Cavs rusty but solid in win
Following exams, UVa sluggish vs. Hampton
By Whitelaw Reid / wreid@dailyprogress.com | 978-7250
December 20, 2007

Last December, Joseph and Patricia Meyinsse flew down to Puerto Rico and surprised their son, Jerome, for his 18th birthday.

Really, the surprise must have seemed like it was on them.

Virginia went 1-2 in the San Juan Shootout against inferior competition, their son barely played and coach Dave Leitao looked as though he might be ready for a straightjacket.

On Wednesday night at John Paul Jones Arena, things were completely different. Meyinsse, who turned 19 on Tuesday, had the best game of his college career.

The sophomore from Baton Rouge tied his career high of nine points and pulled down a career-best nine rebounds as Virginia bounced back from a sloppy win over Longwood with a 79-65 victory over Hampton.

The win wasn’t a pretty one, but after a 12-day hiatus due to winter exams, Leitao sounded relatively pleased.

“I was anxious to see where we were at after the layoff,” said Leitao, who was ejected from last season’s win over Hampton for arguing with officials. “Do I think we played a great game? No. But I thought we played pretty well given the circumstances with all the things we’ve been facing - the layoff, injuries and those kinds of things.

“We had enough depth with Mike [Scott] and Jerome coming off the bench playing well that we could move forward and end up winning the game by enough margin that makes you think you’re on the road to becoming a better team.”

Meyinsse and Scott (who started) were both pressed into increased duty because of injuries to Ryan Pettinella, Lars Mikalauskas and Tunji Soroye.

Meyinsse, who played a career-high 22 minutes, said it felt great to finally contribute.

“I think I deserved to play a little more, but I just had to show it in practice, and I think I’ve done that over these past few weeks,” he said. “Now that my opportunity has come, I have to take advantage of it.

“I almost had a double-double. I think I played well. I had a few mistakes defensively, a couple of box-outs that I missed, but I’ll watch film and try and correct those mistakes.”

While the Cavaliers (8-2) played better than they did against Longwood, they came out a little sluggish. Hampton seemed hungrier and more aggressive. Adrian Woodard swatted a Sean Singletary layup, Vincent Simpson hit a couple of 3-pointers and the Pirates led 13-8.

UVa slowly found its groove, but only led 36-32 at the half. After the break, Hampton closed to within 37-36 on a 3-pointer by Rashad West before the Cavs went on an Adrian Joseph-inspired 9-3 run to take a 46-39 lead. Joseph, who finished with a team-high 19 points, nailed three straight 3-pointers.

Then, after a putback basket by Hampton’s Michael Freeman, Joseph drove through the teeth of the Pirates defense and hit a layup as he was being fouled for an old-fashioned 3-point play.

Virginia’s biggest lead of the game came after a Jamil Tucker 3-pointer made it a 65-50 game. Hampton never got closer than eight points the rest of the way.

The most encouraging sign for Virginia fans had to be the production from Meyinsse and Scott (15 points, six rebounds). In the last several games, UVa bombed away from 3-point range and hardly ever fed the ball into the post.

Leitao said he needs to constantly remind his players to look inside.

“It’s a hard thing because there’s a thin line between encouraging good shooters to shoot. We do a lot of good things on the perimeter that I don’t want to get away from because if I get that out of whack and we’re not real good on the inside then we’ve lost our way a little bit.

“We have to try and manage their understanding that the ball has to go into that 15 foot area more than it does.”

Leitao was happy with Meyinsse’s performance.

“He’s been doing a better job on a daily basis and proved himself worthy today. Obviously I can’t just put him back in the role he had been playing when the guys come back [from injuries]. I think he’s earning himself a little more time on the floor. A lot more time on the floor hopefully.”

Meyinsse said it felt great to have his best game with his parents and godparents in attendance. It was certainly a lot better situation than a year ago in Puerto Rico.

“That wasn’t the same feeling as now,” said Meyinsse, laughing.

 

Scott struts his stuff down low for Wahoos
By Jerry Ratcliffe / jratcliffe@dailyprogress.com | 978-7251
December 20, 2007

Wahoo fans saw freshman Mike Scott grow up a little bit on Wednesday night, and so did his more heralded teammate Sean Singletary.

Scott, who gave Virginia a much-needed scoring presence in the post against visiting Hampton, scored 15 points and pulled down a half dozen boards in a 79-65 win. The performance was impressive indeed, but more because of how Scott handled himself rather than the statistics he compiled.

Making himself heard

Obviously nervous in making his first collegiate start, coming 10 games into the season, Scott did what he came here to do: score. With several of UVa’s veteran post players hobbled by injuries, observers were anxious to see how Scott would handle the assignment.

