UNC aide praises Bennett's system
By David Teel | 247-4636
April 4, 2009

DETROIT - Washington State's worst defeat in three seasons under Tony Bennett came against North Carolina in last year's NCAA tournament. Nonetheless, the Tar Heels were quite impressed by the coach who last week left the Palouse for the University of Virginia.

As North Carolina prepared for today's Final Four semifinal against Villanova, director of basketball operations Jerod Haase and forward Marcus Ginyard recalled last season's 68-47 conquest of Bennett's Cougars in an East Regional semifinal.

"In scouting them, I would say he's a fantastic coach," Haase said. "At Virginia … the recruiting part always plays a huge part of the game wherever you are. I think that's got to be a huge focus for them, getting the right type of kids in there to run what he wants to run."

Bennett compiled a 69-33 record at Washington State in his only seasons as a college head coach. In an era of warp-speed pace, his teams were renowned for a deliberate offense and stingy, man-to-man, half-court defense.

"I think Coach Bennett is a great coach, and his team played very poised and patient," said Ginyard, injured this season but the Tar Heels' best defender last season. "For any team defensively that's difficult because you want to force (opponents) into quick shots, bad shots. …

"They really work to get what they want every time. You've got to wait, but you've got to be ready for something to happen at all times. It teaches you to work hard on every possession. You know something is going to happen. You just don't know when."

North Carolina limited Washington State to 31.6-percent shooting and a season-low point total. Moreover, the 89-point-per-game Tar Heels were facing their polar opposites.

"You had to be willing to play the entire shot clock," said Haase, who played for North Carolina coach Roy Williams at Kansas. "They had some great shooters. Our guys had to do a great job fighting through screens. We had to do a great job scouting because the sets they ran, they ran extremely well. Our guys had to be prepared. …

"Defensively, they're not trying to deny and pressure or create many steals. But they do a great job of forcing every shot over their hands. They are different principles, but it's all very fundamentally sound, as we like to think our stuff is."

Haase cautioned against making too much of Bennett's style and said he believes it will translate to the ACC.

"It's not like he's re-invented the wheel," Haase said. "Basketball is basketball. They're still setting screens, they're still making sharp cuts. It's not like it's completely foreign or it's a completely different game.

"In scouting them, there were certainly a lot of plays that we could refer back to and say, 'Remember, such-and-such team did something similar.' So I don't think it's fair or appropriate to say it's something foreign. …

"There's no question that style can work in any conference. It's obviously worked in the Pac-10, and the Pac-10 is a pretty strong conference as well. So I don't think it's an issue of can it work in a certain conference or certain area of the country. If he's able to get the personnel that can play his brand of basketball, the sky's the limit."

Raised on SportsCenter highlights and accustomed to undisciplined summer-league competition, are today's elite players willing to embrace Bennett's brand?

"You target your recruits," Haase said. "We don't recruit all the same kids. … They'll play a different brand of basketball with a different kind of kid. It's not that one's right or wrong, it's just a different deal."

The loss to North Carolina ended Washington State's deepest tournament run since 1941, the event's third year, when the Cougars lost to Wisconsin in the title game. The Tar Heels defeated Louisville two days later to advance to the Final Four, where they fell to eventual champion Kansas.

"It was great for us," Ginyard said of the Washington State experience. "I think we definitely got better from it. We just had a little more firepower than they did."

 

New U.Va. coach Bennett's pay will be 4th-best in ACC
Posted to: Men's College Basketball Sports Virginia
The Roanoke Times
© April 1, 2009
By Doug Doughty

Virginia's selection of Tony Bennett as its new men's basketball coach has put an end to speculation that the Cavaliers might be willing to shell out $3 million per year for Minnesota coach Tubby Smith.

That doesn't mean that U.Va.'s coaching change hasn't come at a significant cost.

In the 14th paragraph of a 15-paragraph news release, Virginia announced Tuesday that Bennett has agreed to a five-year contract that will pay him $1.7 million per year.

In addition, Bennett will receive a $500,000 signing bonus, as well as a $500,000 incentive bonus that would be collectible after five years.

Also, Washington State athletic director Jim Sterk said Virginia has agreed to pay the $400,000 buyout on Bennett's contract with the Cougars.

Add all of that to the $2.1 million that ousted Virginia coach Dave Leitao has coming as part of his buyout and Virginia is looking at a possible $12 million expenditure over the next five seasons.

Bennett will be the fourth-highest paid coach in the ACC, trailing national championship winners Mike Krzyzewski at Duke ($2.2 million), Roy Williams at North Carolina ($2 million) and Gary Williams at Maryland ($1.8 million). Virginia Tech coach Seth Greenberg will make $939,908 next season.

