Mustapha [Farrakhan]
gave us a nice lift, too.”
On Tracy Smith’s game tonight…
“After he picked up a couple fouls we said we could do a few things to take
advantage of that but he is a heck of a player offensively. They have shooters
on the outside, and they were cold, fortunately, from three but he scores on you
one-on-one even when you make him earn it. It is a little bit of a catch-22, so
you have to hopefully gamble right.”
________________________________________
Virginia Senior Guard Calvin Baker
On second half play
“We could see that they were really flooding Sylven [Landesberg], so we wanted
to execute our offense and let the offense score points. We did not panic, we
were patient, we worked the clock, and we worked to get good shots.”
On Mustapha Farrakhan’s dunk
“His dunk was crazy. I walked up to him and showed him the goose bumps on my
arms. We see him jumping in practice, but a lot of people do not know how
athletic he really is. I would give him a 10. He actually did that to me over
the summer. Maybe that was why I had goose bumps. I guess it gave me a
flashback.”
On the win
“We got a big win against North Carolina, but we knew that North Carolina State
is a good team. We knew we had to play as hard as we could to come out and get
the victory. Now we have to put this game behind us and get ready for Wake
Forest on Saturday.”
On a 5-2 ACC record
“I am really not surprised because if you look back at last year there were a
lot of close games. Our team chemistry is so much better this year. Everybody is
older, and we are more of a veteran team under good coaches. Everything is
happening the way it is supposed to be.”
Virginia Junior Guard Mustapha Farrakhan
On his dunk
“I think that dunk gave us energy, and we were playing well in the second half.
I have not seen it yet, but it felt great.”
On better play in the second half
“We have to try and play the full game. We had high intensity in the second
half, and we just have to be mentally strong from beginning to end.”
Virginia Sophomore Guard Sylven Landesberg
On having more assists than points
“I was able to read the defense early and I was being aggressive on the
offensive end. I forced some bad shots, but then I was able to adjust to the
defense and use what they were doing against us.”
On breaking his streak of double-digit points
“I was told about it earlier in the week, but we got the win. That is all that
matters.”
On Mustapha Farrakhan’s dunk
“It was nasty. I thought he was just going to lay it in, but then he just took
off.”
On a 5-2 ACC record
“I would not say it is too much of a surprise. Every one on the team knew we
were a lot better than we showed last year, and I think we are more mature with
a year of experience in the ACC.”
“I just want to thank all the people who voted us to be in last place. Thank you
for giving us a lot of motivation. I still have that preseason poll posted up on
my wall, and I look at it every day.”
Virginia Junior Forward Mike Scott
On Mustapha Farrakhan’s dunk
“As you can see, the kid has hops. And he can also shoot. If he gets that
confidence going, no one can stop him.”
On seeing Calvin Baker back on the court
“It feels good. He is a captain, a leader, and he has a lot of experience.
Having him controlling the team is good.”
On the upcoming game against Wake Forest
“Personally, I do not think I was in the game mentally last time. We did not
play good team defense against them last time. We just have to come out and play
hard.”
________________________________________
NC State Head Coach Sidney Lowe
Opening Statement:
"I think that the difference in the ball game was the run that [Virginia] made
in the second half when Tracy Smith came to the bench because of foul trouble.
They made a little run and we had trouble scoring even when Tracy came back in
the game. I thought Richard Howell did a good job of helping him but other than
that we didn’t have much help. They hit big shots and we missed them. I thought
we were playing well in the first half. They only scored 59 points when they
average 71 so I would have thought we’d have a chance but our perimeter just
didn’t play well."
On his feelings going into the locker room at the half:
"We had a lead in the first half and we had a chance to stretch that lead – we
didn’t do it. Towards the end of the half they made a little run and went into
the locker room with the momentum and when the second half started Mike Scott
started pounding the boards. Mustapha Farrakhan’s shots were big. We lost him
and that is very disappointing. Once again, our perimeter guys weren’t focused
and didn’t get the job done."
On Sylven Landesberg’s nine assists but only seven points:
"He is a good basketball player. I certainly want to give our guys credit for
holding Landesberg to only seven points. They did a good job on him but he still
made the right plays. What makes him so tough is that he is big and strong and
can see over the defense. He’s a very good basketball player. There aren’t many
teams in the country that have a player that can control the game in so many
different ways; if you take away his scoring, he’s going to do something
creative for other people."
On Virginia’s win at N.C. State earlier in the year:
"I absolutely think that their win against us in the first game of ACC play on
the road gave them confidence. Any time you win on the road it should give you
confidence. They have the mental toughness, discipline and desire to win. They
play with intensity, they don’t make a lot of mistakes and are physically tough.
They’ve had some great wins. Like I said, anytime you have a player [like
Landesberg] that can do the things he can do with shooters all around him, it
makes it tough. I also think that Mike Scott doesn’t look like a physical
presence but he’s aggressive and active. He’s going to bang you and push you and
hold you but I mean that in a good way – I wish my guys would do more of it.
They all play well together. They play with a swagger and an intensity that you
like."
On their play in the second half:
"I don’t know what is going on other than that we are missing shots. We are
missing layups and that just kills you. Perimeter wise, we’re not scoring. We
knew that it was going to be tough but I thought that with some of the looks
we’ve been getting, we’d be hitting more shots. We can’t rely on Tracy to carry
us. I think Richard Howell also did a good job in there tonight but we still
need perimeter play."
On their strategy against Landesberg:
"We were just trying to watch him and let our guys know where the help was. I
thought our guys did a good job from that standpoint. We really just wanted to
let Landesberg see the entire defense and let him know that we were there."
________________________________________
NC State Senior Guard Farnold Degand
On trouble with second half scoring…
“We’re just not making our shots. We’ve been having good looks, we had a few
layup opportunities, we just haven’t been making them and it’s been hurting us
down the stretch…It’s definitely frustrating after playing defense for a long
period of time, you’re working on the other end to hold a team to low point
totals and you go down the other end and you’re not scoring, so it’s
frustrating. But we’re going to work on it and we’re going to get it right.”
On holding Sylven Landesberg to single digits…
“We just tried to make all of his shots tough. We didn’t want him having a few
easy ones and get going. Once he gets going he’s hard to stop, so we just made a
conscious effort to try to stop him from getting easy buckets and made him work
for everything he got.”
On how to fix their scoring problem…
“We’ve just got to make our shots. We’ve got to come out with positive attitudes
the next game and we’ve got to know that we’re going to make our shots. We’re
going to try to look forward and not look back.”
NC State Freshman Forward Richard Howell
On frustration with low second half scoring…
“It’s very frustrating. Most of the time the guys are just looking for the
contact and going up and finishing strong. We’re missing a lot of layups now;
we’re missing jump shots. It’s something that we’ve got to just work on as a
team.”
On the NC State guards holding Sylven Landesberg to single digits…
“They did a tremendous job, that was one of our main focuses coming on the
court, just to stop Sylven Landesberg. He had some key points in the last game
that we played against them. Our guards just did a terrific job.”
Postgame Notes
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com Release: 02/03/2010
VIRGINIA BASKETBALL
Postgame Notes
Virginia 59, North Carolina State 47
Team Notes
• Virginia has trailed at the half in five of seven ACC games this season
• The Cavaliers rallied to win after trailing at the half for the fifth time
this season
• Virginia swept the regular-season series with NC State (second consecutive
time they have done so when they have played twice, also in 2006-07)
• NC State’s 47 points are the fewest Virginia has allowed to an ACC opponent
since a 55-46 win at NC State on Feb. 19, 1997
Individual Notes
• Jerome Meyinsse scored an ACC career-high 10 points
• Meyinsse scored in double figures for the second time this season and the
fourth time in his career
• Mike Scott (15 points) scored in double figures for the 14th time this season
and the 34th time in his career
• Mike Scott (15 pts, 10 rebs) had his fourth double-double of the season and
the 14th of his career
• Mustapha Farrakhan (11 points) scored in double figures for the ninth time
this season and the 13th time in his career
Player Career Highs
• Sylven Landesberg had a career-high nine assists
Virginia sweeps N.C. State
By Michael Phillips
Published: February 4, 2010
» 0 Comments | Post a Comment
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nowBuzz up!
CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Every team needs a wake-up call occasionally, and Virginia's
Cavaliers got one from their coach at halftime last night.
"He doesn't scream a lot; he's usually pretty composed," guard Sammy Zeglinski
said. "But our defense was lethargic in the first half, so he let us know about
it at halftime."
That Tony Bennett raised his voice may have come as a surprise, but that his
team responded was not. Virginia got things together in the second half,
finishing off a 59-47 victory against N.C. State.
After a calming second half, Bennett told his team in the locker room that "when
you whip a donkey, it kicks. When you whip a thoroughbred, it responds."
The message was understood by the 5-2 Cavs, who have risen to the challenge so
far in the ACC schedule.
As usual, they did it with defense. Twice this season, the Wolfpack has been the
victim of a second-half scoring drought against Virginia. This time, it happened
over a five-minute stretch when the team failed to score. Even when given a free
throw, Dennis Horner shot the ball well short of the hoop.
From there, the Cavs took over, and with 7 minutes remaining, Mustapha Farrakhan
delivered the game's biggest play, dunking on N.C. State's Javier Gonzalez. A
frustrated Gonzalez drew a foul after the play as the U.Va. bench erupted.
"That was nasty," guard Sylven Landesberg said, adding that the play was
"definitely" going to make the SportsCenter Top 10 as No. 1.
Away from the action, guard Calvin Baker joked that he had "goosebumps," while
remembering being the victim of a similar Farrakhan dunk over the summer.
It was a big scoring night for the players who aren't usually top contributors
-- Farrakhan had 11 and Jerome Meyinsse 10. Landesberg's contribution was in the
form of nine assists. He entered the game as the only player in the ACC to have
scored in double digits in every game this season, but he finished with seven
points.
Baker also saw more minutes than normal, logging 23 in his first major action
since missing the Wake Forest game for disciplinary reasons after expressing
displeasure with his playing time.
"I was just going through a rough stretch, but that's what time away will do for
you," he said. "I talked to the coaches, and now everything is going really
good."
The player who had been replacing Baker, freshman Jontel Evans, is going through
his own slump. The defensive star has been ignored by opponents on the offensive
end, and a pair of missed free throws and two fouls were his only mark on the
stat sheet in eight minutes of play.
Foul trouble limited Virginia's attacking ability inside as Meyinsse, Will
Sherrill and Mike Scott all picked up their third foul early in the second half.
Sherrill notched his fourth with 11:25 remaining, and Meyinsse fouled out late.
But the team was able to fight through it, and showed some fire on defense after
an uncharacteristic speech from the coach at halftime.
"It was scary," Landesberg said of Bennett's pep talk. "You don't want to see
any coach get mad. He gets red, the veins start bulging -- it's not fun. But he
definitely gets us going."
The talk was all about defense, and even as the Cavs went cold early in the
second half they weren't worried -- the Wolfpack wasn't making any baskets
either. The result was a low-scoring game, but Bennett won't be complaining
about that.
"At halftime, I really challenged them hard -- I said that's not who we are or
who we need to be," he said. "With some guys being cold, that second half
defensively won it for us."
Cavaliers move into tie for 1st
Tony Bennett's team has already eclipsed last season's total of four ACC
victories.
By Doug Doughty
981-3129
CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Having ridden Sylven Landesberg to a rare victory at North
Carolina's "Dean Dome," Virginia went with a different approach Wednesday night.
"We won in a way we haven't been winning," UVa men's basketball coach Tony
Bennett said after the Cavaliers moved into a tie for first place in the ACC
with a 59-47 victory over visiting North Carolina State.
Landesberg, the only ACC player who had scored in double figures in every game
this season, finished with a season-low seven points but Bennett didn't
necessarily view that as a handicap.
"We won with some foul trouble and cold shooting," said Bennett, whose Cavaliers
shot 34.5 percent from the field in falling behind 28-25 at the half.
