True to form, U.Va. plays little defense; Leitao vows change
Thursday, Mar 27, 2008 - 12:07 AM
By JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- In his parting words to his basketball team last night, University of Virginia coach Dave Leitao vowed that next season would be different in at least one regard.

"We're going to play defense," Leitao told his players in the locker room at John Paul Jones Arena.

The Cavaliers put up little resistance most of this season, and they were true to form last night. In a College Basketball Invitational semifinal, Bradley torched U.Va. in the second half and won 96-85 to end the illustrious college career of senior guard Sean Singletary, a three-time member of the all-ACC first team.

With 48.2 seconds left, Leitao substituted Solomon Tat for Singletary, who walked off to a standing ovation from the crowd of 5,852. As the final seconds ticked away, fans chanted his name over and over.

"It's definitely sunk in," said Singletary, "but you can't dwell on the past, whether good or bad. We'll always have the memories, but it's just time to move on."

In the CBI quarterfinals, Virginia allowed Old Dominion to shoot 50.9 percent from the floor but, thanks to Singletary's last-minute heroics, rallied to win 80-76.

There was no miraculous comeback for the Wahoos (17-16) this time. Freshman Jeff Jones scored 26 points -- 11 more than his previous high -- and Singletary added 17, but Virginia's defensive woes once again did them in.

After senior forward Adrian Joseph's 3-pointer pulled U.Va. to 58-58 with 11:50 to play, the Braves went on a 20-5 run that effectively sealed the outcome. Its spread offense humming, Bradley shot 56.7 percent from the floor in the second half. The Braves (20-15) advance to meet Tulsa or Houston in the CBI's best-of-three championship series.

Five players scored in double figures for Bradley, led by all-Missouri Valley Conference guard Jeremy Crouch, one of the nation's premier 3-point shooters. Crouch, 0 for 7 from long range in the first half, went 5 for 5 after intermission and finished with 27 points.

"This offense is so much fun to play in, and it's a matchup nightmare for some teams," Crouch said.

While not disputing that point, Leitao noted that Virginia struggled against most offenses it faced this season. His first two teams at U.Va. were known for their rugged defense and rebounding. But this group, which had 6-11 Tunji Soroye, the projected starter at center, for only two games, never met the standard its predecessors set.

"When we needed a stretch or a stop, we have not been able to get it with any level of consistency," Leitao said, "and that's got to be something we address moving forward."

Soroye, one of four seniors on the roster, might apply for a medical redshirt and try to return in 2008-09. But for Singletary, Joseph and center Ryan Pettinella, last night was without question the finale. The loss of Singletary, whose jersey was retired by U.Va. this month, will hurt the most. He's been the face of the program for three seasons, and his bond with Leitao is exceptionally strong.

On a night when Virginia fans had little to cheer, Jones' play was a revelation. The 6-4 shooting guard from Chester, Pa., started 25 games this season, but until last night he'd done little to show that Leitao's faith in him was justified. He'd hit five treys in his third college game -- Virginia's win at Arizona -- but his scoring average before last night was an underwhelming 4.2 points.

Against Bradley, Jones finally looked like a player around whom Leitao might be able to build. He buried 6 of 8 shots from beyond the arc and made 9 of 14 overall.

"It just feels bad as a freshman to know that this was last game for the seniors, with everything they went through, all the hard times and all the hard work they put in," Jones said. "It just hurts."

 

JPJ: Home of the Braves
By Whitelaw Reid / wreid@dailyprogress.com | 978-7250
March 27, 2008

There was a dunk that occurred with ease. That was followed by another dunk that occurred with even more ease.

After that came an uncontested 3-pointer in which the shooter had enough time to contemplate who Jennifer Aniston’s next beau should be.

Just like that, the excitement and promise that had been generated in Virginia’s last two victories in the College Basketball Invitational Tournament had dissipated.

Ditto for UVa’s 2007-08 season.

In the end, it was an old bugaboo that caught up with Virginia - this thing they call defense.

The Cavaliers, for the umpteenth time this year, didn’t play much of it.

Bradley, thanks to 27 points from Jeremy Crouch - and blistering 57-percent shooting in the second half - ran away with a 96-85 CBI semifinal win in front of 5,582 frustrated fans at John Paul Jones Arena.

