Cavs find coach on other coast
UVa goes with Wazzu's Tony Bennett to head program.
By Doug Doughty doug.doughty@roanoke.com
981-3129

Virginia was said to be looking for the "wow" factor in its selection of a new men's basketball coach, and that's what the Cavaliers got, if a surprise can be considered a "wow."

Three-year Washington State head coach Tony Bennett, whose name had not been linked with the Virginia job, is the Cavaliers' choice to replace Dave Leitao.

"Surprised me," said East Carolina athletic director Terry Holland, who had a school-record 326 victories as UVa's coach between 1974-90. "I remember, last year, he was a pretty popular item. But, he'd slipped my mind altogether. That's brilliant, I think. He was outside of my box."

Washington State athletic director Jim Sterk confirmed Bennett's resignation as Cougars' coach and acceptance of UVa's offer in a brief statement issued early Monday evening.

Virginia has not yet scheduled a news conference to introduce Bennett, although an athletic-department source confirmed his hiring.

Bennett, 39, compiled a 68-30 record as head coach after serving three years as an assistant when his father, Dick, was the Cougars' head coach. He also had played for his dad at Wisconsin-Green Bay and spent three years in the NBA.

"Dick and Tony Bennett have elevated the men's basketball program at Washington State to an unprecedented level of success," Sherk said. "We will begin a national search for a coach immediately with the goal of finding someone with the integrity, experience and values that Dick and Tony brought to the program."

In Tony Bennett's first season (2006-07), Wazzu was projected to finish last in the Pac-10 Conference. The Cougars went 26-8 and finished second, and, Bennett was named Associated Press college coach of the year.

After his 2007-08 team went 26-9 and earned a second straight NCAA invitation, Bennett was linked with openings at Indiana, California and LSU.

At one point, Bennett confirmed conversations with Indiana but said he would not be pursuing the job.

He was not the target of similar speculation this year, possibly owing to the Cougars' 17-16 record, including 10 losses in their last 16 games.

Washington State led Division I in scoring defense, with a yield of 55.4 points per game, but finished 314th out of 330 teams in total offense (59.2).

UVa was known for defense during the Holland years but perennially ranked among the ACC's weaker defensive teams under four-year coach Dave Leitao, whose departure was announced March 16, after the Cavs went 10-19, their lowest winning percentage in 42 years. Speculation immediately centered on Minnesota's Tubby Smith and Oklahoma's Jeff Capel as possible successors.

Smith repeatedly said he was staying with the Gophers, who lost in the NCAA tourney first round. Capel's Sooners were ousted by North Carolina in Sunday's South Region final.

Washington State's Sterk said Virginia called Friday and asked permission to contact Bennett.

"I'd given up on Tubby and wondered if anybody could measure up," Holland said. "He's not Tubby. He's never been to a Final Four, obviously. But, still, Holy catfish. I would think this is something that could get folks there excited."

Bennett inherits a team that returns its top six scorers, including ACC rookie of the year Sylven Landesberg. The Cavaliers signed two players during the fall, including national top 50 prospect Tristan Spurlock from Word of Life Academy in Springfield.

Spurlock and guard Jontel Evans from Bethel High School in Hampton have said they would await the selection of a coach before deciding if they will reopen their recruiting.

"I know he's [Bennett] been selected as a coach, so I've got to sit down and meet with him before I make any decisions," Spurlock said. "It took me by surprise at first, the name, but once they told me where he was from, I recognized it immediately."

Spurlock, who was close to assistant Bill Courtney on the Leitao staff, said he will be eager to learn the identity of Bennett's assistants.

"That's a big one, too," he said. "That will be really huge for me."

Bennett's WSU staff included Ben Johnson, originally from Wisconsin-Green Bay; Ron Sanchez, who played at Oneonta (N.Y.) State and Matt Woodley, who went to Drake.

There was one player on the Washington State roster from east of the Mississippi, freshman starter Marcus Capers. The Cougars also boasted players from Australia, Germany and Serbia, and Bennett, who played and coached in New Zealand, had signed an Australian for next year.

"He's going to go to Australia to recruit; I can tell you that," Virginia Tech coach Seth Greenberg said.

Greenberg, who has been working with the CBS College Sports network since the Hokies' season ended, offered the following scouting report on his newest rival:

"He's a class guy that obviously has a terrific pedigree, and has had great success at a tough place," Greenberg said. "How's that?"

Virginia's stealth hire - David Teel/Daily Press

So the choice is Tony Bennett. And now Virginia has a basketball coach with the same name as a crooner my parents danced to, and an arena -- John Paul Jones -- with the same name as Led Zeppelin's bassist.

Some stuff you just can't make up.

Bennett, 39, comes to Virginia with three seasons' Division I head-coaching experience, all at Washington State. He was national coach of the year in 2007 when, as a rookie, he guided a program reeling from 10 consecutive losing seasons, to a 26-8 record and the second round of the NCAA tournament.

Not once did we read his name among prospective candidates floated by media. Which is fine.

These searches often need to be clandestine, and in that regard, Virginia athletic director Craig Littlepage succeeded.

But the only question that matters is: Did Littlepage hire the right coach?

As when he chose DePaul's Dave Leitao four years ago, we don't know. What we do know is that Bennett comes from coaching stock -- his father, Dick, guided Wisconsin-Green Bay to the NCAA tournament and Wisconsin to the 2000 Final Four -- and that his three Washington State teams were 69-33 and played outstanding defense.

Can he and his staff rapidy make recruiting inroads in the ACC region? Again, we don't know.

I saw Bennett and his Cougars in-person at last season's NCAA East Regional in Charlotte, N.C., where Washington State lost to North Carolina 68-47.

Here's a portion of what I wrote advancing that game. Not that my prose needs recirculating. Far from it. It's merely offered as a look at his team.

So here goes:

Notre Dame led the Big East in scoring this basketball season. Washington State limited the Irish to a season-low 41 points.

Gonzaga topped the West Coast Conference in scoring. Washington State held the Zags to a season-low 47 points.

California boasted the Pacific 10's most prolific offense. Washington State harassed the Bears into a season-low 49 points.

Redundant, yes. But also illustrative.

The Cougars defend like few others, and tonight they face their most imposing challenge: North Carolina in the semifinals of the NCAA tournament's East Regional.

The No. 1 Tar Heels, not to mention fellow East survivors Louisville and Tennessee, play at the rapid-fire pace to which McDonald's All-Americans flock. They average 89.9 points per game.

In NCAA tournament victories over Winthrop and Notre Dame, Washington State yielded 81 points - combined.

That's just us," said guard Kyle Weaver, an all-Pacific 10 defensive team selection. "We're kind of old school."

Kind of? If the Cougars were any more old-school, they'd be wearing canvas high-tops and Speedo-short shorts. They're as old school as the Tempts, Stones and Chuck Taylor.

