UVA Notes

MILESTONE REACHED: Under Dom Starsia, Virginia has captured three NCAA men’s lacrosse championships. Until this year, though, the Cavaliers never had won at both Syracuse’s Carrier Dome and Johns Hopkins’ storied Homewood Field in the same season.

U.Va., which edged the ‘Cuse 13-12 on Feb. 27, rallied to beat Hopkins 16-15 on on Saturday night in Baltimore.

The top-ranked Cavaliers led 12-8 at halftime but found themselves trailing 15-14 after three quarters.

“One of the players, I think it was [midfielder] Max Pomper, steps in the huddle at the end of the third quarter and says, ‘We do not lose this kind of game,’ and that’s what you want to hear from your kids,” Starsia said yesterday. “And actually accomplishing these things gives us some experience and knowing that we can go in a hostile environment and still perform.”

U.Va. (10-0) plays its ACC opener Saturday against 9th-ranked Maryland (2-0, 6-2) at Klockner Stadium. ESPN2 will televise the noon game.

BACK IN THE MIX: Sophomore midfielder Shamel Bratton has emerged as an offensive force for U.Va., with 17 goals and six assists in his nine games this season.

His twin brother has been slowed by injuries. But Rhamel Bratton, also a sophomore midfielder, has returned to practice full time, Starsia said, and his role is likely to grow.

“If you ask me, ‘How are you going to get better as you move to the second half of the season?’ “ Starsia said, “one way is we get Rhamel Bratton back up to speed.”

Rhamel, the Cavaliers’ No. 4 midfielder, behind Shamel, Brian Carroll and Steve Giannone, has four goals and two assists in seven games.

“He may not quite be Shamel,” Starsia said, “but he’s a dynamic kid who forces you to cover him.”

ON HOLD: Neither of the two men’s basketball recruits who signed with U.Va. in November has asked for a release from his letter of intent. Tristan Spurlock and Jontel Evans expected to play for Dave Leitao at U.Va., but they want to see who's hired as Leitao’s succesor before they finalize their plans for 2009-10.

Spurlock is a 6-8 forward from Woodbridge; Evans, a 5-11 point guard from Hampton.

ON THE DIAMOND: This is the least experienced baseball team Brian O’Connor has had in his six seasons as U.Va.’s coach, and it's fast becoming one of his favorites.

“I would say collectively as a group there’s a real feeling of team on this club, more so than any team I’ve coached here at Virginia,” O’Connor said Sunday. “They’re all about picking each other up. They’re not a bunch of individuals, playing for their own personal situation, draft status or whatever it may be.

“There’s something about youth. It’s exciting. They don’t think that they have the answers to everything. They just go out and play hard and love to play and compete.”

Virginia, ranked No. 24 in the latest Baseball America poll, opens a three-game series against No. 5 North Carolina in Chapel Hill on Friday night. Virginia concludes a two-game series with Towson today at Davenport Field.

END OF THE LINE: Nate Collins, who started five games at nose tackle last season, also is working at defensive end this spring. A rising senior, Collins could end up starting there in Virginia’s 3-4 defense, with nose tackle Nick Jenkins and end Matt Conrath completing the line.

“Nate kind of became a nose because when he came here, there were plenty of ends, and we really needed a nose,” U.Va. coach Al Groh said. “But had the personnel circumstance been a little different when he arrived, he could just as easily gone [to end] in the first place. So it’s a comfortable position for him.”

IN THE POOL: The U.Va. men’s swimming team, which won the ACC title for the 10th time in 11 years, will compete in the NCAA championships, starting tomorrow in College Station, Texas.

Leading the Cavaliers is sophomore Matt McLean, who was named the most valuable swimmer at the ACC meet after winning the 200-, 500- and 1,650-meter freestyle.

The U.Va. women placed 12th at the NCAA championships, which concluded Saturday. The finish was the team’s highest since 2002, when the Wahoos also placed 12th.

-- Jeff White
 

Don’t bury Tubby as possibility for Cavs
By Jerry Ratcliffe
Published: March 25, 2009

The one thing I’ve learned about coaching searches during my career is that there’s a whole lot more misinformation circulating than information.

