Q&A with Tony Bennett: Part 1
Paul Montana
Published: Thursday, April 16 2009

Yesterday morning, while I was in the midst of an exclusive interview with newly appointed Virginia men’s basketball coach Tony Bennett in his office at the John Paul Jones Arena, his cell phone rang from his desk a few feet away. As Bennett continued talking about the status of his 2009 recruiting class, he hopped out of his chair to turn his phone off. Picking up the phone, he casually glanced to see who was calling.

“Wally Walker,” Bennett said.

Walker was an all-time great Virginia basketball player, scoring 1,849 career points while leading the Cavaliers to their only ACC Tournament championship. Walker’s number 41 is retired, and he has an area of John Paul Jones Arena, the Wally Walker Virginia Basketball Hall of Fame, named after him.

“You can use this to make you feel good,” Bennett smiled. “I’m ignoring this call for you.”

In the half-hour or so I spent in Bennett’s office yesterday morning, he was witty, insightful and genuinely interested in the life and work of an amateur reporter. He asked me what the best pizza place was around town; I told him Christian’s. He told me he had been to Littlejohn’s and ordered a Philly Chicken (“Woooo! That was good!” he said.) He didn’t just ask me if I was aspiring to be a sportswriter; he asked me what the University offered in terms of journalism. (Answer: next to nothing.) After most every question I asked during the interview, Bennett ended by asking, “Was that OK? Was that what you were looking for?”

The mere fact that Bennett was willing to meet with me was in itself extremely thoughtful. During the two weeks removed from his welcoming press conference, with numerous other tasks on his plate, Bennett has spoken with very few publications. With The CavalieBDaily going out of production at the end of next week before the summer hits, though, Bennett and media relations officials were gracious enough to make the interview happen.

So, my initial impressions of Tony Bennett? Classy, young, excited, down-to-earth and ultra-competitive. Of course, as he put it, “People right now are so friendly — I guess I’ve never lost a game yet.” Nevertheless, he sure seems like a standup guy.

But enough of my thoughts. In the first of a two-part column, here are some tidbits from my interview with Bennett.

Q: How did you get 2009 recruits Tristan Spurlock and Jontel Evans to honor their commitments to come to Virginia?

“I think first of all, the University of Virginia spoke loud and clear to them ... That didn’t change, that was a constant and that certainly worked in our favor.

“But kids are perceptive; you just have to be genuine with them and real. If you’re trying to be phony or selling them something that’s not there, it doesn’t work. I just said, ‘Hey, I never saw you play in person. I’ve watched some tape, I’ve talked to a lot of people. This is what I’m excited about from what I hear, from what I see on tape. Here are the ways I think you can be used in this program. There’s a need here — everyone tells you, we want him, we want him, but there’s a need here. Hopefully you’re still consider us because we want you here.

“But you also tell them, I’m going to hold open hands. I’m not going to force you. This is your decision, you have to make a decision based on the new information — a new staff in place, a new head coach, but everything else is the same, and try to be real with them and not try to pull one over their eyes. That to me doesn’t get you very far in this business.”

Q: You’ve said you want to be flexible in adjusting to the ACC style of basketball. What offensive principles do you want to carry over from Washington State?

“Soundness with the basketball — not being loose with it, turning it over — and trying to get great shots every time down the floor. That’s good offense, whether you run NBA sets, motion, flex, package stuff. That’s what I want to carry with me. The difference between my dad’s teams and when I coached at Washington State were that I ran some more NBA sets, I’d use more pick-and-roll stuff. At times, we’d try to get out and go more, just depending on the situation. Here, you have to have a system. First and foremost, that starts, again, with good decision-making and being sound. It’ll come with that — I think we’ll definitely have some sets and I think at times we’ll use some motion concepts.

“Assessing what you have — trying to give these guys some structure but also some freedom to play because you can’t be robots. Certainly you’ve got to be able to play in the half-court offensively and be tough and sound; at times, you have to be patient but you also have to be able to get out in the open court and go when the opportunities present themselves. Whatever you do, there has to be a large degree of value in the basketball.”

Q: What are your initial impressions on differences between the Pac-10 and the Big 10?

“The ACC seems certainly physical, certainly terrific athletes, but it does seem to be at times more free-flowing, to get out and get up and down. At times you’re going to have to play that way, at times you’re going to have to go, but you also have to look and just say, ‘OK, can we continue to go up and down against North Carolina?’ Opportunistically you have to look for those situations, but at times you’re going to have to be sound and patient and tight about it. Everybody knows that.