“It’s a cruel way to end,” said Virginia coach Dave Leitao. “But the other part of it is you start to prepare.

“Somewhere along the line this year we had 17 really good nights and wins and 16 really bad nights [and losses]. There are a lot of things you have to do to make this program better.”

The loss marked the end of a disappointing season in which Virginia (17-16) finished in 10th place in the ACC and failed to qualify for the NCAA Tournament or NIT.

It also marked the conclusion of the brilliant career of Sean Singletary. The senior captain received a standing ovation when he was removed from the game with less than a minute to play and Virginia trailing by 13.

Shortly after he came to the bench, the crowd serenaded him with chants of “Single-tary!”

What was going through Singletary’s mind?

“I was thinking I just need to get some rest and get back in the gym - get on with the next chapter of my life,” he said.

One of the most popular players in the history of Virginia basketball didn’t shed any tears.

“I told you all before that I cried during the season with all those losses,” said Singletary, smiling.

Singletary, who had single-handedly propelled Virginia into the semifinals with his last-second heroics against Old Dominion had 17 points and eight assists, but was just 7 of 18 from the field.

Freshman Jeff Jones led Virginia with a career-high 26 points. Senior Adrian Joseph added 15.

UVa didn’t play with nearly the amount of energy down the stretch as it had in previous CBI victories against Richmond and Old Dominion.

“All year, coach was stressing how defense had been killing us,” said freshman Mike Scott, “and it showed tonight.

“We were doing a lot of switching on screens and they took advantage of it.”

In addition to its porous defense, Virginia was outrebounded 43-38 by an under-sized team not known for its board work. The Wahoos also shot a season-low 43 percent from the free-throw line.

Joseph - who, like Singletary, was playing his last game at JPJ - hit a 3-pointer to tie the game at 58 with 12 minutes remaining.

But that’s when Virginia disintegrated.

Crouch nailed a 3-pointer, Matt Salley scored on a fastbreak layup and Sam Maniscalco scored on an offensive put-back. From there, it was an array of 3-pointers, easy dunks and uncontested drives down the lane for Bradley players.

It was all a stark contrast from early in the game when Virginia stormed out to a 30-16 lead. UVa held Bradley - one of the top 3-point shooting teams in the country - to zero 3s through the game’s first 12 minutes.

But just when it seemed like the Cavaliers were ready for their first blowout win in the CBI, Bradley (20-15) got its act together. The Braves knocked down three triples during a 15-0 run to take a 31-30 lead.

The score was tied at 42 at halftime.

“After we punched them, they came back,” Singletary said. “They threw a couple punches of their own and we just didn’t respond well.”

In the second half, Crouch, who had been 0 for 7 from 3-point range in the first half, found his groove - thanks to a little soap and water. The senior said he washed his hands at the intermission.

“I just didn’t shoot it very well,” explained Crouch, “so I wanted to clean it all off and start fresh.”

If Virginia had beaten Bradley, it would have taken on the Tulsa in a best-of-three championship series beginning Monday. Instead, the Braves, out of the Missouri Valley Conference, will be vying for the inaugural CBI championship.

Joseph said it would have been nice to end his career differently.

“Losing is the last memory that I’ll have here at JPJ,” he said, “but there were a lot of memorable moments and I won’t forget them.”

 

Cavs run out of CBI miracles
By Jerry Ratcliffe / jratcliffe@dailyprogress.com
March 27, 2008

Up until Wednesday night’s CBI semifinal game against visiting Bradley, the Cavaliers had played Cheat the Reaper by staging remarkable comebacks against Richmond and Old Dominion to advance in college basketball’s newest postseason event.

This time, Virginia ran out of miracles.

This time, there was no come-from-behind drama.

This time, the Cavaliers couldn’t depend on Sean Singletary scoring eight points in 25 seconds to salvage an improbable win. This time, when Singletary looked into his teammates eyes in the huddle, he didn’t see the fire that had fueled the comebacks. This time, he saw blank stares.

So ended Virginia’s basketball season with a 96-85 setback by the Braves from Peoria, a team that was better than its 20-15 record may have suggested.

The end of an era

So ended Singletary’s illustrious career with a 17-point, eight assists performance that was awarded with a standing ovation when he came out of a UVa game for the last time with less than a minute to play.

