So Far, So Good for No. 1 'Hoos
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 02/25/2010
By Jeff White

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Tougher tests await Brian O'Connor's club -- starting this weekend, in all likelihood -- but UVa avoided any missteps in its first game since ascending to the top spot in Baseball America's rankings.

"A win's a win, and I'll take it," O'Connor said Wednesday evening after Virginia beat George Washington 5-2 before 1,567 hardy fans at Davenport Field.

The Colonials (0-4) have not started the season well, but a win over No. 1 UVa would have overshadowed their troubles. The Cavaliers (3-1) can expect that to be the case with virtually every opponent they face.

"I think there's going to be a target on our back," senior pitcher Neal Davis said. "Teams are going to want to try to come in here and beat us."

O'Connor said: "I know if we went on the road to play the No. 1-ranked team in the country, we'd look forward to that opportunity. It creates a little bit bigger bull's eye on your back, but I think people know we've got a good program, and they know what they're in for when they play us."

After UVa took two of three games on opening weekend from then-No. 18 East Carolina in Greenville, N.C. -- and Texas went 1-2 versus New Mexico -- Baseball America dropped the Longhorns and elevated the Wahoos from No. 2 to No. 1 on Monday.

In 2009, the 'Hoos advanced to the College World Series for the first time in school history, and now they have their first No. 1 ranking in baseball.

"It's a heck of an accomplishment," Davis said. "It's a tribute to what we've done in this program in the past, and it's something to be very proud of, especially for me as a fourth-year. It's great to be able to say throughout your entire life that you were on the No. 1 team in the nation."

O'Connor called the ranking "a great honor" but made it clear that he's ready to focus on other things.

"I addressed it with the team yesterday," O'Connor said, "and I told them, 'Congratulations. We all aspire to be the best, and you all aspire to be No. 1 no matter what it is you do, and it's a great accomplishment.'

"But I told them that yesterday was the last day that I was ever going to address rankings again the rest of the year. You can't go any higher than No. 1, and so I addressed it for the last time of the year, and we'll move on. But [the ranking] doesn't change the game. This group of young men that we have is very, very talented, but they're also a humble group that is hungry and will do what it takes to win."

The players, junior left-fielder Phil Gosselin said, are taking "the same approach every day: Come here ready to play. We're going to grind out games and do whatever we can to win ball games and let the rest take care of itself."

Against GW, Gosselin said, UVa "definitely wanted to come out and start the home season with a win and get things rolling going into the weekend."

The game was the Cavaliers' first at Davenport since May 12, when they beat VCU 4-1. As recently as Monday, it appeared the GW game might have to be moved to Newport News, but UVa's sports turf manager, Jesse Pritchard, and his crew worked overtime to remove snow, dry the field and make sure the home opener proceeded as scheduled.

"Our grounds crew did an incredible job of getting it ready," O'Connor said. "It's amazing that we're playing baseball here in Charlottesville, and I don't know if they are anywhere else in the state. It's a tribute to the job they do every day out on that field."

Sophomore right-hander Will Roberts went 5 2/3 innings and got the win for the 'Hoos.

"I would have loved to have seen him finish that sixth inning, but he hit his pitch count, and we needed to take him out of the ball game," O'Connor said. "But I thought he was in pretty good control. Other than a couple of the walks, I thought he pitched a really nice ball game."

The only Cavalier with more than one hit was Gosselin, who went 3 for 5. UVa scored one run in the third and four runs in the fourth. GW answered with two runs off Roberts in the sixth, and O'Connor turned to first-year right-hander Whit Mayberry, who allowed one hit and struck out two in 1 1/3 innings.

"He's got a lot of moxie for a young freshman," O'Connor said. "He's got talent, and I think he's going to do really good things for us this year. And so with him and Corey Hunt and some other guys, I'm trying to get them out there as much as possible and get them as much experience as they can possibly get."

Hunt, a junior right-hander, started the eighth for the UVa and immediately encountered trouble, giving up back-to-back singles to open the inning. In came Davis, a 6-6 left-hander from Baltimore.

Davis retired two batters, then handed the ball to closer Kevin Arico, who struck out Tyler McCarthy to quell GW's threat.

"When you're up 5-0, you'd like to extend [the lead] a little more," Gosselin said, "but [GW] did a good job coming back, and our bullpen did a great job keeping it right there for the win."

It was the third appearance of the season for Davis, who has yet to allow a run. As a sophomore in 2008, such performances were routine for him, but shoulder problems marred his junior season.

