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Andrew Seidman, Cavalier Daily Sports Editor
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February 8, 2010 0

It was a test. A test of Virginia’s ability to compete with the elite teams in the ACC. To determine which version of the pack-line defense reigns supreme in the conference. To see if the Cavaliers’ stud defensive freshman could contain ACC Player of the Year candidate Ishmael Smith the second time around. But above all, Saturday’s game against Wake Forest was a test of loyalty.

“I told the guys, I said, ‘If we really have fans, they’ll come out in the snow,” freshman guard Jontel Evans said. “You see today, we had a lot of fans out there, lot of people rootin’ for us.”

Evans wasn’t the only one who appreciated the support. Before the game started, Athletic Director Craig Littlepage addressed the fans. After declaring that Virginia is “gonna win the regular season in the ACC,” — no pressure, guys — Littlepage thanked the fans for trudging through the snow to support coach Tony Bennett’s team.

I believe the last time Littlepage addressed the student body in a similar manner was when he apologized for the, um, let’s just say, less-than-desirable product his football and basketball teams were putting out onto the playing field last year. And that message may have been communicated through a highly structured e-mail designed to avoid 100 different potential lawsuits.

So I’d say this personal encounter was a step in the right direction for Littlepage.

His employees have adhered to the party line: Before the Virginia Tech game, football coach Mike London made an appearance on the Jumbotron, introducing himself to the fans, demonstrating his support for the basketball team and imploring the students to get loud — though I think London will come to learn that Virginia fans don’t need much motivation to get pumped for a bout with the Hokies. Men’s tennis coach Brian Boland followed suit the next home game against N.C. State. And the trend continued Saturday, when men’s lacrosse coach Dom Starsia looked out at the crowd with an intense face that assured you — if you were ever uncertain — that Dom Starsia is a lacrosse coach and said, “Lacrosse season is coming, but let’s get behind coach Bennett and his boys. Go ‘Hoos!”

Maybe it’s easy to rally behind a team that had continued to flirt with first place in the ACC through its first seven conference games — but that’s neither here nor there. Bennett has proved his team will contend, so I think those appearances were more than just gimmicks. I think they were genuine attempts to unite the University community around a good cause.

What’s more, the University couldn’t have been more generous by inviting students who didn’t have tickets to come to the game. The Public Address announcer took it a step further early during the first half when he welcomed fans to move from their cozy abodes in the nose-bleed section to the lower concourse to fill the empty seats.

The result? I couldn’t tell any difference between the atmosphere created by the 5,988 people in attendance during Saturday’s game and the one made by what was surely a sold-out crowd during the Tech game. And that’s saying something.

Thoughts from Littlepage’s most popular employee: “I wanna say thanks to the fans that came with the weather — that was unbelievable,” coach Tony Bennett said. “That meant more to me and our team than you’ll ever know, and I’m beginning to understand more and more what Virginia fans are about, that they would come out in that weather and support us and cheer like they did. It was a home-court advantage because of them, so I say thank you to them and sorry we didn’t do our part. We battled hard, there’s no question.”

Ish Smith wasn’t too happy.

“It kind of bugged me,” Smith said, “kind of made me mad when the announcer said that everybody could come down, because that made the crowd even more raucous.”

From the opening tip, JPJ was electric. Senior forward Jerome Meyinsse’s shattering dunk off an Evans floating pass through the lane that gave the Cavaliers an early 9-4 lead. Sophomore guard Sammy Zeglinski’s three from his favorite spot on the court — the Wachovia sign — which gave Virginia its 28th, 29th and 30th points with 4:49 left in the opening period, already doubling its first-half scoring output in a blowout loss in Winston-Salem Jan. 23. Even the missed dunk by Wake freshman center Tony Woods at the end of the half. All of these plays drew massive eruptions from the stands.

The crowd was even more alive during the second half, despite Virginia’s dreadful display of offense: 6-of-28 from the field ain’t gonna cut it.

The Cavaliers relinquished their five-point halftime lead but they kept crawling back. And for each bucket, forced turnover or solid defensive possession, there was a face-painted student jumping up and down, trying to imbue the team with new life, begging for a response.