Bennett was making $1 million per year after three seasons at Washington State.

 

Coaching search postscript
Jeff White
Apr 03, 2009

CHARLOTTESVILLE – Tony Bennett might have been the only basketball coach to get a firm offer from the University of Virginia in its search for Dave Leitao’s successor, but it’s clear that the school looked at other candidates.

In a recent article in the St. Paul Pioneer Press, the University of Minnesota’s athletic director, Joel Maturi, told the newspaper that he’s convinced Tubby Smith could have had the U.Va. job if Smith had pursued it.

Also, yesterday’s Cinncinati Enquirer included this article in which Xavier’s AD, Mike Bobinski, said it was “safe to assume” that U.Va. and Arizona, among other schools, had expressed interest in Musketeers coach Sean Miller.

 

XU AD: Miller generating interest
By Dustin Dow • ddow@enquirer.com • April 1, 2009

When he returns to Cincinnati next week from the Final Four in Detroit, Xavier athletic director Mike Bobinski said he would meet soon with XU coach Sean Miller.

The topic of discussion will be about any enhancements that need to be made to Miller’s contract, which pays him about $1 million annually through 2018. While there have been suitors from teams with vacancies that play in major conferences, Miller so far has indicated to Bobinski that he isn’t interested in leaving XU.

“Quite honestly, they’re not doing their jobs at those places if they’re not asking about Sean,” Bobinski said of other programs’ interest in Miller. “He should be on their lists.”

Bobinski hesitated to mention all the teams that have called about Miller but said “it would be safe to assume” that places such as Virginia and Arizona had expressed interest.

Miller has established a stable, high-level program at Xavier, which is 120-47 in the past five seasons and figures to contend for another long postseason run in 2009-10. Bobinski described the upcoming meeting with Miller as a continuation of regular discussion they’ve had about what the coach needs to keep XU among the elite teams in college basketball.

Previous talks have included topics such as charter flights for road games and recruiting trips, as well as compensation increases for assistant coaches. Miller and Bobinski most recently spoke about the topic briefly last week in Boston, where the Musketeers played in an NCAA Tournament regional semifinal.

Miller has told Bobinski he would be the first person to know if Miller had interest in another job. That day hasn’t come yet, Bobinski said.

Miller never has said publicly what other jobs might be enticing, though it hardly would be unreasonable if he ever wanted to return to coach at Pittsburgh, his alma mater, or at North Carolina State, where he worked five seasons as an assistant coach.

“No question, it’s important when you have the right guy as head coach,” Bobinski said. “Stability matters to us. That being said, Xavier has been very fortunate being able to grow along with its coaches.”
 

Why Tubby didn’t take the Virginia job
Even Gophers athletics director Joel Maturi agrees his men's basketball coach, Tubby Smith, could have had the Virginia job that would have been worth $3 million a year to him. Instead, Smith will remain with the Gophers for $2 million annually, at least until the economy improves and Minnesota can upgrade his deal. "It's never been about money for me," Smith said. "My father never asked for a pay raise in his life. For me, it's about commitment. I've committed to Minnesota, and they have made commitments to me."
St. Paul Pioneer Press
 

Bennett brings McKay aboard
By The Daily Progress Staff
Published: April 4, 2009

Ritchie McKay, the men’s head basketball coach at Liberty the last two years, has joined the Virginia men’s basketball coaching staff as associate head coach.

“To have a coach the caliber of Ritchie McKay join my staff speaks volumes about the University of Virginia,” said new UVa head coach Tony Bennett. “He has ties to the Virginia area from his time at Liberty, is a proven recruiter and has significant experience as a Division I head coach.”

McKay comes to Virginia with 13 years of Division I head coaching experience. Prior to his time at Liberty, he spent five seasons at New Mexico, two at Oregon State, two at Colorado State and two at Portland State. His teams have posted a record of 204-186.

In 2008-09, McKay led Liberty to one of the most successful seasons in school history. The Flames went 23-12, tying the school record for wins in a Division I season, and reached the quarterfinals of the inaugural CollegeInsider.com tournament. A key to the program’s success was a group of freshmen that comprised McKay’s first recruiting class at the school. It was the first Liberty recruiting class to be ranked in the top 50 nationally and was highlighted by Seth Curry, the nation’s top freshman scorer at 20.2 ppg, who has since transferred to Duke.

