Critical Offseason Awaits Evans
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 03/01/2010
March 1, 2010
5:28 p.m.

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- As the end of Jontel Evans' first season at UVa approaches, it's clear he can be a lock-down defender.

The 5-11 point guard has quick hands and quick feet, and with 32 steals, he's second on the team only to Sammy Zeglinski (33), who has played 361 more minutes than Evans.

His ceiling as a college basketball player, however, depends on how much he improves at the other end of court.

Evans is averaging 15.8 minutes per game, and he'd have played more if he were more of an offensive threat. His scoring average is a paltry 2.6 points per game.

In ACC games, Evans is 13 for 48 from the floor and 6 for 12 from the line. He's missed all seven of his 3-point attempts.

Overall, the former Bethel High star is shooting 40.5 percent from the floor, 16.7 percent from 3-point range and 56.3 percent from the line. Evans knows those numbers must rise if he is to become a fixture in the Cavaliers' lineup, and he's looking forward to working on his shot after the season.

"I feel like I can be an impact player, depending on what type of summer I have in the offseason," Evans said Sunday night after UVa's loss to No. 5 Duke at John Paul Jones Arena.

"The coaches have been telling me, 'We're going to work real hard on your shot in the offseason.' I'm just ready to take that step and take another step in my game and my career."

Tony Bennett looks forward to working with Evans in the offseason. As a point guard at Wisconsin-Green Bay, Bennett made 49.7 percent of his 3-pointers, still an NCAA record, and during his coaching career Bennett has seen players improve their shooting markedly.

"I don't know if I've ever had a guy just become a lights-out shooter who has struggled," Bennett said on the ACC coaches' teleconference Monday, "but just mechanically you can improve, and certainly we'll work on that during the season. But where you really attack that is the offseason."

He said he's noticed "a lot of motion" in Evans' shot. If Evans were a golfer, Bennett would advise him to become "compact in your stroke, compact in your swing, so less can go wrong."

Against Duke, Evans was 1 for 3 from the floor and 3 for 4 from the line. He had three steals and blocked a shot.

Evans has a tendency to drop the ball below his waist and drift, Bennett said, and "he needs to tighten some of those things up to make it a little more of a consistent shot. And that's something that we'll go to work on. And I have had guys in the past who have improved and become a threat that way, and that will be important for the development of him, and it will certainly help our program."

UVa (5-9, 14-13) has two regular-season games left. The first is Wednesday at 9 p.m. against ACC rival Boston College (5-9, 14-14) at Chestnut Hill, Mass.

-- Jeff White

Sene Offers Hope for Future
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 03/01/2010
March 2, 2010
6:40 a.m.

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- In a span of about 10 seconds Sunday night, Assane Sene showed how far he's come as a basketball player and how far he still has to go.

Late in the second half, Duke forward Kyle Singler, an all-ACC candidate, curled off a pick, caught a pass in the lane and put up a left-handed shot.

It never reached the rim. Sene, a 7-0 sophomore, swatted the ball off the backboard, then corraled the rebound. He handed the ball to Sammy Zeglinski, who started a fast break.

Sene sprinted toward UVa's basket and, when he reached the lane, got a slick pass from Jontel Evans. Sene went up for a layup, but his shot bounced off the backboard, never coming close to going in.

On offense, Sene remains a work in progress. In about 13 minutes a game, he's averaging 1.8 points and shooting 32.5 percent from the floor.

The native of Senegal hasn't been playing hoops nearly as long as his American teammates, and it shows. Sene, a left-hander, struggles at times to cleanly catch the ball, and his footwork often looks awkward. He weighs only about 235 pounds and lacks the strength to get -- and hold -- his position in the paint against bigger post players.

Against Duke, he was 1 for 4 from the floor and turned the ball over twice.

On defense, he shows more promise. Effort and energy are never issues for Sene, who had 10 rebounds and 2 blocked shots in the Cavaliers' 67-49 loss to the fifth-ranked Blue Devils.