So it was truly a team effort — the players, the fans and administrators. But every team has its leader and, if you ever had any doubts, Sylven Landesberg proved himself worthy, even in a loss. The numerous and-one drives when Virginia had nothing else going offensively. Two high-pressure free-throws with 2:26 left in the game to cut the deficit to one. A quick move through the lane that resulted in a goaltending violation by Al-Farouq Aminu, tying the game at 55 and eventually sending it to overtime. His 28 points carried the team — three more at the end might have propelled Virginia to victory.
But Ish was just as good, if not better. Apart from the bonehead that is Chas McFarland, who picked up a technical foul midway through the second half, Smith kept his team in order. He was Ty Lawson without a jumpshot, dazzling through the lane, blowing by Evans (at times) and scoring at will. He is, quite simply, an impossible matchup.

(A quick aside on McFarland: What precipitated that foul? My brother goes to Wake, so I asked him the general consensus on McFarland: “He’s not worth writing about.” But I digress.)
The 64-61 loss notwithstanding, the pieces are in place for success in Virginia. Take it from Wake coach Dino Gaudio.

“I am going to tell you something — Jontel Evans is as good a defender we have had on Ishmael Smith in a long time,” Gaudio said. “That kid can really guard, he is a really good defender.”
So even though this may not be the year Virginia wins the regular season in the ACC or makes its first appearance in the NCAA Tournament in the post-Singletary era, I think it’s safe to say that basketball is back at Virginia. Evans said it best.

“Coach just keeps telling us to fight, never back down, never give up, just keep fighting … At the end, either we win or lose, we’re still a team — we’re still a family.”

After Saturday’s game, I think you could say the same of the University community, too.

Amidst Disappointment, Virginia Basketball Still Has Dancing On Mind
Allen J. Kha

Bleacherreport.com

It's a testament to how well Virginia basketball has performed that we feel extremely slighted with our 5-3 conference record and 14-7 overall record. Wins against Penn State and Auburn here (and perhaps Stanford as well), a non-choke down against Virginia Tech there, and a win against Wake Forest earlier today at the JPJ would have put Virginia at a lofty 7-1 in conference and 19-2 overall.

Obviously this isn't the fairest analysis, and it's easy to talk in retrospect, but I do feel that I have a point: Virginia basketball, first, needs to learn how to close games. And more importantly, the Hoos are a team that can develop into a post-season team with a bit of coaching and confidence.

Today's game against Wake Forest, while still being a loss, showed us that Cavaliers have the mettle to compete with the best teams. While the Cavaliers' lack of talent and unidimensionality are apparent, the team's ability to control Wake Forest for the majority of the game should give the UVa community hope for this team's immediate success.

“We’re just sticking to who we are,” Zeglinski said. “We keep growing defensively every day, and we know what we have to do to win. Every day is going to be a battle with us. We’re not going to go out and blow teams out. We grind. We know our defense is our staple, and even if we’re not shooting well, our defense is going to be able to keep us in game until our offense comes around.”

In the game earlier today against Wake Forest, Zeginski's sentiments were proved entirely true. The defense held an explosive Wake Forest team averaging 77.2 PPG to a modest 55 points in regulation, and the Deacs were thoroughly frustrated on their offensive sets, scoring most of their points on second-chance opportunities and scraps through Aminu's play-making ability. Unfortunately, for the Cavaliers, the offense didn't come around in the end of the game.

Wake Forest and Virginia both came out playing some sort of 2-3 zone defense, challenging each other to shoot. In the first half, Virginia beat the zone through constant ball movement and in-out play. Mike Scott, who had a fabulous first-half with his post play and mid-range game, led Virginia to a 34-29 lead at the end of the first half.

Unlike Virginia's first half against NC State, I didn't really see much fault against Wake Forest in their first half play. The Cavaliers simply executed more than the Deacs.

Accordingly, Dino Gaudio (i.e. Skip Prosser II) did wonders in his adjustments in the second half. Wake Forest, superior in athleticism, sped up the game and drove to the basket with more fervor. Although the Cavaliers encouraged Wake to shoot by keeping a 2-3 zone, Wake Forest's quick guards were able to penetrate the weak side of the zone defense to draw fouls and make relatively easy layups.

Wake Forest also sped up the game by capitalizing on Ishmael Smith's down-court speed, and crashed the boards with fervor to exploit their rebounding advantage and negate Virginia's relatively good first-defensive efforts.

Wake Forest's display of fast-break basketball brought out Virginia's innate run-'n-gun personality so often displayed in the Leitao-era. The Cavaliers were extremely sloppy in the counter, however, showing that the team has perhaps physically adapted to Bennett's style of play. I presume this to be good, although that's solely my opinion.

