Bennett Reflects on First Season
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 03/24/2010
By Jeff White

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- For Tony Bennett, his first season at the University of Virginia included an eight-game winning streak, a nine-game losing streak and, in general, more ups and downs than an elevator.

"It was a lot of everything," Bennett said with a laugh. "It really was."

The Cavaliers' roster when practice opened last fall included forward Jamil Tucker, guard Calvin Baker and swingman Sylven Landesberg. None of those three accompanied the team to Greensboro, N.C., this month for the ACC tournament.

At various times during the season, Baker, Landesberg and center Assane Sene were suspended, and Tucker (academics) was dismissed from the team without making a 2009-10 appearance.

A high-ankle sprain cost power forward Mike Scott three games, and once he returned his production levels varied wildly. Inconsistency plagued guards Jeff Jones, Mustapha Farrakhan and Sammy Zeglinski for much of the season.

Center Jerome Meyinsse emerged, in the twilight of his college career, as a remarkably effective post player, and walk-on forward Will Sherrill earned a spot in UVa's frontcourt rotation.

Jontel Evans struggled with his shot but proved to be a defensive stopper at point guard. Swingman Solomon Tat rarely played but provided leadership from the bench and in practice.

The Cavaliers' season officially ended March 12 with a quarterfinal loss to eventual champion Duke at the ACC tournament. The only seniors left on the team by then were Meyinsse, Tat and walk-on Tom Jonke, but forward Tristan Spurlock, a seldom-used freshman, and Landesberg, the team's leading scorer and a second-team all-ACC pick, left the program this week.

Spurlock is transferring to another school, and Landesberg, who had academic issues, plans to pursue a professional career.

In 2008-09, the Wahoos' final season under Dave Leitao, they went 4-12 in the ACC and 10-18 overall. The 'Hoos finished 5-11 in ACC play and 15-16 overall this season. They also won a game at the ACC tourney for the first time since 2006.

Expected back in 2010-11 are Scott, Zeglinski, Jones, Farrakhan, Sherrill, Evans and Sene, and they'll be joined by a large and well-regarded recruiting class.

"These are the initial stages, and there's some tearing down, even before foundations are laid," Bennett said. "Sometimes there's some hard things that the program has to go through, and those things have happened and are happening, and we're starting hopefully to build."

In an interview Tuesday night with VirginiaSports.com, Bennett reflected on his tumultuous first year and looked ahead to his second season.

White: You've had some attrition in your program. That was not unexpected, was it?

Bennett: "Everybody has their own philosophy. Some coaches come in and there's a lot of changes made right away. The way I believe it works is, when you're not real familiar with a program or the players in it, then this first year belongs certainly to the players. There's evaluations that are going on. There's relationships being built, there's familiarity being established with the coach and the player, the player and the coach. I think sometimes you can be premature when you take over a new program and think things have to happen right away. I think you have to judge and see, and that way the players get a feel for you and decide if they want to be a part of what you're doing, and vice versa from a playing standpoint.

"That's why I always feel after that first year, at the end of it, you sit down with each player, you have an individual meeting with them with your staff, and you put everything on the table."

White: What goes on in these meetings?

Bennett: "You're very real with your expectations for the players. You talk about the areas that you like, the things that need to be improved. You ask the player what his expectations are and talk about what you potentially see the future looking like.

"No one can look into the future and say this is exactly how it'll play out. But it's very important that there's a two-way communication. With all of our players that's been the case. The parents are honestly involved with that, whether I have them on a conference call at the end of it and summarize, or if the parents are there [in person].

"It's sort of a give and take. And then, if there's some question marks, you always ask the question: Is this a place you can see yourself getting what you want -- certainly from an academic standpoint, that goes without saying -- but from an athletic-experience standpoint? Because every player's competitive. They love to play, and they have aspirations. That's kind of what takes place after the year, and that's how a lot of decisions are made.

"Every program I see and I've been around, there is attrition, for different reasons: whether it's getting closer to home, playing-time issues, not seeing quite the same vision that a coach has, academic issues. All those things come into play, and I just think it's got to be a very real and candid time between a player and a coach and his staff and the family. It's always about what's best for the player, what's best for the team.

"The bottom line is, there's healthy conversations, and you gotta be on the same page, and that's how the program will move forward. You want kids that really can see themselves fitting in."

White: The team played well in its final three games of the season, all without Landesberg. How will the losses of Spurlock and Landesberg affect UVa in 2010-11?

Bennett: "Certainly with the departure of Tristan and Sylven, that leaves some holes that need to be filled, and I just want to pick up where we left off from the Maryland game to the Boston College game to the Duke game and, with the addition of the incoming players, start really forming a team that can be as good as it can be. And I think now we know where we're at. I think after, for example, Sylven's first year, there was a question, 'Well, is he going to be here or not?' He had a decision to make. And after his second year, Sylven had a decision, and has made a decision, about pursuing his pro career or coming back.

"That was always going to be an issue with Sylven, and then there's always that decision regarding Tristan and others: 'Do I see myself as part of this where I can really reach my goals and meet the needs that I have and fit in?' I think every player has to make that decision. No one is chased out or run off; it's not like that."

White: How do you see playing time being allotted next season, especially in the backcourt, where you'll have multiple options?

Bennett: "It's what I do with my recruits, it's what I do with my incoming recruits, it's what I do with my players in the program: I will guarantee nothing. You will get what you earn.

"No guarantees. There's seven perimeter guys competing for four or five spots. Two guys aren't going to play. And the third might [not play much]. I [told the returning guards], 'That's the bottom line. At this level, that's the reality of it.'"

White: Are you through recruiting for 2010-11?

Bennett: "We have a scholarship available now, and we're going to do what's best for our team. If we can find someone who we think can help us, we'll definitely take a look at that. There's always the option of banking it in next year's class, but certainly we're going to explore every option and continue to evaluate if there's someone out there that we think can help us."