So ended Dave Leitao’s third season as the Cavaliers’ coach.

“There were 17 really good nights and 16 very bad nights,” Leitao said of his team’s final record.

Once again, the common denominator of those very bad nights - bad defense - rose its ugly head as the Cavaliers squandered away a 14-point, first-half lead faster than a high roller at gaming tables in Las Vegas.

Still, Virginia was in it with 12 minutes to play, deadlocked at 58-all before Bradley went on a 22-5 scoring rampage that left the volatile Leitao stomping his feet to protest his team’s lousy defensive effort.

The Braves, who finished second in scoring in the Missouri Valley Conference even though they were minus key personnel during portions of the regular season, were healthy for the CBI. So was their shooting as Bradley converted 56.7 percent of its shots in the second half (17 of 30), and half its dozen attempts from Bonusphere.

Bewildered defenders

All the offensive firepower and ball screens left the Cavaliers spellbound.

Virginia’s players seemed confused when they switched off ball screens as Cavalier guards allowed dribble penetration, then didn’t get help from teammates, which is a cardinal sin in fundamental defensive philosophy.

It’s something that has nagged this particular team practically all season long and frustrated its coach to no end.

After the reality that this season had just ended, Leitao spent some time reflecting, but mostly turning his attention to the future, which will seem strange without No. 44 around to save the day.

Leitao has been through this before, on Singletary’s Senior Night, then again after losing in the first round of the ACC Tournament. This time, the goodbye was forever.

The coach said that after 24 years of coaching, that saying farewell to Singletary was difficult because he was one of the greatest young people he had ever met.

“That’s very hard to swallow for me because you can coach for 100 years and you may never see that again,” Leitao said.

It’s never easy for a coach to let a season go. UVa’s women’s coach Debbie Ryan felt that pain the night before with a second-round NCAA loss at Old Dominion.

Singletary and his women’s team counterpart, point guard Sharnee Zoll, both experienced that anguish in back-to-back evenings as Virginia’s basketball seasons came crashing down.

“You see the seniors and feel bad for them because, as a young person, you think there’s never an end to it,” Leitao said. “It’s a cruel thing.”

But his mind quickly turned to those players who will return and before Leitao walked out of the locker room for the last time this season he left an indelible impression on each Cavaliers’ mind.

“That was his last words to us, that we’re going to play defense,” said freshman Jeff Jones, who ended his roller coaster-like season with a career-high 26 points (including 6 of 8 treys). “He said that starting in our next practice, whenever that is, we’re going to be a defensive team again.”

For Singletary, he said he will miss the camaraderie of his teammates, working with his coaches and playing before Virginia fans.

“You always have memories, but it’s time to move on,” the star guard said. “I need to get some rest and get back in the gym because it’s a new chapter of my life.”

And a new chapter for Virginia basketball - one that starts with the letter ‘D.’

 

Curtain falls on Virginia
The Cavaliers aren't able to weather an off night of shooting by star guard Sean Singletary.
By Doug Doughty
981-3129

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Four curtain calls were one too many for Virginia point guard Sean Singletary and the Cavaliers.

Singletary's fourth farewell proved to be the last Wednesday as Bradley defeated UVa 96-85 before a crowd of 5,852 at John Paul Jones Arena.

Singletary celebrated his Senior Night on March 9 but his season was extended when the Cavaliers accepted an invitation to the College Basketball Invitational and subsequently were awarded three home games.

Singletary's late-game heroics saved UVa on Monday night in an 80-76 victory over Old Dominion, but, this time by the time he found his shooting touch, it was too late.

"Our lifeline ran out, basically," said Singletary, referring to UVa's comebacks from double-digit deficits against Richmond and ODU.

Singletary had 17 points and eight assists Wednesday but needed to make his last three shots from the field to finish 7-for-18.

"I was off," Singletary said. "Just couldn't get anything to go. Tried to get to the basket but really couldn't get anything to go at all."

The Cavaliers (17-16) squandered a season-high 26 points from freshman Jeff Jones, who connected on six of his eight 3-point attempts.

"It's hard to feel good about it when you know that Sean went out with a loss," said Jones, who shares Singletary's Philadelphia roots.