“Coming to the University of Virginia means a great deal to me,” McKay said. “I’m impressed by the university’s academic excellence and it’s rich athletic tradition. The fact that Coach Bennett is leading the men’s basketball program made it an opportunity I couldn’t turn down. I have known him a long time and look forward to working with him.

“Not many people leave head coaching positions to be associate head coaches, but the opportunity to work with Tony and do it at a place that can compete for championships in one of the best conferences in the country is exciting to me. It’s a privilege to be a part of the Virginia men’s basketball program.”

 

UVa players ready for homecoming
By Whitey Reid
Published: April 4, 2009

Max Pomper has been going to Giants Stadium with family and friends all his life. Last season, the Huntington, N.Y., resident was on hand for the New York Giants’ win over the Panthers in late December that clinched the No. 1 spot in the NFC playoffs for the Big Blue.

Today, the Virginia junior, along with several of his tri-state area teammates, returns to his neck of the woods when No. 1 UVa takes on No. 10 North Carolina in the Big City Classic.

“It’s a complete thrill,” said Pomper, whose family is actually split in their allegiance between the Giants and the New York Jets. “The last time I was there it was 30 degrees and freezing, so it will be a nice change of scenery hopefully if we have some good weather.

“I’m really excited to play there. I’ve always wanted to do that. It will be a dream come true.”

Virginia (11-0, 1-0 ACC) is coming off a thrilling seven-overtime victory over Maryland last Saturday. While pleased to have picked up the win, UVa players are well aware of the fact that they — with the notable exception of goalie Adam Ghitelman — didn’t come close to bringing their ‘A’ game.

“I don’t know what we were doing, but it wasn’t working,” said Virginia senior Garrett Billings, talking mainly about the team’s offensive ineptitude. “We couldn’t even string three or four passes together … just one of those days. I don’t think I’ve ever seen our entire offensive unit have a day like that.”

Virginia will obviously need to play a lot better against UNC (8-3, 0-2), which is coming of a dramatic victory of its own — a 10-9 senior day triumph over Johns Hopkins. The Tar Heels, under first-year head coach Joe Breschi, will be looking for their first ACC win since beating Virginia in 2004.

“They’re a very, very talented team, especially in the attack spot,” Billings said. “We’re really going to have to defend. We’re going to really need to clamp down.”

The Virginia-UNC game, which will be televised by ESPNU beginning at noon, kick starts a tripleheader of

action. No. 2 Syracuse plays No. 5 Princeton and is followed by No. 7 Hofstra taking on Delaware.

Having played in front of several big crowds in recent years, including the Final Four in Foxborough, Mass. last season, Virginia has a feel for the type of atmosphere it will likely be in today.

“We’re used to these kind of games,” Billings said.

 

No. 10 Baseball Rallies for 7-4 Win vs. Maryland
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 04/03/2009

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Led by a three-run seventh-inning rally, the No. 10 Virginia baseball team posted a 7-4 win over Maryland Friday night in ACC play at Davenport Field.

Jarrett Parker (So., Stafford, Va.) and Danny Hultzen (Fr., Bethesda, Md.) each recorded four hits to lead the Cavalier offense. The four-hit night was a career high for Hultzen, while Parker earned his second four-hit game this season. Parker also scored three times.

Hultzen also started on the mound for Virginia and tossed 6.2 innings, giving up four earned runs, seven hits and four walks while striking out five. UVa’s bullpen pitched 2.1 scoreless innings, with Kevin Arico (So., Flemington, N.J.) earning the win and moving to 1-0 on the year after pitching 1.1 innings. Matt Packer (Jr., Germantown, Tenn.) notched his second save by hurling a perfect ninth inning.

Brett Harman (3-3) took the loss for Maryland after pitching 6.0 innings and giving up five runs (four earned), eight hits and two walks while striking out seven. David Poutier accounted for all four Maryland runs, going 3-for-4 with a two-run home run and a two-run single.

The game was delayed for 19 minutes during the fourth inning because of a minor power failure which knocked out much of the lighting at Davenport Field.

Virginia (25-4, 7-4 ACC) opened the scoring by nabbing a run in the first inning. Parker led off with a double off the Blue Monster in center field and advanced on the next pitch when Phil Gosselin (So., West Chester, Pa.) grounded out to first. Parker then scored on a single to left-center by Hultzen.

UVa tacked on a run in the second, as John Hicks (Fr., Sandy Hook, Va.) tripled with one out and scored when Franco Valdes (Jr., Miami, Fla.) hit a grounder to second and reached on an error.

Maryland (13-16, 3-10) tied the game in the third inning. Dan Benick singled to lead off and scored on a home run by Poutier. The Terrapins forged ahead in the fourth on a two-out, two-run single by Poutier.

