White: 'Hoos Clamp Down on Hapless NJIT
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 12/21/2009

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Highlights abounded for the home team Monday night. Tristan Spurlock soared for two breakaway dunks in the final minute, and the seldom-used freshman forward was one of several UVa players who established season highs.

Some perspective, though, is needed. The opponent was not UNC Chapel Hill -- or even UNC Wilmington.

New Jersey Institute of Technology, a fledgling Division I program, was the weakest foe UVa has hosted in the three-plus seasons that John Paul Jones Arena has been open.

That said, the Cavaliers did a lot of things well in a 68-37 rout witnessed by a smattering of fans, hardy souls who braved roads that in many places were still covered by snow and ice.

NJIT shot only 27.1 percent from the floor, partly because it missed numerous open shots and partly because of UVa's stellar defense.

The game was the Wahoos' first in 14 days, and first-year coach Tony Bennett didn't like what he saw early.

"I don't know if we thought we could just get it easy and throw a knockout punch," Bennett said. "I just thought we were a little sloppy, a little disconnected. We'll chalk it up to the break, but we have to keep improving, there's no question."

The Highlanders' 37 points were the fewest scored by a men's team at JPJ. They also were the fewest allowed by UVa since a 61-37 win over Clemson on Jan. 11, 1995.

Two days earlier, NJIT had acquitted itself well in a 71-62 loss at Rutgers. But the Highlanders' second-year coach, Jim Engles, knew all about the brand of basketball favored by the Bennetts -- father Dick and son Tony -- and he was concerned.

The Bennett "name basically signifies defense," Ingles said Monday night, "and one of our worst things right now is our offense. We have a very hard time scoring. He could probably buy a couple snowblowers with the money I have spent on his defensive videos. I was worried about that."

Thirteen minutes in, however, the Highlanders led 15-14. In the stands, fans looked on anxiously. On the sideline, Bennett's displeasure was impossible to miss.

"Against that team, there was no way that we should have been only up by one point," junior forward Will Sherrill said afterward, then corrected himself.

"Actually, we were losing, I think, at that point."

At the 7:24 mark of the first half, with the score 15-14, Bennett called a 30-second timeout.

When play resumed, junior guard Jeff Jones missed a jump shot, but Sherrill tracked down the road, dribbled out to the right wing and found himself uncovered.

Sherrill's 3-pointer -- his first since Nov. 25 -- made it 17-15, and Virginia (5-4) led the rest of the way.

"It felt good to get back on the court," freshman point guard Jontel Evans said. "We had real competitive practices, and everybody was getting after it and ready to go against another opponent.

"We were rusty at first. We got that timeout, and Coach Bennett barked at us, got us going, and when we came back out, we turned it up defensively."

At the break it was 32-19, and the Cavaliers didn't let up after intermission. For the final two minutes, Bennett's lineup consisted of Spurlock, senior swingman Solomon Tat and walk-on guards Tom Jonke, Thomas Kody and Doug Browman.

Spurlock played the final 5:05 and finished with a career-best 6 points.

"I was happy for him," Bennett said. "I just challenge him to continue to work and keep battling. Again, it sounds like a company line, but the hardest thing as a coach is to look at kids who want to play desperately and work hard and not be able to give them what they want. He has a nice upside certainly, and I'm glad that we could carve out some minutes for him."

The Cavaliers' other freshman, Evans, helped turn the game into a rout. In 23 minutes, the 5-11 point guard made 3 of 4 shots from the floor, including a jump shot, and and totaled 7 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 assists and 0 turnovers.

"I don't too caught up in the stat line, but that is a good stat line," Bennett said.

The points, rebounds and minutes were career highs for Evans, who'd also impressed in the Cavaliers' previous game, a Dec. 7 loss at Auburn.

"He's playing with a lot of confidence, and it's showing," sophomore guard Sammy Zeglinski said. "His decision-making has been pretty good, and you can see his explosiveness on offense and on defense. So he's playing really well. He's been a big help for the team and a huge boost."

Against Auburn, Bennett had started Zeglinski, Sherrill, Sylven Landesberg, Mustapha Farrakhan and Jerome Meyinsse.

Against NJIT (3-8), Bennett rewarded senior guard Calvin Baker and sophomore center Assane Sene, who have practiced well this month, and gave them their first starts of the season, moving Farrakhan and Meyinsse to the bench.

Baker "really stepped up and led [in practice]," Bennett said. "He was real vocal, did a lot of the intangibles, and I thought that I wanted to reward him for that. Assane is getting stronger, becoming more active."

Baker responded with a season-high 9 points, and the 7-0 Sene grabbed a season-high 11 rebounds and blocked two shots. Sene's 28 minutes were the most he's played in a season that for him has included a three-game suspension and an ankle injury.

The game was the Wahoos' first at JPJ since Nov. 30, when they lost 69-66 to Penn State in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. They were scheduled to play UNCW there Saturday night, but the game was postponed because of the record-setting storm that hit Central Virginia.

By Monday night, Zeglinski said, he and his teammates "were all pretty anxious to beat up on somebody else instead of ourselves, because we've been competing pretty hard in practice.

"We came out a little sluggish, but I think we bounced back pretty nicely in the second half. We played pretty good defense."

Six players scored at least 7 points apiece for UVa, led by Jones (11). Sherrill finished with 8, his best offensive showing since an 18-point outburst against Cleveland State in the Cancun Challenge.

"It really feels good to make a couple shots and get the touch back," Sherrill said.