Virginia jumped out to a 30-16 lead with 8:50 remaining in the first half but had little time to enjoy it as the Braves (20-15) went on a 15-0 run. The score was tied at the half and it was 58-58 with 11:50 left, following a 3-pointer by the Cavaliers' Adrian Joseph.

This time, Bradley came at the Cavaliers with a 15-2 run, including one possession when the Braves were credited with two offensive rebounds and may have had three or four before 6-foot freshman Sam Maniscalo connected.

Opponents have been killing Virginia with stickbacks and it was just the latest in a series of dismal defensive displays by the Cavaliers. Bradley shot 56.7 percent from the field in a 54-point second half.

Bradley's Jeremy Crouch, a 6-foot-5 senior, missed all seven of his 3-point attempts in the first half and then went 5-for-5 from beyond the arc to start the second half. He finished with a game-high 27 points.

"I went in [at the half] and washed my hands and just let it all go," said Crouch, who came into the game with 106 3-point field goals for the season. "I just wasn't shooting very well, so I wanted to clean it all off and start fresh."

Crouch said that handwashing isn't part of his normal halftime routine, "but it will be now," coach Jim Les said.

The Braves averaged more than nine 3-point field goals during their first 34 games and didn't stop shooting when they opened the game 0-for-6. They were 6-for-12 on 3-pointers in the second half and 11-for-31 for the game.

"Virginia did a lot of switching and we had some 'bigs' on us," said Crouch, who had more maneuverability in those switchings. "This offense is so much fun to play in and it's a match-up nightmare for some teams."

In UVa coach Dave Leitao's estimation, schemes were secondary.

"The reality of it is, if you look at the statistics, any offense has given us trouble," Leitao said. "Somewhere along the line, our defensive attitude and presence has not been there with any level of consistency."

Bradley, which had been outrebounded for the season, had a 43-38 advantage on the boards Wednesday.

"I put it all into one package," Leitao said. "Rebounding is the same thing as defense. It's an attitude. We've got to reclaim that attitude. When we've needed a stretch or a stop, we haven't been able to get it with any consistency."

Virginia scored 22 points in the final 4:42, obscuring the fact that it had failed to score on six straight possessions earlier in the second half.

Leitao removed Singletary for the last time with 48 seconds remaining and the crowd gave him one last standing ovation. There were no tears on his part.

"I told you before," he said. "I cried during the season after all those losses."

 

UVa falls in CBI semifinals with disappointing defense
By Andy Bitter
Published: March 26, 2008

CHARLOTTESVILLE — Shortly after the last of his 27 points dropped in Bradley’s 96-85 win against Virginia in the College Basketball Invitational semifinals, guard Jeremy Crouch sat at the John Paul Jones Arena press room dais and spoke about how much of a matchup nightmare the Braves’ 3-point happy offense can be for an opposing defense.
UVa coach Dave Leitao respectfully thought that missed the point.
“Any offense has been giving us trouble,” he said. “Somewhere along the line, our defensive presence and attitude has not been there with any level of consistency.”
Bradley (20-15) shot 56.7 percent in the second half and finished with 11 3-pointers to end the Cavaliers’ season one win shy of a berth in the CBI’s best-of-three championship series.
“Our defense has been killing us,” UVa forward Mike Scott said. “And it showed tonight.”
Virginia (17-16) simply couldn’t keep up with Bradley’s offensive pace, despite Jeff Jones’ best game to date. The freshman guard made six 3-pointers and finished with a career-high 26 points, his best game since scoring 15 at Arizona in the third game of the season.
It was a less glorious finish for Sean Singletary, whose memorable career officially came to an end. The guard never found a rhythm offensively, missing 11 of his first 15 shots before getting some late buckets to finish with 17 points.
“You’re saying goodbye to, after 24 years (in coaching), one of the greatest people that I’ve ever meet,” Leitao said. “That’s very hard to swallow for me, because you can coach for 100 years and you may never see that again.”
Singletary wrapped up a career in which he was the first player in ACC history to reach 2,000 points, 500 assists, 400 rebounds and 200 steals. He left the game with 48.2 seconds remaining to a standing ovation and the congratulations of his teammates, but he said he didn’t have many emotions.
“I told you before, I cried during the season. All those losses were tough,” said Singletary, a likely NBA Draft pick this June. “I’m good now.”
Fellow senior Adrian Joseph finished with 15 points on 6-of-7 shooting and Mamadi Diane added 10 points, but as has been a problem all season long, Virginia simply couldn’t get any defensive stops.
Bradley broke open a 58-all tie with a 22-5 run midway through the second half. The Braves created mismatches on almost every possession, setting screens to get their smaller, quicker guards matched up against UVa’s big men.
The Braves, who had made the 14th most 3-pointers in the nation entering the game, didn’t scorch the nets (11-for-31 from long range), but they did manage to consistently get to the hoop for layups against Virginia’s defenders, who were always a step slow.
Worse yet, if those shots didn’t fall, Bradley still got to the boards. The Braves’ undersized lineup out-rebounded the Cavaliers 43-38 and scored 18 second-chance points.
“I put it all into one package,” Leitao said. “Rebounding is the same as defense.”
Crouch led the Braves’ attack, scoring 21 points after halftime and making five 3-pointers. That came on the heels of an 0-for-7 effort in the first half from 3-point land.
“I went in and washed my hands and just kind of tried to let it all go,” said Crouch, whose 27 points were two shy of a career high.
Does he always wash his hands after the first half?
Bradley coach Jim Les couldn’t help but interrupt: “He will now.”

