Beach is out as Cavs prep for game
By Whitelaw Reid / wreid@dailyprogress.com | 978-7247
December 19, 2006

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico - The palm trees are the first things you notice. They’re everywhere - more than you can count.

Then there’s the picturesque beach nestled in a lagoon adjacent to the ocean.

And, of course, it’s hard to miss the gigantic swimming pool that has waterslides and looks closer to an amusement park ride than a place to swim.

Welcome to Condado Plaza - the hotel in San Juan where the University of Virginia men’s basketball team is staying.

Did we mention that is was 80 degrees Monday?

As heavenly as their surroundings are, Virginia’s players aren’t reveling in them. They seem focused on the task at hand - a first-round game against Appalachian State in the San Juan Shootout at 4 p.m. today.

While UVa coach Dave Leitao gave his players most of the day off to do as they pleased, many stayed in the hotel to watch film and go over scouting reports.

“It’s not hard to [focus] because everyone knows that we’re down here for a business trip,” said senior co-captain J.R. Reynolds. “It’s just like the ACC Tournament. It’s good preparation for that. We have to take care of business here - and all that other stuff will come when it comes.”

Leitao, who was ejected from the team’s last game - a somewhat disjointed, 91-69 win over Hampton on Saturday - said there is a thin line between allowing his players to have some fun and keeping their sights on their objective.

“It is a delicate trip, especially this time of the year with guys thinking about going home for the holidays,” Leitao said. “There are a lot of potential distractions that you can get. You want to be human enough to allow them to enjoy part of the experience, but you have to continue to reiterate the reason why they’re here. There is no reason other than to win a championship - to win three games in three days.

“You’ve got to impress that on them, but not so much that they think you’re a taskmaster to the point that they can’t enjoy some sunshine, down time or that kind of thing. Hopefully, that’s where maturity with the older guys and leadership come in.”

Appalachian State (8-3, 3-0), which hails from the Southern Conference, is coming off an 87-84 win over Georgia Southern on Saturday. In some respects, Leitao said, the squad is similar in style to Hampton, although not as helter-skelter.

“They have guys with lots of different skills and interchangeable parts,” said Leitao, whose team will face the winner of the Utah-Central Florida game if it beats the Mountaineers.

Lars Mikalauskas, who has yet to hit his stride this season because of ankle injuries, said everything, as usual, starts on the defensive end.

“It will be key because they set a lot of screens and are a pretty smart team with a good point guard, and they’re athletic,” he said.

While Virginia players were thinking mostly about their opponent, they weren’t about to forget a teammate.

Monday was Jerome Meyinsse’s 18th birthday. The team took the freshman out to lunch at a local Chili’s.

Meyinsse’s best gift, though, was a surprise visit from his parents. As the Louisiana native walked down the lobby stairs with teammate Adrian Joseph, Joseph and Patricia Meyinsse appeared.

“We were going to get a view of the ocean and I just saw my parents right there,” said Meyinsse, smiling. “It was a big surprise.”

One member of the Virginia coaching staff helped coordinate.

“I called home [Sunday] to tell them that I was here and nobody picked up,” Meyinsse explained. “I thought they’d gone to sleep, but they showed up here.”

Meyinsse said the best part about finally being 18 is that some of his teammates’ ribbing may stop. The biggest antagonizer has been Mikalauskas.

“By far,” said Meyinsse, laughing. “Every word I say, he says, ‘Oh, you’re too young to say that.’”

As assistant coach Rob Lanier walked by Meyinsse in the Condado lobby, he joked, “He’s old now. Maybe now he can make a dunk.” It was a reference to Meyinsse’s missed jam against Hampton.

Meyinsse, whose mother is from Jamaica, said it was good to be back in warmer weather.

“I like this temperature here - back up in the 80s,” Meyinsse said. “It was starting to get a little chilly in Virginia. I’m not too used to that. I like being here. It’s definitely a good birthday present.”

A San Juan Shootout championship would certainly cap everyone’s experience.

“The whole trip and the sun and those kinds of things won’t be worth it,” Leitao said, “unless we take care of business.”

 

U.VA. NOTES
Richmond Times-Dispatch Dec 19, 2006

GOING FOR THE GOLD: In 1982-83, the Virginia men's basketball team won the Suntory Ball Classic in Tokyo. That marked the first time the Cavaliers had played outside the continental United States.

The second time was in 1999-2000, when U.Va. finished fifth in the Puerto Rico Shootout. The third time comes this week at the eight-team San Juan Shootout, where Virginia (6-1) meets Appalachian State (7-3) in a first-round game today at Guaynabo, Puerto Rico.

