WahooWatch

2011-11-04T11:14:00.004-04:00

2011-11-04T11:14:00.001-04:00

2011-10-03T11:13:00.001-04:00

2011-08-03T02:45:00.002-04:00

Thank you readers

2011-07-18T10:13:00.003-04:00

This is going to be my last post on the WahooWatch. Thank you all for reading this over the last year. I encourage you all to go read the Wahooze. I get the sense that if you liked what you read here you will probably like that as well.

Starting Monday Wahooze will be my new home

Thanks again for your support! Go HOOS!

Nondescript Jersey Number for 2011

2011-07-13T22:43:00.000-04:00

We all know that NCAA has strict rules on protecting the amateur status on student athletes and does everything they can to ensure that the students are not taken advantage of at all while playing at their respective colleges. And certainly makes sure they aren’t taken advantage of by having their likeness used in promotions for their school without receiving any extra benefits from the sale of those items. Thank god there is such a just and reasonable organization in charge of regulating such things.

That being said before the start of last season I purchased a newly redesigned generic number 19 orange UVA football jersey, not referencing anyone in particular, we just thought it looked good as a number. Since I recently purchased NCAA Football 2012 and am getting very hyped for the upcoming season it got me thinking about which random number the athletic department will pick to be put on this year’s jersey. Let’s go through the candidates and I will give my predictions and likelihood of each happening.

FAVORITES:

#13 - Chase Minnifield:

Back to Back stud CB’s on the jersey? I like that. Chase I think symbolizes the kind of spunk the team is going to need this season. Not the impressive physical specimen that Ras-I was Chase will more than make up for his lack of physical tools with his hustle and heart. Minnifield has become a fan favorite and is coming off a big time season last year with 6 picks which ranked 7^th in the country.

Probability: 25%

#56 - Cam Johnson:

Can I pause for one second and have a moment to appreciate that Johnson came into school as a safety? What a beast. Anyway I think Cam has a chance to have a big time season. Yes he’s coming off an injury and yes he will probably be the focal point of every offensive line’s protection plan but I still think he has the raw talent to be an absolute monster this season. Johnson is coming off a season that included 6.5 sacks and 14.5 TFLs. Johnson is a pure rush end with a nose for the QB who I love to see play.

Probability: 35%

#18 - Kris Burd:

Should we change it up and go offense this year? Maybe. Burd was a beast last year. He led the team with 58 catches for 799 receiving yards, registered four 100-yard receiving games, and finished season at No. 16 all-time for UVa with 1,277 career receiving yards. Flat out he was a stud. If someone can get him the ball I expect big things from him again. He also has the big play ability that will get fans excited, right FSU?

Probability: 25%

#33 - Perry Jones:

I love this kid. He is absolutely electric with the ball. He rushed for 646 yards last season but only scored 1 TD due to the emergence of the Payne Trane. Look for that to change this year. Jones averaged 4.7 yards per rush and should be another focal point of the offense. He is also only a junior. If he can emerge as an everydown back I think he would be a big seller.

Probability: 15%

DARKHORSES:

#53 - Steve Greer:

A fan favorite. Hardnosed player who keeps winning the MLB job. Doubtful but I think this would be cool

Probability: 3%

#78 - Morgan Moses:

For a school that produces NFL lineman like McDonalds produces cheeseburgers this would be cool. Moses is a giant human being with the potential to be the next Eugene Monroe, Branden Albert, or D’Brickashaw Ferguson.

Probability: 2%

#8 - Jimmy Howell

I know there is no way this will ever happen but name me a player that has put up a more consistent performance over the last 4 years. I can wait. For a team that punts a lot he is an integral piece. That being said there is no chance this happens. But it would be AWESOME.

Probability: 0%

I think it’s going to be either Cam Johnson or Chase Minnifield. If I had to pick I would guess Cam just based on his ability to make a huge play. But it’s a tossup. If they go offense I think it will be Burd unless they decide to go cheap and pick Perry Jones who is a junior and will probably be the feature back for the next two seasons. But if I had my way it would absolutely be Jimmy Howell. True UVA fans would appreciate it and everyone else will think he’s a QB.

The point is FOOTBALL IS ALMOST BACK BABY! GO HOOS!

The First Domino

2011-07-04T22:32:00.000-04:00

Over the next couple of posts (well the next 13) I’m going to take a look at the prospects that the football team has gotten commitments from and the impact I think they are going to have on the program. The 2012 class is shaping up to be a doozy and already sports a good chunk of the top players in Virginia as well as a nice stable of bulls to handle the offensive line for the next 4 years. These articles are going to be in chronological order and will hopefully show how each signing has impacted the rest of the class.

Mark Hall, a linebacker from Green Run High School in Virginia Beach was the first commitment Coach London picked up way back in February of 2011. That’s quite early and caught me a little by surprise, but is a huge get. Hall was the first domino to fall and was a good start. To pick up a kid from the 757 this early in the process was a great sign for things to come for Coach London and left Wahoo fans optimistic for the future.

Hall, a 3-Star recruit on rivals.com, is listed at 6-2, 208 and is projected as an outside linebacker in the future. Hall picked Virginia over Delaware, Duke, Maryland, UNC, Pitt, West Virginia, and of course Tech. Hall is ranked as the number 64 outside linebacker in the country and, more importantly, the number 18 player in Virginia. Hall also excels on the basketball court and is a very fluid player in space. He also has room to pack on weight making him ideal for an outside linebacker. Hall has the ability to both rush the passer and drop into coverage. What Hall will lack in polish he will more than make up for in athleticism. I suspect he’ll be redshirted to pack on weight but if not Hall could have an impact on special teams his freshman season (I’m seeing a blocked field goal). Regardless of what happens this signing showed the rest of the state of Virginia that UVA came to play this offseason and that the students are buying into the coaching staff. While the best recruiting tool we have is wins it helps to be able to build a strong recruiting base by landing top talent in the state, and Coach London got started on that early. This is a good pickup and will help Coach London get his players for his system.

Next Up: Demeitre Brim

How to Fix the NBA

2011-07-03T10:33:00.001-04:00

So this article isn’t really going to relate much to UVA just to warn everyone. Except for the fact that if this exceptionally hypothetical situation were to happen it would be a massive boost to our program. I’ll explain that afterwards.

As we all know the NBA is getting ready to take a little break. The last time I checked the players and owners are around $70,000,000 apart on how to split revenue from the season. One of the big problems in the NBA is that there is basically 0 parity. There are good teams, and there are terrible teams and the way to make your team better is to dump all your salaries in one year and go buy up great talent. This eliminates the Sacramento Kings and Charlotte Bobcats of the world who are never going to be a big enough market to make that kind of move. That being said it’s easy to see why fans in those towns become apathetic. They can see the writing on the walls. The key to fixing this relies in 2 major changes to the current system, to give everyone an equal shot in the big picture. And the key to parity in my opinion is being able to groom your own talent. That coupled with a hard salary cap will be a good way to help level the NBA and make it a better product, more like football, where everyone has a chance every year and it comes down to coaching and front office work to decide your fate. But how would this be accomplished…

The NBA already has a soft cap, which basically means you have to pay luxury tax on players if you go over a certain amount. This is good in theory but do you think Mark Cuban cares about a few extra dollars? That’s what I thought. Commissioner Stern has already said that a hard cap is going to be one of his priorities for the new CBA. Step one we’ll call complete.

Sorry to bring this back up Wizards fans

Step two is where this gets interesting. The big reason that teams stay bad for so long is that the NBA draft is based completely on potential. Sure the guys at the top of the draft are usually good, but for every John Wall there is a Kwame Brown. Teams picking high in the draft don’t need project players they need polished NBA ready talent to help them out. Players that can step in right away. Not some super raw kind that can’t hit a jumper past 13 feet with a hand in his face with any consistency. The way to solve this problem is by changing the draft rules…again. This sort of worked the last time when the implemented the one and done rule (Kosta Koufus would have been a lottery pick…who?) but it needs to be expanded, or at least tweaked. The answer to this problems lies in baseball.

The MLB draft works in a very unique way. Kids are drafted both out of high school and in college. If a player is selected he is not required to sign with the team that picks him, and if he goes undrafted he can either choose to go to the college that has signed him or try and catch on with a minor league squad. Usually when a kid is picked out of high school they get offered some exorbitant amount of money to sign with the team if they are drafted high enough. But if not the MLB team will take a flyer on the kid being dumb or just not wanting to go to college. However it’s what happens when the kids go to college that is interesting. In baseball if you choose to go to college you have to stay there until your twenty first birthday. This gives you plenty of time to hone your skills and become MLB ready by the time you get drafted again. Look at Ryan Zimmerman for all you Wahoo fans. He made the majors in his first season.

Yeah...he probably needed college

So we have that settled. NBA teams now draft kids either out of high school or after they are 21. This allows phenoms like Dwight Howard and LeBron James to come into the league when they are ready but also keeps kids who aren’t in school longer. This is going to give the NBA a better product because you’ll have an influx of kids who know how to play basketball rather than a bunch of kids learning how to play. The NBA is not for learning it’s for performing. But what do we do with those high school kids? That answer is also demonstrated in baseball.

Minors! The NBA already has the NBDL but it’s not a true minor league system. Not like the MLB or NHL have. This is what I am thinking. Why not have a Minor League development league where each team has an affiliated team. I’ve already laid this out! There could be two leagues. The first would be for American Players based in the United States. I’ll use my hometown Wiz Kids as an example. Wouldn’t it be nice to not have to watch Kevin Seraphin try and learn to play NBA style basketball in the actual NBA? Wouldn’t it be better to see him tear up the minors in Baltimore first? Look at the Nationals and Bryce Harper, by the time he cracks the pros he is going to be so polished you can see your reflection in it. The second league would be a minor league based in Europe. This would split the draft into two parts, a Euro Draft and an American draft (baseball only has an American draft, Latin America is a free for all). This league would be considered the stepping stone to the NBA. So a player like Jan Vesely could be picked and developed by the Wizards in Europe to make him ready to make the jump. The Euro draft would probably have different rules since they start playing professionally pretty much in utero over there. Once the players are ready they can make the jump either to the NBA or the NBDL for more seasoning. This would not only help put a better product on the floor but also expand your product worldwide.

So to all this up the NBA needs to make these changes to help level the playing field and put a better product on the floor:

1. Hard Cap- Help take financial strength out of the equation

2. New Draft Rules- makes teams focus more on talent rather than potential, which leads to better talent on the floor on a nightly basis

3. Minor Leagues- Helps to develop players further that need more polishing. Gets players more engrossed in the system and more knowledgeable of it to make it run better in the pros

So let’s relate this back to UVA since this is a UVA blog. Eliminating the one and done rule would provide a tremendous boon to our program since we a) can’t and 2) don’t want or need those players. This would leave teams like UNC holding their breath until August waiting to see if they can keep their prized recruits. Coach Bennett on the other hand doesn’t recruit players like that for his system, so barring some once in a lifetime player committing here we would most likely be safe. This means more of our players in our program that Coach Bennett picks to run our system. This leads to better teams and more wins which means better players and eventually, dare I say, a banner or two for JPJ.

So let’s make this happen, cause I’d really like to go to a basketball game in a football stadium.

Looking Ahead

2011-06-26T20:05:00.000-04:00

First off I would like to congratulate the 2011 Virginia Baseball team. You guys singlehandedly brought this program to a new level of expectations and accomplishments this season. For all the accolades that Cal received for being on the brink of extinction and saving their season from alumni donations you have saved this program from oblivion with your masterful play. Through the hard work of Coach O’Connor and his staff, as well as the dedication of our players you have truly turned this program into a national force and a team we can all be very proud of. You play baseball the right way, make people think, and really put on a demonstration of how intelligent and strategic the game can be. Thank you for a great season.

A big congratulations is in order for the players that will most likely be leaving us this summer. You guys have been the driving force in the reemergence of this program and it’s rise to the new heights it has achieved. I will truly miss watching you play at Davenport. The departing players are:

John Hicks C

Kenny Swab OF

Steven Proscia 3B

Tyler Biddix INF/OF

Corey Hunt INF/RHP

Danny Hultzen LHP

John Barr OF

David Coleman OF

Will Roberts RHP

Tyler Wilson RHP

Cody Winiarski RHP

However let's take some time to look forward. To see what we have coming back. As I see it now with the players we have returning this is the lineup I’d project if the season started tomorrow, and quite frankly I think it’s pretty stout considering we’re losing the 3-4-5 hitters.

Lineup:

Shifflett at the top brings a ton of speed and lets Coach O’Connor put all sorts of plays on with him wreaking havoc on the basepaths. I think Gragnani brings versatility to the 2 hole but I would not be surprised if Keith Werman gets a look their two, though I am projecting him to remain in the 9 spot. Chris Taylor emerged to me to have the talent to become the guy on this team. Pairing with a much improved Jared King and hopefully a returning to form Stephen Bruno I think the heart of the order will pack a pretty good punch. Harrington and Levine have demonstrated a good skillset in their time in the order so they go 6-7. I have no idea what is going to happen at DH. I’ll put Amaro in their for now but I expect this to be another matchup platoon next year barring someone coming and lighting it up. And trusty Keith Werman, the most productive .215 hitter in the NCAA holding strong in the 9 spot.

Mitchell Shifflett CF

Reed Gragnani RF

Chris Taylor SS

Jared King 1B

Stephen Bruno 3B

Colin Harrington LF

Ryan Levine C

Rob Amaro DH

Keith Werman 2B

Reserves:

Derek Justice OF

Mark Podlas OF

Shane Halley OF

Pitching Staff:

I will admit pitching for next year had me nervous. But the performance by both Branden Kline and Kyle Crockett in that last game has completely reversed my thoughts. I think the rotation for next season is going to be very VERY solid. Kline will anchor the staff on Friday and Crockett will pitch Saturday. I don’t think it’s any secret that the Sunday and Weekday starting spots will be worked out between Silverstein and Mayberry. I’m penciling Mayberry in for now because I like his stuff and he’s a little more seasoned. As far as the bullpen goes I suspect JT Thompson will start off the year as the closer. I know I’m not the most supported on this but I like his stuff a lot. I think Shane Halley, Artie Lewicki and Chad O’Connor will round out the primary bullpen guys for us next year. Yes that seems a little thin for now but give the staff the winter and I think we’ll all be pleasantly surprised.

