Pettinella looking for European employment
By Whitey Reid
Published: July 16, 2008

Sean Singletary hasn’t been the only former Virginia player in Las Vegas trying to carve out a professional career for himself.

Ryan Pettinella was recently in Sin City taking part in a showcase camp for European scouts.

The 6-foot-9 Pettinella, who started 20 games for Virginia this past season, is hoping to sign with a European club, preferably one in Italy.

“I think it was really good exposure,” said Pettinella, a Rochester, N.Y., native. “I’m hoping to get an offer out of it.

“I was encouraged by my play. I talked to a couple of scouts afterward and they said my game looked pretty good and they might be contacting me. I think I represented myself well out there.”

Pettinella, who turned 24 on Saturday, played on a team with Raymond Hicks, the former University of Miami player.

“We were a good combo down low,” Pettinella said. “He played the 4-man position and I played center. Our team did pretty well. It was good talent level and good competition.”

Pettinella, whose grandfather was Italian, is in the process of obtaining a dual-citizenship passport. Having the passport would greatly enhance his chances of signing with a team since European clubs are usually only allowed to take a couple of American players.

“It’s much easier because if you’re one of the Americans and you have a couple of bad games, they send you home,” Pettinella said.

While Pettinella was in Las Vegas, he had a chance to watch Singletary, a member of the Sacramento Kings, take part in the NBA summer league. Pettinella said his former teammate more than held his own against Jerryd Bayless, a first-round pick of the Portland Trail Blazers.

“I thought [Singletary] looked fantastic,” Pettinella said. “He really played aggressive defense and looked really explosive off the dribble. He had a ton of speed and quickness on the court. That’s what he’s always been good at and I expect him to continue that in the NBA.”

Pettinella graduated from Virginia in May with a foreign affairs/political science degree, but says playing professionally somewhere in Europe is definitely his No. 1 goal right now.

“In terms of how long I want to play over there, I’m not sure,” he said. “I’ll have to feel that out as I go, but I definitely want to get over there for one or two years just for the experience alone, then maybe parlay it into a career if it works out.”
 

2008-09 Virginia Basketball Preview: #130
July 15th, 2008 by Joel Welser
» Tags Top 144 Previews Virginia

Virginia Basketball
Virginia Cavaliers
Overall Rank: #130
Conference Rank: #12 ACC
2007-08: 17-16, 5-11, 10th
2007-08 postseason: CBI

And so begins life without Sean Singletary. And things were not even that great with him during the 2007-2008 campaign. Calvin Baker and Jeff Jones will have to carry the backcourt…at least for now. Baker, who averaged 8.6 points and 2.4 assists his first year in Charlottesville after transferring from William & Mary, is a decent shooter but it remains to be seen if he can effectively run the point without having a ton of turnover problems. Jones gained some valuable experience as a freshman, yet failed to live up to his high scoring expectations. If he fails to score again, the Cavaliers will be in trouble.

Who’s Out:

It can be argued that youngsters like Jones did not get the opportunity to score much because Singletary was taking all their shots. Singletary was the obvious dynamic player on the team averaging 19.8 points and 6.1 assists during his senior season. The question is whether or not anybody is ready to take over that large chunk of scoring left behind by Singletary. A couple big guys who started a majority of the games last season are also gone. Adrian Joseph led the squad with 5.7 rebounds per contest and added 9.9 points per game. Ryan Pettinella rarely put up big numbers, but he was a presence under the basket.

Who’s In:

There are problems to address, most notably at the point guard spot. Sammy Zeglinski played in eight games last year before getting hurt and receiving a medical hardship. He did not play much in those eight appearances, but he did show that he can handle the ball. If Baker does not work out at the point, it is Zeglinski’s job. One of the other issues is finding another scorer to help replace Singletary. Sylven Landesberg is a decent option. He is a good shooter, but it is when he uses his 6-6 frame that Landesberg begins to be impressive. He can get to the basket off the dribble and finish with ease. He might look like a three, but he handles himself like a point guard. And it would not be a big surprise if Landesberg was at least given the opportunity to run the point at some time during his career. Depth up front should not be a problem with the addition of John Brandenburg and Assane Sene. They will not be asked to do as much of the newcomers on the perimeter, but it would be helpful if the duo can at least grab some rebounds as freshmen.

