Directors' Cup Update
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 03/25/2010
March 25, 2010
9:28 a.m.

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- The latest Directors' Cup standings for Division I were released this morning, and UVa is in fourth place.

Coming out of the fall, Virginia was second, behind 15th-time winner Stanford.

In the first standings that include winter sports, UVa (518 points) trails No. 1 Stanford (559), No. 2 Florida (548) and No. 3 Penn State (521.5).

The Directors' Cup competition reflects schools' performances in NCAA championships. UVa has picked up 181 points from winter sports so far: 69 for women's swimming (ninth at NCAAs), 60 from wrestling (15th at NCAAs) and 52 from men's indoor track and field (20th at NCAAs).

Virginia finished eighth overall in 2008-09. The next update will be released April 8, and UVa will add points in men's swimming and women's basketball.

As usual, spring will be the Cavaliers' strongest season. UVa figures to earn Directors' Cup points in more than a half-dozen sports, including baseball, men's and women's lacrosse, women's golf, rowing and men's tennis.

-- Jeff White

London Can't Do It Alone
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 03/26/2010
By Jeff White

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- The gates opened Wednesday afternoon, and for the sixth and final time this spring, the public was allowed in to watch UVa's football team practice on the fields behind University Hall.

About three dozen fans showed up. Attendance at most of the other open practices was similarly underwhelming.

Maybe that's not surprising. In three of their final four seasons under Al Groh, the Cavaliers finished under .500, and a significant chunk of the fan base drifted away during the decline. Alumni and fans grew weary of the team's inability to move the ball on offense, weary of Groh's autocratic ways, weary of being asked to open their wallets and give to the Virginia Athletics Foundation.

"I understand exactly," said Jon Oliver, UVa's executive associate director of athletics. "I would have been there, too. You'll never hear me say, 'I don't understand why the fans just don't support us.' "

To make matters worse for the athletics department, the men's basketball program was struggling at the same time.

"That made it tough for the fans," Oliver said. "There was no reason to feel good about us in the revenue sports. We understand that, but that's why we ultimately made changes."

Tony Bennett replaced Dave Leitao as men's basketball coach last spring. In late November, after UVa lost yet again to Virginia Tech and finished 3-9 in football -- its fewest wins in 23 years -- Groh was dismissed.

About two weeks later, the University hired Mike London, a former UVa assistant who guided Richmond to the NCAA's Football Championship Subdivision title in 2008 and back to the FCS playoffs in '09.

London's charge? Rebuild a program that under George Welsh, Groh's predecessor, consistently ranked among the ACC's best.

"Now is the time when we kind of stake our claim to say, 'Hey, Virginia is gonna be back on the map with football,' " Oliver said. "We want to be relevant again."

And, yes, that means beating the team from Blacksburg.

"It starts with getting our state back," Oliver said. "I've said it on the radio, and I'll say it again: I have a lot of respect for Virginia Tech and what they've done. That doesn't mean I have to like it.

"I'm tired of losing to them. We don't want to lose to these guys anymore. There's no one here that enjoys losing to Virginia Tech or doesn't care about it."

The fans have a role to play in the rebuilding process. Many would like to see tangible evidence of a turnaround before they come back on board, Oliver knows, but London needs their help. Now.

"It requires that they be involved and engaged," Oliver said. "That doesn't mean you have to buy a ticket, but wear your Virginia stuff with pride and say this is your team. Because it is your team. Mike, his staff and the student-athletes will do a great job representing the University of Virginia, but they can't do it alone.

"Our goal is to get people excited about the process of rebuilding the program. There will be no quick results, just like there were no quick results in basketball. The building of a program takes time. And that transformation -- to be part of that as a fan -- that's pretty fun.

"I went from 3-8 and 5-6 at Washington State to a Rose Bowl year. There's nothing better than that, but a lot of what made that special was the fans hanging in there and supporting their team."

UVa sold a school-record 39,876 season tickets for football in 2006. The total dipped to about 35,500 two years later -- in part because of the economy, but also because of the controversial reseating policy at Scott Stadium.

The 'Hoos finished 5-7 in 2008. UVa sold only about 30,500 season tickets in '09.

"I understand why fans walked away from this football program," Oliver said. "We're charging them a lot of money for tickets, we made them increase their [VAF] donations, and then the product dropped off.

"I think we were viewed as being too transactional. It's easy for a fan to think, 'You give X number of dollars, you get a football ticket in a better location.'

"I think we have to do a better job of showing people that when you give a donation to buy a football ticket, it's supporting a lot of things, most notably scholarships and operational expenses for 25 sport programs, and we want to compete for championships in all of them. The economics of intercollegiate athletics require that we do it this way, but it's risky if we don't perform consistently at a high level in the revenue sports."

UVa is trying to win back those who left. Outside the Rotunda, Virginia shot a TV commercial this month featuring London, his coaches and current and former players. Fans were invited to take part, and about 250 showed up for the shoot. London personally thanked most of them for doing so.

The remaining practices in Charlottesville this spring are closed, but fans are invited to attend the Cavaliers' intrasquad scrimmage Saturday afternoon at Old Dominion University in Norfolk.

"We're excited about getting down there and trying to show that Virginia is a little different now," London said. "We're trying to be accessible and available, trying to get out there to people and let them see who we are and how we practice and things like that, and hopefully all this pays off."

UVa's spring game is April 10 at Scott Stadium. That will be the last opportunity for fans to see the team before training camp opens in August.

Oliver said he wants to expose fans "to what I believe is something pretty special: a new guy that cares about them as much as he wants them to care about the team."

London "wants to put caring about the right things first. He's hired a great staff that thinks the same way," Oliver said. "He wants to put the right kind of kids out there representing Virginia, and they will play hard and with a great deal of passion. You're going to see chemistry amongst the staff. He's going to require that of his team, and that's going to be fun to watch as we build it."

To think the Wahoos will contend for the Coastal Division title in London's first year is probably unrealistic.

"But come along," Oliver said. "See these young kids grow up. Watch them get coached and develop. Watch what the coaches do to engage the community. Experience Mike's passion for the whole thing."

London's goal this first year?

"I want to make sure that we play hard and that we compete," he said after a recent practice. "That's one thing that we can control. Help guys know they're going in the right spots, they're doing the right things, and then let the recruiting aspect of it take care of whether we've got better players than the other team."

The first 1,500 fans Saturday at ODU will receive a free UVa Football t-shirt. The first 250 youths to visit Fan Fest there will receive a mini-football, courtesy of the event's sponsor, Virginia Beach-based STIHL Incorporated.

