Lightning in a 246-pound body
Back from injury, Cavs' Mikalauskas offers infectious lift
Wednesday, Mar 05, 2008 - 12:07 AM
By JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER

CHARLOTTESVILLE When the University of Virginia's starters are introduced tonight at John Paul Jones Arena, the crowd's loudest applause will be reserved, as usual, for senior point guard Sean Singletary.

But check out the roar that greets center Laurynas Mikalauskas when he enters the game, probably about four minutes in.

His talent level never will be confused with that of Singletary, but Mikalauskas long ago won over U.Va. basketball fans - especially his fellow students - with his hustle, aggressiveness and passion. It's spring break at Virginia, so some of his most ardent supporters may be elsewhere tonight. Still, the 6-8, 246-pound junior known as "Lars" figures to have a sizable cheering section anyway.

In part that's because of the way he plays, but it's also because of his personality. This native of Vilnius, Lithuania, is a man of the people.

"That's just the way I am," Mikalauskas said. "I'm a pretty outgoing person. I don't want people to think athletes are cocky. . . . When people don't know anything about the players, they're less likely to come to the games."

Virginia fans haven't been able to cheer Mikalauskas as much as they'd like this season. For nearly a year, he's had an injured left shoulder, which eventually may require surgery. Wearing a harness designed to keep the shoulder from popping out, the left-handed Mikalauskas played in the Cavaliers' first nine games, then missed the next 13 after aggravating the injury.

"It was terrible," he said. "I'm not going to lie, practices seem a lot longer when you're not out there."

He returned to action Feb. 12, and Virginia's transformation since has been astounding. In Mikalauskas' five appearances in 2008, U.Va. has won three times. The losses? Virginia fell by two points to No. 5 North Carolina and by two at Miami, another 20-win ACC team.

Senior Ryan Pettinella remains the starter, but No. 11 is clearly the Wahoos' most productive center. Since his return, Mikalauskas has averaged 10 points and 5.4 rebounds - in fewer than 18 minutes a game - and supplied jolt after jolt of enthusiasm to a team that, in his absence, had sunk into the ACC cellar.

At Miami on Saturday, Mikalauskas recorded career highs in points (16) and rebounds (13) in only 20 minutes. Two nights later, in a comeback win at Georgia Tech, he contributed 15 points and seven boards in 19 minutes.

"Energy equals productivity, and he's come back with a vengeance," Virginia coach Dave Leitao told reporters in Atlanta.

U.Va. lost 87-65 at Duke on Jan. 13, but that defeat fell during the stretch of games Mikalauskas missed. With him back in the lineup, Virginia (4-10, 14-13) has a better shot of knocking off the No. 6 Blue Devils (12-2, 25-3) tonight at JPJ.

"He plays hard, and he does a lot of dirty work for them," Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "Anytime you have a kid like that playing hard, who gets boards and plays defense, you're going to be better."

When he came to the United States from Lithuania seven years ago, Mikalauskas spoke no English. But he quickly mastered the language after enrolling at Blue Ridge School in Greene County, where he starred in basketball for coach Bill Ramsey. Mikalauskas, who has relatives in Radford, chose U.Va. over Virginia Tech, Clemson, West Virginia and Clemson.

When his basketball career is over, Mikalauskas wants to attend graduate school, perhaps at U.Va. Maybe, the 22-year-old said, he'll pursue a business degree. For now, though, he's majoring in politics and soaking up the college experience, on and off the court.

 

UVa glad to had Mikalauskas back
By Andy Bitter
Lynchburg News & Advance
March 4, 2008

For two months Lars Mikalauskas sat, nursing a shoulder injury while watching his frontcourt teammates struggle, some playing out of position, some playing too soon, some doing both.
He came back three weeks ago and from the looks of it is trying to make up for lost time.

Mikalauskas will give Virginia (14-13, 4-10 ACC) a different look when it hosts No. 6 Duke (25-3, 12-2 ACC) tonight at 7 p.m., something it didn't have the first go-around, an 87-65 drubbing at Cameron Indoor Stadium in January.

"He does a lot of dirty work for them," Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "Any time you have a kid like that playing hard, getting offensive boards, playing good defense, you're going to be better. I think he makes them better."