They shot only 40.7 percent for the game but turned up the defensive intensity
in the second half and buried the Wolfpack (14-9, 2-6 ACC) behind some instant
offense from junior Mustapha Farrakhan.
Virginia (14-6, 5-2) was leading 40-34 when Farrakhan hit a 3-pointer from the
right wing with 8:24 remaining. Then, following a breakaway dunk that he turned
into a three-point play with 6:57 remaining, Farrakhan swished a 3-pointer from
the left wing with 5:29 left.
"His shots were big," Wolfpack coach Sidney Lowe said. "We lost him and that's
very disappointing."
Farrakhan missed a 3-point attempt in the first half and had gone 1-for-9 from
behind the arc in a slump that spanned five games.
"He's been a little cold," Bennett said. "The past couple of games, I've been
teasing him [by saying], 'Hey, someone's leaving the door open.' But, he really
worked hard, just tightening up his shot and letting the game come."
The Cavaliers were fortunate to be down by only three points at the break.
"I was proud of how we stepped up and defended [in the second half] because we
were far too indecisive in the first half," Bennett said. "We didn't have a
sense of urgency. At halftime, I really challenged them hard."
He told his players, "That's not who we are and who we need to be."
N.C. State went more than seven minutes without a field goal during one stretch
and shot 29.2 percent for the half.
Freshman post man Richard Howell came off the bench to score a team-high 14
points, but State's only other double-figure scorer was Tracy Smith with 12.
Mike Scott registered his fourth double-double of the season and 14th of his
three-year career with 15 points and 10 rebounds for the Cavaliers. Farrakhan
added 11 points and Jerome Meyinsse had 10.
The Cavaliers notched a season sweep over the Wolfpack, which was a 70-62 loser
to Virginia in Raleigh, N.C., in the ACC opener for both teams.
"Any time you win on the road, it gives you confidence," Lowe said. "If you
learn from it, you know how to take that same attitude, that same approach, that
same mental toughness, that same discipline, that same desire to go on and win,
which that team has. They have it.
"You watch them when they play. They have it. Every last one of them. They play
with intensity, they don't make many mistakes, they're physically tough. They
just have 'it.' And there's no question, when they beat us at our place, that
gave them some confidence."
Bennett lauded Landesberg for his contributions on a night when he was 3-for-10
from the field. Landesberg had a career-high nine assists, grabbed six rebounds
and was 3-for-3 from the line.
With its fifth conference victory, UVa surpassed its ACC victory total for the
entire 2008-09 season, when the Cavaliers were 10-18 overall and 4-12 in the
ACC. The year before that, UVa was 5-11 in the ACC.
Asked what he would have thought before the season about the idea of being tied
for the lead on Feb. 4, Bennett said, "I would have taken it. I would have said,
'That sounds good to me.'
"It's a good place to be in, but by no means does that mean we've arrived."
Virginia sacks N.C. State, shares lead in ACC
By Hank Kurz Jr. The Associated Press
10:39 p.m. EST, February 3, 2010
CHARLOTTESVILLE - Sylven Landesberg always attracts a lot of attention on
offense, and on a night when he couldn't shoot, he found Virginia teammates that
could. The whole team then made it really hard on North Carolina State to do the
same in the second half.
Mike Scott had 15 points and 11 rebounds and Virginia held North Carolina State
scoreless for more than 7 minutes in the second half on the way to a 59-47
victory Wednesday night.
Landesberg made just 2 of 10 shots, his first single digit scoring game of the
season, but made everyone around him better as coach Tony Bennett has challenged
him to do.
"He did a great job of making the next pass," Bennett said of his 18.2-point
scorer. "He got guys wide open looks. Nine assists, six rebounds, made his free
throws. Solid."
Virginia (14-6, 5-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) regained a share of first place
in the conference with No. 10 Duke, and completed a season sweep of the series
with the Wolfpack.
The Blue Devils can move back in front by beating No. 21 Georgia Tech on
Thursday night at Cameron Indoor Stadium, but the Cavaliers are still where no
one thought they'd be.
Especially, it seems, with defense leading the way.
"That's what coach Bennett has preached to us from day one, and with every game,
we get more confident with the system. We base our success on our defense,"
Jerome Meyinsse said.
North Carolina State (14-9, 2-6) led 28-25 at halftime, but managed just 19
points in the second half, none during a stretch when Virginia turned a 32-29
deficit into a 40-32 lead.
Richard Howell led N.C. State with 14 points and Tracy Smith had 12. Smith was
scoring easily in the first half, but went to the bench with three fouls during
the burst.
"We had trouble scoring even when Tracy came back in the game," Wolfpack coach
Sidney Lowe said. "I thought Richard Howell did a good job of helping him, but
other than that, we didn't have much help. ... Our perimeter guys right now are
just not playing well."
Mustapha Farrakhan added 11 points and Meyinsse 10 for Virginia, and Farrakhan
brought the crowd to life with a nine-point flurry in a 3-minute span down the
stretch.
He hit a 3-pointer, made a huge dunk over Javier Gonzalez and was fouled, then
added another 3-pointer, the latter giving the Cavaliers a 51-38 lead with 5:28
to play.
The dunk, especially, seemed to energize the crowd, but also Farrakhan, who has
struggled to connect from the outside in recent games and seemed to really need
the confidence boost.
"I just had a lot of emotion and built-up stress in me," he said. "It just felt
great."
Most teammates watching it unfolding from the bench were even surprised.
"That was clearly a message," Meyinsse said. "That's probably the greatest dunk
I've ever seen in person. I always knew he had athleticism, and he got to show
everyone tonight."
Woodside product Calvin Baker said the dunk gave him flashbacks to the summer.
"I walked up to him and showed him the goose bumps on my arms," he said. "I
would give him a 10. He actually did that to me over the summer. Maybe that was
why I had goose bumps."
The Cavaliers trailed 32-29 after Smith's inside basket with 16:55 left, but
then the Cavaliers tightened the defensive screws and started getting some shots
to fall.
Beginning with a runner by Baker, Virginia scored the next 11 points and held
the Wolfpack scoreless to open a 40-32 advantage. Sammy Zeglinski had a
10-footer and Meyinsse a three-point play in the run, and Scott scored the last
four.
After Dennis Horner gave N.C. State its first points in 7:17 with a layup,
Farrakhan hit a 3-pointer for Virginia, starting his scoring flurry that kept
Virginia comfortably ahead.
The Wolfpack trailed 51-38 with 5:28 to play and never made a charge again.
Pack's offense misses the mark
BY ROBBI PICKERAL - Staff Writer
Tags: basketball | college | ncsu | sports
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- N.C. State on Wednesday held Virginia guard Sylven
Landesberg to single-digit scoring for the first time this season. Problem was,
the Wolfpack couldn't muster enough points, itself, to take advantage.
For the third time in three ACC games, State connected on fewer than 30 percent
of its second-half shots. And for the third time in three ACC games, it lost,
this time 59-47 to the Cavaliers at John Paul Jones Arena.
"Perimeter-wise, we're not scoring," said Wolfpack coach Sidney Lowe, whose team
(14-9, 2-6 ACC) is now tied for last place in the league standings, while
Virginia (14-6, 5-2) is now tied for first. "We need guys to make shots. We knew
it was going to be tough for some young guys, and we're a fairly young team. But
I would have thought [that] if we would have had some of the looks that we've
been getting, we would have knocked them down. We haven't. It's hurting us in a
major way."
Quantcast
The Wolfpack's 47 points were the fewest it has scored since 2005-06, when it
managed only 42 at Iowa. It hadn't tallied this little against a league foe
since 1999-2000, at Clemson, when it also scored 42.
"It's definitely frustrating," guard Farnold Degand said, "after you're playing
defense for a long period of time and you're working on the other end to hold
the team to low point totals - and on the other end, you're not scoring."
It didn't look as if it would be such a low-scoring affair for the Pack in the
first half, when Tracy Smith (12 points) and Richard Howell had nine points
apiece, it was shooting 45.8 percent and it boasted as much as a seven-point
lead (although the Cavs cut it to 28-25 at the break, a sign of things to come).
It also helped that Landesberg, who was averaging 18.2 points overall and 21.3
points in league play, had only three points in the first 20 minutes. He
finished with seven, on 2-for-10 shooting, although he added a career-high nine
assists.
Several Pack players guarded him, including Scott Wood and Josh Davis. State's
strategy, according to Lowe: "We just really wanted him to see everybody; we
didn't want him to see just one guy who was in front of him, we wanted him to
see the entire defense and let him know we were there to help."
That defensive approach continued to work in the second half. But while
Landesberg's supporting cast made its presence known, the Pack's offense
fizzled.
After forward Dennis Horner opened the second half with a layup to give State a
30-25 lead, the Pack scored only one field goal in a roughly 10-minute span
while Cavaliers forward Mike Scott scored six of his team-high 15 points during
a 15-2 Virginia run.
Horner finally quashed the deluge - briefly - with 9:39 left to cut State's
deficit to 40-34. But Cavaliers reserve Mustapha Farrakhan (11 points) countered
with a 3-pointer from the corner.
Two minutes later, Farrakhan's transition dunk over point guard Javi Gonzelez -
which he turned into a three-point play - gave the Cavs their first
double-figure lead, 46-36, with about seven minutes left.
And State, which shot 29.2 percent in the second half and 37.5 percent for the
game, couldn't muster the firepower for a comeback.
"Most of the time, I guess our guys are just looking for the contact instead of
just going up strong," said Howell, who led the team with 14 points. "We're
missing a lot of layups now, we're missing jump shots - it's something we've
just got to work on."
And succeed at fixing.
"We can't keep relying on Tracy to carry us when teams are going to double down
[on him]," Lowe said. "I thought he made some good passes tonight, I thought
Richard was in there banging inside. But ... if you can't get good perimeter
play, you're going to struggle. I don't care what team it is. Any team that
wins, they always have good guard play."
Dancin’
Jack Bird, Cavalier Daily Sports Editor
Sports
February 4, 2010 0
Things I never thought I would say:
“Oh no, Will Sherrill looks like he might be hurt — that would be very bad for
the team.”
Last season, Sherrill was a complete non-factor for the Cavaliers. At best, he
saw garbage time. Any points he made were inconsequential — unless you were
craving some ‘Canes that night. Now he is a go-to guy off the bench —
contributing valuable minutes for Virginia on offense and defense.
“It is going to be a war down in the post this game with Jerome Meyinsse matched
up against [N.C. State center] Tracy Smith.”
Meyinsse, during his first three seasons, had started one game and was an
afterthought down in the post. He is now the starting center and matching up
well against the likes of Georgia Tech forward Gani Lawal and North Carolina
forward Deon Thompson.
“Someone on Virginia has an uglier looking shot then Calvin Baker.”
Yes, believe it or not, watching freshman guard Jontel Evans’ shot makes me
slightly queasier than watching Baker’s. Mercifully, since Jontel makes his
presence felt more on the defensive end of the court, I am not forced to see it
as often.
“The Cavaliers — and I mean the Virginia Cavaliers — could make the NCAA
Tournament.”
“What?!” you may ask.
But yes, although it may be bad luck to talk about, Virginia, now 5-2 in the
ACC, has a [good] shot to dance this year. We were 10-18 last year, and now we
are looking at a [remotely] possible trip to the NCAA Tournament.
The orange and blue was second-to-last in the ACC last year and picked to finish
second-to-last this year.
No need for any complicated enlightenment, though, says Bennett. Simply put, he
tells his team: “That’s not who we are or who we have to be.”
The Cavaliers are now, after tonight’s win, mind-bogglingly tied for first in
the ACC.
Of course, any follower of Virginia football can tell you how easily and quickly
a team can fall out of first place. So no need to get hasty. After all, the ACC,
with only two teams in the top 25, is not having a particularly stellar season.
Nevertheless, the Cavaliers have been playing some good ball. A win at North
Carolina is still a win at North Carolina. 3-0 against top-25 teams is … Well,
you get the idea.