White: Would you be interested in taking a transfer?

Bennett: "There's so much to offer here. Again, we want to get the right kind of player, and if it fills a need, you take a look at it. Absolutely, we're going to pursue options and see if there's someone we can find that can help this program."

White: Are you confident everyone in the program is now on the same page?

Bennett: "I hope so. As a coach and a staff, you continue to evaluate your program, and certain situations can change, but you evaluate where your program is at and the student-athletes in it and their commitment to the program and desire to move it forward, putting the team before themselves and then advancing themselves as much as possible in that process.

"Again, I think that's why you always take that first year and let guys get familiar with you and your coaching staff, what your expectations are. I think that second year there's not as much gray area in terms of what you expect from your players."

White: You and your father endured a trying first season at Washington State. (The Cougars finished 13-16 in the Bennetts' first year in Pullman). How did your first season at UVa compare to that experience?

Bennett: "It's a little easier when you're the assistant. When you're the head coach, you're really going through it.

"What was different about this year was, our start was modest, and then a third of the way through, with the start of the ACC, we got hot. I think some things broke right, and we found ourselves in a position where we were atop the ACC, and it was exciting, and it was a taste of hopefully what will come consistently. And then going through the stretch where we lost those nine games -- some competitive, some really not -- we had to start really examining, 'Hey, where do we have to get better? What can we do to improve?'

"And then with the situation with [Landesberg's] suspension, with the guys having to rally together, and then finishing with a solid showing against Maryland and a victory against BC and then a solid showing, for the most part, against Duke, at least it left a better taste in your mouth than if we just would not have been able to have any success.

"So there was a lot there, a lot to think about in the offseason, a lot to ponder, a lot to improve on. And then knowing you have a large class coming in, there's a lot there to dwell on."

White: How prominent will the freshmen's roles be next season?

Bennett: "Again, the guys that are most ready to help us be as good as we can be will play, whether that's the fourth-years, third-years, second-years, first-years. But there's going to have to be some contributions from some of those [new] guys.

"Everybody will be fighting for that time. You always want competition, and certainly the guys with returning experience have an upper hand because of what they've been through, and they've played under me, so that should help. But we're going to need something from these young guys, and they'll certainly have opportunities, as will everybody in this program."

White: Do you worry that losing Landesberg and Spurlock will hurt UVa in recruiting?

Bennett: "This program has so much to offer. I know that we respect the young men in this program. Playing time is always a sticking point or a touchy issue with certain recruits. As far as Sylven's situation, his decision to go pro, I don't think that will. We've tried to help develop [players], but there's certain things we're not going to bend on in this program, those things are established, and I think that can be a positive to some people, certainly, when you take a stand and say, 'This is what our program will be about, and there are expectations.'

"Again, most programs lose players, there is attrition, and that's a part of it. I think we treat players well. There's a good relationship between Tristan and myself, and Sylven and myself. There's not bad blood; these are just decisions made. One was a career decision. Well, they both were in essence. But one was leaving college to move on to professional aspirations. The other one was a healthy conversation, with all the facts on the table, and it was a decision that Tristan made because he thought it was best for his future, and his family thought that."

White: Did your first season at UVa shake your confidence in your system or your belief that you can have long-term success here?

Bennett: "No. Quite the contrary. I think we saw the ability to be competitive with us getting started.

"I think every year, as I've said from Day One, you look at your personnel. You try to come up with a system, a style of play that best suits your team and gives you the best chance to be successful, and that is always evolving. Again, there will be some constants. Defensively, you're going to have to be so good. But certainly I'll look at this year and say, 'OK, what can we do better in both areas to improve?'

"I look at the talent level and the competition and say, 'Where were we deficient? What holes do we have to plug with recruiting, with personnel, and then from a system standpoint, what are some things we have to look at to be better and find ourselves? Where have we found ourselves laboring in games?'

"Next year will be unique with the mix of young kids and some returners, but I think seeing us have some success in stretches and be competitive [this season] gives you hope. And then, boy, when you go through [rough] stretches, you realize how competitive this league is. I got a look at both of them, but I see the potential that can happen here."

White: [Strength-and-conditioning coach] Mike Curtis didn't start at UVa until last June, so this will be his first full spring with the team.

Bennett: "I think that will be significant. His program changes. The first year is almost like our basketball program: It's just laying some groundwork. He does some corrective training, but every year it goes up a notch, with the expectations and the workload and what they're doing.

"You let them physically and mentally rest for a couple weeks [after the season], and then you start getting after it. I think the kids, even by themselves in the offseason when they're away from us, can train more intelligently now. Not saying we're going to do exactly the same things we did last year, but they can say, 'I know offensively some of the kinds of shots I'll get. I know what's going to be required defensively. I understand those things the coaching staff values.' So those are things that they can work on on their own, with a little more conviction and a little more certainty that this will equate to the play that will take place once the season starts."

White: Did you get much positive feedback on the team's play at the ACC tournament?

Bennett: "Yes. One of the main reasons I came to Virginia is, I really believe this is a place where my vision for this basketball program is in line and fits the vision that certainly Craig [Littlepage] has, and most -- not all, you can't please everybody -- most of the alumni and the fans have, for how they want this program run and how it will be built.

"They know it goes in stages and steps, and when they see [performances such as UVa's in Greensboro], and they see certain things that are moving in the right direction -- maybe not from a results standpoint, but just from a quality standpoint -- there's tremendous backing."

White: What do you think when you look at the NCAA tournament and see teams such as Cornell and Northern Iowa and Butler and Saint Mary's winning?

Bennett: "It's great. So much is made of recruiting [players whom analysts give] five stars and four stars. The bottom line in college is that there's not as big a separation. It's how kids develop and how teams develop that determine their success. Unified teams that show maturity and have guys that can shoot, certainly, and are willing to play together will compete against teams that appear to have more talent.

"But how do you define talent? It all comes down to what teams are playing the best. There's always that saying: I'd rather have a team that plays great than has great players."

