White: Scott's Return Bolsters Frontcourt
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com Release: 12/28/2009
By Jeff White

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- At the end of practice Monday afternoon, Assane Sene sneaked up behind Mike Scott and pecked him on the shoulder.
"Welcome back, man," Sene said with a playful smile. "We love you."
Scott rolled his eyes at his teammate's antics, but he's happy to be back on the court. The 6-8, 239-pound junior -- UVa's most talented low-post player -- practiced Sunday and again Monday. And he's expected to play Wednesday night when Virginia (6-4) hosts Alabama-Birmingham (11-1) at John Paul Jones Arena.
"I'm very excited," Scott said Monday afternoon. "I was off the court for a couple weeks, so I'm just anxious to get back out there."
Scott hasn't played since Nov. 30, when he had 17 points and 11 rebounds in a loss to Penn State. He sprained his right ankle near the end of practice Dec. 5 and missed Virginia's game at Auburn two nights later.
"The Auburn game was tough to watch," Scott said.
Without Scott, who's averaging 13.1 points and 9.3 rebounds, the Cavaliers fell 68-67. The Wahoos' other post players -- Sene, Will Sherrill and Jerome Meyinsse -- combined for 7 points and 10 rebounds against Auburn.
"Certainly we need him," first-year coach Tony Bennett said of Scott, who's from Chesapeake.
Not against every opponent, it turns out. The 'Hoos hammered New Jersey Institute of Technology and then Hampton without Scott last week, but UAB is likely to be the toughest opponent they've faced this season.
The Blazers' victims include Wisconsin-Green Bay (Bennett's alma mater), Georgia, Cincinnati and Butler. UAB is averaging 38 rebounds per game, to only 30.8 for its opponents.
During the summer before his first year at UVa, Scott hurt his left ankle, an injury he's never been able to completely move past.
"My left was a severe high-ankle sprain," he said. "This was a mild high-ankle sprain. It's not even swollen. Actually, my left is still swollen from my first year. My right ankle looks better than my left."
His injured ankle was mostly healed when Hampton came to town last week, but his right Achilles tendon was too painful for him to play, Scott said. When the Cavaliers reconvened Sunday for their first post-Christmas practice, however, he was ready to take part.
"I think the break helped out a lot," Scott said. "Got a little rest, and I worked out a little bit with my father."
When he returned to practice, Scott said, "I felt a little bit winded, but I got my wind back."
UVa's long break for final exams, combined with the postponement of the Dec. 19 game with UNC Wilmington because of the record-breaking storm, meant that Scott missed only three games.
Sene was ineffective at Auburn, but he made significant contributions, especially on defense, against NJIT and Hampton.
The 7-0 sophomore had 11 rebounds, 4 points and 2 blocked shots in the Cavaliers' 68-37 romp over NJIT. Two nights later, Sene totaled 8 rebounds, 8 points and 5 blocks in a 80-54 win over Hampton.
UAB's big men include 6-10, 260-pound senior Kenneth Cooper and 6-10, 225-pound sophomore Cameron Moore.
Blazers forward Ovie Soko, a 6-8, 225-pound freshman, played with Jontel Evans at Bethel High in Hampton. Evans is a first-year point guard at UVa.
 

No rest for Virginia commit Mitchell
By Whitey Reid
Published: December 29, 2009
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On Christmas Eve, there was Akil Mitchell — driving around his hometown of Charlotte, N.C., frustrated as heck.

The problem? Mitchell couldn’t find a basketball court that was open.

Mitchell called his high school coach to see if he could get into their gym. No luck.

He tried a couple of other spots around town. Nada.

After driving for about an hour, Mitchell finally hit the jackpot — the local Jewish Community Center.

Mazel tov!

“You’ve got to find a gym,” Mitchell said. “I can’t go too long without shooting. It drives me crazy.”

Mitchell, according to most recruiting services, is the lowest-rated member of Virginia’s 2010 class. But the 6-foot-7 forward’s Christmas Eve adventure gives you some insight into what UVa coach Tony Bennett and his staff see in him.

“He’s always wanting to work on his game and getting better,” said Charlotte Christian School coach Shonn Brown. “When the kids are the ones asking [to put in extra work], without the coach being the one who prompts it — those are the good players in the making.”

Mitchell is the only member of Bennett’s inaugural class not ranked within the Rivals.com top 150. Frankly, Mitchell didn’t have very many other high Division I offers. That’s something that he continues to use as motivation.