"I think Neal Davis is really determined to have a great year in his final season, and he's pitched great all three times that he's been out there," O'Connor said. "He's going to be a valuable left-handed pitcher for us out of our bullpen. We don't have many left-handers down there, and he's the veteran, and he's going to need to continue to do the job for us."

Next up for UVa is a three-game series with Rhode Island, starting Friday at Davenport Field. The Rams are 0-3, but their losses were to Mississippi State in Starkville last weekend, and they're coming off a season in which they 37-20-1.

"Rhode Island was considered the giant-killer last year," O'Connor said. "They went to a lot of top programs and knocked them off in their own ball parks."

The Rams figure to be loose as they try to slay another giant this weekend. The 'Hoos have more to lose, but Gosselin doesn't sense much pressure on the team.

"The guys are all playing loose and just treating it as an honor to be ranked No. 1," Gosselin said. "And then once we strap it on, we forget about that and just play as hard as we always have."

 

No. 1 Virginia Baseball Plays Host to Rhode Island This Weekend
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 02/25/2010

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - The No. 1-ranked Virginia baseball team welcomes Rhode Island to Davenport Field this weekend for a three-game series. The teams are scheduled to play at 3 p.m. Friday and 1 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Hot chocolate and coffee will be free to all fans for each game during the series.
Live statistics for all three games will be available at VirginiaSports.com.

UVa (3-1) opened its 2010 home schedule Wednesday with a 5-2 victory over George Washington. The Cavaliers built a 5-0 lead through four innings, then cruised to the victory from there.

At the plate, Phil Gosselin (Jr., West Chester, Pa.) led UVa with three hits. Virginia finished with 10 hits as a team, and UVa once again showed its offensive balance as eight of the Cavaliers' nine starters recorded at least one hit.

On the mound, Will Roberts (So., Richmond, Va.) pitched 5.2 strong innings to earn the win, while four UVa relievers combined to shut out the Colonials over the final 3.1 innings.

Virginia is 1-0 in weekend series this season after winning two of three games at then-No. 11 East Carolina last week. The Cavaliers have won 14 straight non-conference weekend series (three games or more) and have not lost a non-league series since 2003 at Auburn. UVa has posted a winning record in 19 straight non-conference weekends, dating to a split with Penn State in 2004.

Virginia is slated to start left-hander Danny Hultzen (So., Bethesda, Md.) Friday, right-hander Robert Morey (Jr., Virginia Beach, Va.) Saturday and righty Cody Winiarski (Jr., Franksville, Wis.) Sunday. URI will counter with RHP Tim Boyce Friday. The Rams have yet to announce starting pitchers for Saturday or Sunday.

In its season opener last week, Rhode Island (0-3) was swept in a weekend series at Mississippi State. In the first game, URI held an 8-7 ninth-inning lead before the Bulldogs rallied for the win.
The Rams went 37-20-1 last year and were considered by many pundits as the top team left out of the NCAA Tournament. URI had big non-conference wins at Miami (Fla.), NC State and Oklahoma State last year, and the Rams also scored a neutral-site victory against Ohio State. URI returns seven of its eight position starters from that team.

Virginia holds a 7-0 edge in the all-time series against Rhode Island, although the programs have not met since 1999 when UVa swept a three-game set in Charlottesville.

The Cavaliers continue their nine-game homestand at 4 p.m. Tuesday when they play host to James Madison.