“But as far the leagues — as far as Herb Sendek [the former head coach at N.C. State] who’s now in the Pac-10, and Jonny Dawkins [the head coach at Stanford and former assistant coach at Duke], I’ve asked them — not since I’ve taken this job — but I’ve said, ‘What’s the difference between the Pac-10 and the ACC?’ and Herb said, ‘You know, it just depends on the year.’ ... I think year in and year out, this is the best league in America.

“Talking to some people, going on the road in this league is tough. I know every game will be a battle in any major league, but here specifically and on the road with the arenas and the excitement for it, and the packed houses.”

Q: What are some differences between you and your father in your coaching philosophies?

“My experience of having played in the NBA and having been an offensive-minded player — because I’ve played in the NBA and played in the Pan-Am games with USA basketball, because I’ve been under different coaches — just having those experiences has also shaped my philosophy, no question. You have to learn wherever you’re at. I’ve just taken some things from other coaches, my playing experiences, coaching experiences and added those. As far as [my father], he’s certainly had a huge influence, and if I can become half as good a coach as he is, I’ll be so successful because he’s so successful — just ask people around.”

 

Evans, Spurlock still going to U.Va.
By Jeff White
Published: April 16, 2009

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- The University of Virginia's new men's basketball coach yesterday announced the appointments of three staff members.

That Jason Williford, Ron Sanchez and Brad Soucie would be joining Tony Bennett's staff had previously been reported. Overshadowing those hires was the news that Jontel Evans and Tristan Spurlock are sticking with U.Va.

Evans, a 5-11 point guard from Bethel High in Hampton, and Spurlock, a 6-8 forward from Word of Life Christian Academy in Springfield, signed with U.Va. in November. Each expected to play for coach Dave Leitao in 2009-10, but Leitao resigned under pressure March 16.

Two weeks passed before Virginia hired Bennett, a trying time for the two recruits, "because we didn't know who the coach was going to be," Evans said last night.

Had Evans or Spurlock (or both) wanted out, U.Va. would have released them from their letters of intent. But after separate meetings with Bennett, each decided to enroll as planned.

"I just had to meet the coach face to face and get a feel for him," Evans said.

Spurlock and Evans played together in the Boo Williams AAU program, and they've stayed in close contact since Leitao stepped down. Spurlock met with Bennett in Northern Virginia on April 2 and took an official visit to U.Va. last weekend. By Tuesday night, Spurlock and Evans were ready to go public with their decisions.

"Yeah, I knew what he was going to do," Evans said.

Initially, they had concerns about the offense U.Va. will run under Bennett, whose teams at Washington State ranked among the lowest-scoring in Division I. Both, however, liked what they heard from the Cavaliers' new coach.

Bennett has said he'll adapt his offense to his personnel, and Evans and Spurlock are superior athletes who thrive in the up-tempo game.

Williford, Sanchez and former Liberty coach Ritchie McKay will be Bennett's assistants. Soucie, who's been an assistant under McKay at five schools, including Liberty, will be director of basketball operations at Virginia.

Williford, a Richmond native, is the first former U.Va. men's hoops player to coach at the school since 1997-98, when Jeff Jones' staff included Anthony Solomon and Ricky Stokes.

 

Spurlock, Evans say they’re committed to UVa
By Whitey Reid
Published: April 16, 2009

The hits just keep on coming for Tony Bennett — and we’re not talking about chart-toppers such as “Rags to Riches” or “I Left My Heart in San Francisco.”

Just a couple of days after finalizing an impressive new staff, the new Virginia coach — not the crooner — kept his first recruiting class intact when Tristan Spurlock and Jontel “Bub” Evans both re-committed to the program.

The news had to have come as a major sigh of relief to UVa fans. Ditto for Bennett.

Since former Virginia coach Dave Leitao’s departure, there had been some speculation that Spurlock and Evans, who had been recruited by Leitao, would reconsider their college choices and ask to be released from their letters of intent.

That was the avenue that forward David Chadwick, a former recruit at Washington State, took after Bennett left for UVa.

One of Spurlock and Evans’ major questions about Bennett pertained to his style of play. The incoming freshmen were both looking forward to playing in an up-tempo attack under Leitao. In his three years at Washington State, Bennett was known for just the opposite.