 

Bradley ends Virginia's season in CBI semifinal
Jones' 27 point outburst not enough to overcome lackluster defense
Anders Sleight, Cavalier Daily Associate Editor

"Offense sells tickets, but defense wins championships."

This oft-used cliché rang true for the Virginia men's basketball team last night as its postseason run in the College Basketball Invitational? came to a close. The Cavaliers were defeated 96-85 by Bradley in the semifinals of the CBI.

At times, the Cavaliers (17-16, 5-11 ACC) appeared helpless on defense, and Bradley (20-15, 9-9 Missouri Valley Conference) was able to run up the score while limiting Virginia at the same time. On numerous occasions, the Cavaliers surrendered wide-open 3-point baskets, dunks and layups. At the other end of the court, Virginia hit the rim countless times as it struggled to shoot the ball from the perimeter. Bradley shot over 60 percent from the field in the second half and outscored Virginia 54-43 in the period. The Cavaliers also struggled at the free-throw line, shooting a season-low 42.9 percent from the charity stripe. Freshman guard Jeff Jones led Virginia with 26 points, senior guard Sean Singletary added 17 points and eight assists and senior forward Adrian Joseph contributed 15 points. Senior guard Jeremy Crouch led Bradley with 27 points,? ending the postseason for the Cavaliers.

"As you close out a season you get time to reflect," Virginia coach Dave Leitao said. "My mind went back to our seniors and what they've been through. With Sean you're saying goodbye to one of the greatest young persons that I've ever met. That's hard to swallow for me."

Singletary started the game on the right foot for Virginia as he penetrated into the lane and put the ball in off the glass on the Cavaliers' first possession. Junior forward Mamadi Diane continued Virginia's hot start as he added 4 early points off two strong moves to the basket. A little over five minutes into the game, Virginia enjoyed a somewhat comfortable 13-8 lead.

Junior forward Laurynas Mikalauskas continued Virginia's good start by connecting on two layups, the first of which came after a dazzling array of moves from Singletary. Two free throws from Jones extended Virginia's early lead to 8, 19-11, with just over 11 minutes to play in the half.

Three straight Virginia 3-pointers, two from Jones and one from Joseph, broke the game wide open. Just as it seemed things couldn't get any better, Singletary pulled off another trademark acrobatic basket to give Virginia a 30-16 lead with 8:50 to play in the opening half. Singletary's basket, as is normally the case, brought the entire John Paul Jones Arena crowd to its feet in applause for the stunning Virginia run.

Virginia's run, however, was quickly countered by the Braves. Bradley quietly went on a 13-0 run in about 2 minutes and 30 seconds. In a matter of moments, Virginia saw its comfortable 14-point lead evaporate.

Over the closing minutes of the half the two teams traded baskets and maintained a physical style of play. The first half ended in a 42-42 tie after Diane tipped in a missed free throw at the buzzer. Virginia shot just 44 percent from the free-throw line in the period.