"Assane, with his rebounding and being so active, I thought that was a positive for us. And I do think he's improved," Tony Bennett said on the ACC coaches' teleconference Monday.

"He needs to continue to work at strength. That will help his game as much as anything, just attacking the weight room in the offseason. And with that, I think, better finishing will come. Continue working on catching and scoring a little in there. But he has improved, little by little, and then getting some extended minutes, his activity was noticeable.

"One thing about Assane is, whether he's played a little or a lot, he gives everything he has. His effort level is very high, and I thought last night he showed some things that were good for the future."

Sene said he was motivated Sunday after hearing that 7-footer Greg Zoubek and Duke's other big men would overpower the Wahoos inside. Zoubek, the Devils' starting center, had no points, 4 rebounds and 4 fouls in 14 minutes.


"When you play against players like that, you have to play," Sene said. "You've got to give everything you've got, and that's what I was doing, trying to help my team to win."

-- Jeff White

 

Cavaliers' Bright Spots and Battles

Like his coach, Virginia’s Jontel Evans looks for small victories and daily improvement while anticipating future accomplishments.

The Cavaliers’ freshman guard from Bethel High has seen his playing time fluctuate in recent weeks for several reasons: inexperience; inconsistency on offense; team struggles that have led coach Tony Bennett to juggle lineups in attempts to find sparks and effective combinations.

Evans was one of the few bright spots in the Cavaliers’ Landesberg-less 67-49 loss to now-No. 4 Duke on Sunday night. His contributions were mostly in the areas of effort and energy and generally being a nuisance on defense.

“Tough kid, tenacious kid,” Bennett said Sunday night. “He knows in the offseason he’s got to go to work and try and tighten up that shot a little bit. If he can add that and continue to get a better feel, I think that will help his game a lot.”

In 24 minutes against the Blue Devils, he had five points, one assist, three steals, a block and one turnover. He often found himself checking Duke’s 6-5 Jon Scheyer, giving up seven inches and three years.

While no one would say that Evans slowed Scheyer (20 points, 8-for-14 from the field, 4-for-7 from 3-point range), his speed and quickness and ball-hawking at least kept Scheyer alert.

That’s where Evans is at this point: He relies on his athletic ability as his experience and offensive game catch up.

“I feel like I can be an impact player,” Evans said. “It depends on what type of summer I have in the offseason. The coaches have been telling me we’re going to work real hard on my shot in the offseason. I’m ready to take another step in my game and my career.”

Evans is shooting 40 percent from the field this season, but just 26.7 percent (12-for-45) in ACC games. He has not made a 3-pointer (0-for-7) in conference play.

“I made the comment that there’s a lot of motion in that shot,” Bennett said Monday. “I use the golf analogy — compacting your stroke, compacting your swing so less can go wrong. When you’re dropping the ball below your waist and you’re sort of drifting a lot, he needs to tighten some of those things up to make it a little more of a consistent shot. That’s something that we’ll go to work on, and I have had guys who have improved and become a threat that way, and that will be important in the development of him and it will certainly help our program.”

Stats aside, Evans said that his shot has improved greatly even since he arrived in Charlottesville last summer. The former football and basketball standout thinks that repetition and being able to concentrate on basketball will help. In high school and in AAU ball, he didn’t need to be a perimeter scorer. He distributed, played defense and used his athletic ability to get places on the court.

“I always took it to the hole, didn’t really have to shoot because I was faster and stronger than other guys,” he said. “But now that I’m on the collegiate level and guys are just as fast and strong and athletic, so you have to do more than one thing.”

The Cavaliers are mired in a seven-game losing streak, the last five by double figures in games in which they had difficulty even competing. During the losing streak, they are shooting .347 from the field and .241 from 3-point range. But Evans said that the slump hasn’t fractured the team.

“That was one thing I was worried about,” he said, “but from all this losing, this team has stuck together really well. Everybody’s had each other’s back, everybody’s been supportive with one another, positive. We’ve just had each other’s back – one big family.”

