Cavaliers pull out a squeaker
By Whitey Reid
Published: November 19, 2008

For much of Wednesday night’s game against South Florida, very little of what Calvin Baker did on the court was very pretty or seemed to come easy.
Baker, who is playing with a stress fracture in his left foot, seemed out of sync.
So it was somewhat of a surprise when Baker was on the court for Virginia’s most important possession of the game.
“Calvin is more in a leadership role as a captain and a guy in the forefront,” UVa coach Dave Leitao would explain afterward, “so I trust that he’s a little bit more solid because of experience on defense to be in there at the end.”
However, it was on the offensive end where Baker came up huge.
With 13 seconds remaining in the game, the former walk-on found Sylven Landesberg wide open underneath the basket for a layup that gave Virginia a 77-75 win in front of a crowd of 8,810 at John Paul Jones Arena.
“Without playing particularly well today, we were still able to win and do it a little bit gutty,” Leitao said. “The last five minutes we were finally getting some stops that we weren’t real successful in stringing together in the previous 35 [minutes].”
Baker finished with just three points in his 17 minutes, but his assist is the reason Virginia now sits at 2-0 heading into Friday night’s game against Radford.
“To make that assist shows that he has great resiliency,” Leitao said, “because obviously he didn’t have a great day and I think when you don’t have a great day and can still make plays at the end, it shows enough character that a coach can believe in you.”
Landesberg is certainly somebody Leitao is believing in. For the second straight game, the freshman from New York City led Virginia in scoring, dropping in 21 points.
In addition to the game-winner, Landesberg scored on an offensive putback to put UVa up 73-71 with just under 2 minutes to play.
“I didn’t expect that he would get 28 and 21 in his first two games,” Leitao said, “but I never worried about his presence. He’s got a quiet, without cocky, presence about him as a basketball player. I noticed that early on.”
On the final play, Virginia was looking for senior Mamadi Diane to take the big shot. When Diane failed to get an open look, Virginia went back into its motion offense.
“We felt ourselves kind of improvising,” Leitao said, “and Calvin just made an individual play from there.”
Landesberg said he was shocked at how uncovered he was.
“I was just running up and down the baseline,” said Landesberg, who also had four rebounds, three steals and just one turnover in his 31 minutes, “He penetrated and he just saw me open and that was it.
“It was just a wide-open layup.”
USF had a chance to tie the game, but Dominique Jones’ floater bounced off the back of the rim as time expired.
“It was scary,” said Landesberg, when asked about the final sequence. “It was like slow motion. I was like, ‘I just can’t wait for this to hit off the rim.’”
Midway through the second half, USF opened a 61-55 lead after two jumpers by Jesus Verdejo.
But Virginia, behind solid play off the bench from Jamil Tucker (15 points, seven rebounds), clawed back.
“The Tucker kid was the biggest surprise,” said Virginia coach Stan Heath. “He did more than we thought or expected.”
Early in the first half, USF jumped out to a 10-2 lead. It wasn’t until Landesberg checked into the game that Virginia developed any kind of offensive rhythm. The freshman, who had 28 points in his debut against VMI on Sunday, scored seven quick points to pull the Cavaliers within three.
Landesberg doesn’t seem surprised by his quick success.
“I’m just going out and there and being productive and doing whatever I have to do to get the team a win,” he said.
And, on Wednesday, he had a little help from a teammate named Baker.
 

Freshman off to big start for Virginia
By Jerry Ratcliffe
Published: November 19, 2008