 

No. 1 Virginia and No. 12 Johns Hopkins Clash for the Doyle Smith Cup
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 03/25/2010

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - The No. 1 Virginia Cavaliers (8-0) return to the raucous confines of Klöckner Stadium Saturday afternoon to host the No. 12 Johns Hopkins Blue Jays (4-3) in the annual clash for the Doyle Smith Cup. Faceoff is slated for noon and live stats will be available at VirginiaSports.com. For the third-straight week, UVa graces the No. 1 position in both the Nike/Inside Lacrosse media and USILA coaches polls. The Cavaliers were the unanimous pick, receiving all possible No. 1 votes in both polls for the second time this season.
The game will be broadcast in the Charlottesville area on WINA AM 1070 with John Freeman calling the action and Doug Tarring doing the color broadcast. ESPN2 will televise the contest in HD with Carter Blackburn providing the play-by-play and Quint Kessenich serving as the color analyst. The game will also be simulcast on ESPN360.com.

The 1970 USILA Virginia national championship men's lacrosse squad will be honored at halftime, celebrating 40 years since earning the crown as the nation's top men's lacrosse program.

Saturday marks the 64th-straight season the Cavaliers and the Blue Jays have clashed in an all-time series that began in 1904. Johns Hopkins holds the all-time advantage with a 54-27-1 mark, however Virginia has won the last five meetings, including last year's 19-8 triumph in the NCAA quarterfinal round in Annapolis, Md. Virginia's 82 all-time games against the Blue Jays equals the most games the Cavaliers have played against any opponent in their history.

The game is the fifth annual battle for the Doyle Smith Cup. Virginia and Johns Hopkins joined together to honor E. Doyle Smith, Jr., for his lifetime of contributions to the lacrosse programs at both schools and on the national level with the annual regular season winner laying claim to the cup. Smith served as team manager and statistician for Johns Hopkins under coach Bob Scott from 1963-68.

He enrolled at UVa to pursue a doctorate in the fall of 1968, and became the University's first full-time assistant sports information director, a position he held for 31 years until his retirement in 1999, serving as the lacrosse team's publicist for four head coaches-Buddy Beardmore, Glenn Thiel, Jim Adams and Dom Starsia. In 2000, he was elected to the US Lacrosse Hall of Fame and is the only individual inducted who never played the game at some level.

In the battle for the cup in 2009, Shamel Bratton and Danny Glading scored the only goals of the fourth quarter in succession to lead the Cavaliers to the 16-15 victory at Homewood Field, giving UVa the Doyle Smith Cup for the fourth-straight year.

The last meeting between these two schools was a historic meeting for Starsia. Virginia's 19-8 triumph over the Blue Jays in the NCAA quarterfinal round at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Md., served as Starsia's 300th career victory. Bratton scored a game-high five goals and Garrett Billings had seven points on four goals and three assists to pace the Cavaliers' victory.

Virginia has started a season with eight-straight wins for the third-consecutive season after defeating Towson on March 21, 15-10. Chris Bocklet registered his fourth four-goal game of the season to lead UVa. Brian Carroll tallied two goals and chipped in two assists in the winning cause.

Bocklet leads Virginia with 25 goals and 32 points on the season, while Steele Stanwick holds the team lead with 17 assists. Carroll is second on the team with 13 goals, while Stanwick has 12 goals and 17 assists for 29 points, which is second best on the squad. Freshman Matt White has nine goals and has tallied at least one point in every game of his young collegiate career. Adam Ghitelman is saving 54.8 percent of the shots against him, while posting a 7.51 goals-against average.

Johns Hopkins head coach Dave Pietramala is in his 10th season with the Blue Jays and returns 31 letterwinners and seven starters off his 2009 squad that went 10-9. Johns Hopkins enters Saturday's game looking to bounce back from a tough home loss to No. 2 Syracuse, which ultimately dropped the Blue Jays out of the top 10 for only the 13th time since the USILA coaches poll began in 1973.

Steven Boyle leads the Blue Jays with 21 goals, 12 assists and 33 points. Michael Kimmel is second on the squad with 11 goals, nine assists and 20 points, while Kyle Warton is chipping in with nine goals and seven assists. Mike Gvozden is saving 56.4 percent of shots, while posting an 8.09 GAA in between the pipes.

Virginia will hit the road on Saturday, April 3, when the Cavaliers open up ACC play at No. 4 Maryland. Game time is 8 p.m. and it will be broadcast in the Charlottesville area on WINA AM 1070 with John Freeman calling the action. The contest will be televised live on ESPNU.

Hopkins looks to reverse trend against Virginia
Jays have lost 9 of 12 to Cavaliers, including past 5
By Edward Lee | edward.lee@baltsun.com
March 26, 2010

In addition to tangling with the No. 1 Virginia men's lacrosse team and a boisterous orange-and-blue-clad crowd Saturday, No. 8 Johns Hopkins has to deal with another opponent.

History.

Although the Blue Jays have won 53 of 80 meetings in the series, the Cavaliers have compiled a 17-9 record since 1990. Virginia has enjoyed an especially successful run since Hopkins hired Dave Pietramala as the coach before the 2001 season, winning nine of 12 meetings, including the past five.

Eight of the past 10 games have been decided by two goals or fewer, but the Cavaliers ended the Blue Jays' season last spring with a 19-8 rout in the NCAA tournament quarterfinals that was the largest margin of victory in the series since 1969, when Hopkins won, 15-4.

The memory of last year's loss continues to resonate with the Blue Jays (4-3).

"This is a team that embarrassed us a year ago," Pietramala said. "Obviously, that doesn't have a great impact on us this year, but it's certainly not forgotten. It's the No. 1 team in the country. What a great opportunity for us to go down and play the No. 1 team in the country."

Virginia and Hopkins appear to be taking different paths to the postseason. The Cavaliers are off to an 8-0 start for the third consecutive year and are one of four Division I teams with an unblemished record. (No. 3 North Carolina, No. 5 Maryland and No. 14 Lafayette are the others.)

The Blue Jays have dropped their past two games and three of their past four, and ESPN analyst Matt Ward said Hopkins' bid for its 39th consecutive NCAA tournament berth is at risk.

"Right now, I think they're on the outside looking in for the NCAA tournament," said Ward, a former attackman at Virginia who won the 2006 Tewaaraton Trophy. "They're going to need to win one of these games against a top-four program - whether it's Virginia or UNC or Maryland."

Here's a breakdown of the Blue Jays' struggles against Virginia:

The Cavaliers' offense has been one of the most explosive in the country, and the unit has thrived against Johns Hopkins.

In the past five meetings, Virginia has scored 21 more goals, taken 46 more shots and put 40 more shots on cage. This season, the Cavaliers have put 63.1 percent (234 of 371) of their shots on net, which ranks fifth among teams ranked in The Baltimore Sun's top 10.

"From my perspective, shots on goal are going to spell the difference of whether we're going to be the kind of offensive team that we want to be," Virginia coach Dom Starsia said. "We're a team and a program that gets up and down the field and always generates a lot of shots, but when we shoot with some discipline, that's when we're particularly dangerous."