 

Where Sylven Landesberg Can Become a Better Player0
3/24/2010 10:25 AM ET By Tom Ziller
Tom Ziller is an NBA Blogger for FanHouse

University of Virginia guard Sylven Landesberg has decided to leave college as a sophomore and seek employment in the NBA. The decision has obviously upset Virginia fans, as a column by Jerry Ratcliffe of the Charlottesville Daily Progress (via DraftExpress) shows. Landesberg, a New York City project, began skipping classes once the second semester began, apparently because he knew he'd be leaving school for the draft regardless. That led to a suspension from UVA coach Tony Bennett, which caused Landesberg to miss what would be the final games of his college career. There are a lot of raw nerves in Charlottesville over all this, and it's understood.

But Ratcliffe brings up a point well worth discussing outside the specific example of Landesberg: where can young players best be developed?

Arguably, Landesberg was a worse player as a sophomore at Virginia than as a freshman. The guard won ACC Rookie of the Year in 2008-09, beating out sure-fire lottery pick Al-Farouq Aminu of Wake Forest and first-round lock Ed Davis of UNC. Landesberg put up basically identical numbers this season. His supporting cast has been pretty bad, and the team was 214th out of 347 D-I teams in shooting this season. This doesn't excuse Landesberg from culpability -- he took more shots than any other UVA player, and shot no better than the team as a whole. But, in other words, the program didn't really set Landesberg up for success.

(I should also mention that Virginia this season played at one of the slowest tempos in the nation, roughly five possessions per game fewer than average. Landesberg is a great ballhandler and fine athlete, but not a clever passer or particularly adept shooter, and those types tend to do better in more up-tempo settings than halfcourt systems. Coach Bennett, the son of legendary Wisconsin coach Dick Bennett, took over at the end of Landesberg's freshman season and slowed things way down.)

So Landesberg didn't improve (according to the numbers) at UVA, and the team around didn't look like it was getting much better. What exactly is the point of staying, if not for the free top-notch education? If Landesberg is interested in becoming a professional basketball player and isn't interested in art class, isn't it within the realm of possibilities there could be a better option?

Ratcliffe, in his column, jokes that Landesberg might well end up in the NBA D-League, supposing he goes undrafted or is drafted by a team who'd prefer to stash him in the minor league for player development purposes. Ratcliffe makes it pretty clear that in his opinion, the D-League is inferior to the ACC. But for Landesberg's purposes and goals, is that necessarily the case? Again, Landesberg didn't improve under Bennett. His team is constantly overmatched, and the team plays a style perhaps not conducive to his style. That's not a wag of the finger at the UVA coach (considered one of the nation's finest) -- that's just stats-based reality. Will Landesberg do better in the D-League, or Europe? That remains to be seen. (DX's Jonathan Givony has previously reported that because Landesburg's father is Jewish, Landesburg could apply for an Israeli passport and play in that league next season, I believe without counting as a foreign player.)

Don't forget also that the D-League obviously offers a clearer path directly to the NBA. The number of call-ups this season has been staggering. And the called-up players aren't all just visiting for cups of coffee. Anthony Tolliver made it onto league-sanctioned wallpaper, for crêpe's sake. Ratcliffe mentions Greivis Vasquez, the Maryland point guard who did greatly improve his draft stock by staying for his senior season. (Vasquez flirted with the draft last spring, realized he had a strong chance of going undrafted, and went back to school. He figures to be in the first-round conversation this June.) But Landesberg has no guarantee he can follow Vasquez's path -- again, the Maryland system had much better co-stars, and one could argue Gary Williams's style fit the freelancing Vasquez pretty well. And still, there's no guarantee Vasquez will land guaranteed money. There's no guarantee Vasquez himself won't be in D-League next season.

I don't profess to know whether Landesberg's lack of development of UVA is an indictment of Landesberg himself, the situation or the school. But it's clear it didn't work. It's untenable, to me, to criticize Landesberg for trying something different. And it will untenable to argue that if he does not get drafted in the first round this June his gambit has failed. There are many different paths to the NBA, and Landesberg has decided that the most familiar one isn't working out for him.

I also don't aim to give Landesberg a free pass for ditching his teammates by virtue of ditching school. That's a knock, one which won't likely escape NBA decision-makers come June. But draft stock isn't the ultimate goal here. A pro basketball career is. And if Landesberg and others can develop their games more effectively in the D-League or Europe than in big-conference college ball, then it'll pay off in the long run.

UPDATE: After publishing this, I heard from two fellows who made some great points about Landesberg's sophomore season. Clarence Gaines (@cjrock24 on Twitter) used to work as an NBA scout. On Twitter, he wrote about what he saw from Landesberg earlier in the season, and discussed the Bennetts as coaches.

Ben Allaire of DearOldUVA.com also checked in with some thoughts on Landesberg's season under Bennett. This is a snip of that dispatch.Landesberg improved substantially. He improved all the aspects of his game that scouts ratted him out on: assist rate, turnover rate, three-point shooting. All of this while upping his usage rate significantly. I agree that his teammates are crap - even running mate and high eFG% guy Mike Scott had a schizophrenic year, but is it possible that he's completely and totally getting the short shrift here?That is highly possible; my assertion he hasn't improved since his freshman looked more at his scoring, which is to say he's no more efficient overall (due to a dip in foul-drawing) than he was as a freshman. But Ben has seen much more Landesberg than I, so I'll defer on that point.

It's clear that Landesberg, however, thinks he can either better develop his game at the next level (whatever that may be) or is ready to make his case to the NBA. We'll see.

Clarence Gaines
On Wednesday 24th March 2010, @cgrock24 said:

Z @teamziller comments On Sylven Landesberg's decision to leave UVA http://cli.gs/a6EBXY Makes some good pts., but I want to challenge the logic Z uses in saying SL did not improve as a player under the tutelage of Tony Bennett. I only saw SL play 1 game this yr. Against UNC he was the best player on the floor. Thought he was a very good prospect. UVA was 13-6 after this game. They would only win 2 more games the rest of the year. Don't know the internal dynamics of UVA's program, but obviously Tony lost this team at some pt. UVA had enough talent.

