Major letdown for Cavs
By Jeff White
Published: December 28, 2008

Three of his top players are freshmen, and his rotation also includes two -- and sometimes three -- sophomores. His most talented senior no longer starts and is shooting 27 percent from the floor.

No wonder University of Virginia men's basketball coach Dave Leitao isn't sure what to expect this evening in Atlanta. That's where U.Va. (5-4) opens ACC play against Georgia Tech (7-3), which is coming off a 21-point loss to Southern California and has been far from dominant.

Two nights before Christmas, U.Va. thrashed Hampton at John Paul Jones Arena. But the Cavaliers have been less impressive against foes from major conferences, losing to Syracuse, Minnesota and Auburn and barely beating South Florida.

"I don't think I've gotten to the point where you can feel comfortable knowing exactly what you're going to get," Leitao said yesterday.

If sophomores Mike Scott and Mustapha Farrakhan, to name two of Leitao's players, perform as well tonight as they did against Hampton, U.Va. might pick up a second straight win over the Jackets in Atlanta. But each has been inconsistent, as have many of their teammates.

"I think the whole team is just waiting for the the time when we can get multiple people playing well at the same time," Leitao said, "and then doing it over the course of more than an outing."

Scott, a 6-8 power forward from Chesapeake, had 17 points and 15 rebounds versus the Pirates. Three days earlier, against Auburn, he'd grabbed only three boards.

After that loss, Scott said, he apologized to his teammates for being "soft and passive and some other words you can't say. I was down on myself a lot."

Farrakhan, a 6-4 guard from the Chicago area, didn't play against Auburn, and he entered the Hampton game averaging 2.6 points. Rarely in his U.Va. career has he looked comfortable on the court, and the numbers reflect that. Through the first 26 games he played for Virginia, Farrakhan was 4 for 23 from beyond the 3-point arc.

"When you're trying to fight for minutes and time, different things go through your mind in terms of what you do with your opportunity," Leitao said. "Sometimes you put more pressure on yourself than need be . . . It's a unique situation to be able to not get a bulk of minutes, and then when you do get some, to be able to perform the way that you need to, team-wise and individually."

In his 27th game for the Cavaliers, however, that's exactly what Farrakhan did. Against Hampton, he made two treys and scored 10 points -- both career highs -- and had two assists in 14 minutes off the bench.

"He played loose, confidently," Leitao said. "He played through the good and the bad."

The Cavaliers have lost 12 of their past 13 ACC openers, the victory during that span coming against N.C. State in 2006-07. Virginia is 0-2 on the road this season.

The experience they gained on the trips to Syracuse and Minnesota should help his younger players, Leitao said, "but this is different. This is a league game, and I think everybody -- the crowd, the players, the refs -- everybody looks at ACC games a little differently than normal."

 

Tech looks for Lawal to bounce back vs. Virginia
By LARRY HARTSTEIN
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Friday, December 26, 2008

Georgia Tech opens ACC play Sunday night looking for a bounce-back performance from its best player.

After averaging a double-double through nine games, sophomore Gani Lawal was a non-factor in Tech’s 76-57 loss at USC on Monday. He picked up two early fouls and compiled an unsightly line in 24 minutes: 3 points, 5 rebounds, 3 turnovers.

Lawal was thoroughly outplayed by Taj Gibson (15 points, 14 rebounds) in a marquee matchup of 6-foot-9 forwards that never materialized.

“The two early fouls kind of took him out of it, and they did a good job of doubling him every time he touched the ball,” coach Paul Hewitt said. “He’s our best player, and we’ve got to make sure we keep him involved in the action. And he also has to keep himself involved in the game by not fouling.

“There might be times when he has to just give up a basket in order to stay on the floor.”

Lawal still leads the ACC in rebounding (9.7) and ranks eighth in scoring (16.7). He’s fifth in shooting percentage (57.0), while teammate Alade Aminu ranks second (57.9).

Virginia, which visits Alexander Memorial Coliseum for the 5:30 p.m. conference opener, has lost four of six games since winning their first three.

Neither team is expected to do much in the ACC race. Tech was picked to finish eighth, and Virginia was picked last in the 12-team league.