Rotation:

Friday: Branden Kline RHP

Saturday: Kyle Crockett LHP

Sunday: Whit Mayberry RHP

Weekday: Scott Silverstein LHP

Bullpen:

CL-Justin Thompson RHP

Shane Halley RHP

Artie Lewicki RHP

Chad O'Connor RHP

Ryan Ashooh LHP

Aaron Stull LHP

Ryan Briggs RHP

Austin Young RHP

Coach Bennett's Big 3

2011-06-22T20:49:00.000-04:00

Left to Right: SF Justin Anderson, SF Evan Nolte, and C Mike Tobey

Tony Bennet already has started to put his mark on the program by brining in big talents like Joe Harris, KT Harrell, and James Johnson in his first season, and following that year up with another big one with dead-eye shooter Malcom Brogdon from Atlanta as it’s centerpiece. But both of those years pale in comparison to the way the 2012 class is starting to shape up. Let’s take a look.

Justin Anderson:

This is the big fish. The biggest of fish. Justin Anderson has drawn comparisons to Vince Carter, as a sophmore. He can absolutely fly and can be a program centerpiece at small forward. Truly excels in transistion Anderson’s athleticicsm is off the charts. Has the ability to take over games. Strong finisher at the rim also has the ability to catch and dunk at the other end of an alley-oop lob pass. Will be a strong player with defenses being force to respect the deep game of Malcom Brogdon and Joe Harris, already established as deep threats. Coach Bennett is also in love with his tenacity on defense and rebounding. While his athleticisim makes him a strong defender and a tough matchup it’s the polish in his game that has Coach Bennett salivating. He will need to work on his range to blossom into his full potential but he is by far one of the best recruits we’ve had in a while.

Evan Nolte:

Before Anderson committed this was the big commitment from the recruiting class, and for good reason. Nolte stands 6’7” with deep deep range. His game runs a great compliment with Andersons as the perfect kick-out guy for a penetrating Anderson. Nolte excels in the slow down half-court style offense that Coach Bennett runs. Paired with Brogdon, Nolte will create a dead eye shooting tandem that will be a nightmare to defend, spreading defenses super thin as they will have to guard them all the way out to the three point line. This eliminates what killed us last year which was the packed in 2-3 zone. By spreading it out it allows our penetrating wing players and post guys to have more room to operate, if only we could hold onto Mike Scott another year.

Mike Tobey:

Tobey is a low post presence we are going to need. Tobey will join Darion Atkins and James Johnson to make a very formidable frontcourt for the future. With a deep front court being addressed earlier in recruiting (Atkins, Harris, Johnson, Mitchell will probably be our 4/5 rotation for the next few years) it will allow Tobey to grow into his body. Tobey needs a good bit of polishing but has a ton of potential. Unlike the Sene project of a few years ago Tobey can already catch the ball in traffic and has a soft touch, and a few post moves. His body is a little doughy but that is not atypical of a high school player his size. He needs to develop his low post game more and solidify his frame and he can become a force in the paint.

I’m stunned at how well Coach Bennett is recruiting. When we first brought him in I didn’t think his style of play would attract many top recruits because it is more of a team mentality rather than a showcase of one or two good players. However I am actively being proven wrong. The key to Bennett’s ultimate success or failure at UVA will be his ability to bring in his kind of players that buy into his system but can also compete night in and night out with the tremendous talent that the ACC has to offer. So far Coach Bennett is far exceeding my expectations and I am incredibly excited for the future. Now all we need is someone to run the show. Someone to distribute the ball to these new weapons. Someone who Coach Bennett can trust to have his head on straight. Someone like…

James Robinson:

This would complete this team. This commitment would bring UVA to the next level. Robinson would be the starting point guard the instant he set foot in Charlottesville. A product of DeMatha High School, Robinson already has all the polish of a pass first point guard that would fit Coach Bennett’s system perfectly. Our main competitor for his talents is of course Georgetown who seems to sustain their program with former Stags. If Robinson looks closely and sees what UVA is building I find it hard to believe he could turn us down. And lord knows we need him. This upcoming season will be crucial for recruiting but I think with a good showing we should land Robinson and be potentially at the top of the ACC.

Cocks 7 Hoos 1

2011-06-22T00:02:00.000-04:00

This hurts me to write but I think a big part of the blame for this one goes on the coach, and here’s why. We all knew coming into the CWS that South Carolina was our biggest competition on our side of the bracket. We also knew that game two was the biggest game for us to win. 18 of the last 21 winners of the CWS have gone 2-0 in their first two games. We also knew that Cal was probably the weakest of the teams to make it. Let’s board my train of thought for a second here and I’ll try to explain what my thinking is for this.

To me once Coach O’Connor brought in Tyler Wilson it showed me one thing clear as day, Will Roberts is the clear number 2 for this team going forward. Granted Roberts has been a much more consistent pitcher for us this season and has been rock solid through the post season so far so this wasn’t a big surprise for me to discover. However let’s looks at his style versus the style of Danny Hultzen, I feel this is where a crucial mistake was made. Will Roberts is effective because he is efficient. He throws a ton of strikes and relies heavily on his defense, which has made him great all season, except tonight. Whether it was nerves or the wet field or whatever the Hoos messed the bed in the field in that first inning and that set the tone. It was very unlike us to commit so many errors and what’s worse is that it continued. This is what ended up sealing our fate.

This brings me back to the matchup though. When you look at the offenses of Cal and South Carolina one is much more imposing than the other. The Gamecocks play big time SEC nut up or shut up power baseball. To me this is not the kind of team Will Roberts would excel against. Yes there is something to be said to roll out some fluffy nancy finesse pitcher to frustrate that kind of lineup but that’s not the pitcher will is. He throws hard it’s just in the zone. That being said it set up perfectly for South Carolina to put pressure on the defense by hitting the ball hard, which they did, and the defense cracked for the first time all season. I would much rather have seen Will get the start in Game one. I understand you don’t take anyone for granted but when you look at the matchup I firmly believe Cal is a much better matchup for a pitcher of Will’s style. No one on Cal jumps out off the page and intimidates you. They play a west-coast small ball style. A style that is much more conducive to Will’s style, one that will not rope a double off the center field fence if you make a mistake, but rather dump in a single that can be controlled. No one on Cal is hitting a screamer down the line that Proscia can’t handle, that’s not their approach. The appropriate starter for South Carolina would have been Danny. Power for power that might be a good matchup but Danny has the offspeed stuff that could easily neutralize the overaggressive approach of any SEC style team.

I’m not going to say that O’Connor was the only reason we lost because he wasn’t. If the usually sure handed Prosica grabs that ball at third and we roll through the first unscathed it’s a different game. Hell if we score a run in the 5^th with the bases chucked it’s a different game. But we didn’t and South Carolina had all the momentum. Now all we can do is hope Tyler Wilson can rise to the challenge and defeat Cal, who according to an ESPN report has Jesus Christ on the mound with the Pope and the President of the United States in relief for the next game. Hopefully they’ve run out of montauges for this game and we can actually hear about the game instead of how terrible California’s state budget is.

GO HOOS!

Omahoos

2011-06-16T19:02:00.000-04:00

The 4 Horsemen (clockwise from top left): Hultzen, Wilson, Winiarski, Roberts

Let me start off this post by saying that the Super Regional final was the best game of baseball I have ever seen or played in in my entire life, and that is quite a bit of baseball. The Hoos will now take their magical run off to TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha, Nebraska for the college world series. Bring it on rest of America. I think the Hoos hold tremendous advantages in what I feel are the biggest keys to success in post season play, pitching and defense. In what can I only assume is exactly the kind of team Coach O’Connor was looking for (being a former pitching coach) I have the highest expectations for the Hoos in Omaha. That being said I took what I feel is our greatest strength, starting pitching, and worked out what I think will be the rotations based on scenarios that could play out leading us to the finals. Before we get into this let’s look at each horse in the stable.

Danny Hultzen:

Obviously the ace of the staff. Could go anywhere except probably UCLA and instantly be the top guy. I would put his stuff up against anyone in America. Absolute gamer. Could easily shut down anyone on our side of the bracket.

Tyler Wilson:

Senior leader. Calm under pressure. Nasty stuff when it is on. But he’s been iffy of late. When Wilson is going I would put him up there with Danny with my trust. That slider might be the filthiest pitch on the staff.

Will Roberts:

Innings eater. When used properly I think he’s the kind of pitcher that can save you in this type of tournament because he’ll spare the bullpen. I’m interested to see how Coach O’Connor uses him.

Those are the three starters I think will be in the mix for the opening round. In my mind they can win the first 3 games and not have to worry about anything else but just in case I’m going to outline what I think will be the rotation for the first round. My immense experience of one summer as a pitching coach for the 16U Babe Ruth VA state champions speaks for itself. But here’s how I’d approach it:

To me the most important game in this bracket is going to be game two. I think Coach O’Connor is going to throw the kitchen sink to win that game, especially if we win game one against Cal. To me that means two slots are filled already. Will Roberts will throw game one. A good start against Cal to me would be a nice efficient 7+ innings from Will followed by easing JT and/or Kline into the pressure of Omaha. This would also leave the full arsenal available for Game two where we would roll out Danny with Winiarski in emergency relief. I think with everyone rested we stand the best chance at beating whoever comes out of the A&M vs. South Carolina game. Starting off with two wins and handing the ball to Senior captain Tyler Wilson to get after it in game 3 and a very comfortable Mike Vitale being handed a frosty one to kick back and watch his beloved Hoos advance. Here are the other scenarios should I be wrong and we drop a game.

Scenario 1 (Win out)
Game Number	Date	Starter
1	6/19/2011 14:00	Roberts (W)
2	6/21/2011 19:00	Hultzen (W)
3	6/24/2011 14:00	Wilson (W)
4	N/A	N/A
5	N/A	N/A
Finals
1	6/27/2011 20:00	Hultzen
2	6/28/2011 20:00	Roberts
3	6/29/2011 20:00	Wilson

Scenario 2 (Lose First Win out)
Game Number	Date	Starter
1	6/19/2011 14:00	Roberts (W)
2	6/21/2011 14:00	Hultzen (W)
3	6/23/2011 19:00	Wilson (W)
4	6/24/2011 19:00	Roberts (W)
5	6/25/2011 19:00	Hultzen (W)
Finals
1	6/27/2011 20:00	Winiarski
2	6/28/2011 20:00	Wilson
3	6/29/2011 20:00	Hultzen

Scenario 3 (Win 1 Lose Second Win Out)
Game Number	Date	Starter
1	6/19/2011 14:00	Roberts (W)
2	6/21/2011 19:00	Hultzen (L)
3	6/23/2011 19:00	Roberts (W)
4	6/24/2011 19:00	Wilson (W)
5	6/25/2011 19:00	Hultzen (W)
Finals
1	6/27/2011 20:00	Winiarski
2	6/28/2011 20:00	Roberts
3	6/29/2011 20:00	Wilson

Scenario 4 (Win 2 Lose 1 Win out)

Game Number

Date

Starter

1

6/19/2011 14:00

Roberts (W)

2

6/21/2011 19:00

Hultzen (W)

3

6/24/2011 19:00

Wilson (L)

4

6/25/2011 19:00

Roberts (W)

5

N/A

N/A

Finals

1

6/27/2011 20:00

Hultzen

2

6/28/2011 20:00

Roberts

3

6/29/2011 20:00

Wilson

As you can see there are 2 scenarios that involved our secret weapon and the secret strength of the team, something I don’t think most college programs have, and that is a legit 4^th starter. Cody Winiarski, a player that was once demoted from Sunday to midweek starter, could prove to become one of the most valuable pieces of this year’s run at a title. Looking at the other side of the bracket and knowing that whoever comes out of that bracket will most likely not be unscathed shows what a tremendous value having a staff as deep as the Hoos can be. This is the year. We have the horses, let’s get it done.

Picks

2010-10-27T15:12:00.000-04:00

Mr. Bowers will be making some new friends this weekend

Florida State @ NC State (-3¹/₂)

NC State. FSU has an aggressive defense that preys on the mistakes made by the opposing QB. Unfortunately Russell Wilson is extremely careful with the ball. Look for FSU to commit a ton of stupid penalties while NC State sustains long drives. This game is always close. If Ponder is 100% he should be able to lead the Nole’s to a win, but he isn’t. Close game that Wilson wins in a battle of star QBs.

NCSU 24 - FSU 20

Clemson @ Boston College (+7)

Dave Shinskie? Chase Rettig? Mike Marscovetra? Whoever is under center for the Eagles is going to get very familiar with Da'Quan Bowers who already has 10 sacks, alright he’s better than Allen Bailey, there. Clemson looked good last week and BC looks terrible. Anyone else looking forward to the BC-UVA game? ACC football at it’s best.

Clemson 31 - BC 9

Miami @ Virginia (+15)

See previous post. I don’t think UVA has much of a chance. But you never know. But considering I will be rooting for UVA they will almost certainly lose. This is a matchup of my two favorites though so there’s a high probability scott stadium will be swallowed up by hell late in the 2^nd quarter

Miami 45 - UVA 17

Duke @ Navy (-13¹/₂)

Duke is bad. Navy just beat ND for the 3^rd time in 4 years. That being said Notre Dame sucks also. I don’t see Duke keeping this close.

Navy 31- Duke 17

Wake Forest @ Maryland (-5¹/₂)

This is the fall from relevance bowl. Wake is winless on the road and Maryland is undefeated at home. Wake is giving up almost 38 points a game. Ralph Friedgen is fighting for his job and doing it surprisingly well. Maybe this is an Al Groh 07 type season for them. We’ll go with that.