Nobody expected Sylven Landesberg to walk into college hoops and take up where he left off as one of New York City’s most prolific scorers in schoolboy history.
However, two games into his career at Virginia, the 6-foot-6 freshman has shown an uncommon flair for a rookie. In his debut against VMI last Sunday, he drilled in 28 points in wild shootout.
The 28 were the most points by a Cavalier freshman since the restoration of freshman eligibility. That earned him a share of ACC rookie of the week honors.
On Wednesday night, in a tight, wire-to-wire, 77-75 win over South Florida, Landesberg put up 21, including the winning basket and a free throw in the waning moments.
“I didn’t expect in his first two games that he would get 28 and 21, but I never really worried about his presence,” UVa coach Dave Leitao said of the McDonald’s All-American. “He has a quiet without cocky presence about him as a basketball player.”
That’s something Leitao noticed about the prized recruit early on and attributed some of that to his upbringing on the playgrounds of the Big Apple.
“Most good players that grow up in New York City have that by reputation, and his reputation happens to be true,” Leitao said. “I’m not surprised by his mindset. To deliver in the first two games is a bit surprising, but hopefully he’s establishing himself as a good player on this team.”
Pulling a fast one
South Florida coach Stan Heath was a bit surprised by Landesberg, but not like you might think. He wasn’t caught off guard that the Cavalier freshman could score, but rather other things that he couldn’t detect from scouting him on film.
Instead there were two things that Heath noticed up close and personal: that Landesberg is “a little longer than you think,” referring to the guard’s long arms; and that he has an exceptionally good first step to get around the defender.
Those are a couple of items that will make the rookie hard to stop as the season progresses.
A calm, collected rookie
However, Landesberg is taking all this success in stride.
“It’s only my second game, so ask me a little later on in the season,” the rookie said with a wide smile on his face. “I’m not too surprised though because I work real hard in practice and by myself.”
He does bring an air of confidence to the court that a lot of freshmen don’t. He admitted he had a few pre-game jitters before the exhibition game against Shepherd College, but after that those were all gone.
So, there was no surprise that he was the guy who scored five of Virginia’s last six points, bringing the Cavaliers from behind to beat a Big East opponent.
No surprise that those last two baskets were in the lane, one on an assist from Calvin Baker with 13.9 seconds left for the lead.
“That’s from playing in the parks,” Landesberg said matter-of-factly. “Being real creative, trying to finish. Because in the parks they don’t call anything and you’ve got to try to finish it.”
So far, he’s two for two on finishes.

 

UVa's Cavaliers get by over South Florida with late layup
Freshman Sylven Landesberg scores with 13.9 seconds left as UVa beats South Florida.
By Doug Doughty
981-3129

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- In a non-televised matchup between men's basketball teams picked to finish last in their respective conferences, Virginia and South Florida put on a decent show Wednesday night.

Freshman Sylven Landesberg's layup with 13.9 seconds left forced the 19th and last lead change of the night as UVa held on for a 77-75 victory at John Paul Jones Arena.

Landesberg, named ACC rookie of the week after scoring 28 points against VMI, put his name into consideration for a repeat selection by scoring a team-high 21 points.

"I didn't expect, in his first two games, that he was going to get 28 and 21," UVa coach Dave Leitao said, "but I never really worried about his presence. He has a quiet, without cocky, presence about him as a basketball player. And, I noticed that very early on."

UVa (2-0) never led by more than three all night and trailed 75-74 following two free throws by USF's Dominic Jones with 38 seconds left.

During a timeout with 34 seconds left, Leitao set up a play designed to isolate Mamadi Diane. However, the play broke down and point guard Calvin Baker was left to improvise.

With just over 15 seconds remaining, Baker was able to beat his defender and work his way into the lane.

"They were playing zone and [the center] was watching me closely," Landesberg said, "but he had to stop Calvin because Calvin would have scored if he didn't. That's why I was left wide open."

The ensuing layup was as easy as any shot Landesberg attempted all night.

"I live for those moments, just being able to make the big shot," said Landesberg, a 6-foot-6 McDonald's All-American from Flushing, N.Y. "I really wanted the ball there."

Landesberg's bucket put the Cavaliers ahead 76-75 and they had to sweat out a driving one-hander by Jones that bounced off the rim and into Landesberg's hands with eight seconds left.

Landesberg was fouled by Aris Williams with seven seconds left and made only the first of two free throws, giving the Golden Bulls (1-1) one last chance. A desperation shot by Jones bounced high off the rim and the Golden Bulls couldn't get off another shot before time expired.

USF had five more field goals than Virginia, but the Cavaliers made 18 free throws compared to six for the Golden Bulls. But if Virginia had been unable to hold on, free-throw shooting would have been the reason.

Baker, one of the Cavaliers' most experienced players, went to the free-throw line with 48.8 seconds remaining and a chance to put Virginia ahead by three points. However, he missed both ends of a two-shot opportunity.