Perhaps it is the snooping, suspicious side of me, the journalist’s side, that tends to look past smokescreens, but I’m still convinced that the Tubby Smith door has not been closed in Virginia’s search process.

Ever since Dave Leitao resigned as the Cavaliers’ coach last week, the overwhelming fan favorite to replace him from the e-mails, phone calls, and personal encounters I have received, has been Smith. The vast majority of fans believe that Smith can return Virginia basketball to its previous winning status.

This columnist believes so, too.

A pivotal decision

UVa director of athletics Craig Littlepage is about to make perhaps the most important hire since Dick Schultz lured George Welsh away from the U.S. Naval Academy in December 1981.

There is a widespread belief that Tubby Smith could work the same wonders (if not surpass them) that made George a legendary figure in Wahoo lore.

Virginia has built perhaps the finest college basketball facility in the nation. Its fan base is starving for a winner. The state high school coaches are pining for a coach that will come in and put Cavalier basketball back on the map.

They all want to matter.

The support is here. The money is here. The enthusiasm is here. The thirst for a winning program is here.

The next guy that walks in the door at John Paul Jones Arena could walk on water in the eyes of Wahoo Nation.

Terry Holland won here for 13 seasons, Jeff Jones for six, Pete Gillen for four, and Leitao for two.

Winning the living room

Tubby Smith can win here. He can recruit this state, from Oak Hill Academy to Fork Union and Hargrave to Boo Williams’ territory and everywhere in between. High school coaches will roll out the red carpet for him because they want a winner in the state just as badly as anyone else.

While I think there are other coaches on UVa’s wish list, I truly think Tubby remains at the top regardless of media reports in Minnesota.

Why?

Deals in modern college athletics are done a lot more behind the scenes than many realize. Coaches aren’t going to stick their necks out publicly until the time is right.

When Smith left Kentucky for Minnesota, his agent handled the legwork, which I suspect is the case here. Minnesota, by the way, did not ask for permission to approach Smith until either right before or right after Tubby got on the plane to Minneapolis.

From what I have learned from various sources, Virginia clearly understands to make a “no-brainer” hire, the best coach it can get its hands on — and in my mind, and many of yours, that’s Tubby Smith.

I have been told that Virginia is going after one of the best coaches in America, and certainly you could pretty much count those guys on two hands and a few toes. Smith is one of ‘em.

This is just a sampler of some of the feedback:

“Shoot for the stars UVa ... Tubby should be our man!”

“Pay [Tubby] the big bucks and bring UVa back to where it belongs.”

“Kentucky looks like fools for letting Tubby get away ... he would be a perfect match for UVa. A true gentleman, well-liked in his profession, and, yes, he can COACH and RECRUIT.”

“UVa: whatever you have to do, do it to get Tubby!”

“Tubby is a living legend and the only one that can rank with Roy Williams and Coach K. None of the others [on the search list] are close. If there ever was a time we need a big move and a big-name coach it is now.”

“I think Tubby is perfect. He has presence, respect, reputation for recruiting.”

“UVa has the best basketball facilities in the ACC and a fertile recruiting base, not to mention a great nucleus of Landesberg, Scott, and Sene for the next few years. The time is now.”

Could it be Tubby Time?

 

Cavaliers’ coach search offers few answers
By Whitey Reid
Published: March 25, 2009

Ten days have passed since Dave Leitao “resigned” as Virginia basketball coach. During that time, speculation has run rampant about the candidates who may or may not be interested in replacing him.

At this point, the only thing that can be said for sure is that Virginia doesn’t seem any closer to naming a new coach than it was the day Leitao walked out of John Paul Jones Arena.

It is believed that Minnesota coach Tubby Smith remains at the top of Virginia’s list of candidates to replace Leitao in spite of a story in the Minneapolis Star Tribune that quoted Smith as saying he planned on staying in the Twin Cities.

It is not known whether Virginia has spoken directly with Smith. The Gophers coach, who is believed to be UVa’s top choice, hasn’t returned phone calls seeking comment. His team lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament last Thursday to Texas.