Jones continued to have the hot hand, drilling two more 3-pointers to begin the second half. Bradley, however, forced Virginia to commit a number of turnovers early on and kept the score tied at 50 five minutes into the half.

The next five minutes were notable mostly for the lack of defense exhibited by both teams. Bradley was easily able to knock down several wide-open shots and come up with two very easy layups. Virginia, for the most part, kept pace with Bradley until it gave up three straight Bradley baskets -- which forced Leitao to call a time out to straighten things out. The Cavaliers trailed the Braves by 7, 65-58, with just over 10 minutes remaining in the game.

Leitao's attempt to rally his players, however, did not work. Virginia continued its cold shooting streak and did not break it until Jones sank a 10-foot jumper with just over eight minutes to play. With 7:53 remaining Virginia trailed Bradley, 71-60.

Each time Virginia attempted to reverse the tide, Bradley drilled another open shot or dropped in another easy basket. Virginia's defensive woes continued over the next several minutes, and the Cavaliers faced a 15-point deficit with just under five minutes to play.

Over the last five minutes, Virginia narrowed Bradley's lead but continued to give up open dunks and easy free-throw opportunities.

"I thought the game was there to be had," Bradley coach Jim Les said. "I thought our guys did a great job of getting hands on shots and limiting them to one shot. I thought we made it a little tough for [Singletary]."
 

Don't look down
Paul Montana

For Sean Singletary, this season certainly wasn't as he envisioned it.

Watching his team have its season end at the hands of Bradley, a middle-of-the-pack squad in the Missouri Valley Conference, wasn't how he expected it would end, either.

What was he thinking when, as he received yet another standing ovation, he walked off the court at JPJ for the last time?

Something only Sean would think.

"Just 'I need to get some rest, and get back in the gym,'" he said. "I'm beginning a new chapter in my life."

This is not to say he wasn't bothered by the loss or that he won't miss wearing a Virginia uniform.

"Playing in the gym with all those fans, you're going to miss a lot," he said. "But, like I said, time to move on."

It's a shame that Virginia's season had to end this way. If nothing else, the CBI gave Singletary a chance to end his unfathomable career with a win. But, of course, with the scoreboard flashing 96-85 at game's end, it wasn't to be.

And the culprit? As usual, it was the defense: 54 Bradley points on 56.7 percent shooting overall in the second half, 50 percent shooting from the 3-point line. ?Wide open looks inside and out. Familiar sights that have defined Virginia's season.

Bradley's 15 points in 155 seconds in the first half were almost as blinding as Singletary's 8 points in 26 seconds Monday night. Virginia's up 30-16. Bang, bang, bang -- they're down 31-30. (That's the best way I can put it into words.) Extrapolate the Braves' little 15-point eruption out to a 40-minute game, and Bradley scores 232 points -- and that's rounding down.

Though Bradley didn't quite make it to 232, the abysmal Virginia defense didn't stop there. The Cavs just couldn't keep anybody in front of them; they bit at one ball fake after another and were slow to rotate and close out on shooters when the Braves penetrated and kicked. That's been the story for Virginia all year long: The defense, always Leitao's primary emphasis, has been inconsistent and, at times, awful.

"We just played three different offenses," Leitao said. "Richmond's offense shot at or around 50 percent, Old Dominion's offense shot 50 percent, and this [Bradley] offense shot 48 percent ... We caused a lot of that."

Speaking of inconsistent, Jeff Jones, Mr. Inconsistent, did finally come alive. An overall disappointment in his freshman year, Jones has been much more assertive the past two games, particularly last night, as he shot 6 of 8 from the 3-point line and 9 of 14 overall for a game-high 26 points.

For Jones, though, perhaps there is a silver lining in not playing another game for a while. The last time he shot that well was against Arizona Nov. 17, when he made 5 of 7 from the 3-point line for 15 points. Then he missed his next 17 threes until finally hitting one Feb. 9 at Wake Forest. Go figure.

"He started off with a bang and he ended with a bang," Singletary said. "He'll be the face of the program."

And, lord knows, they'll have to get a heck of a lot more from him and from the entire roster next year to have a shot of even finishing better than 10th place in the conference, as the Cavs finished this year. Because -- here it comes, brace yourself -- he's not coming back.