So with another shot at Wake Forest coming this weekend — this time in our own
territory — the Cavaliers will continue to build their tournament résumé.
Nine ACC games left.
Given the conference’s lackluster showing thus far in the NCAA, Virginia will
need to finish at least in the top half of the ACC — top five, more likely.
The conference wins so far are pretty spread out, meaning it probably will take
relatively fewer wins to crack the top five — expect a dog fight. As few as 10
will probably do it — that’s five more for Virginia, meaning it would have to go
5-4 from here on out.
Looking at the remaining schedule, however, this could be challenging. The only
games that look winnable right off the bat would be Miami and Boston College,
but they are both on the road. Virginia could easily go 2-7 or worse and end the
discussion right there.
But let’s say the team doesn’t.
The road to a March Madness birth is there: Just win one more game than you lose
from here on out.
There are caveats, though. A few surprises that could mean a truncated
postseason for Virginia even if it has a consistent finish.
Hanging around the bubble with nine or 10 wins at fifth in the conference — if
that’s how it ends up playing out — is a dangerous spot. A quick departure in
the first round of the ACC Tournament almost certainly would burst a bubble.
Even more damning would be if an ACC cellar-dweller pulled off a miracle upset
and won the conference.
That team would take the automatic bid in the bracket, meaning one less team
from the ACC would be invited. Cinderella stories in other conferences — though
less of a factor — also hurt the chances of teams that finish between fourth and
seventh in the ACC.
It’s all pretty complicated, and of course, this far out, basically anything can
happen. No players or coaches would ever admit to even contemplating the NCAA
Tournament nine games from the conclusion of the season — though we all know
they do in the darkness of their rooms.
So my favorite way for the orange and blue to get there, the simple way, the
Tony Bennett way, is win ‘em all. Take the conference. Win the tournament.
Wouldn’t be anything complicated about that — one could argue.
And so, Cavaliers, make me say something else I never thought I would say this
season: “We’s a-goin dancin’!”
Farrakhan’s dagger punctuates victory
Team moves into tie with Duke for first place in ACC; squad trails 28-25 at half
Andrew Seidman
Featured / Men's Basketball / Sports
February 4, 2010 0
He’s not one to bark at his team from the sideline. But when
Tony Bennett sniffed out a lethargic defensive effort during the first half
against N.C. State last night at the John Paul Jones Arena, he didn’t hesitate
to let his players know it.
“When you whip a donkey, it kicks. When you whip a thoroughbred, it responds,”
the first-year coach said. “I’m not saying we’re thoroughbreds by any means, but
they responded when they were challenged and that was what we needed. I told
them I was proud of them for that.”
After allowing the Wolfpack (14-9, 2-6 ACC) to score 18 points in the paint and
shoot 45.8 percent from the field during the first half, the Cavaliers (14-6,
5-2 ACC) locked down on defense during the final 30 minutes and defeated N.C.
State for the second time this season by a score of 59-47. The victory vaults
Virginia into a first-place tie in the ACC with Duke.
The win did not come easily; Virginia trailed by three at halftime and did not
appear to have an answer defensively for junior forward Tracy Smith, who already
had scored an efficient nine points on 4-of-9 shooting. He got into the lane
early and often, scoring seven of his team’s first 10 points with an array of
jump-hooks and baseline drives.
Senior guard Calvin Baker said the team made a conscious effort to deny Smith
the ball during the second half and force the Wolfpack to attack from the
perimeter. The strategy paid dividends: Smith was held to just three points on
1-of-4 shooting during the final period and N.C. State shot a meager 29.2
percent from the field. Virginia may have been inspired by Bennett’s demeanor
during halftime.
“It’s scary,” sophomore guard Sylven Landesberg said. “He gets red in the face,
veins bulge — it’s not fun.”
After exchanging baskets for the first five minutes of the half, Virginia took
advantage of a missed three by junior guard Javier Gonzalez, which resulted in a
fast break and a wide-open 10-foot jump shot for sophomore guard Sammy Zeglinski
from the right wing, giving Virginia its first lead since the score was 7-5 in
the early going. On the following possession, senior forward Jerome Meyinsse
corralled a rebound off a missed Zeglinski three and — surrounded by three
Wolfpack players — went up strong for a lay-up and drew both a foul and an
eruption from the crowd. He tacked on a free throw to give the Cavaliers a 36-32
lead.
And it wasn’t the last time the Virginia faithful got to their feet.
After Landesberg forced a turnover — one of his many non-scoring contributions
of the night — the guard found beleaguered teammate Mustapha Farrakhan in the
right corner. Even though the junior guard had missed eight of his nine last
three-point attempts during the previous four games, Farrakhan rose up with a
confident stroke and drained the trey, extending Virginia’s lead to nine.
Victory was palpable, but Farrakhan wanted to deliver an exclamation point.
When Gonzalez launched another errant three, Landesberg batted the ball down the
court ahead to Farrakhan, who planted his left foot as he approached the basket,
rose up and threw down a malicious dunk with his off-hand over a trailing
Gonzalez.
“I was frustrated,” the 6-foot-4 guard said afterward, “and it was just a good
way to release some stress, so I’m happy about it.”
As the crowd exploded, Landesberg had to hold his teammate back to try to cool
down his adrenaline.
“Oh, my God,” Landesberg said when asked to describe the play. “That’s all I
could say was that — Oh, my God. It was nasty… I saw Mu going and I thought he
was gonna lay it ‘cause I saw Gonzalez coming, and then I saw him stuntin’ his
feet, and I was like, ‘Oh no … Oh no.’”
The dunk startled Baker, in more ways than one.
Farrakhan has “done it to me over the summer,” Baker said, adding that he’d give
the slam a ‘10’ if it was part of a dunk contest. “I told him that’s probably
why I got goosebumps, I maybe had a flashback or something.”
After receiving a lengthy standing ovation, Farrakhan, who scored 11 points on
the night, knocked down the free throw, giving Virginia a 10-point lead with
6:57 remaining. But those present at Virginia’s last home game against Virginia
Tech know that not even a double-digit lead was necessarily safe.
Two more threes from Farrakhan and Zeglinski, however, gave the Cavaliers plenty
of breathing room, especially considering N.C. State couldn’t buy a bucket down
the stretch, making only seven field goals during the half. So though Virginia
fans may have gained the most satisfaction from Farrakhan’s offensive display,
it was the Cavaliers’ second-half defensive performance that pleased Bennett.
“I thought they won in a way today that they haven’t, in the second half,”
Bennett said. “It was more with our defense, with some of our key guys not
shooting it well, so that’s a good sign.”
One such player was Landesberg, whose streak of scoring in double figures in
every game this season came to a close, as well as his streak of scoring 18 or
more points per game in ACC contests — a feat that belonged to him and him
alone.
Although his seven points were not staggering, he dished out a career-high nine
assists, constantly finding the open man. And though he said he doesn’t care
about his records, he did have one final thought as his team ascended the ACC
standings.
“I just wanna thank all the people that voted us to be in last place,”
Landesberg said with a grin on his face. “I just wanna say thank you for giving
us a lot of motivation. And that’s basically it — I still have that preseason
poll posted up on my wall.”
Cavaliers pull away for victory over Wolfpack
By Whitey Reid
Published: February 4, 2010
» 2 Comments | Post a Comment
vote
nowBuzz up!
Stout defense. Long, grind-it-out possessions. Throw in some less-than-stellar
shooting and Wednesday night’s Virginia-N.C. State clash was exactly the kind of
game that UVa coach Tony Bennett was known for when he was at Washington State.
Yeah, you could say the game was slightly on the boring side.
But all that seemed to change when Virginia sophomore Mustapha Farrakhan got the
ball in the open floor late in the second half.
The 6-foot-4 guard soared over N.C. State’s Javier Gonzalez for a vicious
right-handed stuff that got the crowd juiced and propelled the Cavaliers to a
workmanlike 59-47 victory in front of 10,092 fans at John Paul Jones Arena.
“I just had it in my mind I was going to make an aggressive play at the rim,”
said Farrakhan, who added a key 3-pointer later to finish with 11 points. “ I
knew I had the jumping ability to do it.”
After the game, Farrakhan’s teammates couldn’t stop talking about the play,
which was sure to make ESPN’s top plays since the game was broadcast on ESPNU.
“Oh my God! That’s all I can say for that — Oh my God! It was nasty,” said
Virginia guard Sylven Landesberg.
“I saw Mu going and I thought he was just going to lay it because I saw Gonzalez
coming and then I saw [Farrakhan] stutter his feet and I was like, ‘Oh no!’ He
just took off and it was bad.”
What’s really “bad” — with the win, UVa moved into a first-place tie with Duke
in the ACC. Not too shabby for a squad that was picked to finish 11th, just
ahead of N.C. State.
Bennett was asked if he would have accepted the current scenario at the start of
the season.
“I would have taken it, that’s for sure,” he said smiling. “I would have said,
‘That sounds good to me.’
“The kids have responded, but it’s very early. I think the fact that they
bounced back and responded from a tough loss both times and just have battled,
it’s good, it’s a good place to be in. But, by no means does that mean we’ve
arrived. I just want them to keep improving.”
Virginia was led by Mike Scott’s 15 points and 10 rebounds. Landesberg, for the
first time this season, didn’t score in double figures. He finished with only
seven points, but dished out a career-high nine assists.
“He got guys wide-open looks,” Bennett said. “I liked what I saw from him, and
defensively, too.”
Virginia (14-6, 5-2 ACC) had to overcome a lethargic first half. The Cavaliers
trailed, 28-25, at the break.
“I was proud of how we stepped up and defended because we were real indecisive
in the first half,” said Bennett, whose team hosts Wake Forest on Saturday
afternoon. “[They] had way too many points in the paint and didn’t have a sense
of urgency.”
Bennett challenged his team hard at the intermission.
“I said, ‘That’s not who we are or who we have to be,’” he said, “and they
worked a lot harder and were more together defensively.”
N.C. State (14-9, 2-6), which was led by Richard Howell’s 14 points, was held to
just 29 percent shooting in the second half. The Wolfpack scored only 19 points
in the second half.
A jumper by Sammy Zeglinski gave Virginia a 33-32 lead and ignited an 11-0 run
that was highlighted by Farrakhan’s dunk.
“I’ve got to give him a 10,” said Virginia guard Calvin Baker.
Baker should know. He was “posterized” by Farrakhan in a pickup game over the
summer.
“I told him that’s why I got goosebumps,” Baker said. “I maybe had a flashback
or something.”
Dunks
John Paul Jones, the arena’s namesake, attended the game. ... Virginia men’s
tennis coach Brian Boland, whose team hosts the NCAA National Indoor
Championships beginning Feb. 12, gave a pep talk to the crowd on the arena video
board, moments before tip-off. ... Virginia sophomore Assane Sene missed dunks
on consecutive possessions in the first half. ... Baker started the second half
in place of freshman Jontel Evans. Bennett said he made the move because of
defensive matchups.
Bennett gets his team’s full attention
By Jerry Ratcliffe
Published: February 4, 2010
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vote
nowBuzz up!
Virginia’s basketball team, a group of guys that were no strangers to getting
screamed at in recent years, received a bit of a shock during halftime of
Wednesday night’s home game against N.C. State.
Coach Tony Bennett, known for his cool, poised manner, let them have it.
“I really challenged them hard,” Bennett offered after the Cavaliers came back
from a poorly played first half to knock off the Wolfpack, 59-47, and thus
sweeping the series over State.
Really challenged them hard. Translation: Bennett lost it.
Well-timed tirade
“You know it’s scary when Coach is like that,” said Sylven Landesburg, who
couldn’t help but chuckle a bit looking back at the moment. Landesberg could
afford to be amused over an hour later, but at the time it was no laughing
matter.
“You don’t want to see any coach get mad,” Landesberg said. “[Bennett] gets all
red and veins start bulging. It’s not fun.”