Smith is one of the few candidates on Virginia’s radar that is free to talk. Oklahoma coach Jeff Capel, Xavier coach Sean Miller and Villanova coach Jay Wright are still alive in the Sweet 16.

Virginia Commonwealth coach Anthony Grant is another name on Virginia’s list. But with job openings at Alabama and Georgia, UVa would have to act fast.

The Tide were recently granted permission to interview Grant, a former longtime assistant at Florida under Billy Donovan. Two years ago, Grant was nearly hired to replace Donovan after the Gators coach initially accepted an offer to coach the Orlando Magic. Grant could very well have his sights set on a return to the SEC.

Another candidate Virginia might look at could be Notre Dame coach Mike Brey, a former Duke assistant. On Tuesday, ESPN college basketball reporter Andy Katz speculated that Brey would be interested in the UVa opening.

Clearly, Brey — whose team plays Kentucky in the quarterfinals of the NIT this evening — wouldn’t have the cachet of a Smith or some of the other candidates. The move would likely be viewed as not that much of an upgrade from Leitao, who, like Brey, came from the Big East (DePaul).

With attractive job openings at Arizona and likely Kentucky, time is definitely of the essence for Virginia, who would be wise to lock down one of its top candidates before the annual game of coaching musical chairs really heats up.

 

Grant expected to visit Alabama
By Tim Pearrell
Published: March 25, 2009

Is Anthony Grant headed to Alabama?

A decision could come today. Virginia Commonwealth University's third-year basketball coach is expected to travel to Alabama today, a source said, as he weighs the prospect of becoming the Crimson Tide's coach.

Grant met with Alabama officials Sunday to discuss the Tide's vacant coaching position. Sources said Alabama Athletic Director Mal Moore and Executive Athletic Director Dave Hart came to Richmond to meet with Grant but did not offer him the job.

The Tuscaloosa News reported that multiple sources said Grant could receive a formal offer during his visit today.

Grant has not returned messages the past two days.

Alabama has zeroed in on Grant, 42, to replace Mark Gottfried. The Birmingham News reported that sources said the job is Grant's if he wants it, but that he must decide within the next five days. Alabama officials likely would move on to other candidates if Grant takes longer, the newspaper said.

The Birmingham newspaper reported last week that Alabama is willing to offer its new coach an annual salary of $2 million or more.

Grant's package at VCU pays him $700,000 annually in base salary and retention incentives, plus an additional $100,000 in deferred compensation if he is still VCU's coach on April 15. He also has numerous performance incentives.

He has a $240,000 buyout if he resigns to accept another job before March 31. After that date, the buyout is reduced by $40,000 each year. His contract runs through 2014.

Grant would be the first African-American men's basketball coach at Alabama, which may be an intriguing possibility for a man who loves history. And it would give him a chance to return to the Southeastern Conference.

Grant served as an assistant coach at Florida for 10 seasons. He was a major part of the Gators' rise to prominence that culminated in a national championship in 2006. Grant became VCU's coach the following season.

In three seasons with the Rams, Grant has gone 76-25 with three Colonial Athletic Association regular-season titles and two NCAA tournament appearances.

 

Man of Steele
Jeff White
Mar 24, 2009

CHARLOTTESVILLE – It’s not unusual for a freshman to contribute on attack for the U.Va. men’s lacrosse team. In the past decade alone, such players as Connor Gill, John Christmas, Joe Yevoli, Matt Ward, Ben Rubeor, Danny Glading and Garrett Billings have done so.

To that esteemed group, add Steele Stanwick. Coming out of Loyola Blakefield High near Baltimore last year, Stanwick was considered the nation’s top recruit, and he’s lived up to that billing. Stanwick starts on attack with Glading and Billings, who are now seniors, and he had three goals Saturday night in U.Va.’s 16-15 win at Johns Hopkins.

For the season, Stanwick has 21 goals and 11 assists for the nation’s top-ranked team.

Of the first-year attackmen he’s coached at U.Va., Dom Starsia told me today, Ward was the most poised.