To prepare for Virginia, the Blue Jays' defense has practiced against seven offensive players rather than the usual six.

One way to limit the Cavaliers' offensive possessions is to win faceoffs. That's usually an area of strength for Hopkins, but not against Virginia.

In the past five losses, the Blue Jays have won just 56 of 129 faceoffs, a .434 success rate. And they went just 6-for-20 in Saturday's 10-7 loss to No. 2 Syracuse.

"I don't blame anybody but ourselves," Pietramala said. "We've just got to be more disciplined and we've got to be more competitive and we've got to be sounder with our technique. And we've got to be better off the wings, too. A faceoff is three guys, not just one guy, and we've got to have our three guys do a better job there - in particular, this weekend."

A note of concern: The Cavaliers rank eighth in the nation this season with a .584 faceoff percentage.

Virginia possesses athleticism and speed, which translates into making it tough for opponents to move the ball from the defensive end to the offensive zone.

Opposing teams have cleared the ball just 75.3 percent (122 of 162) of the time, which ranks second among teams ranked in The Sun's top 10. The Cavaliers' attackmen pester defensemen, the midfielders swarm to the ball and the defensemen make life difficult for ball carriers.

Hopkins has cleared the ball 76.1 percent (83 of 109) of the time in the past five meetings with Virginia. The Blue Jays misfired on nine of 25 clears in last May's playoff loss.

"They just don't have the ball handlers to run by or manage the pressure that Virginia brings," said ESPN analyst Quint Kessenich, a former All-America goalkeeper who helped Hopkins capture the 1987 national championship. "Hopkins can't even get into their offense against Virginia. They get strangled, and they turn the ball over."

But the outcome of Saturday's game will be determined on the field, and Starsia cautioned against reading too much into the numbers.

"In a couple of weeks, you're going to ask me why we haven't beaten Duke in the past seven or eight times that we've played them, and I don't know the answer to that one either," he said. "I think the statistical anomaly to this thing is just cyclical in nature. I hope the trend with Hopkins continues, and I hope the trend with Duke does not continue."

No. 1 Virginia aims to defend annual crown
Blue Jays travel to Charlottesville, hope to improve on disappointing season
Jack Bird, Cavalier Daily Sports Editor
Men's Lacrosse / Sports
March 26, 2010 0

The undefeated and top-ranked Virginia men’s lacrosse team prepares to face Johns Hopkins tomorrow at Klöckner Stadium for the fifth annual Doyle Smith Cup. Though the Blue Jays are experiencing a relatively poor season with three losses, Virginia still refuses to underestimate them.

“That’s part of playing a program like that,” junior long-stick midfielder Bray Malphrus said. “Even if you have an off-year, you are expected to play with a level of greatness. Much like when you come here. You play for the people that have come before you that have established that dominance.”

With its nine national championships and 18 appearances, Hopkins is a perennial powerhouse in Division I men’s lacrosse. In recent history, however, Virginia has begun to keep up with the Blue Jays. Although Johns Hopkins holds a sizable advantage in the 82-game series, the Cavaliers have defeated the Blue Jays during their last five meetings — including two last season, one of which was during the NCAA Tournament.

Unlike the Cavaliers, Hopkins tends to have a slower, more methodical approach to its gameplay.

“It actually makes our job, defensively, a little easier because you know what’s coming; you know what to expect,” Malphrus said.

Meanwhile, on the offensive side of the field, Virginia expects to deal with zone defense at some point during the game.

“They’ve shown it a little bit in some of these earliest games, so its certainly a possibility,” Virginia coach Dom Starsia said.

During their first match last season, the Blue Jays stubbornly presented a zone defense in the face of a Cavalier lead.

“We saw it a lot against Vermont and a little bit against Towson,” Starsia said, “so it shouldn’t be a big deal if that’s the way they want to go with it.”

The zone will tend to slow the game down. Though it has the ability to limit scoring and possibly thwart an athletic, fast-paced offense — similar to that of Virginia — it lacks the aggressiveness to force turnovers.

Though Virginia has certain expectations for how Hopkins may play, that does not mean that Virginia is not taking the match seriously, he added.

“Certainly they have athletes that are capable of creating own their own — that’s stuff you can’t draw up on the white board,” he said.

As they gear up for upcoming ACC play, the Cavaliers are having little trouble avoiding what could be a possible trap game against an underrated opponent.

“I don’t really think there is an underdog in this game … If anything we may look like a big turkey coming over the hill with the number one ranking,” Starsia said. “We haven’t had any trouble getting our kids attention going into this game ­— I don’t care what their record is.”

 

Class of 2011 Can Leave Legacy
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com    
March 25, 2010
1:28 p.m.

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- When they were first-year players, UVa competed in the College Basketball Invitational. That's better than nothing, perhaps, but it doesn't compare to the NIT or, of course, the NCAA tournament.
In men's hoops, UVa's Class of 2011 comprises Mike Scott, Jeff Jones, Mustapha Farrakhan, Sammy Zeglinski and Will Sherrill, though Zeglinski was granted a medical hardship waiver as a freshman and so will be eligible to return as a redshirt senior in 2011-12.
The Cavaliers' roster next season will include those five players and at least five freshmen. Incoming recruits are likely to fill key roles in 2010-11, but Farrakhan, Zeglinski, Jones and Scott started in UVa's final game this season, and Sherrill came off the bench to play 11 minutes.
"As I told them in our [recent] meetings, 'You have an upper hand on guys coming in because you've been with me for a year now and you know what we need,' " Tony Bennett said on a teleconference Thursday morning, "and that leadership will be important.
"None of those guys have had postseason experience, an NIT or NCAA, so there's certainly something that they desperately want, and I think that will definitely be a challenge for them.
"And the other challenge will be, in my opinion, they have to be a positive influence. They gotta try and show these first-year guys coming in the way. Just building a relationship with them. Because I know how important that is when the freshmen come in: that the seniors take them under their wing a little bit, just helping them out. Yeah, they'll be competing for time and all that, but they still gotta treat them like they're little brothers."
The 2009-10 season was Bennett's first at UVa, and there were many bumps along the way. He hopes that experience will strengthen the bond among his rising seniors and make them determined "to stick this thing out and finish it together, and be part of the foundation," Bennett said.
"This group, they'll be able to look back and say, 'We were part of establishing some good things at Virginia.' "
-- Jeff White
 

Virginia, Clemson Square Off This Weekend in Battle of Division Leaders
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 03/25/2010

VIRGINIA CAVALIERS (18-3, 5-1 ACC)
Probable Starting Rotation
Fri. - LHP Danny Hultzen (4-1, 1.06 ERA)
Sat. - RHP Robert Morey (3-1, 3.07 ERA)
Sun. - RHP Cody Winiarski (2-0, 5.70 ERA)

CLEMSON TIGERS (17-4, 6-0 ACC)
Probable Starting Rotation
Fri. - LHP Casey Harman (4-0, 1.86 ERA)
Sat. - LHP Will Lamb (2-0, 2.08 ERA)
Sun. - RHP Scott Weismann (3-0, 2.96 ERA)

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - The top-ranked Virginia baseball team returns to ACC play this weekend as it entertains Clemson at Davenport Field. The teams will play at 6 p.m. Friday, 4 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday. All three games will be broadcast on 1070 WINA-AM as well as VirginiaSports.com (with V Pass subscription). Live statistics also will be available at VirginiaSports.com.