Baker entered the game when freshman point guard Sammy Zeglinski picked up his fourth foul with 6:32 left and stayed on the floor the rest of the way. His only field goal of the game, a hanging layup with his back to the basket, had broken one of 14 ties.

"It just kind of shows that he's got resiliency because, obviously, he didn't have a great day," Leitao said. "I think, when you don't have a great day and you can still make plays at the end, it shows enough character that a coach can believe in you."

UVa's top two scorers, Landesberg and junior forward Jamil Tucker, came off the bench. Tucker finished with 15 points and seven rebounds and was the biggest "surprise" to USF coach Stan Heath.

Jones and backcourt mate Jesus Verdejo had 23 and 22 points, respectively, for the Golden Bulls. USF is coming off a 12-19 season in 2007-2008, when it was 3-15 in the Big East.

"Had we won, I would have said this was a fun and entertaining game," Heath said. "I thought both teams played well and the game could have gone either way."

 

Landesberg emerges as go-to shooter for UVa men
By Chris Lang
Published: November 19, 2008

CHARLOTTESVILLE — One of the pressing questions heading into this season of uncertainty for Virginia’s men’s basketball team was this: Who would be the one to take the shot with the game on the line?

For the first three years of Dave Leitao’s tenure at the school, the answer was simple. It started with a Sean and ended with a Singletary. Of course, he’s gone. But UVa found itself down a point to South Florida in the final 30 seconds at John Paul Jones Arena on Wednesday night, so the Cavaliers would have to deal with the question early.

Wednesday, the answer was Sylven Landesberg. The freshman took a pass from Calvin Baker and hit a layup from the left block with 13.9 seconds left to put UVa up for good. USF missed two shots at the end, and Virginia escaped with a 77-75 victory.

Leitao was quick to point out, though, that Landesberg isn’t necessarily the long-term late-game answer for UVa.

“I think what we’re trying to establish is that if we really believe in each other, we’ll execute and the best man from what we’re trying to do will get the shot, without having to define somebody right now,” Leitao said. “We’ve got to continue to emphasize that.”

In fact, coming out of a timeout with 34.3 seconds left, Landesberg wasn’t the original option on the play. Virginia (2-0) tried to find a way to get the ball into Mamadi Diane’s hands, but the play quickly broke down, leaving Baker to improvise. Landesberg was playing power forward on the play, so he kept running back and forth along the baseline, trying to get open.

Baker penetrated, drawing a second USF defender and opening a passing lane. He fired a pass to Landesberg, who scored to put Virginia up 76-75.

“I live for those moments, being able to make the big shot,” said Landesberg, who followed his 28-point debut Sunday against VMI with a 21-point showing against the Bulls.

South Florida (1-1) wasn’t done, though. Dominique Jones, who scored a game-high 23 points, was USF’s option on the iso play and tried to take Diane off the dribble. He drove and pulled up from about eight feet out for a runner. The ball hit the back of the rim and Landesberg grabbed the rebound. After a quick USF foul, Landesberg hit his first free throw and missed the second, giving the Bulls one last gasp with 7.6 seconds left. Jones missed a long jumper, and the Cavs survived.

“The first one, that’s a shot he makes at a pretty good rate,” USF coach Stan Heath said. “The other one, I thought he might have been able to kick it to a teammate and get something a little bit better. But I’m not going to discourage him from taking a big shot. He’s going to have to be the guy to make those plays.”

Virginia, which was picked to finish last in the 12-team ACC, struggled at times to find an offensive rhythm against a Bulls team that was picked to finish last in the 16-team Big East. Befittingly, the game was played in front of 8,810 fans, the smallest crowd for a regular-season game in the arena’s short history. (The previous low was set Sunday, when 9,955 watched UVa beat VMI.)

Virginia never led by more than three and trailed by six with 9:05 to play. Jamil Tucker, who scored a career-high 15 points and added seven rebounds, brought Virginia back, hitting a reverse layup and a 3-pointer during a 7-2 UVa spurt that cut the USF lead to two. After that, neither team led by more than three points.

“If any player really stood out, and did a little bit more than we expected, it was him,” Heath said of Tucker. “He was able to make the 3s and make some shots. He was quite different than the impression I got early in the game.”

Tucker, a 6-foot-9 junior forward, scored 14 points Sunday, tying his previous career high. For only the second time in his career, he scored in double digits in consecutive games. He scored 10 against Richmond and 11 against Old Dominion in the first two rounds of last year’s postseason College Basketball Invitational.