"It's my hope that, one, obviously we can come back after 120 minutes with a championship," second-year Dave Leitao said Saturday after U.Va. beat Hampton at John Paul Jones Arena.

"Two, that we can use our bench and know that over three days - just like you have in the ACC tournament, or just when you play with a day in between games - that you can depend on other people to make plays for you."

To achieve those objectives, Virginia figures to need significant contributions from players other than junior guard Sean Singletary and senior guard J.R. Reynolds.

"My concern with this trip coming up is the same concern I have season-wise," Leitao said. "Our two guards are having to make many more plays than they should because they have to be on the floor. I don't intend to have Sean out there for 35 minutes per game for three days in a row. We may have to if [that's required to] win, but that's not my intention."

HOT AND COLD: When Reynolds finished with seven points in a Nov. 29 loss at Purdue, that ended his streak of 28 games with at least 10 points. He bounced back to score 14 in a Dec. 3 win over N.C. State but had only nine against Hampton.

Reynolds, who averaged 17 points and made the all-ACC third team as a junior, is averaging 13.9 this season.

"He hasn't quite caught his rhythm yet this season," Leitao said. "We went through this the same time last year. He started out slow out of the gate and ended up on fire the last twenty-some games.

"Obviously, if we're going to do anything, it's going to be with him in the middle of what we're trying to do. He's not the first, nor will he be the last guy, [who] hasn't played well for a game, or stretches, and we've just got to continue to push him and have him work to put himself in position that he can play more consistently for us."

FAMILIAR FACE: Appalachian State's post players include junior Donte Minter, a former Cavalier. Minter, a 6-8 forward, left U.Va. for undisclosed personal reasons last December. He became eligible at ASU last week and has averaged 5 points and 5 rebounds in two games.

ASU lost 69-37 at Virginia Tech on Dec. 10, four days before Minter became eligible. After the game, Mountaineers coach Houston Fancher talked about what the addition of Minter would mean to his team.

"I think we'd be nuts not to pound it in more," Fancher said. "He's as skilled inside as anyone that was the court tonight, either team. No question."

As a U.Va. freshman, Minter started three games and played in all 31, averaging 5.6 points and 2.6 rebounds. Injuries marred his sophomore season.

NUMBERS GAME: Under NCAA rules, a Division I men's basketball team may carry 13 scholarship players. U.Va. has 12 this season, only two of whom are seniors: Reynolds and Jason Cain.

The Cavaliers have signed four recruits for 2007-08 and continue to pursue big man Patrick Patterson, one of the nation's most coveted prospects.

Even so, Leitao isn't worried about making the numbers work. Among other things, Singletary could leave early for the NBA, and Laurynas Mikalauskas might return to his native Lithuania to play pro ball next year.

"We went through this before, and simply put: When we get to August of 2007, we'll have 13 guys on scholarship," Leitao said recently. "I'm not concerned about it."

PANTHERS POWER: When U.Va. met Virginia Tech in football Nov. 25, compelling matchups included the one between former Hermitage High standouts Duane Brown and Jeffrey Fitzgerald.

Brown, a redshirt junior, starts at right offensive tackle for the Hokies and was named second-team all-ACC this season. Fitzgerald, a redshirt freshman, starts at left defensive end for the Cavaliers. He was named a first-team freshman All-American by The Sporting News. In Tech's 17-0 win over U.Va., Fitzgerald intercepted a pass and made eight tackles.

"That was wild, man," Brown said Saturday in Blacksburg when asked about battling Fitzgerald. "I watched him grow up over the years and develop into a great athlete and a great person. He was kind of in my shadow throughout high school, so to go against him like that was kind of funny. But he's going to be a great player. He already is, but he's only got room for improvement." - Jeff White and John O'Connor
 

Virginia ready for a familiar face
Minter admits no regrets about transferring to Appalachian State
By Whitelaw Reid / wreid@dailyprogress.com | 978-7247
December 19, 2006

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico - The last time Donte Minter and J.R. Reynolds faced each other - about a month ago - things got way out of hand.

Minter dominated Reynolds on his own homecourt - Reynolds’ living room.

“I went over there and kicked his butt in NBA Live for a while,” said Minter, referring to the popular video game. “I was beating him by about 30. He quit.”

Yes, you could say Minter and Reynolds have remained close - even after Minter transferred from Virginia to Appalachian State last December.

Minter stays in weekly contact with Reynolds, along with former teammate Jason Cain.

Today, the two teams square off in the first round of the San Juan Shootout of all places.

“I’m trying to take it like we’re friends, but for 40 minutes we’ve got to go to battle,” Minter said. “After that, we’re friends again.”