It was the kind of game in which Mike Scott typically would have posted a double-double, but the Cavaliers' best big man remains sidelined by a high-ankle sprain.

Virginia hosts Hampton (2-9) on Wednesday night, and Scott (13.1 ppg, 9.3 rpg) may miss a third straight game.

"Certainly we need him," Bennett said.

 

Postgame Quotes
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com Release: 12/21/2009

Virginia head coach Tony Bennett

On the two-week layoff
“It was good to get back, especially after getting the other game cancelled. We haven’t been in JPJ in 21 days since we played Penn State, so it feels like a long time certainly. We were rusty but our defense got stronger as the game wore on and they certainly missed some shots, but we challenged them to be as sharp as they can and bring some energy and effort. That’s hard when you haven’t played in that long, but we’ll be back at it again soon and we will have to be ready.

On the 2-week break and learning more about your team and the starting rotation
“We had so long to practice, we tried to make it really competitive in practice and split the team evenly. I felt like I could have gone with Jeff (Jones), Jontel (Evans) or Calvin (Baker) at the other guard. I felt like Sylven (Landesberg) and Sammy (Zeglinski) established themselves, but I was looking for that other spot. Calvin did a good job in the two weeks of practice where he really stepped up and led. He was real vocal and did a lot of the intangibles and I wanted to reward him for that.

On the slow start
“I don’t know if we thought we could get it easy and just throw a knockout punch. The ball would go to one side of the floor and we would force the action. All we had to do was get it swung one time, and they were going to make us work and run the clock and we were going to have to stay in the stance and play for the majority of the possession. You can’t break down any defense with one pass to the side and try to score unless there is some sort of breakdown. I thought if we could just get it swung, we would get what we wanted. I thought we were just a little sloppy, a little disconnected. We’ll chalk it up to the break, but we need to keep improving.”

On Assane Sene
“During his suspension, he rolled his ankle and I think he wasn’t physically 100 percent when he first came back, but I think he is pretty much there. He just needs to play and get opportunities. He will bother shots. He had one of his best practices of the year over the break where he scored well and was catching everything. He guards the ball screens pretty well and shows – a lot times teams will look at your 5-man and they will ball screen him a lot, and he has been real good defensively with that.”

On Zeglinski playing 2-guard as well as the point
“Sometimes I think when you can take Sammy off the ball and play him as a combo or a two, he can help us where he can move and get shots and then defensively we get a guy to really eat up the ball. He’s just got to keep working – I didn’t think he had a good first half, but he got better as the game went along.”
________________________________________

NJIT head coach Jim Engles

“I was disappointed with our effort today. I was hoping we would give them a better game. We hung in for awhile. We are a very fragile team and when we make some mistakes and miss a couple putbacks, things seem to fall apart pretty quickly for us. We hung there for awhile. But I was disappointed with the way we finished the second half.”

On his concerns about Virginia coming in
“The fact that the Bennett name basically signifies defense. And one of our worst things right now is our offense. We have a very hard time scoring. He could probably buy a couple snowblowers with the money I have spent on his defensive videos. I was worried about that. I know they defend very well and I’ve watched their games – they play a pretty good schedule and have held some people down. My big concern was to get us some free shots.”

On Drejon Scott
“He is a good player. It’s hard as a freshman, especially as a point guard, because there are so many things you have to be responsible for. He is a pretty mature kid and understands the tempo of the game and tries to keep us in the game as best as possible. We have some deficiencies and we really need to play at a high level consistently, and I have been impressed with his play this year.”
 

Postgame Notes
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com Release: 12/21/2009

VIRGINIA BASKETBALL
Postgame Notes
Virginia 68
NJIT 37
Team Notes
• Virginia won its 22nd consecutive game against a first-time opponent
• The Cavaliers held NJIT to 19 first-half points, the fewest they have allowed since allowing 18 first-half points vs. NC State (2/24/08)
• The Highlanders’ 37 points are the fewest allowed by the Cavaliers since a 57-34 win over UMBC on Dec 21, 1996 and is tied for the second-lowest points allowed in the shot clock era
• NJIT’s 27.1% shooting (13-48) was the lowest percentage allowed by the Cavaliers since Longwood shot 25.8 % (16-62) against the Cavaliers on Feb. 13, 2007
• NJIT’s 13 made FGs is tied for the fourth lowest total allowed by the Cavaliers since 1953
• Virginia had a season-high 15 offensive rebounds

Individual Notes
• Calvin Baker and Assane Sene both made their first starts of the season
• Sylven Landesberg (10 points) scored in double figures for the ninth time this season and the 32nd time in his career
• Jeff Jones (11 points) scored in double figures for the fifth time this season and the 16th time in his career
• Assane Sene’s 11 rebounds were a season high
• Calvin Baker had a season-high nine points

Player Career Highs
• Jontel Evans had a career-high seven points and a career-high five rebounds
• Tristan Spurlock had a career-high six points
• Sammy Zeglinski had a career-high (two) blocks

John Paul Jones Arena Records
• NJIT’s 37 points is an arena low
 

Virginia defeats NJIT, 68-37, in men's basketball
By Zach Berman
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, December 22, 2009

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- What was supposed to be an 11-day break from games for Virginia turned into 13 days. The blizzard that bombarded the Washington region postponed the Cavaliers' game on Saturday and kept many fans from attending Monday's meeting with New Jersey Institute of Technology -- a team that has so far staked its Division I reputation as a doormat for superior opponents.

After the layoff, Virginia displayed a commitment to defense -- albeit against an uninspiring offense -- while still proving there was much room for improvement despite a 68-37 victory.