“I’m just playing hard and finding out what I do best and what I need to work on,” Tucker said. “I’m trying to get in there and rebound. Once you get your defense going, it’s easier to play well on offense, because you have something to fall back on.”

DRIBBLES: Virginia improved to 2-0 for the 10th straight season and broke a five-game losing streak against Big East teams. … UVa C Jerome Meyinsse made his first career start but played only six minutes. He failed to score or grab a rebound. … Diane (13 points) scored in double figures for the ninth consecutive game. … The Cavs close this four-game homestand with two more games against Big South opponents, Radford on Friday and Liberty next Tuesday.

Cavs take Bulls by horns in home squeaker
Landesberg lay-in with clock winding down gives Virginia second victory to open season
Ernie Washington, Cavalier Daily Gameday Editor
Published: Thursday, November 20 2008

Junior center Jerome Meyinsse (left) and sophomore forward Mike Scott (right) fight for a rebound against South Florida. The entire night was a fight for Virginia, as South Florida led for most of the night before the Cavaliers emerged with the 2-point victory. In a game that lacked the basket-to-basket offensive excitement of last Sunday’s matchup against VMI, the Virginia men’s basketball team worked out a 77-75 victory against South Florida last night.

“Without playing particularly well today, we were still able to win and do it a little bit gutty,” Virginia coach Dave Leitao said.

One player who showed a lot of guts was freshman guard Sylven Landesberg, who played nothing like a freshman in this game, especially down the stretch. With Virginia (2-0) down one with 13 seconds remaining, Landesberg made the go-ahead lay-up off an assist from junior guard Calvin Baker; then, on the ensuing possession for South Florida (1-1), he rebounded a miss by sophomore guard Dominique Jones, was fouled and converted a free throw to put Virginia up 2.

Jones, who led South Florida with 23 points, got another chance to save the Bulls off Landesberg’s missed second free throw, but his contested 15-footer again rimmed out with two seconds remaining.

Landesberg finished with 21 points and four rebounds. While Leitao said he has been surprised by Landesberg’s scoring outburst in his first two games, he was not surprised by Landesberg’s demeanor on the court.

“I didn’t expect that in his first two games he was going to score 28 and 21 points, but I never really worried about his presence,” Leitao said. “He’s got a quiet — without [being] cocky — presence about him as a basketball player, and I noticed that very early on.”

On the go-ahead lay-up, Landesberg credits Baker for being able to find him so he could make the play.

“They had me playing the four [power forward], and I didn’t know the position,” Landesberg said. “So I was just running up and down the baseline, and [Baker] penetrated and he just saw me open, and that was it.

Baker did not have his best game, but finding Landesberg in crunch time was certainly a big play for the Cavaliers.

“Calvin [Baker] is in a more leadership role as a captain and a guy in the forefront,” Leitao said. “To make that assist just kind of shows that he has enough resiliency because obviously he didn’t have a great day.”

A pleasant surprise for Leitao during this game was the play of junior forward Jamil Tucker, who finished the game with 15 points — including 12 in the second half — and added a team-high seven rebounds in 27 minutes of action. Tucker is looking to produce more this season.

“Knowing our team is more of a team without Sean Singletary, he was a 20-point scorer, and we didn’t have any 20-point scorers [coming into] this year,” Tucker said. “So everybody has to contribute and step up in a bigger role, and that’s what I’m trying to do.”

In the absence of the graduated Sean Singletary, team continuity in tight situations — especially on the offensive end — is something Leitao is looking to establish as the season progresses.

“If we really believe in each other, then we’ll execute,” Leitao said. “The best man from what we’re trying to do will get the shot, and without having to define somebody right now.”

The Cavaliers hope their game tomorrow against Radford will not be as close as the previous two games, but Leitao realizes there is some benefit to starting the season with contests against tougher opponents like VMI and South Florida.

“We’ve opened up the season with two very close games, which I’m not sure if they are the best of circumstances, particularly with a young team,” Leitao said. “But it was done purposely to help them hopefully grow up a little bit quicker than normal, obviously looking ahead because of what we’ve got to face once ACC season starts.”