The Tigers, ranked as high as No. 5 nationally this week, will be playing in Charlottesville for the first time since the 2006 season.

Fans are encouraged to purchase tickets in advance for all athletic events to avoid lines at the facilities' ticket windows. Tickets can be ordered in person at the Virginia Athletics Ticket Office in Bryant Hall at Scott Stadium, by phone at (800) 542-8821 and online at VirginiaSports.com. Advance ticket sales online end four hours prior to each game.

General Admission seating is available in the grandstand and left-field bleachers as well as the grass hillside and the new bleachers located along the right-field line. Tickets are $7 for adults and $5 for youth (18 and under), seniors (60 and older) and faculty/staff (limit two per faculty/staff). Advance ticket sales online end four hours prior to the game.

Reserved tickets, if available, are $9 for adults and $5 for UVa faculty/staff, and will be sold beginning two hours prior to the game at the Davenport Field ticket windows. General Admission ticket holders may also upgrade to Reserved seating for $4 per ticket, subject to availability.

Because of an event taking place at John Paul Jones Arena Friday and Saturday that will limit parking spaces in the area, fans are advised to arrive early for the Cavaliers' home baseball and men's lacrosse contests on those dates. The surface lot and parking garage at JPJA will not be available for public parking Friday and Saturday for UVa athletics events. Free parking will be available Friday and Saturday in the University Hall lots as well as the Emmet-Ivy Garage, Culbreth Garage and at The Park. The JPJA surface lot and parking garage will be available for Sunday's baseball game.

Friday, the first 750 fans will receive the second set of Virginia baseball cards. Saturday, the Washington Nationals Racing Presidents will perform at Davenport Field. Sunday is 

Family Day
 -- purchase four tickets, four hot dogs and four sodas for $32. Sunday also is Little League Day, as UVa will honor 
the Central, Lane and Sharks leagues.

Virginia (18-3, 5-1 ACC) enters the weekend as winners of 12 of its last 13 games, including six straight, and is tied atop the ACC Coastal Division with Georgia Tech and Miami. Clemson (17-4, 6-0) holds a three-game lead over Florida State for the ACC Atlantic Division lead.

The Cavaliers and Tigers are meeting in regular-season play for the first time since the 2007 season, when UVa won two of three games at Clemson. Clemson has not played at Davenport Field since March 17-19, 2006, when Virginia picked up a three-game series sweep over the Tigers. UVa has swept the last two home series with Clemson and has not lost at home to the Tigers since May 13, 2002.

The teams' last meeting was at the 2009 ACC Baseball Championship, where UVa won, 6-5, to start its postseason run of success. The Cavaliers rallied from an early 4-0 deficit, using a four-run fifth inning to take the lead, and UVa then received 5.1 innings of near-flawless relief work from Andrew Carraway and Kevin Arico to seal the victory.

Both teams boast plenty of offensive firepower as well as strong pitching staffs. Virginia has a .353 team batting average, while Clemson sports a .311 team batting average and ranks third in the ACC with 35 home runs, including 10 from ACC leader Kyle Parker. On the mound, Virginia has lowered its team ERA to 3.42, while Clemson is not far behind at 3.69.

The Friday night pitching matchup features two of the ACC's premier pitchers in Virginia's Danny Hultzen (So., Bethesda, Md.) and Clemson's Casey Harman. Hultzen is 4-1 this year with an ACC-low 1.06 earned run average, while Harman is 4-0 with a 1.86 ERA. Opponents are batting .138 this year against Hultzen and .188 versus Harman.

Virginia shortstop Tyler Cannon (Sr., Pigeon Forge, Tenn.) is the only current UVa player to see regular-season action against Clemson. Cannon has been one of the Cavaliers' top hitters of late and currently is on a career-high 13-game hitting streak. That streak is the eighth-longest active streak in the nation.

Virginia concludes its nine-game homestand next Tuesday and Wednesday as it plays host to Towson for 5 p.m. games both days.

Cavaliers set sights on Clemson
Three-game series between No. 1 Cavaliers and No. 8 Clemson takes place this weekend
Allen Kha, Cavalier Daily Senior Writer
Baseball / Featured / Sports
March 26, 2010 1

The top-ranked Virginia baseball team will play host to No. 8 Clemson during this weekend’s premier matchup in college baseball.

Hoping to add onto a six-game winning streak, Virginia (18-3, 5-1 ACC) enters tonight’s game after defeating Marshall 6-3 midweek and sweeping Boston College in a three-game series last weekend. Meanwhile, the Tigers (17-4, 6-0 ACC) come to Davenport Field after a two-game losing streak, dropping two midweek games at home to Elon.

Despite Clemson’s recent losses, Virginia coach Brian O’Connor and his team must play hard against a team that won a series against then-No. 9 South Carolina and swept a three-game series against Wright State and then-No. 30 N.C. State earlier this season.

Moreover, Clemson’s strong lineup adds to the threat posed to the Cavaliers’ recent success. Clemson’s junior southpaw Casey Harman and sophomore southpaw Will Lamb, Friday and Saturday starters for the Tigers, will come into this weekend’s series with 1.86 and 2.08 ERAs, respectively.

“They’re very talented — they have a lot of really good left-handed hitters. [Additionally,] their No. 1 and 2 starters are left-handed,” O’Connor said.

Because the middle of the Virginia lineup has struggled against left-handed pitchers this season, the Cavalier players know they will have to step up to emerge victorious.

The Cavaliers, who collectively have hit an impressive .325 and notched a 2.00 ERA during their past six games, hope to extend hitting and pitching balance they have shown prior to this weekend’s series.

Sophomore first baseman John Hicks expressed confidence in the team’s ability to do just that.

“We’re clicking, definitely. It seems like if one guy’s struggling, everybody else is going to pick him up,” he said. “That’s the whole concept of us — we’re a team.”

Against Marshall, senior Tyler Cannon hit 4-for-4 and junior John Barr 2-for-3, while six Virginia pitchers combined to allow three runs on six hits. Junior closer Kevin Arico, after poor outing issues last Saturday against Boston College, recorded a quick two-strikeout save.

Virginia will look to sophomore ace Danny Hultzen to maintain team-wide momentum against Clemson’s Harman today at 6 p.m.