Let me squash your fantasies right here and now. There will be no fifth year. There won't be another, "I'm going to the NBA ... psych!" No. 44 is gone. For good.

"He's leaving some big shoes to fill," Jones said, shaking his head disbelievingly. "Humongous shoes to fill."

And who can replace him? Let me rephrase: Who can replace one-tenth of him? Jones? Mamadi Diane? Lars Mikalauskas? Mustapha Farrakhan? A couple of big guys in next year's freshman class? Are we kidding ourselves?

Frankly, there's only one thing that can be the saving grace to this basketball team. There's only one way that these guys have a fighting -- no, shouting­ -- no, screaming -- no, screeching chance of making progress in 2008-09.

D.

"Those was Coach Leitao's last words out of the locker room [after the game]: 'We're going to play defense," Jones said. "We're going to be a defensive team."

And the one man that remains with this team in whom I do have a good deal of confidence is Leitao. No, he didn't get his boys to D up this year, but I believe he will next year. I believe in the absence of the best player to suit up at Virginia since Ralph Sampson, these guys will be shocked at how much more difficult it is to find open looks without all of their defenders' eyes on someone else. They will understand that the 19.9 points and 6.12 assists per game they lose from him on the stat sheet is only the half of it. With the voice of Leitao constantly ringing in their ears, when that hits home -- and it likely won't before the first time they play without him -- that is when they will buckle down and be the defensive team Leitao so desperately wants them to be.

Why do I have so much blind faith?

Because I have to. We all have to. Right now, Cavs fans are overlooking a canyon. The only way to maintain sanity is to not look down.

 

With loss, Cavs look to the fall CBI
March 27, 2008 12:15 am
BY TAFT COGHILL JR.
CHARLOTTESVILLE--

When the final buzzer sounds at the end of every season, Dave Leitao does two things: He reminisces about his seniors, but then he quickly turns his attention to next year.

The Virginia head coach was forced to do that last night after the Cavaliers lost 96-85 to Bradley in the College Basketball Invitational semifinals, mercifully bringing their season to an end.

Leitao thought about his four seniors, especially star point guard Sean Singletary. And he began focusing on how he's going to fix the horrendous defense the Cavaliers (17-16) played most of this season, including last night.

"You're saying goodbye to one of the greatest young people that I've ever met, and that's very hard to swallow for me," Leitao said of Singletary. "You could coach for 100 years and you may never see that again."

What Leitao hopes he doesn't see again is the Cavaliers' lack of defensive intensity. They gave up several layups and dunks in the final minutes against Bradley, which shot 57 percent from the floor in the second half to advance to the best-of-three championship round.

The Braves (20-15) had five players score in double figures, including senior guard Jeremy Crouch, who scored 19 of his game-high 27 points in the second half.

"I went in and washed my hands. I had to let it all go," Crouch said of his 0-for-7 showing on 3-pointers in the first half. "Shooters shoot, and I got some pretty good looks. I didn't shoot it very well, so I wanted to clean it all off and start fresh."

The Braves broke open a 58-all game with a 20-5 run that gave them a 78-63 lead on a Crouch 3-pointer with 5:21 left. They didn't look back.

Virginia freshman shooting guard Jeff Jones, who scored a team-high 26 points, said that in the locker room following the game, Leitao's final words were: "We're going to play defense [next season]."

"The reality of it is if you look at the statistics, any offense has given us trouble," Leitao said in response to a question about the difficulty of defending Bradley's offensive system. "Somewhere along the line our defensive presence and attitude has not been there with any level of consistency."

Singletary was the Cavaliers' consistent scoring threat in his four-year career.

In the final minute last night, Leitao allowed him and senior forward Adrian Joseph to exit to a standing ovation from what was left of the crowd of 5,852 at John Paul Jones Arena.

"Losing is the last memory I'm going to have," Joseph said. "But it's a lot of memorable moments that I won't forget."

Singletary has his share of those, but last night wasn't one of them. He had 17 points and eight assists, but shot just seven-of-19 from the floor.

He trudged to the bench one final time with 48 seconds remaining, and the crowd began chanting his name. The three-time All-Atlantic Coast Conference performer said he'll immediately get in the gym and begin working on improving his stock for the NBA Draft.