But Bennett met with Spurlock and Evans (AAU teammates on Boo Williams’ team) shortly after he arrived in Charlottesville and, apparently, did a pretty nice sales job.

Spurlock, a versatile 6-foot-7 player who played at Word of Life (Springfield), should form a nice one-two punch on the perimeter with returning ACC rookie of the year Sylven Landesberg. Rated as a 4-star (out of five) recruit by Rivals.com and as the 82nd-best prospect in the country, Spurlock picked Virginia over Georgetown.

Evans, a 5-foot-11 point guard who played at Bethel High (Hampton), will give the Cavs a badly needed ball-handler. Known for his defense and gritty play — he was highly recruited in football — Evans could be an excellent complement to rising sophomore Sammy Zeglinski. The 3-star recruit chose Virginia over N.C. State and Marquette.

Dunks

Bennett officially announced the hiring of his staff. The most recent addition is Brad Soucie, who will serve as his director of basketball operations. Soucie has worked with Ritchie McKay throughout the majority of his career, most recently at Liberty.

“One of the priorities for me was to fill my staff as soon as possible, but also make sure we got the right individuals,” said Bennett in a press release. “I feel good about the people we’ve assembled for this staff. Ritchie McKay is our associate head coach and has lots of head coaching experience at the Division I level. Ron Sanchez and Jason Williford are young go-getters who are hands on guys in developing players and really have a passion for recruiting. In Brad Soucie, we have someone in the basketball operations position with significant collegiate basketball experience … I feel good about the individuals on this staff, and think the young men in our program will enjoy working with them. I believe we can really hit the ground running.”

 

It’s official: Bennett’s staff is in place
Jeff White
Apr 15, 2009

There’s nothing in it that hasn’t been reported in this space, but here is the official release from U.Va. about the staff of new basketball coach Tony Bennett:

CHARLOTTESVILLE—Ron Sanchez and Jason Williford have been named assistant coaches and Brad Soucie has been named the director of basketball operations with the Virginia men’s basketball program. UVa men’s head basketball coach Tony Bennett announced the appointments on Wednesday (April 15).

“One of the priorities for me was to fill my staff as soon as possible, but also make sure we got the right individuals,” Bennett said. “I feel good about the people we’ve assembled for this staff. Ritchie McKay is our associate head coach and has lots of head coaching experience at the Division I level. Ron Sanchez and Jason Williford are young go-getters who are hands on guys in developing players and really have a passion for recruiting. In Brad Soucie, we have someone in the basketball operations position with significant collegiate basketball experience.

“I feel good about the individuals on this staff and think the young men in our program will enjoy working with them. I believe we can really hit the ground running.”

Sanchez was an assistant men’s basketball coach at Washington State University the last three years. During that period the Cougars participated in the NCAA Tournament twice and in the National Invitation Tournament once. Washington State reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2007 and reached the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament in 2008. The Cougars tied the school record with 26 victories in both 2006-07 and 2007-08.

Prior to serving as an assistant coach at Washington State, Sanchez was the coordinator of men’s basketball operations for the Cougars for three years. He joined the staff at Washington State after spending two years as a volunteer assistant in the men’s basketball program at Indiana. While at Indiana, he earned his master’s degree in athletic administration/sports management. Indiana finished as runner-up for the NCAA Championship in 2002.

Sanchez is a 1997 graduate of the State University of New York College at Oneonta where he played basketball. He was named the State University of New York Athletic Conference Player of the Year in 1996. He also earned the Eastern College Athletic Conference Championship Most Valuable Player award that season.

Sanchez was an assistant coach at SUNY-Oneonta in 1998-99 and served as associate head coach at Delhi College (N.Y.) for two years. Delhi posted a 31-2 record for the 2000-01 season, won the Region III championship and finished fourth at the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Championship Tournament.

“I’m excited to bring Ron to Virginia,” Bennett said. “I was with him for six years at Washington State, so he’s familiar with me. Ron is one of the most loyal, hard-working individuals I know and he has ties in the New York area that should benefit our program.”

Williford has been a men’s assistant basketball coach at the collegiate level for the last nine years and is a former Virginia player. He was an assistant coach at American University the last four years and prior to that was an assistant coach at Boston University for five years. American won the Patriot League Championship and participated in the NCAA Tournament each of the last two seasons. During Williford’s final four years at Boston University, the Terriers earned an NCAA Tournament berth in 2002 and then participated in the National Invitation Tournament for three consecutive years.