Clemson trip to Virginia is no getaway
Against nation's top team, Tigers can't afford midweek slide to continue
By TRAVIS SAWCHIK - The (Charleston) Post & Courier

CLEMSON - After consecutive midweek losses against Elon, the No. 12 Tigers will try to get back on track at No. 1 Virginia this weekend.

The Tigers (17-4, 6-0 ACC) had won nine of 10 games before two consecutive losses.

"We just have to look at it as an opportunity to get better, and we have to get better," Clemson coach Jack Leggett said. "We have a heckuva battle up there (at Virginia)."

*
*
Clemson vs. Virginia

WHEN: Today, 6 p.m.; Saturday, 4 p.m.; Sunday, 1 p.m.

WHERE: UVa Baseball Stadium, Charlotteville, Va.

SERIES: The Tigers hold a 101-39 lead.

LAST MEETING: Last year in the ACC Tournament, Virginia defeated Clemson 6-5.

RECORDS: Clemson (17-4, 6-0 ACC); Virginia (18-3, 5-1 ACC)

RANKINGS: In Baseball America poll, Clemson is No. 12 and Virginia is No. 1

PITCHING MATCHUPS: Today, Clemson LHP Casey Harman, Jr., 4-0, 1.86 ERA vs. Virginia LHP Danny Hultzen, So., 4-1, 1.06; Saturday, Clemson LHP Will Lamb, So., 2-0, 2.08 vs. Virginia RHP Robert Morey, Jr., 3-1, 3.07; Sunday, Clemson RHP Scott Weismann, So., 3-0, 2.96 vs. Virginia RHP Cody Winiarski, Jr., 2-0, 5.70.

NOTES: Virginia is averaging 8.8 runs per game and hitting .354 with a .529 slugging percentage and .441 on-base percentage thanks to 109 walks and 25 hit-by-pitches. . . . Clemson is averaging 9.4 runs per game and hitting .311 with a .530 slugging percentage and .422 on-base percentage thanks to 130 walks and 20 hit-by-pitches. . . . Clemson's Kyle Parker is hitting a team-high .405 with 10 homers, 23 RBIs, 31 runs, an .810 slugging percentage, and a .520 on-base percentage.

Virginia (18-3, 5-1) is coming off a three-game sweep of Boston College and has won six in a row. The Cavs are averaging 8.8 runs per game and hitting .354 as a team.

Virginia's offense will meet an undefeated Clemson weekend rotation.

While Clemson's midweek pitching has been shaky, the Tigers have a solid weekend rotation of Casey Harman (4-0, 1.86 ERA), who will pitch tonight. Sophomore lefty Will Lamb (2-0, 2.08 ERA) will throw Saturday followed by Scott Weisman (3-0, 2.96 ERA) on Sunday.

The Cavs' pitching staff has limited opponents to a .229 batting average along with 177 strikeouts against 67 walks in 187 innings.

Danny Hultzen (4-1, 1.06 ERA) will start for Virginia tonight. He is one of the top lefties in the country, and posted a 9-1 record as a freshman last season.

Hultzen will meet one of the ACC's best hitters in Kyle Parker, who leads Clemson in average (.405), home runs (10), RBIs (23) and runs (31).

And getting the best of the team Baseball America calls the best in the country will certainly ease the sting dropping back-to-back nonconference games for the Tigers.

Home plate runneth over for UVa
By Jay Jenkins
Published: March 26, 2010
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John Hicks has lived the past two seasons in the dark.

Each time the sophomore arrives at Davenport Field, he has no idea where he will play.

Hicks has started during his career in left field, at first base and behind the plate.

That’s life in the Virginia baseball world, thanks to the eye-catching collection of catchers on the Cavaliers’ roster.

It will continue for senior Franco Valdes, junior Kenny Swab and Hicks tonight — the top-ranked Cavaliers (18-3, 5-1 ACC) open a pivotal weekend series with No. 12 Clemson (17-4, 6-0) at 6 p.m at home.

Hicks, who was a two-sport star at Goochland High, is not complaining about the uncertainty that surrounds where he will be placed in the field and which Cavalier will catch.

“It’s fun because any day you can have a different guy back there and he is going to play well,” Hicks said. “It’s definitely different. I come to the game not knowing where I am going to be, but the coaches tell you when we stop taking batting practice so you can be prepared for where you are playing at.”

The rotation has been important. Each of the three players raved about being fresh as the season’s second month comes to an end.

“It is tremendous,” said Valdes, who has made 10 starts. “There were times when playing every game that it would take its toll last year, but with three catchers it has not been a factor.”

Virginia coach Brian O’Connor said that clearly was the plan.

“It’s the first time ever in my coaching career that we have had three front-line catchers that are all high quality,” the skipper said. “Having the flexibility of not having to catch the same guy every night is going to allow those guys to have really fresh legs going down the stretch.

“I think it is working out great.”

Valdes was the anchor for the pitching staff last year, and could return to that role in the postseason.

“Franco Valdes is the experienced veteran that has caught in our program for three years,” O’Connor said. “Franco knows the game and knows the pitchers and has the experience to handle a pitching staff.

“The other guys do a good job of that too.”

Swab perfected his catching skills the past two seasons at Young Harris Community College in Georgia, but has also provided depth at first base.

“I had never played first before this year, but it’s going great,” said Swab, who is hitting .359 on the season. “Last year, I caught something like 53 of 58 games and both ends of doubleheaders.

“We don’t have that problem here.”

Swab, who is eligible for the Major League Draft this summer, has impressed his teammates with his arm. Valdes has done the same with his ability to block balls.

“Kenny has an absolute hose,” Hicks said. “I feel like if anybody goes, we are going to be able to throw them out.

“All of us can block the ball, but Franco is an animal back there.”

Freshman pitcher Branden Kline added: “Franco can block anything in a 50-mile radius.”

Thus far this season, the three-headed monster has combined to gun down 10 of 25 would-be base stealers, and the trio has allowed only four passed balls in 187 innings.

“We like to think that a game is just like a bullpen session, and if the ball is in the dirt, they are going to be there,” Kline said. “In the bullpen, they prove to the pitchers that they will block anything you throw at them.

“Knowing that before it happens, even if it ends up in the dirt, they are going to do everything they can to block it. It makes our job a ton easier.”





 

Panthers Fever: Catch It!
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 03/25/2010
March 25, 2010
12:48 p.m.

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- It's no secret which team Adrien Harraway and Heidi Freitager are pulling for in the NCAA men's basketball tournament. They're graduates of the University of Northern Iowa, after all.

Harraway, UVa's director of academic affairs for football, was a safety for the Panthers. Freitager, an assistant softball coach at Virginia, played catcher at Northern Iowa.

Tony Bennett has a connection to the Cedars Falls school, too.

Northern Iowa's basketball players include brothers Adam and Jake Koch. Their father, Brian, played for Bennett's father, Dick, at Wisconsin-Stevens Point. Morever, their brother Bennett was named at least partly in honor of Dick Bennett, Tony Bennett believes.