Bennett’s halftime antics got everyone’s attention, including guard Sammy
Zeglinski.
“When [Bennett] gets mad, you know he’s actually mad because he doesn’t get that
way often,” Zeglinski said.
The easiest way to draw Bennett’s ire is to play lethargically, particularly on
defense. State converted 46 percent of its shots in the first half, thanks in
part to poor defense by the Cavaliers, who struggled offensively as well (34.5
percent the first half from the floor).
“State scored in the paint way too much,” Bennett said in a much calmer tone
after the game than he used with his team at the break. “We were way too
indecisive, didn’t have the good rotations on the weakside, had poor vision.”
A lot of things that Virginia did well defensively in pounding North Carolina’s
Tar Heels in Chapel Hill three nights earlier were missing in action.
Message received
The Cavaliers definitely got Bennett’s message and opened the second half like a
different team, breaking away from a
32-29 deficit three minutes in and outscoring the Wolfpack 19-4 over the next 10
minutes for a whopping 48-36 lead.
On a night when Landesberg’s 19-game streak of double figures scoring came to an
end (he finished with a season-low seven points), teammates like Mustapha
Farrakhan (11 points, including nine big ones during the breakaway), and
unheralded Jerome Meyinsse (ACC career-high 10 points), and Mike Scott (15
points, 10 boards) rode to the rescue.
As a result, Virginia rolled to its 14th win of the season.
Defense was the key as State connected on a mere 29 percent (7 of 24) of its
shots in the second half and the Wolfpack’s 47 points were the fewest a Virginia
team had allowed to an ACC foe since 1997 (in a 55-46 win at State).
A more composed, post-game Bennett couldn’t help but think of something his
father, former coach Dick Bennett, used to tell his teams (for which Tony was a
player and later an assistant coach) after good comebacks.
“It was a saying my dad used to tell us and that stuck in my head,” Tony Bennett
explained. “He used to say, ‘When you whip a donkey, it kicks ... and when you
whip a thoroughbred, it responds.’ I said, ‘You guys responded when I challenged
you at halftime. Not saying we’re thoroughbreds by any means, but they responded
when they were challenged and that was what we needed.”
They’re not thoroughbreds, but the Cavaliers aren’t donkeys either.
In a season when the ACC seems up for grabs and no one seems to want to take
control, Virginia finds itself tied for first place (5-2, same as Duke) only one
game away from the halfway point.
No one in their right mind would have bet on that back in October when the
Cavaliers were picked to finish 11th in the 12-team league at the ACC’s
Operation Basketball. Granted, 11th might have been an oversight, but no one
projected the Cavaliers as contenders.
Ever since that day, Landesberg, who left Greensboro miffed at the ballot
face-slap, has posted those standings on his wall.
“I just want to thank all the people who voted us to be in last place [actually
next-to-last],” Landesberg said. “I want to thank them for giving us a lot of
motivation. I look at that on my wall every day.”
Bennett said he would have taken (5-2) on that day without asking any questions,
and said that while it’s a good place to be, by no means does that mean his team
has arrived.
Against State, his team found a way to win once again, this time in a way they
haven’t in the second half of league play thus far, by playing great defense and
with someone other than Landesberg saving their bacon.
The Cavaliers have trailed at the half in five of their seven conference games
this season, but this time it was different.
“Me and Sylven both struggled from the floor (a combined 5 of 22), but the way
our defense won the game for us was really satisfying,” Zeglinski said.
Defense does make a difference — and it keeps coaches off your back, especially
at halftime.
Virginia Cavaliers put clamps on N.C. State, 59-47
By Zach Berman
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, February 4, 2010
CHARLOTTESVILLE -- When Mustapha Farrakhan prepares to dunk, he bites his lip.
This is what his teammates tell him, and photos he's seen of his dunks confirm
it.
In the second half of Virginia's 59-47 win over North Carolina State on
Wednesday, Farrakhan's teammates knew what was coming seconds before the crowd.
The Virginia guard raced toward the basket from the right wing and appeared to
have a clear path, except Wolfpack guard Javier Gonzalez ran at an angle that
allowed him to reach the basket just before Farrakhan.
Farrakhan could pass the ball to the trailer. He could try a layup around
Gonzalez. Or he could bite his lip.
"I just had it in my mind, like, I was going to make an aggressive play at the
rim," Farrakhan said. "I knew I had the jumping ability to do it."
Farrakhan elevated, extended the ball with his right hand -- Farrakhan is
left-handed -- and jammed the ball through the hoop despite Gonzalez standing in
his way. Gonzalez was charged with the foul, although the whistle could barely
be heard among the 10,092 at John Paul Jones Arena. Farrakhan flexed his arms
and stared directly at Gonzalez, who appeared to butt heads with Farrakhan.
"Oh, my God!" guard Sylven Landesberg said. "I saw Mu going, and I thought he
was going to lay it in because I saw Gonzalez coming. And then I saw him stutter
his feet and I was like, 'Oh, no!' "
Of more importance to Coach Tony Bennett, the dunk and ensuing free throw helped
give the Cavaliers a 10-point lead -- their largest of the game to that point --
that only needed to be nursed in the final minutes to ensure Virginia (14-6, 5-2
ACC) a pivotal victory.
"He really energized us," said Bennett, whose team is tied for the ACC lead with
Duke through seven games.
Bennett wasn't overly excited about the record, continuing to recite that it's
still early in the conference season. Although with wins such as Wednesday's,
the Cavaliers legitimize their residence atop the standings.
"They won in a way today that they haven't in the second half," Bennett said.
"It was more with our defense, with some of our key guys not shooting it well.
That's a good sign. We won with some foul trouble and cold shooting, but the
defense clamped down."
Virginia entered halftime trailing, 28-25, and the mild-mannered Bennett was
irate with his team's defense. After shooting 45.8 percent from the field
through the first half, N.C. State (14-9, 2-6) was held to 29.4 in the second
half while scoring only 19 points.
Landesberg entered the game as the only ACC player to score double figures in
every game this season, but he was held to only seven points on 2 of 10 shooting
by the Wolfpack. With the defensive attention he drew, Landesberg became a
distributor. He recorded a career-high nine assists and found open shots for his
guards.
"Early I was trying to be aggressive on the offensive end and forced some bad
shots," Landesberg said. "But then I was able to adjust the defense and use what
they were doing against them."
The Cavaliers also withstood second-half foul trouble to each of their top three
big men. It forced Bennett to become creative with the lineup, but the team's
defense did not break.
The second-half advantage never felt comfortable until Farrakhan's dunk with 6
minutes 57 seconds remaining. Virginia's lead never dipped below double digits
after the play, and the crowd never quieted.
Following the game, the Cavaliers' players appeared most excited about returning
home to watch SportsCenter. Forward Mike Scott wanted to call ESPN to ensure the
dunk is featured in the day's top 10 plays. Guard Sammy Zeglinski said it must
make top three. Unprompted, Landesberg insisted on a higher distinction.
"It's definitely number one," Landesberg said. "It has to be number one!"
London Reflects on Signing Day
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 02/03/2010
By Jeff White
CHARLOTTESVILLE -- It's not considered one of the top recruiting classes in the
ACC, let alone the Football Bowl Subdivision.
That's fine with UVa's new football coach, who did his best in difficult
circumstances.
"One man's five-star [recruit] is another man's one-star," Mike London said
Wednesday afternoon at John Paul Jones Arena. "In this case, I like who we
have."
After being hired in early December, London had to scramble to retain the
players from whom Virginia had commitments, and, with one exception, he did so.
In addition, London and his staff collected a half-dozen new commitments.
In all, the Cavaliers added 17 recruits, 16 of whom signed Wednesday. The 17th
is quarterback Michael Strauss, who graduated from high school in December and
enrolled at the University last month.
"I'm excited about the young men that are going to be members of this program,"
London said. "Had a chance to go see them and visit them, be in their homes, at
their schools, had a chance to talk to them. They sound like they're ready to
go."
The most celebrated players in the class are offensive tackle Morgan Moses and
tailback K.P. Parks.
Moses made headlines at this time last year, too. A Parade All-American as a
Meadowbrook High senior in 2008, Moses signed with UVa to fanfare last February.
He failed to meet NCAA eligibility standards, however, and ended up at Fork
Union Military Academy.
Before his signing-day ceremony Wednesday in Chesterfield County, Moses never
stated publicly that he would re-up with the Wahoos. But UVa's staff was
confident he'd honor his original commitment.
"Obviously he's dealt with a lot of things in trying to get himself eligible,"
London said. "Very highly recruited. Teams were still talking to him and trying
to get him to change his mind up until the last hour.
"But I think his parents decided that this was the best fit for him, this was
the best place. He'll be surrounded by a great group of people, coaches,
administrators, academic-support people. In the end, he made the best decision
that was for him, and we're very happy that he chose the Cavaliers."
In Fluvanna County, Moses played for FUMA's postgraduate team in the fall. So
did center Cody Wallace, another 2009 recruit who signed again with UVa on
Wednesday.
In Salisbury, N.C., Parks spent the fall capping one of the most productive
careers in the history of high school football.
With 10,895 rushing yards, Parks ranks third all-time nationally. In 2009, he
rushed for 3,794 yards, a North Carolina record.
He was named a Parade All-American, and this week Parks was selected as the Old
Spice Red Zone National player of the year.
"I think K.P., as we call him, is a phenomenal talent, and even better than
that, he's a great young man with a great family," London said. "Everyone looks
at his on-field accomplishments ... but even more than that, he's a great young
man that has an infectious smile.
"He's going to be one of those guys that's going to rally people around him,
because of his demeanor and, of course, his abilities."
Some critics have pointed to the 5-8, 195-pound Parks' size and speed and
questioned whether he'll succeed in major-college football. Parks has heard that
talk, and he's "a man on a mission," London said.
With Parks at tailback, West Rowan High won 30 straight games and back-to-back
state Class 3A titles. He rushed for at least 100 yards 55 times in his career,
a national record.
"He's like a Weeble," London said. "You can knock him down, but he'll pop right
back up, and he just goes and goes and goes.
"He has a low center of gravity. He can make a play that looks like 2 yards go
22 yards, go 52 yards. He's an exceptional talent. You get him behind those big
linemen and you run. He's 5-8½ on his tippy toes, but I tell you what, he plays
like a giant. I can't wait to get him out there and show people what he has."
In his opening remarks, London praised Anthony Poindexter and Bob Price, who
went to extraordinary lengths to keep the recruiting class intact after Al
Groh's dismissal.
Poindexter was Virginia's secondary coach in 2009, and Price was tight ends
coach and recruiting coordinator. They stayed on the road for much of December
and January, visiting the players who had committed to UVa.
Don’t be star-struck by recruiting rankings
By Jerry Ratcliffe
Published: February 4, 2010
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While the national recruiting services weren’t particularly impressed with
Virginia’s 2010 class, coach Mike London begged to differ.
Generally, the Cavaliers’ 17-man class was rated as 10th-best out of the 12 ACC
schools, and Rivals.com — perhaps the most well-recognized of all those
recruiting services — ranked Virginia’s class as No. 66 nationally.
On paper, the class isn’t very sexy. There’s only one four-star (out of five)
player, Fork Union Military Academy lineman Morgan Moses, who signed but still
has not qualified academically for admission. A bunch of three-stars dot the
signing day list.
While Moses is the highest-rated recruit in UVa’s class, the most spectacular is
Salisbury, N.C., running back Kevin Parks, who London raves about.
“He’s like a Weeble,” London said. “You can knock him down, but he just pops
right back up. He just goes and goes and goes. He has a low center of gravity.
He can make a play that looks like two yards go 22 yards or go 52 yards. You get
him behind those big linemen and let him run. He’s 5-foot-8 1/2 on his tippy
toes, but he plays like a giant.”
It brings to mind something that Wake Forest coach Jim Grobe told me after his
Deacons won the ACC championship a couple of years ago after several unheralded
recruiting classes.