As far as kids not improving because of Bennett's style of play.People said the same thing about his father, Dick Bennett. Tony actually give players more freedom than Dick. You learn the game of BB playing for a Bennett. Pro BB is not run & gun. You have to learn to execute in 1/2 court sets.

SL can obviously develop his game in Europe or NBDL. Anybody who says otherwise, doesn't have a clue. Top college teams can't compete on a consistent basis with NBDL teams. Men who've played college & pros vs. boys becoming men.

SL will be heavily evaluated. He's a big guard who has lots of potential. I'm all for kids staying in college, but it's not the only path. Time will tell.
 

Virginia Men Set for NCAA Championships
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 03/24/2010

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - The Virginia men's swimming team, coming off its third consecutive Atlantic Coast Conference championship, heads to Columbus, Ohio to compete this week at the 2010 NCAA Championships. The event, which begins Thursday, is being held at the McCorkel Aquatic Pavilion on the campus of The Ohio State University.

Fans can watch video streaming of the three-day event online for free at NCAA.com.

Virginia, ranked No. 8 in the latest CSCAA top-25 poll, qualified eight swimmers for the meet. Representing the Cavaliers will be seniors John Azar and Eric Olesen; juniors Matt McLean, Scot Robison, Taylor Smith and John Snawerdt; sophomore Peter Geissinger and freshman Tom Casey.

"We've talked about how critically important it is to sustain success and effort in order to remain a top-10 program," Virginia head coach Mark Bernardino said. "I hope the men have learned from the women and go into their meet with the same energy, the same focus, the same intensity and the same desire. If we can carry and hold momentum and avoid mistakes, we can place anywhere from 8th to 13th. Obviously we would like to complete our goal for the season, which was to be a top-10 team and ACC champions."

UVa's highest finish at the national meet was ninth a year ago in College Station, Texas. The Cavaliers have had two individuals win three championships at the NCAA meet. Shanek Pietucha was the first in 1999, claiming the 200 butterfly. Ed Moses was a two-time winner in 2000, taking the 100 and 200 breaststroke titles in addition to being named the most valuable swimmer of the championships.

McLean was UVa's highest finisher at the NCAA Championships last year after his third-place finish in the 500 free. Robison joined McLean as an All-American after finishing fifth overall in the 200 free as a sophomore. He also placed 14th in the 100 free. McLean and John Snawerdt, who was 10th in the 500 free, were also honorable mention All-Americans in the 1650 free.

Additionally, three members of Virginia's All-American 800 free relay return, including McLean, Robison and Azar. They were fifth in the race a year ago.


 

No. 1 Virginia Defeats VCU and Richmond
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 03/24/2010

CHARLOTTESVILLE – The top-ranked Virginia men’s tennis team extended its home winning streak to 66 consecutive matches as it swept a doubleheader Wednesday at the Snyder Tennis Center. The Cavaliers (22-1, 3-0 ACC) topped VCU 6-1 in the first match before downing Richmond 7-1 in the nightcap.

Virginia opened the day by defeating the Rams (9-9). The Cavaliers opened the match by sweeping the three doubles contests for a 1-0 lead. Houston Barrick (Brentwood, Tenn.) and Sanam Singh (Chandigarh, India) downed Filip Svensson and Max Wennakoski 8-2 at the No. 3 position. Drew Courtney (Clifton, Va.) and Michael Shabaz (Fairfax, Va.) secured the opening point for Virginia with their 8-5 win at No. 1 over Thibaut Charron and Tim Johannsen. Jarmere Jenkins (College Park, Ga.) and Lee Singer (Laguna Niguel, Calif.) added a tiebreaker win at No. 2 over Oscar Perman and Camill Salomon.

In singles, the Cavaliers quickly sealed the victory, winning five matches in straight sets, all dropping just five games or less. Courtney topped Wennakoski 6-3, 6-2 at No. 3 singles and Barrick downed Perman 6-2, 6-1 at No. 6 singles to make the score 3-0. Jenkins clinched the win with his 6-1, 6-3 win over Salomon at No. 4 before Singer topped Svensson 6-4, 6-0 at No. 5 and Shabaz won 6-3, 6-2 over Johannsen at No. 2. Charron ended the match by upsetting Singh at No. 1 7-6, 6-4, handing Singh just his third loss of the season.

In the second match of the doubleheader, Virginia topped Richmond (7-10) 7-1 in a match using an alternative scoring system. The teams played an extra singles match for a total of eight points.

The Cavaliers used a completely different lineup against the Spiders. In doubles, the Cavaliers swept all three matches with Philippe Oudshoorn (Apeldoorn, The Netherlands) and Steven Eelkman Rooda (Amersfoort, The Netherlands) winning at No. 1, the team of Dino Dell’Orto (Hong Kong, China) and Milo Johnson (Tulsa, Okla.) winning at No. 2, and Santiago Villegas (Bogota, Colombia) and Julen Uriguen (Guatemala City, Guatemala) winning at No. 3.

In singles, Virginia won six of the seven matches against Richmond. The Cavaliers recorded straight set wins at the bottom five positions from Villegas, Johnson, Uriguen, Dell’Orto and Brian Fang (Hacienda Heights, Calif.). Rooda added a three-set win at No. 2.

The Cavaliers continue their homestand on Friday when they host Miami. The match time is now 4 p.m.