Virginia mounted a comeback in the seventh inning. Parker led off with a single and moved to second when Gosselin walked. Hultzen then put down a bunt and beat it out, and the throw to first was wild, allowing Parker to score and putting runners on second and third. Adam Kolarek relieved Harman and gave up a sacrifice fly to deep center by Dan Grovatt (So,., Tabernacle, N.J.). Dan Gentzler came on in relief and fired a wild pitch to bring in Hultzen with the go-ahead run.

UVa added two insurance runs in the eighth inning on a sacrifice fly by Gosselin and an RBI single from Grovatt.

The teams return to Davenport Field at 4 p.m. Saturday and conclude the series at 1 p.m. Sunday.


 

Men’s Tennis Tops Duke to Remain Unbeaten
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 04/03/2009

CHARLOTTESVILLE – The No. 1 Virginia men’s tennis team remained undefeated on the season with a 4-3 victory over No. 25 Duke Friday at the Boyd Tinsley Courts at the Boar’s Head Sports Club. The Cavaliers improve to 23-0 overall and 8-0 in the ACC with the victory, while the Blue Devils fall to 12-6 (5-3 ACC).

Duke took a 1-0 lead by winning the doubles point. It was only the second time all season that the Cavaliers lost the doubles point. Virginia got an 8-3 win at No. 3 from Drew Courtney (Clifton, Va.) and Lee Singer (Laguna Niguel, Calif.), but the Blue Devils scored wins at No. 1 and No. 2 to take the opening point.

The Cavaliers rallied in singles, winning five of the six first sets. Virginia evened the match as Sanam Singh (Chandigarh, India) topped Kiril Dimitrov 6-2, 6-2 at No. 2 singles. Dominic Inglot (London, England) gave the Cavaliers a 2-1 lead with his 7-6, 6-0 win at No. 1 over Reid Carleton. That advantage was extended to 3-1 as Courtney completed a 6-3, 7-5 win over Luke Marchese at No. 6 singles. After Duke had cut the lead to 3-2 with a win at No. 3 singles, Houston Barrick (Brentwood, Tenn.) clinched the Cavalier win as he downed Jared Pinsky 6-3, 6-2 at No. 4 singles.

The win was also Virginia’s 39th consecutive win over an ACC opponent (regular season and tournament) and 46th consecutive home victory, extending both school records.

The Cavaliers will conclude the home portion of their regular season schedule on Sunday as they host North Carolina. Match time at the Snyder Tennis Center is 1 p.m.

No. 1 Virginia 4, No. 25 Duke 3

Doubles
1. Dimitrov/Michel (Duke) def. #6 Barrick/Singh (UVa) 9-8(7)
2. Arnould/Holland (Duke) def. #14 Inglot/Shabaz (UVa) 8-5
3. Singer/Courtney (UVa) def. Carpenter/Pinsky (Duke) 8-3

Singles
1. #17 Dominic Inglot (UVa) def. #38 Reid Carleton (Duke) 7-6(1), 6-0
2. #25 Sanam Singh (UVa) def. #55 Kiril Dimitrov (Duke) 6-2, 6-2
3. Dylan Arnould (Duke) def. #20 Michael Shabaz (UVa) 6-4, 6-3
4. #73 Houston Barrick (UVa) def. Jared Pinsky (Duke) 6-3, 6-2
5. Alain Michel (Duke) def. Steven Eelkman Rooda (UVa) 3-6, 6-2, 6-3
6. Drew Courtney (UVa) def. Luke Marchese (Duke)_6-3, 7-5

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

 

Cavaliers Open in Second Place at Bryan National
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 04/03/2009

Greensboro, NC – The third-ranked Virginia women’ golf team is tied with No. 11 Wake Forest for second place after the opening round of the Bryan National Collegiate held at Bryan National’s Champions Course in Greensboro. Both teams shot 16-over 304. LSU managed to post the day’s low score in windy conditions that included gusts up to 30 miles per hour. The Tigers finished the day at 2-over 290.

Virginia’s Jennie Arseneault produced the Cavaliers’ best score at 1-over 73 to figure third overall. Whitney Neuhauser was in seventh place at 75. Lene Krog shot 77 and is 25th while Calle Nielson and Kristen Simpson both carded scores of 79 to figure 50th. Joy Kim, playing as a non-scoring individual, was 86th with a score of 85.

LSU’s Tessa Teachman grabbed the early lead in stroke play, shooting 4-under 68. She was the only player in the 96-golfer field to break par. There were only 18 birdies posted during the first round of play while there were 76 scores above par.