Virginia closer Arico turns the page
By Jay Jenkins
Published: February 25, 2010
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It takes one to know one.
A former college closer that pitched in the College World Series, Virginia coach Brian O’Connor is aware of what comes with taking the mound with the game on the line.
O’Connor also knows what it feels like to walk out of Rosenblatt Stadium having blown a save.
That said, nobody could have related to what Kevin Arico felt more than O’Connor last year in a season-ending loss in the CWS.
Arico was summoned in the ninth inning with Virginia leading 3-1 and three outs away from advancing to a rematch with LSU.
One strike away from a victory, Arico allowed a two-out single.
Then came the biggest heartbreak of the postseason — Brett Eibner, a .223 hitter, launched a towering home run into the seats in left field.
His head hanging, Arico was forced watch from the dugout as Virginia squandered offensive chances all the way into the 12th inning, losing 4-3.
“It is not easy being a closer,” O’Connor said. “Nobody felt worse about the end result than Kevin because I know how much he cares about this program.”
Arico, who did not play in a wooden-bat league last summer, admitted that the weeks that followed the loss in Omaha, Neb., were not easy.
“It was a good learning experience for me,” he said. “I am not going to say that I am sitting here glad that it happened, which I am not, but it did happen to me and I dealt with it.
“This year is a new year, so I just turned the page.”
It did make for some intense moments involving Arico in the Orange & Blue World Series in October once he finally pitched in live competition again.
“I was itching to get back last summer, but I took all my aggression out in the fall,” Arico chuckled. “I got some good work in.”
Magically, Arico has turned the page on what could have been a career-defining moment.
“You have to be able to delete everything in the past. It comes with the territory,” said Arico, who had four blown saves in his first season as the closer. “You have to take it pitch by pitch. What happened last year is in the past.
“We addressed it in the preseason and I just have to go out there and get the three outs or four outs or whatever it is and help us get wins.”
Arico, now a junior, has already recorded two saves for the top-ranked Cavaliers (3-1) and looks for more this weekend as Virginia hosts Rhode Island at Davenport Field. The series starts today at 3 p.m.
“Kevin really looks determined on the mound,” O’Connor said. “He has the mentality that you want out of a closing pitcher.
“I pitched in that role part of my college career and it is a very, very exciting role. You come to the ballpark every day knowing that you can make an impact on whether you win that day.”
With Virginia predicted to win the ACC, Arico could challenge the single-season record of 14 saves, a mark that is currently shared by Michael Schwimer and Casey Lambert.
He recorded 11 last year without nailing down the job firmly until the middle of the season.
Landing saves, however, requires that games remain close, something that might not happen with Virginia’s vaunted offense.
“I am not worried about that,” Arico said. “A win is a win any way we can take it. If I am called on to save the game, then that’s what I will do.”
 

Tony Bennett: Recent struggles 'part of rebuilding'

There's sometimes a misconception that Tony Bennett did not go through the rebuilding at Washington State, considering the Virginia coach inherited the Cougars just as the program was beginning to emerge in the Pacific-10. However, Bennett was his father's top assistant during the three seasons in which Washington State finished a combined 36-49, including 18-36 in the conference. When Bennett discusses rebuilding jobs, he goes back to what he and his father went through in Pullman, Wash. -- and it's comparable to what Bennett is currently experiencing with the Cavaliers.

"This is part of rebuilding," Bennett said Monday, the day before Virginia extended its season-long losing streak to six games. "We had a real solid start. You're hoping you can shortcut this, and bypass this process. But this is the hard part. The hard part is you have to go through this. Sometimes it gives you a reality check of where we're weak, and where we need to improve. I wish I had a clear answer...here's exactly what you do. But you just have to go back to being as sound, as tough as possible."

In the preseason, Bennett said he needs players he can lose with before he can win with them. He explained that there's a process involved, and the foundation must be set before success can be achieved. Even during Virginia's quick start in the ACC, Bennett was the least convinced. His father, Dick Bennett, watched game DVDs from his Wisconsin home and saw that there was still significant work to be done.

Without becoming a psychoanalyst, it's fair to say that Bennett's demeanor or message has not changed during the Cavaliers' six-game losing streak. It's the same as it was during a winning streak just a month earlier. Bennett preaches "quality" -- it was similarly a buzz word when I spoke to Bennett for the first time in depth in May -- and emphasized that his rebuilding effort will take time.

This might not be popular among fans clamoring for quick results -- and they're within reason, considering the program's struggles in recent history -- but it's been a consistent message from Bennett. Although he does not appear to have doubts, he has pointed to his Washington State experience as guidance.

By Zach Berman

Cavs face Seawolves at home
Virginia looks to improve defense tomorrow in home game against Stony Brook
Jack Bird, Cavalier Daily Sports Editor
Featured / Men's Lacrosse / Sports
February 26, 2010 0

“They looked very impressive on tape,” Virginia coach Dom Starsia said of the game.

Junior Jordan McBride scored eight goals for the Seawolves during the contest, while junior Kevin Crowley netted four and chipped in five assists.

This evidently high-powered offense will serve as an early test for the Virginia defense, which has struggled this season. During the Cavaliers’ season opener against Drexel, the squad allowed four goals during the first quarter.

“I thought we were a little tentative on defense,” Starsia said. “Ryan Nyzolek is not playing; Mikey Thompson wasn’t playing in that game. So two of our starters on defense didn’t play in the game at all, so we had two freshman in their place — that’s not an excuse though.”