"You can't really take a lot from it, but we can build off it," freshman Jontel Evans said. "Being off 14 days, maybe we needed that, a tuneup game to get ready for the opponents we're going to face in the future."

The offense appeared sloppy, connecting on only 38.7 of its shots -- five percentage points worse than NJIT's previous opponents this season. The Highlanders (3-8) even held a first-half lead, which is uncommon against a power-conference opponent.

Virginia's improved defense was a reason for optimism -- even allowing Bennett to reminisce about past opponents held below 40 points -- but the competition will only improve as the season progresses.

Bennett intensified practices during the exam break. He split the roster into evenly matched teams, opened up starting spots outside of Sylven Landesberg and Sammy Zeglinski and tried to create separation on a roster loaded with parity.

That allowed center Assane Sene and guard Calvin Baker to get their first starts of the season. Both were starters under former coach Dave Leitao, although they had been relegated to reserves under Bennett. Virginia (5-4) again played without forward Mike Scott, who is sidelined with a high-ankle sprain.

The practices did not provide the separation Bennett sought -- Bennett said Baker, Evans, Mustapha Farrakhan or Jeff Jones all could have started -- but he saw Baker's team benefit from the senior's leadership. Baker's starting spot did not entirely come at the expense of the other candidates, who played from 14 to 23 minutes.

"I really watch practice closely," Bennett said. "I think you have to do that when you have a balance of guys and you have a hard time determining who gets more minutes and who should play."
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Sene's progress is of significant importance to Virginia's hopes of surprising opponents in the ACC. He had been slow to pick up Bennett's defensive system early in the season, which started with a suspension and was further stalled by an injury. Sene's 11 rebounds were a season high and marked his second consecutive productive game.

"It was great for me to be there and play a lot, especially because I was doing exactly the right thing Coach wants me to do," Sene said. "I was doing what he wants, what he needs me, and what the team needs me. I learned a lot from the bench, and also from last year."

With the Cavaliers still in search of clarity about who will become contributors on the roster, their next three nonconference games will be critical before the ACC schedule begins. Those games will serve as a better indication of Virginia's readiness than Monday's game, which became a much-needed tuneup and an easy victory while not exhibiting enough progress for the Cavaliers.

"I don't know if we thought we could get it easy and throw a knockout punch," Bennett said. "I just thought we were a little sloppy, a little disconnected, and we'll chalk it off to the break. But we have to keep improving -- there's no question."

Cavaliers see good defensive effort
Virginia hadn't played in its home arena since a loss to Penn State on November 30.
By Doug Doughty
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CHARLOTTESVILLE -- In his first season as Virginia men's basketball coach, Tony Bennett can make a claim that neither of his two immediate predecessors can share.

The Cavaliers held an opponent under 40 points for the first time since the 1996-1997 season when they defeated New Jersey Institute of Technology 68-37 at John Paul Jones Arena on Monday.

A crowd listed at 7,264 but probably closer to 1,264 in terms of bodies in the seats watched UVa (5-4) hold the Highlanders to 13 field goals, only seven inside the 3-point arc.

Bennett came from Washington State with a reputation for defensive basketball and estimated that his Cougar teams had held teams under 40 points on "quite a few" occasions.

"Maybe I shouldn't have said 'quite,' a few," said Bennett following the formal part of his postgame news conference. "But, I think there was one opponent that didn't get out of the 20s."

Sure enough, a review of the archives showed that the third of Bennett's three Washington State teams beat Mississippi Valley State 76-25 in the 2008-2009 opener.

One year earlier, the Cougars had beaten Mississippi Valley State 71-26.

Maybe that had something to do with Mississippi Valley State, just as Monday night's performance may have had something to do with NJIT, a program less than a year removed from a 51-game losing streak.

Nevertheless, the Highlanders (3-8) battled their hosts on even terms until Cavaliers' walk-on Will Sherrill hit a 3-pointer that gave Virginia a 17-15 lead with 6:59 remaining in the first half.

Sherrill's bucket was the impetus for an 18-4 run that put Virginia comfortably on top, 32-19, at the half.

The Cavaliers had not played since Dec. 7, when they lost at Auburn 68-67.

For most of that time, UVa was in exams. However, the Cavaliers were scheduled to play North Carolina-Wilmington on Saturday in a game that was postponed by snow and hazardous driving conditions.

"Somebody lied to me," said Bennett mischievously. "They told me it didn't snow down here."

Not that Bennett's any stranger to snow. He grew up in Green Bay, Wis., where snow-removal techniques apparently are a little more advanced.

"We haven't been in JPJ for 21 days," said Bennett, whose team had not played at home since a Nov. 30 game with Penn State. "We were rusty, certainly, coming out. But, our defense got a little stronger as the game went along."

Virginia was unable to take great advantage of its height advantage against a NJIT team with one starter over 6-foot-3 and none over 6-6. However, the Cavaliers were without top inside threat Mike Scott, their second-leading scorer, who continues to nurse a high-ankle sprain suffered on the eve of the Auburn trip.

In his place, 7-foot sophomore Assane Sene got his first start of the season and played a team-high 28 minutes. Sene missed the first three games of the season while on suspension for breaking team rules and has played sparingly since then.

"During the time [after his suspension], he rolled his ankle and he wasn't physically 100 percent," Bennett said. "I think he's pretty much there now. He's active and I just think he needs to play.