Maryland 24 - Wake Forest 13

William & Mary @ North Carolina (-17¹/₂)

UNC. Only a shitty team would even be close to losing to W&M and you have to be god awful to lose…oh wait. UNC Rolls.

UNC 45 - W&M 3

UVA vs. Miami Breakdown

2010-10-26T13:44:00.000-04:00

Preview

The 22^nd ranked Miami Hurricanes blow into Scott Stadium this Saturday to face the Hoos. UVa is coming off a 48-21 thumping of Eastern Michigan which saw the offense return to early season form. Senior QB Marc Verica threw for 203 yards and 2 touchdowns but most importantly 0 picks and looked sharp. There were a few of his signature head scratching throws but all in all he looked solid. Special Teams again looked strong with Terence Fells-Danzer returning a kickoff 70 yards for a touchdown. However Virginia’s run defense, which is ranked 114^th nationally, and propensity to give up the big play was exposed again this week allowing 3 rushes for over 30 yards to EMU and two over 50 to running back Javonti Green.

The Hurricanes are coming off a 33-10 thumping of UNC last Saturday which saw both the offense and defense explode and look like “The U” of old. Miami racked up 442 yards of offense for its 3^rd straight game over 400 yards. Jacory Harris threw for 217 yards and 3 touchdowns and most importantly only one interception. The defense was also stout allowing 289 yards of offense to the Heels, their second lowest total of the season. The defense also posted 5 sacks, 8 tackles for loss, 2 picks, and a fumble recovery.

Matchup

Advantage UVA:

UVA is massively out athleticed in this game. Miami has studs at every single position. There are a few places however that UVA holds an advantage.

Kickoff Return:

Raynard Horne is statistically the best return man in the ACC. Conversely Miami is one of the worst cover teams in the ACC which confuses me based on their tremendous athleticism. UVA has a good shot to steal a TD on special teams in the kickoff.

Short Passing:

Miami is one of the most aggressive defenses in college football, leading the ACC in sacks and tackles for loss. However this aggressiveness makes them very vulnerable to misdirections, short passes, and screens. This was the key to UVA’s success early in the season. The Hoos will struggle running against a very stout Miami defensive line so getting the short passing game going will help alleviate pressure and open up the run and the deep pass.

Passing Defense:

Everyone knows about Jacory Harris’s pick problems. He will do his best to throw picks and often gets locked on his favorite target Leonard Hankerson. I’ll address this later but having a healthy Ras-I Dowling will help neutralize a potent offensive attack. Chase Minnifield is also a good matchup with number 2 receiver Travis Benjamin. The big matchup will be the UVA safeties and linebackers covering TE Richard Gordon and Number 3 receiver Aldarius Johnson. In a standard 2 wide out set this matchup does favor UVA. Look for at least one pick. This is another area UVA can steal a TD.

Advantage Miami

However there are glaring areas where UVA is massively outmatched.

Run Defense:

This goes both ways but we’ll focus on Miami running on UVA. An already porous run defense will be facing a stable of talented backs that will only get stronger with home run threat Graig Cooper returning to full strength. The Hurricanes also boast two massive tackles in Orlando Franklin (6-7,312) and Seantrel Henderson (6-8,330). And you thought Morgan Moses was big. Those two tackles will most likely wreak havoc on an already undersized UVA defensive line. In addition to Cooper Miami also has Damien Berry who is an extremely productive every-down back, ranking second in the ACC with 92.6 yards/game.

Pass Rush:

Miami boasts in my opinion the best defensive lineman in the country in Allen Bailey who is listed at 285 but I would not be shocked if he played around 300. Bailey is joined by 2 other Canes in the top ten in sacks in the ACC. Mike London has said that the offensive line will be by committee with Morgan Moses playing well. This is good because they will have their hands full.

Big Plays:

We have all seen UVA give up big plays. Conversely Miami has had 21 plays of 25 yards or more. Miami is also a quick-strike offense with 13 scoring drives lasting less than 2 minutes. If UVA gets in trouble Miami can step on their throat quickly.

Matchups to Watch

Orlando Franklin vs. Cam Johnson

The Miami offensive is only allowing 1.28 sacks per game. Jacory Harris tends to make bad decisions when rushed. If you can get him under pressure (Ohio State, FSU) you can force him to make bad decisions. I once saw Orlando Franklin fall down and crush a trashcan. There’s not really a point to that story it was just incredible and terrifying. If UVA has any hope of generating a pass rush it’s going to come from Cam. Unfortunately I don’t see this happening.

Advantage Miami

Ras-I Dowling vs. Leonard Hankerson

Point blank if Ras-I doesn’t play at full strength UVA is not going to be able to stop Hankerson. At 6-3 205 Hankerson is much bigger than Minnifield who would get the task of covering him in Ras-I’s absence. Dowling however is not a first-round talent for nothing. A true shut down corner blessed with size and speed he can take Hankerson out of the game which will cause Jacory Harris to look elsewhere. And since Hankerson is Harris’s first look every play that will buy Cam Johnson and the line more time to get after the QB.

Advantage UVA (if Dowling plays)

Miami Secondary vs. Marc Verica

Marc Verica makes stupid decisions. Miami has freaks in the secondary. This does not bode well. I can name backups on Miami that would start easily for UVA. You telling me we don’t want Ray Ray Armstrong? Brandon Harris has similar talent to Ras-I just without the size. Look for at least two picks.

Advantage Miami, big time

Allen Bailey vs. UVA O-Line

I’m not going to lie I knew Allen while I was at Miami so I’m a touch biased, but I do think he’s the best pass rusher in the ACC. The reason he’s going against the whole line is because he moves from DE to DT and sometimes to LB. He’s a freak. UVA will need to double team and chip him on almost every play or Marc is going to end up buried in the turf.

Advantage Miami

The Pick

I’ve never attended the winning school in this series. I don’t see that changing. There are ways UVA can keep this close but that’s the best I think they can do. I’d say at best the offense can muster 10 points. Add in a return td or interception td and that gives UVA 17 total. I think Harris will throw for at least 250 yards and 3 TDs. Cooper will break off a huge run and Berry will rack up 100 yards. Add in 3 picks of Verica and someone on the offense being knocked into next week and you have a Miami beat down.

45-17 Canes

Draft Recap

2009-05-13T21:59:00.003-04:00

Welcome everyone to the summer edition of the WahooWatch, finals are now over and I can return to hopefully fairly regular coverage of the Wahoos. The 2009 NFL Draft has come and gone and it was full of surprises. We’ll break this down player by player and I’ll give my opinions on the scenarios that the players find themselves in.

Eugene Monroe- 8^th Overall to Jacksonville

This was a surprise to me. I felt certain that Monroe would go ahead of Andre Smith of Alabama but he is entering a great situation in Jacksonville where he will anchor an offensive line that is in dire need of repair. The Jags also took Eben Britton to play right tackle and turned a weakness of last year into a potential strength.

Clint Sintim- 45^th Overall (2^nd Round) to Giants

Right about where I thought Sintim would good but I did not expect him to go to a 4-3 defense. Obviously Sintim has proven that he can cover well enough to join a fairly strong linebacking corps in New York, great news for redskins fans.

Cedric Peerman- 185^th Overall (6^th Round) to Baltimore

This is much MUCH later than I expected Cedric to go. The ravens got a steal in the 6^th round. Peerman will probably return kicks this season but will most likely not see much time at running back unless Willis McGahee continues to struggle.

John Phillips 208^th Overall (6^th Round) to Dallas

Phillips comes into a soap opera in Dallas and will probably be a special teamer for a while. Jason Witten is still one of the top tight ends in the league and is probably not going anywhere for a while. Phillips is still a steal in the 6^th round and could find his way onto the field with a strong showing in camp.

Kevin Ogletree- Undrafted to Dallas

Watching Kevin go undrafted broke my heart. He signs on with Dallas where he could play special teams but it doesn’t look good. Note to every receiver who is not a first round lock, come back to school.

Antonio Appleby- Undrafted to New England

Great guy going into a great situation. If Appleby works hard he can make the team as a special teamer and possibly grab one of the many open linebacker spots as the pats get older

Overall a good draft for the Hoos. Sintim and Monroe will most likely start from day one. I feel terrible for Kevin but this should motivate him to work harder and potential make a team that has a void at receiver.

For the rest of the summer look for coverage of baseball, tennis and lacrosse in the post season and profiles of new football coaches and what the spread offense will look like. Thanks for reading!

WahooWatch Mock Draft

2009-04-23T16:21:00.002-04:00

Hey everyone. This is the official Mock Draft of the WahooWatch. None of this will end up happening given my track record with these kinds of things but I figure everyone else has one so why don’t I make one too.

1. Lions Matthew Stafford QB (Georgia)

Ok the lions need just about everything so why not start with a QB. Stafford has absolute cannon for an arm and is the consensus number one pick. Look for a deal to be done before the draft.

2. Rams Jason Smith OT (Baylor)

Orlando Pace is gone so there is a huge void on the left side of the Rams line. Smith is allegedly the best tackle in the draft and will provide a wall for Mark Bulger to throw and Stephen Jackson to run behind.

3. Chiefs Eugene Monroe OT (Virginia)

The Chiefs are actively shopping this pick but if they remain here Monroe could go here. While Aaron Curry is also a strong possibility the thought of teaming Monroe with former teammate Branden Albert should be something that gets the Chief’s attention.

4. Seahawks Michael Crabtree WR (Texas Tech)

The signing of T.J. Houshmandzadeh makes this not a lock but is still a possibility. Crabtree has a bum foot but is still by far the best receiver in this draft. Look for the Seahawks to have a high flying passing game this season with Crabtree’s addition.

5. Browns Aaron Curry LB (Wake Forest)

Curry is a steal at 5, which is a testament to his abilities. A big strong and fast middle linebacker that will anchor a defense that will be strong for years to come.

6. Bengals Andre Smith OT (Alabama)

The Bengals need help in almost every area except QB. Smith unfortunately fits in well with the attitude of the Bengals with questions of his work ethic abound.

7. Raiders Jeremy Maclin WR (Mizzou)

Al Davis loves speed and Maclin has plenty of it. The Raiders have more pressing needs but logic doesn’t seem to prevail out in the bay area too often.

8. Jaguars B.J. Raji DT (Boston College)

The trade of Marcus Stroud was probably a bad idea. If one of the tackles is still available the Jags go that way but if not Raji is the pick. There are rumors that Sanchez will be the pick here but Garrard is not the problem with this offense.

9. Packers Malcom Jenkins CB/S (Ohio State)

The Packers would love Raji if he is here but I don’t think he will be. They could definitely use an upgrade in the secondary as Woodson and Harris aren’t getting any younger.

10. 49ers Brian Orakpo DE (Texas)

While I’m sure former pro bowl middle linebacker Mike Singletary would love Aaron Curry but I don’t know if they have to goods to go get the Chiefs pick. Orakpo is a freak that loves to go get the QB and will bring some ferocity to the 49ers defense.

11. Bills Tyson Jackson DE (LSU)

The Bills defense needs help. Tyson Jackson is a stud and will bring some pop to the D-Line

12. Broncos Mark Sanchez QB (USC)

Hopefully the Redskins don’t trade and grab Sanchez ahead of the Broncos. This pick is a no-brainer if Sanchez is still here. Sorry Kyle Orton.

13. Redskins Aaron Maybin DE/LB (Penn State)

This pick makes a lot of sense, which is probably why it won’t happen. Maybin is a great addition to slide right into the void left by Marcus Washington. If I were running this draft I’d shop this pick for more picks, but then again I also would not have traded all my picks for Jason Taylor, but that’s just me.

14. Saints Brian Cushing LB (USC)

This draft should be almost all defense for the Saints. While Chris Wells is a possibility as a power back to compliment Reggie Bush I think Cushing will be the pick to sure up the linebacking corps.

15. Texans Clay Matthews LB (USC)

Matthews and Cushing are very similar in talent level. While the Texans need OL help the linebacking corps is a more pressing need.

16. Chargers Chris Wells RB (Ohio State)

LT is reaching the end and Darren Sproles is not an every down back. Wells is a big bruiser who is a perfect complement to Sproles speed.

17. Jets Josh Freeman QB (Kansas State)

Do you think Kellen Clemens is a potential star? Neither do I. Freeman is in the mold of a Jason Campbell who in theory is a good QB. Hopefully he gets a chance and doesn’t have a new offense every year.

18. Broncos Robert Ayers DE (Tennessee)

The Broncos have an abysmal defense. Ayers is the best defensive player available here and will instantly help the D-Line.

19. Bucs Everette Brown DE/LB (Florida State)

The Bucs need to bring some tenacity back to the defense that seems to have been lacking the past few years. Everette Brown is perfect to fill that void.

20. Lions Michael Oher OT (Ole Miss)

Since they addressed QB with the first pick look for the Lions to get a bookend for the next 10 years. Oher has a troubled history but is still an ideal tackle.

21. Eagles Brandon Pettigrew TE (Oklahoma State)

L.J. Smith is terrible and gone. The Eagles address a huge need here with the best tight end in the draft.

22. Vikings Eben Britton OT (Arizona)

The Vikings need help on the offensive line. Britton is a good value at this spot.

23. Patriots Rey Maualuga LB (USC)

Is this fair? Maualuga is an absolute steal here and the Patriots get another steal to reload their linebacking corps.

24. Falcons Peria Jerry DT (Ole Miss

The Falcons just traded for Tony Gonzalez so this pick is a slam dunk. Jerry is an enormous man who can clog up the middle and instantly bolster a defense that struggled at times this season. This also allows John Abraham to run even wilder this season.

25. Dolhpins Vontae Davis CB (Illinois)

The Dolphins need a corner. Davis is the best available. This is easy.

