The big picture
By Jerry Ratcliffe
Published: March 21, 2010
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The closer Virginia’s basketball team drew to the end of new coach Tony Bennett’s first season at the helm, the more fans heard him make reference to “the Big Picture.”

When UVa athletic director Craig Littlepage brought Bennett aboard last spring, both men realized that rebuilding Cavalier basketball was going to be a long process, three or four years. While Bennett’s competitive spirit wouldn’t allow him to back off from his quest for a winning season his first time around the ACC, he never lost sight of that big picture, of how he wanted his program to look in the future, and never strayed from that road map.

He made tough decisions, suspending players no matter of their status. All-American or walk-on, it didn’t matter. He treated everyone the same. He established rules and enforced them. He preached defense and valuing the basketball and never attempted to shortcut the process.

So, exactly what is that Big Picture we all kept hearing about? In order to get a better understanding, it was essential to peel off a couple of layers of Bennett’s coaching philosophy, much of it inherited from his successful father, Dick Bennett, and examine how this blueprint was put together.

“I think there’s a process when you take over a program that hasn’t been successful in a while,” said UVa assistant coach Ron Sanchez, who was with Bennett all six years at Washington State before switching coasts with his mentor. “I don’t think there are any shortcuts to building it back up.”

While working for both Bennetts at WSU, Sanchez got an inside look at the proper way to rebuild a program, what works, what doesn’t. Tony Bennett is using the same foundations that his father established at Wisconsin-Green Bay, at the University of Wisconsin, and that they both used to revive Washington State basketball.

“Tony’s not in a hurry,” said associate head coach Ritchie McKay, who has been the head coach of five different college programs, every single one of them rebuilding situations. “Tony’s patient. He knows what he wants it to look like.

“I’ll tell you this ... he won’t get rattled, he won’t shortcut the process,” McKay said. “He will weather setbacks because he is building a program to last.”

McKay went on to explain that while Tony has some different styles and personality traits than his dad, Dick Bennett, they both know how to build a program.

“His dad is a Hall of Fame coach,” McKay said. “His dad went to the Final Four with a group of players in which none of them even made honorable mention All-Big Ten.”

Sanchez witnessed firsthand the rebuilding of Washington State from a horrible program to a Sweet 16 squad that competed night after night in a solid Pac-10 and won Tony Bennett the Associated Press national coach of the year award.

“The moment you take a shortcut in the process of rebuilding it, then it will catch up to you later when it’s really going to matter,” Sanchez said.

Obviously, the entire success of a program is dependent upon talent and recruiting. However, Bennett seeks players that fit his system, which stresses defense and taking care of the basketball, rebounding. He’s not willing to take a great player who exudes thuggish qualities or a self-centered attitude.

Bennett, borrowing a page from his dad’s philosophy, stresses the “Five Pillars” for their programs, which relates somewhat to the family’s Christian faith, but also to John Wooden’s legendary Pyramid of Success — qualities that cross over from basketball to life.

Wooden’s Pyramid is more extensive than Bennett’s pillars, which include five principles: passion, unity, humility, servanthood, and thankfulness.

“I’m not as spiritual as coach Bennett or coach McKay, but the principles make sense and I bought into them from Day One,” said UVa assistant Jason Williford, a former starter for the Cavaliers during the Jeff Jones era. “If you think about them, they’re really what ‘team’ is all about ... service to each other, sacrificing for each other, having passion for the team.”

While Dick Bennett was the head coach of the Cougars for three years before he retired and Tony took over the WSU program, Tony did all the recruiting. Sanchez remembers clearly how the Bennetts looked for talent.

The first thing they searched for was quality kids, quality meaning kids with character, an important piece of the puzzle, because as Sanchez noted, “when you struggle, which you are at the beginning, that’s the one thing that’s going to hold it together when things aren’t going well.”

Kids with character are never going to quit on you. They will continue to fight.

Bennett brought in six kids in his first recruiting class at Washington State. Sound familiar? Virginia will bring in six for Bennett’s first “real” recruiting class as well.

Sanchez said that not all of those six at WSU had great success, but the majority did. After that first class, they added a decent second class and that’s how things began to change.

Yes, there were some tough times — such an 81-29 loss to sixth-ranked Oklahoma State in Dick Bennett’s next-to-last season — but two years later, in Tony’s first year as head coach, Washington State won 26 games and was runner-up in the conference, the same year numerous national coaching awards were heaped upon his efforts.

Those were some young Cougars that took lumps like that Oklahoma State pounding. They were clearly outmatched, but it’s nearly impossible to speed up Mother Nature. That coaching staff knew that the 18-year-olds that were taking a beating, would be different players when they were 20.

It’s all a process, and Bennett understands how to get to the end.

“I don’t think Tony would have taken the Virginia position if it had not been for someone like [UVa athletic director] Craig Littlepage, who has coached before and understands,” McKay said. “[Duke coach] Mike Krzyzewski didn’t go to the NCAA tournament his first three years. I’m not comparing Tony to Mike, but anytime you build a program to last, and you choose character over talent, intangibles over highlight reels, capturing a full buy-in from the whole, it’s not a fast process.”

Even Coach K acknowledged during a late-season visit to Charlottesville that he knew Bennett and was certain that Bennett was building UVa’s program the right way.