"He had probably his best practice of the year over the break, where he really scored well [and] was catching everything. A lot of times, teams will look at your [center] and ball-screen him a lot. He's been real good defensively with that."

Sene missed two dunks, although he was fouled on one.

He finished with four points, a season-high 11 rebounds, two blocks and a steal. He also stayed out of foul trouble.

"Last year was my first year of playing the college game, so I used to make a lot of fouls," he said. "This year, I know my team needs me a lot, so I've got to play smarter.

"It was great for me to play a lot tonight. I was doing exactly the right things that the coach wanted me to do. I know they need me on the defensive side."

Virginia comes off break with romp
By Michael Phillips
Published: December 22, 2009
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CHARLOTTESVILLE -- There wasn't much energy in John Paul Jones Arena last night, as a sluggish Virginia team put away the New Jersey Institute of Technology 68-37 in front of a small crowd of about 1,000.

A break for finals and a snowed-out game Saturday meant that the Cavs were away from the court for 14 days. Against the Highlanders, they were all but assured of a victory, though they took a while to get it.

Missed dunks, poor 3-point defense and an offense that took a while to get rolling all contributed to a game that stayed close for most of the first half.

The game wasn't entirely put away until Jontel Evans started a spurt with 9 minutes left in the second half. He drove past two Highlanders, rolling in a right-handed hook as he fell to the floor.

That was followed by two Jeff Jones 3-pointers, pushing the Cavs to a 20-point lead.

The crowd gave its loudest cheers of the night at that point. Before the rally, the biggest storyline of the night involved the team's personnel.

Coach Tony Bennett mixed up the starting lineup, giving Calvin Baker and Assane Sene their first starts of the season.

Jeff Jones came off the bench to lead the team with 11 points, though the Cavs spread the scoring around -- Sylven Landesberg had 10 and Calvin Baker had nine.

Sene finished with four as he continued his recovery from a sprained ankle. He's the team's tallest player, and made his impact felt inside with a blocked shot early -- though he also struggled to convert his shots inside the paint, and missed two dunks.

Walk-on Will Sherrill got his second start of the year, having also started the team's last game, 14 days ago at Auburn. He started in place of the injured Mike Scott, who continues to recover from a high ankle sprain he suffered in a practice before the Auburn game.

Evans came in off the bench at the first media timeout and played throughout the game, though his freshman teammate Tristan Spurlock went unseen until the last minute, when he recorded two dunks.

The New Jersey Institute of Technology started freshman Drejon Scott, who was a standout at Petersburg and a Times-Dispatch All-Metro selection. He played most of the game, finishing with a lone 3-pointer on four attempts in 28 minutes.

This was the first game in more than two weeks at the arena after Saturday's contest with UNC Wilmington was put off because of heavy snowfall. The teams are still in discussions regarding a possible make-up date, though with conference play right around the corner, it will be tough to find a spot on the calendar that works for both sides.

Virginia was averaging a point a minute for the first 12 minutes of the game, then went on a 10-1 run triggered by a 3-pointer from Sherrill.

The Highlanders seemed incapable of making anything except 3-pointers they were 5 for 11 from behind the arc and 1 for 12 inside it in the first half.

Long periods of little scoring punctuated the game, and the second half opened with four points scored -- two for each team -- in the first four minutes before the media timeout.

The Cavs return to action tomorrow night against Hampton at JPJ.

Cavaliers shake off the rust
By Whitey Reid
Published: December 22, 2009
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Cold temperatures. Dicey road conditions caused by the recent snowfall. One of the lowliest programs in Division I basketball.

The excuses were plentiful for Virginia fans who clearly talked themselves out of going to Monday night’s game against the New Jersey Institute of Technology.

As it turns out, Wahoo Nation didn’t miss all that much much against NJIT, who last season set the record for consecutive losses with 51 (over two seasons).

Virginia, playing in its first game in 14 days — Saturday’s game against UNC-Wilmington was snowed out — wasn’t very impressive against the visitors from the Great West Conference.

Luckily, they didn’t need to be.

UVa, behind 11 points from Jeff Jones and 10 points from Sylven Landesberg, overcame its first-half malaise to easily defeat NJIT, 68-37, in front of a crowd of 7,264 (which was more like 1,000).

“We were rusty, certainly,” said Virginia coach Tony Bennett.

Virginia shot only 39 percent from the field. However, the Cavaliers were a respectable 7 of 20 from 3-point range and held the sometimes-inept NJIT to 27 percent shooting.

“I thought we were a little sloppy, a little disconnected,” Bennett said, “but we’ll chalk it up to the break.”

While agreeing that the team’s performance left a lot to be desired, Virginia guard Sammy Zeglinski said it felt good to be back on the court.

“We’ve been going at each other in practice pretty tough,” said Zeglinski, who had eight points and four rebounds. “It was nice to get out there and beat up on somebody else.”

The first half was a complete snoozer. Virginia (5-4) trailed NJIT, 15-14, after a Jheryl Wilson 3-pointer before answering with a 8-1 run to take a 24-16 lead. The spurt was highlighted by two Calvin Baker fast-break layups sandwiched around a Will Sherrill 3-pointer.

Virginia, thanks to a ton of bricklaying from the Highlanders (26 percent shooting), led 32-19 at the break.

Without the services of junior forward Mike Scott (sprained ankle), Bennett started the game with a somewhat surprising lineup of Landesberg, Baker, Sherrill, Zeglinski and Assane Sene.

Sene replaced Jerome Meyinsse in the unit, while Baker took the spot of Mustapha Farrakhan.