“Now, Matt was about 25 years old as a freshman,” Starsia added with a laugh. “Steele is a very different player than Matt. Matt was always a bull, just completely unflappable and very confident. Steele has that same kind of air about him, kind of unflappable.

“He’s not playing perfectly, he makes some mistakes, but it doesn’t seem to faze him. He’s just so poised … I just think he’s a kid who has a smile on his face all the time, and the guys enjoy having him out there.”

Stanwick, for the record, is 19. He turns 20 in September.

 

Virginia draft entrants take part in Pro Day
Scouts use Pro Day to conduct “eyeball tests” of prospects, see aspects of players’ talents beyond film and stat sheets
Jack Harver, Cavalier Daily Staff Writer
Published: Wednesday, March 25 2009

The Virginia football team hosted scouts from 29 of the 32 NFL teams at its annual draft-eligible players’ Pro Timing Day this past Thursday. With the NFL Draft approaching April 25-26, the scouts were eager to get a first-hand look at 12 Cavaliers who had impressed them in recent offseason events and throughout their college careers.

The day started at 7 a.m., when the first scouts arrived at the football team’s McCue Center headquarters to watch game film from past seasons. The game tape — used internally by coaches — is taken from a steady end-zone camera, which follows the action of a play from the sideline angle, unlike television footage. From this angle, any of the 22 players on the field can be watched for an entire play. Ultimately, scouts use these tapes to help evaluate how a particular player handles himself on the field.

Virginia coach Al Groh gathered the scouts at 9 a.m. for an informational meeting with athletic trainer Kelli Pugh and strength and conditioning coach Brandon Hourigan. The players began warming up downstairs in the weight room at 9:45 a.m., and by 10:15 a.m. the show had been turned over to the NFL scouts.

“Down to spandex,” a scout from the Indianapolis Colts instructed. Football pads may sometimes conceal a less-than-impressive physique, but tight-fitting shorts and tank-tops do not. A player’s physical fitness shows to an extent during workouts and on game film, but scouts also use the pro day to “eyeball test” players. In addition to a player’s stats, scouts ask themselves whether the prospect would make a successful professional football player.

The players were then weighed and measured for height, before lining up for the vertical jump, broad jump and bench press. With his teammates cheering him on, wide receiver Maurice Covington impressed scouts with a 40-inch leap; Covington was not invited to the NFL Combine in February, but his vertical jump would have been in the top five among receivers there. The broad jumps were measured with less fanfare, and then the players were given instructions for the bench press.

“Lock your arms out and keep your butt on the bench,” a scout from the New York Giants instructed. When lifting for repetitions, players can be tempted to short-arm the bench bar instead of performing a full press, and arching one’s back is one way of compensating for spent strength at the end of a set.

“The form [scouts] want is stricter than what you’d have in a normal workout,” defensive end Alex Field said.

Field managed a solid set of 23 reps of 225 pounds, which was second to that of senior linebacker Antonio Appleby’s 24. Appleby pressed the bar 27 times, but had three reps discounted for improper form.

Five Cavaliers opted out of the weight room tests: offensive tackle Eugene Monroe, wide receiver Kevin Ogletree, running back Cedric Peerman, tight end John Phillips and linebacker Clint Sintim, all of whom worked out at the NFL Combine in February.

Just after 11 a.m., the activities shifted outside to the practice field. Scouts were watching closely — timers in hand — as the players ran shuttles and cone drills designed to test their agility and short-area speed burst. Next came the 40-yard dashes, highlighted by an impressive run by Ogletree.

After the last measured drills had been finished, the players split up into groups for position-specific workouts. Monroe went first, drilled by the Cincinnati Bengals’ and Jacksonville Jaguars’ offensive line coaches. The drills were intended to test Monroe’s movement out of a set stance, the angles he takes when blocking and his hip explosiveness.

Next, the quarterbacks and receivers completed their drills, which featured three prospects with ties to Virginia football in addition to the players from last year’s team who had declared for the draft. Cavalier tight end John Phillips invited his brother, William and Mary quarterback Jake Phillips, to throw for him.