Who to Watch:

Wing Mamadi Diane was the only other player on the team to average double figures in scoring besides Singletary during the 2007-2008 campaign. He was also the most prolific and consistent long range shooter. A large part of the lost scoring should go through him. However, Jamil Tucker has plenty of offensive potential as well and could even steal away Diane’s starting spot on the wing. Tucker’s body should place him at the power forward spot, but he has a nice offensive game that works well on the wing. It is defending most opposing wings that will be the deciding factor on whether or not Tucker can handle a lot of minutes at the three spot.

Final Projection:

Coming off a freshman campaign where he averaged 5.7 points and 5.2 rebounds, big things are expected from Mike Scott. The 6-8, 233 pound forward should be more consistent this year and that could lead to quite a few double-doubles. The effort guy up front is Laurynas Mikalauskas. When he was healthy enough to play, the Lithuanian brought some much need heart and hustle to the team. If he can continue to do that and stay healthy, the Virginia frontcourt could be the strength of the team.

Projected Post-season Tournament: none

Projected Starting Five:

Calvin Baker, Junior, Guard, 8.6 points per game

Jeff Jones, Sophomore, Guard, 4.8 points per game

Mamadi Diane, Senior, Guard, 11.8 points per game

Mike Scott, Sophomore, Forward, 5.7 points per game

Laurynas Mikalauskas, Senior, Forward, 7.0 points per game

U.Va., Tech pairings set in ACC/Big Ten Challenge
Thursday, Jul 17, 2008 - 12:07 AM
By STAFF REPORTS

The ACC yesterday finalized the matchups for the 10th annual ACC/Big Ten Challenge basketball event. Virginia will play at Minnesota on Dec. 2 at 9:30 p.m. on ESPN2. Virginia Tech will host Wisconsin on Dec. 1 at 7 p.m. on ESPN2.

The Cavaliers are 4-1 against Minnesota, which went 20-14 last season and lost to Maryland in the National Invitation Tournament's first round. The Golden Gophers are entering their second season under coach Tubby Smith, who won the national title at Kentucky in 1998. Virginia has played Minnesota twice in the Challenge, losing in Minneapolis in 1999 and winning in Charlottesville in 2003. The Cavaliers are 5-3 in the Challenge.

The Hokies have never played Wisconsin, which last season won the Big Ten regularseason title and tournament and lost to Davidson in the NCAA tournament's Sweet 16. Tech is 1-2 in the Challenge, with its lone win coming in 2006 at home over Iowa. It lost at Penn State last year.

The Challenge's marquee game is North Carolina versus Michigan State on Dec. 3 at Detroit's Ford Field, site of next year's Final Four. The ACC has won the Challenge in each of the first nine years, winning 56 of 86 games overall.

 

Thompson, Braves still working on deal
By Jay Jenkins
Published: July 16, 2008

Jacob Thompson was huffing and puffing Wednesday afternoon, trying desperately to catch his breath.

No, the talented right-handed pitcher was not walking away from a lengthy workout in Danville, his hometown.

The day brought Thompson a dose of manual labor outside in the yard with his father.

Thus far this summer the University of Virginia hurler has had to earn his keep, and it remains unclear when or if that will change.

In June, the Atlanta Braves selected Thompson in the fifth round, much lower than expected, with the 160th pick overall.

For now, Virginia’s all-time wins leader is waiting on a suitable offer from the organization to forgo his final year of eligibility as a Cavalier.

“I have just been trying to keep myself busy with working out and hanging out with my friends and family,” Thompson said. “At times I have been very impatient and frustrated with it, but ultimately it is going to work out for the best.

“Whether I sign or go back to school, it will work out for the best.”

Thompson would not discuss the specifics of his demands, but a source with knowledge of the negotiations confirmed that the asking price exceeds well over slot money. The player selected one spot ahead of Thompson, high school standout Maverick Lasker, landed a signing bonus of $175,000, and East Carolina pitcher Justin Bristow, a Richmond native, inked a deal worth $170,000 after being selected right after Thompson.