And why not? It's not like second-year coach Tony Bennett - no, not old-school crooner Tony Bennett - is going to lure greyhounds to the burgeoning metropolis of Pullman, Wash. He has to recruit under-the-radar guys and steep them in a grinding, deliberate style that frustrates most opponents and frosts some myopic fans.

It's the same system Bennett's dad, Dick, used to guide Wisconsin-Green Bay and Wisconsin to six NCAA tournaments, including a 2000 Final Four for the Badgers.

"Everyone has this perception ... that it's boring, it's slow, it's not fun," Bennett said Wednesday. "I think we play good basketball. We get our kids good shots, they learn how to guard and play with the ball. ...

"It's just getting (prospects) to believe that they can come to Washington State and maybe have a chance at touching something special, whether it's getting into the NCAA tournament, advancing, contending for a league championship."

The Cougars have done just that under Bennett, who played three NBA seasons here in Charlotte with the Hornets. Washington State advanced one round in last year's NCAA tournament, and tonight marks the program's first regional semifinal.

The Cougars got here with a stifling man-to-man defense that denies the wings and funnels ballhandlers toward the clogged middle. Toss in a patient offense that features four double-figure scorers and you get eye-popping numbers.

Tied 29-all at halftime in the first round against Winthrop, Washington State won the second half 42-11. Two days later, the Cougars routed Notre Dame 61-41, irritating the Irish into 24.5 percent shooting, their worst in coach Mike Brey's eight seasons.

"They imposed their will on us," Brey said afterward. "I'm disappointed it wasn't a better basketball game. The knockout punch came early."

The Cougars also will face a partisan Carolina crowd. But they've won 10 road games, including over quality opponents such as Gonzaga, Cal, Arizona State, Oregon and Baylor.

In those victories, Washington State did not allow more than 53 points, and its 56.1 per game average ranks second nationally to Wisconsin's 53.9.

"For us," Cougars center and Aussie import Aron Baynes said, "defense is fun."

There you have it. Bennett's team dipped to 17-16 and the NIT this season, but the Cougars did win at UCLA for only the second time in 53 years, upsetting the Bruins 82-81.

So Bennett's teams do occasionally play games faster than how my parents danced. Besides, after a 10-18 season and one NCAA tournament victory in the last 12 years, most Virginia fans won't be picky about style.

They just want to win.



 

U.Va. hires Washington State’s Tony Bennett to coach basketball
By Jeff White
Published: March 31, 2009

CHARLOTTESVILLE --The University of Virginia has its next men's basketball coach, and he's not Minnesota's Tubby Smith or Oklahoma's Jeff Capel or Texas' Rick Barnes or LSU's Trent Johnson.

To the surprise of virtually everyone who followed this coaching search, U.Va. hired Washington State's Tony Bennett yesterday as Dave Leitao's successor.

Bennett, 39, recently completed his third season at Washington State, where he compiled a 69-33 record. His first team went 1-1 in the NCAA tournament, and his second team advanced to the Sweet 16. The Cougars finished 17-16 this season, losing in the NIT's first round.

Washington State had been to the NCAAs only four times before Bennett's tenure began.

He is considered one of the game's brightest young coaches. Still, Bennett has no ties to the ACC or the East Coast, and the news of his hiring stunned -- and, in some cases, disappointed -- U.Va. fans who had been hoping for a coach of the stature of Smith or Barnes.

Bennett "might turn out to be a great coach, but he is hardly the home run that we were looking for," one supporter said. "Where is the 'wow' factor?"

Bennett succeeded his father, the highly respected Dick Bennett, at Washington State. In 2006-07, the younger Bennett was named The Associated Press' national coach of the year after leading the Cougars, who had finished 11-17 the previous season, to a 26-8 record.

"Superb hoops DNA, and the kind of person and coach you love playing for under all circumstances," former U.Va. coach Terry Holland said by e-mail last night when asked about Bennett's reputation in the profession.

"A fiery competitor who does it with class -- a younger Midwest/West Coast McKillop or Wright," Holland said, referring to Davidson's Bob McKillop and Villanova's Jay Wright."

A year ago, Bennett turned down Indiana and LSU to remain at Washington State. He was not available for comment last night, so it's not clear why U.Va. appeals to him or the terms of the contract he'll receive.

After the 2007-08 season at Washington State, Bennett's contract was sweetened to pay him $1 million a year through 2015. Leitao had been making about $1 million a year at U.Va..

Virginia did not announce Bennett's hiring yesterday, and two attempts to reach Athletic Director Craig Littlepage were unsuccessful. Washington State, however, last night confirmed Bennett's departure from the Pac-10 school. WSU's athletic director, Jim Sterk, said in a statement that U.Va. asked Friday for permission to speak to Bennett.

Leitao resigned under pressure March 16 after four seasons at Virginia and received a buyout of approximately $2.1 million. Under Leitao, the Cavaliers went 27-37 in the ACC and 63-60 overall. U.Va. finished 10-18 this season -- its worst winning percentage since the 1966-67 team went 9-17.

As was the case in 2005, after Pete Gillen stepped down as coach, U.Va.'s No. 1 target was Smith. In '05, Smith was at Kentucky. He's now at Minnesota, but once again U.Va.'s attempts to lure the former Virginia Commonwealth University assistant to Charlottesville were unsuccessful.

To help find a new coach, Virginia hired an Atlanta-based firm, Parker Executive Search, after the university parted ways with Leitao.

Bennett, who grew up in Green Bay, Wis., starred for his father at Wisconsin-Green Bay. For U.Va. fans unsure of what to expect from Bennett, Russ Pannell offered some insight.

"The biggest thing they're going to get is a man of integrity and a guy who's going to speak his mind but do it in a very tactful way," said Pannell, who as interim coach guided Arizona to the NCAA tournament's Sweet 16 this month.

On the court, Bennett's teams, like those of his father, have been known for rugged defense and often deliberate offense. The WSU team that went 26-9 and advanced to the NCAA tourney's third round in 2007-08 averaged 66.4 points. It held opponents to an averaged of 56.4.

"Mannerism-wise, he reminds me of his dad," Pannell said. "He probably is a little bit more liberal on offense than maybe Dick was, but I think that defensively he's spot-on the way his dad was. And I tell you what, it's very tough to go against that man-to-man defense that they employ."

A two-time player of the year in the Mid-Continent Conference, Bennett helped UW-Green Bay to an 87-34 record during his career. He spent three seasons with the NBA's Charlotte Hornets before playing overseas and coaching in Auckland, New Zealand.

Before joining his father's at Washington State, Tony Bennett was an assistant coach at Wisconsin, where he helped recruit Alano Tucker and Devin Harris. He's known as an excellent recruiter, and he'll need to be at U.Va., whose talent is considered inferior to that of most its ACC rivals.

UVa hoops gets its man
By Jerry Ratcliffe and Whitelaw Reid
Published: March 31, 2009

No, not the singer. The University of Virginia shocked the college basketball world Monday by hiring Washington State University’s Tony Bennett as its new coach.