Scott didn’t disappoint.

After shaking off the jitters early, his confidence grew against a Hampton squad that didn’t exactly tower over him. Having played the post position most of his high school career, he was surprisingly comfortable there for an undersized collegian center who stood 6-foot-8.

However, he had to bark at Virginia’s guards in order to get their attention to throw him the ball. While it may have been obvious to onlookers that Scott and Jerome Meyinsse were open down low, it was understandable that Cavalier guards were reluctant, at least early, to look their way.

For a few years now, Virginia hasn’t exactly boasted the Twin Towers. Yes, there are veterans Tunji Soroye, Lars Mikalauskas and Ryan Pettinella, but what they feature in bulk, they lack in scoring power.

Scott didn’t mind sending the guards, including All-America candidate Sean Singletary, a less-than-subtle reminder that he was open. That spoke volumes about his willingness to step up as a rookie.

“At first, coming to the program, I was thinking that maybe if Sean saw me [but didn’t pass it], I probably wouldn’t say anything. But Sean told me, ‘If you’re open, tell me. Don’t be scared.’ So, I definitely told him.”

A few new options

He wasn’t alone. Coach Dave Leitao was on his backcourt about looking inside, even though the strength of his teams has been their perimeter game. The Cavs’ CEO wouldn’t mind creating a little more balance to his attack.

“We have to constantly do that,” Leitao said. “[Hampton] didn’t have a traditional post player, but most of the time the ball lived inside the foul line and [Scott] more than held his own and gave us a little bit of an option to go down low. As we get more and more games, I think he’ll continue to get better.”

Clearly, looking inside the paint was a somewhat foreign option to the Cavs’ backcourt. When Meyinsse scored a couple of baskets down low, then Scott added a couple more, there was a bit of an awakening. Still, there were several trips down the floor in the first half where UVa’s post players must have felt they were invisible, and that frustration showed.

“It was definitely frustrating,” said Scott, who has played 20-plus minutes in the last two outings. “You work hard on the defensive end, you box-out, you rebound, you run down the floor and get in good post position just for [guards] to swing the ball to the other side.

“I got on Sean. I got on Calvin [Baker] and I got on Jeff [Jones] several times,” Scott said. “I said, ‘Look, I’m open. Hampton’s not checking us (he and Meyinsse). Get us the ball.”

Meyinsse, also 6-8, finished with nine points and nine rebounds in 22 minutes.

Together, the inside duo scored on 10 of 13 field goal attempts, something definitely new to Leitao’s perimeter-happy system.

And that has the coach thinking. He noted that he has to encourage his outside shooters, but at the same time remind them of the inside game. Still, he realizes the team’s bread and butter is from Bonusphere, and if the inside game isn’t there, the shooters have to keep their confidence that they can win the game from outside the arc.

Scott understands where UVa’s guards are coming from because of the lack of a consistent inside scoring threat during their careers here.

“I think that’s what it is,” Scott said. “There’s been no one there to score. Now that I’m here, I want to let everyone know that they can count on me to score inside.”

While he came to Virginia to play power forward, he doesn’t mind starting at center, at least for the time being. Perhaps when the Cavs begin conference play against opponents with larger lineups, he’ll get his wish and return to his natural spot.

Until then, he will attempt to give less imposing opponents something new to think about.

 

Scott spurs U.Va.
Freshman starts at center, scores 15 points in win over Hampton
Thursday, Dec 20, 2007 - 12:07 AM
By JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER

CHARLOTTESVILLE - If the University of Virginia posted a depth chart for men's basketball, senior Tunji Soroye would be listed as the No. 1 center, followed by senior Ryan Pettinella and junior Laurynas Mikalauskas.

Injuries kept all three out of U.Va.'s 79-65 win over Hampton University last night at John Paul Jones Arena. But in a game in which the Cavaliers showed numerous flaws, lack of low-post production wasn't one of them.

Freshman Mike Scott, a natural power forward who until last night had been a reserve, started at center and contributed a career-high 15 points and six rebounds in only 20 minutes.

"He's been getting better and better," Virginia coach Dave Leitao said.

The crowd of 10,516 saved its loudest cheers for Scott and his backup, Jerome Meyinsse. A 6-8, 240-pound sophomore, Meyinsse collected nine points and nine rebounds in 22 minutes, matching or setting a career mark in each category.

"It definitely is our opportunity," Scott said. "Three of the five people who are centers are out right now, so definitely the light bulbs has gone off in our heads that maybe we'll have a good chance to get minutes."