 

Second time around
Paul Montana, Cavalier Daily Senior Associate Editor
Published: Thursday, November 20 2008

For all intents and purposes, Virginia’s 77-75 win against South Florida was its season debut.

Before I get to why it was a debut, let’s appreciate how fitting a matchup it was for coaches to try to gauge their teams at this point in the season. This game pitted the team picked to finish last in the ACC against the team picked to finish last in the Big East. It was the battle of the bottoms of two of the biggest barrels in the country.

Now, back to why it was a debut. Obviously, it was the Cavs’ second game of the season; indeed, you say, what about that game against VMI? The Keydets beat Kentucky to open their season, and the Cavs pulled out a 107-97 win two nights later — encouraging, right? After the Cavs put up triple digits on VMI, fans certainly had some hope that the offensive woes, at least, couldn’t be that bad this season.
What you optimists out there must remember, though, is that the Keydets don’t play D. They don’t care if you score 100 because they believe they can put up 110.

And, the biggest question facing this team is, at both ends of the floor, whether it can play in the half-court set. On offense, the Cavs had a hard enough time scoring when the game slowed down last year, and it would appear that they can’t get much better in this area with the graduation of number 44. The ability to improve on defense certainly appears more feasible; after suffering injuries to the frontcourt last season, Virginia has size that measures up with everyone. Add the focus on the defensive end that Leitao and his players have echoed, mix in some team cohesion and expose the returning nucleus of players to another year of Leitao earfuls, and the Cavs have every reason to pick it up at that end of the floor.

The VMI game, however, yielded zero information on these qualities. Leitao compared Sunday’s game to the NHL All-Star Game; that should serve as a reminder of how much half-court play there was in that contest.

So, how did Virginia fare in its first time playing a true game of basketball?

The Cavs won. That certainly comes first.

But, on the other hand, they didn’t look too good in the process. South Florida shot an all-too-familiar 49.2 percent from the floor. Sophomore guard Dominique Jones and senior guard Jesus Verdejo poured in a combined 45 points. Had the Bulls not shot 6-12 from the foul line, the game would have taken on a different tone.

Then, the offense wasn’t great either. Virginia shot 40.3 percent from the floor — borderline against an ACC opponent, poor against a South Florida team that won just three games in the Big East last season. A Virginia team that is supposed to be composed of shooters shot 5-19 from the 3-point line and 18-28 from the foul line.

On the other hand, there was more good news: Virginia has two freshmen who can really play. When point guard Sammy Zeglinski and shooting guard Sylven Landesberg have the ball in their hands, I feel comfortable that at least nothing bad is going to happen, and maybe even something good will come.

Landesberg ended with 21 points and four rebounds, including the biggest bucket of the night with 13 seconds remaining to put Virginia up 1, and the biggest rebound of the game on the ensuing stop at the defensive end.

“I live for those moments,” Landesberg said.

And it’s not just the points that impress; it’s the way he gets them. He snakes his way through defenders and finishes around the basket with contact the way a freshman isn’t supposed to do in his second game of the season.

“That’s from playing in the parks, man,” Landesberg said. “In the parks, you don’t call any fouls — you’ve just got to finish everything.”

Zeglinski’s numbers aren’t as gaudy, but he was solid at the point for the second straight night, committing just one turnover while adding four assists; there probably would have been more if foul trouble hadn’t limited him to just 22 minutes. Even though he stands a meager 6 feet, I am beginning to buy into Zeglinski’s ability to run the show both in the half-court and in transition, even against high-pressure, high-octane ACC opponents.

“I feel real comfortable out there,” Zeglinski said. “I always like to be the floor general and show my composure on the court.”

The best news of the night, however, was Virginia’s grit in the last five minutes. The Cavs have had Sean Singletary on the floor for four years in crunch time, and for most of that time he was getting the ball.

With Virginia in possession down 75-74 and 34 seconds to play, the fans may have been looking for Singletary, but the players weren’t. As junior guard Calvin Baker — on a night that certainly wasn’t his best — made a fantastic spin move into the lane and dished to Landesberg for an open lay-up on the baseline, Virginia proved it doesn’t need Mr. Big Shot to take — and make — a big shot.

The best part about the go-ahead bucket, however, was that it wasn’t by design.