This past season, the 39-year-old led Washington State to a 16-13 record and a trip to the National Invitational Tournament, following two seasons with 26 wins each. He replaces Dave Leitao, who resigned March 16.

While fans on the East Coast may be unfamiliar with Bennett and his Washington State story, the basketball world hailed Virginia’s move.

“For anybody who doesn’t appreciate the hire, they haven’t see his teams play. ... He’s a great coach,” said former Virginia All-American Wally Walker, formerly president of the now-defunct NBA Seattle SuperSonics. “I’ve seen his teams play a lot and several of my friends are former Washington State players and alums and they’re heartsick over losing him.”

All along, Virginia’s top candidate was believed to be Minnesota coach Tubby Smith.

Others on UVa’s list, according to sources, were Oklahoma’s Jeff Capel, Villanova’s Jay Wright, Michigan’s John Beilein and former Virginia Commonwealth coach Anthony Grant, who has since accepted the head coaching job at Alabama.

In the two weeks since Leitao’s departure, a bevy of candidates were tossed around on blogs and Web sites, but Bennett’s name didn’t surface until Monday, when The Daily Progress broke the story.

According to Jim Sterk, Washington State athletics director, UVa asked for permission to speak with Bennett last Friday. On Monday, Bennett told Sterk and WSU President Elson S. Floyd of his decision to accept Virginia’s offer, then told his players that he was leaving.

Terms of Bennett’s contract with UVa were not released. However, he is expected to get a bump from his current $1 million per year deal with Washington State. He received a $200,000 raise prior to the 2008-09 season and a contract extension through 2015. The WSU agreement also included a $500,000 buyout.

In 2007-08, Washington State went 26-9 and advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16. Bennett was named the Associated Press national college basketball coach of the year.

A year prior, Bennett led Washington State to a 26-8 record. The Cougars made it to the second round of the NCAA tournament.

“Tony’s fantastic,” University of Nevada, Las Vegas coach Lon Kruger said. “His teams play really hard. They’re efficient. He does a great job in preparation and they play with a passion and enthusiasm that I think fans everywhere enjoy.”

Bennett has a strong basketball pedigree.

He played point guard for his father, Dick Bennett, at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. While there, he helped lead the team to an NCAA Tournament berth.

Bennett was a second-round pick in the 1992 NBA draft by the Charlotte Hornets and played three seasons for the team.

He began his college coaching career at the University of Wisconsin as a member of his father’s staff in 1999. In 2003, he followed his father to Washington State as an assistant and was quickly named as his heir apparent.

Bennett’s teams are known for their methodical style. He runs a version of the Princeton offense.

However, Kruger said it would be unfair to pigeonhole Bennett.

“Tony will adjust to his talent — absolutely,” Kruger said. “His teams do a great job of covering defensively and they’re very efficient offensively. I don’t know that they’re consciously slowing it down, but they’re very effective and very efficient and they get the job done.”

The Washington State AD thanked Bennett for his contribution to Cougars basketball for the past three years.

“Dick and Tony Bennett have elevated the men’s basketball program at Washington State to an unprecedented level of success,” Sterk said. “We will begin a national search for a coach immediately with the goal of finding someone with the integrity, experience, and values that Dick and Tony brought to the program.”

There was no comment from UVa about the hiring. No news conference had been scheduled and no information was released about when Bennett may arrive in Charlottesville to be formally introduced.



 

Recruits react to Bennett hire
By Whitey Reid
Published: March 31, 2009

Now that Virginia has a new coach in Tony Bennett, one of the bigger questions is whether four-star recruit Tristan Spurlock will be joining him.

Furthermore, will David Chadwick — a 6-foot-8 forward from Charlotte, N.C., who has signed with Washington State — be following Bennett to Charlottesville?

On Monday, Spurlock told The Daily Progress that he is still “up in the air.”

“Right now, there are a lot of rumors that are saying that I’m trying to get out of my letter of intent, which is not the case,” said the versatile 6-foot-8 Spurlock. “I have yet to ask for a release. I’m not saying that I won’t or will, but right now I haven’t.

“I’ve just been waiting for this. I’m going to let things go for a couple of days and see how coach Bennett and I [get along] and then kind of just take it from there.”

Before Monday, Spurlock had never heard of Bennett, but had seen Washington State play on television a few times.

“This year they had a good year and last year they had a really good run in the tournament,” said Spurlock, alluding to the Cougars’ run to the Sweet 16.

Keeping Spurlock in the fold will be Bennett’s first big task. Doing so is paramount, considering Virginia has just one other player, Jontel Evans, in its 2009 class. Evans reportedly is leaning toward keeping his commitment.

Just like everyone, Spurlock was a bit surprised when Virginia tabbed Bennett.

“When it came to news, I heard everybody from Rick Barnes to Jay Wright to Tubby [Smith] — all types of names,” Spurlock said. “I just wanted to do what I could do — work out. I couldn’t pick a coach. The only thing I could control was my workouts.”

Spurlock, who strongly considered Georgetown during his recruitment, said he hasn’t thought about any other schools besides Virginia yet.

“After they fired coach [Dave] Leitao, that kind of got me a little bit because that was never even a thought [of that happening],” Spurlock said. “It caught me off guard, big time. Right now, I’m just still talking to my dad and mother.

“I’m glad that there’s a coach in place and things are starting to get going, but right now things are still up in the air.”

The same is likely true for Chadwick, rated as a three-star recruit by Rivals.com.

Recruiting guru Bob Gibbons of All-Star Sports said he wouldn’t be shocked to see Chadwick, who played for Charlotte Latin, attempt to be released from his letter of intent and follow Bennett to Virginia.

Bennett played for Charlotte’s NBA team in the early 1990’s and still has strong ties to the city. Chadwick chose Washington State mainly because of Bennett.

“He’s a very skilled big guy who can score — not at all like some of Virginia’s current big guys,” Gibbons said. “He could be a very good face-the-basket player. I think he has a lot of upside.”

Gibbons spoke very positively of Bennett’s skills a recruiter.

“He’s a young guy who’s played in the NBA. He can sell kids on the concept of coming to UVa and getting a great education, having a good basketball experience and preparing them for playing at the next level after college,” he said.

After Gibbons got over the shock that Virginia had hired Bennett — he was thinking Tubby Smith was going to be the choice — he had nothing put praise for the 39-year-old.

“Tony Bennett is one of the bright up-and-coming head coaches in the business,” he said. “He’s done a phenomenal job taking a lowly Washington State program and rebuilding them into being contenders in the Pac-10.

“He’s proven that he can win and he’s got the basketball bloodlines.”

 

U.Va. hires Bennett
Daily Press
6:25 PM EDT, March 30, 2009

U.Va. has tapped Washington State coach Tony Bennett to lead its men's basketball program.

The University of Virginia has chosen Washington State coach Tony Bennett to lead its men's basketball program, Washington State announced.

The son of former Wisconsin and Washington State coach Dick Bennett, he has coached the Cougars for three seasons, compiling a 69-33 record.