The Cavaliers are led by freshman Sylven Landesburg, a 6-6 guard from Flushing, N.Y., who ranks third in the ACC at 18.3 points per game.

The Jackets have won eight of the past 11 meetings. Each team won on the other’s floor last season, then Tech took the rubber game 94-76 in the ACC tournament.

Since missing the first seven games because of academic issues, guard Lewis Clinch has supplied a spark. He’s averaging 18.3 points over three games and playing some point in the absence of Moe Miller, who is out until mid-January with a broken nose.

Clinch is 8-of-22 on 3-pointers (36.4 percent).

After Virginia, the Jackets conclude their nonconference slate against Tennessee State (Tuesday), at Alabama (Jan. 3) and against Georgia (Jan. 6).

Hewitt said the Jackets are eager to erase the bitter taste left by their performance against USC.

“The fact that it’s an ACC game might add some importance,” he said, “but I think after that game, our guys are just excited and happy to get back on the court.”
 

Cavaliers open ACC slate against Jackets
By Whitey Reid
Published: December 28, 2008

Last season, when Virginia visited Georgia Tech, Calvin Baker — with some help from Lars Mikalauskas — led the Cavaliers to a win that likely kept them from finishing last in the ACC.

This afternoon, UVa plays at Tech in its ACC season opener. A win would be the Wahoos’ first step toward disproving the naysayers who believe they are destined for the league basement this season.

Virginia (5-4), coming off a much-needed win over Hampton on Tuesday, should be in for a battle with Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets are similar to the Syracuse team that UVa lost to on Nov. 28. Like the Orange, the Yellow Jackets have NBA-caliber talent in the front and backcourt.

Georgia Tech (7-3) has four players with double-digit scoring averages — Lewis Clinch, Gani Lawal, Alade Aminu and Iman Shumpert — and Zachery Peacock isn’t far behind at 9.6 points per game.

Lawal and Aminu are nearly averaging double-doubles in points and rebounds.

“I’m always on ESPN and checking out my competition within the ACC and across the nation,” said Virginia forward Mike Scott, who had 17 points and 15 rebounds versus Hampton, “and I know [Lawal] is in the top one or two. I’m going to have to bring my ‘A’ game defensively and go at him because I know he’s coming at me, too.”

Scott is also pretty familiar with Peacock. The 6-foot-8, 240-pound junior had 23 points and seven rebounds in the game in Atlanta last season.

“I got yelled at so many times about Peacock last year,” Scott said. “He had [23] points on me, so I didn’t forget about that. I’m ready to go back down there.”

The win over Georgia Tech, whom Virginia lost to in the first round of the ACC Tournament 10 days later, was a make-up game that had been originally scheduled for Feb. 21 but postponed due to a leaky roof at Alexander Memorial Coliseum.

In the game, which was Virginia’s last road triumph, Baker hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 4.2 seconds left that proved to be the game-winner. UVa also got a strong game from Mikalauskas, who provided a much-needed physical presence against Peacock. The two went at it all game. At one point, they were each hit with technical fouls for jawing back and forth.

“Lars definitely had a good game,” Scott said. “Defensively, he saved us because defensively I didn’t provide for us.”

With the start of league play, Scott says everyone must raise their level of play. Virginia has lost 12 of its last 13 ACC openers.

“If you’re not scoring, you have to do something other than that — get rebounds, defend, run the court, set the screens,” he said.

Dunks

Georgia Tech, coming off a loss to USC, leads the all-time series, 38-29. … Virginia lost to Duke, 87-65, in last year’s league opener. … Clinch has averaged 18.3 points in his last three games. He was academically ineligible for the fall semester and didn’t play in the team’s first seven games.

 

The spread could be a boon for UVa’s attack
By Jerry Ratcliffe
Published: December 28, 2008

Back in 2004, neither Al Groh or Gregg Brandon could have imagined that they would some day be putting their minds together on the same football staff. When Groh needed to hire a new offensive coordinator earlier this week, Brandon was the first person he called.

About four years ago, the two served on a football rules committee together and Brandon, the head coach at Bowling Green, approached Groh about visiting Virginia’s program to learn more about Groh’s 3-4 defense.