“We had set up a play actually to get the ball in [Diane’s] hands and drive a little bit and draw some help,” Leitao said. “It broke down early, so we found ourselves just kind of improvising.”

That play was something that would make even Singletary, the king of improvisation himself, proud.

Of course, I’m a realist. This is South Florida. If Leitao can improvise a way for Virginia to win in the ACC, that would really be something.

 

Sintim bids Scott farewell
By Jay Jenkins
Published: November 19, 2008

Some of the best recruiters in Virginia football history have been former employees of Al Groh.
Al Golden, Mike London, Ron Prince and Danny Rocco helped land some of the best recruiting classes in program history before bolting for head coaching jobs.
Some of those star-studded players such as left tackle Eugene Monroe and running back Cedric Peerman remain at Virginia to this day.
As valuable as the coaches were to respective recruiting battles, they had help with at least one recruiting class.
Shortly after becoming the first commitment in the Class of 2004, Chris Long went to work. Phone calls and internet chat sessions were not uncommon.
It reached one player that will play his final game in Scott Stadium on Saturday against Clemson in a powerful way.
“Chris was recruiting me hard because he signed so early,” Virginia linebacker Clint Sintim said.
The two clicked instantly. In fact, Sintim made such a quick impression on Long that he raved about his new teammate to his younger brothers before the two took part in their first practice.
“I remember the day I met Clint. Chris was in the dorms the summer before his freshman year and we would go visit him and he had told me about this buddy that he had met named Clint, and I was trying to figure out which one he was because I paid attention to recruiting and stuff and I couldn’t find him,” said Howie, Jr., Long’s youngest brother. “When I finally met him, he was hilarious from the start. He was just so funny.”
Although Sintim redshirted in 2004, as the regular season reached its final month the outside linebacker was unable to return home during a break in the academic calendar.
Long decided to invite his friend to his parent’s house in Ivy. The rest is history.
“Chris invited him over for Thanksgiving because he couldn’t go back home and he kind of became part of the family,” Howie, Jr. recounted. “My mom loved him. My dad loved him. It has kind of gone on from there.”
Sintim, while raving about the spread that helped him blossom into a freakishly scary
254-pounder, said he felt welcome from the moment he wiped his feet off on the welcome mat at the home owned by an NFL Hall of Famer.
“I wasn’t even nervous,” Sintim said. “It wasn’t really Howie Long, it was Chris’ father. Chris was a humble guy so you assumed the same from his parents.”
Meal after meal, Sintim was always along for the short ride.
“I guess they kind of adopted me,” he chuckled. “They are good people and it means a lot just to know that they have embraced me and kind of took me in the way that they did just because Chris and I were so cool.
“I have appreciated everything they have done for me the whole time that I have been here.”
While Long approached icon-like status in Virginia lore last year during an All-American campaign that propelled him to the No. 2 selection in the NFL Draft, he remained the same humorous person in the eyes of teammates.
During one trip to a banquet for a national award, Long registered at one hotel under a pseudonym: Clint Sintim.
When told of Long’s actions last winter, Sintim shook his head in disbelief and joked that he would “punch Chris in his neck.”
Despite Long’s current status as a highly-paid professional football player with the St. Louis Rams, the two talk frequently.
“I usually talk to him or text him three or four times a week just to ask him how he is doing,” Sintim said. “I talk to him every Friday night before we play.
“He stays up with us and I try to stay up with him, but we practice on Sunday so I usually just hear the score on SportsCenter and ask him how he did.”
It would be out of character for Sintim but he has had reason to boast during the discussions this season. Despite the loss of Long and defensive end Jeffrey Fitzgerald, Sintim leads the nation’s linebackers in sacks and has amassed 13 of his 29 career sacks through 10 games.
In the process, Sintim broke the UVa program record for sacks by a linebacker and trails only the
40-sack total registered by former defensive end Chris Slade.
With the stellar season gaining national attention, the Fairfax County native has been ranked
No. 22 on Mel Kiper’s 2009 Big Board for NFL Draft prospects.
He also remains on the watch list for the Nagurski Award, given annually to the nation’s top defensive player.
Perhaps an invitation would be fitting, allowing Sintim to register upon arrival at the awards banquet on Dec. 7 in Charlotte, N.C., as his best friend.
“I will get him back for that,” Sintim said.