26. Ravens Darius Heyward-Bey WR (Maryland)

DHB is local guy and an absolute burner. The fastest receiver in the draft and seems to be a prototypical build. DHB may be a steal here but was inconsistent at times this season.

27. Colts Evander Hood DT (Mizzou)

Defensive Tackle has always been a weakness for the Colts. Evander Hood is a monster that can plug into that hole and will provide great help for Dwight Freeny who seems to be the only player worth his weight on that line.

28. Bills William Beatty OT (Connecticut)

The Bills need a tackle here. Beatty is the best one available.

29. Giants Percy Harvin WR (Florida)

Harvin apparently smoked pot in college. I’ve heard some people do that sometimes. Anyway he’s a good fit to be the dynamic receiver that replaces Plaxico Burress.

30. Titans Darius Butler CB (Connecticut)

Titans need a corner to play opposite Courtland Finnegan. Butler is that guy.

31. Cardinals Larry English DE/LB (Northern Illinois)

The Cardinals already have a freakishly tall DE in Calais Campbell. English is a strong option but Michael Johnson is also an option here if the Cardinals are also going to play basketball.

32. Steelers Alex Mack C (California)

I don’t understand how but the Steelers managed to win the super bowl with a mediocre offensive line. Mack is an extremely intelligent center who can anchor that line for many years.

Spring Football Review

2009-04-20T20:15:00.002-04:00

The UVA Spring Football Festival was this weekend and the WahooWatch was there to take in the action. The game was the first chance to see new offensive coordinator Greg Brandon’s spread offense. While it was expected that not much of the offense would be revealed what was seen was impressive and a nice change of pace.

The Quarterback battle has been the most publicized competition in camp this season and the game answered some, but not all, of the questions. The game to me separated Jameel Sewell and Vic Hall as the two leading candidates to take snaps for the Hoos this fall. Hall took the first round of snaps during the game and looked good throwing and running with the ball. He also seemed to progress through his reads faster and better than I expected and looked like he’d been playing QB since he’d arrived at UVA. Sewell on the other hand looked sharp as well. Despite an interception on what looked like a miscommunication in route Sewell looked strong and noticeably larger. Sewell obviously has the stronger arm of the two and is a proven leader on this team. If there is a tie between the two I think you’ll see Vic Hall move to the slot receiver role as Sewell is a QB option only.

The next thing I noticed was the use of the tight end. First I’d like to congratulate my friend Ryan Shaw who walked on as a tight end this season. But that was not the only reason I watched the tight ends closely. UVA has always produced extremely talented tight ends such as Tom Santi, Jonathan Stupar, John Phillips, and Heath Miller, but Coach Brandon’s offense does not have a tight end in its design. However in the game you saw the tight end in the formations split out wide as a receiver but seemed to be used more as a lead blocker than anything else. While this doesn’t necessarily bode well for receiving tight end it shows that Coach Brandon is attempting to use what he has and is letting his style evolve to fit the ACC. Ryan unfortunately had a pass deflect off his shoulder pad for an interception. But it was still awesome to see him out there.

On a positive note Chris Cook is back and he looked like a monster out there. Corner is obviously the strength of this team. Between Cook and Ras-I Dowling the Hoos boast probably the best pair of corners in the ACC. Cook, who was suspended last season for academic reasons, looked much larger and stronger and as if he hadn’t missed a beat since he last played. The pair of corners is key to the success of the defense which is breaking in 4 new linebackers this season. At this point the two linebackers that have their spots lined up are Cam Johnson and Denzel Burrell. Johnson looked great during the game and is one of the most athletic players on this team.

The offensive line did not impress me very much and I’m curious how many of the new freshman will find their way onto the field this fall. Morgan Moses was seen at the game and is even bigger in person than he sounds on paper. In fact when he sat down on the bleacher I was sitting on he almost threw me off. Look for offensive line, along with wide receivers, to be the two possible places where there could be a large freshman contribution.

Overall I’d give the defense a b+ and the offense a b- just based on what I could see. I assume that once the season starts Coach Brandon will open up the playbook and show us exactly why we’ve pinned the hopes of the football program on his new offense. Also hopefully UVA will get off to a hot start attracting new and faster recruits to improve the team.

WahooWatch Draft Preview

2009-04-10T12:38:00.007-04:00

So today I’m going to address the 5 main Virginia players that are in the 2009 NFL Draft; OT Eugene Monroe, OLB Clint Sintim, RB Cedric Peerman, TE John Phillips, and WR Kevin Ogletree. All of the players mentioned are seniors with the exception of Kevin Ogletree who was only a junior. Being from Al Groh’s system these players have the distinct advantage in the draft as Coach Groh is extremely well respected in NFL coach circles. These players also have almost perfect character and have never had a problem in their tenures at UVA. So let’s get into the projections:

Eugene Monroe:

Offensive Tackle 6’ 5” 312 lbs

Projected Selection: Top 8 pick

Monroe is the latest top offensive line prospect to come out of UVA. At 6-5 312 Monroe is a behemoth of a man and could easily anchor an offensive line for years to come. Along with Branden Albert, Monroe led one of the best left sides in the country during the 2007 campaign, and if Albert’s first round selection was any indication, Monroe will be taken very high in this draft. Monroe may go as high as 2 to the Rams, but is more likely to go 6 to the Bengals or at worst 8 to Jaguars. Pay attention to the Seahawks at 4 as a possibility too.

Clint Sintim:

Outside Linebacker 6’ 3” 253 lbs

Projected Selection: 2^nd-3^rd Round

Sintim is without a doubt a tenacious pass rusher coming off the edge in Coach Groh’s 3-4 system. Look for Sintim to go to a team that runs a 3-4 versus a team that runs a 4-3 as his coverage abilities have come into question of late. Sintim reminds me of a Joey Porter type player who can be the emotional leader of the team and has a nose for the quarterback. I’d look at the Dolphins or the Niners in the second round, or potentially the Patriots. If he’s available in the 3^rd round I would love the Redskins to pick him up. Good thing we traded for Jason Taylor and don’t have a 2^nd rounder, which is probably the pick the dolphins will use to take Sintim, which is a perfect fit.

Cedric Peerman:

Running Back 5’ 10” 211 lbs

Projected Selection: 3^rd Round

Peerman turned in the fastest 40 time at the combine, which shocked me. As a prospect I did not expect Peerman to move up the board as fast as he did. Peerman is an ordained minister so character issues are completely out of the question with him. Peerman is probably a strong 3^rd down back option, or a nice speed back to compliment a big bruiser. Here’s looking at you Cincinnati in the late 3^rd round.

John Phillips:

Tight End 6’ 5” 251 lbs

Projected Selection: 5^th Round

Phillips is a steal in the 5^th round. UVA’s offensive deficiencies have dropped his stock way way down. As far as a prospect goes however I think teams are really missing the boat on this kid. He catches almost everything thrown his way and blocks very well. While not a monster prospect Phillips will definitely be a serviceable and reliable tight end in the NFL for years to come. As much as I hate to say this, look for the Patriots or Eagles to take a peek at him in the 5^th round if they haven’t already addressed tight end.

Kevin Ogletree:

Wide Receiver 6’ 1” 196 lbs

Projected Selection: 4^th Round

I didn’t quite understand why when Ogletree entered the draft but he has certainly proven me wrong. While I’m sure the 4^th round isn’t quite as good as where he probably wanted to go Ogletree worked hard just to get to that point. Ogletree is a perfect slot receiver to any team that needs an upgrade in that department. I’d draw comparisons to a Santana Moss type player. I’d look at the Ravens or the Steelers in the 4^th round, with the Titans as a dark horse.

Anyway this will all end up being proven wrong in the end but I wish all these players the best of luck. As finals approach these entries might be a little more sporadic but hopefully I’ll be able to keep up. Football talk will start soon, as well as baseball, lacrosse, and yes lyle, tennis.

Murderer's Row

2009-04-06T14:46:00.003-04:00

My Dad and Brother were in town this weekend so I took them to the UVA-Maryland baseball game on Sunday afternoon where they were treated to an offensive explosion the likes of which I have never seen before. The Cavaliers won 17-2 in a contest that was never close. UVA jumped out to a 9-0 lead after the second inning and never looked back. Every Cavalier starter except Jared King had a hit and Phil Gosselin and Franco Valdez both homered. Gosselin was named player of the game going 3-4 with 5 RBI. The Hoos also played well defensively turning 2 double plays and Dan Grovatt made an incredible throw from right field to cut down a runner trying to advance to third. The Cavaliers won the series 2-1 improving their record to 26-5 and 8-5 in the ACC.

The point of today’s article is to sing the praises of the lineup that Virginia brings up to the plate every game. As most of you know I went to Miami last year where the Hurricanes boasted probably the strongest lineup I’ve ever seen, with most of the lineup drafted in the first 3 rounds. The lineup that the Hoos bring to the table, to me at least, draws comparisons to this lineup. There is no easy out in the Hoos lineup whatsoever and facing them must be a pitchers nightmare. Jared King is the only starter not hitting close to or over .300 for the season and Jarret Parker and Dan Grovatt are both hitting over .400. This lineup has power and speed and a good mix of left and right handed hitters and is the strength of the UVA team. Most importantly however is the age of this team. Tyler Cannon is the only starter that is older than a sophomore and is the only starter that is draft eligible. This team is very young and extremely talented and should become a mainstay atop the ACC for years to come. Especially when Steve Kouril starts to get more playing time.

Return to Traditions

2009-04-03T10:39:00.002-04:00

As some of you know the University of Virginia is a very unique place, packed with weird traditions, secret societies, obscure names, and people clamoring to live in rooms with no A/C or bathroom. This extends, or at least used to extend, into athletics. When Coach Groh and Athletic Director Craig Littlepage came to UVA they seemed to start a war on tradition. Previously football games included traditions like “Guys in ties, Girls in Pearls” which meant that student would dress up to go see football games. This tradition dates back to when UVA was an all male school and student would bring dates to football games. Virginia also used to have the pep-band play at home football games. The pep-band was not your generic college football band by any stretch of the imagination, playing modern style music as well as UVA drinking songs such as rugby road. Upon entering the scene Littlepage and Groh quickly put at halt to this. In his attempts to make football into a national power Coach Groh initiated the “Sea of Orange” which was meant to eventually overtake the previous tradition of dressing up for games. Littlepage has also pretty much banned the pep-band from all sporting events in favor of the new, generic, marching band. Now UVA looks pretty much like every other school in the country on a Saturday afternoon.
But this movement toward the generic may be stopping. In the recent elections a referendum was offered that would take the money that is used to fund the free power of orange t-shirts in favor of providing the student with better access to water during the sweltering August and September games. While this seems like an innocent enough vote if you read between the lines it is a call from the students to return UVA sports to their traditional state. While I don’t think the pep band is ever coming back you can see from this vote that the students would like to see the traditions return, and I’m fairly certain the alumni would too. Imagine if you came back to your alma mater and everything was different from when you had been there. If the old traditions are going to die out let them die out naturally, don’t force new ones on fans like raising that stupid power of orange flag.
The reason I’m writing this today is that I think the new coaching hire is also indicative of something along these lines. Look UVA is a strange place with strange customs; it only makes sense to have a strange offensive strategy. The hiring of Coach Bennett, at least I feel, helps to emphasize the uniqueness of this school which has disappeared from the football program. This school prides itself on being out of the ordinary, especially academically, and I feel at least that the sports should reflect that. Bring back the old traditions and you’ll see people in the seats. Football games aren’t just about wins and losses, it’s the entire experience, and part of that is weird traditions that build the community as a whole. Yeah people might think we’re weird for doing all of this stuff, but at least it unifies everyone in our own obscurity.

A Changed View

2009-04-01T23:35:00.001-04:00

Tony Bennett had his first press conference in Charlottesville today where he was introduced as the new head men’s basketball coach. I know initially I was critical of the athletic department but as I listened to Bennett field questions and speak with such enthusiasm about this opportunity I can see why Craig Littlepage and John Oliver chose him for the job and am now completely behind this hire. Though Bennett’s offensive style may not be flashy and up tempo it might just be the change up that could throw off the other teams in the ACC. There is a prime example of this in football in which Georgia Tech had tremendous success last year running a triple option offense. I also think that the fact that Bennett did not manage to bring in top flight recruiting classes at Washington State may also be viewed as a positive. As much as it drives me crazy this school will always have much higher academic standards than everyone else in the conference which will most likely handcuff the coaching staff a little bit when it comes to recruiting, which would prevent them from bringing in a top class. The fact that Bennett can still build a successful program without blue-chip recruits is a very positive sign for Virginia fans.

My biggest concern which is stated on Tuesday was Bennett using this job in order to build up his name to jump to Wisconsin or another Big Ten school if the opportunity presented itself, but in listening to Bennett at the press conference today I am firmly convinced that he is not. Bennett spoke today of building this team into a national power and how he was going to adapt his style to better fit the ACC. If the coach was truly going to jump ship he probably would be much less open to adjusting his style.

But my absolute favorite part of this coach has nothing at all to do with his coaching abilities. Coach Bennett appeared extremely open and approachable to the media and his sideline demeanor at Washington State was one of positive and motivational coaching. Bennett is truly a representative that this university can be proud of. Bennett could not be more opposite of Coach Leitao in this respect. While I would have been embarrassed to have someone see Coach Leitao as a representative of the university with his profanity laced tirades to have that same person see Coach Bennett be positive on the sideline and a visible presence in the university community makes me proud to have him represent this school.

As surprising as this seems after my initial reaction to the hire I think the athletic department hit a home run with this hire. They secured a young, energetic, and dedicated coach that can lead this team and represent this university proudly for years to come. Craig Littlepage and John Oliver deserve a great deal of credit for finding Bennett and I’m looking forward to next season.