“I don’t see how it won’t work out ... it just won’t work out overnight,” Krzyzewski said.

Virginia took its lumps this season, but help is on the way, just like at Washington State.

“This is a big boy league,” McKay said of the ACC. “Some things need to come together for us to get it turned around and we think absolutely it can. It’s our responsibility to honor the process. Tony won’t waver in the way he builds it.”

Defense, rebounding and valuing the basketball are all non-negotiable items with Bennett, and while the Cavaliers fell just short of a break-even record this past season, there were dramatic improvements in team defense, turnovers and other categories.

“I sort of knew we were overmatched from a talent standpoint, but early on the kids bought into playing pack defense, valuing the ball, taking good shots for the most part,” said Williford. “Outside of a few games, we competed, especially at the end. The few guys that were still will us pulled together and that’s what I’ll take away from this season.”

The other assistant coaches were eager to pick Williford’s brain about how Virginia won when he played under Jones. What Williford told them was encouraging because some of those successes are similar to Bennett’s philosophies.

“I thought it was a commitment to defense,” Williford said. “I also said there was a chemistry, a bond we had. It was the closest team I’ve ever been associated with. There was also mental and physical toughness.”

That’s something that’s a precious commodity in today’s changed world, but something Bennett and new strength coach Mike Curtis, who also played on those Jones teams, are working to instill in the new Cavaliers.

“Toughness and a commitment to defense, a commitment to each other,” Curtis remembered about his UVa teams. “In most cases those things out-talent talent. We are going to have an upgrade in talent, so if you add those things into the mix, it’s a recipe for success in the future ... and, sustainable success at that.”

Sanchez remembered how difficult it was to recruit early in Bennett’s tenure at Washington State. The staff struggled to close the deal because WSU had not experienced success.

“Where we were just wasn’t attractive to them via location or facilities, so we were battling that stuff, too,” Sanchez said.

The coaches know that will not be the case at Virginia, which boasts a pleasant community and facilities.

Former UVa football coach Al Groh once said, “You ever been to Pullman, Washington? Pullman makes Blacksburg seem like paradise.”

So, just how would the new Virginia coaches evaluate their first season?

Most of them were pleased with the effort, that there were strides in establishing the ground rules and fundamentals and defense for sure. They realize there’s work to do, but new players should help take the next step.

“To Tony’s credit, when he came in, he said he was going to coach the guys that were already on Virginia’s roster like they were our own and give them an opportunity to represent UVa basketball until they prove they’re unwilling or unable,” McKay said. “He’s done a great job of adhering to that.”

The next step is an important once, but McKay believes the program is already slightly ahead of schedule. Had anyone told him or the rest of the staff prior to the season that they would be playing for a chance to break even at the end, they would have asked, “Where do we sign?”

The Big Picture. It could have a very happy ending.
 

London Looks to Speed Things Up
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 03/20/2010
March 21, 2010
8:12 a.m.

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- During Al Groh's nine seasons as UVa's football coach, his defenses were routinely described as big and powerful. Rarely were the Cavaliers called fast on defense, and the new coaching staff is trying to change that.

Mike London and defensive coordinator Jim Reid installed the 4-3 scheme -- Groh preferred the 3-4 -- and have moved safeties to linebacker, linebackers to end and ends to tackle.

Among those who changed positions were 6-4, 225-pound Ausar Walcott and 6-2, 220-pound LaRoy Reynolds. Both were at safety in 2009; they're outside linebackers this spring.


"They like my size, and they like my speed coming down," said Reynolds, who played special teams a true freshman last season.

"Basically, Coach Reid just wanted the outside linebackers to be faster, so he brought both of us down."

Linebackers coach Vincent Brown, who was at the University of Richmond with London in 2008 and '09, said the biggest adjustment for Walcott and Reynolds "is that things happen so much faster for them. They're closer to the action. But both those kids have done a really good job the first couple of days of just playing fast. That's the mindset right now. They have the athleticism. We want them to play fast, and we'll teach them the techniques and the reads. They'll get it. They've done a good job."

Reynolds called the move to the 4-3 "very exciting."

"There's a lot of speed," he said. "I think that's what it's based around. It's lot of speed and a lot of moving around, everybody flying fast to the ball."

Brown's corps of linebackers is notable for its inexperience. Only middle linebacker Steve Greer has played much, and he was a redshirt freshman in 2009. Walcott, Reynolds, Billy Schautz, Connor McCartin and Tucker Windle also will be sophomores this fall, and Aaron Taliaferro is a rising junior.

"But it's a great group of kids," Brown said. "All those guys have done a real good job. The mindset right now, we're just trying to develop a go-hard, go-fast attitude, and all of them have the ability to help us in some capacity.

"We'll just see how it goes throughout the course of the spring. We'll see if the guys can make the transition. This guy might move over to an inside spot, and this guy might move over to an outside spot. The whole defense, we're trying to get fast. We're trying to get them all to play fast."