Anyways, the end-game statistics summed up the game well: the Cavaliers shot at a 33.8-clip (they shot around 48 percent at half), Wake Forest at a more respectable 44-clip. Both were miserable from three-point land, and the game statistically-speaking was pretty pedestrian.

Teams have bad shooting nights. Teams also lose a few games here or there. In having these types of nights, Virginia basketball has at least shown that they will still battle and compete, and this should give us hope for the future and the now.

These statistics and game patterns as a whole confirm my belief that Virginia basketball can beat anyone on a good day and keep up with anyone every game. Such a statement reflects extremely well on Tony Bennett's coach performance.

I recognize that I've been giving Bennett a lot of praise recently, but he deserves it. His coaching presence is literally a demonstrative factor on a team—Washington State is giving up nearly 15 points more per game this season than they gave up last season, and Virginia's defense has inversely improved by nearly the same amount.

These statistics and intangibles give me immediate hope for a Virginia post-season run, whether it be a place in the NCAA tournament or a deep run in the NIT. I place complete faith in Tony Bennett's ability to continue coaching the Cavaliers for the better. Although Bennett's offensive style will always be contingent on good shooting, I have a gut feeling that Bennett will be focusing the next few practices on more offensive diversity, shot creation, and dribble-drive.

A more-complete Cavaliers team will be a dangerous team, and Bennett has shown through his half-time adjustments that he recognizes that. With more time and creation of team unity, Virginia basketball will be able to compete and defeat the more athletic teams it will face along the road, hopefully in the post-season.

 

Scott stumbles on offense
By Whitey Reid
Published: February 7, 2010
Updated: February 7, 2010
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On Virginia’s first possession of the second half in its overtime loss to Wake Forest on Saturday, UVa coach Tony Bennett devised a play for Mike Scott to go right at the foul-plagued Al-Farouq Aminu.
The play worked perfectly. Well, almost perfectly.
The problem — Scott couldn’t finish off the sequence. The 6-foot-8 junior missed a windmill dunk when a layup probably would have worked just fine.
The failed opportunity epitomized Scott’s struggles against the Demon Deacons. After making his first five shots and notching 10 points in the first half, Scott missed his final 10 shots and failed to score again the rest of the game.
“I was trying to get some looks, posting up still,” said Scott, who did manage to finish with a team-high 10 rebounds and two assists in his 29 minutes. “I got a couple [looks], but I was just missing, missing a lot of shots.”
Bennett wasn’t sure what prompted Scott’s sudden offensive collapse.
“Mike had such a great first half — I think he was 5 of 5 [from the floor],” Bennett said. “He got some good looks. Some were just in and out, and with Aminu they do a good job defensively. You have to earn what you get against them.”
Therein was part of Scott’s problem. Playing against Aminu — an NBA-bound forward with quick jumping ability — Scott had problems getting his shot off inside. On a couple of occasions, Scott didn’t appear to go up as strong as he could have.
Aminu blocked one of Scott’s shots in overtime. Earlier, in the final minutes of regulation, Scott was swatted by the Demon Deacons’ David Weaver.
“They’re a very big team and very athletic down low,” said Virginia sophomore Sylven Landesberg, who led the Wahoos with a game-high 28 points. “I believe it had to be tough for the bigs because for a guard like me penetrating, it was very hectic down there.”
Scott came into the game averaging 13.2 points, second on the team to Landesberg, and a team-leading 7.3 rebounds.
Landesberg said the team isn’t about to lose any confidence in Scott.
“Mike’s a great player, you know,” Landesberg said. “When he struggles, we still believe in him and keep trying to encourage him.
“We say, ‘Don’t worry about that one, you’ll get the next one,’ and we just keep trying to get him good looks.”
Bennett speculated that if Scott had made his dunk at the start of the half, things could have gone better for him — and possibly the team.
“Aminu had two fouls,” said Bennett, whose team travels to play second-place Maryland on Tuesday night. “We set that up and he was at the front of the rim, and we just need to finish it, get the crowd into it and get some stops…
“That one would have been a nice one to have.”
 

New recruits fortify roster for London
Top lineman selects Virginia during Signing Day; London, staff work to lock down recruits of coach Al Groh
Stacy Kruczkowski, Cavalier Daily Senior Writer
Football / Sports
February 8, 2010 1

Holding onto old recruits can be worrisome for schools undergoing a coaching change. And so when Mike London signed on as Virginia’s new head coach, he and his new assistants immediately went to work confirming recruits who had signed with former coach Al Groh. Only one of Groh’s 12 recruits decommitted from London’s squad, and 23 new high school students have signed with the Cavaliers since London’s arrival — including 17 during Wednesday’s Signing Day.