At this point, Thompson is one of just nine fifth-round picks that remain unsigned, a group that also includes Virginia shortstop Greg Miclat.

There is a possibility — albeit remote at this point — that activity heats up this weekend.

Thompson is scheduled to travel to Atlanta to pitch in front of members of the Braves’ organization.

“I am supposed to throw a bullpen for them Saturday,” he said. “It is supposed to be real low key, and I don’t think any negotiation talks will be made down there.

“I am just hoping me going down there will get the wheels turning a little bit.”

Thompson, who went 6-4 with a 4.30 ERA this season, has enjoyed the luxury this summer of having his own personal catcher living under the same roof — his brother, Justin, who is headed to UVa in the fall is a catcher and a pitcher.

It has helped Thompson remain as sharp as possible.

“It has been funny. Me and my dad and my brother throw about two or three times a week, and I have been going to the local gym, working out and running,” Thompson said. “I am trying to stay in the best shape that I can. I can’t really put on a lot of weight because that comes with time and lifting a lot of weights and I haven’t really been doing that.”

While Thompson has met and stays in contact with Virginia coach Brian O’Connor, he has not sought out the advice of former teammates that either signed after their junior seasons or stayed for their final year of eligibility.

“I have mainly relied on my advisor and I tell you, everyone’s situation is different,” he admitted. “It is good to talk to other people, but this is my decision and I am going to make it.

“No former player or anyone is going to make it for me. It is my decision.”

Miclat, who was selected by the Baltimore Orioles 146th overall, will likely see his negotiations drag out until near the deadline on Aug. 15.

There is a good reason.

While playing for the Yarmouth-Dennis in the Cape Cod League, the speedster fractured the tip of a finger on his throwing hand.

“I am out of the Cape now since I am out for four weeks,” Miclat said. “It was on a groundball in batting practice and the ball just hit it. It wasn’t like a bad hop or anything … I think I just got my top hand in there too soon.

“It just hit it perfect. I looked down and it was beat up pretty good.”

Before the Cape Cod season-ending injury, Miclat was hitting .325 with seven stolen bases in just 11 games.

Miclat, who was in Los Angeles on Wednesday to watch the ESPYs, said “the ball in their court” in regards to the negotiations with the Orioles. Due to his lofty signing demands, which are twice as much as the slot money, Miclat is unsure of how it will evolve.

“For however long I was in the Cape helped, but right now I think something is going to happen in August,” Miclat said. “We are still a ways away but my advisor is still optimistic about it because of how everything has happened — where I was drafted and with the Orioles knowing what I wanted.

“It is just a matter of being so much over the slot that it going to be a late sign. Not many have signed above slot, period, as far as the whole draft. That’s just how it is going to work.”

All-star honors

As his coach spouted out the names, Corey Hunt, a former Monticello star, expected to be left out.

Landing a spot in the All-Star game in the New England Collegiate Baseball League seemed like a farfetched idea with scores of talented third basemen to pick from.

Hunt, a redshirt sophomore at UVa, was pleasantly surprised. After hitting .312 in 22 games for the Sanford Mainers, Hunt was named a reserve for Northern Division squad for a contest slated to be played Sunday in Torrington, Conn.

“I was not expecting it because there are a lot of good ballplayers in the league,” he said. “It was an honor to have my name called when he told us on the bus before they announced it.”

In limited action in 23 games this season at Virginia, Hunt hit .395 and provided depth at three infield positions. Getting that playing time and an extended look this summer has helped the former Mustang get comfortable at the plate with a wooden bat, something he did not do early last summer.

“After I redshirted last year I didn’t see too much live pitching, so I kind of struggled at the beginning of the year with Saratoga, but this year I feel good about my swing and my defense,” Hunt said. “It is all coming together.”

With three years of eligibility remaining, Hunt provides O’Connor and the coaching staff a flexible option as they try to replace at least half of their starting infield.

“The last two years I have gained a lot of knowledge about college baseball and how it is played, the mental aspects of the game,” he said. “My experience level is pretty high when you call me a sophomore.