“He always makes me look good,” Phillips said.

Ogletree invited former Virginia quarterback Kevin McCabe, who played last season for California University of Pennsylvania. Former Cavalier running back Andrew Pearman, whose last season with Virginia was in 2007, was also present , working out as a wide receiver.

Linebackers Appleby, Sintim and Jon Copper then participated in workouts led by scouts from the Pittsburgh Steelers and Miami Dolphins. All three have significant experience in Virginia’s 3-4 defense, which appeals to pro teams who use that formation.

“Coach Groh is like a founding father of the 3-4,” Sintim said.

Appleby and Copper are considered inside linebackers, whereas Sintim played the “elephant” linebacker position, a strong side hybrid of coverage assignments and pass-rushing responsibilities in the 3-4. Sintim noted that “a number of teams with 4-3 defenses have talked to me.”

The New England Patriots showed interest in Field, putting him through footwork and agility drills after the linebackers had finished. Field has both the experience in a 3-4 front and the size (6-foot-7, 273) that teams look for in a defensive end for that type of defense.
After the workouts were finished, the players reflected on the importance and pressures of the draft scouting process.

“I’ve been working for four years,” Monroe said. “This is the easy part.”

Sintim added that he thinks the workouts are not as important as they are sometimes perceived to be.

“It all comes down to, are you a football player or not?”

 

Bernardino prepares team for NCAA meet
Coach emphasizes detail, strategy in preparation for national competition; team hopes to match women’s success
Chloe Newschwander, Cavalier Daily Associate Editor
Published: Wednesday, March 25 2009

The Virginia men’s swimming and diving team prepares for the NCAA Championships in College Station. The team hopes to finish in the top 10. Swimming is a sport of strategy. Races can come down to tenths of seconds, which can change any race’s outcome. Because of the sport’s nuanced nature, Virginia coach Mark Bernardino constantly emphasizes attention to detail.

Detail and strategy will play integral roles for the Virginia men’s swimming and diving team when it competes in the NCAA Championships at Texas A&M’s Student Rec Center Natatorium in College Station tomorrow through Sunday. The men’s team travels to Texas with hopes of performing at or above the level that its female counterpart reached last week when it finished 12th overall at the women’s NCAA Championships.

Before the season started, the men’s team set a goal of finishing in the top 10 at NCAAs before the season started, Bernardino said.

“I wouldn’t hesitate a second to tell you that the women’s team set the bar very high for the men’s team,” Bernardino said. “The women have done a wonderful job of performing exceptionally well prior to the men all year long. Because we’re such a close-knit group it has helped motivate and set a standard for the men to aggressively go after and to try to match or [do] better.”

Some men qualified automatically because of their exceptional times and plan to focus on specific events to earn points for the team.

“There’s an incredibly different time standard that maybe five to seven swimmers can accomplish in the year prior to going into the meet, but that vast majority of athletes qualify on the provisional standard,” Bernardino said. “There’s a set number of athletes that can go so all numbers are irrelevant ... but if you make an A-standard, which is so hard to do, you automatically make the meet.”

Virginia sophomore Matt McLean clocked in at 4:10.00 in the 500 freestyle, and 14:35.12 in the 1650 freestyle, earning himself an automatic entry and top seed in both events. Sophomore Taylor Smith’s performance in the 500 and 1650 freestyle events also met the A-standard.

Though McLean’s times in the 500 and 1650 are the fastest in the nation this season, this week’s 1650 will only be McLean’s third collegiate mile. The sophomore, however, is not nervous.

“I don’t base my confidence on experience,” McClean said. “Usually I try and base it on my training and how fit I know I am. I’ve gotten stronger this year and I’ve always been more of an aerobic guy and I’ve just utilized that capacity more this year in my events.”

McLean is also part of two relays that automatically qualified to compete this weekend after meeting the A-standard at the ACC Championships last month. Junior John Azar, freshman Peter Geissinger, sophomore Scot Robison and McClean will compete in the 400 free relay. The 800 free relay team is comprised of Azar, McClean, Robison and freshman David Karasek.