Bennett said the only thing he knows to combat the difficulties is work. He said he de-emphasizes results, i.e., the scoreboard, and instead looks for positives and focuses on improving what they do, collectively and individually.

“You just keep battling,” Bennett said, “and we’ve got to keep trying to find ways. I know the season time is running out. But keep challenging them, keep trying to build a foundation. It’s a tough spot to be in, but you know, that’s where we’re at. Practices will determine what guys will play. Effort, attitude, character, all those things are so important in this building process.”

Posted by Dave Fairbank

Cavs look on the bright side
By Whitey Reid
Published: March 1, 2010
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Normally, a double-digit home loss that results in a seven-game losing streak doesn’t lead to a discussion about “bright spots” from a coach. In fact, it doesn’t usually lead to a coach wanting to talk about very much at all.
When former Virginia coach Dave Leitao lost a game, he never wanted to converse about any positives that may have occurred with his team.
First-year Virginia coach Tony Bennett, however, is a different cat.
While Bennett was obviously dismayed with his team’s non-competitive outing against Duke on Sunday night, he was happy to discuss certain aspects of his team’s performance that he was pleased with.
At the top of the list were the performances of Jerome Meyinsse, Assane Sene and Jontel Evans. Bennett loved the way that the trio competed.
“They really battled,” Bennett said. “They laid it out there. You could see.”
Meyinsse played the best game of his career, notching 21 points and seven rebounds against the fifth-ranked Blue Devils. The senior, whose defensive ability and propensity to foul has always been a question, showed improvement in that area. Early in the game, he rejected a shot by Duke’s Lance Thomas.
Sene also made his presence felt on defense. The sophomore had two swats of his own, including one of a driving Kyle Singler in the second half. Sene hauled in a team-high 10 rebounds.
“There weren’t a ton of bright spots out there,” Bennett said, “but I thought Assane — with his rebounding and his being so active — that was [a] positive for us.
“I do think he’s improved. He needs to continue to work on strength. That will help his game as much as anything — just attacking the weight room in the offseason. With that, I think better finishing will come.”
With the exception of actions that led to a three-game suspension early in the season, Sene has done everything that Bennett and his staff have asked, with no complaints.
“The one thing with Assane, whether he’s played a little or a lot, he gives it everything he has,” Bennett said. “His effort level is very high. I thought [against Duke] he showed some things that look good for the future.”
The same could be said of freshman Jontel Evans. The point guard had five points and three steals in 24 minutes of action.
Evans played with a fire and don’t-back-down attitude that a couple of his teammates could probably learn a thing or two from.
Dunks
On Monday, Bennett said there wasn’t anything new on leading scorer Sylven Landesberg’s staus. The sophomore missed Sunday’s game with a bruised thigh. “We’ll practice [Monday] evening and see where Sylven is at…,” Bennett said. “He’ll be day-to-day.” Bennett said Landesberg not being able to practice in the next two days wouldn’t preclude him from playing against Boston College on Wednesday.


 

No. 1 Virginia Welcomes JMU at 3 p.m. Tuesday
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 03/01/2010

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - The No. 1-ranked Virginia baseball team will take on James Madison at 3 p.m. Tuesday at Davenport Field. Please note the time change from the original start time of 4 p.m.
With Tuesday's first pitch temperature forecast to be 45 degrees, hot chocolate and coffee will be free to all fans during the game. This is part of a season-long promotion conducted by the athletics department in which hot chocolate and coffee will be available to fans for free if the forecasted temperature at the start of the game is 45 degrees or below.

Virginia (6-1) is again ranked No. 1 nationally this week by Baseball America and Rivals.com. UVa is coming off a strong week where the Cavaliers won all four of their games, including a three-game weekend series sweep of Rhode Island. Keith Werman (So., Vienna, Va.) went 7-for-11 (.636) during the week, while Phil Gosselin (Jr., West Chester, Pa.) was 9-for-17 (.529) with a home run and six RBI.

Jarrett Parker (Jr., Stafford, Va.) scored a team-high six runs in the four victories, while Steven Proscia (So., Suffern, N.Y.) drove in a team-best seven runs as he pushed his season RBI total to 13, which ranks second in the ACC.