A native of Richmond, Va., Williford is a 1995 graduate of Virginia. During his four years as a member of the UVa men’s basketball team, the Cavaliers won the NIT in 1992 and participated in the NCAA Tournament three times. Virginia reached the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16 in 1993, the second round in 1994 and the Elite Eight in 1995 when he was a team captain.

After graduation, Williford played four years in the Icelandic Professional League and the Korean Basketball League. In 1995-96, he was named the Foreign MVP for the Haukar Club Team in the Icelandic Professional League. He also began his coaching career that season by heading up the Under-20 Haukar Club Team. From 1996-99, Williford played for two teams in the Korean Basketball League and earned All-Star honors.

Williford was an assistant coach with the boys’ varsity basketball team at his alma mater, John Marshall High School, in 1999-2000.

“Jason comes highly recommended,” Bennett said. “In talking to Jeff Jones and Dennis Wolff, coaches Jason worked with at American University and Boston University, and other people about him, they talked first about his character and his ties to the area. We felt that was very important. When we went through the interview process, the passion and loyalty Jason has for the University of Virginia and this program was evident. He played at Virginia and this program is important to him.

“Jason also has a relationship with Ron Sanchez. They’ve gotten to know each other over the last three or four years, and that’s a plus too.”

Soucie has 15 years of experience as a collegiate men’s assistant basketball coach. All but two years of his coaching experience came as an assistant to former Liberty head coach Ritchie McKay, who is now the associate head coach at Virginia. Soucie was an assistant to McKay at Portland State, Colorado State, Oregon State, New Mexico and Liberty.

He played college basketball at Eastern Michigan University for two years before transferring to Christian Heritage College (now San Diego Christian). He earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration from Christian Heritage in 1990 and later served as an assistant basketball coach there for two years.

Soucie played in the National Basketball Association Summer League with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Dallas Mavericks. He was also a member of the Athletes-in-Action traveling team.

“Brad has been with Coach McKay for many years,” Bennett said. “He played the game in college and has excellent experience. We’re fortunate to have him on the staff.”

 

Given the quality of probable returnees, ACC football should keep improving
David Teel
April 16, 2009

ACC football improved last season. Given the depths of 2007, that may be damning with faint praise, but the progress was undeniable.

So is this: The conference should be better still in 2009.

For only the second time in 16 years, the league's offensive and defensive players of the year return: Georgia Tech running back Jonathan Dwyer and Boston College linebacker Mark Herzlich.

Dwyer is among a gaggle of skill players who should upgrade the ACC's long-dormant offenses. Eight of last season's top 10 rushers are back, Virginia Tech's Darren Evans and Tyrod Taylor among them; the three best quarterbacks in 2008 — North Carolina State's Russell Wilson, Duke's Thaddeus Lewis and Wake Forest's Riley Skinner — also return.

The league's 12 head coaches answered questions about their spring drills via teleconference Wednesday, and nothing said contradicted the notion of a conference on the uptick.

Defending champion and probable preseason favorite Virginia Tech enhanced the ACC's image most last season. The Hokies won at Nebraska and defeated Cincinnati in the Orange Bowl, snapping the conference's eight-year Bowl Championship Series losing streak.

With eight starters returning, the Hokies' mercurial offense should score consistently for the first time since 2005. Guard Jaymes Brooks, a Denbigh High grad who made his first college start in the Orange Bowl, could be one of the team's best players, coach Frank Beamer said.

Senior linebackers Purnell Sturdivant and Brett Warren led Tech in tackles last season, but replacements Barquell Rivers and Jake Johnson are generating positive reviews midway through spring practice.

Few, if any, expect Virginia to challenge Virginia Tech in the Coastal Division. Expect plenty of intrigue, though, as head coach Al Groh banks his job security on a spread offense orchestrated by new coordinator Gregg Brandon.

Naturally, Groh wants to manage expectations. Hence his remarks that Brandon "is not the tooth fairy" and the spread "is not Star Wars."

"It's still up to player performance," Groh said.

The first public performance is Saturday's spring game, when quarterbacks Vic Hall and Jameel Sewell figure to put on a show. But a more critical position is arguably linebacker, where the Cavaliers must replace Jon Copper, Clint Sintim and Antonio Appleby, who combined for 126 starts in their Virginia careers.