-- Jeff White

Virginia Football Scrimmage Set for ODU on March 27
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com Release: 03/20/2010

Charlottesville, VA - The Virginia football team will hold an open scrimmage Saturday, March 27 in Norfolk at Old Dominion University's S.B. Ballard Stadium at Foreman Field. The controlled scrimmage is scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m. and will last approximately two hours. Gates will open at 11:30 a.m. and admission is free.
"I am excited about the opportunity to take the team down to the Norfolk area and practice at Old Dominion University," said first-year Virginia coach Mike London. "We are reaching out to area coaches, fans, and alumni to come and see us in action this spring. The ‘757' area is very important to us in many aspects. This is something we will continue to look at and perhaps in the future hold events like this in other areas of the state."
In conjunction with the practice session, the Virginia athletics department will host a fan zone inside the stadium starting at 11:30 a.m. The area will include interactive games and contests. Raffle prizes will also be awarded to fans, including a trip for two to Virginia's Oct. 9 game against Georgia Tech in Atlanta, a 40" LCD-TV, and Virginia football season tickets.
The first 1,500 fans will receive a free Virginia football t-shirt and the first 250 youth to visit Fan Fest will receive a mini-football, compliments of the event's sponsor, STIHL Incorporated, headquartered in Virginia Beach.
Fans are asked to park in the parking garage adjacent to Foreman Field off 49th Street. Gates B and C will be used. The Tailgate Terrace, featuring concessions items, including soft drinks and beer, will open at 11:30 a.m. Tailgating in the parking lots will not be permitted for this event.
The east side of the stadium will be available for fan seating and concessions stands and restrooms will be open on that side of the stadium.
Following the scrimmage, the student-athletes on the Virginia football team will hold an autograph session for 30 minutes before returning to Charlottesville. NCAA rules prohibit the Cavalier coaches from participating in this activity.
Virginia will hold its annual Spring Football Festival on Saturday, April 10 at Scott Stadium. Pregame activities for fans will begin at noon and the Spring Game will start at 2 p.m. Admission to this event is also free.
Coaches Clinic in Norfolk
The football coaching staffs from Virginia and Old Dominion will co-host a coaches clinic Friday, March 26 at 10 a.m. at the Sheraton Inn Norfolk Waterside Hotel. Registration is $12 and individuals must RSVP to Dawn Best in the Virginia football office by email at dawnbest@virginia.edu.



 

Checking In from Ames
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 03/20/2010
March 20, 2010
5:55 p.m.

AMES, Iowa -- Women's basketball will dominate the spotlight at Iowa State's Hilton Coliseum through Tuesday night, but Tony Bennett's name came up there a couple of times today.

UVa's first-round opponent in the NCAA tournament is Wisconsin-Green Bay, which, of course, happens to Bennett's alma mater. He starred at Green Bay for his father, Dick Bennett.

At a news conference today, a reporter from the Midwest asked Debbie Ryan if she knew where the UVa men's coach's allegiance will lie Sunday night.

Bennett said on his radio show last week that he'll be rooting for the 'Hoos, and Ryan would expect nothing else from him.

"He has to share an office space [in John Paul Jones Arena] with me," Ryan said with a smile.

Later today, during Virginia's practice at Hilton Coliseum, Jimmy Dykes walked up to Craig Littlepage, who was seated courtside.

Dykes, now an analyst for ESPN, is a former NBA scout who was a men's assistant at five colleges, including Kentucky and Oklahoma State.

"I just wanted to tell you what a big fan I am of Tony Bennett," Dykes said after shaking hands with Littlepage. "He's got the whole package."

Dykes also praised Ritchie McKay, Bennett's top assistant. Dykes is working the first- and second-round women's games at Iowa State. The UVa-Green Bay winner will meet Iowa State or Lehigh on Tuesday night.

-- Jeff White

'Hoos Not Ready to Bid Wright Farewell
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 03/21/2010
By Jeff White

AMES, Iowa -- For her teammates, the future may hold more trips to the NCAA tournament. For Monica Wright, the lone senior on the UVa women's basketball team, this is it.

If the Cavaliers need extra motivation, they can find it there. Any game now could be Wright's last as a collegian, and her teammates want to extend the 5-11 guard's career as long as possible.

"It's what Moni deserves," sophomore forward Chelsea Shine said Saturday afternoon at Iowa State's Hilton Coliseum. "She deserves to go out at least making the Sweet 16."

UVa's roster includes two other players who entered the University with Wright in 2006: forward Jayna Hartig and guard Paulisha Kellum. Both redshirted, though, and have another season of eligibility left.

"Knowing this is Monica's last year and last chance, we're going to play our hearts out," Kellum said.

Four teams will play at the Hilton Coliseum on Sunday. Fifth-seeded UVa (21-9) meets No. 12 seed Wisconsin-Green Bay (27-4) at 7:21 p.m. (ET), with fourth-seeded Iowa State (23-7) and No. 13 seed Lehigh (29-3) to follow.

The Phoenix is the first team from the Horizon League to receive an at-large invitation to the NCAA tourney. In three seasons under Matt Bollant, Green Bay is 82-14, with a trip to the NCAAs each year.

Her players may not have known much about the Phoenix before the NCAA pairings were announced last week, but UVa coach Debbie Ryan has done plenty of teaching since then. She saw what happened to Virginia in the ACC tournament. Sixth-seeded N.C. State eliminated third-seeded UVa 66-59.

"N.C. State wasn't a national team either," Ryan said Saturday, "and [UVa's players] made the mistake of maybe not respecting them as much as they should have. I think that this team now, if they haven't learned that, then they're not going to learn it, so it would be the end of their season.