The information trade

In turn, Groh wanted to learn more about the spread offense. Brandon’s Falcons were tearing up their competition with the spread and Groh figured it was the wave of the future.

Groh was familiar with Bowling Green because his daughter, Ashley, went to school there. He was well aware of what Brandon was doing and welcomed the exchange of ideas.

Now that Brandon has been hired to install the spread at UVa, both men are eager to get started.

“We’ll be able to build on some of the directions that we were trying to go last year,” Groh said of the spread formations. “Michael [Groh] invested a lot of time with the people at Texas Tech — though that’s a different style, but the same mentality. We had to back off a lot of that stuff as circumstances changed.

“We’ll be able to both build on that as well as go on to new things with [the spread] as well,” Groh said. “In particular with Jameel back in the sweepstakes, that gives us more versatility at that position.”

Quarterback competition

The coach, of course, was talking about veteran quarterback Jameel Sewell, who threw for 2,176 yards and rushed for 279 more in 2007 as the second-year starter. Sewell missed this past season while on academic suspension but is expected to enroll at the start of the new semester next month.

Groh pointed out that while some teams throw most of the time out of the spread, a la Texas Tech, that spread-based Oregon is fourth in the country in rushing the ball. The versatility is something that has Groh frothing at the mouth.

Versatility is Sewell’s strength. While he hasn’t been the most accurate passer in his career, he still ranks ninth on Virginia’s all-time passing list with 3,518 yards and 15 touchdowns (17 interceptions), just a few hundred yards behind Don Majkowski. Oh, by the way, Sewell’s numbers came in only two seasons.

Sewell will battle with Marc Verica and a handful of redshirt or incoming freshmen in addition to — dare we say — Vic Hall for the QB job.

The smart money is on Sewell because he has two years of experience under his belt and is a terrific runner, which is ideal for the spread offense.

“The whole issue is when the quarterback can be a runner and a passer, and the receivers can be catchers and runners, and the back can be a runner or a catcher,” Groh said about the spread that Brandon brings to Charlottesville. “If you try to do the math on that, it adds up to more threats. The defense can’t change their numbers without making some sacrifices.”

That means the defense has to use zone blitzes, and that the strong safety can also become a pass rusher or the left end can also defend the pass in order to handle all the possible threats coming from the spread attack.

“At Texas Tech, the quarterback is principally a passer. Same at Missouri,” Groh said. “At Oklahoma State, the quarterback is principally a runner. At Oregon, the quarterback is a runner and a passer.”

Brandon is flexible enough to do whatever the personnel dictates.

Groh believes Virginia will have the players available in 2009 to go in whatever direction that he and Brandon believes will maximize the Cavaliers’ chances to be the most efficient out of the spread.

“They’ll be young, they’ll be incoming, but we’ll have players available to us that will enable us to think about doing things that may have been intriguing in the past, but might have been foolish to attempt to do them,” Groh said. “The incoming personnel will be fresh-faced, but will be able to have some skills that will adapt themselves to this circumstance.”

From this point of view it appears that Groh made two great hires in Brandon and Latrell Scott (wide receivers) and wisely moved Wayne Lineburg to the running backs and Anthony Poindexter to the secondary. He added two highly-regarded recruiters to his staff, both coaches arriving with strong resumes.

Should the Cavaliers finish their recruiting effort as strongly as it seems possible, then this offseason could be remembered as the best one in the Groh era.
 

Former Cav Mason steals the show/David Teel

Roger Mason said no to the San Antonio Spurs once. Both parties are thrilled he didn’t decline twice.

On a Christmas Day that showcased LeBron, Kobe and the world champion Celtics, Mason, a fifth-year guard from the University of Virginia, authored the signature moment with an at-the-buzzer 3-pointer that gave the visiting Spurs a 91-90 victory over the Phoenix Suns.

Mason making a 3 has become SOP since his arrival in the Lone Star State. Entering tonight’s game against Memphis, he’s shooting 47.5 percent from beyond the arc, third-best in the NBA behind Phoenix’s Jason Richardson and Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant.

Moreover, Mason is averaging 12.8 points, more than double his career mark of 5.5 entering the season.