“It is not really that big of a difference between all the positions — it is the same basic things. I feel a lot more comfortable now being able to play all the other positions besides shortstop.”

While Hunt has earned his All-Star label, starting pitcher Andrew Carraway remains in limbo for the same honor in the Cape Cod League.

The right-hander that manned a weekend rotation spot at UVa last season has certainly earned the honor should it come later this week.

Through five starts for the Hyannis Mets, Carraway (3-1, 0.95 ERA) ranks third in the league with 33 strikeouts.

“The league I pitched in last year [the New England League] was pretty good, but pitching in the ACC last year was the highest league that I had pitched at,” he said. “Coming out here was really going to be a test for me and I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to do as well and it gives me a lot of confidence.

“A bunch of these hitters are going to be in the Major Leagues in the next couple of years and if I can handle it now it is going to give me a lot of confidence.”

 

Former UVa star Reyna makes retirement official
Associated Press
Published: July 16, 2008

NEWARK, N.J. — Former U.S. national team captain Claudio Reyna retired Wednesday, less than two seasons after returning from Europe to join Major League Soccer’s New York Red Bulls.

Reyna, who will turn 35 on Sunday, had been bothered by hamstring and back injuries this season that had limited his playing time, and he said that played a role in his decision.

“My mind and body together told me it was time,” Reyna said at a news conference at St. Benedict’s Academy, the prep school where he was a two-time national player of the year and played on a team that once won 47 consecutive games.

Accompanied by his wife, former U.S. women’s national team member Danielle Egan, and their three children, Reyna said he will stay on with the Red Bulls in an advisory role, though he said details were still being worked out.

“I’m very happy with my decision,” he said. “Some people hang on and keep looking for another team. I didn’t want to be that guy.”

Reyna was part of a second wave of American players to play professionally in Europe in the 1990s at a time when, as he admitted Wednesday, Americans “were laughed at, to be honest.”

He went on to become the first American to captain a European team, for Germany’s Wolfsburg in 1998, and eventually earned the nickname “Captain America.” The next year he helped Scotland’s powerhouse Glasgow Rangers win their 11th league title in 12 years.

He also played for Germany’s Bayer Leverkusen and Sunderland and Manchester City in England.

“There were players that went over to Europe before him, but I think what Claudio did was raise the bar for what an American player is and should be,” said fellow University of Virginia alum Jeff Agoos, Reyna’s teammate on the U.S. national team and currently the Red Bulls’ sporting director.

Reyna captained the U.S. national team during its best World Cup performance, in 2002 when the Americans reached the quarterfinals before losing 1-0 to Germany.

He also was a member of the U.S. squad for the 1994, 1998 and 2006 World Cups before retiring from international soccer after 2006. He scored eight goals in 112 national team appearances and also was a member of the 1992 and 1996 U.S. Olympic teams.

“I’m very proud, not so much of what I did but when I did it, in terms of where the game was,” Reyna said. “Being involved in that whole process has been amazing.”

Reyna played in and started six of 16 games for the Red Bulls this season. He last played on May 25 in a loss to Chicago, and didn’t register any goals or assists in 461 minutes.

Reyna signed a multiyear contract with the Red Bulls in January 2007 that reunited him with Bruce Arena, his former coach at UVa and the U.S. national team.

 

ACC's expansion hasn't met expectations
First 3 years after Miami, Virginia Tech, Boston College moves see few dramatic changes
THE WASHINGTON POST • JULY 17, 2008