"It's been drilled into them, and it's been made very clear to them, that there will be, as you heard Monica say today, no looking ahead. There will be none of that. Because you better be playing possession by possession, or you're going home.

"Anybody can beat anybody. This is a very good Green Bay team. They've won 56 games in the last two years, and if you don't pay attention to that and you don't respect that, then there's something wrong with you."

UVa hasn't played since its March 5 loss to the Wolfpack in Greensboro, N.C. In that game, Wright, the ACC player of the year, scored 32 points, well more than half of her team's total. For the season, she's averaging 23.3 points, well ahead of the Wahoos' second-leading scorer, Shine (8.1).

Still, Ryan said she has confidence in Wright's supporting cast.

The N.C. State game was "a one-time thing," Ryan said, "and all year long she's been getting help from different people at different times. It's not like we're worried about that, because we know that other people on this team can score. We know that other people on this team can rebound and defend as well. We just did not have a good day that day. We just have to be sure that this team is focused and ready to play and ready to do what they do."

Bollant said his team can't overlook the other Cavaliers. That Wright is the Phoenix's biggest concern, however, is unquestioned.

"I told our players, 'She's probably the best player you'll play against,' " Bollant said. "There were several times this week where I rewound clips and thought she's as explosive as anybody we've seen. With her ability to get to the rim and make plays, what she does is truly special."

With 2,506 career points, Wright is Virginia's all-time leading scorer. She ranks third in ACC history.

"We have to try to limit her," Bollant said. "As a coach there are different strategies. Do you let her go and try to limit the other players, or do you try to take her away? Nobody has really been able to take her away."

Green Bay placed two players on the all-Horizon first team -- 5-7 guard Celeste Hoewisch and 6-0 wing Kayla Tetschlag -- and another on the second team (6-0 wing Julie Wojta). Sarah Eichler, a 5-11 freshman, made the Horizon's all-newcomer team.

The Phoenix starts no one taller than 6-0, but it's a much-better shooting team than UVa. Four Cavaliers have made at least 14 treys apiece this season. Green Bay has seven players who have hit at least 15.

"I don't think that we've played anybody that has everything that they have," Ryan said. "We play against a lot of teams during the year that have a lot of different styles. I would say maybe South Dakota State, which we played in the Bahamas, is probably the most like them, but I think that they have more weapons than South Dakota State had."

This is the Cavaliers' 24th appearance in the NCAA tournament in their 33 seasons under Ryan. The 'Hoos won their first-round game in 2008 and again in '09, but they haven't advanced to the Sweet 16 since 2000.

"As a team I feel like we understand our history and what we've done in the past," Wright said. "We look at this year as definitely a great opportunity to make it further. But we've been drilling a certain mentality into ourselves that we want to take it game by game and possession by possession and not look too far in the future."

 

Once again, UConn in UVa’s way
By Jay Jenkins
Published: March 21, 2010
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Monica Wright cracked a small smile and shook her head in disbelief.

Earlier this week and for the third straight year, the Virginia women’s basketball team watched the selection show for the NCAA tournament only to learn that a trip to the Elite Eight would involve pulling off the near-impossible — beating top-ranked, unbeaten Connecticut.

The Huskies are the clear favorite to win another national title, having won 72 straight games with relative ease.

“I am sure that everybody does cringe when they see UConn and I am sure that everybody was praying not to be in their bracket, but at the same time they are UConn and they put on their pants the same way that we do,” Wright said. “They are an excellent team, that’s obvious, but we were in their bracket last year and the year before and never made it that far.”

Virginia’s quest to reach a potential game with the Huskies starts tonight at 7:21 p.m. in Ames, Iowa — the fifth-seeded Cavaliers (21-9) landed a meeting with Wisconsin Green-Bay (27-4) in their opener.

The Phoenix — an at-large selection from the Horizon League — boast three double-figure scorers in junior guard/forward Kayla Tetschlag (14.8 points per game), sophomore guard/forward Julie Wojta (14.2 ppg) and junior guard Celeste Hoewisch (13.8 ppg). Tetschlag and Wojta each average over six rebounds per game.

A win could bring Virginia a tough test against a host institution, something that happens quite often in the first or second round in the women’s tournament. Fourth-seeded Iowa State (23-9), leaning on its home-court advantage, will meet Lehigh (29-3) tonight 30 minutes after the Virginia-Green Bay opener.

Iowa State lost two of its last three games, but received a big boost when it learned that guard Alison Lacey would be able to play tonight.

The Cyclones’ leading scorer at 16.5 points per game, Lacey missed three games with pneumonia.

“I feel better than I thought coming back, just getting my legs and being able to breathe,” Lacey told reporters. “It is frustrating at times. But I can’t get too frustrated about it, and just hopefully get back in the swing of things in the first game and hopefully come out with a win.’”

Should the favorites advance, another common occurrence in the women’s tourney, Virginia could be playing in front of close to 12,000 Cyclone fans.

“It is always tough to play a team in the postseason on their court,” said Wright, looking to prolong her stellar career that included setting the program’s all-time scoring record.

“We have been in situations like that and it is tough, but you can find ways to use that to your advantage.”

All four teams know that their trips in the tournament could be short with UConn likely looming in the Sweet 16 in Dayton, Ohio.

That is not something worth worrying about Virginia coach Debbie Ryan said.