It didn't seem like the return of the 6-foot-8, 246-pound Mikalauskas would be much of a boon to the reeling Cavaliers, not when you consider the Lithuanian averaged a mere 3.7 points and 2.0 rebounds in 12.3 minutes a game last season.

But Mikalauskas has given Virginia a jolt since his return, putting up 10.0 points and 5.4 rebounds in five games while bringing energy to a team severely lacking in that department.

His presence at center has reduced the burden for freshman Mike Scott, who was overmatched at the five position. It also allowed Adrian Joseph to play the three, his natural spot.

In five games with Mikalauskas logging substantial minutes, UVa is 3-2, with its two losses coming by a combined three points.

"I think he's the kind of guy that because of his energy, can continue to grow," Virginia coach Dave Leitao said. "And it was my thought process that his growth is still yet to be determined. When you combine health and age and experience, then we can see more consistent, productive play from him."

In a two-point loss at Miami on Saturday, the junior put up career highs in points (16) and rebounds (13) in just 20 minutes. He followed that up with 15 points and seven rebounds in 19 minutes in a win against Georgia Tech on Monday.

But the junior hasn't just been about points. He scored two points against N.C. State on Feb. 24 but was part of a low-post group that shut down freshman J.J. Hickson, who finished with seven points, half his season average.

The Cavaliers did it by giving Hickson a "warm welcome" to the John Paul Jones Arena, according to Mikalauskas, who casually mentioned he threw a couple elbows to serve as a gift basket. That will probably be the strategy tonight against the Blue Devils, who, while lacking a true post player in their starting lineup, play a physical brand of basketball from baseline to baseline.

That's right up Mikalauskas' alley. It's his M.O., a style he fashioned after his role model - if the term is appropriate - former Pistons instigator Bill Laimbeer.

"Dirty guy, throws elbows, starts fights," Mikalauskas told the (Charlottesville) Daily Progress after the Georgia Tech game. "Somebody who sends a message that, 'Hey, we're not going to be soft.'

"We have nothing to lose now and we're going to show people that we're going to play tough."


 

UVa faces short turnaround
By Whitelaw Reid / wreid@dailyprogress.com | 978-7250
March 5, 2008

In January, when Virginia visited Duke to open its ACC season, expectations were understandably high.

The Cavaliers, who had won a share of the league title the year before, had looked pretty good in their non-conference games. And they had the most depth of any team in the Dave Leitao era.

Roughly two months later, Virginia isn’t the hunt for a league title. The Cavs aren’t even within reach of an NCAA Tournament berth. UVa, which was picked to finish fifth in the 12-team ACC, sits in a 10th-place tie with Boston College.

However, there is something to be said for finishing the season strong - and Virginia has won three of its last four games, including two victories on the road.

Tonight, less than 48 hours after a makeup game at Georgia Tech, the Cavaliers have the unenviable task of facing sixth-ranked Duke at John Paul Jones Arena.

But don’t feel sorry for UVa.

“It’s a challenge,” said UVa coach Dave Leitao, who did not give his players the day off on Tuesday even though the team did not get into Charlottesville until around midnight. “Life is a challenge. Every season, every game is a challenge. We’re going to do everything in our power to meet that challenge.”

Virginia (14-13, 4-10 ACC) was hammered by Duke, 87-65, back on Jan. 13. In that game, Sean Singletary had one of his poorest games of the season. UVa’s senior captain, who had six turnovers, is looking forward to the rematch.

“We really want to play Duke,” said Singletary, who had the most memorable play in the brief history of JPJ when he hit the game-winner against Duke last season. “It’s the natural tendency because when you’re playing the best, you usually bring your ‘A’ game. We always play ranked teams real well at home, so we’re excited about it.

“We have a lot of reasons to go into the game aggressively and with a lot of confidence.”

Perhaps the biggest reason would be their 76-74 win over Georgia Tech - a game in which Virginia showed the mental fortitude that had been missing in previous close games.

Calvin Baker, the hero on Monday - his 3-pointer with 4.2 seconds left gave UVa the win - was one of the few Cavaliers who played well in the first game against Duke. Baker played with a moxie that belied his limited experience, notching 13 points.

Although Duke (25-3, 12-2) - which is coming off a one-point win over N.C. State on Saturday - has lost just three times this season, Baker is optimistic about tonight.

“I don’t think we played to our capabilities [in the first meeting],” he said. “We’re playing a lot better now. We’re a better team in our building, so I think it’s going to be a good game.”