Another weakness that could lead to more defensive challenges is Virginia’s struggles controlling face-offs. Though the team has won 54.2 percent of face-offs this year, it only won 10-of-23 against Drexel — one of two ranked opponents the Cavaliers have faced. Moreover, the division of responsibilities for face-offs among three players has compounded the issue.

“I do think from all indications we are going to be good facing off,” Starsia said. “More traditionally, you would have one great face-off guy. We have a little bit of a three-headed monster right now.”

Even though Virginia had a similar face-off situation on its 2006 National Championship team, Starsia acknowledged that with three possibilities to take the face, it will take more attuned coaching to recognize who to send in.

Initially, it seemed as if Virginia’s offensive effort would encounter challenges, as well. Perhaps surprisingly, however, the attack line has pulled through impressively.
“Right now, everybody is reacting to who they think we are,” Starsia said. “They are either sliding earlier to our middies or they are switching defensemen out to our middies, and our attack has been generally efficient in terms of finishing those opportunities. The question is: If they can cover our midfielders, are we dangerous enough at attack? And that’s still a question to be answered.”

Expecting a potent midfield from the Cavaliers, teams have brought one, or in some cases, two long-pole defenders from their normal positions guarding attackmen.

So far, Virginia’s attack line, composed of two sophomores and one freshman, has responded well to opposing teams’ strategy. The three starting attackmen — sophomore Steele Stanwick, freshman Connor English and sophomore Chris Bocklet — are the top three scorers on the team, combining for 14 of the team’s 26 goals.

“I think each game, we get a little bit more comfortable,” Stanwick said at the season’s start.

After facing Stony Brook Saturday, the Cavaliers will take on defending national champion Syracuse March 7.

Virginia Sweeps 500 Free; Robison Takes 50 Free
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 02/25/2010

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - The Virginia men's swimming team went 1-2-3 in the 500 free and racked up two more wins in the 50 free and 200 free relay as competition continued Thursday at the 2010 Atlantic Coast Conference Championships at Koury Natatorium in Chapel Hill, N.C.

After seven events, Virginia leads the field with 266 points, followed by North Carolina (221) and Florida State (189).

For the second straight day the Cavaliers ended the evening session with a relay victory. The team of Scot Robison, Peter Geissinger, Eric Olesen and John Azar teamed up to win the 200 free relay in 1:19.07, an NCAA 'B' time.

"We made the decision to front-load our relay," head coach Mark Bernardino said. "In this pool sometimes the water can get a little rough, so we decided to put our best sprinters in front. They all had great swims."

Junior Matt McLean won this third consecutive individual crown in the 500 free to break his own pool record with an NCAA 'B' time of 4:17.21. McLean was in good company as classmates John Snawerdt (4:19.67, 'B') and Taylor Smith (4:20.20, 'B') placed second and third, respectively. Senior Darren Ankosko also earned a fifth-place finish in a 'B' mark of 4:20.79.

"Another very solid, steady, clean performance from our distance group," Bernardino said.

Robison then took first-place honors in the 50 free with a winning time of 19.64 while teammate Peter Geissinger finished third, clocking a time of 19.94. Both marks were NCAA 'B' times.

"Scot had another beautiful swim," Bernardino said. "Before today, Peter had never broken 20 seconds from a flat start and he did it twice tonight. Our sprinters had a fantastic performance."

Freshman Matt Houser led a trio of Cavaliers in the 200 IM with a third-place showing, clocking a time of 1:46.45. John Azar finished fifth (1:46.55) and Tom Casey was sixth (1:46.98). All three times were NCAA 'B' marks.

"They all did a great job against an outstanding field," Bernardino said. "I am pleased we were able to score as many points as we did in that race."

Men's 1-meter diving scores were also added in Thursday to the running team scores. All diving events took place last week during the women's conference championships.

The third day of the men's swimming championships continues Friday with the 400 IM, 100 fly, 200 free, 100 breast, 100 back and 400 medley relay. Prelims are slated for 11 a.m. with finals at 7 p.m. on ACC Select.

"Winning the relay is so very critical," Bernardino said. "I love to leave the building with that momentum. It has certainly benefited us and we leave with that energy and will go from there."