No. 1 Virginia 6, No. 73 VCU 1

Doubles:
1. #17 ShabazCourtney (UVa) def. Charron/Johannsen (VCU) 8-5
2. #41 Jenkins/Singer (UVa) def. Perman/Salomon (VCU) 8-7 (3)
3. #19 Barrick/Singh (UVa) def. Svensson/Wennakoski (VCU) 8-2

Singles:
1. #55 Thibaut Charron (VCU) def. #3 Sanam Singh (UVa) 7-6(6), 6-4
2. #4 Michael Shabaz (UVa) def. Tim Johannsen (VCU) 6-3, 6-2
3. #53 Drew Courtney (UVa) def. Max Wennakoski (VCU) 6-3, 6-2
4. #33 Jarmere Jenkins (UVa) def. Camill Salomon (VCU) 6-1, 6-3
5. #68 Lee Singer (UVa) def. Filip Svensson (VCU) 6-4, 6-0
6. #87 Houston Barrick (UVa) def. Oscar Perman (VCU) 6-2, 6-1

Order of Finish:
Doubles: 3,1,2
Singles: 3,6,4,5,2,1

No. 1 Virginia 7, Richmond 1

Doubles:
1. Oudshoorn/Rooda (UVa) def. Fauchet/Feder (Rich) 8-2
3. Johnson/Dell’Orto (UVa) def. Arana/Nelson (Rich) 8-3
4. Uriguen/Villegas (UVa) def. Minter/Schrode (Rich) 8-4

Singles:
1. Sebastien Fauchet (Rich) def. #102 Philippe Oudshoorn (UVa) 6-2, 7-6(3)
2. #113 Steven Eelkman Rooda (UVa) def. Jesse Feder (Rich) 4-6, 6-4, 6-2
3. Santiago Villegas (UVa) def. William Minter (Rich) 6-1, 6-3
4. Milo Johnson (UVa) def. A.J. Nelson (Rich) 6-3, 6-2
5. Julen Uriguen (UVa) def. Dylan Schrode (Rich) 6-1, 7-5
6. Dino Dell’Orto (UVa) def. Rafael Arana (Rich) 6-2, 6-1
7. Brian Fang (UVa) def. Justin Baker (Rich) 6-1, 6-0

Order of Finish:
Doubles: 2,3,1
Singles: 6,7,3,4,5,2,1

 

No. 20 JMU Uses Last Second Goal to Defeat No. 5 Virginia
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 03/24/2010

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The No. 20 James Madison women’s lacrosse team used a string of three-unanswered goals, including a game-winning score with 11 seconds remaining, to come-from-behind and upset No. 5 Virginia, 10-9, Wednesday evening in Klöckner Stadium.

Senior All-American Brittany Kalkstein led the Cavaliers with three goals and one assist, while sophomore Josie Owen and senior All-American Kaitlin Duff had two goals each. Redshirt sophomore Ainsley Baker and sophomore Julie Gardner both contributed one score, while sophomore Charlie Finnigan rounded out the scoring with a career-high three assists.

For James Madison (7-1), Kim Griffin notched a game-high four goals, including the game winner. Mary Kate Lomady and Ashley Kimener added two goals each for the Dukes.

Virginia (6-3) looked to control the game early in the opening half, jumping out to a 4-1 advantage just 10 minutes into play. Duff notched the games first score at 27:57, marking the 17th straight contest the midfielder has scored in a contest. JMU then evened the score at one apiece with a goal just shy of a minute later, but Kalkstein, Baker and Owen rattled off three-unanswered goals for the Cavaliers to give Virginia a 4-1 lead and force the Dukes to call a timeout with 20:30 on the clock.

Out of the short break, James Madison rallied to score three-straight goals, and four total, in the next 10 minutes, while the Cavaliers were only able to find one score – from Duff at 9:54, bringing the score to five all with 9:01 remaining in the half. The score would remain the same through the intermission and up until the 21:13 mark of the second half, when Kalkstein scored on a pass from Owen to give Virginia a one-goal advantage, 6-5.

The Cavaliers extended their lead to two at 15:45 with a goal from Gardner, assisted by Finnigan, before the Dukes found their first of the half out of a timeout.

Baker won the ensuing draw control and found Finnigan who weaved a pass between JMU defenders and found Kalkstein, who scored 11 seconds after the Dukes’ goal, giving Virginia an 8-6 lead with 13:57 left to play.

James Madison converted a free position shot at 11:53, before Owen found the back of the net, firing an 8-meter shot past the Dukes’ keeper at 11:27.

It wouldn’t be enough to quiet the Dukes though, as they recorded back-to-back goals to even the score at nine all with 2:32 to play, before Griffin scored the game winner for James Madison with 11 seconds remaining in the contest.

The Cavaliers were led defensively by Kalkstein, who had four ground balls, three caused three turnovers and four draw controls. Sophomore Annie Taylor, Baker, Gardner and Owen each earned three ground balls for Virginia.

The Cavaliers will return to action on Saturday as they head to No. 3 Duke for a 1 p.m. contest at Koskinen Stadium.

Dukes’ last-minute goal sinks Cavs at Klöckner
No. 6 Virginia relinquishes two-goal second-half lead, fails to find rhythm against in-state foe JMU
Stacy Kruczkowski, Cavalier Daily Associate Editor
Featured / Sports
March 25, 2010 0

After a hard-fought, hour-long battle, the No. 5 Virginia women’s lacrosse team fell short during the final seconds of last night’s matchup against in-state rival James Madison, losing by a score of 10-9.

Senior midfielder and team scoring leader Kaitlin Duff put the Cavaliers (6-3, 1-1 ACC) ahead first, netting a shot off the right side of the cage at the 27:57 mark. The Dukes’ scoring leader, redshirt senior midfielder Kim Griffin, countered just a minute later to tie the game. But the Cavaliers quickly regained the lead with three unanswered goals to take a 4-1 advantage within the first 10 minutes of the match. No. 20 JMU remained resilient and chipped away at the Virginia lead throughout the remainder of the first period of play, however, as the two teams were knotted at five goals apiece by the end of the first half.