Grobe said that in a preseason meeting he asked all the 5-star recruits in the
room to raise their hands.
None went up.
Then he asked for all the 4-stars to raise their hands. Still no hands.
Three stars? A few.
Grobe, who prefers to redshirt the majority of his recruiting classes and let
them mature, takes advantage of their abilities by the time they are juniors,
seniors and fifth-year players.
London, who has coached on both sides of the football at the FCS and FBS levels,
can relate to Grobe’s circumstance. However, it remains to be seen whether he
will have the luxury of redshirting most of this class. He inherited a team with
back-to-back losing seasons and limited talent on hand.
The new Virginia coach said during his signing day press conference Wednesday
that his philosophy is to try to redshirt linemen because of the physical nature
of their positions. However, if a skilled player is ready to play, can grasp the
concept of his position and is as good or better than the starter or the backup,
then he’ll play him.
Back to the rankings. London said that in this age of the Internet and myriad
recruiting services and various rankings, that he still trusts his eye for
talent over reports.
“When [a player] is rated a particular star, the people that are rating them ...
I know they take pride in what they do, but I like to go out and watch film and
watch a guy play a position and see how he competes against other players,”
London explained. “If you can check off on the boxes, the things he can do for
your team, the skills that you require, then that’s all that matters.
“I know there’s a lot of players out there that have outstanding qualities and
skills that people that are ranking class and players would assign stars to
them, but one man’s five-star is another man’s one-star,” London said. “I think
it has to fit the mold of who you are recruiting and in this case, I like who we
have.”
London said he is also excited about the progress he and his new staff have made
around the state and elsewhere toward the 2011 class, which will give him the
opportunity to pursue the type of players that will best fit his system and
football philosophy.
Having recruited the Commonwealth for his alma mater, Richmond, for William &
Mary, for UVa on three occasions now and even for Boston College (this was his
recruiting territory), he has built up an abundance of long-time relationships
with the high school coaches in this state. The fact that he has added Shawn
Moore, automatically enhances UVa’s recruiting presence in the metropolitan
Washington area.
The message that London and his staff have delivered around this state is that
Virginia wants to build stronger relationships.
“If the door was cracked, we opened it a little further,” London said of
spreading that message personally around the state’s high schools. “If it was
closed, hopefully we cracked it, and if it was already open, then hopefully it
will be wide open for us to come in there.”
London said that he and his staff haven’t been to every school in the state yet
because he has been incredibly busy in the less than two months he’s been on the
job, but that it is a goal to have had someone from the staff in every state
high school by the end of spring recruiting.
Signed, sealed, delivered: London inks 1st UVa recruiting class
By Jay Jenkins
Published: February 4, 2010
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It took weeks for Mike London to complete his coaching staff.
It took a matter of hours, however, for the coach to officially land his first
recruiting class.
On Wednesday, Virginia’s football program received national letters of intent
from 17 players, completing a class that was ranked 66th in the country and
10th-best in the ACC by Rivals.com.
“I am excited about the opportunity, excited with the young men that are going
to be members of this program,” London told reporters at a press conference at
John Paul Jones Arena. “I had a chance to go see them and visit them, be in
their homes, at their schools, had a chance to talk to them. They sound like
they’re ready to go. So I’m excited about these guys, ready to move forward.”
Wake Forest and Duke were the only ACC programs that finished with classes
ranked lower than Virginia’s, but that could have changed during a press
conference Wednesday afternoon.
Morgan Moses, a prized four-star recruit, announced that he would honor his
original commitment to play for the Cavaliers. Over the past few weeks, the
massive offensive lineman from Richmond by way of Fork Union Military Academy
took visits to Florida and LSU and entertained thoughts of playing for Ohio
State.
London admitted that he was a tad nervous about Moses’ decision.
“Oh, man, I heard he had the hats out there again, worried there a little bit,”
he said with a smile. “You know, when you talk to Morgan, he’s a great young
man. Obviously he’s dealt with a lot of things trying to get himself eligible.
He was very highly recruited. Teams are still talking to him, trying to get him
to change his mind up until the last hour.
“I think his parents decided this was the best fit for him, this was the best
place, surrounded by a great group of people, coaches, administrators, academic
support people. In the end, you know, he made the best decision that was for him
and we’re very happy he chose the Cavaliers.”
Fork Union coach John Shuman encouraged Moses to stick with the Cavaliers.
“He had some options,” Shuman said, “but I truly believe he made the right
decision.”
In all, London landed just seven players from the state of Virginia, a number
that coincides with a decline in the overall number of players that inked with
FBS programs. Expect that number to rise in the future if London has his way.
“Virginia is always going to be loaded with talent,” London said. “We just got
to do the best job in recognizing what the talent is, whether it’s a one-star or
five-star guy, just trying to find the right kind of fit.”
Virginia’s crop also includes four quarterbacks — Miles Gooch, Jake McGee,
Michael Strauss (who enrolled earlier this month) and Mike Rocco.
Quarterback is a position of need for UVa, with just one player, fifth-year
senior Marc Verica, having taken snaps in a game.
“I think looking at the quarterback position where we stand now with [Verica]
coming on his last year, two others that have yet to take a snap, if you’re
going to be a quarterback at this program, now is the time to be one,” London
said. “We’ll look at these players as they transition into college. Strauss will
practice in spring practice. Then the other three young men will come in and
bide their time.
“It’s important for us to establish, I guess, the future in terms of guys that
are going to be signal callers by getting under the tutelage of [offensive
coordinator Bill] Lazor, the system, the schemes, all that.
“It’s always important as you transition from high school to college, the
terminology, expectations, conceptually, all those things.”
McGee and Rocco could wind up switching positions.
“If we can find one or two that stand out amongst the rest, perhaps the other
one or two will have an opportunity to move to another position to contribute,”
London said.
Extra points
London said that graduate assistant coach Ron Mattes would serve as the team’s
offensive line coach. A former Virginia star, Mattes played eight years in the
NFL. … While Moses may be the exception to the rule, look for Virginia to
redshirt a majority of its linemen in London’s tenure. It may be different at
other positions. “In the skill position, you put him out there, flank him out,
he’s going one on one with somebody else, you can utilize his speed or
athleticism,” the coach said. “If he’s ready to play, if he’s better than the
ones you have, he can contribute to your team, then you’re more inclined to play
a player like that.” … It was expected that Virginia’s class would include 18
players, but DeMatha Catholic (Md.) High defensive back Kyrrel Latimer must
enroll at a prep school to improve his academic standing. London said he remains
committed to the Cavaliers. … Virginia’s football schedule for the 2010 season
will be released today at 2 p.m.
London's base in place
David Teel
February 4, 2010
College football's chattering class isn't fawning over Mike London's recruits or
staff. And no wonder.
Such breathless acclaim is reserved for those who sign All-Galaxy prospects with
0.3 percent body fat and hire assistants who don't require Googling.
But given the circumstances, London, the University of Virginia's new head
coach, appears to have outpunted his coverage.
He not only retained the recruiting commitments secured by deposed coach Al
Groh, but also added a handful, including a lineman from his 757 stomping
grounds and three quarterbacks. That 17-man class was finalized Wednesday, the
first day prospects could sign letters of intent.
A day earlier, London announced duties for his nine full-time assistants. It's
an eclectic and promising group, though a mite young on the offensive side.
But let's recall the limitations: London, the University of Richmond's head
coach in 2008 and '09, has never guided a Bowl Subdivision program. Plus, the
Cavaliers have endured three losing seasons in the last four years, their lowest
ebb since the early '80s dark ages.
Translation: This isn't Lane Kiffin inheriting Southern California from Pete
Carroll.
Long-term, London's seminal task was to assemble his staff. Most of his
full-time hires are accustomed to elite academic environments such as Virginia,
two were U.Va. All-Americans, five played or coached in the NFL, two worked in
the Canadian Football League, and one hails from Hampton Roads — Kecoughtan High
alum Chip West.
Considering London's background — he was the Cavaliers' defensive coordinator
from 2006-07 and as an assistant worked exclusively on that side of the ball —
his defining hire was offensive coordinator Bill Lazor, most recently the
Seattle Seahawks' quarterbacks coach.
Carroll did not retain Lazor when he took over the Seahawks last month, standard
operating procedure when the new sheriff arrives. It wasn't for lack of
references.
Lazor, 37, brings the endorsements of Joe Gibbs, Dan Reeves and Mike Holmgren,
much like a techie with backing from Steve Jobs, Bill Gates and Eric Schmidt.
But Lazor hasn't called plays since 2001 and '02, when he served as the
University of Buffalo's coordinator.
Then a fledgling Division I-A program, the Bulls rated no better than 100th
nationally in scoring and total offense both seasons, the very type of rankings
that forced Mike Groh's 2008 exit as Virginia's coordinator. That's a reflection
of Buffalo's natural growing pains, not an indictment of Lazor.
Contrast Lazor to Jim Reid, London's defensive coordinator and associate head
coach. Reid, 59, led Championship Subdivision teams at Massachusetts, Richmond
and Virginia Military Institute.
Like Lazor, Reid comes to Charlottesville from the NFL. He coached the Miami
Dolphins' outside linebackers for two seasons.
If London wanted to skew young, the ideal would have been to go green on
defense, his specialty, and grizzled on offense, where he's less polished. The
reverse dynamic places Lazor center stage immediately, an unfamiliar position
for him, but one in which Reeves and others believe he'll excel.
"This is a great job for him," said Reeves, who as the Atlanta Falcons' coach in
2003 hired Lazor as a quality-control assistant. "I think he's going to be a
really good head coach someday."
Lazor hasn't recruited since 2002 and has no state ties, but he's surrounded by
colleagues steeped in connections.
Former Cavalier All-Americans Shawn Moore and Anthony Poindexter, the latter a
holdover from Groh's staff, grew up in Virginia and should be effective
pitchmen. Same goes for West, who will mine his native Hampton Roads.
London, a Bethel High graduate, is equally familiar with our area, and his roots
helped Virginia land lineman Stephen Lawe from Norfolk's Maury High. Indeed,
Lawe and the four other signees lured by the new staff are the most intriguing
players in this class.
That group includes quarterback Jake McGee of Collegiate School in Richmond, who
originally committed to London at UR. Signing a recruit from your previous
school always is thorny, but there's been no hint of impropriety in this case.
"You can view it all different kind of ways," London said. "If I was perhaps
still at Richmond, (and) he'd left to go to William and Mary … I'd be upset. But
this situation, going from a (Championship Subdivision) school to a (Bowl
Championship Series) school, a lot of times you can't blame or fault a young man
for doing that."
London himself is transitioning from college football's minor leagues to the
majors, and with his staff and first recruiting class complete, he can commence
planning for the 2010 season.
"Maybe some people out there were a little anxious about getting everything
going," London said. "I think it turned out pretty good in the end."
London's 1st UVa class has 4 QBs
By Doug Doughty
981-3129
CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Whatever the future may hold for Virginia at quarterback,
there should be no shortage of candidates.
On national letter-of-intent day, new Cavaliers coach Mike London introduced a
17-member class that included four QBs.
All four had committed to Virginia since the dismissal Nov. 29 of former coach
Al Groh.
London noted there are three scholarships quarterbacks in the program -- Marc
Verica, who will be a fifth-year senior, and two underclassmen who have not
taken a snap.
"If you're going to be a quarterback in this program, now is the time to be
one," London said Wednesday.
One of the quarterbacks, Michael Strauss from Key Biscayne, Fla., enrolled at
UVa last month and will participate in spring practice.
Of the four quarterbacks listed on a UVa news release, only Strauss (6-foot-2,
204 pounds) was listed exclusively as a quarterback.
Prep League player of the year Jake McGee, Liberty Christian's Mike Rocco and
Miles Gooch from Decatur, Ga., all were listed as combination
quarterback-athletes.
McGee (6-5, 210) has been compared to another former high-school quarterback,
Heath Miller, who became an All-America tight end for the Cavaliers.