Bennett said that recent practices dictated his decision.

“I saw Assane and Calvin give a nice lift and wanted to reward them,” he said.

Sene finished with four points and 11 rebounds in 28 minutes, while Baker had nine points and an assist in 22 minutes.

Virginia made just one basket in the first five-plus minutes of the second half, but eventually pulled away about midway through the stanza. Zeglinski hit a 3-pointer, Jontel Evans had a nice drive to the basket and Jones hit back-to-back 3-pointers to put Virginia up 55-31.

From there, it was smooth sailing. Bennett emptied his bench. Highly-regarded freshman Tristan Spurlock, who hadn’t gotten into a game in a month, saw action, along with walk-ons Tom Jonke, Doug Browman and Thomas Kody. Seldom-used senior Solomon Tat, to the sparse crowd’s delight, also got in the game.

In his brief time on the court, Spurlock actually provided some of the most entertaining moments. The 6-foot-8 forward hit a 3-pointer and had a pair of fast-break dunks, the second of which came off a steal.

“It felt good,” Spurlock said. “This whole break off, I’ve definitely been working hard and trying to get a lot of shots up. This break was really key for me.”

Spurlock admitted his time on the pine has been frustrating.

“Any freshman wants to play right away,” he said, “but the things I’m learning are going to carry with me forever.

“I’ve definitely been getting humbled by this experience. Coach Bennett — he’s all about defense. I still believe I can score with the best of them, but if I can’t stop anybody, I’m not going to be on the court. These last couple of weeks, I’ve been trying to commit myself to playing defense the way coach wants me to play.”

Dunks

Bennett said he wasn’t sure about Scott’s status for Wednesday’s home game against Hampton. ... Spurlock’s six points were a career high. ... Zeglinski had a career-high two blocks.
 

Bennett’s defense takes center stage
By Jerry Ratcliffe
Published: December 22, 2009
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Usually when someone points out that they’re Tony Bennett fans, the conversation turns to music.

Not Monday night at John Paul Jones Arena.

The biggest Tony Bennett fan in the house wasn’t talking about the famous crooner. He was talking about defense.

Coming off a two-week span without playing a game, and 21 days without a game in its home arena, host Virginia put together its strongest defensive performance of the season in beating the latest Rent-A-Victim, New Jersey Institute of Technology, 68-37.

It was the first time in 396 games that a Cavalier team had held an opponent to as few as 37 points. You have to go all the way back to exactly 14 years ago, Dec. 21, 1996, when then-coach Jeff Jones’ Wahoos beat visiting UMBC 57-34 to better last night’s defensive effort.

Perhaps the sparse crowd of perhaps a thousand basketball lovers that braved the elements didn’t appreciate holding a team under 40 points, a feat in which UVa coach Tony Bennett takes extreme pride, but NJIT coach Jim Engles sure did.

Engles, a big fan of Bennett’s defensive system, said his major concern coming into the game was facing the tenacity that Bennett teaches.

“The fact that the Bennett name basically signifies defense is what concerned me most,“ Engles said. “[Bennett] can probably go buy a couple of snowblowers with all the money I’ve spent on his defensive videos.“

Granted, NJIT - one of Division I basketball’s newest programs - is struggling big-time with its offense and features seven freshmen. But the Highlanders’ coach was disappointed that his team deflated after having hung in against the Cavaliers for a great portion of the first half.

“We had a very hard time scoring and I was worried about that,“ Engles said. “I know [Virginia] defends very well and I’ve watched their games and they’ve played a pretty good schedule and held some people down. My concern was getting shots and shots that we could make.“

The Highlanders actually led the Cavaliers 15-14 with less than eight minutes to play in the first half. At that point, Bennett had seen enough.

Virginia’s first-year coach didn’t like what he saw and called timeout.

Perhaps the Cavaliers had visions of sugarplums dancing in their heads. Whatever it was, Bennett brought the focus back to his team.

UVa immediately went on a 10-1 run and outscored NJIT 18-3 from Bennett’s timeout until the end of the half for a 32-19 lead.

“I don’t know if we thought we could just get it easy and throw a knockout punch,“ Bennett said after watching his team improve to 5-4 on the season. “I thought we were a little sloppy and a little disconnected.“

The Virginia coach chalked it all up to the layoff for exams and a postponement of Saturday’s game against UNC-Wilmington due to blizzard-like conditions.

His message must have resonated through the second half, because the Cavaliers held the Highlanders to a mere 28 percent shooting - only 7 of 25 from the floor - and NJIT finished with a paltry 27.1 percent shooting percentage for the evening (13 of 48).

Bennett is known far and wide in basketball circles for his defensive philosophy. Holding a team to less than 40 points might have been a milestone for the Cavaliers but it was nothing new to the coach who built a winner at Washington State with an emphasis on making it extremely difficult for opponents to score.

“You take pride in that,“ Bennett said. “I want our guys to continue to develop a genuine pride [in defense], not just, ‘Hey, we’re keeping a team under this amount of points.‘“

Like you and I, he has caught a few ACC games on TV and realizes the greatest task against those teams will be the very same thing that NJIT was trying to do against Virginia: just to hang in there.

“The games I’m watching on TV, you’re going to have to hang in there against some pretty talented teams, and [defense] is one way to be in it,“ Bennett said.

Especially when there’s not a stockpile of offensive firepower in the storehouse.

Defense may be the Wahoos’ only option.

And if that continues to work, Bennett might be able to buy more than a few snowblowers with the profit.
 