“He’s a shooter,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich told reporters after the Christmas win. “He loves to do it, and we have confidence in him.”

In fact, the Spurs wanted Mason for last season and offered him a three-year, $3 million, free-agent contract, according to the San Antonio Express-News. Mason opted to remain with his hometown Washington Wizards, signing a one-year extension.

Afforded additional playing time because of Gilbert Arenas’ knee injury, Mason averaged a career-best 9.1 points. Again the Spurs offered, this time a two-year deal the Express-News values at $7.5 million.

This time Mason said yes, and now he’s a part-time starter for a perennial contender that’s won four of the last 10 NBA championships. Meanwhile, the Wizards are 4-23.

Mason had not played in the fourth quarter Thursday until Popovich summoned him with 4.3 seconds remaining and the Spurs inbounding in front of their bench. Point guard Tony Parker caught the inbounds pass and beat Grant Hill off the dribble, prompting Richardson to help and leaving Mason alone in the left corner.

“I told Manu (Ginobili) coming out of the huddle that I wanted that left corner,” Mason said. “If I got it there, I knew I'd feel good about it.”

In three seasons at Virginia, Mason made 37.5 percent of his 3-pointers and averaged 13.8 points. He declared early for the draft in 2002, and Chicago selected him in the second round, the Cavaliers’ first draftee since Cory Alexander and Junior Burrough in 1995.

Mason played sparingly for the Bulls and Toronto Raptors over two years before spending two seasons in Israel. He then returned to the NBA and played two years in Washington.

San Antonio (19-10) has won eight of its last 10 and trails only the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference. With teammates such as Parker, Ginobili and future hall of famer Tim Duncan, Mason could become the first Virginia alum since Jeff Lamp in 1988 with the Lakers to win an NBA championship.


 

Cavs face Broncs in tournament
By Jay Jenkins
Published: December 28, 2008

A schedule that included Tennessee and Old Dominion — on top of conference powerhouses such as Duke, North Carolina and Maryland (twice) — should provide enough demands to keep the Virginia women’s basketball team thriving for daily perfection.

Yet, and as odd as it may sound, one thing listed on the program’s covenant inside the locker room delivers a different goal.

Today, the first step can be taken towards adding a checkmark on the list — No. 16 Virginia (9-2) opens the four-team, two-day Cavalier Classic against Rider (2-7) at 4:30 p.m.

Despite a field that will do little for the strength of schedule — today’s other game pits Louisiana Tech (6-5) against Maryland-Baltimore County (7-4) — the Cavaliers plan on holding serve and defending their turf.

“It is a goal that we definitely want to accomplish,” junior guard Monica Wright said.

Virginia could learn from its past. The Cavaliers won the first two games in the WBCA Classic at Marquette before they stumbled in the event’s finale against Gonzaga.

Since future tournaments, including the ACC and the NCAA loom, the desired approach that the coaching staff will demand over the next two days is monumentally vital.

“This is a very important tournament,” Virginia coach Debbie Ryan said. “We want to win every tournament that we play in. It’s an important part of getting ready to win tournaments.

“You have to know what it feels like to win one. You have to know what it feels like to get it done.”

Virginia may not experience those winning vibes if changes are not displayed from its last contest. The Cavaliers were fortunate to survive a lackluster performance against Mount St. Mary’s on Dec. 21, the team’s last contest.

In the 65-55 victory, Ryan was so steamed that she inserted three new faces into the starting rotation for the second half. Attention to detail, regardless of the foe, matters to Ryan.

“We had to settle down, bring it together and just do what we had to do,” Wright said. “These games are something that we have to step away from. The Gonzaga game, we can’t go back into that. The ODU game, we can’t step back into that.

“We have to keep moving forward … and not win ugly, but win big.”

Wright, the ACC’s leading scorer, said the moves sent a clear message to the experienced players on the roster.

“[Ryan] felt as though a lot of people weren’t bringing it so she put in the players that she felt would bring it,” Wright said. “You are going to have to come in and give 110 percent. The young players, they have an excuse — they are first-year players. The other players don’t have an excuse.

“In the end, I felt like everybody came and brought it, and that’s all that matters.”