Virginia's offense hit another gear over the weekend, scoring 43 runs, including 22 Saturday. The pitching also was strong, as UVa recorded a 2.25 ERA in the four-game span while allowing just nine runs. Virginia pitchers struck out 42 batters and walked just six in 36 innings.

James Madison, the preseason Colonial Athletic Association favorite, is 0-3 after a weekend of tough competition at the Baseball at the Beach tournament. The Dukes fell to nationally-ranked Coastal Carolina and UC Irvine as well as NC State. Matt Browning had a team-best five hits and four RBI in the three games.

Virginia and James Madison are meeting for the first time since April 25, 2007. In that contest, the Dukes won a wild 7-6, 14-inning game at Davenport Field. JMU scored five runs in the top of the 14th before UVa staged a furious rally in its half of the 14th, scoring four runs before Beau Seabury flew out to the warning track for the final out, leaving the bases loaded. Virginia holds a 30-25 edge in the all-time series.

The Cavaliers return home this weekend with games against 2009 NCAA Tournament participants Dartmouth and Wright State. UVa will face Wright State at 3 p.m. Friday, Dartmouth at 3 p.m. Saturday and 11:30 a.m. Sunday and Wright State again at 3 p.m. Sunday. The Big Green and Raiders will play a neutral-site contest at 11:30 a.m. Saturday.


 

Monica Wright Named First Team All-ACC
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 03/01/2010

CHARLOTTESVILLE - Virginia senior guard Monica Wright (Woodbridge, Va.) earned first team All-ACC honors, the conference announced Monday (March 1). Wright leads the ACC in scoring for the second-consecutive year, averaging 23.0 points per game.

The ACC Preseason Player of the Year, Wright earned first team All-ACC honors for the second-consecutive season. She was a second team All-ACC selection in 2007-08 and the ACC Rookie of the Year in 2006-07.

The ACC Player of the Year will be announced on Thursday, March 4.

Prior to the 2009-10 campaign, Wright was selected to the five-player Associated Press Preseason All-American team.

She has six 30-point games this season, and 20 games of at least 20 points. Both are league-highs.

On Jan. 11 vs. Maryland, Wright surpassed Dawn Staley as Virginia's all-time leading scorer. Heading into the ACC Tournament, Wright ranks third on the conference's all-time scoring list with 2,474 career points.

She is a midseason candidate for all three of the national player of the year awards - the Naismith Trophy, Wade Trophy and Wooden Award.

Wright and the 18th-ranked Cavaliers begin play at the 2010 ACC Tournament on Friday, March 5. UVa plays the winner of sixth-seeded NC State vs. 11th-seeded Clemson in the quarterfinals at 8 p.m.

2010 All-ACC First Team
Carolyn Swords, Jr., C, Boston College
Jasmine Thomas, Jr., G, Duke
Jacinta Monroe, Sr., F, Florida State
Shenise Johnson, So., F, Miami
Monica Wright, Sr., G, Virginia

2010 All-ACC Second Team
Lele Hardy, Sr., G/F, Clemson
Courtney Ward, Jr., G, Florida State
Brigitte Ardossi, Sr., F, Georgia Tech
Riquna Williams, So., G, Miami
Italee Lucas, Jr., G, North Carolina

2010 All-ACC Third Team
Joy Cheek, Sr., F, Duke
Alex Montgomery, Jr., G/F, Georgia Tech
Lynetta Kizer, So., C, Maryland
Cetera DeGraffenreid, Jr., G, North Carolina
Secily Ray, So., G, Wake Forest

Honorable Mention
Stefanie Murphy (Boston College); Lori Bjork (Maryland); Bonae Holston (NC State); Utahya Drye (Virginia Tech); Brittany Waters (Wake Forest).