The Bennett Era Begins

2009-03-31T14:41:00.001-04:00

The Virginia Basketball coaching search ended yesterday as the Hoos announced that Tony Bennett would head up the Cavaliers next season. Besides being an excellent singer Bennett brings quite a coaching pedigree to Charlottesville. Bennett is the son of former Wisconsin and Washington State head coach Dick Bennett and served under him while at both schools. Bennett was also an All-American point guard at Wisconsin-Green Bay and went on to play 3 seasons in the NBA before a broken foot ended his career. Bennett took over the Washington State Cougars in 2006 and led them to their first NCAA tournament bid since 1994. In 3 seasons as head coach Bennett has led Washington State to a record of 69-33 and made the NCAA tournament 2 of the last 3 seasons. Bennett was named AP coach of the in 2007, in which he led the Cougars to the Sweet 16.

Bennett’s personality will be a welcome change from Coach Leitao. While at Washington State Bennett was known for being a player’s coach, and fantastic with the players and media. I wouldn’t look for any profanity laced tirades this season out of him, and I would look for him to attempt to reestablish the presence the basketball team has in the community.

The one major drawback to Bennett seems to be recruiting. In his 3 classes he has only managed to recruit one five-star rated player to Washington State. Hopefully this is just because it is difficult to recruit players to Pullman, Washington, which admittedly I could not find on a map. The first few months will be interesting to see what he can do recruiting wise with the fantastic new facilities we have here in Charlottesville. His first big test is Tristan Spurlock, the swing man from Springfield, VA who is the prize of this year’s class. A report from my dynamics class this morning said that Spurlock’s AIM away message just said, “wow…” in response to the announcement.

The hiring does bring about one glaring question, and that is is this really Bennett’s dream job. There are many signs that point to no and that he would actually much rather coach in the Big Ten. First obviously are his roots in Wisconsin. Other than his brief tenure as a member of the Charlotte Hornets Bennett does not seem to have any ties or history in this area. Second is his playing style. If anyone watched Washington State play you see that they play a very slow, half-court, defensive style of basketball. This style is the signature of the Big Ten and traditionally does not fare very well against the faster, more athletic teams of the ACC, just look at the ACC-Big Ten challenge. Thirdly is Bennett’s track record. He was rumored to be the front runner for almost every job the last two seasons. This may be another consequence of being at Washington State but I wouldn’t be surprised to hear his name mentioned if there’s an opening in the Big Ten soon.

This leads me to the manner in which the athletic department handled this search and the decision they made. While I have no problem with Tony Bennett as a coach I will admit something about it just doesn’t feel right. I can’t get over the fact that he seems to want and be perfect for a job in the big ten. He also is another coach that came completely out of the blue, just as Leitao did 4 years ago. When I heard the news on the bus I remember thinking that I would never have guessed that in a million years. Hearing names like Tubby Smith, Jeff Capel, and Rick Barnes for the last few days led me to believe that UVA was going to make a huge splash with this hire, which it doesn’t appear to have done. But that’s really not what irks me about this. What gets me is the fact that this appears to be a stop for Bennett. That was the first thing I thought when I started doing research for this article. If I could figure that out in 15 minutes of research then the athletic department had to have seen this, and if they knew that this was probably only a stop for Bennett on the road to where he really wanted to be then they have slapped all of us in the face and told us that the basketball team’s success is not important, that as fans we should expect mediocrity and to be a stepping stone program, which kills me as a Virginia fan. If the slogan of the athletic department, “Uncompromised Excellence” was reflected in this coaching hire, then they would be announcing Jeff Capel or Tubby Smith today as the head coach. Someone who we knew had ties to the region and was committed to building this team into a powerhouse because it was their lifelong goal to do so. Nothing about Tony Bennett says ACC, or UVA, or even east of the Mississippi river and his hiring is an indictment of the athletic department and will, barring tremendous success and me being completely wrong, probably spell the demise of Craig Littlepage and the rest of the athletic department.

As a Virginia fan I really REALLY hope I am wrong about this and that Bennett will be able to take his slow, deliberate style of play and make it work in the ACC, but at this point I can’t see how this happens. I did hear directly from a few basketball players at lunch today and they all say they are staying so we’ll see what happens. This team definitely has the talent and this coach does know what he is doing. Go get a rep tie Coach and let the experiment begin.

The Mark of a Champion

2009-03-30T14:17:00.001-04:00

I’m not going to lie to any of you I know almost nothing about lacrosse, but what I saw while I was at the 7ot thriller vs. Maryland this weekend was a true championship caliber team. Top-Ranked Virginia trailed Number 9 Maryland by 3 with 6 minutes left in the game, but rallied to send the game into overtime. In overtime Virginia was helped by a phantom time out in the first quarter that overruled a goal by Maryland which would have won the game in the first overtime. Virginia, according to the people sitting around me, was playing quite terribly. They got destroyed on faceoffs and ground balls which are two of the biggest parts of lacrosse and didn’t seem to be getting any breaks. Most people would argue that this game was terrible for UVA and was a bad sign for things to come, but I disagree.

What I saw on the field was a championship team. A team that managed to overcome their deficiencies on their worst day and still pull out a victory is a team that is destined for greatness. The game showed me that the team knows when one aspect is lacking and can make up for it in other ways, and that they were not going to let this still perfect season slip away from them. Even as they trailed Maryland they continued to fight and claw their way back in until the game was tied again. Look for this team to continue its success in the future and perhaps bring a title back to Charlottesville.

There are rumors going around that we’ll have an announcement about the basketball coach within this week, and that a coach has been selected. For an updated list of candidates and other news on the staff I encourage you to visit www.wkav.com and read the 5^th quarter blog, which covers local sports. When a new coach is announced I’ll have complete coverage.

A Rare Second Post

2009-03-25T20:46:00.003-04:00

I'd like to take this oppurtunity to commend my friend Steve Kouril of the Virginia baseball team on a fine showing in the Hoos 13-4 victory over Towson on tuesday night. Steve started at DH and went 2 for 3 with a walk and 3 runs scored. The 2 hit performance raised Kouril's average to .500 this year with 4 runs scored and one stolen base in his only attempt.

I personally think it's really cool that a kid I grew up playing with and against is now playing at a major division one program and it could not have happened to a nice or more deserving person. Steve also coaches my younger brother's summer league team and is a perfect example of how hard work can pay off for them. I wish Steve continued success and if UTS ever gives me a weekend off i'll be out there heckling him with the rest of the fans.

A New Domino Emerges

2009-03-25T12:40:00.002-04:00

Rumor has it that Kentucky head coach Billy Gillispie is on the hot seat, and that seat is incredibly hot. Kentucky is in the NIT this season and only managed to make the first round of the NCAA tournament last season. But Gillispie’s team’s performance is not the only reason the coach is in hot water. Gillispie’s ability to handle the media and the pressures of being the head coach at one of the most prestigious programs in the country is being called into question by many reporters that cover Kentucky basketball. Gillispie has done some strange things to warrant these criticisms such as get a commitment from an 8^th grader. Gillispie has managed to bring in top talent to Kentucky but it’s how he handles this talent that is getting him into trouble.

So how does this affect Virginia? Well when Gillispie took the job in 2007 he was really Kentucky’s second choice. Ideally Kentucky would have landed Billy Donovan, head coach at Florida, who was coming off back to back national championships. Donovan however declined the offer and decided instead to build up the Florida program. If Gillispie is fired then you can bet that Kentucky will get Donovan on the horn within the minute, and this time Donovan may listen. Florida has also been struggling of late and its becoming clear that no matter how Donovan tries it will always be a football first school. If Donovan wants to coach at one of the premier basketball schools in the country and have a premier program than the jump to Kentucky makes sense. If that happens that sets up Anthony Grant for his return trip to Florida. It is becoming more and more obvious that for some reason Grant feels the SEC is a better basketball conference to coach in than the ACC. Grant will most likely jump all over the Florida job if it becomes available.

So that leaves Virginia, Alabama, and Georgia as the big programs in need of coaches, and Sean Miller of Xavier, Jeff Capel of Oklahoma, and Tubby Smith of Minnesota, as the big names left. Smith will not be making a return to Georgia and probably won’t leave for Alabama either. If he goes anywhere it will be UVA but it appears he’s staying put. That leaves Sean Miller of Xavier and Jeff Capel of Oklahoma as candidates for the 3 jobs. While I think UVA is far and away the best job out there I also think Alabama will be able to shell out a lot of money to get who they want. This could turn into a disaster for UVA and make them pay much more than they expected to land one of those two coaches. And every time their teams advance that price goes up and up. In the end I have to believe that Capel will end up at UVA for the reasons stated in yesterday’s entry, but I don’t think it will be cheap to get him. If Grant ends up in Florida Capel shoots to the top of the Alabama and Georgia list of candidates, which means his market value shoots up too. Let’s hope for UVA’s sake that Gillispie keeps his job as he is now the domino at the head of the line.

Other Cantidate for the Georgia job since I think they’re going to lose out on Miller and Capel are Frank Haith of Miami, Baylor Coach Scott Drew, Dayton Coach Brian Gregory, and Siena Coach Fran McCaffery

A New Candidate

2009-03-24T15:37:00.004-04:00

We’re going to get back to the coaching search today. In an interview with the Associated Press Tubby Smith said yesterday that he is extremely happy in Minnesota and that he had no intention of leaving the school. Now knowing coach speak that could just be a cover and the right thing to say while his agent secretly negotiates behind closed doors, but for the sake of this article we’ll assume that Smith will be a long shot. That leaves UVa with 3 top-flight coaching candidates left; Anthony Grant of VCU, Sean Miller of Xavier, and Jeff Capel of Oklahoma. Grant is listed as the favorite to get every available opening and because of his coaching experience at Florida under Billy Donovan, look for Grant to return to the SEC this season, especially if Billy Gillespe of Kentucky is fired and Donovan takes the Kentucky job. That leaves it down to Sean Miller of Xavier and Jeff Capel of Oklahoma. There is another coaching rumor that Jamie Dixon of Pitt will be leaving to take the Arizona job if it is offered to him which would mean that Miller, a western Pennsylvania native, will be taking the Pittsburgh job. That leaves Jeff Capel as the top candidate for the UVA coaching job, and as I read into him I think he might be the best fit.

Capel played at, brace yourselves fans, Duke, from 1993-1997. The 34 year old spent 4 years as head coach at VCU before taking the job at Oklahoma and was an assistant at VCU and ODU in the three years prior to that. Capel’s Father was the head coach at ODU during his time there. Capel is obviously an ACC boy through and through and UVA would most likely symbolize the pinnacle of his career, especially since Johnnie Dawkins appears to have the inside track for the Duke Job if Krzyzewski ever retires. If UVA could land Capel it would symbolize the best of both worlds between Smith and Grant. Capel would bring Grants youth and enthusiasm, as well as knowledge of the region and recruiting base, but also Smith’s proven track record. Capel has Oklahoma as one of the top teams in the country in only his third season at the school. As a UVA fan I would take that deal in a second. While it would take a bit of cash to wrestle away from Oklahoma I think he would be well worth the investment.

Now this is assuming the athletic department actually wants Capel and not Smith. If the athletic department wants Smith they did a horrendous job of pursuing him. Smith is now in a tough spot if he wants the job because he needs to pander to Minnesota in case the deal cannot be worked out. However if the athletic department does in fact want Capel and is using Smith to take the attention off Capel during the tournament so they can negotiate better than this is a brilliant move, but lets be honest those are rare here. The Wahoowatch approves of the 3 candidates mentioned in this article, but expect other candidates to emerge.

An Interesting Story

2009-03-23T12:38:00.001-04:00

I’m going to stay away from basketball for today and talk about the athletic program as a whole for today. As most of you know in my other life I drive a UTS bus here at UVA and I wanted to share a story of a conversation I overheard between two student athletes while I was driving my route on Sunday afternoon. The conversation was between someone who I believed to be a 4^th year and a new first year. The 4^th year was explaining to the first year about how his performance this season was slipping a bit as he was trying to get good grades this semester to get into grad school. The conversation then turned to something that I found very interesting. The 4^th year athlete began counseling the 1^st year that he needed to take his studies very seriously because, and this is a quote I really thought was interesting, “[Your sport] is what got you here, but your degree is what’s gonna get you out.” He then went on to explain that while athletics may be great, the likelihood of this player moving on to play professionally is slim and that he should use the opportunity he was given in order to get a degree from this prestigious university that will be an enormous advantage to him later in life. This was fantastic for me to hear because as much as you hear sports commentators talk about how receiving an education is payment enough for playing, until you hear it come out of an athlete’s mouth it’s hard to believe.

This got me thinking about how the school handles the academics of its student athletes and while I was doing so I stumbled on a bit of a contradiction. Virginia has the highest admissions standard for athletes of any school in the ACC and one of the highest in the country. It also requires that athletes complete at least 54 credit hours by the end of their second year in order to remain eligible, a full 6 hours higher than the ACC mandated minimum. What this says to me is that Virginia emphasizes the student aspect more than the athlete in its student athletes, which is perfectly fine with me. However Virginia also demands results on the athletic field. As you can see by all the heat placed on Coach Leitao for this losing basketball season the athletics here are under tremendous pressure to do well. Now I’m just a lowly bus driver but occasionally I find it difficult to balance the 20 or so hours a week I drive with all my schoolwork. Think about having to go to practice for 35-50 hours a week and have games and go on the road, and still be expected to complete 13.5 credits per semester. That situation leads me to believe that UVA, since it is so committed to academics, would have one of the best academic support systems for its athletes of any school in the country, but this is not the case. In an interview with Adam Gottschalk of Sports radio 1400 WKAV, an unnamed UVA football graduate said that the UVA academic support system was a joke and that it felt like he was on his own to complete his degree. This statement to me is ludicrous and is something that absolutely needs to change. As the kid on the bus said we are presenting these kids with the opportunity of a lifetime, and to rob them of that because we’re demanding a winning team is unfair. The athletic department needs to either vastly reform the academic affairs branch or reduce the standards once the student athletes enter the school, otherwise you will see more and more cases like Jameel Sewell of students who just could not keep up, which to me is completely unfair. Athletics bring in millions of dollars and attention to the university each year. The least the school can do is give those athletes a fair shake.