“During practices and even in games, it’s always in the back of mind,” Mitchell said.

One of Virginia’s big selling points to Mitchell was assistant coach Ritchie McKay. The former Liberty head coach had built a relationship with Mitchell from his days recruiting ex-Flames guard Seth Curry, the younger brother of NBA player Stephen Curry. Seth Curry (now at Duke) and Mitchell had been teammates at Charlotte Christian.

What the Virginia staff likes about Mitchell is the way he has improved every year. In a way, he’s the inverse of Eric Wallace (a former UVa recruit who decommitted in 2006).

Last season, Mitchell, playing with three players who are currently in Division I programs, had modest statistics.

This season, he’s being counted on for more. Mitchell got off to a strong start before a couple of subpar outings. He’s currently averaging around 13 points, seven rebounds and two steals for a 9-2 squad that also features South Carolina commit Anthony Gill.

Mitchell is shooting 51 percent from 2-point range and 31 percent from 3.

Mitchell’s versatility is one of his biggest pluses. At 6-foot-7, he has 3-point range, but he can also go inside.

Brown believes that Mitchell projects as a face-up 4 or a 3 at the college level.

“I’ve been watching Virginia and looking at their system — Akil looks like a guy who can step out and make some jumpshots, but then create mismatches by posting other guys up,” Brown said. “I think he’ll be able to do both. It just depends on the other recruits and where they need him.”

Mitchell was very disappointed after his last game — a loss to Christ School in the Chick-fil-A Classic where he got into early foul trouble and finished with just five points. Afterward, he said he had a long talk with his father, Anthony Mitchell.

“I had a pretty bad game and we sat down and he told me, ‘It looked like you had forgotten where you had come from’ and things like,” Mitchell said. “He said, ‘Remember what you play the game for, and the reasons why you’ve worked so hard to get the things you have.

‘Just remember all the people who said [you] wouldn’t make it and to keep that in the back of my mind and keep working hard.’”

That’s what Mitchell has always done, and especially in the classroom, where he’s been a member of the National Honor Society.

“I think he fit all the qualities of what coach Bennett and his staff were looking for,” Brown said.
 

UR, U.Va. involved in unofficial coach-swap

Related Info
BOB TROTT
Age: 55
Hometown: Concord, N.C.
Family: Wife, Barbara; children, Amanda, Nathan, Brittany
Education: University of North Carolina (undergraduate degree in business, master’s in education); played safety 1972-75.
Coaching experience (all as defensive assistant): 1976-77, UNC graduate assistant; 1978-83, Air Force Academy; 1984-89, Arkansas; 1990, Clemson; 1991-92, New York Giants; 1993-95, New England Patriots; 1996-2001, Duke; 2002, Baylor; 2003-04, Louisiana-Monroe; 2005-08, Cleveland Browns; 2009, Virginia.
Notable: defensive coordinator at Arkansas, Clemson, Duke, Baylor, Louisiana-Monroe.

WAYNE LINEBURG
Age: 35
Hometown: Radford
Family: Wife, Tracey
Education: University of Virginia (undergraduate degree in government), William and Mary (master’s in higher education administration); played quarterback at U.Va. 1992-96
Coaching experience (all as offensive assistant): 1996-97, William and Mary restricted-earnings coach; 1998-99, Virginia graduate assistant; 2000-03, William and Mary; 2004-06, Richmond; 2007-09, Virginia.
Notable: offensive coordinator at Richmond.

Published: December 29, 2009
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There seems to be an informal coach-swap underway involving the University of Richmond and the University of Virginia football programs.

Mike London, UR's head coach 2008 and 2009, became U.Va.'s head coach Dec. 7, about a week after Al Groh was fired. London brought Spiders' assistants Jeff Hanson, Vincent Brown and Mike Faragalli with him to Charlottesville.

Then, UR began hiring Virginia coaches.

Latrell Scott, a Cavaliers' assistant in 2009, was named Richmond's head coach Dec. 15. Two assistants from Virginia's staff are projected as the Spiders' offensive and defensive coordinators, though UR has not yet officially confirmed the appointments. Expected to be named offensive coordinator is Wayne Lineburg, 35, who spent 2007-09 as Cavaliers' wide-receivers coach, then running-backs coach. Expected to be named defensive coordinator is Bob Trott, 55 and the Virginia linebackers coach in 2009.

-- John O'Connor