Coaches hope London takes serious look at local players
Shane Mettlen, Sports Columnist, smettlen@starexponent.com
Published: December 22, 2009
Updated: December 22, 2009

Hey Mike London, there are some people up Route 29 that can’t wait to meet you.

The new Virginia football coach has made it known during his first few weeks on the job that he intends to make recruiting the Cavaliers’ home state a top priority, saying as diplomatically as possible that his predecessor, Al Groh, hadn’t gotten the job done in that regard.

Let’s just say that by the time Groh’s tenure at U.Va. came to an end last month, many of the high school coaches in the commonwealth, including some in this area, were ready to see him go.
Now area coaches are anticipating London putting together a staff in the coming weeks and putting in every effort to win those high school coaches over.

“I haven’t heard from them yet,” Eastern View High School coach Greg Hatfield said on Monday. “But what I’ve been hearing is that they were going to get the staff put together here during the Christmas break and then hit it real hard.”

Hatfield left a message with London’s office shortly after he was hired. If London or one of his assistants returns the call he’ll already be doing better than Groh. Despite coaching two of Virginia’s current players — brothers Connor and Kyle McCartin — during his time at Fauquier, Hatfield had trouble getting Groh and his staff to listen to him about any of his current players.

Meanwhile, Hatfield was helping some of his Cyclones get in touch with coaches from Virginia Tech, West Virginia, Maryland and North Carolina. Those programs extended invitations to come watch a home game and see the school. By the time an assistant from U.Va. called, the Cavaliers were already way behind.

Hatfield and other area coaches want to have a good relationship with Virginia and Virginia Tech. Nothing makes them happier than seeing former players suiting up for the Cavs and Hokies. But London and Co. have work to do to make up for the disconnect that grew in the past few years.

Even after signing one of his biggest and best in-state recruiting classes last year — landing Orange’s Quintin Hunter, Fauquier’s Connor McCartin and Liberty’s Corey Lillard in the process — Groh managed to alienate high school coaches by burning their redshirts as true freshmen.

“We have two kids down there already and hoping to get more kids down there,” Hatfield said. “Being in our backyard, you want to root for them.”

Chances are Hatfield will hear from the Virginia staff once the dust settles. Junior wide receiver Drayton Shanks is already getting noticed by several BCS conference schools, and the Cavs could use some help at the position.

Culpeper County High School coach Mike Williams said he’s been told there’s now “an open-door policy” for high school coaches at Virginia and they are encouraged to drop by the weight room or offices.

“I’m looking forward to going down,” Williams said. “We might get to their 7-on-7 tournament this summer and I’d like to get there for some spring football.”

London is returning to U.Va. after two stints as an assistant. He was one of the more popular members of Groh’s staff among in-state high school coaches and he recruited the state hard in his two years at Richmond.

“He’s never actually recruited our school,” Liberty coach Tommy Buzzo said. “But we talked a lot when he was there the first and second time and while he was at Richmond. I think what gave him a leg up in getting this job was being able to recruit Virginia.”

Like Hatfield, Buzzo has some players that could be potential Virginia recruits, including junior linebacker Cortez Carter. Carter has gained interest from Boston College and Maryland among others and could be another in-state recruit missed out on by Virginia if London doesn’t turn things around.

“I’m a little anxious to see who he’s going to have on staff,” Buzzo said. “After he has a staff we’ll go from there.”

London’s known for being a personable recruiter — it’s a main reason he got the job — so Buzzo probably doesn’t have much to be anxious about, but it will be interesting to see if the new Cavaliers coach can loosen the grip Virginia Tech’s Frank Beamer has over the state.
 

Near death encounter changed London’s life
By Jerry Ratcliffe
Published: December 20, 2009
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EDITOR’S NOTE: Second in a two-part series on new Virginia football coach Mike London and his unique story.

Perhaps it was his upbringing in a military family and his interest in athletics, the order and discipline of it all, but Mike London always figured that football and service to his country would be part of his life.

After playing football at the University of Richmond in the early 1980s, signing as a free agent with the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys — and getting released shortly thereafter — London began to explore another goal.

He had always desired to become a Secret Service agent or a U.S. Marshal, and always knew that if football didn’t work out, he would pursue a career in law enforcement.

“I used to watch the President, and in the background would be the guys standing behind him with the earplugs,” London said. “Those guys aren’t supposed to move, but one particular time I saw a guy move and hanging from his coat was a large machine gun. I said, ‘I don’t know what he does, but I want to do that.’”

In order to become a Secret Service agent or a U.S. Marshal, one must pay their dues in law enforcement, so London joined the Richmond Police Department and graduated from the Richmond Police Academy. Within six months, he became an undercover detective for the street crimes unit in November of 1984 — a job he would keep for nearly five years, until a brush with death that still raises the hair on the back of his neck.

He jumped at the chance to go to the street crimes unit. Fresh out of an NFL camp, his ripped body was bursting at the seams of his police uniform. Making detective offered an opportunity to wear plain clothes, drive around in unmarked cars, and stop writing tickets in no parking zones.

“You might not have recognized me,” London laughed. “I wore blue jeans, had a beard, earring.

Tune in to the typical cop show on TV and that was London’s life, chasing bad guys for any number of crimes. In fact, he and his partner earned the nicknames of “Batman and Robin” because of their success in some of Richmond’s hottest crime areas.

It wasn’t an easy life. London dealt with children molested by parents or family members, broken homes, robberies, dead bodies — you name it.

“It’s hard to turn that off and go home and be a father and husband,” London explained. “I lost friends to suicide on the force.”