"It was ups and downs throughout my career and this season," Singletary said. "But you can't dwell on the past, whether positive or negative. You learn from your experiences and move on."

The Cavaliers have to move on as well. Next season, they'll welcome McDonald's All-America guard Sylven Landesberg, as well as two other high-profile recruits. Jones also gave Leitao a glimpse of the future with his performance last night. He hit 6-of-8 3s.

"Sean is leaving some humongous shoes to fill," Jones said. "So it's going to be a group effort from all the guards on the team to make up for what Sean did for us the last four years."

Colonials rout Cavaliers
From staff reports / Charlottesville Daily Progress
March 27, 2008

When the floodgates opened, George Washington took full advantage.

After scoring five runs in the first inning, No. 21 Virginia allowed 16 unanswered runs on its way to a 17-5 loss, the second worst in coach Brian O’Connor’s era.

The loss snapped the Cavaliers’ 18-game winning streak at Davenport Field and dropped the team’s overall record to 20-5.

“We got ours tonight. Everybody gets it at some point in the season,” O’Connor said. “Ours happened to be in the 25th game of the year. We got our beating. It happens in the game of baseball.”

GW (12-9) pounded out 18 hits, including two homers, off four Virginia pitchers.

The Cavaliers gave up the lead in the fourth inning after allowing the Colonials to score four runs. GW blew the game open in the eighth inning with a lengthy assault that provided eight runs.

“We pitched well at times,” O’Connor said, “and just couldn’t finish the deal in several innings.”

UVa finished with seven hits in the contest, and rookie right fielder Dan Grovatt had two RBI.

O’Connor said it is paramount that his team blocks out the loss as Virginia Tech enters Friday for a three-game series.

“We are going to wake up in the morning and forget about it,” said Virginia first baseman Jeremy Farrell.

“You don’t want to lose like that for sure, but the quicker we forget about it we can move on.”

 

Pitching crumbles in home loss
G.W. hammers Cavaliers' pitching staff for 17 runs in first defeat at home in 2008
Eric Kolenich, Cavalier Daily Senior Writer

The Virginia pitching staff had no answers for George Washington yesterday, as the Colonials went on an offensive rampage and defeated Virginia 17-5.

The loss was Virginia's first at home in 2008 and the 17 runs given up were the most the Virginia pitching staff has allowed since 2004, when the Cavaliers (20-5, 5-4 ACC) lost 22-3 at Miami.

"We got ours tonight," Virginia coach Brian O'Connor said. "Everybody gets it at some point in the season. Ours happened to be the 25th game of the year when we got out beating."

Freshman Tyler Wilson, sophomore Jeff Lorick, freshman Robert Morey and senior Jake Rule combined to give up the 17 runs on 18 hits and didn't strike out a single GW hitter all day.

The Virginia hitters got on the board early, scoring five runs before GW (12-9, 2-1 Atlantic 10) could record an out. Colonial sophomore starter Ryan LaPointe was taken out having not retired a single batter. But the Cavaliers made the next 27 outs without scoring another run, and the Colonial bullpen allowed only three hits for the rest of the game.

"When the energy is down after we score five runs in the first inning and no outs, you can feel it in the dugout," Morey said.

Rule, one of the go-to guys in the Virginia bullpen, continued to struggle. He pitched 1.2 innings, allowing five earned runs on five hits. His ERA jumped to 9.58. O'Connor brought Rule in with the bases loaded late in the eighth. After getting ahead 0-2, Rule plunked senior Andrew Abokhair in the back to allow the 10th run of the day to score.

"He's been that way so many times when he's got two strikes on a batter and hasn't put the hitter away," O'Connor said. "I told Jake after the inning, 'It's a long season.' I wanted to see him go back on the mound for the ninth inning and attack them."

The loss was Virginia's first outside the ACC this season.

"This kind of game, I think you're seeing this all over the country," O'Connor said. "This is the change in the schedule, that when you play two games in the middle of the week, you're going to get this. Not 17 runs, but you're not going to win them all."

When asked how quickly he could get over this game, Morey said, "Overnight."

The Cavaliers return to the field Friday to host Virginia Tech (8-15, 0-9 ACC). Junior Jacob Thompson will get the start on the mound for the Cavaliers.

"We've got a big game here Friday night," O'Connor said. "You can't have that carry-over factor."