Virginia did not have junior big man Lars Mikalauskas in the earlier meeting. UVa has shown a lot more life since the Lithuanian’s return to the lineup from a shoulder injury.

Mikalauskas has averaged 11.5 points and 6.5 rebounds in his last four games.

“They’re going to be really hard to beat,” Mikalauskas said, “but we’re playing at home, so hopefully we can bring in a decent crowd. It would be really nice to see a packed house.

“It’s a very winnable game. It’s going to be a big battle. I’m looking forward to it. It’s going to be competitive and exciting.”

Dunks

Duke leads the all-time series, 108-48, but only a 34-33 record when the game has been played in Charlottesville. …Singletary, who bruised his right knee in the loss to Miami on Saturday, said he was mentally and physically fatigued in the first half of the Georgia Tech game. In the second half, however, he scored 15 of his team-high 17 points.…Virginia concludes its regular season at home on Sunday against Maryland.

 

Duke to play improving Virginia tonight
By John Delong
JOURNAL REPORTER

Mike Krzyzewski has spent time on the campaign trail this week, talking up the strength of the ACC and lobbying for other league members who may be on the NCAA Tournament bubble.

Duke doesn’t have any worries about making the NCAA field, but it’s easy to see why Krzyzewski is pushing the league’s depth.

The Blue Devils (25-3 overall, 12-2 ACC) rallied to squeeze past last-place N.C. State 87-86 in Raleigh on Saturday.

Tonight, the Blue Devils will play at Virginia, and Krzyzewski expects a similar test.

The Cavaliers are 14-13 overall and 4-10 in the ACC - tied for 10th in the league with Boston College, one-half game ahead of N.C. State - but they have won three of their past four and are playing their best basketball of the season.

“This past weekend shows what an amazing conference we have,” Krzyzewski said. “There’s not one like it in the United States, where the three teams who are at the bottom of the league are all really good teams.

“In Virginia you have a kid who scores 41 (Sean Singletary) and they almost beat Miami. Boston College has a kid who scores 46 (Tyrese Rice) and they’re beating one of the first-place teams by double digits in the second half. And then N.C. State outplayed us for most of the game.

“I just don’t see that happening in other conferences. I just wish we would celebrate the great quality of play we have, instead of looking at is as, ‘Are we going to get four or five?’ We should get as much as possible in the NCAA Tournament. This is a terrific league and it competes every night and I hope a large number of teams get rewarded.”

Virginia has played well in each of its past five games, going back to a 75-74 home loss to North Carolina on Feb. 12. Since then, the Cavs have won at Boston College (79-74), beat N.C. State at home (78-60), lost at Miami (95-93) in the game that Singletary scored 40, and then won at Georgia Tech (76-74) on Monday in a game that was rescheduled after being postponed last month.

Virginia had a 10-point lead with less than two minutes left in the loss at Miami.

Duke has won three straight since having a brief dip with losses at Wake Forest and at Miami in mid-February. A win tonight would ensure that it can win the ACC regular-season crown with a win over rival North Carolina at home Saturday night.

Duke beat Virginia 87-65 in Durham on Jan. 13. DeMarcus Nelson scored 20 and Gerald Henderson scored 18 that night, and the Blue Devils held Singletary to 18.

Singletary will come into tonight’s game as the league’s third-leading scorer at 19.7. Nelson leads Duke in scoring at 15.5 and is coming off a 19-point performance against N.C. State on Saturday.

 

Devils get ready for next ACC test
By BRYAN STRICKLAND : The Herald-Sun
bstrickland@heraldsun.com
Mar 5, 2008

DURHAM -- Mike Krzyzewski is an ACC fan.

"We have the greatest conference in the history of college basketball, and to represent the ACC for these 28 years has been an amazing honor," Krzyzewski said moments after securing his 800th coaching victory Saturday. "Being in this conference, you learn."

And if there's one thing Krzyzewski has learned, it's that while even ACC teams might endure off nights, teams can't take nights off in the conference.

It's a truth that will be tested again tonight (7 p.m., ESPN) when the Krzyzewski's front-running Duke team visits a Virginia team that has been stuck at the bottom of the standings but now appears to be playing its best basketball of the season.