“If you look any further than what you have in front of you in that moment, you are up a creek,” said Ryan, who has not played in over two weeks. “I think our team has made some great strides, but it is a long time to wait.

“It is what it is, so we have to make the best of it.”

And if it is the unenviable task of facing UConn on the docket next weekend?

“This year, last year, what year does it matter,” Ryan said. “That’s not something that you need to fear. That is something that you really need to take a hold of and relish it and, hopefully, if you get a chance to play UConn that year you are the team that upsets them.”

 

Virginia Wrestling Takes 15th Place at NCAA Championships
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 03/20/2010

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - The Virginia wrestling team finished off its historic season Saturday night with a 15th-place finish at the NCAA Championships at the Qwest Center in Omaha, Neb. The finish was the second-best ever for Virginia, topped only by a 10th-place finish in 1957. The Cavaliers finished with 34 team points, marking the most points Virginia ever has accumulated in the NCAA Championships.

Following the completion of matches Saturday evening, Virginia's Brent Jones (R-Sr., Burke, Va.) earned the 2010 Gorrarian Trophy, which is presented to the wrestler who pinned the most opponents in the least amount of time at the championships. The award has been presented every year since 1961. Jones recorded a pair of pins in the competition and needed just one minute, 33 seconds to do so. He is the second Virginia wrestler to earn the coveted award, joining Scott Moore, who won the distinction in 2004. Jones is the seventh wrestler from an ACC school to claim the award.
Virginia's Chris Henrich (Jr., Lansdale, Pa.) concluded his season Saturday with a pair of wins as he took third place in the 174-pound weight class. Henrich wrapped up All-America honors for the second straight season as he became the first two-time All-American in Virginia history.

Henrich finished his standout season with a 35-3 record, including a 5-1 record this year at the NCAA Championships. He became the fourth Virginia wrestler to earn a top-three finish at NCAAs, joining Henry Jordan (second at heavyweight, 1957), Steve Garland (second at 125 pounds, 2000) and Scott Moore (third at 141 pounds, 2004). He also was the highest-placing wrestler from the ACC this season.

UVa finished with a program-best 15 individual wins from seven wrestlers and earned the top finish of any ACC school this season.

In addition to its strong NCAA finish, Virginia also won the ACC Championship this season – UVa's first ACC crown since 1977. Six of the eight Cavaliers who competed at NCAAs are slated to return, as are 2009 NCAA competitors Jedd Moore and Nick Nelson, who will come back from redshirt seasons.

Final Team Standings
1. Iowa, 134.5
2. Cornell, 90.0
3. Iowa State, 75.0
4. Wisconsin, 70.5
5. Oklahoma, 69.0
15. Virginia, 34.0


 

Henrich Finishes Third at NCAA Championships
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 03/20/2010

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - Virginia's Chris Henrich (Jr., Lansdale, Pa.) finished off a historic season Saturday with a pair of wins as he took third place in the 174-pound weight class at the NCAA Wrestling Championships in Omaha, Neb.
With just the championship session remaining, Virginia has finished with 34 team points, good for 15th place in the team standings. It also marked the most points Virginia ever has accumulated in the NCAA Championships. UVa finished with a program-best 15 individual wins from seven wrestlers and earned the top finish of any ACC school this season.

The first two-time All-American in program history, Henrich finished his standout season with a 35-3 record, including a 5-1 record this year at the NCAA Championships. He became the fourth Virginia wrestler to earn a top-three finish, joining Henry Jordan (second at heavyweight, 1957), Steve Garland (second at 125 pounds, 2000) and Scott Moore (third at 141 pounds, 2004). He also was the highest-placing wrestler from the ACC this season.

Henrich, the third seed at 174 pounds, clinched third place with a 10-1 major-decision domination of Nebraska's Stephen Dwyer, the No. 4 national seed. After taking a 2-1 lead into the second period, Henrich scored a two-point nearfall in the second period to grab a 4-1 advantage. He scored an early reversal in the third, then rode Dwyer for the rest of the period while securing a three-point nearfall in the process. He accumulated three minutes, 28 seconds of riding time to earn the riding time point in the 10-1 victory.

Henrich opened the day with a thrilling 5-3 win in sudden victory time over Central Michigan's Ben Bennett, the No. 7 seed. Henrich scored the winning takedown with just 12 seconds remaining in sudden victory time. The victory also was his 100th career triumph.

With 101 career wins, Henrich is tied for seventh in career wins in Virginia history with Jason Mutarelli (1991-95) and needs just 16 wins next season to become Virginia's al-time wins leader.


 

Morey Pitches No. 1 Virginia to 4-3 Win Over Boston College
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 03/20/2010

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - Robert Morey (Jr., Virginia Beach, Va.) tossed seven shutout innings as the top-ranked Virginia baseball team recorded a 4-3 victory over Boston College Saturday afternoon. A stadium-record crowd of 3,513 filled Davenport Field on the beautiful day to witness the Cavaliers' win.
Morey (3-1) allowed only four hits and struck out eight. From the second to the sixth innings, he retired a dozen batters in a row, with five coming via strikeouts. He did not walk a batter in the game as he continued his recent dominance of Boston College. Last year, Morey pitched 7.2 shutout innings and struck out 12 in a 2-0 win at BC.