U.Va. (8-2) turned over the ball 21 times and got no points from junior forward Mamadi Diane, who entered as the team's No. 2 scorer. Moreover, all-ACC point guard Sean Singletary needed a last-minute 3-pointer to extend to 32 his conference-leading streak of games in double figures.

"If you'd came in and told me before the game that Singletary would score 12 points and they would have 21 turnovers and we would still lose by 14 points, I would tell you it probably is not possible," Pirates coach Kevin Nickelberry said.

Poor shooting hurt Hampton (5-5). The Pirates were only 23 of 63 from the floor, and their top player, senior guard Rashad West, missed 11 of 17 attempts, including all four from beyond the 3-point arc.

"But for us," Nickelberry said, "it's not about offense. We hang our hat on defense, and we just didn't get it done tonight."

A season ago, in U.Va.'s 91-69 rout of Hampton, Singletary had 27 points and Diane 12. Hampton made stopping them a priority last night and, for the most part, succeeded. But too often the Pirates left Adrian Joseph (19 points) unguarded, and the 6-7 forward responded with what Leitao referred to as "daggers."

Virginia led 37-36 when Joseph launched a 3-point attempt. It dropped through with 18:53 left. Joseph buried another trey at the 18:02 mark and still another at 16:56. About a minute later, Joseph's three-point play pushed the Cavaliers' lead to 49-41, and Hampton didn't seriously threaten thereafter.

Also for Virginia, sophomore forward Jamil Tucker had eight points, six boards and two blocks off the bench. Classmate Will Harris' numbers were modest - two points and three rebounds - but the 6-6 forward provided much-needed energy on a night when Leitao wasn't happy with the play of Diane, who watched the final 18:49 from the bench.

The game was the Cavaliers' first since Dec. 7, when in a win over Longwood they'd turned in a performance that Leitao ranked among the least inspired in his three seasons in Charlottesville.

Virginia wasn't great last night, Leitao said, but "I thought we played pretty well given the circumstances, with all the things that we're facing - obviously, not just with the layoff, but injuries."

Hampton's Vincent Simpson hit six treys and scored a game-high 22 points. In the second half, though, the sophomore guard made only 2 of 7 shots from the floor.

"Before we got into foul trouble, I think we had them on their heels a little bit," Nickelberry said, "and we just didn't take advantage of it."

 

Cavs stop Hampton with help from subs
Virginia has five players sidelined, but gets a boost from a career-high game by Jerome Meyinsse.
By Doug Doughty
981-3129

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- For the first time in his Virginia coaching career, Dave Leitao witnessed a UVa-Hampton basketball game from start to finish.

Having been ejected when the Cavaliers and Pirates met in 2006, Leitao might have been tempted to get the hook again Wednesday night.

Virginia appeared sluggish for long stretches in its first game following a 12-game exam break, but some younger players had a key role in a 79-65 victory at John Paul Jones Arena.

Freshman center Mike Scott made his first start for the Cavaliers (8-2) and finished with a season-high 15 points and six rebounds in 20 minutes.

Sophomore post player Jerome Meyinsse played a career-high 22 minutes off the bench and finished with nine points and nine rebounds.

Another second-year sub, Jamil Tucker, had eight points and six rebounds in 19 minutes.

Virginia's four-point halftime advantage, 36-32, was its largest of the first half against a Pirates' squad that had won four of its previous five games.

Hampton (5-5) got as close as 37-36 before UVa senior Adrian Joseph knocked down the first of three consecutive 3-pointers.

Joseph finished with 19 points and was joined in double figures by Scott and Sean Singletary.

Singletary, making his 100th consecutive start, had a 31-game double-figure scoring streak that was in jeopardy before he nailed a 3-pointer with 57.9 seconds left.

Singletary attempted only six shots from the field but made two of four 3-pointers and went 6-of-7 from the free-throw line.

"If you had told me that Singletary would score 12 points and they'd commit 21 turnovers and we'd lose by 14, I probably would have told you that wasn't possible," Hampton coach Kevin Nickelberry said.

Scott got the start at center because three other UVa post men with starting experience were not available.

Five scholarship players were either in street clothes or in sweats: seniors Tunji Soroye and Ryan Pettinella, junior Lauris Mikalauskas, sophomore Solomon Tat and freshman Sammy Zeglinski.

There has been another victim of the Cavs' injury issues, trainer Jeff Boyer, who was reassigned to softball after a 70-68 loss to Syracuse in which Singletary's battle with strep throat played out before a national cable audience.

Scott's minutes had increased even before post men Pettinella and Mikalaukas were injured, but their absence Wednesday night created a big opportunity for Meyinsse.

Meyinsse, who averaged 1.1 points and 1.3 rebounds last year as a freshman, added strength during the postseason and entered the season at 6-8 and 245 pounds but had played in only six of Virginia's first nine games and for a total of 33 minutes.