Both offenses were stagnant out of the intermission, failing to score during the first eight minutes of the second period. Senior midfielder Brittany Kalkstein netted the first goal of the half at the 21:13 mark off a quick dish from sophomore attacker and team-assist leader Josie Owen. Sophomore midfielder Julie Gardner added another score for the Cavaliers nearly six minutes later to give the Virginia squad a slight two-goal advantage against its opponent.

Despite facing a deficit to one of the top teams in the nation, the Dukes remained poised and again tied the score at 9-9 heading into the final two-and-a-half minutes of the contest. With only 11.3 seconds remaining, Griffin bounced the ball past Virginia redshirt junior goalkeeper Lauren Benner to put James Madison ahead. Although the Cavaliers won the subsequent draw control, there simply was not enough time left on the clock to send the match to overtime.

“I don’t think we played well,” Virginia coach Julie Myers said after the game. “It was not a well-executed game or well-thought-through game really on anyone’s part. [There were] lots of blown opportunities.”

The upset marks Virginia’s first defeat since March 5, when the squad lost to No. 2 Maryland by a score of 5-11, and is also the first time the Cavaliers have fallen to the Dukes since 2000.

“I just think we really couldn’t stop their momentum,” junior defender Liz Downs said. “For every good thing they had, they’d have a couple good things in a row, and we just couldn’t answer back to their intensity. We couldn’t really get in our own rhythm. I felt like we were conceding to their play the entire game.”

The Cavaliers look to redeem themselves this Saturday as they travel to Durham, N.C. to take on No. 3 Duke. The Blue Devils, who currently are riding a five game win-steak during which they have surrendered a mere 7.2 goals per game, should prove to be quite a formidable opponent.

During this same stretch, the Duke offense has outscored its opponents by a margin of nearly seven goals per game. The Blue Devils lead the ACC in shots per game with nearly 30.5 attempts — quite a challenge for Benner and the rest of the Cavalier defense to match up against.

“Duke’s obviously a great team,” Myers said. “It’s a chance to beat a top-four ranked team, so that would kind of correct and undo some of the damage from tonight. That’s the beauty of the regular season — you get to do it again.”

After Saturday’s matchup against Duke, the Cavaliers return home to face non-conference foe and in-state rival Old Dominion — a program that has edged Virginia only once in 33 tries. The opening draw is scheduled for 7 p.m. Wednesday at Klöckner Stadium.

Tight Ends Back in Spotlight
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 03/25/2010
March 25, 2010
7:12 a.m.

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- By the lofty standards of a football program that has produced Heath Miller, Jonathan Stupar, Tom Santi and John Phillips, 2009 was a down year for UVa's tight ends.

Joe Torchia, Colter Phillips and Paul Freedman combined to catch 31 passes for 190 yards and two touchdowns last season. That compared poorly to the numbers put up by their predecessors, but there were extenuating circumstances.

Virginia began last season in a spread offense in which the tight end was often an afterthought. After a few games in which the offense sputtered, then-coach Al Groh switched back to a more traditional scheme, and the tight ends started seeing the ball again.

Look for them to be featured this season. Groh's successor, Mike London, and new offensive coordinator Bill Lazor have installed a pro-style scheme in which the tight ends are focal points.

"Coach London coming in, it was a nice breath of fresh air," Torchia said. "He believes very strongly in using the tight ends, which is what Virginia's been known for. We kind of got away from that the past couple years, but it's gonna feel good to get back to it."

Torchia played in 2009 with a shoulder injury that required surgery after the season. He still managed to catch 15 passes for 120 yards and two TDs.

"I continued to work hard, using that wisdom that John Phillips and Jon Stupar and Tom Santi, they all kind of passed down to me over the years coming up underneath them," Torchia said. "Just staying resilient and focusing on the job at hand."

Torchia, who'll be a senior in the fall, is not practicing this spring. His left arm is in a sling, but he expects to be ready for training camp this summer.

"It's tough as a football player, because you want to be out there and you want to help the team as much as possible," Torchia said. "It's tough being on the sidelines right now, but I know that my role as of right now is to get better and to work hard off the field so I can help the team later on.

"You can definitely learn more taking the reps and actually doing it, but as of right now I'm just watching film and going to the meetings and watching practice and taking mental reps. There's a lot to learn."

He has a new teacher this year: Scott Wachenheim. The Cavaliers' tight ends coach held that position with the Washington Redskins last season.

"He's a great guy," Torchia said. "I really like [former tight ends coach Bob] Price, but Coach London felt that Coach Wachenheim brings something to the table, and he certainly has so far. He's very experienced. He coached Chris Cooley with the Redskins, and he has a lot of really good little things that you would never really think of but make all the difference."

Phillips and Freedman are rising sophomores.

-- Jeff White


 

U.Va. spring practice starting to look like football
By Michael Phillips
Published: March 25, 2010
» 0 Comments | Post a Comment
vote
nowBuzz up!

CHARLOTTESVILLE - Nearing the halfway point of spring practices, Virginia coaches have been gradually phasing out individual drills and phasing in competitive games.

"It's a lot more fun - you actually get to play football," quarterback Ross Metheny said. "In these situations, you can get out there and get into your game."

Yesterday's two-hour session was devoted to third-down plays. The final portion of practice was conducted in the style of a game, with coach Mike London setting up a situation and a play, and having the offense run it against the defense.

That level of contact brought extra energy to the proceedings, something London was encouraging. He ran over to salute players who made big plays, and encouraged teammates to do likewise.

The gamelike atmosphere also included officials and a chain gang. A small crowd took in the proceedings from bleachers nearby - this was the last practice open to fans and media.

The focus was on quarterbacks and receivers, with fans cheering big catches and London enthusiastically proclaiming first downs when he set up a third-and-long situation. But the defenders countered by celebrating a handful of interceptions, and the practice ended with Javanti Sparrow laying a big hit on receiver Jared Green.

As has been the norm this spring, the participating quarterbacks were Marc Verica, Michael Strauss, Quintin Hunter and Metheny.