Senior Ryan Hurley, senior Lee Robertson, junior Eric Olesen and Geissinger will race in the 200 medley relay, and Hurley, Robertson, Oleson and Robison will swim the 400 medley relay, in which they will have the chance to earn double-points for the Cavaliers.

“For the last three years probably, [relays] have been a major focus on how we could improve our team,” Bernardino said. “The team has really bought into it and understands the psychology behind it and understands the importance of the relays. There’s a real thrill in being selected to be a part of a relay. They realize that that’s a special honor.”

Swimmers who are unable to automatically qualify in a relay or individual event use a different strategy to maximize the opportunity to win points. To save their energy for certain races, swimmers who are not seeded in high positions in one event often will be scratched from races they were originally scheduled to swim.

“It’s a strategical game that coaches will play,” Bernardino said. “If an athlete is the 40th seed in the 100 free, but part of the 400 free relay, the coach might scratch him out of the freestyle so he’ll be fresh for the relay. That happens all the time.”

Robertson potentially finds himself in this situation. Determined to perform to his maximum potential in the relays he qualified for, he said he may opt to take the 50 free out of his line-up.

“The first day, I’ll probably end up scratching the 50 free because there are two relays on the first day, which are a lot more important than not scoring in an individual event,” Robertson said.

 

Early offense lifts Cavs to victory against Towson
Published: Wednesday, March 25 2009

Virginia bounced back from its two-game losing streak with a dominant 13-4 win against Towson yesterday evening at Davenport Field.
The No. 8 Cavaliers (20-2, 5-2 ACC), who dropped only one position in the national polls after losing two of three games in a thrilling series against No. 4 Miami, were led by sophomore Phil Gosselin, who played left field instead of his usual position of second base. Gosselin batted 3-for-4 and drove in four of Virginia’s runs.

Starting for Virginia yesterday on the mound was senior right-hander Robert Poutier. Poutier earned the win on the evening, striking out six batters and allowing three runs in five innings.

Freshman righthander Jeff Randolph took the mound at the beginning of the game for the Tigers (12-11). After giving up one run in the first inning and five runs without earning an out in the second, he was replaced with freshman right-hander Sean Bertrand, who stayed in the game for six innings. Though Bertrand was mostly able to keep the Cavaliers in check — both Towson and Virginia scored four runs after the third inning — the early deficit was too much for the Tigers.

Virginia and Towson face off again tomorrow at 5 p.m.
 

Virginia blasts Towson
By The Daily Progress Staff
Published: March 25, 2009

Robert Poutier all but demanded the baseball with his team mired in a two-game losing streak.

“I asked my pitching coach [Karl Kuhn] for the ball,” Poutier said. “I feel healthy and I wanted to be there for my pitching staff.”

Poutier did the job, lifting No. 8 Virginia to a 13-4 victory over Towson at Davenport Field on Tuesday evening.

Virginia improved to 20-2 with the win and snapped the losing streak that came with its two-game setback to Miami this weekend.

Poutier, a fifth-year senior, pitched five innings, allowing three earned runs and six hits, as he fanned six batters.

“Robert pitched like we would expect a veteran to do,” Virginia coach Brian O’Connor said. “He pitched with a lot of heart and it was his best outing of the young season.”

UVa broke the game open in the second inning as 10 batters strolled to the plate in a seven-run frame, the Cavaliers’ best of the season.

Phil Gosselin led the Cavaliers offensively with three hits and drove in four runs.

Virginia will close out the two-game set with Towson (12-11) tonight at 5 p.m.

 

Nothing lasts forever
Dan Stalcup
Published: Wednesday, March 25 2009

This year was going to be different. Sure, point guard Sharneé Zoll graduated, but juniorguard Monica Wright was just starting to bloom into a national star. Senior forward Lyndra Littles and senior center Aisha Mohammed would supplement Wright, and up-and-comers were going to provide support as they matured into contributors.

Despite being ranked higher than it was last season, though, the women’s basketball team walked away with an ending that could be difficult to describe as anything but disappointingly similar.