WASHINGTON — When the Atlantic Coast Conference extended membership invitations to Virginia Tech and Miami in June 2003 and to Boston College four months later, ACC officials offered visions of soaring revenue and heightened national prestige for a conference known traditionally for men's basketball. The plan was to make the ACC more like the Southeastern Conference and the Big 12, with conference championship games, opulent television contracts and national renown for its football teams.
In the five years since realignment was initiated the ACC, with its expanded roster of 12 schools, has signed a seven-year, $258 million contract with ABC and ESPN — which nearly doubled the annual income of its previous TV deal — and hosted three football conference title games at the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, Fla.
ACC Commissioner John Swofford said expansion "has met expectations in every way," and several officials inside and outside the conference say the overall level of play of both football and basketball has improved. Others, however, say the benefits of growth have in many ways fallen short of predictions.
And in one of the most critical and unforeseen byproducts of the realignment, the rival Big East Conference — forced to expand in response to the flight of three of its schools to the ACC — has strengthened its standing as a big-time football conference and fortified the depth of its basketball programs to an extent the ACC has yet to realize.
Traditional football powers Florida State and Miami have suffered through disappointing seasons the past two years, leaving Virginia Tech and a slew of middling programs to maintain the ACC's clout among Bowl Championship Series (BCS) conferences. Three seasons after the ACC introduced its two-division, superconference format, it has yet to earn an at-large bid to a BCS bowl in addition to the automatic bid one of its schools gets for winning the conference championship. In BCS bowls since expansion, the ACC is 0-3.
Revenue generated by the ACC conference championship game decreased from 2005 to 2006, a development that left outgoing University of North Carolina chancellor James Moeser unimpressed with the financial payoff from expansion.
"There was a financial concern, and (the expansion) has not been an enormous benefit," said Moeser, who stepped down June 30 after eight years. "Certainly, it has done no damage. It has been positive, but not overwhelmingly."
Meantime, the Big East has experienced a broader range of success, especially considering the condition it was left in after losing three of its most competitive football schools to the ACC.
The Big East was regarded as a fragile entity ready to crumble following the departure of Miami, Virginia Tech and Boston College; "close to extinction," as Big East Commissioner Mike Tranghese described the conventional wisdom of the time. Instead, the Big East fought back with an aggressive expansion of its own that in some ways has trumped the ACC's growth.
"We ignored" comments about the Big East's demise, Tranghese said. "We couldn't sit there and whine about it. We had to focus on rebuilding. And then we had to win."
Virginia Tech Athletic Director Jim Weaver, recovering from hip surgery at his Blacksburg home, had plenty of time to reflect on the past five years.
"We had longed for the ACC to be our home way back when the league began in 1953," Weaver said in a recent phone interview. "We're just delighted that it finally is."
And for good reason. Virginia Tech — which with Miami began competing in the ACC in 2004, a year before Boston College — has earned the ACC's BCS bowl bid two out of the past four seasons. The Hokies have appeared in two of the three ACC conference title games.
In fact, Virginia Tech has been a stanchion for a conference whose football powerhouses have struggled in recent seasons. Florida State won the inaugural conference title game and earned a BCS bowl in 2005-06, but has gone 14-12 in the two seasons since. After going 9-3 and winning six conference games in its first ACC season, Miami — the prized jewel of the ACC expansion because of its football team's tradition of success — has won just five conference games and finished with a 12-13 record the past two years. The Hurricanes have yet to play in an ACC title game. When it came time to divide the conference into two, six-team divisions, Florida State and Miami were split up, the hope being that each program would anchor its respective side. "Florida State and Miami were put in separate divisions because people thought we would wind up playing in the championship game against each other," said Florida State President T.K. Wetherell. "But that hasn't happened yet."
Further hampering the ACC's bid for increased football prominence, Maryland, Virginia and North Carolina State — all of which appeared on the rise at the time of the expansion — have wavered since the realignment.
Mike Farrell, a college football recruiting analyst for Rivals.com, pointed to recruiting as one area in which the ACC has not taken full advantage of the reconfigured boundaries expansion made possible.
The ACC "wanted to take away the label of just being a basketball conference," Farrell said. "They wanted to make themselves a football conference like the SEC and the Big 12. Those conferences really raised the level of their recruiting on a national level. I don't think that's happened to the ACC yet. But that doesn't mean they haven't gotten good recruits."
In trying to make itself into more of a football conference, the ACC may also have unintentionally weakened its reputation in men's basketball.