Metheny, a redshirt freshman from Stephens City, said that the quarterbacks prepare for practices with meetings the night before, then study film on their own, as well as an addition meeting in the hour before practice begins.

The receivers go through a similar process.

"They give you a heads-up of what's going to be in practice, so you can get a look at it and get a feel for it," receiver Tim Smith said. "When you come on the field, you know what to do - you won't just be running around, you will have already seen it."

London said that at this point in the spring, the defense is ahead of the offense, because of the complexity of the new offensive schemes. But he added that he believes both sides have made strong progress in the six practices to date.

. . .

Notes: Fork Union's Morgan Moses (Meadowbrook) has been attending practices - he will join the team in the fall, pending academic clearance. . . . Running back Dominique Wallace has been cleared for a medical redshirt, he will start the season as a freshman. . . . Drew Jarrett, Robert Randolph and Chris Hinkebein all took kicks yesterday in simulated game situations.

London stresses short-yardage spots
By Jay Jenkins
Published: March 24, 2010
» 1 Comment | Post a Comment
vote
nowBuzz up!

When taking the head football job at Virginia, coach Mike London did not need a statistical tutorial from the 2009 season.
The numbers speak for themselves — en route to a dismal three-win season, the Cavaliers struggled mightily offensively converting on third down.
For myriad reasons, Virginia finished former coach Al Groh’s final season ranked 103rd in the nation in converting the precious, chain-moving situations.
While solid on defense in stopping opponents on third downs, the Cavaliers converted just 60 of 177 opportunities. Among ACC schools, only Boston College struggled to a greater degree last year.
With that in mind, London designed a practice session Wednesday that solely focused on converting in the various spots that teams face during the season. It comes with a new quarterback under center, a battle that Marc Verica currently leads.
“In 3rd-and-long you have different 3rd-and-longs. In 3rd-and-6 and 3rd-and-7, it is a probably a third down when most times are trying to throw it, the kind of route that would just go beyond the sticks, the first-down marker,” London pointed out. “And then you have the 3rd-and-long situations [beyond 3rd-and-10] where you are either going to try to go get the first down or throw routes that require your defense to chase underneath.”
Virginia was even worse offensively last year on fourth down, converting just two of its 14 possession-saving chances
(14 percent).
London, however, hinted that he would be more inclined to roll the dice and gamble if the ball was on the opposing team’s side of the field.
“It depends on where the ball is, even though the defense knows, but it also depends on how the offense is playing that day,” London said. “I have been in games where I have gone for it on 4th-and-3 where you say, ‘Listen, the ball on that side of the field and we are going to go for it no matter what happens.’
“You just have to be ready when that moment comes.”
That helps players attack third-down situations in a different manner, something Groh was often too conservative to approach.
There was a reason — Groh’s defense ranked No. 35 in the country in stopping teams on third down last year, trailing just Boston College and North Carolina in the ACC.
 

Cannon delivers on biggest gamble yet
Charismatic club house leader foregoes big leagues, continues to thrive as switch-hitter, defensive king
Andrew Seidman, Cavalier Daily Sports Editor
Baseball / Sports
March 25, 2010 0

It’s the heat of summer as the Virginia baseball team readies for the most important series in program history, but the games begin well before the Cavaliers take the field against No. 1 LSU. Deep in the corridors of an Omaha, Neb. hotel is the charismatic Tyler Cannon, embroiled in a highly competitive game with his arch-nemesis, Neal Davis.

“Last year from the ACC Tournament on to Omaha we brought the game Risk,” Cannon said with a wide grin on his face. “You ever play that one?”

Perhaps the senior shortstop’s biggest gamble came well after the team’s first-ever trip to the College World Series. Although he was selected in the 41st round of the Major League Baseball Draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates, the graceful player with a last name befitting of an All-ACC caliber infielder decided to return for his senior season.

“[Cannon] made the decision that if it wasn’t very, very substantial money last year, he said this, that he’d come back for his senior season,” coach Brian O’Connor said. “Sometimes players change their mind, but he stayed committed to it.”

Cannon said his love for the University, his teammates and coaching staff inspired his decision to forego a shot at the big leagues. But heck, he simply may have had some unfinished business with Davis or other adversaries to deal with.

“He loves games — X-Box, Spades, anything — he’s after it,” junior center fielder Jarrett Parker said. “He’s a real fun-loving guy.”

But this is not the first time the club house jokester, also known as “Can-Man,” has made a serious, potentially life-altering decision. After hitting for a .252 average during his sophomore season as a right-handed hitter, Cannon and the coaching staff decided to go forth with a monumental change: Virginia’s prized infielder would switch-hit during the upcoming season. Because the vast majority of pitchers on earth are right-handed, this decision meant Cannon would hit lefty for most of his at-bats. And although he said he had tinkered with it in high school and further experimented hitting from the right-side of the plate during the fall of his sophomore year, Cannon had never actually switch-hit in a real, meaningful game.

“I always knew it would probably benefit me down the road, so it was always in the back of my mind,” Cannon said. “But last fall, my junior year, I really decided, let’s give it a shot. Why not?”

The result was staggering. Cannon improved his batting average to .351 during his junior campaign — a robust 99-point increase from the previous season. The man with the golden glove suddenly had transformed into an offensive juggernaut.

Though his offensive production did not peak until last year, Cannon was penciled into the line-up for his defense from his first day at Virginia. He saw time at third base and shortstop his first year with the team, was the starting third baseman and even served time at catcher as a sophomore. And after O’Connor’s dynamite shortstop, Greg Miclat, graduated in 2008, Cannon made the permanent switch to the position.

“I’ll tell ya, he’s been an iron man for us,” O’Connor said. “He’s started at shortstop, third base, he’s caught some — he’s just a very, very good athlete.”

