The next step for Sene
By Whitey Reid
Published: November 12, 2009
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It was over the summer in the Big Apple when Sylven Landesberg began to see just how much potential teammate Assane Sene really had. The two played frequent pick-up games in New York City against a bevy of NBA players.

Going up against the likes of the New Jersey Nets’ Yi Jianlian and the Indiana Pacers’ Troy Murphy at the New York Athletic Club, Sene — the 7-footer from Senegal — fared well, according to Landesberg.

“Assane held his own,” Landesberg said. “I mean, at times he would struggle because those guys are just so talented — I’ve never seen big guys move so fast and swiftly.

“But he was holding his own. He was able to get some blocked shots and was scoring. I was surprised. The moves he was making were very good.”

Last season, as a freshman, Sene showed tremendous promise. But there is no doubt that he’ll need to do more than that this season if Virginia has any hopes of proving preseason prognosticators wrong and finishing better than 11th in the conference.

UVa needs Sene, entering his sophomore year, to start to mature as a player.

Clearly, that hasn’t happened quite yet — on or off the court. Last week, Virginia coach Tony Bennett suspended Sene for the first three games of the season for “conduct detrimental to the team.”

Sene will sit out Friday night’s season opener versus Longwood, the team’s first road game at South Florida on Monday and a home game against Rider next Thursday.

During a teleconference on Wednesday, Bennett said he wants Sene to put his mistake behind him.

“The suspension is in place,” Bennett said. “It’s dealt with. We said, ‘You’re back. Now we move forward.’ And that’s what we’re trying to do with Assane. He’s always had a good attitude when he’s been on the court, as far as his effort level…”

His recent transgression excluded, Bennett has continually referred to Sene as a “buy-in guy,” a nod to Sene’s willingness to do whatever is best for the team.

There is little doubt of Sene’s abilities on the defensive end of the floor. In just 17.3 minutes of playing time per game last season, he averaged 1.6 blocks, which ranked fifth in the ACC.

“He’s active. He runs the floor. He alters shots. He plays hard. He’s an unselfish player,” Bennett said. “Those are all plusses, and he is such an enthusiastic type player.”

Where Sene needs to grow is on the offensive end — and he also has to become a more consistent rebounder. Last season, he averaged 2.5 points and 4.6 rebounds.

The tools are certainly there. Sene has a nice fluid stroke on his jumper. During practice, he seems to possess a nice touch from 15 feet and in. As a former soccer player, he has pretty good footwork.

Part of Sene’s problem last season was a left thumb injury (on his shooting hand), which caused him to shoot just 29 percent (6 of 21) from the free-throw line.

“I’m trying to improve my offense,” said Sene, prior to his suspension. “Coach Bennett is giving me a chance to shoot and see what I can do.

“I don’t want to be known as just a defensive player. I’m trying to improve my offense. That’s what I’m excited about — showing people what I can do because last year my thumb was bothering me really bad.”

One thing that should help Sene is improved strength and conditioning under new coach Mike Curtis. Sene weighs about the same as he did last year (234), but looks a bit more muscular.

A major point of emphasis for the new coaching staff has been working on Sene’s hands. They aren’t quite as malignant as former Virginia player Tunji Soroye’s, but they still need work.

“I’ve been telling him, before you do anything else, possess the ball first,” Bennett said. “Don’t worry about your move, your next pass, just possess it first and then we’ll go from there.

“A lot of [improvement] will be just from experience and playing, and he’s been working hard at those things.”

Landesberg said he’s seen a ton of improvement in his roommate since he first stepped foot on grounds.

“He has a little turn-around jump shot now,” Landesberg beamed.

The one thing Landesberg has been harping on with Sene has been the use of his right hand, or lack thereof, when he is around the basket.

During those summer pick-up games, Landesberg implored Sene to use it more often. “I think that’s his biggest weakness,” he said.

One of Sene’s better performances last season came against Florida State. Guarding countryman Solomon Alabi for a good portion of the game — Alabi is projected to be a lottery pick in this June’s NBA draft — Sene recorded three blocks.

“I think he’s a high-energy guy,” said Alabi, at ACC media day last month. “If he keeps working hard, like I know he will, I think he’s going to be really good.”

Landesberg thinks the sky’s the limit for Sene.

“If he continues to work as hard as he is, I don’t think he has a ceiling,” he said. “He can just keep growing and growing.”
 

Wanted: Help in the Post
Nov. 11, 2009
2:28 p.m.

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Tony Bennett opened practice last month with 12 scholarship players. He's down to 10, only two of whom are post players: 6-8 junior Mike Scott and 6-9 senior Jerome Meyinsse.

Walk-on Will Sherrill, an ever-hustling 6-9 junior, is another option for Bennett in the frontcourt, and 6-8 freshman Tristan Spurlock, a natural wing, figures to see some time at power forward.

Even so, with 7-0 sophomore Assane Sene serving a three-game suspension and 6-9 senior Jamil Tucker taking an indefinite leave of absence, the Cavaliers are perilously thin on the interior as they head into their Friday night opener against Longwood at John Paul Jones Arena.