When current friends or acquaintances ask him how he can stand fans screaming at him as a coach, how that must be intimidating, London snickers.

“Let me tell you something ... intimidated?” he said. “From my daughter’s situation (his bone marrow saved her life as a young child) to me looking down the barrel of a gun was intimidating. As long as fans aren’t shooting at me from the stands, I can handle it. They can say whatever they want.”

It was one day in 1989 that changed London’s life forever. In fact, it nearly ended his life.

He and his partner —he’s still not sure just who was Batman and who was Robin — were on patrol in Southside Richmond when a call came over the radio that the Kentucky Fried Chicken on Hull Street had just been robbed, along with a description of a van the perpetrators had been driving.

Sitting in light traffic on West Hull Street, London and his partner looked up and the van was sitting directly in front of their vehicle.

“We called in to report that we had the van, which pulled away,” London said. “I guess they knew we were following them.”

The van’s driver pulled into a long driveway by a house, turned around and faced the unmarked car that had followed them to the alleyway.

“We were in plain clothes, got out of the car, had our badges out, guns drawn, and identified ourselves as police officers and started to approach the van,” London said. “I was approaching the driver’s side, my partner, the passenger’s side.”

Suddenly, the driver floored the gas pedal, sending the van into a fishtail motion in an attempted escape. Instinctively, London jumped and grabbed onto whatever he could through the open window, fighting to get the driver’s hands off the steering wheel.

What followed became a moment forever frozen in London’s mind.

The driver pulled a gun and pointed directly at London’s face.

“It was one of them ‘Dirty Harry’ big ones, with a big, silver barrel,” London said. “Inches from my face.”

Click.

The sound was unmistakable. The driver had pulled the trigger, but for some reason, the gun didn’t fire.

“Just a sigh of relief,” is all London could remember as he jumped off the car.

“Shots were exchanged and they got away,” London described the scenario. “They drove down a road that is close to a ravine and some woods and we’re calling for all units to assist.”

Five miles away, police surrounded the van and arrested the occupants, all of whom were juveniles. They charged them with robbery, attempted capital murder of a police officer and more.

What followed in court changed London’s life again. He explained that somehow the suspects had intimidated their robbery victims into not testifying. During their escape, the robbers had gotten rid of the gun, and afterward, investigators couldn’t find the bullets.

London remembers a defense attorney arguing, “Your honor, because the officers couldn’t find the gun, who is to say there was a gun?

He added: Well, I was, because I was looking down the barrel.”

All charges were dropped except for a misdemeanor assault because they attempted to run over London with the van.

“I had just about lost my life and the criminal justice process soured me,” London said. “I would have loved to have gotten the experience to become a Secret Service agent or a U.S. Marshal, but that experience really changed my mind.”

Then-Richmond coach Jim Marshall had a restricted earnings position open and London accepted, giving him his first taste of coaching football, a career path that later took him also to William & Mary, Boston College, the University of Virginia twice as an assistant, a year with the NFL’s Houston Texans sandwiched in between, back to his alma mater as head coach of UR, then last week as UVa’s new head coach.

He has been described as the eternal optimist, and with good reason.

One life-giving experience with his daughter, and one near life-taking experience if the mind-numbing “click” had been anything more.

“I share those experiences with players and coaches and tell them you have to be optimistic about every situation in life,” London smiled. “That’s the only way to live.”
 

Hourigan and London Reunited at UVa
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 12/21/2009

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Another member of Mike London's staff is in place, and UVa's new football coach didn't have to look far to find him.

Brandon Hourigan is staying on as head strength-and-conditioning coach for football, London said Monday afternoon.

London and Hourigan worked together for one year at the University of Richmond. After the Spiders won the NCAA's Football Championship Subdivision title in 2008, Hourigan left to replace Matt Balis as UVa's director of football training and player development.

"It was great when I worked with Coach at Richmond," Hourigan said Monday night. "He definitely has an open mind to a lot of different things.

"Once I knew he got the job here, I was psyched. I'm looking forward to working with him again and helping turn this thing around. I know he's the guy to do it."

Hourigan spent four seasons at UR become coming to UVa, which finished 3-9 this season.

London, UR's head coach the past two seasons, will have nine assistant coaches. Four have been hired, including one holdover from Al Groh's staff, Anthony Poindexter.

The other three worked for London at UR: Jeff Hanson, Vincent Brown and Mike Faragalli.

"All the guys he brought in from Richmond are great," Hourigan said.

With final exams over, UVa's players have scattered for the holidays. When they return to Grounds next month, the players will start an offseason conditioning program that Hourigan said will differ markedly from the one they went through last winter.

-- Jeff White

 

Virginia Ranked No. 3 in Preseason Collegiate Baseball Poll
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com Release: 12/21/2009