 

Split decision -- UVa and William & Mary -- for Phillips parents
When UVa and W&M honor their seniors Saturday, Susan and "Bugs" Phillips will both be riding solo for their sons.
By Doug Doughty
981-3129

The ideal fall Saturday for Susan and Gene "Bugs" Phillips from Bath County would be a 1 p.m. football game at William and Mary followed by a 7:30 game at Virginia.

They could drive to Williamsburg and watch older son Jake play in the afternoon, then hustle off to Charlottesville and catch younger son John on the way home.

It's happened once all season.

Maybe it would help if ACC schedules were set before the season, but it's almost been cruel the way television programmers have teased the Phillipses on a weekly basis.

The final blow came Nov. 10, when the ACC announced a noon kickoff for Virginia's game Saturday with Clemson. William and Mary entertains Richmond at the same time.

It's nothing they haven't experienced before, but this time it's different. This time it's Senior Day, the final home game for both Jake, a fifth-year senior quarterback for the Tribe, and John, a fourth-year senior tight end for the Cavaliers.

On an occasion when most schools introduce their seniors and their parents, John will be accompanied by his father and Jake by his mother.

"It's been hard for me," Susan said. "I've had a rough week. We didn't say anything to the kids. They knew that Parents' Day was on the same day but I don't think they realized it was at the same time.

"If the Virginia game had been at 3:30, that would have worked out fine because we could have walked Jake out, driven to Charlottesville, changed clothes and walked John out."

They'll continue to deal with the inconvenience while realizing how fortunate they've been.

"It's bittersweet," Jake said. "We all wish we could be together, but we're thankful that we've had such full careers."

Jake, who is one of the William and Mary captains, has accounted for 7,782 yards and 74 touchdowns (57 passing, 17 rushing) in his Tribe career.

John enters Saturday's game with 46 receptions, the high among ACC tight ends. Also a co-captain, he will making the 26th start of his career.

They were teammates for three seasons at Bath County, where Jake was named Associated Press Group A player of the year in 2003, when the Chargers reached the Group A Division 1 championship game. A week after the season, he made an oral commitment to Division I-AA William and Mary, choosing not to wait on a possible offer from I-A Virginia.

But, the Phillips family hadn't heard the last from UVa head coach Al Groh, whose staff already had begun its pursuit of younger brother John.

"We've never really talked about this," Bugs said this week, "but coach Groh told Jacob, 'If you go to Fork Union or Hargrave for the first semester, we'll bring you in [after that].

"It seemed that coach Groh was really interested in having Jake on his team. He said, 'I'm not sure you'll be a quarterback,' but you'll definitely have your shot. He said, 'I want you on my football team.'"

It was food for thought, but Jake felt he had given his word to Wayne Lineburg, the William and Mary assistant who had recruited him. Coincidentally, Lineburg subsequently joined the staff at UVa.

"I really wish we could have gone to the same school," Jake said. "But we've tried not to second-guess ourselves. We're at the places we are for a reason and we're making the most of it."

If Jake had gone to Fork Union, he might have ended up a year behind his younger brother, who was never redshirted at UVa. Then again, the Senior Day issue also could have been averted if John had been redshirted.

"It definitely has occurred to me," said John, who played enough to letter in 2005. "As a freshman, you're anxious to get on the field and don't think about redshirting. This is the first season that I've caught a lot of balls, and I wonder what might have happened if I had another year. My parents could have made all the games."

Virginia faced Division I-AA Richmond this year but the Cavaliers originally were supposed to entertain William and Mary in what would have been a dream matchup for the Phillipses.

"It was on the schedule for two [or] three years," Jake said. "We were so excited when we heard about it, but when they had an opportunity to play Southern Cal, they had to bump it back a year."

Southern Cal wanted to play Virginia in the opening game and William and Mary didn't have an opening for the Week 2 slot filled by the Spiders.

"How many times do you see two brothers flip a coin with each other?" Jake said.

The stars must not be aligned for the Phillips family this year. Last spring, Virginia and William and Mary had their spring games on the same day.

Clearly, there have been many times when one brother has been playing and another has been on an open date. Last Saturday, John was in the stands with the rest of the Phillips family for William and Mary's game at James Madison.