Virginia (16-3, 4-1 ACC) finished with 10 hits, which came from eight of the nine starters. Phil Gosselin (Jr., West Chester, Pa.) went 3-for-4 with an RBI for the Cavaliers. Tyler Cannon (Sr., Pigeon Forge, Tenn.) extended his hit streak to a career-best 11 games with his second-inning single.

BC starting pitcher Mike Dennhardt (1-4) worked 6.1 innings and gave up four runs (three earned), nine hits and one walk while striking out four.

Virginia used a two-out rally to take a 2-0 lead in the third inning. Gosselin singled and moved to second on a Dennhardt balk. Keith Werman (So., Vienna, Va.) then singled up the middle to score the run, and he advanced to second on the throw to the plate. He moved up to third when the throw home was wild. Dan Grovatt (Jr., Tabernacle, N.J.) then tripled to right-center to plate Werman for the second run.

In the seventh the Cavaliers doubled their advantage. John Hicks (So., Sandy Hook, Va.) doubled to left to start the inning. One out later, Danny Hultzen (So., Bethesda, Md.) hit a fly ball to deep left field which was dropped by Andrew Lawrence, allowing Hicks to score and Hultzen to reach second base. Gosselin then ripped a double to left-center to bring Hultzen home and give UVa a 4-0 lead.

Boston College (7-11, 1-4) made things interesting in the ninth. The Eagles put the first two batters on base against UVa closer Kevin Arico (Jr., Flemington, N.J.), who then rebounded to retire the next two batters. He got ahead 0-2 on John Spatola, but then hit him in the foot. He again got ahead 0-2, but Matt Watson ripped a double to left-center to clear the bases and cut the lead to 4-3. Arico bounced back to strike out Brad Zapenas to end the game.

The Cavaliers look for the series sweep at 1 p.m. Sunday at Davenport Field. The game will be broadcast online at VirginiaSports.com.

Virginia tops BC behind Morey
By Jay Jenkins
Published: March 20, 2010
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Robert Morey picked up exactly where Danny Hultzen left off.

The junior right-hander pitched seven scoreless innings Saturday and the top-ranked Cavaliers survived a dramatic finish to upend Boston College 4-3 at Davenport Field.

The victory, which gave Virginia (16-3, 4-1 ACC) the series win with today’s game remaining, came in front of stadium-record crowd of 3,513 fans.

“There’s a big smile on my face today,” UVa coach Brian O’Connor said.

That “smile” was tested in the ninth inning as Virginia closer Kevin Arico struggled with his control, leaning almost solely on his slider.

Spotted a 4-0 lead, the junior loaded the bases by allowing a single to Robbie Anston and a walk to Matt Hamlet before plunking John Spatola in the leg with a two-out, two-strike pitch.

BC catcher Matt Watson made Arico pay, crushing an 0-2 pitch to the wall in left-center field that cleared the bases.

“I told the team that Kevin Arico is not perfect,” O’Connor said. “That was a reality check for him.”

Arico, who had not allowed a run previously in eight appearances, closed out the non-save situation by striking out pinch hitter Matt McGovern on four pitches.

The finish preserved the victory for Morey (3-1), who was masterful in his second home start of the year.

Morey, who lowered his earned run average from 4.03 to 3.07, struck out eight batters, scattered four hits and did not allow a BC player to reach third base.

“I came out there from the first pitch and tried to attack,” Morey said. “I wanted to go after their hitters when I got ahead 0-2 and 1-2.

“I have not pitched as well as I have wanted at times this season, but I really felt good out there today. I really wanted to try and save our bullpen.”

Virginia spotted Morey two runs in the third inning in opportunistic fashion off BC starter Mike Dennhardt.

After Phil Gosselin delivered a two-out single, the junior moved to second on a balk that was called a split second before Keith Werman lined out to short. With new life, Werman ripped a run-producing single into center field and advanced to third on an errant throw.

Dan Grovatt promptly made it 2-0, plating Werman with a triple.

“It was big for our team to find a way to push across a few runs after we had already hit into a double play in that inning,” O’Connor said. “Keith and Dan did an excellent job there to get us on the scoreboard.”

The Cavaliers, who won 7-1 over BC on Friday, received another gift in the seventh inning when Hultzen lifted a foul ball into the corner in deep right field that was dropped by Eagle left fielder Andrew Lawrence, allowing John Hicks to score.

Hultzen also scored in the inning, making it 4-0 after Gosselin ripped a double to the wall in left-center field.

Virginia could have tacked on more runs in the eighth inning, but shortstop Tyler Cannon failed to get down a sacrifice bunt despite three tries and Hicks grounded into a double play.

“We need to execute in those situations because that’s what we need to do to extend leads,” O’Connor said. “I am not concerned about it right now. At some point our execution that we need to get done will come together.

“We have a veteran club that knows how to do it, and we just have to step up there and do it when it counts.”

Virginia and BC will close out the series today at 1 p.m.



 

No. 6 Virginia Dominates No. 13 Princeton, Wins 14-7
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 03/20/2010

PRINCETON, N.J. – The No. 6 Virginia women’s lacrosse team snapped a two-game one-goal losing streak to Princeton Saturday afternoon, using eight-unanswered scores to defeat the 13th-ranked Tigers, 14-7, at Princeton Stadium. The win marks the fourth-straight for the Cavaliers over a nationally ranked team and improves Virginia to 6-2 on the season, while the Tigers fall to 2-4 on the year.