In total, Cannon has played in nearly 97 percent of Virginia’s games since he came to the University in 2007 and currently sits in seventh place in games played in program history. More importantly, as Cannon has progressed throughout his illustrious career, he has developed into the team’s unmistakable leader — perhaps in part because of his constant presence on the field. As the lone senior in the Cavaliers’ junior-dominated starting line-up, Cannon has served as a mentor to some of the team’s best players.

“I remember one time last year when — N.C. State — and there was a delay, something like that,” Parker, a 2009 All-American reminisced. “[Cannon] was on second base, and I was up to bat. And he was like, ‘You’re gonna hit me in.’ I was like, ‘What?’ — ‘You’re just gonna hit me in.’ I was like, ‘All right.’ I went up there, and I hit him in. He was like, ‘I told you so.’”

Cannon’s part-time partner up the middle, sophomore second baseman Keith Werman, had nothing but praise for the shortstop and his remarkable range.

“He’s phenomenal in the infield — greatest hands I’ve ever seen,” Werman said. “He’ll turn a ball that goes in the hole, and he’ll throw ‘em out by two steps, and you’re just like, ‘Wow, how’d that happen?’”

And after bulking up during the offseason, adhering to what he called the “Jarrett Parker Workout Plan,” Cannon has continued to trudge on during his senior campaign, both offensively and defensively. His performance during Tuesday’s game against Marshall demonstrated Cannon’s wide range of abilities and development into one of — if not the best — shortstops in college baseball. He smacked a double to center in the first inning, adding another notch to his belt in the Virginia baseball annals with the 53rd double of his career, tying the program record. His 4-for-4 day at the plate pushed his average up to a solid Ted Williams’ .400. And his diving grab up the middle and subsequent flip to junior second baseman Phil Gosselin to turn a double play demonstrated why he was recently named to the Brooks Wallace Award Watch List for the top shortstop in the nation and easily could have made SportsCenter’s Top 10 plays. But Cannon has already reached that feat with an incredible play in last year’s memorable run to Omaha.

Whether this year’s squad makes another run at the title, Cannon is a lock to be drafted again — which leaves one more game for the Cavalier to play: Major League Baseball.

Ever played that one?

Clausen’s mane event
By Whitey Reid
Published: March 24, 2010
» 0 Comments | Post a Comment
vote
nowBuzz up!

“GEICO” and “Jesus” are just a couple of the nicknames that Virginia senior Ken Clausen has been tagged with by teammates and fans over the last couple of years, the former referring to the caveman character on the popular car insurance commercial.
Clausen, you see, has only cut his hair once during his time at UVa. In addition, the Bryn Mawr, Pa. native has grown a full beard that would probably make the late Jim Morrison proud.
“It’s not too hard for people to pick me out of a crowd,” Clausen said.
But Clausen’s growth has by no means been restricted to hair.
During his three-plus years on grounds, the free-spirited
6-foot-3, 201-pounder has polished a few of his rough edges and developed into one of the most complete defenders in the country.
“He’s absolutely stepped up and taken on a leadership role this year,” said teammate Brian Carroll.
When Clausen first arrived at Virginia, his athleticism was obvious. However, sometimes his motor revved a little harder than it needed to. Virginia coach Dom Starsia says Clausen has learned to tone his game down a bit for the greater good.
“I think he’s learned to temper [his aggressiveness] in ways that help the team more overall,” Starsia said. “He’s much more aware of what’s going on around him now and aware of the other guys.”
To wit: Last week against Vermont, Starsia could hear Clausen chirping away at
teammates during the pregame warmup. When he got a little closer, he was a little bit surprised. Clausen was reciting the entire scouting report, verbatim, to every member of the defensive unit.
“It was almost everyone’s responsibilities, at every position, which is something I don’t think would have ever happened before,” Starsia said. “He’s certainly become much more of a leader in the program.”
The funny thing is that Clausen wasn’t even supposed to be at Virginia.
Coming out of the Hill School (Downingtown, Pa.) — the same place that produced former Cavalier Doug Brody — Clausen had committed to Duke.
But then came the events that would become known as the “Duke Lacrosse Scandal.” With the future of the Duke program in doubt, Clausen decided it was in his best interests to go somewhere else.
Virginia was Clausen’s first choice — even though Starsia had no more scholarships available.
“Luckily, I had parents who were able to afford it,” Clausen said, “and make that sacrifice of leaving a scholarship at Duke.”
Clausen, a two-time first-team All-American, has had zero regrets about his choice. Ditto for his parents, Jeffrey and Rebecca, who drive a Virginia-colored trailer that they call “The Hoosmobile” to all of the team’s games.
“I wouldn’t trade it for the world,” said Clausen, when asked about his Virginia experience. “UVa has been absolutely
amazing. I’ve loved it. I couldn’t imagine being any other place or playing with any other teammates or for any other coaches. Everyone has been unbelievable.
“It was an absolute blessing that I ended up here.”
Clausen, a team
captain, has made his presence felt off the field, too. In November, he helped start Mustache Madness, a charity event that raised in the neighborhood of $32,000 for prostate cancer research.
In the event, which attracted over a dozen lacrosse programs from around the country, participants grew mustaches while raising money from sponsors.
Virginia, with Clausen leading the way, won the inaugural Mad ‘Stache trophy.
Clausen says his last haircut came when he was a sophomore — when he decided to donate his hair to Locks of Love. At some point, Clausen says he will do it again — he just
doesn’t know when.
Starsia, who himself sported some long locks back in the day, says he has no problem with Clausen’s not-so-clean-cut look.
“I don’t mind somebody who has a little bit of a creative spirit,” Starsia said. “It’s whether you’re going to be a good person and work, and be a good teammate — and he is all of those things.”
Starsia is certainly glad Clausen isn’t at Duke.
“He’s just a great guy,” Starsia added. “He’s
always been a very thoughtful, compassionate kid with a larger view of the world.
“He’s someone I’ve thoroughly enjoyed getting to know. I don’t take that for granted.”