Brian Koch "actually was my dentist when I lived in Green Bay," the younger Bennett told reporters on a teleconference this morning.

Bennett also knows Northern Iowa guard Ali Farokhmanesh, whose late 3-pointer against No. 1 Kansas last weekend ranks among the more memorable shots in NCAA tournament history. (Ali's trey sent Kansas alumnus Dave Koehn, better known as the "Voice of the Cavaliers," into a funk from which he's yet to fully recover.)

Farokhmanesh's mother, Cindy Fredrick, was women's volleyball coach at Washington State during Dick Bennett's first season as coach at the Pac-10 school. Tony Bennett was his father's top assistant.

Farokhmanesh "was just a junior high school kid, and we used to shoot around all the time," Bennett said. "You talk about a guy paying the price on his shot and having a real consistent, compact stroke."

With his ties to the Kochs and Farokhmanesh, "I have an affinity obviously for those guys and how they play," Bennett said.

"So with all that said, I'm going to go with Ohio State [to win the NCAA tourney]," Bennett added with a laugh. "How's that for loyalty? But I like those guys."

Northern Iowa meets Michigan State in the NCAA tournament's third round Friday night.

-- Jeff White

 

Bennett's Cavaliers a work in progress
Virginia's basketball team has undergone a lot of changes following Tony Bennett's first year.
By Doug Doughty
981-3129

If given a chance, Tony Bennett knows there is one thing he would have done differently in his first season as Virginia men's basketball coach.

"I either would have made sure the ref wasn't looking and then thrown my jacket," he said, "or, I would have not thrown it."

Bennett was referring to the moment, late in UVa's final regular-season game against Maryland, when he received the first technical foul of his basketball career -- playing, coaching or otherwise.

The Cavaliers, trailing ACC co-leader Maryland by one point with less than a minute remaining, went on to drop that game 74-68. However, the controversy surrounding official Jamie Luckie's call has been dwarfed by subsequent events.

On Monday, Virginia announced that top-ranked 2008-2009 signee Tristan Spurlock was leaving the UVa program after one season.

That was followed by a Tuesday announcement that sophomore Sylven Landesberg, the Cavaliers' leading scorer in each of the past two seasons, was leaving to pursue professional opportunities.

Bennett said Thursday that he did "not believe" Landesberg ever returned to school after he was suspended prior to Maryland's visit on March 6.

Landesberg was one of four UVa players who were suspended at one point or another and that may have contributed to a perception that Bennett was "cleaning house."

The Cavaliers, who briefly were tied for the ACC lead in early February, lost 10 of their last 11 games to finish 15-16. Combined with a 10-18 season under former coach Dave Leitao in 2008-2009, it gave UVa back-to-back losing records for the first time since 1968-69 and 1969-70.

Bennett signed five players during the fall and has taken a commitment from point guard Billy Baron, whose father is the head coach at Rhode Island, but "nobody was forced out," Bennett said.

"With both of the young men [Spurlock and Landesberg] that are leaving, those were decisions based on what they thought was best for them," said Bennett, who tells his players, "Here's where I see you and I want to hear where you see yourself. Does this fit?

"If you're uncertain or you're halfway in, it's going to be hard. If you're not totally committed, usually it's not going to work out."

Bennett confirmed that the staff saw Spurlock as a power forward and he viewed himself as a wing, but playing time was a major issue.

Spurlock played in 13 of 31 games and for a total of only 60 minutes.

"Tristan desperately wanted to play," Bennett said.

Landesberg had his eye on a professional career before he arrived in Charlottesville in 2008.

"He had a decision even after his first year," said Bennett, named UVa coach in late March 2009, "and I knew he'd have that decision after this year. Certainly, had he stayed, it would have been after every year.

"As far as I was concerned, he was welcome back. He felt this was the right time for him. Obviously, you just wish him well and hope it's the right team, right time, right place."

Apparently, it wasn't a matter of whether Landesberg would have been eligible academically in 2010-2011.

He was leaving anyway. But the suspension of Landesberg after the season, coupled with the dismissal of veteran Jamil Tucker before he played in a game, has raised questions about academic support and monitoring.

"I feel we've done a pretty good job," Bennett said. "What we've done this year is class checks and, actually in the second semester, a lot of class checks. Not every class check, but a lot, and the players meet on a frequent basis with the [team] academic advisor and coaches.

"There is a give and take in that. We're open to suggestions. Am I going to check every single class that every player is in? Boy, I don't know if I'm going to go down that route, but there certainly will be accountability."

Bennett has watched the NCAA Tournament unfold with some interest. He played on a Wisconsin-Green Bay team that pulled a few shockers and has watched teams like Cornell and St. Mary's make similar runs this year.

"When you have upperclassmen who have been in the program for three or four years, they become really hard to beat," said Bennett, who sees similar potential in his six-player recruiting class.

"Do I expect all of them to contribute? That would be impossible. I expect some will have to contribute and, for some, it will be baptism by fire. But, I think that produces a good result in the long run."

Remarkably, Bennett has one of those veteran groups on his own team. Four of Virginia's starters in the ACC Tournament were fellow members of UVa's 2007 recruiting class -- Mike Scott, Mustapha Farrakhan, Sammy Zeglinski and Jeff Jones.

All four played more than 30 minutes in a 57-46 loss to Duke and a fifth 2007 arrival, walk-on Will Sherrill, played 462 minutes in the season.

"None of them have had post-season experience," Bennett said. "Maybe they played in the CBI one year, but that's something they should desperately want and take as a challenge."

UVA Insider - Doug Doughty

While Tristan Spurlock viewed himself as a wing and the Virginia coaching staff projected him as a power forward, I think there was a more elementary reason for his decision to transfer.

Spurlock played a total of 60 minutes this past season. If he had played 460 minutes, would we be having this conversation?

I use the figure, 460, because that’s how many minutes walk-on Will Sherrill, a junior forward, was on the floor.

Going into the season, if you had told people that either Spurlock or Sherrill would play 460 minutes and the other would play 60, most would have predicted that Spurlock would have gotten the bulk of the playing time.

Sherrill proved early in the season that he deserved to play. One of UVa’s best early season wins occurred when Sherrill came off the bench Nov. 25 to score 18 points in a 76-65 victory over Cleveland State in Cancun.

Sherrill was 7-of-9 from the floor in that game, including 4-of-5. People who had seen him in practice during the previous two season said they weren’t shocked. At times, he looked like the best shooter on the team.

Sherrill started six games in a row but he never scored in double figures again. After going 5-for-7 on 3-pointers in the first four games of the season, Sherrill was 10-for-46 the rest of the way. He was 1-for-14 on 3-pointers in the last nine games.

Sherrill was a conscientious defender who had a penchant for keeping possessions alive on the offensive boards. He knew his assignments. But, did he merit a 7-to-1 advantage over Spurlock in minutes played?