Coaching Cantidates: Tubby Smith

2009-03-20T10:10:00.002-04:00

It appears right now that Smith is the leader in the clubhouse. His Minnesota Golden Gophers lost in the first round of the NCAA tournament yesterday but at least they were there. I’d expect Craig Littlepage to put in a call to his agent, or Tubby himself, sometime today. Smith definitely has the best history of any of the coaches on this list. His overall record is 429-170 and Smith won the 1998 National Championship, as well as 7 Conference Championships, when he coached the Kentucky Wildcats from 1997-2007. Smith was also the first African-American coach at the University of Georgia where he gave the Bulldogs their first back to back 20+ win seasons in school history in his only two years there. At his current stop in Minnesota, Smith has led the Golden Gophers to two 20 win seasons and signed a top 25 recruiting class for this season.

The only drawback to Smith is the money it would take to hire such a high profile coach. Smith is currently the highest paid employee in the state of Minnesota at 1.15 million dollars in base salary. While that is not that much for a basketball coach the bonuses for winning a conference championship, making the NCAA tournament, winning the National Championship, etc. are much much higher than coach Leitao’s were. According to an article in The Hook yesterday they are almost ten times as much. One of the driving factors in Leitao’s removal was that the program would lose more money in empty seats and loss of donations than they would have to pay Leitao in a buyout. The decision the athletic department has to make is if they bring in Smith at this high salary, will he be able to fill JPJ and bring in enough revenue to cover it.

If Tubby Smith is in fact brought in it symbolizes that Craig Littlepage and the rest of the Athletic department thinks that talent-wise this team is very close to having success. Smith is just the final piece of the puzzle, sort of like Phil Jackson was to the Bulls and Lakers. By bringing him in and paying his exorbitant salary the athletic department is putting tremendous pressure on a very young team to grow up and be successful now. While I think that most of them can rise to the occasion and that Smith is the right coach to lead that sort of team I am still not convinced that that is the proper direction to go with the program. While Smith is a very good coach he is also 57 years old and no one knows how much longer he will be coaching. At this point this looks like the right hire but down the road this may come back to bite Virginia. I’d appreciate at least a cup of coffee with Anthony Grant of VCU and Sean Miller of Xavier, and even Jay Wright of Villanova, who took over that program in almost an identical situation and made them into a powerhouse and the darlings of Philadelphia, before they sign on the dotted line with Smith. Virginia’s mistake with the hiring of coach leitao was that the process was too drawn out and they had to scramble to hire someone. The athletic departments desire to not repeat that scenario again may lead to too hasty a decision and end up getting UVA stuck again in a few years.

Now that’s not to say I don’t want Tubby to come coach here, in fact I would LOVE to see him patrolling the bench, and I assume that when he retires there will be another great coach in waiting to succeed him, I just don’t want UVA to rush into this and end up missing out on an up and coming young coach who could be a great coach for the next 20 years. Just keep your options open Craig and you’ll do fine.

VCU and Minnesota were eliminated last night so expect interviews to start soon for Grant and Smith.

UVA Baseball on Fire

2009-03-18T17:48:00.004-04:00

The UVA Baseball team improved their record to 16-0 with a 5-4 victory over Marshall last night. The Cavaliers remarkable start has them ranked number 23 in the latest Baseball America Top 25 poll. The key to the Hoos impressive start has been the offensive production. Virginia’s average margin of victory this season is 8.5 and they score an average of 11.4 runs per game. UVA has the highest team batting average at an even .400 and has the lowest number of strikeouts. UVA also has one or more players in the top 3 of almost every major offensive statistical category, including 4 of the top 6 in RBI and 3 of the top 7 in hits. Led by right fielder Dan Grovatt, center fielder Jarret Parker, and third baseman Steven Porscia, the Cavaliers have a potent offensive attack.

But the offense isn’t the only strength of the team. Freshman starter Danny Hultzen leads the ACC in wins, with 4, and strikeouts, with 39. Andrew Carraway and Will Roberts are also strong top of the rotation guys. The UVA pitching staff is 3^rd in the ACC with 160 total strike outs, 1^st with a miniscule 1.87 staff ERA, and 1^st with only 89 hits allowed. The only weakness of this team seems to be the fielding. UVA is only in the middle of the pack of the ACC with a .964 fielding percentage, committing 21 errors in their 16 games.

The Virginia baseball team looks very strong this season. Their offense is not only potent but it also puts pressure on the opposing team’s defense. The pitching staff is also good at getting the defense off the field and back to bat. This aggressive style will bode well for the Cavs as they move forward this season. UVA lost a lot of players from last year’s team but the new players are slowly proving themselves and their success is starting to be reflected in the polls. I wouldn’t put it past this team to make significant noise in the ACC this season. UNC is great this season but after them there is no team that I can see that is substantially better than anyone else. If the bats can stay hot and the pitching continues to improve, along with the fielding, look out for the Hoos on the diamond this year.

To update the coaching search it appears that Tubby Smith is the front runner for the job with Sean Miller and Jeff Capel as other prominent alternatives. More on Smith tomorrow.

Coach Leitao Resigns

2009-03-17T14:38:00.004-04:00

As most of you know Virginia head basketball coach Dave Leitao resigned yesterday bringing to end his 4 years at the helm of the Cavaliers. Leitao had the shortest tenure of any UVA coach since 1930. He resigned following the worst season for UVA basketball in the last 40 years with the Hoos finishing an abysmal 10-18. The athletic department made a tough but necessary decision to move on and will pay Leitao 2.1 million dollars to buy out the remainder of his contract.

This makes Virginia the first school to fire their head coach this offseason and gives them quite the leg up on the competition in the search for a new head coach. Craig Littlepage will most likely move quickly in order to prevent

the confusion that surrounded the hiring of Leitao 4 years ago. This process will most likely take a few weeks as some of the potential candidate’s teams are currently playing in the tournament but I would expect to hear news on the matter shortly after the tournament wraps up April 6^th. I have a few names that I think would be good people to at least bring in and interview for the job. I’ll profile some of them further but here is the list I’ve made with a brief description so far.

Anthony Grant, Head Coach- Virginia Commonwealth University

Anthony Grant has been the up and coming coach for 3 years now after his VCU Rams upset Duke in the first round of the NCAA tournament in 2007. Grant’s star point guard Eric Maynor is graduating this season so this seems to be the logical time to move on. With recruiting connections in Virginia already Grant seems to be the most logical choice to become Virginia’s next basketball coach, the problem is that he is also rumored to be the top candidate for the Georgia and Alabama jobs as well.

Marc Iavaroni, Former Head Coach-Memphis Grizzlies

Iavaroni played basketball here at UVA and was a graduate assistant on the Final Four teams of the early 80s. If Craig Littlepage feels that he wants to restore the tradition of the basketball program Iavaroni feels like an obvious choice. The question is whether or not Iavaroni, who has never coached in college, feels compelled to return to his alma mater.

Sean Miller, Head Coach-Xavier University

Miller is another young coach that has led his musketeers to the dance once again. The musketeers have won the A-10 the last 2 years in a row and made the elite 8 last season. Miller would definitely be a good coach if Grant is unavailable.

Jim Larranaga, Head Coach-George Mason University

This is a bit of a stretch but Jim Larranaga was an assistant at UVA from 1979 to 1986. Larranaga would also be the opposite of Coach Leitao when it came to PR as he is extremely open to the students at George Mason and is a true representation of the school. The one drawback is that Larranaga is 59 years old and UVA might want to look to a younger coach. Plus Larranaga seems to like GMU.

Other names include Oklahoma head coach Jeff Capel, Minnesota coach Tubby Smith, Miami Coach Frank Haith, and GW Coach Karl Hobbs.

If I had to put money on it I’d say the race is between Miller and Grant with Iavaroni as a dark horse. The other coaches are already at good schools or like where they are. I’ll be profiling candidates later this week and into next week.

A Model Program

2009-03-16T14:14:00.002-04:00

Congratulations to the Duke Blue Devils on winning the ACC Championship over the Florida State Seminoles this weekend. Duke looked much more stout defensively than I expected and played extremely well in the tournament and I think might be a threat in the big dance this year.

Today I’d like to write about Florida State though. Who’d’ve thought that we’d be talking about Florida State in the ACC BASKETBALL championship. For a school so famous for football the FSU men’s basketball team is probably the best team they have on campus right now. It’s nice to see former Washington Wizards coach Leonard Hamilton have success, especially with superior talent to the bag a garbage the wizards gave him to work with. Hamilton has built that program from relative obscurity to the top of the ACC in only 7 seasons. For people who do not follow the ACC this may come as a surprise to see the ‘noles doing so well but if you’ve been paying attention the last few seasons you’ve noticed that the team has improved every season. FSU is built around defense and solid guard play, focusing mainly on team leader Toney Douglas, who I think should have been player of the year. Even though I hate Florida State football it’s nice to see that all the hard work coach Hamilton and the rest of the FSU team has put in is finally paying off.

Now let’s compare this to UVA, seeing as how this is the WahooWatch. While Florida State was climbing to the top of the ACC UVA has been plummeting to the bottom. Following the regular season championship in 2007 the team’s record has dropped to 17-16 in 2007-2008 and 10-18 in 2008-2009. All comments about Coach Leitao aside this is a bad sign. Granted it’s not necessarily bad that UVA is no longer on top of the ACC but to go 10-18 only 2 years removed from being regular season champs is. The other factor is the departure of the last of former coach Pete Gillen’s players, which coincides with the drop off in victories. Most coaches struggle initially as they recruit players that fit their style of play. With coach Leitao it seems to have gone oppositely. In fact one could argue that players like Sean Singletary and J.R. Reynolds helped the team win despite Coach Leitao. As Leitao’s players moved up through the system you could see UVA’s production begin to decline. Without a dynamic personality like Sean Singletary this season the Wahoos were completely under the control of the head coach as their emotional leader. With the team playing as poorly as it did this season it speaks directly to the coaching staff’s inability to properly motivate and instruct the players in order to put them in the position to succeed. Coach Leitao cannot claim, which he has, that UVA is hard to recruit to. Yes the academics are hard here but you have a brand spanking new stadium, winning tradition, and diehard fans who are dying to have a winning team here again. I think you need to look to Leonard Hamilton and FSU to see what the model should be. Hamilton has completely turned that basketball program around and he has nowhere close to the facilities, fan base, or tradition that Virginia has. Coach Leitao has squandered what this University has to offer during his tenure here. This team should absolutely not be as bad as it is. You can say all you want about his coach style and his mannerisms, which do not help him in this case at all, but you cannot avoid the fact that once his players who he coached came through the system the team went downhill. It’s just like Miami and Larry Coker a few years ago, once Butch Davis’s players left the team struggled. UVA needs to bring in a new coach before the team sinks too far into obscurity for any coach to dig it out of.

For the rest of this week look forward to a potential coach profiles if Leitao is out, otherwise I’m going to look ahead to UVA players in the NFL Draft and the new football coaches, as well as my last profile for the future basketball team.

Virginia Basketball 2009- ULS: Unidentified Losing Season

2009-03-13T12:41:00.004-04:00

First off I’d like to own up to my predictions. I went an astonishing 0 for 4 yesterday including being incredibly wrong about Georgia Tech. Clemson should be thoroughly embarrassed and should not get higher than a 6 seed following that performance, which has been a theme down the stretch this season. Maryland played much better than I expected, especially Eric Hayes, let’s see how long they can keep it going. Miami continues to disappoint me greatly. Jack McClinton only took 11 shots yesterday and they had absolutely no chance with that happening.

That brings me to the topic of today’s article which is the end of UVA’s season. I think it’s appropriate that the season ended on a game that was full of boneheaded coaching decision and an inconsistent lineup. Mamadi Diane ended his career at UVA with a career-high 24 points. The game was lost however in the first half when the Hoos had one of their signature 5 minute scoreless streaks when Coach Leitao inexplicably had Diane, his leading scorer at that point, sitting on the bench. The Hoos fell behind by 10 during this span and could never recover, despite the efforts of Diane and Jamil Tucker, who finished with 13. Other highlights from the game included Mike Scott’s 12 hard fought rebounds. He and Sylven Landesberg unfortunately struggled to score only mustering 14 points between them.

No one expected UVA to win this game that didn’t have a substantial rooting interest towards them, so no one should really be upset with the outcome. However there is one glaring thing that I’ve noticed that should raise a few eyebrows, and that was the play of Mamadi Diane. Diane had 20+ points for his second straight game last night but could also be seen offering words of encouragement to Landesberg and Scott who were both struggling to score. This is the role that Diane should have been in all season. Whether it was a crisis of confidence due to Coach Leitao’s constant yelling or lingering effects of off season ankle surgery Diane could never quite seem to ascend to the level of play that we’ve seen out of him the last few games. I personally believe that Coach Leitao made a mistake in burying Diane on the bench, despite what previous articles have been perceived as. When I wrote after the NC State loss that Diane should not have been playing it was not because I think Diane is a bad player, but that it seemed to me that Coach Leitao was moving more towards the youth of the team and that if that was the case then Diane should not have gotten those minutes. I think the recent reinsertion of Diane into the lineup further shows the Coach Leitao still didn’t know what he wanted the team’s identity to be even to the bitter end. If he wanted to go with the youth movement Diane should never have played. But if he wanted to have Diane on the floor to help develop younger players like Sylven Landesberg then he should have been doing that all season long. Last night to me demonstrated the importance of having a player like Mamadi on a young team can be. I think the only reason Virginia even kept it within 13 points is because of the leadership and maturity that Diane showed. Without that leadership I don’t think this young team would have been able to keep it close for as long as they did and that 5 minute scoreless streak would have been the end of the road. Last night’s performance showed that Mamadi should have had a much larger role on this year’s team and his recent playing time shows that the coaching staff was still undecided on the identity of the team, which I think is the theme of the year.