Bennett put a positive spin on the situation Wednesday in a teleconference with reporters, calling it "an opportunity for other guys on our team." Not much else he can say at this point.

In its two scrimmages, against Marquette and St. John's, UVa experimented with lineups that included four perimeter players -- often 6-6 Sylven Landesberg, 6-4 Jeff Jones, 6-4 Mustapha Farrakhan and 6-0 Sammy Zeglinski. Expect to see such combinations, at least occasionally, until Sene returns.

He'll be eligible to play Nov. 21 against Oral Roberts at the JPJ. Sene was suspended Saturday for three games, because of what Bennett called "conduct detrimental to the team," but he's allowed to continue practicing.

"The suspension is in place," Bennett said. "It's dealt with. We said, 'You're back. Now we move forward.' And that's what we're trying to do with Assane. He's also had a good attitude when he's been on the court, as far as his effort level and his buy-in factor on being a team player."

Of the Wahoos' available post players, Scott is the most experienced and most talented. He averaged 10.3 points and a team-high 7.4 rebounds last season and shot 54.4 percent from the floor. He missed the St. John's scrimmage with a foot injury, but Scott returned to practice Tuesday and should be in the rotation Friday night.

"He's done a nice job up to this point," Bennett said. "He's had some real good moments, and when he's locked in, and certainly healthy, he has some ability, whether it's scoring or using his athleticism, and I think he's a very important part of this year's team."

Meyinsse had 10 points and eight rebounds last season in a 73-70 loss at Syracuse. He's imposing physically but averaged only 8.8 minutes in 2008-09.

Like Sherrill and Spurlock, Meyinsse has "to be ready when called upon, with our current situation," Bennett said. "He's a fourth-year. He's physical and he just has to, again, understand his role when the opportunity presents itself. Play his role and just be steady for us. Sometimes when guys haven't played a lot and they get a chance to go out there, you just want them to be who they are and not become a different player than what we see in practice."

So who starts for UVa against Longwood?

Bennett needs a little more time to answer that one.

"I think we've got some flexibility, and I think there is parity in this program," he said. "There's not clear-cut guys [about whom] you say, 'This is our dominant starting five, no question about it.'

"We can go a couple different ways. We could play smaller, which we have to look at with Assane and Jamil out -- not saying they're locked-in starters, but looking at our numbers. Or you could be a little more traditional ... So that's what we've got to decide as we're heading into this. Certainly you'll see both."

-- Jeff White

Another blow for UVa bigs
By Whitey Reid
Published: November 12, 2009
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“The Thrill” is gone. For just how long, nobody’s saying.

On Wednesday, Virginia fans received some more bad news when the school announced that senior forward Jamil “The Thrill” Tucker was taking an “indefinite leave of absence” from the team.

Just last week, new Virginia coach Tony Bennett suspended center Assane Sene for the first three games of the season for “conduct detrimental to the team.”

All of this with the Wahoos’ season opener versus Longwood just one day away — the Cavaliers host the Lancers on Friday night at 7 p.m. The loss of two key players, for such vague reasons, so close to the start of the opener is certainly a bit odd.

According to Bennett, Tucker — a 6-foot-9 player from Gary, Ind. — is taking the leave so that he can focus on personal matters. Tucker, who was expected to be a key contributor this season, will not play in games or practice with the team during his leave of absence.

“Jamil has some things he has to deal with at this time,” Bennett said in a release. “This leave of absence will give him time to deal with these matters.”

Tucker played in all 28 games and started four for Virginia last season. He averaged 7.4 points, 3.8 rebounds and 18.5 minutes. He shot 44.2 percent from the field, including 40.3 percent from 3-point range.

Tucker’s absence, coupled with the loss of Sene, leaves Virginia extremely thin in the front court. UVa’s only remaining big people are Mike Scott, Jerome Meyinsse and walk-on Will Sherrill.

“It’s an opportunity for other guys on our team,” Bennett said during a teleconference. “Guys like Jerome, even Tristan [Spurlock] and Will [Sherrill]...they have to be ready.”

Scott has been hobbled by a foot injury that he sustained in the closed-door scrimmage against St. John’s on Sunday. However, Bennett was optimistic that the 6-foot-8 junior would be ready for Longwood.

In other injury news, Bennett said Calvin Baker’s status is still up in the air. Baker, still recovering from arthroscopic surgery on his knee, has returned to practice on a limited basis.

“I’ll talk to Ethan [Saliba] and see how he responded to practice [on Tuesday],” Bennett said, referring to the Cavaliers’ trainer. “He didn’t go the whole practice, but he did some things, so that will be kind of tentative — it’s how he responds.”