Senior All-American Brittany Kalkstein led the way with four goals and two assists for a career-high six points. Three Cavaliers added two scores each – senior All-American Kaitlin Duff, redshirt sophomore Ainsley Baker and sophomore Josie Owen, while senior Caity Whiteley had one goal and two assists. Sophomore Julie Gardner tallied one goal and one helper. Sophomore Charlie Finnigan and freshman Anne Thomas rounded out the scoring with one goal each.

Princeton was led by a hat trick from Barb Previ and Cassie Pyle, who contributed two scores.

Virginia’s seniors started the scoring, with Whiteley assisting a goal from Kalkstein at 26:33 for Virginia’s first score. Duff, scoring in her 16th-straight contest, followed that up with a goal of her own at 25:24 to give the Cavaliers a 2-0 advantage.

The Tigers worked to even the score at two all, with Previ notching back-to-back goals before the home team tallied another score to take a 3-2 lead with 11:54 on the clock.

Those would be the only goals Princeton would score in the opening half. Thomas tied the score at three with her first collegiate goal. Kalkstein then had a hand in Virginia’s final three goals of the half – assisting Owen at 7:31 and Finnigan at 5:30, before finishing a pass from Gardner with 12.7 seconds on the clock, marking her 28th multiple goal game. The flurry of goals gave Virginia a 6-3 halftime advantage.

The Cavaliers continued their scoring spree into the second half. Kalkstein had Virginia’s first goal, before goals from Duff, Gardner and Baker put the Cavaliers up 10-3 with 18:08 left to play.

Princeton rallied to tally three-straight goals within three minutes, but Whiteley snapped the streak with her first goal of the game at 11:21. Baker, Owen and Kalkstein wrapped up the scoring for the Cavaliers, before Princeton tacked on one final goal, bringing the final score to 14-7.

In goal, redshirt junior Lauren Benner improved to 4-0 on the year, stopping a season-high 11 shots. Erin Tochihara collected 10 saves for Princeton.

Virginia will return to action on Wednesday, hosting James Madison. Game time is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Klöckner Stadium.

Room to grow for Bennett, Cavaliers
By Whitey Reid
Published: March 21, 2010
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On Feb. 3, March Madness was on the mind of just about anybody following Virginia basketball. UVa had just defeated N.C. State to improve to 5-2 in the ACC. Common sense said that even if the Wahoos slipped a little bit in the second half of the season, they would still be in the hunt for an NCAA berth come March.

What followed was something nobody considered — a total collapse.

Virginia didn’t win another regular-season game, finishing 5-11 in the conference.

As revitalized as players had looked under first-year coach Tony Bennett during the first half of the season, they seemed as comatose in the second.

So what happened?

Well, there was a little bad luck (see close losses to Wake Forest and Virginia Tech).

However, mainly, it boiled down to personnel. Bennett, for much of the season, was trying to put square pegs (players recruited by former coach Dave Leitao) into round roles (his system).

As radio commentator Cory Alexander aptly remarked this week, Bennett was “cooking with someone else’s groceries.”

For a while, Bennett was able to make pudding seem like souffle. But in the end, everything just blew up.

Still, Bennett managed to prove prognosticators wrong. In the preseason, his team was picked to finish 11th in the 12-team ACC. Virginia (15-16, 5-11) wound up in ninth and finished the season on a positive note with a win over Boston College in the ACC tournament, and then a competitive showing against top-seeded Duke in the quarterfinals.

In the process, Bennett began the difficult task of changing the culture surrounding the program. He stayed true to his coaching principles and values, as shown by suspensions to Calvin Baker and Sylven Landesberg. He also got the team to play some defense — something that didn’t always happen in the Leitao era.

For all of the above, he gets a final grade of “B” in my end-of-season report card.

The report card
#1 — Jontel Evans, freshman guard
Analysis: Evans played more than anybody anticipated — experience that will be a big benefit next year. Bennett consistently referred to him as the team’s best on-the-ball defender. The Hampton native always brought energy. His second half of the season didn’t go as well as his first. Teams starting laying off of him and forcing him to take jumpers. Evans has his work cut out in the offseason.
Grade: B-

#2 — Mustapha Farrakhan, junior guard
Analysis: Continued to tease Wahoo fans with flashes of excellent play. His dunk over N.C. State’s Javier Gonzalez was one of the most memorable plays of the season. Increased his scoring and shooting percentage from the previous season, but there were still just too many games where he was too passive. On the bright side, Farrakhan’s defense was fairly steady.
Grade: C

#4 — Calvin Baker, senior guard
Analysis: Perhaps no player was affected by the coaching change more than Baker. The Newport News native didn’t have as big of a role under Bennett as he did Dave Leitao. Baker’s numbers were down across the board. Ditto for his attitude, which led to a one-game suspension by Bennett for the Wake Forest game on Jan. 23. That just happened to be the start of Virginia’s free-fall.
Grade: D

#5 — Assane Sene, sophomore center
Analysis: After showing great promise under Leitao, Sene regressed more than any player on the roster. Following a three-game suspension to start the season for a team rules violation, things never got much better. But the Senegal native, to his credit, did continue to work hard. At 7 feet, he still oozes potential. It’s up to him — and Bennett — to tap into it. Hitting the weight room will be a good place to start.
Grade: C-