"That's a stretch right there," London said. "I'm hesitant to make the jump that
he's [a Miller] in waiting. I'd like for him to be that way, but only time will
tell."
McGee was one of five Virginia signees who had made earlier commitments to other
programs. In fact, McGee had committed to Richmond when London was the Spiders'
coach.
"Jake McGee is a player whose family had deep ties to the university," London
said. "His grandfather was on the [Virginia Athletics Foundation] board, I
believe. I knew at the time that Jake committed to Richmond that this was a
[Division] I-A player and was very pleased and happy.
"You can view it all different sort of ways. If I was at Richmond and he [decommitted]
to go to William and Mary, then I'd perhaps be upset, but in going from an FCS
school to an FBS school, you can't fault a young man for doing that."
Other players who signed with Virginia after committing elsewhere were Strauss
(Tulane), Rocco (Louisville), Gooch (Toledo) and Katy, Texas, tight end Zach
Swanson (Stanford).
London noted that Rocco's switch coincided with a coaching change at Louisville,
where new Cardinals coach Charlie Strong is expected to install a new scheme.
Virginia had 13 commitments at the time of Groh's dismissal, one of whom,
defensive back Kyrrel Latimer from DeMatha in Hyattsville, Md., did not sign.
London did not mention Latimer by name but said that the player who did not sign
was prepared to attend prep school for a year and remained committed to the
Cavaliers.
Virginia's class did not have a single recruit who was named to SuperPrep's
290-member All-America team, but the Cavaliers did sign a pair of Parade
All-Americans, offensive lineman Morgan Moses from Fork Union Military Academy
and running back Kevin "K.P." Parks.
Parks, whose March 27, 2009 commitment made him the first member of this class,
set a national record with 1,370 rushing attempts at West Rowan (N.C.) High
School. His 10,895 rushing yards rank third on the all-time career rushing list.
Parks (5-8, 195) received an award as the Old Spice Red Zone National Player of
the Year.
"He's 5-8 12 on his tippy toes," London said, "but he plays like a giant. He can
make a play that looks like 2 yards and go 22 yards or go 52 yards. He's a
phenomenal talent with an infectious smile. He's one of those guys who people
rally around because of his demeanor."
As for Parks' relatively short stature, London said, "I look at the Pro Bowl and
I see a lot of 5-9 running backs. He's on a mission and we're going to give him
a chance to prove his mission."
Moses was named to the Parade All-America team following the 2008 season and
signed with Virginia for the first time last February. He spent last fall at
Fork Union, where he played on the same offensive line as another 2009 signee
and fellow 2010 UVa recruit, Cody Wallace.
Moses' 2009 letter-of-intent was no longer binding when he enrolled at Fork
Union and he was recruited at the highest level again this season. He
recommitted to the Cavaliers again last week, when it was announced that he
would return to Fork Union when classes resume Feb. 10.
"I heard he had the hats out there again," London said of a Moses signing
ceremony Wednesday. "Teams were still talking to him and trying to get him to
change his mind until the last hour."
Virginia retains every commitment
By Michael Phillips
Published: February 4, 2010
Updated: February 4, 2010
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CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Signing day at U.Va. was a mix of the past and the present,
as most of the school's commitments were given to Al Groh but retained by new
coach Mike London.
London also made room for five additional players and a second commitment from
offensive lineman Morgan Moses.
Most intriguing is the four quarterbacks that London is bringing in, including
Collegiate's Jake McGee.
"Looking at the quarterback position, where we stand now is a fifth-year senior
coming in on his last year, and two others that have yet to take a snap," London
said. "If we can find one or two that stand out amongst the rest, perhaps the
other one or two will have an opportunity to move to another position to
contribute."
London picked up a late commitment from Michael Rocco of Liberty Christian
Academy in Lynchburg, a player who had originally committed to Louisville. He'll
join Miles Gooch of Georgia and Michael Strauss of Florida in the fight to stay
at quarterback.
The marquee name of the class is running back Kevin Parks of Salisbury, N.C.,
who in addition to being a Parade first-team all-American was named the Old
Spice national player of the year earlier in the week.
He's 5-8, which helped him slip under the radar before he was picked up by the
Cavs.
"I saw the Pro Bowl -- there were a lot of 5-9 running backs having a phenomenal
day there," London said. "He's on a mission, a man on a mission. I'm glad he's
on our team, so he can prove his mission."
The total number of players who returned letters of intent yesterday was 17, of
which 5 were added late by London. In order to accommodate those scholarships,
some fifth-year seniors will not be retained for the 2010 season.
After taking over at U.Va., London reached out to the players who were already
committed, managing to retain all of them. Interim staff members Anthony
Poindexter and Bob Price made a point to visit them regularly, and London
checked in by phone.
"They liked the fact that there was a new staff here, new energy, a new focus,"
London said. "I think it made it very appealing to them to stay with their
commitment."
One of those players was Morgan Moses, a highly-touted offensive lineman from
Meadowbrook who spent the year at Fork Union Military Academy because of
academic issues. When he did that, he had to be recruited all over again.
"It was like he was fresh meat," his father, Morris, said. "Every week it was a
different school."
Morgan Moses said he felt like decommiting after Groh was fired, but at a
signing day ceremony yesterday at Buffalo Wild Wings on Hull Street, revealed
that he was sticking with the Cavs, adding that meeting current U.Va. players
helped persuade him to stay.
He said regarding his academic eligibility, "I have the feeling I'm going to get
it this time." He'll spend the spring at Fork Union working towards that goal.
After locking up the current class, London spent most of his time on the road
visiting potential recruits for next year's class.
Football recruiting is done so far in advance that the 2011 season will be the
first time he'll have the opportunity to bring in a group that he handpicked.
"The opportunity is to go out and make 2011 a class in terms of all the guys
that are going to have, you know, kind of what I'm looking for in a player," he
said.
To that extent he's been on a goodwill tour of Virginia high schools, meeting
coaches he's previously worked with and selling them on the benefits of the
university.
"It takes a long time to establish relationships with people," the coach said.
"If a door was cracked, it opened it a little further. If it was closed,
hopefully we cracked it. If it was already opened, hopefully the door is wide
open for us to come in there."
Live from the McCue Center
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 02/03/2010
By Jeff White
CHARLOTTESVILLE -- On the night before national signing day, Mike London says,
he "slept like a baby."
In football, the recruiting process has become so accelerated that signing day
usually brings little drama. Most players around the country have long since
committed, and 11th-hour reversals are rare.
"There's not a lot of fanfare," says London, who took over as UVa's head coach
in December. "No more watching the fax machine."
The Cavaliers' coaching staff woke Wednesday expecting to receive 16 letters of
intent on signing day, and the required forms arrived as the morning wore on.
Here's a look at how things unfolded at the McCue Center:
6:50 a.m. - Most of the doors in the football office remain shut. The first
staffer to arrive was assistant recruiting coordinator Matt Barnhart, for a
simple reason: He never left. Not wanting to miss a moment of the signing-day
excitement -- and worried that the area's latest snowfall might complicate his
ride in -- Barnhart slept on an air mattress in the spacious office of video
coordinator Luke Goldstein.
Joining Barnhart in the office in which sits the day's critical piece of
equipment -- a Brother fax machine -- is another early riser, Bob Price, who was
an assistant coach at UVa under George Welsh and then Al Groh, London's
predecessor.
Price, formerly recruiting coordinator, is now a recruiting administrator and
the program's liaison with high schools.
7 a.m. - We're on the clock. Starting at 7, recruits are allowed to fax in or
e-mail their letters of intent (and grant-in-aid forms). Barnhart stares at the
fax machine, which responds with silence.
"It's scary," Barnhart says, half-kidding.
Price's prediction: The day's first fax will be from Ryan Cobb, whose family
runs with military precision. Cobb is a fullback/linebacker from national power
Don Bosco Prep in New Jersey.
7:02 a.m. - Sure enough, Cobb leads the pack. Little-known fact about this
recruit, courtesy of Price: Cobb has bowled a 296.
7:04 a.m. - Cobb calls to make sure his fax arrived safely. Price takes the
call.
"You be good and say hi to your folks for me," Price tells Cobb.
7:06 a.m. - On the right side of the bulletin board in what Barnhart calls the
War Room, there are cards with the names of 16 players, along with their
biographical information.
On the left is the card of Michael Strauss, a quarterback who graduated from
high school in December and enrolled at UVa last month.
With Cobb's letter of intent in, his card joins Strauss' on the left side.
7:20 a.m. - Letter of intent No. 2 arrives, this one from E.J. Scott, a wideout
from Ellicott City, Md. One problem: His fax cuts off early and so isn't
acceptable under NCAA rules.
Neither Barnhart nor Price is allowed to call recruits, so Price leaves a
message with Anthony Poindexter, telling him to contact Scott and ask Scott to
re-fax the forms.
7:22 a.m. - Problem solved. Another fax arrives from Scott, and this one is
clean.
Price leaves another message for Poindexter, telling him no call to Scott is
necessary.
7:25 a.m. - London is now in the office, as are most of his assistants,
including Scott Wachenheim, Vincent Brown, Jeff Hanson and Jim Reid. Goldstein
and graduate assistant Gordie Sammis also are around, as is Steve Flippen, UVa's
assistant athletics director for compliance.
For London and his staff, this is essentially a regular work day. Occasionally
an assistant coach wanders in for an update from Barnhart, but the scene is
anything but frenzied.
"The war room's kind of quiet," Flippen notes.
7:36 a.m. - The fax machine comes to life. Conner Davis, an offensive tackle
from Deep Run High in western Henrico County, is in.
7:47 a.m. - Another player from the Richmond area, Collegiate senior Jake McGee,
officially joins London's first recruiting class.
8:36 a.m. - The last player from whom UVa got an oral commitment, tight end
Zachary Swanson of Katy, Texas, becomes the fifth recruit to fax in his letter
of intent.
8:51 a.m. - London takes an important call in his office. He says he'll disclose
the details of said call later in the day.
9 a.m. - Two hours in, the class is up to seven players. The newest members are
Miles Gooch, a quarterback from Decatur, Ga., and Rijo Walker, a cornerback from
Bethel High in Hampton.
Bethel is already well-represented in the UVa athletics department. London is a
Bethel graduate, as is Jontel Evans, a first-year point guard on the men's
basketball team.
Speaking of hoops, big game at John Paul Jones Arena tonight: UVa vs. N.C. State
at 7 o'clock.
9:03 a.m. - For the second year in a row, Virginia receives a letter of intent
from Cody Wallace. A center who grew up in New Jersey, Wallace took summer
school at UVa last year before ending up at Fork Union Military Academy, where
he's a postgraduate student.
9:31 a.m. - After a lull, letter of intent No. 9 arrives, and Faragalli can
relax.
It's from Christopher Brathwaite, a defensive end from Brooklyn, N.Y., whose fax
Faragalli had been anxiously awaiting.
Brathwaite is a senior at Holy Cross High in Queens, which UVa fans will
recognize as the school from which Willie Dersch, Kevin Ogletree and Sylven
Landesberg graduated.
9:34 a.m. - The class is filling up. Its 10th member is Stephen Lawe, a lineman
from Maury High in Norfolk. At UVa, Lawe will be reunited with LaRoy Reynolds,
with whom he played at Maury. Reynolds will be a sophomore for the 'Hoos this
fall.
10 a.m. - Three hours in, the wait continues for the final letters of intent. In
the meantime, the homemade chocolate chip cookies just delivered to the War
Room, courtesy of student worker Carrie Doughty, make the waiting infinitely
more enjoyable. In short order, Barnhart consumes seven cookies: the breakfast
of champions.
10:05 a.m. - Pablo Alvarez, a defensive back from Coral Gables, Fla., is riding
the wave of the future. He's the first recruit to e-mail in his letter of
intent. He's the 11th to officially join the 2010 class.