 

White: A Night to Remember
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com Release: 11/10/2009
By Jeff White

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Under normal circumstances, the game would have drawn "maybe 1,500" fans to University Hall, Debbie Ryan says, even though it matched two of the nation's top women's basketball teams.
Ah, but there was nothing normal about the proceedings Feb. 5, 1986, as those who packed U-Hall that night will attest.
The occasion was "Hot Dog Night," a promotion that proved more successful than anyone at UVa dreamed possible, Todd Turner included.
Turner was then an associate athletics director at Virginia. Kim Record was director of promotions. She gets credit for the idea: Give a free hot dog and soda to each fan who attended the game between third-ranked and unbeaten UVa and No. 15 North Carolina.
"This was before it was fashionable to promote women's basketball," recalled Record, now the AD at UNC Greensboro.
"Todd said, 'If you get 5,000 people, I'll dance naked at halftime.' He never danced naked at halftime, and I haven't let him forget that."
The game drew significantly more than 5,000, of course. The attendance was 11,174 -- some 2,000 more than the arena's official capacity then -- and that remains a record for a home crowd at a UVa women's basketball game.
"It was insane," Ryan recalled.
Record said: "It was one of the craziest nights I can remember."
UVa hopes to see that scene repeated at John Paul Jones Arena on Nov. 22. That's when Pat Summitt's Tennessee Lady Volunteers come to town for a 2 p.m. game against Ryan's Cavaliers.
The goal? A new attendance record for a UVa women's game in Charlottesville.
Each fan at the game will receive a coupon for a free Gwaltney hot dog and a 12-ounce Pepsi.
If an overflow crowd shows up at the 14,593-seat JPJ, Ryan will be prepared for it. That wasn't the case in 1986.
"We had no idea how it would explode," Ryan said. "Of course, it was the perfect storm, because we were 20-0."
That helped. So did Record's relentless promotion. "We made it an event by getting all the right people [in the community] involved," she said.
Dick Mathias was UVa's ticket manager for athletics in '86. He remembers a meeting at which he asked Jim West, a towering figure in the athletics department, what would happen if the turnout for the game exceeded U-Hall's capacity.
"His comeback was, 'Just let 'em in, brother!'" Mathias recalled with a laugh.
On the day of the game, fans started lining up outside U-Hall, giving Ryan and Record an inkling of what was to come. Mathias actually missed the game -- he was at a meeting in California -- but he got a call that night from Turner.
"He said, 'We got a little problem here. We got all these people outside the building, and some of them have tickets [bought in advance],'" Mathias recalled.
"I said, 'Todd, I don't really have a solution, but I think you need to find out who out there has tickets and try to get them in.'"
In the end, West's command -- "Just let 'em in, brother!" -- was followed, and everywhere Ryan and Record looked that night, they saw fans: in the aisles, behind the baskets, near the rafters.
"You couldn't even get to the concession stands," Record said.
At halftime, the over-capacity crowd was "treated" to a basketball game involving media members from around the state, among them such luminaries as David Teel, Doug Doughty, Jerry Ratcliffe and Rob Daniels.
"It was brutal, but it worked," Record said, laughing. "I got them to write about the game."
Alas, the main event ended unhappily for the Wahoos, who lost 60-58 on a buzzer-beater.
"The ending was unbelievable," Ryan recalled. "The kid just threw it up."
Record said: "That was such a difficult loss, and Debbie came out and got on the P.A. afterward and was so gracious."
The story ended unhappily for UVa in another way, too. The local fire marshal, concerned about the crowd size on "Hot Dog Night," reduced U-Hall's official capacity by several hundred seats, Mathias said, costing the University thousands of dollars in lost revenue each year on marquee men's games.
"Probably the most expensive promotion in the history of college basketball," Record said.

Winning still way for Ryan
UVa's long-time leader hopes to get her 700th career win when the Cavs begin play Friday.
By Katrina Waugh

The first win came on Nov. 28, 1977.

Since then, Virginia coach Debbie Ryan has coached three first team all-Americans, been to the Final Four three times and to the NCAA tournament 23 times and coached some of the greats in women's basketball including two-time national player of the year Dawn Staley.

She is already enshrined in the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame.

On Friday, Ryan gets her first shot at win No. 700 as the 2009-10 season opens at UMBC.

"We want it for her because we love her so much," said Cavaliers senior Monica Wright. "We'll run through a brick wall for her because we know she will do that for us."

The No. 14 Cavaliers won't need any sledge hammers for Ryan, who went 699-298 over her first 32 years as head coach for Virginia, to join the likes of Tennessee's Pat Summit and North Carolina's Sylvia Hatchell with 700 wins.

Virginia has better tools for the job, starting with Wright.

Wright was the preseason pick for ACC player of the year and she made The Associated Press's preseason All-America team. She led the ACC in scoring last season with 20.5 points a game, and said that this season her "focus is on elevating my game."

The Cavaliers went 24-10 and made it to the second round of the NCAA tournament last season, but half of that team's scoring and rebounding power is gone with the graduation of Lyndra Littles (19.9 ppg, 6.4 rpg) and Aisha Mohammed (12.8 ppg, 10.1 rpg).

"The theme this year will be defense and rebounding," Wright said. "It's our focus every day."