 

Ryan’s team rises to the occasion
By Jerry Ratcliffe
Published: March 1, 2010
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Debbie Ryan wasn’t quite sure what to make of this bunch of young players when practice opened in the fall.
Yes, she knew she would get greatness from star Monica Wright, a heady senior with unlimited scoring potential. Beyond that, it was a crapshoot.
Still, in spite of its youth, and perhaps as a tribute to Wright’s leadership, Ryan’s Virginia team was picked fourth in the ACC women’s basketball preseason poll. After overcoming a sluggish first half Sunday, the Cavaliers polished off rival Virginia Tech 55-46 for the 21st win of the season and a third-place finish in the regular season standings.
Marching onward
Now, it’s on to Greensboro for the ACC Tournament and what Ryan hopes will be a strong postseason run. By winning Sunday, the Cavs lightened their load a bit, earning a first-round bye in the ACC’s and won’t play until Friday night.
The value in a bye is the much-needed rest for her team, particularly Wright, who for the first time in four years, told Ryan last Friday after a loss at Duke that she was totally exhausted.
If the Cavaliers are to make a tournament run in the ACC’s and beyond, then they need Wright to be as close to 100 percent as possible.
“The first thing is to get [the team] rested, then get them focused,” Ryan said. “I think this is a team that really wants to win. It has a great will about it. They don’t look ahead or behind, they just stay with what they are doing.”
While that may not seem overly difficult, it really is, particularly for a team with one senior.
A will to win
Ryan is encouraged about her program considering it won 21 games, finished third in the league, which like over on the men’s side of things, is clearly down, and considering her team is so young.
Complicating the matter was losing two freshmen, both high school All-Americans, starting point guard China Crosby and post player Erinn Thompson, early in the season.
“I think that anybody who looks at who I lost last year, seriously looks at it, and sees what we had coming in, that I was going to have to play three freshmen as much as I have, and two freshmen being out for the year, it was incredible to me that we were able to accomplish what we have,” Ryan said.
The veteran Cavaliers coach gave a lot of credit to her new coaching staff of Tim Taylor, Wendy Palmer and Angel Elderkin, for helping the team exceed expectations.
“My assistant coaches have really willed this team to win,” Ryan said. “They have done a fabulous job of getting everyone prepared.
“It’s hard to keep a young team focused, but they’ve done a great job in taking care of that.”
Palmer has shown an ability to help the players off the court, making them understand what exactly will be tolerated and what won’t.
Taylor’s in-game adjustments and constant changing things up has helped the Cavaliers eke out a point here or two points there in key moments of games.
Elderkin has produced spot on scouting reports as each assistant has worked well off each other’s strengths.
So, Ryan likes her team’s chances in an ACC Tournament that she believes is wide open even though top-seeded Duke has lost only once in the league. The Cavaliers, Ryan said, have a swagger about them.
“They are never down, even when we are trailing in a game,” she said. “They understand when you make adjustments. They understand when you get on them. They understand when you’re being funny with them. They get it.”
Wright, whose jersey was retired immediately after she hung 27 points on the Hokies, causing Tech coach Beth Dunkenberger to exclaim she would be happy to throw a WNBA party for the departing Cavalier senior, is determined to find a way to help Virginia restore some of its past postseason glory.
It won’t be easy.
Wright said that is her and her teammates focus and believes that because the ACC doesn’t boast the usual horde of national powers, that Greensboro presents a golden opportunity to begin the march.
No matter where that march stops, Ryan isn’t reaching for the panic button, not with 11 of her top 12 players returning, complemented by more blue-chip recruits.
“I’m not worried at all,” Ryan smiled about the program’s future. “A lot of people are like, ‘Oh, what are you going to do without Monica?’ Well, we’ll just be different.
“There will be four or five players in double figures as opposed to one, two or maybe three,” the UVa coach said. “It will be a different ball club. We have a lot of talent and you can see that. It’s young, but there’s a lot there. It’s going to be a good year next year.”
Still, Ryan is most appreciative of her senior, who has definitely made the coach’s personal hall of fame.
“If you were to paint a picture of a basketball player, Monica is the person you would paint,” the coach said. “She has all the right stuff.”
Or, rather, she has all the Wright stuff.