THE SUPER FANTASTIC ACC TOURNAMENT PREVIEW!

2009-03-12T07:23:00.003-04:00

Ok so I figured I’d give everyone a break from Virginia Basketball and move on to the ACC tournament that starts today. This season has been extremely close in the ACC and there are a few teams that I feel have already punched their cards to the dance. Wake, UNC, Duke, Clemson, and FSU are sitting pretty coming into the tournament. I think the ACC will get anywhere from 5 to 7 teams in this year and with those 5 in that leave up to 2 spots up for grabs which makes this tournament quite the spectacle. These are the teams that are “on the bubble” and what I think they need to do to get into the dance:

Virginia Tech:

Okay look you know I hate everything that has to do with this school but they are still technically in our conference so I’ll get them out of the way first. Tech has had a rather unimpressive year this year. They have 2 big wins this season against then number 1 Wake and number 12 Clemson but they also have some pretty big losses including the recent loss to UVA. Tech is 7 and 9 in the ACC and I think needs a win over Miami and probably an upset of UNC to get in, otherwise prepare to see Seth Greenberg’s head explode on selection Sunday.

Boston College:

If you had asked me a week ago I’d’ve told you that BC was in no problem. But a recent loss to NC State and a one point win over bottom feeder Georgia Tech has called their tournament credentials into question. Luckily BC has drawn UVA in the first round of the tournament and that win is all they probably need to get in with a 10 and 8 conference record and a win over then number 1 North Carolina. BC has been plenty confusing this season so who knows what could happen in the tournament.

Maryland:

Poor Gary Williams must need a new shirt every 5 minutes these days. Maryland has been one of the streakiest teams I can remember this season. They seem to live and die by the 3 and more importantly Grevis Vasquez. Maryland is 7 and 9 in conference and is coming off a bad loss to UVA in which they really played quite badly. Luckily UVA is good at keeping opposing teams in games. Anyway Maryland probably needs to beat NC State in the first round and upset Wake and probably keep it close with Duke or whoever comes out in the next game in order to have a shot at the dance. Can they do it? Sure! Ask Josh Gilchrist who lead Maryland to the ACC Tournament Championship and then declared for the draft only to go undrafted! Good Work!

Miami:

This brings me to my beloved Hurricanes. Miami needs a lot of help and is one of the most frustrating teams to watch play basketball. Probably the most underachieving team in the ACC this year the Canes sit at 7 and 9 and need a win over Tech and at least a good showing against UNC in order to capture a tournament berth.

To the Bracket!

http://www.theacc.com/auto_pdf/p_hotos/s_chools/acc/sports/m-baskbl/auto_pdf/09accbracket

^That’s the link if you want to follow along^

Game 1: Miami and VA Tech

This is a do or die game for both teams. As I said above both need to win this and probably the next game in order to make the tournament. These two teams are complete polar opposites of one another. Tech is a big, slow, lumbering team that has minimal athleticism. Conversely Miami is probably one of the most up-tempo and athletic teams in the ACC. In this matchup I like Miami to run Tech out of the gym and if all else fails Jack McClinton will bring the Canes out on top

Game 2: Clemson and Georgia Tech

GT is horrible. Clemson wins by at least 15.

Game 3: Maryland and NC State:

I think NC State presents a big time matchup problem for Maryland. For as good as the Terps guard play can be they really don’t have an answer for NC State’s bigs. This game is a close call but I’ll always side with size over shooting and Maryland has been known to go cold. NC State wins.

Game 4: BC and Virginia

Hold onto your hats folks but I like UVA in this game. The team has responded well recently and Coach Leitao is probably coaching for his job at this point. UVA has played BC well this year and I wouldn’t be surprised to see them do it again. Virginia in a squeaker.

Game 5: UNC and Miami

Ty Lawson is hurt for UNC and will not play. Without him I think they Hurricanes are actually a very tough matchup for the Heels. No other team can match the athleticism of UNC with Ty Lawson but I think without him Miami can keep it close. The loss of Marcus Ginyard hurts here too as they don’t have a shut down defender to take care of Jack McCLinton. With UNC pretty much locking up a top seed I expect them not to have too much to play for and Miami to capitalize. Miami pulls the upset.

Game 6: FSU and Clemson

I really REALLY like FSU in a tournament. They are tenacious defensively and Toney Douglas is about as clutch as you can get. I think Clemson puts up a good fight but FSU stifles their offense and Douglas goes off. FSU wins.

Game 7: Wake and NC State

What helped NC State get to this point will end up killing them. Wake is a very athletic young team and will be able to play at a faster tempo than NC State can keep up with. Wake rolls.

Game 8: Duke and Virginia

UVA just does not have enough firepower to keep up with the blue devils and let’s face it no one likes the coaching matchup in this one either. Duke wins handily.

Game 9: Maimi and Florida State

Sadly the Canes run ends here. FSU’s defense can shut down Jack McClinton and there just isn’t enough on that team to make up for his loss. FSU wins fairly easily.

Game 10: Duke and Wake:

This will be the game of the tournament. Both of these teams are athletic and up tempo. If you’re looking for defense you should check if the Big Ten is playing because you will not find it in this game. I look for the point total in this one to get over 170 but duke to come out on top. Wake is still young and you should never bet against Mike Kryzewski in the tournament.

Championship: Duke and FSU

I think FSU will win the ACC this year. If I told you that at the beginning of the season you’d’ve thought I was crazy but I really like their style of play. They have a strong defense and a dynamic leading scorer which I think are the two most important factors come tournament time. FSU cuts down the nets.

So what does that mean Bubblewise?

BC- BURST- If they lose to UVA they might not even get a number 1 in the NIT

MARYLAND-BURST- Sorry Gary, maybe Juan Dixon and Lonny Baxter can come console you. They seem to be the only reason you’re keeping your job anyway.

VTech- BURST- With the loss to Miami Tech would have no chance on making the tournament, despite what Seth Greenberg says.

MIAMI- IN- With an impressive showing Miami joins the other 5 acc schools in the big dance this season as probably a 6 or 7 seed.

So that puts UNC, Duke, Wake, Clemson, FSU, and Miami in march madness. I think UNC is a 1, Duke is a 2, Wake and FSU are 3s Clemson a 5 and Miami a 7. I hope everyone enjoys the tournament and gets a good laugh out of how wrong my predictions are.

Player Profile: Assane Sene

2009-03-11T12:28:00.007-04:00

7’ 0” 234lbs

Center

Saint-Louis, Senegal

Strengths: Shot Blocking, Rebounding, Defensive Presence

Needs to Improve: Strength, Scoring Abilities, Free Throw Shooting

Assane Sene is another prime example of the future talent on the UVA Men’s Basketball team. An extremely raw player, Sene averaged 2.7 points and 4.7 rebounds in 17.7 minutes per game. Slowed at the beginning of the season by injuries and other off the court issues Sene got off to a bad start, but as the season progressed he began to show flashes of brilliance. Sene is a force defensively in the paint. He lead the cavaliers with 34 blocks in only 26 games and his mere presence in the lane affected the offensive attack from opposing teams. Sene’s raw athleticism allowed him to aggressively pursue, and occasionally over pursue, defenders in the paint. As he matures however I could see him developing into a Dikembe Mutombo type of defender that alters the game plan of every team he comes across.

Sene does need to improve his play on the offensive end of the floor though. For as menacing as he is on the defensive side he is as unimpressive on the offensive end. His 2.7 points per game come mostly from put backs and whether or not this is a product of the offensive system or not he almost never gets any looks in the post. This can most likely be attributed to his size. Though 7 feet is 7 feet only having 234 pounds on your 7 foot frame makes you a giant toothpick, and this is evident in Sene’s play on the offensive end. Sene is defended rather easily by centers who are much shorter but heavier than he is and is pushed around. A summer in the weight room would go a long way to helping to establish him as a dominant force in the lane. Sene is still an extremely explosive and athletic players and he fits in quite well with the new athletic, up-tempo style this team has. He can run the floor and sky above the rim quite impressively for a man of his size. Just pack a little meat on them bones and watch the whole team benefit.

My personal favorite part of Assane Sene is the kind of kid he is. I don’t know how many of you have been to JPJ and seen the open but he and the rest of the players are representing what college basketball should be like. Sene lives with Sylven Landesberg and the two of them together look like two regular kids. Even though everyone knows who they are they still don’t look down upon anyone. They truly embrace their roles as one of the faces of the university and I commend them, and all the players really, on that. It’s nice to see that such good kids can represent the student body and this university. Even if I’m wrong about the talent level of all these players, which I really don’t think I am, this team will at least be a good representation of UVA and something that we can be proud of.

On a different topic congratulations to Sylven Landesberg for being named ACC rookie of the year. He is the 4^th Cavalier to win this award and has an extremely bright future ahead of him.

Controversial Article

2009-03-10T16:10:00.001-04:00

If you haven’t read the article on Mamadi Diane from Saturday’s Washington Post you really should before reading this post. If you need the link here it is:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/06/AR2009030603170.html

To me there is nothing wrong with this article as it is written, my problem is what happens when you dig deeper into it and discover some rather disturbing information.

My opinion of the coaching staff here is well known by my 3 readers so the content of this article came as no surprise, and this article was not anything to offensive to me. However when listening to a local sports radio show in Charlottesville I head the author of the piece interviewed about his conversations in preparing this piece and 2 major things jumped out at me. The first was the fact that Coach Leitao had no comments about this piece was a bit startling to me, and second the fact that in the interview the author did not seem to think that there would be any ramifications of this piece I think to me demonstrates a disconnect with the Northern Virginia area that this athletic department has.

No one who follows Virginia Basketball is surprised that Coach Leitao and his players don’t get along, just watch them on the sideline. His abrasive style has drawn criticism from many including myself and has destroyed his relationship with quite a few players. What really got me was the fact that the coach has absolutely no comment about this, which to me shows that he doesn’t care. I think Coach Leitao is better suited for the NBA where comments and articles like this don’t matter. You can’t, you just can’t, say nothing about this because it tells recruits, and more importantly their parents that you also won’t care about them. What this article does, which is a point I’ll credit to Adam Gottschalk of wkav, is destroy recruiting in the DC area and probably all over the country as long as Dave Leitao is here. It’s done. Any recruit who is deciding between Virginia and anywhere else is going to get this article in the mail in however long it takes the post office to get it there. Some argued that this was irresponsible of the Post to print without having a comment from coach Leitao but I believe his no comment was the biggest comment he could have given.

The Second big beef I have with this article has absolutely nothing to do with the article at all. In listening to the interview I got the sense that the author did not seem to notice what a big effect this would have on Virginia Sports which I think brings to light a problem within the entire athletic department. His obliviousness on the matter demonstrates the entire northern Virginia region’s obliviousness towards the cavaliers. I listen to sports talk radio more than any healthy sane person should and I don’t think I’ve ever heard Virignia sports discussed, as compared to Tech and Maryland which get all kinds of radio time. This may be a testament to how crappy our teams are but I think it speaks to a lack of effort from the athletic department. It’s no secret that there are a vast amount of UVA supporters in the Northern Virginia area and that some of those supporters have extremely deep pockets so you would think that the Athletic Department would do something to attempt to tap into this resource. The first thing you see when you take the American Legion Bridge into Maryland is a big billboard with Ralph Friedgen on it advertising Maryland’s football team. You barely see anything UVA related anywhere in northern Virginia where I live. I worked in a sports authority over the summer and we had 4 UVA shirts, that’s it, compared to 9000 pieces of assorted Tech and Maryland paraphernalia. I feel like the athletic department has resigned to the fact that UVA is 3^rd best in the DC Metro market and that disappoints me greatly. That’s really what this article and the interview that followed demonstrated to me and that’s something that really should change.

Regular Season in Review

2009-03-09T20:25:00.006-04:00

The Virginia Men ended their 2008-2009 regular season with a 68-63 victory on Saturday over the University of Maryland at the John Paul Jones Arena. On senior day Mamadi Diane lead all scorers with 23 points in 34 minutes. It was an appropriate ending and perfectly demonstrated the confusion that has surrounded the entire season. Other bright spots from the game included Mike Scott’s 11 rebounds and 11 points in his 37 minutes, his first extended playing time in quite a while.

The Cavaliers season has been one of confusion and disappointment. This Sunday was in all likelihood the final game of the season for the Hoos and most questions from the beginning of the year still linger. However amidst all the confusion and lineup changes there is hope for the future. This team has many talented and young players and talent was by no means the reason that the Hoos finished 10-17 this year. In my opinion the reason this team underachieved this season was the coaching. The high school offense, profane bench tirades, and nonsensical substitution patterns were the obvious downfall of the team this season, which is a shame.

In watching the Cavaliers offensively I genuinely attempted to learn the offense and what the basic strategy and concepts were, and I think I discovered the plan, there was no plan. After about the 3^rd game this season it was apparent that the offense was give Sylven Landesberg the ball and let him use his ball skills to create a play for himself and have the rest of the team clean up after him. I hate to break it to everyone but that stopped working after everyone caught up to the freak 6 foot 5^th grader in rec league and is by no means even close to an effective offensive strategy for an ACC team. When Virginia went on its season killing 8 game losing streak after the New Year it was because every single team that walked into the gym knew that if they could pack the lane so Sylven could not drive there was no other way Virginia could score.

The success at the end of the season was directly correlated to the consistency of the lineup. Coach Leitao finally settled on 7 players that he would give the majority of the minutes. Those seven players developed a repertoire with one another that allowed the offense to have added dimension as the players learned each other’s tendencies. Looking at this team at the beginning of the season I don’t think any of us expected an ACC championship caliber team but I think we all would have been fine seeing the team grow together as they did at the end of the season. I can remember at least 15 different starting lineups this season alone. What the Coach did not seem to grasp was that he needed to pick one and stick with it. You can’t have your starters in for 4 minutes and make a determination on whether or not that lineup will be effective for you for the entire season. Basketball is not a science it’s an art. You can’t just find 5 players that will work every time, but what you can find is 5 players that know when one is having an off night or who has the hot hand and can change their style it account for them. The constant frantic lineup changes that Coach Leitao had this season robbed UVA of any chance of developing that kind of team and having any sort of success this year. We all saw what happened when a lineup was finally settled upon, it’s a shame we could not see it sooner.