But they return point guard Paulisha Kellum, who sat out last season with a knee injury, and sophomores Ariana Moorer (guard) and Chelsea Shine (post), who played a lot last season.

Twins Britny (forward) and Whitny Edwards (guard) are also back for their sophomore seasons, as is junior forward Jayna Hartig.

But the Cavaliers, like many teams in the ACC this season, will be counting on production from their freshman class. They are also looking for a chance to break back into the top of the ACC ranks, and get past that second round of the NCAAs.

ESPNU ranked the Cavaliers' incoming class the fifth best in the country. Point guard China Crosby was ranked No. 14 in the country.

"She's quick with the ball and she has a high basketball IQ," Wright said of Crosby.

Center Erinn Thompson, twice named North Carolina's player of the year, was ranked 21st in the country, guard Lexie Gerson ranked 37th and center Simone Egwu 71st.

Telia McCall, Georgia's 5A player of the year last season, is the only one in the class who didn't make the Hoopgurlz Top 100.

"A lot of teams lost key players last year, especially teams at the top," Ryan said. "We have a very good chance, but it's going to depend on how quickly my first-years come along."

OUR LEAGUE: From walk-on to record-setter
By Jerry Ratcliffe
Published: November 12, 2009
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Scattershooting around the ACC, while noting that fans showing up to Saturday’s Virginia game against visiting Boston College will witness one of the more interesting stories in college football ...

That would be the winding down of BC kicker Steve Aponavicius’ career.

Five years ago, Aponavicius, a former high school soccer player was sitting in the stands one week as a fan, adorned in body paint and taking in BC’s season-opener. The team was struggling with its kicking game, and one day, a former BC grad assistant was on his way to class and spotted Aponavicius practicing field goals by himself.

The grad assistant asked the youngster if he’d like to walk on to the team, and Aponavicius figured, ‘Why not?’

Five years later, Aponavicius is Boston College’s all-time leading scorer with 267 total points, including a school-record 144 PATs.

“It’s a great story,” said Eagles coach Frank Spaziani, a former UVa assistant who will be making his first visit to Scott Stadium in almost 20 years this weekend. “A guy drops from the student body and after a lot of hard work, a lot of time and energy, he becomes the all-time leading scorer. That’s a great accomplishment he can be proud of.”

Virginia coach Al Groh found it bewildering that BC has a record-setting kicker and a 25-year-old quarterback (Dave Shinskie, a former professional baseball player) as key figures.

“You’ve got your kicker, a guy who is sitting in the student body one week, and your quarterback was playing minor league baseball last summer,” Groh said. “I don’t know how it happened, but I can just imagine.”

Groh pretended to be a player knocking on the door of a coach’s office.

“Coach, can I talk to you for a second? I would like to introduce myself. I want to kick for you,” Groh chuckled. “Or, ‘Hey, I’m here and I want to be your quarterback.’ Oh, no kidding? Really? Come on in. I don’t know if it went down that way, but it’s a good story.”

Stat of the week I

Teams might want to keep Georgia Tech from scoring first in games. When the Yellow Jackets score first, they’re 7-1 on the season.

Stat of the week II

While Boston College is 0-3 on the road this season, Virginia had better make sure that Eagles’ running back Montel Harris doesn’t reach 100 yards rushing. When Harris goes over 100, BC is 4-0 on the season.

Quote of the week I

N.C. State coach Tom O’Brien was baffled about how quiet his locker room was after Saturday’s win over Maryland, snapping a four-game losing streak, leaving the coach to say:

“Did you guys forget how to celebrate?”

Quote of the week II

After turning 80 years old over the weekend, Florida State coach Bobby Bowden was asked how hard it was to celebrate his birthday:

“You don’t celebrate after last night,” Bowden said Sunday morning. “Our team got beat. [Son] Terry’s team lost their first game last night, too, in overtime. My son-in-law, Jack, who coaches a local high school that had a seven-game winning streak, they got beat. So our whole family got whipped. We aren’t celebrating nothing.”

Quarterbacks down

A rash of late-season quarterback injuries have started to plague ACC teams.

Virginia’s Jameel Sewell went down in the Duke game and missed the Miami game.

Now, Florida State will be forced to start redshirt freshman QB E.J. Manuel (of Virginia Beach) in place of Christian Ponder, the league’s leading passer in Saturday’s game against Wake Forest. Ponder injured his shoulder when trying to tackle a Clemson player that intercepted his pass last Saturday night.

That’s a lot of pressure on Manuel, since FSU must win two of its last three games in order to maintain the nation’s longest active bowl streak (27 in a row).

Maryland QB Chris Turner, who has started 29 of the last 30 games, watched the second half of last week’s loss at N.C. State due to a knee injury that could keep him out of this game or more.

New unis

When Virginia Tech travels to Maryland on Saturday, the two teams’ attire might be more interesting than the game. The Hokies are lopsided favorites to extend the Terrapins’ misery.

The visiting Hokies will wear their eighth uniform combination of the season, a special uniform that Nike will supply, then auction the jerseys later. Tech will wear an all-white uniform, including white helmets.