Virginia Tech's most serious division challenge should be Georgia Tech. Coach Paul Johnson's option attack ranked fourth nationally in rushing last season, and if quarterback Josh Nesbitt cuts down on turnovers, the Yellow Jackets will be a load.

"People will get better defending it," Johnson said of his offense. "But we're going to get better running it, too."

While Virginia Tech rates the Coastal favorite, the Atlantic Division is a crapshoot — each of the six teams was either 5-3 or 4-4 in conference play last season. But if forced to pick front-runners, opt for Florida State and North Carolina State.

Seminoles coach Bobby Bowden said the biggest disappointment of spring drills was a hand injury sustained by redshirt freshman quarterback E.J. Manuel of Virginia Beach's Bayside High, whom coaches project as the No. 2 behind Christian Ponder.

During the first practice, Manuel hit his throwing hand on a defensive lineman's helmet and suffered a compound fracture of a finger. He missed the remaining sessions and is expected to be healed come August's preseason drills.

N.C. State stages its spring game Saturday, and all proceeds will benefit the Kay Yow/Women's Basketball Coaches Association Cancer Fund and the Kay Yow Memorial Endowment.

Among the most gracious figures in ACC history, Yow coached Wolfpack basketball for 34 seasons. She died in January after a 22-year battle with breast cancer.

N.C. State returns first-team, All-ACC quarterback Russell Wilson, who last season as a freshman threw 17 touchdown passes and one interception. But Wilson also plays baseball for the Wolfpack, duties that limited his spring football participation and created opportunity for redshirt freshman Mike Glennon, the younger brother of former Virginia Tech quarterback Sean Glennon.

"Certainly if he had been full-time football, he'd be a lot better at this point," N.C. State coach Tom O'Brien said of Wilson.

Read into that what you will.

Wilson injured his knee while scrambling in N.C. State's bowl loss to Rutgers, and O'Brien said his incumbent must do a better job of finding secondary receivers.

"Our major concern," O'Brien added, "was that he ran too much last year."

If the likes of Wilson, Evans and Dwyer remain healthy, the ACC's major concern could be a crowded bandwagon.

 

Cavaliers look to swat ACC foes in postseason tourney
Perfect regular season record will be tested against highly touted conference opponents this weekend
Andrew Seidman, Cavalier Daily Associate Editor
Published: Thursday, April 16 2009

Senior Dominic Inglot is preparing for the final ACC Tournament of his Virginia career. For the second consecutive year, the Virginia men’s tennis team has marched through its regular season undefeated and mostly unchallenged. A 4-3 battle here, a 5-2 test there — the Cavaliers rarely were threatened during the 2008-09 campaign. The Cavaliers now will try to maintain this perfect record in the postseason, beginning with the ACC tournament this weekend as the No. 1 seed.

“It’s a great accomplishment, and I’m certainly proud of the success we’ve had thus far,” Virginia coach Brian Boland said. “But I think everyone on the team understands that the hard work is in front of us — we certainly should use that as momentum as we go into the postseason. This is what we work for — to have the opportunity to play in the postseason at a high level.”

Coming off a pair of 6-1 victories against then-No. 25 Wake Forest and then-No. 51 North Carolina State last weekend, the No. 1 Cavaliers (26-0, 11-0 ACC) will begin play Friday after a first-round bye. Virginia awaits the winner of Thursday’s match between No. 8 seed North Carolina and No. 9 seed Clemson.

The Cavaliers beat both teams decisively at home in their regular season matchups, first downing the Tigers 6-1 March 20, and later sweeping the Tar Heels 7-0 on senior day.

Virginia is not expecting to defeat its opponents as easily this time, however, as the matches will be played at a neutral site in Cary, N.C.
“We played both teams at home here — that helps a little bit,” sophomore Michael Shabaz said. “It’s neutral grounds — everyone’s going to be ready to play — hopefully we can just carry over what we’ve done the last few weeks into the ACC Tournament.”

Virginia’s lineup and strategy also may alter slightly. After playing in the No. 2 doubles slot for the majority of the season, the duo of senior Dominic Inglot and Shabaz — ranked No. 13 in the nation — will play in the No. 1 spot during the tournament. The former top team, composed of sophomore Sanam Singh and junior Houston Barrick, will move to No. 2 doubles.

“Both teams play at an extremely high level,” Boland said. “Regardless, they can both play [No.] 1 or [No.] 2 ... Dom and Michael have been playing well at [No.] 1, so we just stuck with them.”