"It's unfortunate, with all three [big] guys not being around right now, but it's another man's opportunity," said Leitao, referring to Meyinsse.

"We've talked about it with him. He's been doing a better job on a day-to-day basis and proved himself worthy today.

"I can't say, when the other guys come back, that [Meyinsse will] go back to the role he's been playing, getting spot minutes for us. I think he's earned himself a little bit more time [or] a lot more time, hopefully."

Nickelberry said that Hampton's plan was to shut down Singletary and UVa's second-leading scorer, Mamadi Diane, and he couldn't complain about that.

Diane was 0-for-5 from the field and went scoreless, with one rebound and three assists in 18 minutes. He played one minute in the second half, sitting the final 18:49.

"It's not like it just happened," Leitao said. "He hadn't had great practices over the last two or three days. I don't think he's really gone through that [kind of benching] in the 212 years we've been here. He's just always been out there.

"It was as much the other guys, Jamil and Will [Harris], were giving us stability. We'll get back there tomorrow and he'll be our starting small forward, as he has been."

Meyinsse, an honors student and the son of two college professors, may have been motivated by the exam period.

He knew of two grades he had received, an "A" in multi-variable calculus and a "B+" in writing.

"I think I deserved to play a little more than I had been playing" he said. "The playing time tonight allowed me to get into the flow of the game."

 

Scott rescues Cavaliers
Mike Scott powers the Cavaliers makeshift post past Hampton, which limits Sean Singletary to 12 points.
BY MELINDA WALDROP | 247-4634
10:50 PM EST, December 19, 2007
 

CHARLOTTESVILLE - One is a two-time first-team all-ACC point guard, Virginia's senior leader who has now scored in double digits in 32 straight games.

The other is a freshman forward making his first career start, with one 10-point performance to his credit in eight games.

But that didn't stop the latter from telling the former to get him the ball.

Sean Singletary listened to Mike Scott, and Scott scored three key inside buckets in the final seven minutes as Virginia pulled away from Hampton, 79-65, on Wednesday night.

"You work on the defensive end, hard," said Scott, who had 15 points and six rebounds. "You rebound, you box out, you run down, you work hard, and you get good post position just for (the guards) to swing the ball to the other side. I got on Sean, I got on Calvin (Baker), I got on Jeff (Jones) numerous times, and told them, 'I'm open. They're not checking us, no one can check us, down in the post, so give us the ball.' "

Scott said he was too intimidated to make such a speech at the start of the season. But Singletary himself changed that.

"He said, 'If you're open, tell me. Don't be scared.' So I definitely told him."

Hampton coach Kevin Nickelberry said shutting down Singletary, leading the Cavaliers (8-2) with 19 points per game, was the focus of the different variations of the Pirates' 2-3 zone. It showed, as Singletary had just 12 points and came within a 3-pointer with 58 seconds to play of having the ACC's longest double digit scoring streak snapped.

But unlike in a 70-68 loss to Syracuse on Dec. 5, when Singletary had just 10 points and his teammates fell apart, others stepped up against the Pirates (5-5). Senior forward Adrian Joseph scored a team-high 19 points and was 4-of-7 from 3-point range. Sophomore forward Jerome Meyinsse had a career-best nine points and led all players with nine rebounds, and sophomore forward Jamil Tucker added eight points and six rebounds.

With center Tunji Soroye recovering from knee surgery, the Cavs' frontcourt got even thinner as a shoulder injury kept junior Lars Mikalauskas on the bench in street clothes -- a position also occupied by freshman guard Sammy Zeglinski (ankle). But U.Va.'s patchwork post, led by Scott, overpowered a Pirate team missing 6-foot-8 forward Matthew Pilgrim's eight points and five rebounds per game.

"I thought (Scott) more than held his own," Virginia coach Dave Leitao said. "It's giving us a little bit of option to go to down low, and thus far not just tonight, but throughout the season has responded." Hampton led for most of the first half, going up by five with 4:15 left before halftime. But Tucker's 3-pointer and pair of free throws helped the Cavs take a four-point lead into the locker room.

U.Va tried to pull away in the second half, but the Pirates, led by Vincent Simpson's 22 points, wouldn't go away. Down 11 with 13:46 left, they closed within eight. Down 15 with 6:42 to go, they pulled within eight again on one of Simpson's six 3-pointers with 4:03 remaining but scored just three points in the final 2:38.

"We had opportunities to score inside, and we missed layups," Nickelberry said. " ... If somebody had told me Singletary would score 12 points and they'd commit 21 turnovers and we'd lose by 14, I would have told you that wasn't possible."