Meanwhile, Maryland will wear camouflage uniforms (black and tan) to honor military veterans during a week that featured Veterans Day. The Terps are also promoting the Wounded Warriors Project.

Checks & balances

Virginia ranks eighth in the ACC in average home attendance with 46,605 fans per game. Some blame the low figures on the team’s record, but N.C. State (4-5 overall and 1-4 in the ACC) is still drawing 56,305 per home date, according to the league office.

Miami is 7-2 overall and attracting an average of 49,421 fans per game. Boston College is 6-3 and averaging 34,790 fans per home date. Georgia Tech is 9-1 and drawing but 50,819 fans per home game.

How’s the ACC’s instant replay doing this year? So far, 142 plays have been reviewed by ACC replay crews only. Of that total, a mere 23 have been overturned. Average length of the replays has been 1 minute, 14 seconds.

Short yardage

League oddity: is N.C. State the determining factor in Maryland’s bowl chances each year? Strange but true, since 1978 each of the 15 times the Wolfpack has beaten the Terps, Maryland failed to make it to a bowl game. Conversely, in 13 of the 17 meetings the Terps have won, they’ve gone to a bowl. ... Give North Carolina credit for finding a way to cool off Duke QB Thaddeus Lewis last weekend. During the Blue Devils’ three-game conference winning streak, Lewis completed 70.6 percent of his passes and averaged 391 yards per game. However, vs. the Tar Heels, he was mediocre at best with a 16 of 33 game for only 133 yards. Said, Duke coach David Cutcliffe: “Carolina’s rush got to Thad ... he got hit way too much.” ... ESPN will feature a 2 1/2-hour special to evaluate the college basketball signing class of 2010 recruits on Friday at 2 p.m. on ESPNU. It will be interesting to see how those experts rate Virginia’s class of five incoming players. ... Watch for our feature story on Spaziani’s homecoming in Friday’s Daily Progress. ... Don’t forget that UVa legend Barry Parkhill will be the featured speaker at the MS Dinner of Champions on Dec. 2 at JPJ, proceeds benefiting the MS Society (tickets, 971-8011).

The picks

Last week: 6-0. To date: 48-21. This week: Virginia Tech 48, Maryland 10; Wake Forest 30, Florida State 24; Georgia Tech 40, Duke 23; Clemson 33, N.C. State 21; Miami 20, UNC 17; Virginia 27, Boston College 24.
 

Cavs, Skins linked by hard times
By Michael Phillips
Published: November 12, 2009
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The team has a losing record, the coach is perceived as a lame duck, and the offense just can't seem to score points.

Is it the Washington Redskins or the Virginia Cavaliers? And perhaps more important, does it matter?

It's been a trying season for Cavs and Skins fans. Neither team figures to be slotted into a postseason game.

The similarities don't end there. The same problems fans watch on Saturday seem to haunt their Sundays as well.

Virginia wide receiver Jared Green experiences both worlds -- his father, Darrell, played for the Redskins, and the younger Green occasionally chats with some of the players.

"I know they're going through a lot," he said. "It's unfortunate, but it's just one of those things."

Both teams have had struggles at quarterback. For Virginia, it's been a matter of juggling among Vic Hall, Jameel Sewell and Marc Verica. Washington has had just one, though Jason Campbell has yet to inspire the fan base.

The problems for both teams, however, have centered on offensive-line play. For the Cavs, coach Al Groh alluded to as much when he said yesterday the holes for running backs haven't been sufficient.

"Unfortunately for who ever is carrying the ball, we haven't been able to give them as much help, as far as openings, that we'd like to give any back," he said.

In D.C., the line's anchor, Chris Samuels, went down with injury, leaving a rag-tag collection of inexperienced players.

"I'm concerned with our injuries, but it's what all the teams have to deal with each week," coach Jim Zorn said. "One thing that we will do is be competitive. We'll go out and compete. We will put our best effort out on the field."

And, as much as fans hate to hear it, both teams may have their toughest games still ahead of them.

The Redskins started by playing six winless teams in a row, but now must face the reality of the NFC East.

Meanwhile, Virginia will finish its season against Boston College, Clemson and Virginia Tech, all winning teams with eyes on prestigious bowl games.

Both teams are dealing with unhappy fans. The Redskins still sell out every game, though many of those fans have skipped showing up on Sundays.

On Saturdays, Scott Stadium still draws at least 40,000 people, but linebacker Aaron Clark said it's evident when the crowd is pumped up and behind the team.

"We still get great crowds," Clark said. "But there's a difference between seeing a crowd and feeling a crowd. The players know when a crowd's behind them, and they really appreciate it when they are."

The numbers don’t lie for struggling Cavs
By Jay Jenkins
Published: November 12, 2009
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The numbers are staggering.

On the heels of releasing its offensive coordinator, Mike Groh, Virginia’s football team expected instant results.

For myriad reasons, that has not been the case.