Reynolds said going up against Minter will definitely be a little odd - but not something he’s unaccustomed to.

“I’m used to playing him from high school and AAU,” Reynolds said. “I’m looking forward to this game and he’s looking forward to it, too. It’s going to be a war.”

Coming out of high school, Minter, a Salisbury, N.C., native, originally signed with Appalachian State - but then elected to take a postgraduate year at Fork Union Military Academy in an attempt to play at a higher-caliber college program.

Minter found a taker in former Virginia coach Pete Gillen.

As a freshman, he played in 31 games (including three starts) and averaged 5.6 points and 2.6 rebounds. The next year he battled injuries and wound up averaging just 1.3 points and 0.5 rebounds in 18 games.

When Dave Leitao took over the reins from Gillen last season, it was expected that Minter - considering Virginia’s dearth of post players - would play a prominent role. However, Minter never played a game for Leitao before leaving UVa in late December and enrolling at Appalachian State.

“I liked UVa a lot,” Minter said, “but it was just time for something else.”

When asked for a more precise explanation as to why he transferred, Minter politely said, “No comment.”

Minter said his decision to leave wasn’t because he didn’t get along with Leitao.

“I have a great relationship with Coach Leitao,” Minter said. “He taught me a lot while I was there. There was nothing wrong with him. It was just time for a change.”

Attending Appalachian State was a no-brainer for Minter, who was attracted by coach Houston Fancher.

“He’s a great head coach,” Minter said. “I still had ties to him. I called him and talked to him and made it happen.

“He’s a great guy to play for. He has an up-and-down style and knows how to win.”

Minter watched Virginia’s opening-game upset of Arizona on television. He said he had no mixed emotions.

“That was big-time,” Minter said. “I was happy for those guys to win. I think it’s a great new arena and a great way to start the season off. I felt good for them, but at the same time I’m happy where I am.”

Tonight, Minter will be playing in just his third game of the season. Per NCAA transfer rules, he had to sit out the first eight games.

Since he never actually played any games last year, Minter, a criminal justice major, said he is petitioning the NCAA for additional eligibility in 2008.

In his season debut last Thursday, Minter scored 10 points and grabbed seven rebounds in a 93-53 win over Brevard.

Minter didn’t fare as well in his next game. He fouled out after just 7 minutes of action in his team’s 87-84 win over Georgia Southern on Saturday.

“It’s our hope,” Leitao said, “that with him still trying to get his legs under him, we’ll be able to go after him.”

Leitao said he was glad that Minter seems to be doing well.

“I think he saw a situation [at Virginia] where, as much as anything, he was frustrated - in his situation [as a whole] and because his knee wasn’t healthy,” Leitao said. “At that point, we were doing some things with the program that required all of our guys to be on top of things.”

Minter said the first time he catches the ball in the post with Cain or one of his other buddies on him might be a little strange.

“I know their moves, and they know my moves,” Minter said, “so it’s going to be a challenge.”

If only they were playing a video game.

Dunks

This is the second time that Virginia is playing in Puerto Rico and the third time it has played outside the continental United States. UVa’s first appearance in Puerto Rico was in the 1999 Puerto Rico Shootout. … Freshman Solomon Tat (groin injury) didn’t make the trip. “He’s at a key stage of his rehab, and from a facility standpoint, we didn’t know that they had the proper things here that he needed,” Leitao said. “This is an important step, so the doctors held him back there and are going to work with him. Hopefully by next week, he’ll be back on the court - at the very least practicing some, if not at full strength.” … Virginia leads the all-time series with Appalachian State, 2-0. The Cavs won the last meeting at University Hall in November of 2004. … Leitao said he has had time to “reflect” on his ejection from the Hampton game on Saturday. “There is a thin line because I believe in sticking up for my guys and believing in them, and for the way I coach - very aggressively,” Leitao said. “I wasn’t right in that situation, but in trying to move on you also have to reflect. I’m going to keep on doing what I’ve done.” ... Mikalauskas reiterated that he is completely healthy - and not concerned that he has played a total of just 6 minutes in the last two games. “I just have to keep working hard in practice,” he said. “If Coach doesn’t play me, maybe it’s because we play teams which have more guards and other people can do a better job, but I’m not worried. I should be OK.” … If Virginia wins, they will play the winner of the Utah-Central Florida game on Wednesday at 4 p.m. Vanderbilt, the team many expect UVa to meet in the finals, opens against Puerto Mayaguez. Vandy radio play-by-play man Joe Fisher said the Commodores coaching staff was unable to dig up a single thing about their opponent. Fisher said no video of their games could be found and that they were unable to even find a roster - a play-by-play man’s nightmare.