10:28 a.m. - Roxann Markey, UVa's administrative assistant for recruiting,
arrives with donut holes for Barnhart, whose appetite for sweets is apparently
insatiable.
10:35 a.m. - No. 12 is ... Mike Rocco, a quarterback from Liberty Christian
Academy in Lynchburg.
If the name sounds familiar, there's a reason. His uncle Danny Rocco, now the
ultra-successful head coach at Liberty University, is a former UVa assistant.
10:40 a.m. -- Counting Strauss, this is expected to be a 17-member recruiting
class. Of those players, 11 committed to UVa when Groh was coach.
London was able to keep any of those recruits from straying and added six more:
Strauss, Gooch, Lawe, McGee, Rocco and Swanson. Much of London's time over the
past six weeks, however, has been spent evaluating and recruiting prospects in
the Class of 2011. Virginia is likely to have at least 15 scholarships available
in '11.
10:57 a.m. - Add Khalek Shepherd's name to the list of signees. He's a 5-9,
175-pound speedster from Gwynn Park High in Maryland and the son of former
Redskins wideout Leslie Shepherd.
11:12 a.m. - Three-plus hours in, only three letters of intent remain out. The
coaches are confident all will arrive eventually, and they head into a
previously scheduled meeting.
11:45 a.m. - Several timely reminders from Jim Daves in athletic media
relations:
London will hold a press conference at 4 p.m. at JPJ, and the transcript will be
posted later on VirginiaSports.com. At 5:15 p.m., on Comcast SportsNet, London
will appear via satellite on the Washington Post Live show.
Finally, at 6:40 p.m., he'll be Dave Koehn's guest on the pregame radio show for
UVa basketball.
12:14 p.m. - The end is in sight. The 14th recruit to sign with UVa today is K.P.
Parks, whom many consider the gem of the class. The Salisbury, N.C., resident
ranks among the most productive tailbacks ever to play high school football.
Virginia's coaches knew not to expect Parks' letter of intent in early today,
but in cyberspace, rumors circuluated and fans grew uneasy as the minutes ticked
by with no confirmation from the University.
It's been a week to remember for Parks, as this article from his hometown paper
illustrates.
12:18 p.m. - Another big-time recruit joins the class. Morgan Moses, who as a
Meadowbrook High senior in 2008 was a Parade All-American, is back in the
Cavaliers' fold, as expected. He called this morning to give London the good
news.
Moses, a 6-6, 336-pound offensive tackle, originally signed with Virginia last
year but failed to meet NCAA eligibility standards. He played for Fork Union's
postgraduate team during the 2009 season and plans to enroll at UVa this summer.
The arrival of Moses' letter of intent leaves only one outstanding ...
1:03 p.m. - And then there were 16 recruits. (Seventeen, counting Michael
Strauss.)
The last of the expected letters of intent expected arrives, about six hours
after the official start of signing day. It's from linebacker Henry Coley, a
senior at Virginia Beach's Bayside High.
London will talk about the class this afternoon at John Paul Jones Arena, and
I'll be there. Check VirginiaSports.com tonight for my report on his press
conference.
See you at the hoops game. I'd offer you a cookie or a donut hole, but they're
all gone.
Mike London Signing Day Press Conference
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 02/03/2010
COACH LONDON: When I got here, there were 13 that were already committed, and it
was to the great accomplishments of Anthony Poindexter and Bob Price to keep
these commitments alive and made sure those young men stayed committed to the
University. We lost one, but I was able to add five additional players to this
class to bring it to its current number.
Excited about the opportunity. Excited with the young men that are going to be
members of this program. Had a chance to go see them and visit them, be in their
homes, at their schools, had a chance to talk to them. They sound like they're
ready to go. So I'm excited about these guys. Ready to move forward.
QUESTION: What is your impression of Kevin Parks and his mind-boggling numbers?
COACH LONDON: I think KP, as we call him, is a phenomenal talent. Better than
that, he's a great young man with a great family. Everyone looks at his on the
field accomplishments, rushing yards, Parade Magazine All American, National
Player of the Year awards, MVPs, All Star games. Even more than that, he's a
great young man, has an infectious smile. He's going to be one of those guys
that's going to rally people around him because of his demeanor, and his
ability.
We're very pleased to have him be a Cavalier because I think he's going to have
special things ahead of him in store for him.
QUESTION: Some people have questions about his size, how do you see his skill
set translating to the college game?
COACH LONDON: I think I look at the Pro Bowl. I saw a bunch of 5'9" runningbacks
having a phenomenal day there. Size doesn't matter to me. That's probably one of
the things people have talked about, his size. He's on a mission, a man on a
mission. I'm glad he's on our team so he can prove his mission.
QUESTION: You signed four quarterbacks, how many do you see staying at that
position?
COACH LONDON: Michael Strauss came mid-semester. That was agreed upon with the
previous staff. Right now he's acclimating into our environment, lifting in
school, very well right now. The other three, who I know personally, Jake McGee,
Mike Rocco and Miles Gooch, they are quarterbacks that are also athletes that
have opportunities to play other positions for their high school, but they're
accomplished in their own right in being a quarterback.
I think looking at the quarterback position where we stand now with a fifth year
senior, coming on his last year, two others that have yet to take a snap, if
you're going to be a quarterback at this program, now is the time to be one.
We'll look at these players as they transition into college. Strauss will
practice in spring practice. We'll have the other three there. Then the other
three young men will come in and bide for time.
It's important for us to establish I guess the future in terms of guys that are
going to be signal callers by getting under the tutelage of Coach Lazor, the
system, the schemes, all that.
It's always important as you transition from high school to college, the
terminology, expectations, conceptually, all those things. If we can find one or
two that stand out amongst the rest, and perhaps the other one or two will have
an opportunity to move to another position to contribute.
QUESTION: What is your philosophy on redshirting players? Would you prefer to
redshirt a large a majority of this class?
COACH LONDON: I think with linemen you'd like to redshirt linemen just because
the physical toll, the expectations that it has on a linemen. In the skill
position, you put him out there, flank him out, he's going one on one with
somebody else, you can utilize his speed or athleticism, if he's ready to play,
if he's better than the ones you have, he can contribute to your team, then
you're more inclined to play a player like that.
It's one of the those things when they come in August, you have a chance to
implement the schemes and the systems, one, if they can grasp, and two
-athletically they can do the things you're asking them to do, can play at a
fast tempo, play better than the starter, you want to play him, have the
opportunity to do so.
A lot of these kids, if they have a chance to play, they want to play. Once they
come in, look around, see the talent, a lot of times they think it best to sit
for a year. I'm okay with that, too. Academically, you also need to build your
academic muscles also and get acclimated to college, which this is a challenging
place, which is okay. I think it will benefit them.
I don't know if I'm answering your questions. I think skill position, if he's
ready, we'll put him in the game. But linemen, like to redshirt them.
QUESTION: You said you lost one recruit from 13 who committed before you were
hired. Is he a possible to come to UVa at a later date?
COACH LONDON: Yes. No, probably have to go to prep school for a year, bolster
his academics, then we'll be happy to see him.
QUESTION: Where you relived to see Morgan Moses' fax come through?
COACH LONDON: Oh, man, I heard he had the hats out there again, worried there a
little bit. You know, when you talk to Morgan, he's a great young man. Obviously
he's dealt with a lot of things trying to get himself eligible. Very highly
recruited. Teams are still talking to him, trying to get him to change his mind
up until the last hour.
I think his parents decided this was the best fit for him, this was the best
place, surrounded by a great group of people, coaches, administrators, academic
support people.
In the end, you know, he made the best decision that was for him and we're very
happy he chose the Cavaliers.
QUESTION: What was your pitch to the player who committed to the previous staff?
COACH LONDON: The message was you choose universities for reasons. The reasons
for these young men were the academic opportunities, the atmosphere here at the
school, great college campus. You walk around on Grounds and you see it's
historic. The facilities are very eye pleasing. Then you add that to the staff,
the guys that I hired, 'cause they had a chance to go out and visit with them,
go into the homes. I had a chance to talk to them on the telephone, visit with
them out at their schools. It kind of reiterated and bolstered all those
decisions why they chose it in the first place.
It's very true that players choose personalities - they choose coaches. But I
think in this situation I'm grateful they chose the University. We just had to
add up to it. They liked the fact it had a new staff here, new energy, new focus
on things. I think it made it very appealing to them to stay with their
commitment.
QUESTION: Did you visit all the previously committed players?
COACH LONDON: I visited several of them. Didn't get a chance to go to every one
of them because of trying to fill the staff and other obligations here. Our
staff members, as I said, Anthony Poindexter, Bob Price, visited every one of
them, every week. As I started to hire the new guys, we made sure they went to
their schools, got in front of them. Any opportunities I had, you know, I
visited them at their schools or at home or definitely stayed in contact by
definitely.
QUESTION: Do you consider Michael Strauss as a guy who committed to the previous
staff or is he one of your guys?
COACH LONDON: A little of both. It's a little ironic. The day he was making his
visit, I happened to be talking to Coach Littlepage, he was there. I had a
chance to sit down with him and his parents. I think I made an impression on him
that maybe he could play for this guy. I think things worked out. I'd like to
say probably a little bit of both.
QUESTION: But the visit had been already set up?
COACH LONDON: The visit had been set up. But the meeting between he and I just
happened to be in the office at that time. May had been a chance meeting or
whatever, but it worked out for the good.
QUESTION: In terms of overall numbers, more players are scheduled to come in
rather than going out. Have you made some decisions fifth-year guys?
COACH LONDON: I've made some decisions on some of these fifth year guys to make
sure that these numbers coincide with the available and allowable numbers per
the NCAA. You know, I think there's still some leeway here or there, scholarship
or two. We'll see how it plays out.
But at the end of spring practice, there will be some more evaluations going on
with some of these fifth year players. I think it's safe to say we'll make sure
we're under our allotment or right at our allotment.
QUESTION: What did John Shuman tell you about Cody Wallace?
COACH LONDON: Basically that he learned a lot. My son Brandon went to Fort
Union, went on to UMass from there. John has been such a great partner for the
University of Virginia because of the players that have gone there, from Darryl
Blackstock to Marques Hagans Almondo Curry, the list goes on and on.
But, John said Cody practiced hard, he played well. He's a tough, tough young
man. That year away, Fork Union will make you stronger mentally, physically,
spiritually, any kind of 'ly' there is -- it will make you do it. I think he's a
big Cody Wallace fan.
QUESTION: You signed four players who committed to other schools, talk
specifically about the McGee situation.
COACH LONDON: Jake is a player that his family had deep ties to the University.
His grandfather was on the VAF board, I believe. Very strong members of the
Virginia community. I knew back then at the time that Jake committed to Richmond
that this was a I-A player. Was very pleased and happy.
As circumstances go, when a young man sometimes has a chance to go to another
school, in this particular case from an FCS school to a BCS school, given the
ties to the University that he he's had, the opportunity came to him, and he
chose an opportunity to come here.
You can view it all different kind of ways. If I was perhaps still at Richmond,
he left to go to William & Mary or took some from William & Mary, I'd be upset.
But this situation, going from an FCS to BCS school, a lot of times you can't
blame or fault a young man for doing that.
QUESTION: Can you address how you put your staff together?
COACH LONDON: It's been one of
those tasks that you want to make sure you do it right. You want to make sure
that you get the right kind of men that are going to be involved with the
players on a day to day basis. Obviously you want the X and O expertise, which I
think I got, but you also want to make sure you got the right kind of person,
the person that fits the profile of recruiting student athletes that the
University of Virginia has here, a person that has character and integrity.
I think in taking my time, particularly with the offensive coordinator position,
there were a couple of guys obviously that I would like to have had an
opportunity to be here. But I think in the end, making the choice with Coach
Lazor was time well worth spending and investigating his background, his
pedigree, what he stands for. As well as with Scott Wachenheim, who was the
tight ends coach with the Redskins last year, but also he was at Liberty
University the three previous years as the offensive coordinator and offensive
line coach. So I think the overall staff of what we bring, you know, to the
program I think was one that took a little time. Maybe some people out there
were a little anxious about getting everything going. I think it turned out
pretty good in the end.