Heading into Saturday’s game against Boston College, the Cavaliers (3-6, 2-3 ACC) rank among the worst in the ACC in numerous categories.

That explains their woeful performance to date.

In rushing offense, a year after losing Cedric Peerman, Virginia has failed to average 100 yards a game and stands 11th in the league statistically in the category. Nationally, only 10 programs stack up in a poorer position.

It is nearly as bad in terms of passing — the Cavaliers rank 10th in the league and No. 104 in the country, averaging almost 280 yards less than Houston, the nation’s top air attack.

“We know we can move the ball,” Virginia quarterback Jameel Sewell said two weeks ago. “We can turn it around and put points up on the scoreboard through the air.”

The Cavaliers, ranked No. 119 of 120 in total offense, played without Sewell last week at Miami, but had their full complement of players on defense.

That still led to 515 yards allowed, which helped drop Virginia further in national defensive rankings.

The Cavaliers, despite numerous eye-catching performances, have failed to conquer the run on defense of late and stand No. 49 in total defense. That figure sits eighth-best among ACC teams.

“We know we can be better against the run,” Virginia linebacker Aaron Clark said. “It is just a matter of staying in your lanes and making plays. We have to be better at that.”

Special-teams work has been just as shady this season, leaving the Cavaliers among the worst in the league in numerous categories.

The most notable, however, has been in kickoff returns as the combination of Chase Minnifield and Perry Jones combined to manage just 17.96 yards per attempt, leaving the program at 115th overall nationally.
 

U.Va. sporting notes
Michael Phillips
Nov 11, 2009

This will be in tomorrow’s paper, but for those of you who just can’t wait, here’s a look at three different Cavs programs:

Basketball:

When the men’s basketball team tips off its season Friday night, the Hoos will be extremely thin at the forward position.

On Saturday Assane Sene was suspended by coach Tony Bennett for the first three games for conduct detrimental to the team.

Then yesterday Jamil Tucker announced that he was taking an indefinite leave of absence from the team. The situation is further exaggerated by a foot injury to Mike Scott, though Bennett said Scott could be cleared to play against Longwood Friday night.

The team’s only other true forwards are Jerome Meyinsse and Will Sherrill. Sherill is a walk-on member of the team.

Bennett said today that he would consider using four-guard formations during the game, though a starting lineup has not been set yet.

“I think we’ve got some flexibility,“ he said. “I think there is parity in this program, there’s no clear-cut guys that you would say, this is a dominant starting five. We want to have continuity, but I think it could fluctuate.“

The team played two closed scrimmages, one against Marquette and one against St. John’s, in preparation for the season. There will be no exhibition games.

Field hockey:

Virginia’s field hockey team, ranked No. 2 in the nation, will host an NCAA regional this Saturday and Sunday.

U.Va. faces Richmond at 11:30 a.m. Saturday at University Hall Turf Field. The teams met earlier this season with the Cavs edging out the Spiders 4-3.

“It was really close,” sophomore Paige Selenski said. “I’m not sure we were really ready for it, and it took a while for us to get our game together.”

She said she’s looking forward to getting a chance to play an NCAA game at home – last season the Cavs had to play on the road, falling in the second (quarterfinal) round to Wake Forest.

Virginia also hosted the ACC Tournament this year, with the Cavs being edged in the finals by No. 1 Maryland in overtime – the Terps are undefeated this season.

The winner of Saturday’s game will face Michigan State or Delaware Sunday afternoon for a spot in the Final Four, held this year at Wake Forest.

It will be a big athletics day on campus Saturday, as football and field hockey will play, as well as the volleyball team’s senior night match against Duke in the evening. Before the match seniors Lauren Dickson, Tara Hester and Brittani Rendina will be honored.

Men’s soccer:

Like the Cavs team as a whole, it took Will Bates a little while to get warmed up, but ever since he’s been a goal-scoring machine.

Bates, a freshman who was the Times-Dispatch player of the year last year at Thomas Dale, leads Virginia in goals, having notched seven of them so far this season.

“I knew it would come, because I kept getting chances,” he said of his first collegiate goal. “Then once that fell it was easier.”

His late-season emergence has coincided with a hot streak for the team.

The fifth-seeded Cavs open the ACC tournament against Maryland this afternoon.

After playing with the U.S. national team over the summer, the freshman was ready for his introduction to college soccer, which is played at a faster pace. The Cavs seem to be ready for the postseason as well – they haven’t lost since traveling to North Carolina on Oct. 2.

“We’re really hitting our stride now as far as soccer goes,” Bates said.

Virginia’s women’s soccer team is also preparing for postseason play – they’ll open NCAA tournament play this Saturday against St. John’s in a regional hosted by Penn State.

UVa Knocks Off Maryland, 1-0, Advances To ACC Semifinals
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com Release: 11/11/2009

CARY, N.C. - The fifth-seeded and sixth-ranked Virginia men's soccer team defeated fourth-seeded and fifth-ranked Maryland, 1-0, in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament Wednesday at WakeMed Soccer Park. Tony Tchani (Norfolk, Va.) scored the game-winning goal in the 88th minute.