Krzyzewski and other ACC fans saw the league's depth on display again over the weekend, when the sixth-ranked Blue Devils (25-3, 12-2 ACC) battled back from a 13-point deficit to edge last-place N.C. State. Elsewhere, Boston College got 46 points from Tyrese Rice to scare top-ranked North Carolina and Virginia got 41 points from Sean Singletary to push Miami to the brink.

"This past weekend shows what an amazing conference we have," Krzyzewski said. "There's not one like it in the United States where the three teams that are at the bottom of the league are all really good teams.

"In Virginia, you have a kid who scores 40 points, and they scored 90 and almost beat Miami. In Boston College, a kid scores 46 and they're beating one of the first-place teams by double digits in the second half. And then there was N.C. State, with [Javier] Gonzalez getting 18 and [Ben] McCauley having a career high, beating us and outplaying us most of the game.

"I just don't see that happening in other conferences."

Virginia (14-13, 4-10 ACC) fits the bill. After starting the season 1-10 in the league play, the Cavaliers have won three of their last four and can finish as high as seventh in the standings.

The recent victories came against teams in the bottom third of the standings, but the loss in the stretch was by just two points at Miami and they lost to the Tar Heels by one point before their 3-1 spurt.

Singletary has gotten help over the last five games from the return of big man Laurynas Mikalauskas, who had missed 13 games with an injury but has averaged 15.5 points and 10 rebounds over his last two games.

Virginia coach Dave Leitao also admires the depth of the conference, but unlike Krzyzewski, he's a coach looking at the situation from the bottom up -- just one year after his Cavaliers tied for the top spot in the ACC. Leitao appreciates the annual jockeying for position from top to bottom, but he also appreciates how often Duke and North Carolina battle at the top.

The Tar Heels' victory over Florida State on Tuesday sealed the fact that the winner of Saturday's Duke-UNC game will earn the top seed in next week's ACC Tournament, regardless of the outcome of tonight's game.

"I think that's what makes this league so unique as compared to the other major conferences across the country, that you don't have just one traditional power -- as most of them do -- but you have two that stand the test of time," Leitao said. "There are only a select few teams in the country that can stake claim to being the best in the country, and we have two of them year in and year out.

"It's a very, very unforgiving league. There is no bottom feeder in this league."

Thanks in large part to the Blue Devils and Tar Heels, the ACC is the nation's top conference in Ratings Percentage Index, a key measure when it comes to selecting the NCAA Tournament field. RPI, however, won't save the Cavaliers, who will have to win the ACC Tournament to get a berth in the NCAA Tournament.

Duke, North Carolina and Clemson are locks -- with Miami closing in on securing a bid -- while the status of Maryland and Virginia Tech remains up in the air and the hopes for Wake Forest and Florida State appear shaky at best.

"I just wish that we would celebrate the great quality of play that we have instead of looking at whether we're going to get four in or five," Krzyzewski said. "We should get as many as possible in the NCAA Tournament. This league is a terrific league. It competes every night.

"I just hope a large number of teams from our league get rewarded."
 

Blue Devils talk the talk
Communication keys Duke's success
A.J. Carr, Staff Writer

DURHAM - Talk a good game and it helps you play a good game.
That's the belief of Duke's Blue Devils, who have learned that effective communication often equates to sharper execution.

"We make more plays when we talk,'' said Greg Paulus, Duke's vocal point guard.

That's why, during against St. John's on Feb. 23, Mike Krzyzewski became a hyperactive 61-year-old coach on the sideline.

His team wasn't talking, so Krzyzewski started stalking, pleading for the Blue Devils to become vocal on the way to victory.

"That's the single hardest thing to teach," Krzyzewski said. "You can go to a high school practice and you might not hear a player say one word."

Sophomore wing Jon Scheyer said talking on the court isn't natural for some players, but he linked Duke's two ACC losses in part to lack of solid communication.

It's vital in picking up shooters in transition, in working through screens, on help-side defense and functioning smoothly on offense.

The Blue Devils communicate verbally and with hand signals, which can come in handy in raucous atmospheres like the one they'll experience tonight against Virginia at John Paul Jones Arena.

For example, on offense, Paulus might call "Up!" "Down!" or "Cross!" The other four players should echo that command, making sure everybody is on the same wave length.

"[Then] there's no indecision,'' said Duke assistant coach Chris Collins. "The main thing is to have quick, defined commands. For us communication is a skill -- learning how to talk, what to say, how to have connection with the bench."