Virginia managed to play the front nine holes at 1-over par, but the windy conditions caught up with the Cavaliers on the final nine holes to push them 14 shots behind the tournament leading Tigers.

The event runs through Sunday with live stats online at Golfstat.com.

Bryan National Collegiate
Bryan National Champions Course
Brown Summit, NC
Par-72, 6,386 yards
First Round Results

Team Results 1. LSU 290 2. Virginia 304 2. Wake Forest 304 4. East Carolina 305 5. Louisville 306 6. North Carolina 307 6. Col. of Charleston 307 8. Notre Dame 309 9. Arkansas 31010. South Carolina 31110. TCU 31112. UNC Wilmington 31412. Tennessee 31414. Michigan State 31515. NC State 31616. Georgia 31817. Ohio State 32017. UNC Greensboro 320Individual Leaders1. Tessa Teachman, LSU 682. Valentime Derrey, TCU 723. Jennie Arseneault, Virginia 733. Megan McChrystal, LSU 733. Catherine O’Donnell, North Carolina 736. Caroline Martens, LSU 74Virginia Results 3. Jennie Arseneault 73 7. Whitney Neuhauser 7525. Lene Krog 7750. Calle Nielson 7950. Kristen Simpson 7986. Joy Kim* 85* Non-scoring individual
 

Bradley: Next in line for stardom as a U.Va. tackle?

U.VA. SPRING FOOTBALL FESTIVAL
April 18:2 p.m., Scott Stadium

By Jeff White
Published: April 4, 2009

CHARLOTTESVILLE Al Groh has coached 100 games at the University of Virginia. In the large majority, he's started a future NFL first-round pick at left offensive tackle.

D'Brickashaw Ferguson, now a New York Jet, manned that spot in 2002, '03, '04 and '05. Eugene Monroe took over as a sophomore in 2006, and he's expected to be among the first tackles taken in this month's NFL draft.

Will Landon Bradley rise to such heights? It's too early to tell. Bradley, who as a redshirt freshman backed up Monroe last season, has appeared in only one game for the Cavaliers. But he's No. 1 on the depth chart this spring, and the 6-7 290-pounder from Conway, S.C., is pleased with his play.

"I go to practice every day," Bradley said, "and after every practice I go back and look at the tape and I see what I do, and I don't feel like I'm so far behind Eugene. I feel like I'm a great fit for the position, and I'm using everything I got to my advantage."

His coach seems impressed, too.

"Very good feet," Groh said yesterday. "Good awareness. So far demonstrating that he gets concepts well. They make good sense to him. Very good communicator with the guy next to him in terms of what he sees and calls that have to be made. We're very positive about what he's getting done here."

Bradley wasn't heavily recruited before committing to Virginia, but that's not unusual. Groh noted that of the former U.Va. offensive linemen now or soon to be in the NFL -- Ferguson, Monroe, Brad Butler, Elton Brown and Branden Albert -- Monroe was the "only highly hyped" recruit.

Virginia likes tall offensive linemen with good feet they often excel in other sports, too and Groh has recruited to that model throughout his tenure at U.Va. Bradley attended camp at Virginia, and his performance reminded the staff of Butler's as a young camper.

"Landon Bradley fit that model, and we were able to see that one with our own eyes," Groh said.

His lack of game experience notwithstanding, Bradley is more seasoned than many may realize. A year ago, with Monroe recovering from shoulder surgery, Bradley took most of the snaps at left tackle in spring practice. His play earned him a Rock Weir Award as the offense's most improved player.

"Last spring really helped me out," Bradley said.

His progress stalled last season. In late September, he suffered a ligament injury in his left ankle when a teammate fell on the back of Bradley's leg during practice.

"It was a lot worse than what I thought at first," Bradley said. "It just kept nagging over time and wouldn't let me move the way I wanted to."

He missed about a month before being cleared to play again. He didn't get into another game Bradley made his college debut against Connecticut in mid-September but benefited from watching Monroe, the ACC's best blocker.

"Eugene never lost in anything he did as far as practice and pass-rush drills and all the other stuff," Bradley said. "His intensity toward everything was just so high."

. . .

Note: B.J. Cabbell, who as a sophomore last season started all 12 games at right offensive guard, is sitting out spring practice while recovering from knee surgery, Groh said.

Cabbell, a graduate of Nelson County High, played with a bad knee in 2008, and the "plan was well-known before the end of the season that it was going to take some cleaning out and fixing," Groh said. Rising junior Isaac Cain is working with the first team in place of Cabbell, who's expected to be ready for training camp in August.