“I had a chance to talk to [recruits] on the telephone, visit with them out at their schools,” London said. “It kind of reiterated and bolstered all those decisions why they chose [Virginia] in the first place.”

Four of London’s signees are quarterbacks and are expected to compete for the starting job during training camp. Included in this group is the highly-touted Michael Strauss, who comes to the Cavaliers from Gulliver Preparatory located in Miami-Dade County, Fla. Strauss, London’s first new commitment to Virginia, led his team to the state championships as a junior and threw for 2,714 yards and 28 touchdowns during his senior campaign. The incoming quarterback already is attending classes at the University and is expected to begin practicing with the team this spring.

London also signed the highly-touted running back Kevin Parks, who hopes to contribute immediately to the Virginia running game, which averaged only 99.1 yards per game and 2.9 yards per rush last season. Throughout his high school career, KP — as London refers to him — rushed for 10,895 yards, ran for more than 100 yards in 55 games and earned a plethora of personal accolades, including Old Spice Red Zone National Player of the Year honors.

“I think KP is a phenomenal talent, and better than that, a great young man with a great family,” London said. “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 [with] 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.”

The one knock against Parks may be his small stature. But the Virginia coaching staff believes Parks will be able to use his size to his advantage, as it will allow him to more easily sneak behind his linemen and find gaps in which to run.

“He’s 5 feet 8 inches-and-a-half on his tippy toes but he plays like a giant,” London said. “Can’t wait to get him out there and show people what he has.”

Meanwhile, Morgan Moses will try to bolster the offensive line, which is losing senior Will Barker. Moses, a 6-foot-6, 347-pound offensive tackle, was rated as the sixth best player at his position by ESPN.com and the best run blocker in June 2008 Rivals.com rankings. Moses also considered signing with Ohio State and LSU before ultimately deciding to join the Cavaliers.

“He’s a great young man,” London said of Moses. “[He was] very highly recruited. Teams [were] 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.”

The tight end position, London hopes, will remain strong, as the Cavaliers have produced successful pro stars, such as Steeler Heath Miller and Cowboy John Phillips, in past seasons. Signees Zach Swanson and quarterback Jake McGee have the potential to contribute at this position, especially in terms of the run block.

Overall, London expressed that he is looking forward to what the team will bring this season.

“Excited about the opportunity. Excited with the young men that are going to be members of this program,” he said. “They sound like they’re ready to go.”

Virginia in search of road win
By Jay Jenkins
Published: February 7, 2010
Updated: February 7, 2010
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Ranked fifth all-time in scoring in the Atlantic Coast Conference, Monica Wright has a lengthy list of accomplishments.
The All-American guard will check off another tonight as she plays her final game at Maryland, the team that she considers her biggest adversary.
It is also a chance for Wright to register her first win in College Park, Md., a place that the Cavaliers (16-6, 5-3 ACC) have not won since 2003.
“As we always say, this is more of a rivalry than Virginia Tech,” Wright said of playing the Terps. “We are definitely anticipating this game. We are excited about this game.
“We are eager to get up to College Park and come back with a win.”
Virginia needs to steal a road win if thoughts of winning a league title should remain a possibility.
The Cavaliers did receive help on Thursday as Boston College upended Duke, giving the Blue Devils their first league loss.
Upon learning of that result, Virginia coach Debbie Ryan was stunned.
“What? Holy smokes,” she said. “One game is huge and that is what I was trying to explain to [the players]. You can’t go lose to Wake Forest when you are in the game the last minute.
“We have never had this much parity in the conference ever and I have been in the conference since it started.”
As of Sunday, Virginia was in a tie for third place with Georgia Tech, trailing just Duke (6-1) and Florida State (5-2).
“It is a lot of fun, but every single game is going to matter in the end,” Ryan said. “Every loss by a team above you brings you that much closer. Every win by you brings you that much closer.
“This time of year you have to be ready.”
Virginia was ready against Clemson on Thursday, winning 82-60 as four players scored in double figures. It marked the first game in the second half of the 14-game league slate.
“It was good to start the second seven [games] with a win,” Ryan said. “We played better basketball.”
Virginia lost its first showdown with Maryland (16-7, 3-5), falling 61-60 inside John Paul Jones Arena.