Virginia (13-3-1) will face either top-seeded Wake Forest or ninth-seeded Clemson in the first semifinal on Friday, Nov. 13 at 5:30 p.m.

With the win, the Cavaliers won their third straight game and extended their unbeaten streak to nine games. In those contests, UVa holds a 7-0-2 record. Additionally, Virginia posted its sixth-consecutive shutout.

"We talked about keeping the ball on the ground and the fact that the standing water issue wasn't a problem," UVa head coach George Gelnovatch said. "We stayed the course and kept plugging away and Tony Tchani did great with his goal."

Virginia goalkeeper Diego Restrepo (West Palm Beach, Fla.) had two saves for his ACC-best 10th shutout of the season.

The teams played through heavy rains and strong winds for the entire game. Tchani had his first scoring opportunity in the 22nd minute when his free kick from the top of the penalty area curled around Maryland's defensive wall and sailed just wide.

In the first half, Virginia out-shot Maryland 7-1. The second half was more evenly matched until UVa midfielder Ross LaBauex (Chicago, Ill.) was issued his second card of the match and Virginia was forced to play a man down for the final 28 minutes of the match.

Tchani made the difference in the 88th minute however, gathering possession of the ball near the center circle and finishing a one-on-one opportunity with Maryland goalkeeper Zach MacMath.

For Tchani, it was his sixth goal of the year. Virginia avenged a 1-0 loss to the Terrapins in last year's ACC Championship game. Earlier this season in College Park, the teams played to a scoreless draw. It was the first UVa win in the series since a 3-0 win in Charlottesville during the 2006 season.

Shots ended up 12-6 in Virginia's favor. Maryland held a 7-2 advantage in corner kicks. MacMath finished with three saves.

Check VirginiaSports.com for the most up-to-date schedule of the 2009 ACC Men's Soccer Tournament.

 

Former Cavalier Zimmerman Wins First Gold Glove
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com Release: 11/11/2009

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - Former Virginia third baseman Ryan Zimmerman has earned the National League's 2009 Rawlings Gold Glove Award at third base, Major League Baseball announced today. Zimmerman, who plays for the Washington Nationals, is the first former Virginia player to earn the distinction, and he is just the fourth player who competed in the ACC to win the award.
Zimmerman joins Mark Teixiera (Georgia Tech), Doug Mientkiewicz (Florida State) and Jason Varitek (Georgia Tech) as the only players who competed in the ACC who have gone on to win the Gold Glove Award. Miami's Charles Johnson won the award, but competed at UM prior to the Hurricanes joining the ACC.
Zimmerman is the first former ACC player to win the award at third base. He also is the first Washington National to earn the honor.
Zimmerman had a career year in all facets of his game. He made his first All-Star team and batted .292 with 33 home runs and 106 RBI, while leading all National League third basemen in assists, total chances, total outs recorded and games started.

Gold glove award adds to Zimmerman's superb year
Posted to: Sports
The Washington Post
© November 12, 2009
By Dave Sheinin
WASHINGTON

It was defense that first drew the Washington Nationals to a 20-year-old University of Virginia third baseman named Ryan Zimmerman.

It was defense that got him compared to Brooks Robinson before he had played a single pro game. And made him a highlight-reel fixture once he arrived in 2005.

Ultimately, it was defense that brought him the most significant recognition of his career Wednesday when the Kellam High graduate and face of the Nationals franchise, was awarded a Gold Glove as the National League's best defensive player at his position this season.

"To hear this news and to win something like this, it was very exciting for me and my family," Zimmerman said in a conference call Wednesday afternoon. "It's a huge honor."

In giving the award to Zimmerman, the voters - NL managers and coaches - undoubtedly voted with their eyes: Zimmerman seemed to make spectacular plays on an almost nightly basis, and he led all big leaguers, unofficially, in appearances on the "Web Gems" segment of ESPN's "Baseball Tonight."

But in recognizing Zimmerman, 25, the voters may have also taken some advanced statistical analysis into account.

By traditional measures, Zimmerman's case was thin: His 17 errors - most of them caused by wayward throws - ranked third-most among NL third basemen, resulting in a mediocre fielding percentage of .963 that ranked just 12th. San Diego's Kevin Kouzmanoff set an all-time record for the position with a .990 fielding percentage.

But Zimmerman was more durable than Kouzmanoff, having played in 16 more games in 2009 and handled 148 more total chances, and had far better range - as evidenced by a stat known as "ultimate zone rating" (UZR) that is compiled at Fangraphs.com and is considered the most sophisticated measure of defense available.

"I just try to get to every single ball that comes my way," said Zimmerman, who won the Gold Glove at third base a year after another Hampton Roads product - Chesapeake's David Wright of the Mets - had won it. "I think in the past that's hurt me a little bit. When you try to make every single play, it hurts the team more than it helps it. But this year I kind of learned when it's smart to try to make a play, and when it's not."