Where did the team go wrong? How did the most promising season in years fall apart down the line into quick exits from both the ACC and NCAA Tournaments?

Let’s start by looking at the season’s high point, which also happens to be its beginning: the big Nov. 17 upset against reigning national champion Tennessee, 83-82.

In Knoxville, the team set up the dynamic that would continue through the first half of December: Wright was the go-to player, scoring 35 points, but the rest of the roster provided a balanced second line that seemed capable of running a smart offensive play when Wright was covered.

This game plan of looking first for Wright and second for anyone else worked pretty well despite its predictable nature. Although Wright sometimes took close to 30 shots a game, she is talented enough to score relentlessly.

Those moments that Wright was out of the game or couldn’t find a shot, a handful of other players stepped up: Mohammed and fellow senior Britnee Millner, the two Hartigs — Jayna and Kelly, both sophomores — and three or four freshmen. Those players are the real reason this plan worked; it was a fundamentally balanced, team approach. Besides Wright, no fewer than six players were a threat to score 20 points in any given game.

Virginia, when taking advantage of its full talent, seemed like it could only lose when it got beat by sending opponents to the foul line. In the only two losses before Littles returned from academic ineligibility halfway through December, the team got scorched from the line. Old Dominion and Gonzaga, the opponents in the losses, took 70 combined free throw attempts, nailing 52 of them.

Besides that occasional flaw, Virginia outplayed its opponents in just about every game. When Littles returned in the game against Monmouth, the thinking at the time was that things could only get better. Littles, a more seasoned player than most of the others on the team who had been supplementing Wright, made a lot of shots, played a lot of defense and seemed to bolster the team.

And for a while, the Cavs seemed unbeatable. Besides a scare against Georgia Jan. 2, Virginia dominated every game until the beginning of conference play. Then, the troubles became obvious.

With Littles on the team, Virginia’s balanced approach began to shift to a more simple, two-pronged Wright-Littles attack, with Mohammed grabbing rebounds and laying in second-chance shots. The three routinely combined for at least three quarters of the team’s points.

The default plan for every play went something like this: Littles would take it up the court and look for a shot. If she found one, she’d take it. Otherwise, she’d pass it to Wright. The offense became two-dimensional and more predictable than when Wright was the lone star on the team with a multitude of players playing second fiddle.

Take the time to scroll through this season’s box scores and you’ll see Littles and Wright missing shot after shot as defenses clamped down on the Cavaliers. Part of this was just Virginia’s schedule becoming more difficult against the loaded ACC. But there’s no reason the team should have finished sixth in the ACC. Just from a coaching and talent standpoint, Virginia is at worst fourth in the conference, and even if that’s the case, the team should have given the likes of UNC, Maryland and Duke runs for their money.

And so I partially blame the dynamic of Wright and Littles for the team’s demise down the stretch. Once an opponent had the duo figured out, it had the team figured out. This pattern repeated regularly throughout February and March.

I don’t want to put, however, all the blame there. Doing so, for one, comes across as a criticism of the two players, when really they played their hearts out every minute they were on the court, which would often bear close to a full 40 minutes for each. The two are both, rightfully, All-America and All-ACC candidates, and Wright is a national player of the year nominee.

What’s more, this dynamic was not the only factor in Virginia’s demise; the main problem was that Virginia just peaked too early. When a team tops a national champion, it’s easy to do a simple translation into declaring that team a title contender, as yours truly did. Virginia worked so hard all season to keep those Final Four and ACC Championship hopes alive that the natural loss of momentum this past month really stung fans. It’s easy to call the Cavaliers’ play poor or their season a disappointment.

Maybe instead, though, the season should be looked at from the perspective of a team overachieving all year and then reverting to just achieving. After giving fans as thrilling a season as it could have hoped for, the team just ran out of energy.

The 2008-09 season closed with a decrescendo, a year after the 2007-2008 season closed with a crescendo. With the nation’s third-ranked recruiting class set to join the squad, and Wright preparing for her final season at U.Va., perhaps 2009-10 will be the full symphony we’ve been waiting for.