#13 — Sammy Zeglinski, redshirt sophomore guard
Analysis: In the first half of the season, Zeglinski played the best basketball of his career. He shot an exceptional 44 percent from 3-point range and also proved to be one of the team’s most clutch players. The second half was a different story, though. Zeglinski lost his stroke, which coincided with the team’s struggles. Still, there is reason to be optimistic about the Philadelphia product since he has two years of eligibility remaining and seems to understand what Bennett wants.
Grade: C+

#15 — Sylven Landesberg, sophomore guard
Analysis: Landesberg showed that his freshman year was no fluke. The 6-foot-6 New York native, a second team All-ACC pick, continued to show that he can put the ball in the hoop, increasing his scoring average by 1.6 points in league play. Failure to attend an art class led to a season-ending suspension on March 6. When the team’s season ended on March 12, sources told The Daily Progress that Landesberg isn’t planning on coming back next year. As of yet, no formal announcement by Landesberg or the school has been made.
Grade: B+

#22 — Will Sherrill, junior forward
Analysis: Sherrill came out of nowhere to become a member of Bennett’s rotation this season. His coming-out party was an 18-point outburst in the win over Cleveland State down in Cancun. That wound up being Sherrill’s best shooting outing. The junior struggled with his shot down the stretch, but stayed on the court because of all the intangibles he provided. His presence and leadership next season will be vital for a team that will be featuring six freshmen.
Grade: B-

#23 — Jeff Jones, junior guard
Analysis: At the start of the season, Bennett suggested that Jones could be the team’s version of Vinny “The Microwave” Johnson, the former NBA player known for his hot shooting off the bench. This season, Jones had games where he did just that. However, there were still too many contests where Jones was a non-factor. Still, Jones improved his 3-point shooting to 42 percent (from 29 percent his sophomore season).
Grade: C+

#24 — Tristan Spurlock, freshman forward
Analysis: Spurlock barely playing was one of the season’s biggest shockers, especially since Bennett made retaining him a main priority as soon as he took the job. Spurlock’s athleticism is certainly up to ACC snuff. He just may not be a fit in Bennett’s system. We should learn this week if Spurlock, a likable kid with a good attitude, will stay at Virginia or transfer to another school.
Grade: INC

#32 — Mike Scott, junior forward
Analysis: If you looked up the word “enigma” in the dictionary, there just might be a picture of Scott alongside the definition. No player has been more perplexing than the 6-foot-8 Chesapeake native. There were games where Scott looked like a top-flight ACC forward. Then there were games where he seemed passive and disinterested. By the end of the season, Bennett was at a loss for words whenever he was asked about the junior’s play. So am I.
Grade: C-

#45 — Solomon Tat, senior forward
Analysis: After a much-ballyhooed arrival at Virginia, which included a visa issue and a subsequent marriage, Tat never developed into the player that coaches or fans had hoped. However, through it all, Tat — a senior captain — was a team-first guy all the way and set a great example for the team’s younger players. By the end of the season, he even managed to play some meaningful minutes. Some other Virginia players could learn a thing or two from the affable Nigerian.
Grade: A

#55 — Jerome Meyinsse, senior center
Analysis: Improved more than anyone this season. Increased his scoring by about five points per game and more than doubled his rebounding output. The 21-year-old senior showed what a little hard work and a good attitude can do. Meyinsse’s accomplishments off the court were even better. He was a three-time All-ACC academic team member. At the ACC tournament, Meyinsse was the recipient of the Skip Prosser award, emblematic of the top scholar-athlete in ACC men’s basketball.
Grade: A+
 
 

Five Cavaliers Win Events In Outdoor Opener
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 03/20/2010

FAIRFAX, Va. - Five Cavaliers won events for the Virginia track and field team in its season opener at George Mason on Saturday afternoon.

On the track, junior Andrew Revelle won his first 3000m steeplechase competition with a time of 9:30.40, while redshirt senior transfer Steve Delice won the 100m in 10.85. Redshirt freshman Tasia Potasinski led three Cavaliers across the line in the top-three of the 800m. Potasinski finished with a time of 2:12.21, while junior Lyndsay Harper finished second in 2:12.53 and sophomore Jenni Weatherly was third in 2:16.27.

Sophomore Kevin Anding won the 200m in 21.59 and finished runner-up to Delice in the 100m with at time of 10.91.

Sophomore Meagan Gillespie, racing in her first 400m hurdles competition, finished second with a time of 1:04.45, while redshirt freshman Rosemary Barber finished runner-up in the 1500m, taking a time of 4:36.24.

In field events, freshman Pearl Bickersteth cleared 5’ 6” in the high jump to claim top honors, while junior Assiatu Williams finished second with a height of 5’ 5”.

In the shot put, senior Eric Pickle finished second on the men’s side with at throw of 49’ 8.5” and junior Sophia Coleburn was runner-up on the women’s side with a mark of 41’ 3.75”.

Junior Rashawnda James made her season debut in the long jump, leaping 18’ 1.75” for second place.

Freshman Emily Vannoy finished second in the discus, tossing 155’ 8” – the program’s ninth-best throw - and junior Tara Karin was second in the javelin, with a mark of 140’ 7”.

The Cavaliers will return to action next weekend, heading to Raleigh, N.C., to compete in the Raleigh Relays on Friday and Saturday.