Bennett was voted national coach of the year in 2007, his first season on the job. Washington State had endured 10 consecutive losing seasons prior to Bennett taking over from his father.

Washington State was 17-16 this season and played in the NIT. The Cougars were 26-8 and 26-9 in Bennett's first two seasons, earning NCAA tournament bids each year -- they lost to North Carolina in the 2008 East Regional semifinals.

The 2007 NCAA bid was Washington State's first since 1994, and its first-round victory over Oral Roberts was the program's first NCAA tournament win since 1983.

Bennett turns 40 in June. He replaces Dave Leitao, who was forced to resign earlier this month after four seasons.

Bennett played collegiately for his father at Wisconsin-Green Bay. He became the Mid-Continent Conference's career leader in scoring and assists and still ranks as the Division I career leader in 3-point shooting percentage at 49.7.

The Charlotte Hornets chose him in the second round of the 1992 NBA draft, and he played three seasons before a foot injury ended his domestic pro career. He later played and coached in New Zealand.

Bennett's teams, as were his dad's, are renowned for stifling defense and deliberate offense.

"Everyone has this perception ... that it's boring, it's slow, it's not fun," Bennett said kast year at the NCAA tournament in Charlotte, N.C.. "I think we play good basketball. We get our kids good shots, they learn how to guard and play with the ball. ...

"It's just getting (prospects) to believe that they can come to Washington State and maybe have a chance at touching something special, whether it's getting into the NCAA tournament, advancing, contending for a league championship."

The Cougars this season averaged 59.2 points, last in the Pacific 10 Conference. They led the league in scoring defense at 55.4 points. His previous teams scored 66.4 and 66.9 points per game, respectively.

Bennett is well known to Jon Oliver, Virginia athletic director Craig Littlepage's top assistant. Oliver worked at Washington State prior to joining the U.Va., staff, though his time in Pullman, Wash., did not coincide with the Bennetts'.

Tony Bennett got his start in college coaching working for his father at Wisconsin for four seasons. The highlight was a 2000 trip to the Final Four.

Bennett is believed to be en route to Charlottesville via private jet and an introductory news conference could come as early as Wednesday.

 

His track record is nice, but still a roll of the dice
Dave Fairbank
March 31, 2009

Say this for Craig Littlepage: He isn't bashful about taking a chance.

Of course, that might be his epitaph at Virginia after his out-of-the-box, off-the-radar choice of Washington State's Tony Bennett as the Cavaliers' next basketball coach.

Bennett doesn't provide the splash or the gravitas of Minnesota's Tubby Smith, supposedly the darling of some of the Virginia heavy hitters. Nor does he possess the local feel-goods of Oklahoma's Jeff Capel, who has had success on two campuses and almost certainly would have listened had Virginia beckoned.

Before Wednesday's scheduled formal introduction, folks are likely to hear more about who and what Bennett isn't, rather than what he is. He has a steeper learning curve than several others Virginia could have hired.

Nobody says that Bennett can't coach. You don't win 69 games in three years in Pullman, Wash., an outpost if ever there was one, without being able to X and O a little bit.

Littlepage's leap, however, is both substantive and stylistic.

Bennett is as Wisconsin as a wheel of original Colby cheese. His primary exposure to this region, and to the talent he hopes to recruit, was the three years he spent as a member of the NBA's Charlotte Hornets in the early 1990s after his college career at Wisconsin-Green Bay.

Bennett, who turns 40 in June, has been a head coach for just three years and has worked outside the shadow of his father, the estimable Dick Bennett, for a relatively short period.

He took over the Washington State program after his father retired in 2006. His first two teams won 26 games and went to back-to-back NCAA tournaments, snapping the program's 10-year streak of losing records.

But the Cougars dipped last season, finishing seventh in the Pac-10 and settling for an NIT berth as the previous crop of recruits began to cycle out.

As for Bennett's M.O., he appears to be a chip-off-the-old half-court offense and withering defense block that served his father well. His first two WSU teams averaged fewer than 67 points per game, this season's a Pac-10 worst 59.2.

In other words, in a league in which everyone routinely hits the 70s, and the top-shelf teams are quite comfortable in the 80s and 90s, get used to a lot of 60-55.

Perhaps with better athletes and more of them, Bennett will embrace his inner Pitino, but that remains to be seen.

Virginia's hire, though Littlepage's call, has associate executive athletic director Jon Oliver's fingerprints on it as well. Oliver is a Boise, Idaho native who prowled the Northwest as a younger man and spent six years at Washington State prior to coming to Virginia in 2001.

Though Oliver never worked directly with Bennett father and son, it's safe to assume that he is well acquainted with them and certainly with those who know them.

That undoubtedly aided the vetting process, but make no mistake: This was Littlepage's decision.

What is it about Littlepage and briefly tenured basketball coaches and their "dads?" Before Virginia hired Dave Leitao in 2005, he was head coach for just three years at DePaul. He played for and later was mentored, in two separate stints, by Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun, to whom he often refers as a father figure.

Now Bennett, who was at Washington State, also for just three years. He played for his father at UW-Green Bay. After his professional playing career ended, he returned to coach with his dad — first at Wisconsin, then in Pullman when Dick came out of retirement to take the WSU job.

Neither coach stayed long enough to see an entire recruiting class cycle through before Virginia came calling.

Granted, it's increasingly difficult to judge coaches and their ability to sustain a program, compared to quick fixes and temporary bumps, in power conference basketball. Too much money, too many outside influences, too little patience. For an extreme example, see the two-year root canal of one B.C. Gillispie at Kentucky.

Virginia isn't as reactionary as Kentucky, but it's by no means immune to market and societal forces. Dissatisfaction bubbled over at the ACC tournament following a poor season, and the school fired its third consecutive basketball coach — four years in, and just two seasons removed from tying for the ACC title.

Littlepage surveyed the landscape and rolled the dice. He'd better be right.

 

More on Tony Bennett to U-Va.
I just talked with Brad Soderberg about Virginia’s new coach, Tony Bennett. Brad and Tony have been close for more than 25 years and usually talk once a week. When I went up to Pullman, Wash., a couple years ago to do a story on Tony, Brad was at practice and I talked to him there as well. Brad said he had not talked to Tony specifically about Virginia but had heard the reports throughout today.

Q: What can Virginia and its fans expect of their new coach?
He is as quality a person, as quality a coach as anyone could ask for. He is a relentless recruiter. If people saw the players at Washington State, they’d say he didn’t exactly set the world on fire. When you consider where that university is located, I think he did a remarkable job of bringing in great players. The fact that they did as well as they did. They being Coach (Dick) and Tony, it is an indicator of what a great recruiter Tony is. Now that he is in a more attractive community to recruit to, with a higher population of players in the adjacent areas, I think he is going to be a force to be reckon with in the ACC.