2010 Men's ACC Championships

Through Event 7

1. Virginia 266
2. North Carolina 221
3. Florida State 189
4. Clemson 138
5. Virginia Tech 126
6. Duke 123
7. Georgia Tech 108
8. Maryland 98
9. NC State 62
10. Boston College 36
11. Miami (diving only) 15



 

UVa Football Players to Participate in Uplifting Athletes Fundraiser
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 02/25/2010

Charlottesville, VA - Members of the Virginia football team will take part in a fundraiser Sunday, Feb. 28 to benefit Uplifting Athletes' Rare Disease Day 2010. The eight UVa players will participate in an online intercollegiate video game football tournament that also includes squads from Georgia, Ohio State, Penn State, Texas and West Virginia.

The Uplifting Athletes' Video Game Challenge will take place at Buffalo Wild Wings from 3 to 6 p.m. Admission is $5 in advance and $10 at the door. Funds will go toward Uplifting Athletes mission to align college football players with the rare disease cause.

The eight UVa players will compete head-to-head to determine a campus champion who will then square off against the campus champion from the other five schools to determine an overall winner. The Cavalier players participating are Ras-I Dowling, Paul Freedman, Dom Joseph, Marc Verica, Bobby Smith, Jared Green, Kevin Royal and Mike Ahunamba. Dontrelle Inman will emcee the event.

Participation in the event is part of first-year coach Mike London's "Hoos in the Ville" program that involves members of the Virginia football team in various community service activities.

"It is important that our players get involved in community activities," London said. "It is a tremendous opportunity to not only benefit some great causes, but to have our players understand they can have a positive impact with many individuals and groups. Our hope is that "Hoos in the Ville" becomes a starting point and that they will continue to be involved in their respective communities well after they graduate from UVa."

Earlier this year the University's Student Council, The 'Hoo Crew spirit group and Cavalier football team raised $8,194.94 for the "Hoos for Herzlich 94" campaign that benefited Uplifting Athletes.

For more information on Uplifting Athletes, visit the organization's website at www.upliftingathletes.org.

 

Cavaliers Set For ACC Indoor Championships
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 02/25/2010

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - The Virginia track and field team will head to Blacksburg, Va., this week to compete in the 2010 ACC Indoor Track and Field Championships. This season’s conference meet will be held at Virginia Tech’s Rector Field House on Friday and Saturday. Live results for the entire weekend, in addition to a live video stream beginning on Friday at 3 p.m. and Saturday at noon, will be available at VirginiaSports.com.

The Cavaliers return one ACC Champion and nine all-conference performers from the men’s squad that finished in a program-best third place a year ago, while the women’s team finished eighth.

Sophomore Ryan Collins leads the league this season in the 5000m with his automatic qualifying time of 13:46.41. Collins’ mark shattered Virginia’s all-time program record and was just 14 seconds shy of the ACC record set by Clemson’s Robert deBrouwer at 13:32.00 in 1985. He is currently ranked third in the nation in the 5k and earned ACC Performer of the Week honors for his accomplishments following his record-breaking performance.

Collins is the defending conference champion in the 5k, while he also earned All-ACC honors in the 3k with a runner-up finish. Teammate Emil Heineking joined Collins as an all-conference performer in the 5000m last year, finishing third.

The Cavaliers also return junior Greg Nelson who was an All-ACC performer in the high jump last year and has provisionally qualified for NCAAs this season. Nelson cleared 7’ 0.25” at the Armory on Feb. 13 to move into second on Virginia’s all-time records and ranks third in the ACC this season with his mark.

Freshman Robby Andrews and sophomore All-American Lance Roller round out Virginia’s provisional qualifiers on the men’s side, as the duo have run the conference’s top-two 800m times this season. Andrews leads the league with a time of 1:48.02, while Roller – an All-ACC performer in the DMR and 4x400m - sits second with a mark of 1:49.47. Senior Steve Finley ranks third with his personal-best time of 1:50.95.

Junior All-American Meikle Paschal and sophomore Kevin Anding join Roller as all-conference performers returning to the 4x400m relay, while senior Alex Bowman was on the distance medley relay squad that finished third a year ago.

In the mile, sophomore All-American Sintayehu Taye fought for All-ACC honors, finishing third in a group of six competitors that all finished within one-second of each other.

Rounding out Virginia’s returning all-conference performers is junior Adams Abdulrazaaq – who won the 110m hurdles outdoors. Adams finished third in the 60m hurdles indoors last year.

On the women’s side, the Cavaliers have provisionally qualified three athletes for NCAAs this season. Led by junior Catherine White, who has hit the provisional mark in both the 3000m and 5000m, the Cavaliers have also qualified senior Stephanie Garcia in the mile and sophomore Maureen Laffan in the shot put.