In their 71-58 win over Georgia Tech on Feb. 27, the Blue Devils wanted to make sure the Jackets' Anthony Morrow didn't get loose for open looks.

"If DeMarcus [Nelson] or I couldn't get on him, we'd say: 'Greg get on him! Gerald get on him!' " Scheyer said. "In transition you are not always on the guy you are assigned to. A lot of times people score because we don't talk."

The Blue Devils successfully marked Morrow, limiting him to nine points and just four attempts from 3-point range.

Tonight they'll try to contain another shooter, Virginia's Sean Singletary, who dropped 41 points on Miami on Saturday.

If Nelson is defending Singletary, it's important Blue Devils defenders away from the ball let Nelson know how they can help.

"When our communication is good, when our help [defense] is good, that's when we are playing our best,'' Collins said. "When we are not [communicating], guys feel alone, not connected with teammates and with the bench."

Sometimes, players aggressively send the message to a teammate.

During Duke's 87-86 win over N.C. State on Saturday, Collins recalled a exchange between Gerald Henderson and Paulus.

"Gerald grabbed Greg and said: 'I'm open on the wing. You got to hit me.' " Collins relayed. "We want guys to confront each other, tell the truth, not hold back. It makes us better."

In short, talk and walk out of the arena with a win.
 

Cavs rout Keydets in monsoon
By Bart Isley / risley@dailyprogress.com | 978-7240
March 5, 2008

Virginia faced a challenge of a different kind Tuesday night just three days after going toe-to-toe with No. 8 Syracuse.

This time, Mother Nature threw the gauntlet down.

The No. 3 Cavaliers played through an unrelenting rainstorm and looked as crisp as they have all season on offense while tallying a 24-5 victory over Virginia Military Institute.

The Cavaliers got four goals from Ben Rubeor, a hat trick from Danny Glading and two goals from five other players en route to the easy win. Virginia’s execution on offense appeared to be even better than it had been against the Orange on Saturday in a 14-13 overtime victory.

Virginia took control of the game shortly after a three-minute penalty for an illegal stick call allowed an overmatched VMI squad to cash in with a pair of goals to cut the Cavaliers advantage to 4-2 midway through the first quarter. In the second quarter, UVa begin pouring it on with 10 goals to take a 17-4 lead into the locker room.

Virginia didn’t seem to be negatively impacted by the weather despite first-half rain so driving that players had trouble following the ball. Instead, the Cavaliers whipped the ball through the offense efficiently all night.

“You hear all the arguments that the weather is a little bit of an equalizer,” said Virginia head coach Dom Starsia. “But I’ve always felt like the more athletic team should be able to adjust to the weather better. I was happy that we got better as the game went on, but I’ve never seen rain like that - that 15-minute spurt in the first half was remarkable.”

Glading was a big part of the halftime advantage. The junior attackman tallied six assists and his three goals all before the break.

“We took care of the ball early and that was important because it set the tone for the game,” Glading said. “I’m excited for a lot of guys who got to step in and make some big shots for us.”

Glading found five different teammates on his six assists.

In the second half, Virginia rested many of its starters, but anyone watching the Cavaliers for the first time might have a hard time telling Starsia was sitting a soul. Virginia’s reserves, many of whom get extensive playing time anyway, ran the show in the second half.

“I thought we really moved the ball with the first group and there was no drop-off when the second guys were in there,” Starsia said. “And they were playing a zone defense, which forces you to hold the ball a little bit and work for a better shot. I thought the whole night we were really snapping the ball around on offense.”

Gavin Gill did most of the damage early in the second half, with two goals and three assists in the third quarter. Freshman John Haldy had a pair of assists and goal during the second half.

“It’s just good to have everyone out there moving the ball around like that,” Gill said. “Whoever touches the ball last is going to get the points, it doesn’t matter who gets those.”

The Cavaliers made more than half of their shots, putting 24 of 46 attempts in the back of the cage.

Virginia used all four goalies on the roster in the contest, playing freshman starter Adam Ghitelman only for a half. As a unit, the keepers only had to make six total saves to keep the Cavaliers in control.

Matt Harrison led VMI offensively with a hat trick while Jacob Weimer finished with a pair of goals to round out the Keydets’ scoring.

Virginia travels to fifth-ranked Princeton Saturday for a noon showdown.