For Zimmerman, then, a tumultuous 2009 season - in which the both the Nationals' general manager (Jim Bowden) and manager (Manny Acta) were dismissed - was bookended by significant individual achievements: the five-year $45 million contract extension he signed in April, and Wednesday's award.

In between, Zimmerman was named to his first all-star team and put up the best offensive numbers of his career. That's why he's among the favorites to win a Silver Slugger as the top-hitting third baseman in the league when those awards come out today.

Zimmerman, whose toughest competition for the Silver Slugger may come from fellow Virginia Beach product and Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman Mark Reynolds (First Colonial High), had career highs in homers (33), batting average (.292), on-base percentage (.364) and slugging percentage (.525).
 

Cavaliers Look to Defend NCAA Southeast Region Title
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com Release: 11/11/2009

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - The Virginia cross country teams will head to Louisville, Ky., to compete in the 2009 NCAA Southeast Regional Championships on Saturday. The men's 10k race is slated to begin at 10 a.m., with the women's 6k race following at 11:15 a.m.
Coming off a runner-up finish at the regional meet last season, Virginia's men, ranked No. 19 nationally, enter the race as the third-ranked team in the region, behind top-seed No. 8 William & Mary and the second-seed No. 16 NC State. The Cavaliers finished runner-up to the Wolfpack at this year's ACC Championship and are led by All-American Emil Heineking, who is undefeated this season.
Heineking started the season with a victory at the Lou Onesty Invitational and then won his second-straight George Mason Invitational title. At the Panorama Farms Invitational, he led seven runners across the line that broke the previous course record, shattering the record by 36 seconds. He most recently won his first-ever individual conference title, beating teammate Ryan Collins across the line.
Led by all-region performers Lauretta Dezubay, Stephanie Garcia and Morgane Gay, Virginia earned its first-ever NCAA Southeast Regional Championship on the women's side last season. With the trio returning, and the addition of transfer Catherine White, the No. 19 women enter the race as the second-ranked team in the region. No. 15 Duke is the top-ranked team.
Dezubay (Lou Onesty) and White (George Mason) each earned individual titles this season and the squad is coming off a third-place finish at ACCs this year.
The top-two teams and top-four individuals from each of the eight regional meets will automatically advance to the NCAA Championships to be held in Terre Haute, Ind., on Monday, Nov. 23. Thirteen teams will also earn an at-large bid, to be announced on Sunday, Nov. 15.
 

Virginia looks for spark against visiting Spiders
No. 2 Cavaliers host Richmond in first round of NCAAs, hope fourth appearance in as many seasons with Madison yields title
Meryem Karad, Cavalier Daily Associate Editor
Field Hockey / Sports
November 12, 2009 0

Making its fourth straight trip to the NCAA Tournament during coach Michele Madison’s four-year tenure at the helm, the No. 2 Virginia field hockey team will face Richmond (14-8) in first-round action Saturday at Turf Field.

One of 16 tournament teams, the Cavaliers will host only their second regional round in the program’s 19 championship appearances. The squad also will gun for its 19th victory of the season — a mark which would tie the school record for wins in a season.

“The ACC is top in field hockey so in that aspect it has gotten us ready for the NCAA tournament,” junior back Shelly Edmonds said. “The whole competitive environment in all is pretty exciting.”

Virginia (18-3) will face a familiar foe in the Spiders, who fell to the Cavaliers 4-3 at their home stadium Sept. 30. Richmond, however, is fresh off claiming its sixth Atlantic-10 Championship in eight years with a 3-0 rout of Temple in the conference finals. The Spiders also upset No. 19 Massachusetts en route to the title.

“Every team you play is going to be tough,” Madison said. “Richmond is a talented team and we know that. We have to bring our A-game.”

Although the Spiders failed to earn an automatic bid into the championship bracket, they earned a ticket to Charlottesville by defeating Ohio in a 2-1 comeback victory in the bracket play-in game.
“The last time we played Richmond was not our best game so we look to go out there and play well, stay on our mark, and focus,” Edmonds said.

The Cavaliers are coming off last weekend’s heartbreaking overtime loss against No. 1 Maryland in ACC Tournament Championship game. Despite Virginia’s late-game miscues against the Terps, Virginia sophomores forward Paige Selenski and midfielder Inga Stöckel, as well as freshman back Charlotte van den Broek, were named to the All-Tournament team. Van den Broek played especially well in the ACC Tournament, scoring her first two goals of the season in Virginia’s 1-0 upset of No. 2 North Carolina and 3-2 loss against Maryland.

“We have a really good group of fans at home and we’re excited to play at home,” Stöckel said. “We’ve got a lot of confidence going into the tournament. We’ve seen that we can win against anyone but we have to play 70 minutes.”

Following the Virginia-Richmond contest, Big Ten champion Michigan State (17-3) and Colonial Athletic Association champion Delaware (14-5) will square off in the second game of the afternoon. The winners of the two contests will meet at 2 p.m. Sunday for a chance to advance to next weekend’s national semifinals in Winston Salem, N.C.