If Sherrill had gotten 300 of their combined 520 minutes and Spurlock had gotten 220, wouldn’t we have a better idea of whether Spurlock was an ACC player or not?

It might be noted that Sherrill is a “4” and Spurlock wants to be a “3.” But, Sherrill was more of a face-up “4” who did not have more than five rebounds in any of UVa’s final 26 games.

To his credit, Spurlock took the high road in interviews following UVa’s announcement of his plans to transfer. So did his father, Rodney, from the Spurlocks’ home in Woodbridge.

“My dad, no matter how bad or down I got, he made me always keep an open mind,” Spurlock said. “Things change. Situations change. Never at the beginning of the year did I feel Sylven Landesberg wouldn’t finish out the year with us. Nor would Calvin Baker. Nor would Jamil Tucker.

“I never thought Will Sherrill would play the way he played and look how that turned out. He played great in stretches. In some points, he was new at it but he played very good in Cancun and other places. So, everything can change.”

Spurlock sounded like he meant it.

There were dozens of rumors about Spurlock, including the notion that the decision to transfer had been made months earlier.

“I think that’s odd,” Rodney Spurlock said, “because I don’t know where that came from. Somebody else had mentioned that I was calling around to different schools but we were focused on the future at UVa and focused on trying to establish something here.

“Tristan was a good teammate. We felt like we supported the team and the school 110 [percent] over. In the past, Tristan went to a couple of different high schools, so maybe that’s why people thought he was looking to leave.”

Spurlock played one season at Woodbridge High School before transferring to Montrose Christian Academy in Rockville, Md., for two years. He completed high school at Word of Life Academy in Springfield.

His new head coach in 2010-2011, when presumably he will be at a Division I program and ineligible as a transfer, will be his fifth in six years.

If Spurlock was hard to handle, it wasn’t evident from his sideline demeanor. Baker’s disenchantment was written all over his face, but Spurlock’s wasn’t.

“I was excited for my teammates whatever my situation was,” he said. “I felt like I was a very avid cheerleader on the bench. I never wanted to be like, ‘Oh, I’m going to sit and pout and I’m leaving.’

“I wanted everybody to know, ‘I’m for UVa. I’m a Cavalier. As long as I’m here, I’m going to cheer my butt off. If I get in, I’m going to work hard.’ “

When friends would ask Spurlock why he wasn’t playing or complain about Bennett, “I’d tell them, ‘Don’t say that,’ “ Spurlock said. “I just felt weird. It was rough. It made me mature big-time. It made me work harder.

“It made me see exactly what it takes at this level to make it. And, I feel like I definitely can make it at this level.”

There are Spurlock sightings all over UVa’s grounds these days. He’s seen at the Aquatic and Fitness Center looking for pick-up games, he’s seen at football practice, presumably he’s seen in class.

“I’ve had a bunch of people tell me, ‘Don’t leave,’ “ he said. “My family’s two hours away. One of my best friends in the world, Jontel [Evans] is my roommate. Most of the fans are great.

“Of course, you have those who want to throw you under the bus as soon as something bad happens … ”

But, not Spurlock.

“People would write on my Facebook wall and it takes nothing to take two minutes out of your day to write back or to sign something,” he said. “That makes me smile to be able to do that for a kid.

“Jontel Evans used to come up here at 2 o‘clock at night. We couldn’t sleep so we’d come up here and play basketball for hours and just talk about how we were going to turn things around.

“No matter how Duke was stacked and UNC was stacked, we were going to turn everything around. It hurts. I wish the best for the UVa program but that’s something that does hurt.”

Tony Bennett discusses busy offseason, emphasizes 'nobody was forced out'

When Virginia received an oral commitment from guard Billy Baron in early March and Baron revealed that he received a scholarship offer in December, it was a clear signal that Virginia Coach Tony Bennett expected attrition at the end of the season. Baron's commitment would have put the Cavaliers over the scholarship limit if everyone returned, creating much speculation about what players would leave.

This week, sophomore Sylven Landesberg and freshman Tristan Spurlock both left the program -- Landesberg to professional basketball, Spurlock to another school. Bennett hoped that every other player will return, but admitted "you never know." He finished meeting with every player, which he described as candid give-and-take. Spring workouts begin next week, and Bennett admitted he's "never shocked if something happens."

What has happened, though, is something that the coaching staff expected. The question is when did this come about, especially considering Baron's scholarship. When asked about the timeline on Thursday morning, Bennett said the team is always trying to protect itself from offseason attrition.

"Every year I've been an assistant or a head [coach], we've always had one, two or three guys that leave for a variety of reasons," Bennett said. "I think you always have to protect the program and continue to evaluate things. I don't know if there's a point in time where we said, 'Yes, this is absolutely going to happen.' There's a lot of things that are, some known, some unknown, to the outside. Issues that your program is dealing with.

"You're protecting yourself if someone decides to go pro. There's academic issues, players that are probably going to consider leaving if there are better opportunities elsewhere, if there's not a fit. There's a lot of scenarios that you look at, and as a staff, you can never assume everything's going to be in place at the end of each year, because that's probably happened one or two times, and most of the time you're going to lose a player or two for a variety of reasons."

Regarding Landesberg, Bennett said that Landesberg had a decision to make about whether he was going to go pro or return to college regardless of any academic hurdles. Bennett said he discussed how Landesberg can improve for the NBA throughout the season, but did not specifically discuss the decision with Landesberg or Landesberg's family. He also said Landesberg was welcomed back if Landesberg wanted to return.

Bennett did not know if Landesberg has returned to Charlottesville since spring break, which coincided with Landesberg's suspension. Landesberg has not publicly commented, and he and his father have not responded to multiple interview requests.

Regarding Spurlock, Bennett confirmed that he thought Spurlock would evolve into a power forward, and Spurlock considers himself a wing forward. He emphasized that he got along with Spurlock despite what outsiders might have suspected, but that Spurlock elected to go with what he felt was best for his future.

The six-man class might become a seven-player class if Bennett finds a player he feels fits a need. Virginia might also consider a transfer or hold the open scholarship for 2011, if Bennett feels there is not someone that helps the team. He is not concerned about a large class because there can always be redshirting to break up the class.

Bennett also said he has not run a player off to try to create an environment with only players he recruited. The decisions to leave were made by the players "based on what's best for them," and he said there was good communication with the families. This is something confirmed by the Spurlocks. As mentioned above, the Landesbergs have not yet commented on Sylven's situation.

"Nobody was forced out. The only time someone is forced out of the program is when there's issues we feel can't be rectified -- disciplinary reasons, or other areas," Bennett said. "In this case, I think it's important for me as a coach to establish what's going to be important for the future. These are the guidelines I have, and this is where I see you and I want to hear where you see yourself. Does this fit? Do you see yourself being a part of this?