White currently leads the league in the 3000m with her time of 9:24.43 from the Armory, while her 5000m time of 16:31.61 from the Husky Classic ranks third.

Laffan’s shot put mark of 51’ 11.25” leads the ACC this season, while Garcia’s mile time is ranked fourth.

In addition, junior Lyndsay Harper is ranked second in the 800m with a time of 2:09.68.

Following the conference championships, the Cavaliers will have one more weekend to attempt to qualify for the NCAA Championships – as they will head to the Last Chance meet at either Notre Dame or Virginia Tech. The 2010 NCAA Indoor Championships are scheduled for March 12-13 in Fayetteville, Ark.
 

UVa Insider, the column - Doug Doughty | Roanoke Times

On the ride home from Virginia’s blowout loss at the University of Maryland, the first of four consecutive blowout losses depending on whether Tuesday’s affair at Miami meets that description, it struck me that Jamil Tucker had played well for UVa in a 2009 game at the Terps’ Comcast Center.

It wasn’t till I looked at the media guide that I realized just how well. Tucker’s career high, 21 points, occurred in last year’s Maryland-UVa game in College Park. He hit four of six 3-point shots en route to a 7-for-12 night from the field.

Tucker’s breakout game didn’t prevent Virginia from dropping that game, 84-78, but that was considerable closer than UVa’s recent 85-66 loss at Maryland in a game the Terrapins led by as many as 29 points. The Cavaliers’ last four losses have come by a combined 73 points and that figure could have approached three figures if opposing coaches hadn’t gone to their benches.

The last time Virginia sustained four consecutive losses by more than 73 points was in 1995-96, when the Cavaliers lost to North Carolina by 14 points, Georgia Tech by 20, Wake Forest by 17 and Connecticut by 30.

At least this UVa team hasn’t suffered a 30-point loss. Yet.

I’m not going to let first-year coach Tony Bennett off the hook. No matter what your assessment of Virginia’s talent is, this is a team that was 14-6 overall and 5-2 in the ACC. For $1.7 million per year, it is reasonable to expect a coach to get the most out of his players. This team has regressed.

I also would not suggest that Tucker’s presence would have reversed the outcome in any of the past four games. However, when you look at the two games that launched UVa on its current six-game skein, an overtime loss to Wake in Charlottesville and a game at Virginia Tech that UVa led with less than three minutes remaining, it’s reasonable to wonder if Tucker might have made a difference.

Never mind the UVa-Tech game in Charlottesville, where Virginia led by 10 points with under three minutes remaining, or earlier games with Stanford, Penn State and Auburn that could have gone either way. In their first 20 games, the Cavaliers could have looked back at only two games – at South Florida and at Wake Forest – where they didn’t have a chance of winning.

Clearly, Virginia has gone in the tank and Tucker’s career path would suggest that he could have tanked as well. In his second outing after last year’s Maryland game, he was 0-for-3 from the field and had four turnovers at Duke.

Nevertheless, he entered this season as a 40-percent career 3-point shooter and no other UVa player could have made that claim. Consider the Cavaliers’ options when post man Mike Scott missed his first seven shots Tuesday at Miami – journeyman Jerome Meyinsse, walk-on Will Sherrill and offensively impaired Assane Sene.

Nobody should feel sorry for the Cavaliers because they don’t have Tucker. It’s not as if he had a catastrophic injury that struck him down at the prime of his career. He was enrolled in school at the beginning of the year, he was given a leave of absence from the team to attend to some off-floor matters and then he was dismissed from the team. At least by UVa standards, he was academically ineligible.

A friend who previously worked at a state newspaper and now does on-line work has cautioned me against jumping to conclusions and blaming the coaches. He argues that there is a vast infrastructure set up to keep a student-athlete from failing and sometimes it’s nobody’s fault but the player’s.

However, I’ve always wondered whether there is a period during a coaching transition when the new staff is learning which players can be trusted and which players need to be leaned on. I think back to Dave Leitao’s first season as UVa men’s basketball coach and how Gary Forbes was gone before he knew it.

As a senior, Tucker wasn’t any kind of long-term answer, though, and we’ll never know if he could have been a short-term answer. He was a veteran, but so are Sammy Zeglinski, Mustapha Farrakhan and Jeff Jones, and we’ve seen what all their experience has meant.