Pete Gillen, men's basketball coach at Virginia from 1998 to 2005, said many of the league's veteran coaches were apprehensive about the realignment. According to Gillen, the league placed less emphasis on promoting ACC basketball — for decades the heart and soul of men's ACC athletics — while it focused on football.
Several league coaches perceived, Gillen said, that the ACC assumed the conference's traditional basketball strength would maintain itself. North Carolina won the national championship in 2005, but overall the league's basketball performance has fallen short of expectations.
In the past three years, the ACC has sent a combined 15 teams to the NCAA tournament — the same number as in the three years immediately before expansion. The Big East, by contrast, has sent 22 teams to the tournament the past three years, including two seasons in which it sent a record eight teams; it had sent 16 schools in the three previous years.
"Football drove the expansion, and I understand that; they make all the money," said Gillen, who is a college basketball commentator for the CBS College Sports Network. "They're not hurting basketball, but they seem to think it's a self-perpetuating entity, and it's not."
Swofford dismissed suggestions that ACC basketball has declined since expansion, noting that the ACC remains one of the most competitive basketball conferences in the country. "What really builds a conference is competitiveness from within as well as a few key outside wins," he said. However, Swofford conceded that the ACC has not had as many wins against nonconference schools as he would have liked in recent years.
- - -
In the immediate aftermath of expansion, the ACC was thought to be in pristine condition to develop quickly into a football superconference that would match the league's clout in basketball. The Big East, on the other hand, was projected to see its basketball competitiveness decline.
Tranghese, who did little in 2003 to hide his anger at the ACC for raiding his conference, said he did his best to ignore predictions of the conference's demise and that he advised his members to do the same. Many Big East leaders used the uncertainty surrounding the league's viability as motivation.
"Everybody took it personally, the way we were being treated," Louisville Athletic Director Tom Jurich said. "The expansion propelled us forward, no question. That's probably the greatest story of this whole league right now."
The Big East responded to the ACC's growth with its own aggressive expansion, adding five Conference USA teams — Louisville, Cincinnati, South Florida, Marquette and DePaul.
Over the past three seasons, three of those schools — Louisville, Cincinnati and South Florida — have been ranked among the top 25 football teams in the country, as have once-overlooked Rutgers and Connecticut. West Virginia has established itself as the conference's power, having represented the Big East in two of its past three BCS bowl games. The Big East is 3-0 in BCS bowl games since the realignment took effect before the 2005 season, the only conference to go undefeated during that span.
Farrell, the Rivals.com analyst, said the turn in football fortune has as much to do with the three schools that no longer are present among the conference's ranks.
"The fact that Miami, Boston College and Virginia Tech are no longer in the Big East makes it a whole lot easier for those secondary schools to step up," Farrell said. "Look at Rutgers. They've won for two years. It's not like there's a huge winning tradition there. Is it a coincidence?"
These days, those three schools compete in the ACC, where parity reigns and results are often surprising. The ACC conference title game, a critical prize sought through the expansion, has not lived up to its billing — in part because of the surprising decline of some of the league's big-name football programs.
At the time of the ACC realignment, a league title game was expected to bring in around $6 million in revenue. In 2005, its first year, the championship game drew $5.7 million, according to tax forms. The following year, tax forms showed, the revenue total from the game dropped to $4.9 million. Revenue numbers from the 2007 championship game were not expected to be made public until this fall.
Repeated messages seeking comment from Gator Bowl Association President Rick Catlett were not returned.
Not only have Miami and Florida State yet to meet in the ACC title game — which will move to Tampa the next two years after spending its first three in Jacksonville — the matchups that have taken place may help to explain the revenue decline. A Florida State-Virginia Tech clash in 2005 was followed by a less glamorous Wake Forest-Georgia Tech game in 2006.
Last season's championship game featured Virginia Tech and Boston College, a more enticing contest but still not the marquee game ACC officials envisioned five years ago.
"I don't think there's any question that ACC football has been enhanced," Swofford said. "But I still think there is more we can do."
The reaction of some of those who participated in the expansion's inception is more sobering. For Moeser, the recently retired UNC chancellor, there remain too many shortcomings of the realignment to afford it a ringing endorsement.
"The expansion was all built around a football payoff, but it was not as great as people imagined," he said. "The potential is still there, and ultimately I think it will be a great beneficiary. So far, it has been a net positive."