QUESTION: Have you seen any difference recruiting as the head coach at a BCS
school?
COACH LONDON: I was one of the lead recruiters when I was here. I look at it all
the same way. It's all about relationships, it's all about connecting with young
men. I was able to do that irregardless of the position I held. I've been the
same guy that I am now that I was four, five years ago dealing with players and
families and people.
So I think the biggest thing is about people and the relationship part of it
regardless of the title. So I'm happy that this group stayed with us in terms of
the commitments, that we were able to get five more. Obviously the 2011 class
will be a very important class. I'm looking forward to developing relationships
with the players, their parents and all the significant others in their lives.
QUESTION: What are the specific assignments of coaching the offensive line?
COACH LONDON: Ron Mattes is going to coach the offensive line and Scott
Wachenheim, who has tight end offensive line experience, can lend some
assistance. The tight ends and offensive line, they work closely together. It's
great to have a guy that played in the NFL, played the position, and a guy that
coached the position, but was also a coordinator while he was coaching that
position. So I think the O line will be a strength for us this year.
QUESTION: You made an emphasis on tight ends this class. Can you talk about
that?
COACH LONDON: For sure. I think the tight end is an integral part of the success
that Virginia has had in the past, particularly in running the ball. Zach
Swanson, obviously we're going to start out Jake McGee at quarterback, give him
an opportunity. Again, there's another big athlete that can be an H-back tight
end type player, very versatile. We have two returners and a third. We have two
walk ons that are itching for an opportunity to get in there and play.
We'll address that again in the 2011 class. But I think right now as we move
forward, the tight end position will be something that's very important.
QUESTION: Do you see any of Heath Miller in Jake McGee?
COACH LONDON: That's a stretch right there, Doug. They're tall. Both of them
were tall. Both of them were athletic. I think Heath I believe played
quarterback also. So there is a correlation between the athleticism that Jake
has and that he has.
But I'm hesitant to make the jump that he's one in waiting. I'd like for him to
be that way, but only time will tell. But the abilities that he has I think
lends itself to saying that he's going to grow into that body, whether it's at
quarterback, H-back or tight end and hopefully be a player for us.
QUESTION: Not a lot of big recruits in the state, was the talent level down in
Virginia this year?
COACH LONDON: I don't know about talent level. I just know when I got into the
mix here, again, we had those players already committed. Then having to make
room for the additional five, you know, required some other maneuvering and
issues.
But Virginia is always going to be loaded with talent. We just got to do the
best job in recognizing what the talent is, whether it's a one star or five star
guy, just trying to find the right kind of fit.
QUESTION: Some recruiting services don't have this class ranked high, what is
your philosophy in the ratings by stars?
COACH LONDON: Well, you know, this is the age of the Internet and Facebook and
YouTube and instant messaging, Skype. I can go on and on. Magazine subscriptions
sell for being in the top class. When you're rated a particular star, the people
that are rating them, you know, I know they take pride in what they do.
But I just I like to go out and watch a film, watch a guy play a position, see
what he does, see how he competes against other players. If you like the makeup
or the things, if you can check off on the boxes the things that he can do for
your team, you know, at the schemes and the positions, you know, the skills that
you're required, then that's all that matters.
I know there's a lot of players out there that have outstanding qualities and
skills, which people that are ranking classes or players would assign those
stars to them. But, you know, one man's five-star is another man's one-star. So
I think it has to fit the "who" that you're recruiting.
In this case, you know, I like who we have. Again, the opportunity to go out and
make 2011 a class in terms of all the guys that are going to have, you know,
kind of what I'm looking for in a player.
QUESTION: Could you offer any more scholarships in this class?
COACH LONDON: No. We're at our limit, as the question was asked before, about
fifth year guys, making a determination whether they would come back or not.
QUESTION: What about recruiting walk-ons?
COACH LONDON: There are stories of so many guys that have walked on here and
earned scholarships because they did what they were supposed to do in the
classroom and on the field.
I would say that the possibilities and probabilities of getting walk ons again,
developing them to become contributors to this program is as high as before.
QUESTION: How big of a priority is recruiting the 757 going to be?
COACH LONDON: Well, you know, getting the best players is always the number one
priority. The fact that I'm from down there, too, a little added nugget. We
wanted to recruit the state and make sure that the players in all areas, as you
mentioned particularly 757, that we have an opportunity to present ourselves,
what we have to offer.
Whether it's 757, 804, 703, 434, whatever area code it is, we're going to try to
do the best in those areas.
QUESTION: Ryan Cobb is from one of the best high schools in the country, what
are his options on the field?
COACH LONDON: Ryan on his visit had talked about we talked about the style of
offense we were going to have. I had all the players stand up, introduce
themselves, their parents, where they're from. Ryan stood up and said, ‘I'm a
linebacker/fullback, but I'll play whatever you want me to play, coach.'
Obviously I appreciated that. You appreciate players that will go anywhere and
play anywhere.
You're right, he comes from the number one high school in the country, Don Bosco,
which is a great high school program. We're looking forward to holding Ryan to
his words and putting him in positions that can help us win.
QUESTION: How much progress have you made for the 2011 class the past couple
months?
COACH LONDON: I think it's significant amount of progress. We've had a couple
junior days. We've had players come up here on Grounds, at basketball games,
meet the new staff. We'll continue to keep doing that. I mean, the message out
there, as I said before, is about being accessible and available. We got out to
several high schools and made that clear to a lot of coaches.
That's the message. It's exciting to see that although the 2010 class, the
culmination of all the hard work of the previous staff, the staff that I added
on, did to make this to come to where it is now, but also now having started on
the 2011 class, which is just as important.
QUESTION: How hard was it in two months to assess the program, recruit players
and assemble a staff? How did you juggle all that?
COACH LONDON: I think absent of the spring practice and having to watch these
guys run, assess them athletically, I've had a chance to assess them
academically. I've talked to every one of the players. We talked about whatever
issues they might have, my expectations in the classroom, in the community, on
the field. So it's been a challenge to assess where we are from an athletic
standpoint, you know, because we haven't done anything.
In fact, we start our winter workouts here in a week or so. We'll have a chance
to go out and watch them move around, run, change of direction, and have an idea
of where they are athletically.
It is kind of a mismatch in terms of, you know, what do you need to work onto
add to the team athletically other than looking at the board and saying you have
so many numbers of guys that will be seniors at this position, that position, so
you're going to have to do your due diligence in making sure next year's class
you offer enough, say, linemen.
We need to make sure that we assess these guys and we start running around a
little bit.
QUESTION: Hoe much did Danny Rocco have a say in sending his son here?
COACH LONDON: Well, it's Uncle Danny. It's Frank Rocco. I mean, obviously he
very well may have. I would hope that he did because Danny knows me. We coached
together on the staff here.
I just think in the end with Frank, the schemes and the systems that we're going
to run versus what Louisville is going to run, the proximity to home, the
familiarity with Virginia, all those came into play. We feel very fortunate for
Mike to be coming here.
QUESTION: How do you feel about getting talent from the prep leagues? More
players are going FBS than ever before?
COACH LONDON: You know, I think what it is with us particularly is that when you
go to DeMatha, Gonzaga, St. Anne's, Good Counsel, the environment there at that
school is similar to the social and academic environment here at Virginia. Since
they recognize that Virginia is an academic school that has athletic
opportunities, then you go somewhere that you tend to have a common theme with.
I think you'll see a lot more of that as we go along. DeMatha and Good Counsel
up in Maryland are arguably two of the best high school programs in the country
because of the type of players that they have coming in and out. But that's for
a lot of private schools, also. A Liberty Christian, you know, state champions.
You're seeing private schools emerge from the standpoint of being very
competitive and winning championships. In the end, I think we've got about six
or seven players that have won state championships, players that reached the
regional finals, players that were in the playoffs, players that come from
schools that won conference championships. In the end you try to build your team
with players that come from programs like that, regardless of whether it's
public, private, whatever. It just so happens that DeMatha and Good Counsel and
Liberty, Lynchburg Academies, St. Anne's Belfield, all schools like that are
producing top level caliber talent.
QUESTION: Two players in class are from the Washington D.C. area. What type of
presence will Shawn Moore give you from that area?
COACH LONDON: That's one of the reasons Shawn is hired, to give us a big
presence up there. Obviously the respect he has up there, being at St. Albans,
you know, him being known in that area. Again, it goes back to relationships
again, having been around in a community for a while. So when a mother or a
father are talking about sending their son somewhere, you've already established
that relationship, you try to use that to your advantage.
So we're happy about where Shawn is. He's going to be there. We'll have Anthony
close by also. It's not that one particular person has that area. There will be
some overlap so Anthony can still get back into those areas because he's well
respected up there, as well.
QUESTION: Doesn't seem like the program has a surplus of traditional 4-3
linebackers. Will that be a big need in 2011?
COACH LONDON: It very well could be, manifest itself to that. I think going into
spring practice with moving outside linebackers down to defensive ends, ends
inside to tackles, that's all part of this assessment that I was talking about.
You know, where are we now?
I'll be able to answer your questions in terms of needs, position needs, whether
it's defensive ends, defensive tackles, Will linebackers, inside linebackers,
based on coming out of spring practice.
QUESTION: Did you find your relationship with coaches in this state provided
open arms from schools that haven't seen UVa on their campus in a long time?
COACH LONDON: Again, I've recruited this state for a long, long time, being from
here. Even when I went to Boston College, this was my area. So it takes a long
time to establish relationships with people. As I said, the question was asked
about Shawn Moore, his relationship, the possibilities up in the D.C. area. I
just think in the schools that I went to, the coaches I had the chance to talk
to face to face, with the message of accessibility, availability, having
established a prior relationship with them, because I've been in those schools,
I think it opened if a door was cracked, it opened it a little further. If it
was closed, hopefully we cracked it. If it was already opened, hopefully the
door is wide open for us to come in there.
I want to make sure the message is out there that we will recruit our in state
players and listen to our in state high school coaches because it's important.
It's important to have a relationship with your high school coaches if you're
the University of Virginia. I think we'll continue to work on that. Haven't been
in every school. There are still some schools we need to get into. But the goal
is coming out of May recruiting, spring recruiting, we've been into every
school.
QUESTION: Players from Florida and another from Texas are in this class. How
much time do you plan to spend in those areas?
COACH LONDON: When you look at the demographics of where the University of
Virginia players come from, we rely heavily on our alumni, where the pocket of
alumni are, it's easier to go to places where somewhere other than the head
coach is talking about Virginia. If you can go to places that have a guidance
counselor, principal, teacher that went to school here, talk about Virginia, it
makes it easier when you go there and talk about the athletic and academic
possibilities here, it makes it real easy to recruit that young man.
We'll go to places or pockets of places that have strong academic influences and
Virginia ties and try to forge that to establish an relationship so a young man
will feel comfortable about coming here not just because his coach talked about
it but because others in the school talked about it
QUESTION: Can you talk about what you see in Chris Brathwaite out of such a
strong Catholic League?
COACH LONDON: I tell you what, he's strong, he's athletic. Real excited about
seeing where he fits in this 4 3 scheme. You know, he's all gung ho about
wherever we put him - he wants to play. Goes back to what we said about Cobb.
Coach, put me somewhere, I just want to play. Great attitude from him as we find
a place where they fit in and where they can contribute.
QUESTION: Going back to Kevin Parks, what have you seen in person or on film
that you really like?
COACH LONDON: He's like a weeble. You can knock him down, but he's just pops
right back up. He just goes and goes and goes. Low center of gravity. He can
make a play that looks like two yards go 22 yards, go 52 yards. I mean - he's an
exceptional talent. You get him behind those big linemen, run. He's 5'8" and a
half on his tippy toes, but he plays like a giant. Can't wait to get him out
there and show people what he has.