Boland has experimented with the switch during the past few weeks, with mostly strong results. In outdoor play at the No. 1 spot, Inglot and Shabaz have compiled a 6-1 record, including wins against Clemson, Miami and Florida State. The pair’s only loss came against North Carolina’s then-No. 27-ranked team of junior Clay Donato and senior Taylor Fogleman. They bounced back, however, by topping the then-No. 1 doubles team in the nation, Wake Forest’s tandem of senior Cory Parr and junior Steve Forman, in an 8-6 road victory. They then notched another win against N.C. State the following day, 9-8.

“It’s been all right so far,” Shabaz said, referring to the team’s performance in No. 1 doubles. “We had a good past weekend — hopefully we can take the confidence from the two wins and get better in the ACC Tournament [because] we could play those guys again.”

Meanwhile, Singh and Barrick — ranked No. 6 nationally — have thrived in the No. 2 slot, posting a 6-0 record in outdoor contests. Singh said both teams are comfortable in either position.

“Michael and Dom and Houston and I are at the same level — any of us can play [No.] 1 or [No.] 2,” Singh said. “We keep switching it up because of matchups and rankings — and we leave that on the court and go out and play.”

But Inglot’s shaky play at No. 1 singles may be a concern for the Cavaliers. The senior dropped both matches during the weekend and suffered a “tweaked wrist,” doubles partner Shabaz said. Boland said, however, that Inglot has “fully recovered.”

Still, it remains to be seen whether Inglot will be completely healthy Friday. He did not practice Tuesday and has dealt with a slew of injuries throughout the season, ranging from shoulder pain to a stomach ailment. It took three exhaustive sets for Inglot to put away North Carolina’s Donato in singles when healthy, so the added strain of a wrist injury may prove costly for the senior.

If Virginia can overcome this setback and reach the tournament finals, it could face either No. 4 seed Florida State or No. 2 seed Miami, both of which the Cavaliers defeated in 4-3 thrillers this season. The Hurricanes took the Cavaliers to the wire during their regular season meeting, climbing back from a 3-1 deficit to tie the match at 3-3, until Singh clinched the victory at the No. 2 spot. The Seminoles, meanwhile, provided another scare during the following match, striking down both Inglot and Singh in the top two singles matchups. Despite these missteps, Virginia secured the victory with wins from Shabaz, Barrick and freshman Drew Courtney.

But the potential for a rematch has not fazed Boland, who said he remains focused on the team’s first match.

“I didn’t even know that was the bracket — I’m glad you told me that,” Boland said. “I don’t know. Right now, it’s Clemson or North Carolina.”

Shabaz, fully aware of the tournament setup, said he is confident the Cavaliers would prevail in a potential rematch.

“When we played them, we played at their house, so that definitely helped them,” Shabaz said. “Hopefully, if we do play them down the road, then it’s not as close as the prior matches. I think it will help us that we’re on neutral grounds because I think we are the better team, and we’ve proven that so far.”

Although top-ranked Virginia appears to be the favorite heading into the tournament, Singh noted that the higher stakes may elevate the other teams’ play.

“It’s always different with regular season and the tournament,” Singh said. “Even if we beat those teams [easily] in the regular season, sometimes it can get tight in the tournament because it’s a different atmosphere, and we’re playing for something more than just a normal dual match.”

 

Resilient squad readies for ACC Championships in New London
Senior Van Borsig epitomizes tenaciousness of squad; Collins leads team numbers
Nick Eilerson, Cavalier Daily Associate Editor
Published: Thursday, April 16 2009

In any sport, the ability to respond positively to failure often serves as the litmus test for determining a team or individual’s level of success in crucial moments. Attitude is of the utmost importance, as one can either throw in the towel after suffering a frustrating setback or turn the disappointment into fuel that will spawn improvement. Right now, for the Virginia men’s golf team, the latter option is the only option.

Both this season and last season, Cavalier golfers have consistently displayed an uncanny knack for bouncing back from disappointment. Last season, after a mediocre seventh-place finish at the River Landing Intercollegiate and an underwhelming ninth-place finish at the ACC Championships, Virginia recovered to win its second consecutive Cavalier Classic. Then, two weeks later, the squad pulled off a stunning final-day rally to place 10th in the competitive 33-team East Regional Tournament. The strong finish gave the team the final berth in the NCAA Tournament, in which it finished 26th as the only unranked team in the field. It was the team’s first NCAA Tournament appearance with coach Bowen Sargent, now in his fifth season at Virginia.