William and Mary (7-3) would have a chance for the Division I-AA playoffs with a victory over Richmond. Virginia (5-5) could play two more games, a Nov. 29 trip to Virginia Tech and a possible bowl bid if the Cavaliers get to six wins.

Then what?

"Hopefully, they'll be going to NFL games," said John, who has been the topic of numerous agent inquiries. "I really think Jake's got a shot, too. I hope they're still debating on which games to go to next year."
 

Copper captivates Cavs with career
Only wedded Cavalier remains on track to be leading tackler for third straight season at Virginia
Paul Montana, Cavalier Daily Senior Associate Editor
Published: Thursday, November 20 2008

Senior inside linebacker Jon Copper will walk into Scott Stadium on Senior Day against Clemson needing just 15 tackles to reach 300 for his career, a mark that just 13 other former Cavaliers have ever reached. No one said married life was easy. But senior Jon Copper takes it to an entirely new dimension.

While starting 36 consecutive games and counting for Virginia at inside linebacker, Copper is also the only current football player for Virginia who has tied the knot. His wife, Holly Dixon Copper, is also a full-time student and senior at the University; the two married in May 2007.

When Virginia coach Al Groh was asked if Copper is the only married player he has ever had, he had an answer that had everyone in the room chuckling.

“Officially, yeah,” Groh said. “We’ve had quite a few that it wasn’t recorded down at the hall of records, but who had a lot less independence than Jon has got.”

With all that Copper adds to the team, his teammates are pleased that he still has time for football. Though not a captain this season, Groh said Copper is “one of the most respected players on the team.” A product of Fork Union Military Academy and a native of Roanoke, Va., Copper was initially offered a partial financial-aid package from Bucknell, but the package was then rescinded — “they dropped me,” Copper said. With his first choice always to attend the University, Copper — undersized at 6-foot and with uninspiring athleticism — then decided to give it a go as a walk-on, with nothing but a tryout invitation from the Virginia coaching staff and his own competitive nature to lean on.

“When I came up here, I think my senior year of high school, and watched spring practice, I knew I could be competitive with the guys that were on the field,” Copper said. “But the things that have happened ... I see a lot of it out of my control, and I’ve just been very fortunate. It’s been a blessing.”

Now in his fifth year, Copper is preparing to walk into Scott Stadium for the last time Saturday in a home bout with Clemson as a three-year starter and one of the most overachieving players on the team. With 85 tackles thus far this season — 25 more than any Cavalier — Copper is well on his way to leading the team in tackles for the third straight season and to becoming the 14th player in Virginia history to tally at least 300 tackles in his career. The last Virginia player to reach this mark was linebacker Angelo Crowell, a Class of 2002 graduate.

“Remarkable, amazing, distinguished,” Groh said of Copper’s career thus far, adding, “As productive as he’s been, he’s unassuming as a person could be but not unconfident.”

Fellow senior linebacker Clint Sintim had similar thoughts.

“He’s a great player, especially — and he’ll tell you this — for the lack of athleticism and his height,” Sintim said. “I think he feeds off the fact that he’s not the fastest or the strongest or the tallest and he’s still able to be as productive as he is.”

What’s more, this season, Copper now takes nearly every snap in the 3-4 as well as in Virginia’s nickel and dime packages because of injuries that have plagued the linebacker corps. Known to be one of the fiercest film-viewers on the team — he brings a dog-eared spiral notebook to film sessions, Groh said — Copper simply does everything the right way.

For players like Copper, “We’re able to say to some of [the freshmen], ‘Look, you see that guy over there? He plays your position — just watch him all year,’” Groh said. “‘Watch how he lifts weights. Watch how he practices. Watch him during film sessions. He’s figured out how to do it.’”

Then, at the end of the day, the student-athlete-husband goes home and squeezes in a little study time for his major, religious studies. If he has time, he might also help out with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Young Life or Athletes in Action at U.Va, all clubs with which Copper is involved.

”He’s a married man, he’s very religious, he has a lot of things in his life that are extremely important to him,” Sintim said. “This football thing is obviously important to him, but [Copper] is very mature and old, so he handles himself the way an older, married man would.”
To say the least, when Copper walks into Scott Stadium during the senior day celebrations, Holly won’t be the only one clapping.
“Copper is the man,” Sintim said.