Q: Does he have the ability to get more out of players than most people think is there?
There are a lot of coaches who have that ability. What is really neat about Tony is that he gets it done in a non-abrasive way. I always prided myself on being able to get a lot out of players, but I think I was more abrasive than Tony. I know his dad is more abrasive than he is. That is a good characteristic to have. Being as young as he is, he still has great memories of being a player, what players need to perform at a high level, with today’s players as opposed to the old-school guys. Tony is really good at connecting with kids, making them feel at home, yet towing the line with them as well. I was so impressed the times I was up there at Washington State watching him run his team. He just has a great demeanor. I think the people in Charlottesville will love him. More important than that, they are going to win games. I am very confident of that as well.

Q: Could you just put it in perspective how difficult it is to win in Pullman and how impressive was the job he did there?
Go back and look at the history of Washington State basketball prior to the Bennetts arrival. It started with Tony’s upbringing under Dick’s tutelage. Dick has made a lifetime of resurrecting programs that have been down, or that had struggled near the bottom of the conference for the majority of years prior to his arrival, and I think Tony has that blueprint etched on his coaching brain. He understands the foundational principles that have to go into place first and the non-negotiable things that have to happen on the court for teams that typically have to draw from a smaller pool of recruits than others. As I understand, with Virginia’s academic requirements, that will be the case for Tony when he goes to Virginia, relative to the people he will be playing in the ACC. It has academic standards that makes some kids prohibited from being admitted into the school. That won’t be a negative for Tony because of the upbringing he has in the coaching business.

Q: How long have you been close with Tony?
I played for his dad in the early 1980s, when Tony was the coach’s kid that was always on the side court shooting around. It has been close to 30 years now.

Q: Tony has gotten a lot of interest in the past – Indiana last year – do you feel Virginia is particularly a good fit for him?
I really do. I know that relative to the rest of the ACC, Virginia is not year in and year out in the upper division. They are not mentioned in the same breath as Carolina and Duke certainly, and that is a great position for Tony to come from because he has been around that his whole life. As a player, he played at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, which had no success in Division I prior to him and Dick getting there. While he was doing his professional playing, his dad was rebuilding Wisconsin. And then he went with him to Washington State and rebuilt that program. I don’t think Virginia needs that much rebuilding compared to those other schools. Nonetheless, when you are going up against the people you are going to go up against in the ACC, I think it is the perfect scenario for him.

Q: Have you talked to him in the past week or so about the possibility of Virginia?
No, the last we talked was a week ago today. I had no idea that would be an option for him, but it doesn’t surprise me now that I look back. Okay, that’s a good position for Tony. And we had talked a year ago when Indiana and Marquette came up – and LSU – and he goes on feel and those did not feel like the places for him to go at the time. I am assuming it just felt right for him to go to Charlottesville. I really think the Cavaliers fans will be very thankful that Tony is the guy once they watch his teams play. I am very happy for him. Tony is like a little brother.

By Eric Prisbell
 

Bennett Leaves Washington State To Take U-Va. Job
By Zach Berman
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, March 31, 2009; Page D01

CHARLOTTESVILLE, March 30 -- After a two-week search, Virginia is set to hire Washington State's Tony Bennett as its new men's basketball coach. Washington State Athletic Director Jim Sterk confirmed Bennett's decision to take the Cavaliers job.

Bennett will replace former Virginia coach Dave Leitao, who resigned March 16 after Virginia's worst season in four decades.

Bennett, 39, was 68-30 in three seasons at Washington State. He led the Cougars to the NCAA tournament in his first two seasons and to the NIT this season. He succeeded his father, Dick Bennett, in 2006 and won Associated Press coach of the year in 2007.

Tony Bennett reportedly rejected overtures from Indiana, Marquette and Louisiana State a year ago. Sterk said Virginia requested permission to speak to Bennett on Thursday, and Bennett visited Charlottesville on Friday. Sterk said he expects Virginia to pay Bennett's $400,000 buyout at Washington State.

Dick Bennett said he and Tony spoke five times about the job during the weekend, and Monday morning, Dick still did not know which way Tony was leaning. Tony Bennett informed Sterk and Washington State President Elson S. Floyd of his decision Monday, and informed his players shortly afterward. Virginia refused to confirm the hire Monday.

The Cougars had 10 consecutive losing seasons before Tony Bennett became head coach. In his first season, Bennett led Washington State to its first national ranking since 1983. In Bennett's second season, the Cougars achieved their highest national ranking in school history (No. 4, from Dec. 4, 2007 to Jan. 13, 2008).

"It's a shock. I can't even explain it," Washington State senior Daven Harmeling said. "He turned the program from absolutely nothing into a contender. We were in the NCAA two years in a row, and people thought we had the least amount of talent. We were beating teams, so it's scary to think what he'll do when he has talent."

Harmeling said Bennett emphasizes defense and "valuing the basketball." The Cougars led the Pacific-10 in scoring defense in each of his three seasons. They led the Pac-10 in turnover margin in his first two seasons, but fell to last in the conference in the 2008-09 season.

"He really tries to find out what kids can do and give them those opportunities to use their abilities," Dick Bennett said. "He's not a run-and-gun-type coach. He will assess the talent. He's always been that way. He's not locked into specific way of building a team."

Nonetheless, Bennett's name remained under the radar publicly during the coaching search. He has never coached east of Wisconsin, where he was an assistant coach for four seasons before coming to Washington State as an assistant in 2003. He also coached a professional team in New Zealand, where he played from 1996 to '98. Bennett played for the NBA's Charlotte Hornets from 1992 to '95.

Although Bennett does not deliver the name recognition for Virginia fans, former Saint Louis coach Brad Soderberg, who played for Dick Bennett at University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, considered him a good fit for Virginia's vacancy.

"He is as quality a person, as quality a coach as anyone could ask for," Soderberg said. "He is a relentless recruiter. If people saw the players at Washington State, they'd say he didn't exactly set the world on fire. When you consider where that university is located, I think he did a remarkable job of bringing in great players. Now that he is in a more attractive community to recruit to, with a higher population of players in the adjacent areas, I think he is going to be a force to be reckoned with in the ACC."

Dick Bennett said because of Tony's lack of experience in the region, Tony will likely assemble a coaching staff with connections to the recruiting base.

Bennett will also inherit an established nucleus, including ACC rookie of the year Sylven Landesberg.

"He's had plenty of experience in the Big 10, the Pac-10. He's played in the NBA," Dick Bennett said. "He has a great deal to offer along with what the school offers."

Staff writer Eric Prisbell contributed to this report.
 

A season of challenges, and change, for Tony Bennett
Share this storyBuzz up! BY VINCE GRIPPI; The Sp
Published: 03/17/09 10:10 am
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PULLMAN — The whistle blew. Play stopped. Official Bill Kennedy walked toward the scorer’s table. He held up one finger, indicating the foul was on Washington State freshman scorer Klay Thompson, his fourth.

And WSU coach Tony Bennett reacted. Aggressively. Or, as he called it, like a "raving lunatic."

Later Bennett, who prides himself on his poise, would sheepishly explain his vivid reaction late in a recent loss at the University of Washington.