"Because as long as I've been doing this, if you're halfway in or you're uncertain...if you're wondering, it's going to be hard. Because there's going to be hard times in the season, whether it's a playing time issue or you're not having success. If you're not sure you want to be there and you're not totally committed to it, it'll really be challenging. Usually, that won't work. We try to establish that in the meetings. As far as cleaning house, we're trying to keep this thing going in the right direction and be real candid with guys. The guys that want to go through this battle with us, we'll have. And the guys that feel like there's better situations for them need to pursue that with our understanding."

By Zach Berman

Marksmen key to Bennett’s 1st recruiting effort
By Jerry Ratcliffe
Published: March 26, 2010
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After watching some of the worst shooting exhibitions in modern Virginia basketball history the past two years, I had one question to pose to all the coaches on the Cavaliers’ staff considering the incoming recruiting class.

Got anybody in there who can shoot?

My thoughts are that a team without shooters is a team destined to lose, no matter how well those players execute the rest of the game plan.

Wahoo fans will be encouraged by the staff’s replies. To a man, the answer was: Yes, there are a few shooters in there.

Thank God.

Some nights at John Paul Jones Arena seemed more like a brick mason’s convention than a basketball game.

Maybe we were spoiled during the Terry Holland era and the early Jeff Jones days when it came to expecting good shooting. Just why is it that the Cavaliers’ slump of only three NCAA appearances since 1997 happens to coincide with a dropoff in team field-goal percentage?

In fact, three of the worst percentages have occurred in the past five seasons.

During Tony Bennett’s season-ending chat with media Thursday, the Virginia coach talked more about the future than the past. We were curious about his opinion of the new class, which will include at least six new players, and how they’ll mesh with the returning seven players.

Next season may seem a little strange with four seniors, at least six freshmen, two juniors and one sophomore. Even Bennett may need a program to figure out just Who’s Hoo?

“It’s a challenge, but I think it’s a good way to start,” the Cavs’ skipper said of his new bunch. “My philosophy is not to bring in a lot of guys until you know the state of your program. So much value is being able to see the areas you need help.”

Well, now that he knows, six may not be enough.

Bennett said that in his coaching tree’s history (also including his coaching dad, Dick), when a big class comes in, some will be called upon to contribute immediately, and in some cases, the class will be broken up a bit. Translation: redshirting.

You get the feeling that Bennett likes his incoming players, recruited to fit his system and his disciplines.

“One thing we have to address is the ability to shoot the ball consistently,” he said. “Some of the new players have the ability to shoot and stretch the defense.”

Insert your own version of the Hallelujah chorus here.

The coach also said he believes this new group fits together as a team and that blending them with the existing players, some good things could happen.

“The [new] perimeter players are complete, and I like completeness,” Bennett said. “They are able to make plays off the dribble.”

No question he was talking about 6-foot-4 shooting guard K.T. Harrell of Montgomery, Ala., and although Bennett can’t comment on players that haven’t signed yet, he has to be pleased with 6-1 point guard commit Billy Baron, a coach’s son who brings that completeness to the table. There’s also 6-6 Joe Harris, a shooting guard from Chelan, Wash.

“Inside, there’s some athleticism with James Johnson and Will Regan, while Akil Mitchell could possibly be a three or four,” Bennett said.

We’ve heard great things about Johnson, a 6-9 power forward from Wildomar, Calif. He’s physical and can score.

“Do I expect all of them to come in and start from Day One? That’s impossible,” Bennett said. “Some will contribute, some will get baptism by fire.”

That’s what happened at Wisconsin (under Dick Bennett) and at Washington State (under both Bennetts).

Tony Bennett pointed to some of the Cinderella teams in this year’s NCAA tournament as an example of squads that feature players that have been in the system for three, four, five years and have matured, such as Northern Iowa, Saint Mary’s, Cornell and Butler.

That seventh scholarship, opened up by Sylven Landesberg’s departure?

He could get another freshman or seek a transfer. Our bet is he’ll save it for next year unless something irresistible pops up.

Just as long as he can shoot.
 

Inside Virginia’s ins and outs
By Whitey Reid
Published: March 26, 2010
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A typical Tony Bennett teleconference has lasted between 10 and 15 minutes. On Thursday morning, the coach’s session was more than twice that long.

With the departures of Sylven Landesberg and Tristan Spurlock earlier in the week, there was plenty to talk about.

A good portion of the queries for Bennett pertained to the abrupt departure of Landesberg, Virginia’s leading scorer, who, on Tuesday, announced he was foregoing his final two years of eligibility and entering the NBA draft (The Daily Progress had reported the development on March 12).

Bennett, who had suspended Landesberg for the season’s final three games after he failed to show up to an art class, said that the New York native never attended another class after the suspension had been levied.

“I know that he went home for spring break because that’s when we went to the ACC tournament,” Bennett said, “but I don’t believe he returned back.”

Bennett (a former NBA player) said that he was never asked to call any of his contacts to check on Landesberg’s draft status. Currently, the 6-foot-6 guard is projected to be selected in the second round or not at all. Many mock drafts have Dominique Jones, a shooting guard from South Florida by whom Landesberg was outplayed in November, going well before the former Wahoo.

However, Landseberg will have a chance to change scouts’ minds at workouts leading up to the draft.

“Sylven and his family thought long and hard about it, and as far as I was concerned, he was welcomed back ...” Bennett said. “But I think he just felt that this was the right time for him.”

As for Spurlock, Bennett reiterated what the freshman had told The Daily Progress on Monday, shortly after he announced that he would be transferring.

“I think, from a playing standpoint, he really considers himself a 3, and perhaps he can be,” Bennett said, “but where there is some more need in our program is [at the 4].”

Bennett said he didn’t expect any more of his players to leave the program. However, because of the sometimes brutal honesty during exit meetings, it wouldn’t completely shock him if they did.

With the departures of Landesberg and Spurlock, Bennett now has another scholarship at his disposal, though he may choose to save it since he will already have six freshmen coming in.

Bennett didn’t completely rule out the return of forward Jamil Tucker, though he didn’t exactly sound optimistic about it, either.

Tucker, a senior who was dismissed from the team for academic reasons during the season (he never played in a game), recently told The Daily Progress that he is on target to graduate.

“We’ll have to cross that bridge when we get to it, and I can’t talk about [the academics of players],” Bennett said. “But right now, that is probably not an option, but we’ll see how things play out.”

One of the more lighthearted moments of the teleconference occurred when Bennett was asked to give a self-evaluation.

“I don’t have a letter grade,” he chuckled. “Someone told me — I don’t read the papers — that I got a letter grade [of ‘B’ from The Daily Progress]...

“But I think there were some good things that happened and some things that weren’t so good. I probably did some things that I wish I could have done over again as I look at it, but there were some things that I liked that were established that I think were important to our future.”