In last week’s River Landing Intercollegiate, the No. 42 Cavaliers struggled during the first two rounds of play, compiling an 18-over total to tie for ninth place heading into the final round. Although they could not jump to the top of the leaderboard, they still put together an impressive final-round effort, posting four scores of 1-under 71 for the fourth best final round score of the tournament’s 15 teams and walk away with an eighth-place finish. With the ACC Championships this weekend, Saturday’s solid final round might be what Virginia needed to kickstart a successful postseason.

“I realized the importance of it heading into ACCs,” Sargent said. “I didn’t think we needed to be second-guessing ourselves and wondering where we were as a team. I didn’t think mentally we could have afforded a poor round. It was nice to see them bounce back and respond to what was definitely the worst round of golf we’ve played this semester.”

The ACC Championships will be held Friday through Sunday at the Old North State Club in New London, N.C., the site of the previous seven conference tournaments. Virginia, which has never won a conference title, finished ninth last year with an 868 total, 30 shots behind first-place Florida State. Seven teams enter the tournament ranked in the top 50, headed by No. 3 Clemson. The Cavaliers have finished ahead of every team except No. 10 Georgia Tech — which it has not faced — at least once in tournaments this spring, senior Conrad Von Borsig said.

“It’s obviously a tough conference,” Sargent said. “Going into it, regardless of what team you are, it’s hard to be overly confident heading into that thing in terms of just thinking about winning it, just because it is such a tough conference. But I know if our guys play the way they’re capable of playing, we will give ourselves a chance to win the tournament.”

Virginia’s weekend lineup will feature sophomore Will Collins, junior Kyle Stough, Von Borsig, and freshmen Bruce Woodall and Ben Kohles. Collins, who has racked up three top-five finishes in his last five outings, leads the team with a 72.62 stroke average this season. He was Virginia’s top finisher at last year’s ACC Championships, coming in 26th place with a 1-over 217 total. Heading into this year’s tournament, Collins — like the rest of his teammates — is not content to shoot for anything less than a victory.

“I don’t think anybody really goes anywhere in any competitive sport without expecting to win,” Collins said. “So that’s the mindset you have to have. All you can do is go out there, play hard, count ‘em up when you’re done and see what happens.”

Collins is not the only Cavalier hitting his stride this season. No player better embodies his team’s gritty character than Von Borsig, the team’s lone senior, who has demonstrated a great deal of resilience in bouncing back from a forgettable fall season. After playing in only one tournament in the fall, this spring he has put together four top-20 finishes, including two in the top 10. He also has shot three rounds with scores in the 60s.

“Since I’m graduating, I’ve had a real sense of urgency,” Von Borsig said. “When the semester started I really wanted to go out on a high note. I think I just kind of lost my focus last semester and wasn’t working as hard as I normally do. So when I got back to school in January, I tried to make my number one priority golf, and it worked really well. Hopefully it will all come together at ACCs.”

Von Borsig will not be the team’s only player going into the tournament with plenty of experience at Old North State Club. Woodall and Kohles, both from North Carolina, have competed in several tournaments at the course. Woodall enters the tournament playing particularly well after leading the team in scoring at last week’s River Landing Intercollegiate. He also finished in seventh place at the Rehoboth Beach Spring Invitational earlier in the week.

With experience and a strong collective mindset, Virginia might be poised to respond to adversity with a breakout performance.

“I think the team has improved dramatically,” Sargent said. “We had a very young team last year, and this team right now is much better than the team we had last year. We continue to improve each and every year I’ve been here, and I don’t plan on retreating.”

 

Looking to take the next step
By Jerry Ratcliffe
Published: April 15, 2009

Around this time last year, Whitney Neuhauser made a giant leap forward in her golf game. She hopes this week’s ACC women’s championships provide a similar springboard.

The Virginia junior enters Friday’s play at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, N.C., with the lowest stroke average per round (72.76) of any golfer in the conference and is ranked No. 26 nationally in the Golfweek/Sagarin individual ratings. Last spring, the Barboursville native and graduate of Monticello High gained momentum in the ACC tournament and hasn’t really slowed down since.

Not bad for a local gal who kind of picked up the sport by accident.

At age 12, she and her cousin were cleaning out her grandmother’s attic and found some old wooden clubs. Just for fun, they took the sticks to McIntire Park, slapped down their two bucks and played all day. They liked golf so much, they came back for more, and Whitney eventually asked her mom, Susie, for her own set of clubs.