"Maybe I’ll look like an idiot when I look at the film," said Bennett after the game, "but I thought it was on (Nik) Koprivica. That’s why I reacted the way I did, because I knew what (the call) meant."

If you think you’re seeing more passion out of Bennett, you would be right. With many games in this 17-15 season coming down to a play or two, the grind has sharpened Bennett’s edges. And put in motion changes.

In his third year as WSU’s head basketball coach, Bennett has evolved. He’s had to. After two seasons with a mostly veteran group that cut its teeth under Bennett’s father, Dick, the cast changed significantly. Though three seniors have played an integral role in the team’s success, so have three freshmen. And with change comes uncertainty.

"I tell coaches all the time, until you have to try to win with talent that isn’t up to the level of your competition, you never get stretched," Dick Bennett said. "This year he had to stretch."

Welcome to Tony Bennett, version 2.0.

As Washington State opens National Invitation Tournament play tonight at Saint Mary’s, Bennett has been stretched into a different coach.

"The last two years I’ve had predominantly upperclassmen," Bennett said recently. "Our system was pretty well established. It was fine-tuning and it was pushing hard.

"This year, we had such a mix with our well-documented freshman-senior mix and there had to be more teaching and more adjusting as the season wore on."

Some of the adjustments were on court, with the Cougars attacking opponents differently as the season wore on. But most of it has been behind the scenes, with an eye on this season and beyond.

For a variety of reasons, assistant coaches Ben Johnson and Ron Sanchez are spending more time on the road recruiting. Another assistant, Matt Woodley, has taken over more of the game preparation chores. And Bennett, when he can, is taking more time to evaluate recruits in person.

Whatever the staff is doing, it’s admired by people in a position to understand.

Former Cougars coach George Raveling is enamored with the three freshmen playing extended minutes — Thompson, Marcus Capers and DeAngelo Casto.

"They all have the potential to be All-Pac-10 players," Raveling said. "When you’re bringing in that level of talent, it says a lot about the stability of the program and the coaching staff’s ability to evaluate talent."

And to get that talent ready.

"Everybody in the (Pac-10) has tremendous respect for (Bennett) and what he’s done," said current Stanford assistant and long-time Santa Clara coach Dick Davey. "He’s creative, his kids play hard. We take a lot of things from their films, things we like to use."

"Tony has the Good Housekeeping seal on the program now," Raveling added. "The fact he stayed is more important to the program than people realize."

Bennett had offers to coach elsewhere after last season, but decided Pullman is where he — and his family — wants to be. He’s reiterated many times this season how comfortable he is coaching at WSU, where he has an opportunity to hone his craft.

"At Washington State, you’ve got to maximize the talent you have in your program and you have to work smartly and efficiently," Bennett said. "It’s not an excuse. It’s just the way it’s always been."

Washington State was only a few plays from finishing in the Pac-10’s upper division, but a midseason slump relegated the Cougars to the bottom half — and then to the NIT. But despite three two-point losses at home, only one defeat still sticks in Bennett’s craw.

"Oregon State is the one that really frustrated me, because we broke down in areas we practice every day," he said of the 54-52 home defeat. "I thought we did some foolish things and lost our composure. And after a really strong first half, we had a false sense of security. Maybe we thought we didn’t have to do the little things that make us successful."

It’s those little things Bennett has faith in.

"We sometimes say ’the hay’s in the barn,’ before we play," Bennett said. "It’s a preparation game, our system, our style, our soundness. We try to eliminate losing."

Though much of the work is done before the tip, Bennett’s most visible moments are after. And this season he’s been more, well, visible.

"I’ve noticed that," said senior Daven Harmeling, who also played for Dick Bennett, known for his fiery on-court demeanor. "It’s been very fun to watch. For most of it I’ve been on the bench and been able to hear everything he says.

"He’s let the officials get to him more than normal this year and maybe that’s because of the dynamics of the team." And it’s more than his interaction with the officials.

"There have been more blowups," Harmeling admitted, grudgingly. "This season has been a real test for him because there have been times when he definitely got frustrated."

"This year we’ve eaten our share of humble pie," Bennett said. "Look, that adjusts you for life more than anything. Let’s be real. We’ve had to fight. We go into every game knowing you’re probably not going to outtalent your opponent, but you can compete. It’s healthy.

"Next year, quite honestly, it will be a starting-over period," Bennett said. "I’ll make no qualms about that. It will be a starting over, but in an exciting way, because you’ll be a freshman and sophomore team, for the most part.

"It will certainly be challenging. We’ll miss these (seniors). That will be hard. But there’s a foundation that’s going to be laid for a couple years down the road."

 

Tony Bennett surprises players, Washington State fans by taking Virginia job
One thing about Tony Bennett, they were never going to pigeonhole him. He was certain to be gone from Washington State last year, when Indiana...
Bud Withers

One thing about Tony Bennett, they were never going to pigeonhole him.

He was certain to be gone from Washington State last year, when Indiana wanted him badly, and when Marquette sniffed around, and when Louisiana State talked to him. And he was losing the guts of his men's basketball team, so it made perfect sense to bolt Pullman.

He stayed. And Indiana hired Tom Crean — eight years, $18 million.

This year, as the Cougars lurched and labored through the season, unable to score, he said wryly to somebody that they wouldn't have to worry about him being on the job market this offseason.

He'd be around for the long haul, maybe. Anybody who turns down Indiana for WSU earns the benefit of that doubt.

Wrong again. He's off to Virginia, in a move that shocked his players, unsuspecting media and WSU fans.

And, oh, yes, his dad. Dick Bennett was out playing golf Monday on a cold day in central Wisconsin, and per custom, he didn't take his cellphone, even as he knew Tony might be updating him on Virginia. He was in a clubhouse when the news came over the crawl on ESPN, and he let out a surprised whoop.

So why not those jobs a year ago, and why this? If you know Tony Bennett, it adds up. He doesn't like the glare of the brightest spotlight, doesn't covet Kentucky or North Carolina. He likes to embrace the underdog role, and Virginia will always be an underdog to North Carolina and Duke.

But he goes to a place with high academic standards, and he's a couple of hours' drive from Washington, D.C. The campus in Charlottesville, Va., is isolated, but there's Pullman isolation and everybody else's kind.

"It's like Stanford in its academic demands," said Dick Bennett. "And he felt he would have a bigger recruiting base.

"I think the travel [at WSU] was hard, too. There's so much travel."

When Washington State reworked Bennett's contract the past two years, he wasn't so much concerned that he become rich as he was that the Cougars work out a way to arrange some team charter flights from Pullman, so they didn't have to bus to Spokane or Lewiston.

"How'd they keep it so quiet?" wondered Mychal Thompson, the longtime NBA center whose son Klay is the brightest young prospect on the WSU team.

Maybe because once the tornado blew through a year ago, nobody was thinking about a windstorm on its heels.