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - The Virginia baseball team is ranked No. 3 nationally in Collegiate Baseball's "Fabulous 40" NCAA Division I Preseason Poll, which was released today (Dec. 21). It marks the first of the preseason polls to be released for the upcoming college baseball season.
The No. 3 ranking is the highest preseason ranking in Virginia baseball history and matches the highest ranking at any time in program history. UVa also ascended to No. 3 in the national polls in April 2007.
The ACC boasts six schools in the top 20, including Georgia Tech and Florida State, which join UVa in the top 10 at Nos. 6 and 7, respectively. Miami (12), North Carolina (13) and Clemson (16) also rank amongst the top 20. The ACC is the only conference to place more than three schools in the top 20.
Led by seventh-year head coach Brian O'Connor, Virginia returns 23 of its 29 letterwinners from the 2009 team, which went 49-15-1, won the ACC Championship and captured the NCAA Irvine Regional and Oxford Super Regional en route to the program's first College World Series appearance. Among the returning letterwinners is the entire starting lineup, including All-Americans Jarrett Parker (Jr., Stafford, Va.) and Danny Hultzen (So., Bethesda, Md.). The Cavaliers also have a top-10 recruiting class entering the fold and giving the team a wealth of depth.
UVa opens the season Feb. 19 with a three-game series at East Carolina, which is ranked No. 18 in Collegiate Baseball's preseason poll. The Cavaliers begin their home schedule Feb. 24 vs. George Washington.
Virginia season tickets are on sale now and may be ordered in person at the UVa Athletics Ticket Office in Bryant Hall, by phone at 1-800-542-UVA1 or online at VirginiaSports.com. Reserved Bleacher season tickets are available, providing a reserved grandstand bleacher seat for the 35-game schedule. General Admission season tickets also are available, offering seating on a first-come, first-served basis in grandstand sections, as well as in the left-field bleachers and on the hillside along the left field line.
Tickets for UVa baseball's Step Up To The Plate event, featuring guest speaker Dave Winfield, also are on sale now and can be ordered in person at the UVa Athletics Ticket Office in Bryant Hall, by phone at 1-800-542-UVA1 or online at VirginiaSports.com. The event is Jan. 22 at 6:30 p.m. at John Paul Jones Arena. Tables may be reserved by calling 800-626-8723. Proceeds from the event will go to the Virginia Baseball program.
Collegiate Baseball Preseason Top 10
1. Texas
2. LSU
3. Virginia
4. Cal State Fullerton
5. Arizona State
6. Georgia Tech
7. Florida State
8. UC Irvine
9. Florida
10. Oregon State

 

Parker, Hultzen Earn Spots on Louisville Slugger Preseason All-America Team
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com Release: 12/21/2009

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - Virginia baseball's Jarrett Parker (Jr., Stafford, Va.) and Danny Hultzen (So., Bethesda, Md.) each have been named to the Louisville Slugger 2010 Preseason All-America Team, announced today by Collegiate Baseball. Parker was a first-team outfield selection, while Hultzen was picked to the second team at utility.
Parker, a unanimous All-American in the national awards circuit last season, was a First-Team All-ACC pick in 2009 after putting up record-setting numbers. He finished with a .355 batting average with 16 home runs and 65 runs batted in. He also had 20 stolen bases while playing in all 65 of Virginia's games.
Parker set the Virginia single-season records in runs (75), hits (94) and total bases (176) and tied the record for triples (7). He also ranks among the top 10 in UVa single-season history in doubles (20 - T4th), home runs (16 - T3rd) and RBI (65 - 3rd).
Hultzen was a two-way standout for the Cavaliers last year. The first ACC Freshman of the Year in Virginia history, Hultzen saw time at pitcher, first base, left field and designated hitter while earning a slot on the All-ACC First Team. On the mound, he posted a 9-1 record with a 2.17 ERA in 17 games (16 starts). In 95 innings, Hultzen recorded 107 strikeouts, which is a Virginia freshman record and also ranks sixth overall in UVa history. His 16 starts tied a Virginia single-season record, while his total of nine wins is tied for sixth in the Virginia annals.
At the plate, Hultzen recorded a .327 batting average - second among ACC freshmen behind teammate Steven Proscia. He also hit three home runs and drove in 37 runs.
Virginia opens its 2010 season on Feb. 19 at East Carolina.
LOUISVILLE SLUGGER/COLLEGIATE BASEBALL FIRST TEAM PRESEASON ALL-AMERICANS
RHP Anthony Ranaudo, Louisiana State
RHP Deck McGuire, Georgia Tech
LHP Daniel Bibona, UC Irvine
RHP Taylor Jungmann, Texas
RHP Chance Ruffin, Texas
LHP Josh Spence, Arizona State
Relief Addison Reed, San Diego State
C Yasmani Grandal, Miami (Fla.)
1B Cody Hawn, Tennessee
2B Danny Muno, Fresno State
3B Tony Thompson, Kansas
SS Christian Colon, Cal St. Fullerton
OF Jarrett Parker, Virginia
OF Tyler Holt, Florida State
OF Matt Townsend, James Madison
DH Kyle Roller, East Carolina
UT Bryce Brentz, Middle Tennessee State

SECOND TEAM PRESEASON ALL-AMERICANS
RHP Alex Wimmers, Ohio State
LHP Cody Wheeler, Coastal Carolina
LHP Chris Sale, Florida Gulf Coast
RHP Daniel Renken, Cal St. Fullerton
RHP Sam Gaviglio, Oregon State
LHP Drew Pomeranz, Mississippi
RHP Matt Harvey, North Carolina
Relief Matty Ott, Louisiana State
Relief Ryan Duke, Oklahoma
C Cameron Rupp, Texas
C Micah Gibbs, Louisiana State
1B Preston Tucker, Florida
1B Troy Channing, St. Mary's
2B Mike Sodders, New Mexico State
2B Kolbrin Vitek, Ball State
3B Joey Bergman, Coll. of Charleston
SS Jedd Gyorko, West Virginia
OF Mike McGee, Florida State
OF Blake Dean, Louisiana State
OF Michael Choice, Texas-Arlington
OF Devon Dageford, Louisiana Tech
UT Danny Hultzen, Virginia