Her mother was more than happy to accommodate. Heck, anything to get her daughter, a nifty baseball player in the Lane League (she was an all-star pitcher and second baseman), to switch to a safer sport.

By age 13, Whitney was bitten by the golf bug. Her mom, convinced she was serious about the sport, took her to meet Glenmore Country Club’s director of golf and head pro Kandi Comer, who had excelled at the sport until deciding she didn’t care for the professional tour lifestyle.

Whitney will never forget that first meeting.

“I remember my first lesson with [Comer], when she basically told me that if I wasn’t willing to work hard, then she didn’t want to see me ever again,” Neuhauser said.

Rather than scaring her off, the challenge intrigued her. Having always possessed a strong work ethic, golf was just what she had been searching for.

Today, Comer calls Neuhauser the hardest worker she’s ever worked with, which includes countless players of all levels.

In fact, Comer had to remind her student that sometimes she needed to back off the intensity and remember to have fun, which helped remind Neuhauser what the game was all about.

“Her work ethic actually got in her way,” Comer said. “I said, ‘Whitney, you’ve got to have fun, you’ve got to enjoy it.’ Last summer she got it. It finally clicked in for her.”

What a difference that piece of advice made in Neuhauser’s play.

After finishing strong in last April’s ACC competition, she followed up with a Top 25 finish in the NCAA East regional, then roared into the summer, capped by a quarterfinals appearance in the 2008 U.S. Amateur.

She followed up on that performance in fall golf as a UVa junior and was named Golf World’s most improved women’s collegiate player at midseason, advancing to a No. 5 national ranking heading into this spring’s season.

While the Cavalier hasn’t maintained that ranking, her game has remained solid.

“The spring season has been kind of a roller coaster,” Neuhauser said Tuesday. “Overall, I’m pretty pleased with how I’ve played in some really tough conditions. Our last two tournaments have had awful weather, so it has been really difficult to get into a rhythm with my game and maintain momentum.”

One of those tournaments was essentially a washout and the other featured 40 mph winds, a golfer’s nightmare. However, in the UVa tournament win at LSU earlier, she finished fifth and tied the Cavaliers’ single-round school record with a 67 in the second day of the event.

“I’m absolutely looking at the ACC’s as a springboard heading into postseason,” she said. “I’m looking at the ACCs as the first ‘major’ of the season, which gets me a little more focused and excited going in.”

Of course, everyone from Comer to noted sports psychologist Dr. Bob Rotella (who is working with the UVa team), and Cavaliers coach Kim Lewellen have reminded her about the ‘fun’ thing.

If there’s one memory she will treasure from last August’s U.S. Am experience, it was that she had more fun in that tournament than any she had played. Her mom caddied for her and she didn’t take enough wardrobe to the event because she didn’t think she’d be there for the weekend — thus a good excuse to go shopping.

After having missed qualifying by a single stroke in each of the three years before, Neuhauser finally made it to the Am, but traveled there with no expectations. Comer had always told her that she could compete with the world’s best amateurs, but Neuhauser didn’t really believe it until that week.

With the top-ranked amateur women in the U.S. and from around the globe competing, including several players fresh off the Curtis Cup, Neuhauser walked away from the tournament with newfound confidence.

“A lot of [her transition] came from working hard, but it’s also a matter of trusting yourself,” the Wahoo golfer said. “Once you know that physically you can hit all the shots, then you have to believe mentally that you can put it all together and play well over a long period of time.”

That’s where the good doctor, Rotella, comes in.

Rotella has been helping Neuhauser, a fellow Glenmore member, since she was 12 on the mental aspects of the game, while Comer has taken care of the technical side. She’s grateful to both, along with Lewellen and former UVa coach Jan Mann, who recruited her.

Comer has a special place in Neuhauser’s heart, though.

“Everything I have accomplished in golf, I owe mostly to Kandi,” she said. “She’s like a second mom to me.”

Comer said that Neuhauser reminds her much of her childhood growing up through the junior ranks, becoming an All-American at North Carolina, then exploring the pro game.

“She’s pretty much just one of my children,” Comer said. “She’s a special girl.”

A special girl with plenty more potential.

“The sky is the limit for Whitney,” Comer said. “Because of her work ethic, whatever her dream is, I feel she’ll be able to accomplish it.”