Washington State's players took the news hard. It figured. More than most coaches, Bennett built a tight circle around him, people who could get along and play together.

"I can't really be mad at him," said guard Marcus Capers. "Without him and the coaching staff, I ain't in college. I hope he does well at Virginia. But I'm still hurt."

Klay Thompson was speaking similarly with his dad. Then Mychal Thompson, whom Bennett had called with the news, brought him back to reality.

"Klay's fine. He's calmed down after the initial shock," Thompson said. "I told him, you're not going to go anywhere. Why would you go and sit out a year [in transferring]? You've got a nice nucleus with Marcus Capers and DeAngelo Casto.

"I said, 'Do you like Pullman?' He likes it. 'Do you like your teammates?' He loves his teammates.

"Anybody who criticizes [Bennett] is a hypocrite. When you get involved in sports, this is what we do. This is no different from Blake Griffin leaving Oklahoma and James Harden leaving Arizona State, moving on to better situations."

Where do the Cougars, hoping to have a replacement in a week, turn now? Surprisingly, athletic director Jim Sterk said Monday night he was ruling out Bennett's assistants.

Ken Bone of Portland State will get a long look. He and Sterk worked together briefly at NCAA Division II Seattle Pacific, and Bone has taken the Vikings to two straight NCAA tournaments.

The search could have all sorts of Gonzaga fingerprints on it. Sterk acknowledged he will talk to San Diego coach Bill Grier, the longtime Zags assistant coach.

Sterk logically will sound out Gonzaga aide Ray Giacoletti, who has taken Eastern Washington and Utah to NCAA tournaments, and he might also take the temperature of Dan Monson, the former Gonzaga and Minnesota coach now at Long Beach State.

All the Cougars have to do is find a guy who can coach, melt people in living rooms, dominate the Pac-10 Conference all-academic team and go 69-33 in three years, like Bennett did.

Good luck.

 

Bienvenidos, Bennett!
Eric Strow
Published: Tuesday, March 31 2009


Word is that Washington State coach Tony Bennett is going to come in as the new coach for Virginia basketball. Just in case there is any doubt in his mind that he’s making the right choice by coming to coach at Virginia, I’ve written a letter to convince him that coaching Virginia is as great a gig as you could possibly find.

Dear Tony Bennett,

Thank you for giving me the chance to tell you that you’ve made a great decision in moving to Virginia. Hopefully by the end of this column, you won’t have a single thought about packing your bags, flying to Charlottesville and starting the next stage of your career in John Paul Jones Arena.

Let’s get a few basics out of the way up front. Yes, Virginia has higher academic requirements for its athletes than a lot of schools, but heaven forbid student-athletes go to class, right? The caliber of student-athletes at Virginia is higher than at most other schools because of these academic standards, which is a good thing for a new incoming coach.

You are taking a team that will have a nearly identical roster next year, with the starting lineup still intact. In case you needed a reminder, Virginia is the home of ACC Freshman of the Year Sylven Landesberg, a budding superstar who will make your transition to the ACC a lot easier. Surrounding him is a talented point guard in freshman Sammy Zeglinski, a potentially great power forward in sophomore Mike Scott and 7-foot freshman center Assane Sene, who got better and better as the season went on. We have a top recruit coming in at the small forward position — Tristan Spurlock — who will challenge sophomore Jeff Jones for playing time. If you can just give these players confidence and the freedom to play good, old-fashioned, fun basketball, you will help this young team grow into a great one in a hurry.

Now, to the most important part of my sales pitch: If you come to Virginia, you will be coaching in the nicest venue in the conference and one of the top basketball venues in the country. JPJ rivals some NBA arenas, and that’s not an exaggeration. With this awesome building comes the potential for you to bring back to life one of the best fan bases — and student sections — in the ACC.

I was here in 2006 when JPJ first opened. I know how electric a crowd can be in this building, and how much of an impact the fans can have on a game. Consider this: Virginia was 8-0 in ACC play at home in the first year at JPJ and 16-1 overall, with the loss a one-point defeat to Stanford during Winter Break, when the student section was barely full.

What made that year different from the one before? Besides the new venue and the players being one year older — nothing, really. The coach was the same, the core of the roster was identical and the preseason outlook wasn’t much different. What happened was this: The new arena created instant buzz around the team, a similar kind of buzz to one that hiring a new coach can make. It took only one season for Virginia to rise to the top of the conference after just one change. Once the season started, the fans made the atmosphere at JPJ as intimidating as any in the conference, possibly even the nation. The fans made the team better, and the better the team played, the louder and more energized the fans were. This cycle drove the Cavaliers to the top of the ACC from a seventh-place tie the year before.

What happened after that is a sad story, but one that made a turn for the better when our previous coach cleaned out your new office. This previous coach, who shall remain nameless — Dave Leitao — started to ruin his relationship with his players. The team didn’t have the same will to win as it had the year before, and the apathetic play resonated negatively with the fans. There was less energy in the building, and the team started losing more often. It was pretty much the opposite of the cycle that propelled Virginia to the top in 2006-07. The past two years of basketball at Virginia have been somewhat depressing because of that, but the shot in the arm you will bring the program can have the same effect as the opening of JPJ. If you can start this season off with a few wins, you will have an amazing fanbase on your side, and you will return this program to glory in a short period of time.

So, after you read this last paragraph while sitting at your desk in your soon-to-be-former employer Washington State’s basketball facilities, stop and take a look around you. Your office isn’t as nice as the one you’ll have at JPJ, you’re not working at Mr. Jefferson’s beautiful University and you aren’t coaching in the best basketball conference in the nation. That’s right, the ACC is still the best, but we’ll discuss this more once you come and settle down in Charlottesville. Upgrading your job from Washington State coach to Virginia coach is the best decision you’ll ever make. Turning this program around shouldn’t take long, and could make you an instant hero. We have all the right pieces; we just need you to put them in place. Whaddya say?

 

Cavs ugly and yet effective
By Whitey Reid
Published: March 31, 2009

Not playing your best and still managing to defeat your opponent is the hallmark of a great team. Doing so on the road is even more impressive.

That’s why Virginia coach Brian Boland was in a good mood on Monday afternoon.

Over the weekend, Boland’s bunch didn’t have its ‘A’ game, but found a way to beat pesky Miami and Florida State teams. No. 1 Virginia (22-0, 7-0 ACC) knocked off the Hurricanes and Seminoles by identical 4-3 scores to stay undefeated.

“It’s always tough to play on the road in the ACC,” Boland said. “It was an opportunity for us to deal with some adversity.

“I thought the guys did a good job of handling it. Certainly we could have played better as a team, but there were certainly some individual highlights.”

Michael Shabaz was one of the brightest. The sophomore played lights out, dropping just four games in two dominating straight-set wins at No. 2 singles. He also teamed with Dom Inglot to win both his doubles matches.

Co-captain Houston Barrick also came up big, winning both his singles matches at No. 4 and his doubles matches with Sanam Singh.

Strong play in doubles was a major key to the team’s victories in the Sunshine State. That has been a trend throughout the spring. Virginia has lost just one doubles point (to UCLA).

This weekend, things won’t get any easier for Virginia. The Wahoos host Duke and North Carolina. “We always seem to get everyone’s best,” Boland said. “We’re starting to get used to that.”

Virginia will likely welcome back Steven Eelkman Rooda. The freshman from the Netherlands didn’t play in Florida due to injury.

“He’s someone who I think is very important to our starting lineup and has unbelievable potential,” Boland said. “He’s proven that throughout the entire spring so far.”

 

Cavs face Norfolk State, Radford
No. 8 Virginia prepares for midweek tilts with in-state foes Radford, Norfolk State
Matt Diton, Cavalier Daily Staff Writer
Published: Tuesday, March 31 2009

Sophomore second baseman Phil Gosselin went 3-for-11 during the weekend against North Carolina. In a brief respite from the grind of ACC play, Virginia will take on Radford and Norfolk State. Virginia will look to rebound after a tough weekend series in Raleigh, N.C., where, despite strong play, the Cavaliers fell to the Tar Heels twice.

Radford will be the first to face the Cavaliers (22-4, 6-4 ACC) this week. The Highlanders (10-10, 4-3 Big South) enter the matchup riding a two-game winning streak after taking the final two games of a three game set against Winthrop last weekend. Senior infielder Alex Gregory is the offensive catalyst for the Highlanders this season, leading starters with a .425 batting average and ranking second on the team with 31 total hits. On the pitcher’s mound, however, Radford might find itself in trouble against the Cavaliers.

Of the 13 pitchers on the team’s staff, the Highlanders only carry three left-handers, and of the three, only freshman Paul DeVito has started any games, compiling a mediocre 6.56 earned run average. Three of the top four hitters in the Cavalier starting lineup — Dan Grovatt, Jarrett Parker and switch hitter Tyler Cannon — can hit from the left side of the plate, which bodes well for Virginia’s offense.

Following its matchup with the Highlanders, Virginia will welcome Norfolk State. The Spartans (4-9, 1-2 MEAC) have struggled as of late, losing four of their past five games. One bright spot for Norfolk State this season is the play of senior second baseman Anselmo Cantu. Cantu is leading the Spartans with a .426 batting average and 20 hits. Cantu also leads the club in total bases with 33 and ranks second with a .702 slugging percentage. On the mound, junior Quinn Bright has totaled half of the team’s wins with a 5.14 ERA.

Virginia must look out for Cantu if it hopes to perform well in these mid-week matches. With the toughest portion of its schedule behind them, the team hopes to continue its strong play heading into the second half of the season.

Going into the March 13 series with Florida State, the Cavaliers knew their next three series opponents — Florida State, Miami and North Carolina — would be a litmus test to prove whether they could compete with the powerhouses of the ACC. The Cavaliers were undefeated entering the challenge, but they played a relatively light schedule until that point.

“As it’s rolling out now, and it’s starting to show, that there are a lot of other really good teams in this league,” O’Connor said. “We knew that this was [going to] be a tough stretch for us.”

The Cavaliers’ most recent losses were all within a couple of hits or pitches though, indicating that they could compete against the three schools. Moving forward, Virginia will look to learn from its mistakes and handle what is expected to be a slightly less challenging portion of its schedule.

“We’re right there,” Grovatt said. “We very easily could still be undefeated. We’re one thing away — that’s baseball, it’s [going to] happen. The biggest thing is how we handle it, and if we make adjustments down the road, I think we’ll be fine.”

 

Virginia, Maryland played lacrosse match for the ages
By Staff Reports
Published: March 31, 2009

One for the ages
Virginia and Maryland played an epic men's lacrosse game Saturday afternoon at Klockner Stadium, and ESPN Classic didn't take long to pick it up. The network replayed the game last night.

In the longest game in the history of Division I men's lacrosse, Virginia beat Maryland 10-9 when junior midfielder Brian Carroll scored one minute into the seventh overtime.

The teams combined for 53 turnovers and between them made only 19 of 89 shots.

"You had to like a 1-0 baseball game, which has a lot of tension, and a passed ball at the wrong moment, or a walk, was going to spell the difference," U.Va. coach Dom Starsia said yesterday. "But there weren't a lot of fireworks. . . . It was obviously more of a struggle than anything else."

On the scoreboard, the game took 85 minutes: 60 for the four quarters, 24 for the first six overtimes and one for the seventh.

The longest college men's game took place last year, in Division III, according to Inside Lacrosse. York (Pa.) beat Catholic 10-9 in a seven-OT game that ran 85 minutes and 41 seconds.

Next for top-ranked Virginia (1-0 ACC, 11-0 overall) is a noon game Saturday with No. 10 North Carolina (0-2, 8-3) in the inaugural Big City Classic at East Rutherford, N.J.

"It's kind of neat to be thinking that we'll be playing the first lacrosse game ever in the Meadowlands," Starsia said. "It's an attempt by the Meadowlands to get into the sport of lacrosse. They've made a bid for the [NCAA tournament's] final four, and I think if this goes well that they probably enhanced their chances for it in the future."

Late-game troubles
Virginia is No. 24 in the latest Baseball America poll. If the Cavaliers' bullpen were pitching better, the team's ranking would be considerably higher.

In its two most recent ACC series, U.Va. outscored Miami 17-15 and North Carolina 13-12. But the Wahoos went 1-2 in each series, largely because of their relievers' struggles.

At the plate, Virginia continues to flourish. Coach Brian O'Connor's offensive leaders include freshman John Hicks, who splits time at catcher and designated hitter. A Goochland High graduate, Hicks is batting .363 with five doubles and three home runs.

U.Va., 6-2 in ACC play, is 22-4 overall. Virginia plays Radford in Salem today.

Quite a splash
Success is nothing for the U.Va. swimming teams under coach Mark Bernardino. Even by the Cavaliers' high standards, though, this was an exceptional season.

The Virginia men placed ninth at the NCAA meet, which ended Saturday at Texas A&M. The finish was the highest in school history.

The U.Va. women placed 12th at the NCAA championships, held at Texas A&M a week before the men's meet. That finish was the team's best in seven years. - Jeff White

 

Cottle: Ref admitted error in 7-OT game
Sports Digest
March 30, 2009

A mistake by an official negated what would have been a game-winning goal for the Maryland men's lacrosse team in the first of seven overtimes of the Terps' 10-9 loss to No. 1 Virginia on Saturday. One of three referees blew his whistle moments before sophomore attackman Grant Catalino scored what appeared to be the game-winner nine seconds into the first overtime period. Maryland coach Dave Cottle confirmed that the official mistakenly thought he heard someone from the Terps bench request a timeout. "The ref told me he messed up," Cottle said Sunday. "It's a bad mistake, and he's human, too." Cottle said the team plans to send film of the incident to the body that governs the referees and the NCAA. But he acknowledged that he had no expectations of a reversal.