The biggest problem I have with this season is Coach Leitao’s behavior on the sideline. As someone who curses quite frequently I have no grounds to speak on this matter but I have never heard so many profanities thrown in an attack of someone who you are supposed to be mentoring. This is another thing the Coach doesn’t get. He isn’t just the basketball coach. Being the coach of the basketball team makes you not only the face of the team but the face of the entire university. How many of my 4 readers know the name of UVA’s president? I’d be willing to bet the majority of people can’t name our president, but quite a few would recognize our basketball coach. To see a representative of your university drop the f-bomb on Jamil Tucker 9 times in a rant that questions his desire and overall manhood while 5 feet away from fans that bring their 5 year old daughters in their UVA cheerleading outfits is completely out of line and not something that should be allowed to represent this school. The other issue I have is that parent have entrusted their sons to you, and I don’t think they would appreciate seeing their children verbally abused. These guys are not at home, the coach is their authority figure and he should not be allowed to act in such a way that shows that he has no concern for the maturity and development of his players as men, not just as basketball players. This negative attitude and constant pressure of removal can be plainly seen in the play of Mamadi Diane who exploded for 23 points on Saturday when alleviated of all pressures. Who knows what could have been had he been free his whole career. Diane is a prime example of the detriment of Coach Leitao’s coaching style on his players.

However after all that negativity the team has a bright future ahead of it. The talent is here and Tristan Spurlock is an excellent swing man coming in from Springfield, VA. I feel that this team can be great in the coming years but a coaching change has to be made. It has to be for no other reason than Coach Leitao is not a good representative of this university, but also because coaching seems to be the main problem with this team. The team has the talent, the fanbase, and the facilities to be great; the only thing missing is a great coach.

I’ll be profiling a few guys a think would be a good fit for coaches if Coach Leitao is indeed fired but it would be in poor taste to speak of replacements before a decision is reached. For the rest of the week you can look forward to more profiles of the future of the basketball team and maybe some football by the end of the week. I will address the controversial Washington Post Article in tomorrow’s entry.

Wahoowa

Player Profile: Jeff Jones

2009-02-25T14:56:00.002-05:00

Jeff Jones 6’4” 200lbs

Shooting Guard

Chester, Pennsylvania

Strengths: Outside Shot, Defense

Needs to Improve: Size, Aggressiveness

Jeff Jones has begun to emerge towards the end of this season as a viable option as the two guard for the UVA basketball team. A heralded shooter, Jones has also begun to show his ability to take his man off the dribble and not rely solely on others to get a shot for him. Jones, a sophomore, started the season battling with Mustapha Farrakhan and Sylven Landesberg for the two guard spot, but with Landesberg moving to small forward Jones beat Farrakhan out and is now the starting shooting guard, and is thriving in that role. Since given the starting spot 4 games ago Jones is averaging 9.25 points per game and playing much more aggressively. In fact I would argue that no one has benefitted more from Coach Leitao’s new, more patient, style than Jones, who is now more relaxed on the court and beginning to take more risks and let his abilities shine. Knowing that he isn’t going to be pulled if he misses a 3 point attempt has allowed Jones to be much more comfortable while shooting and allowed him to rediscover his stroke. Coming into this season it was known that Jones was the best deep threat that the Cavaliers had and now Jones is starting to show it. Jones also displays tremendous hustle and desire on the defensive end of the floor, which all the young cavaliers do. Though it is not reflected in the stats, 10 steals and 2 blocks, Jones’ defensive style takes pressure off of the front court to clean up messes created by a lack of perimeter defense.

Jones has already begun to improve on his aggressiveness with the ball. His play is much more aggressive taking his man off the dribble to the basket. This has a direct correlation with the new confidence the coach is showing in him and is directly improving Jones’ play on the court. Adding that extra dimension to his game makes the UVA offense that much tougher to defend and improves the team as a whole. Jones does however need to pack a little more meat onto his frame. 200 pounds is generous and if Jones is going to drive into the lane he needs to develop the strength to take the ball to the rim. Also becoming stronger would help him handle the larger guards that are coming into the ACC and make him a bigger matchup problem for opposing defenses.

Jones is an essential part of the team moving forward. His ability to hit an open jumper makes the opposing defenses respect his shot and not be able to pack it in in order to stop the penetration of Sylven Landesberg and the post scoring of Mike Scott and Assane Sene. However those players also give Jones the ability to get those open looks with the focus on them. Jones could be the beneficiary of the kick out play that is so effective in the college game when everyone crashes down on the post man leaving the shooter wide open. That role will be crucial for the Cavaliers in the development of their offense in the future, which should be one that plays to their strengths, which are penetration and a strong post presence. If Jones can consistently hit the 3 while still being able to take his man off the dribble he will thrive in this system and help the Hoos develop into a strong ACC team.

Player Profile: Mike Scott

2009-02-24T15:26:00.002-05:00

Mike Scott 6’8” 233lbs

Power Forward

Chesapeake, Virginia

Strengths: Determination, Rebounding, Intensity, Leadership

Needs to Improve: Post Moves

Mike Scott is an extremely athletic strong young player that is beginning to play with the maturity of an emerging team leader. The sophomore from Chesapeake, Virginia is averaging 10.6 points and 7.3 boards per game even in a new 6^th man role that he has been given of late. Scott has shown great maturity in accepting his new role on the team and has begun to excel in it. Scott plays with a fire inside him that is impressive to witness. When he wants a rebound there are few in the league that are strong enough to take it away from him. That intensity extends itself to the defensive end of the floor as well. Scott is 4^th on the team in both blocks and steals and his hustle on defense is undeniable. When paired with either Jamil Tucker of Assane Sene the Cavaliers have one of the youngest and most talented defensive frontcourts in the ACC.

While Scott excels on the offensive end of the court his post skills have room to grow. At this point in his career Scott relies heavily on his athletic abilities to score. The majority of Scott’s points come from put backs of missed shots by other Cavaliers which Scott has the ability to out hustle other players for. This may be a byproduct of Scott not getting looks in the post because opposing defenses are packed in in order to stop the slashing attack of the UVA guards. As those players develop a more consistent outside game the defense will be forced to loosen up allowing Scott to excel. Scott has all the tools to become a good ACC post player, but the current offensive make up is not conducive to his success in becoming one, which makes the majority of his points “hustle points.” Meaning he out worked the other players to get them, which is extremely impressive to me. My favorite part of watching Scott play is seeing him run the floor. Scott’s athletic abilities allow him to get out on the fast break quickly and run with the other players which will allow the Hoos to become a more up-tempo and exciting team in the future.

Scott has also emerged as a real leader of this team. Over the last few games you can see that his intensity has increased and he’s even dunking on people and glaring at the camera. This mentality has extended to the entire team in the Hoos last 4 games in which they won their only 2 ACC games this calendar season. If Scott continues to inspire and lead this team to become an aggressive, fast paced team that will put it all on the line every night I think there are great days to come at JPJ.

UVA Drops Close but Confusing Game in Raleigh

2009-02-23T12:44:00.003-05:00

The UVA men’s basketball team (9-14, 3-9) fell to North Carolina State 72-67 at the RBC Center in Raleigh, North Carolina. Sylven Landesberg once again led the Wahoos with 16 points, playing in 39 of 40 minutes. The Cavaliers showed great determination by fighting back from an 18 point deficit in the 1^st half but in the end it just was not enough. Jeff Jones continued to thrive in his new, more permanent role on the team contributing 9 points in 24 minutes and Calvin Baker chipped in 13 in his 27 minutes. In his first action in a long time Mamadi Diane had 11 points in 15 minutes, going 5 of 6 from the field and 1 for one from long range. But the Cavaliers just couldn’t muster enough and fell to the Wolfpack in the end.

While I’m sure it was nice to see Diane in the game for a change, the fact that he was was baffling to me. Diane’s last meaningful minutes in a game came on February 1^st during the Cavaliers 79-54 lost to Duke and Cameron Indoor. Though I appreciate what Diane has done for the team what this shows me is that Coach Leitao, though it appeared he had changed his ways, has not settled on a rotation for the future. Sammy Zeglinski who everyone believes is the point guard of the future for this team only had 13 minutes in this game. Coach Leitao appears to be going down with the ship, or dancing with who brought him, or whatever metaphor you’d like to use here but to me playing Calvin Baker and Mamadi Diane who have shown that they are not exactly the class of the ACC while denying the opportunity for Sammy Zeglinski to get valuable experience in a road acc game to me is ludicrous, which for your point guard, the leader of your offense, is an extremely important thing to have. Coach Leitao not playing Zeglinski to me shows that he does not expect to be here next season. Zeglinski has shown potential that he can be an effective point guard in the ACC and not allowing him to grow with the rest of his future teammates because you’ve decided that Mamadi Diane is somehow going to become a dominant force in the ACC and lead you to the ACC tournament championship is not only unfair to Zeglinski, but to the rest of us as well. The Hoos are 9-14 and not even sniffing the CBI this year. This time should be used to get the younger core of the team experience for next season. In playing Diane significant minutes for the first time in a month Dave Leitao has told the team, and the school, I don’t care what happens to this team next year, and that is unfair to everyone that supports the Hoos.

Just to clarify Mamadi Diane is a wonderful person. I have nothing against him at all, and this is no way intended to be an attack on him. I believe he has been an essential part of this basketball program and thank him for it. I just feel that his usage in this game was not appropriate for the current state of the team. I agree that Coach Leitao should let the seniors have their last hurrah but that day is senior day and not during a game in which the future of the team can grow and learn together.

Player Profile: Sylven Landesberg

2009-02-20T12:25:00.009-05:00

So over the next few days I’m going to profile who I view as the key young players for the Cavalier Basketball team looking forward. As we all know this season has pretty much been a wash record-wise but if you can take anything away from it it is the fact that these players have immerged as the core of what should be a vastly improved team next season and for seasons to come.

Sylven Landesberg 6’ 6” 205lbs

Small Forward

Queens, New York

Strengths: Scoring off the dribble, Penetration Abilities, Leadership, Performance in Clutch

Needs to Improve: Outside Shot

Sylven Landesberg is having one of the finest freshmen seasons of anyone in the country. His dynamic scoring ability has lead to his ascension to the number one option for the UVA offensive attack. Landesberg has won ACC rookie of the week 6 times this year, which will probably increase to 7 as Landesberg lead UVA to its second consecutive win, scoring 19 points to lead the Hoos over Virginia Tech last Wednesday. Landesberg averages 18 points to lead the team and has been the top scorer in 15 of the Hoos 22 games played this season. But the freshman is not just a prolific scorer. Landesberg ranks third on the team in steals with 22, second in rebounds with 6 per game, and second in assists with 61. Averaging an astonishing 35.8 minutes per 40 minute game Landesberg ranks 4^th among ACC players in minutes played, including 45 of 45 minutes during the overtime win over Clemson last Sunday. Landesberg is also among the top 10 in free throw attempts with 146.

Landesberg’s dynamic scoring ability will be key to the Cavs success moving forward. His almost constant attacking style puts an immense amount of pressure on opposing defenses and inevitably gets those teams into foul trouble with his ability to drive and get to the line. With all the focus on Landesberg the offense opens up for players like Jeff Jones and Mike Scott, who I will profile later in the week, to shine. As his outside shot improves as time goes on Landesberg will add another weapon to his arsenal of offensive attacks which will only help him and the team as a whole improve.

The most impressive thing to me however is the leadership and performance in the clutch that Landesberg has exhibited almost all season. It was evident in the Clemson game especially but seeing Landesberg take the game over at the end of regulation and in overtime shows me that even at such a young age Landesberg is ready to assume the pressure of being the best player on this team and the focus of every opponents game plan and not only be able to handle it, but to thrive under it. If you’ve never seen Landesberg play I suggest you start paying attention because he, as well as the rest of this team, has a chance to become one of the best in the ACC.

Wahoos Roll at JPJ

2009-02-19T14:37:00.000-05:00

Virginia 75 Virginia Tech 61

The UVA men’s basketball team had an extremely impressive performance against the hokies last night at the John Paul Jones arena. Led by Sylven Landesberg’s 19 points and 9 rebounds the Cavaliers showed that last Sunday’s win over Clemson was no fluke and hinted that good things may be to come. In addition to Landesberg, Jamil Tucker added 13 points off the bench and Calvin Baker had 10.

What was the most impressive thing however was Coach Leitao’s willingness to stick with the lineup on the floor that he has exhibited over the last 3 games. I don’t know where the man who would yank Solomon Tat after 45 seconds for dribbling the ball off of his foot but I like this new coach. Without the pressure of being taken out players like Jeff Jones have really started to blossom and thrive in the offense and the team is playing better as a whole. At one point Jones, who scored 8 points in 26 minutes and was 40% from 3-point range, made an incredible reverse lay-up. This was the kind of play and aggressiveness that was just not there earlier in the season. The team is now more relaxed when they play and is more willing to take risks and allow plays like that to happen because they no longer fear getting the hook if they screw up.

This mentality also extends to the defensive end of the court. You can say all you want about Jeff Allen being suspended but Assane Sene was a beast in the paint last night. The stat line doesn’t show anything too impressive, 4 points, 4 boards, and 2 blocks, but Sene’s mere presence helped stifle the attack of Virginia Tech. Sene’s presence in the lane as a shot blocker allows the cavalier’s perimeter defenders to be more aggressive in attacking the ball because there are no easy shots with the 7 foot shot blocker in the middle of the lane. This more aggressive defense allowed the Cavaliers to push the tempo of the game all night long to the point where the less athletic Hokies just could not keep up anymore.

I thought the Hoos looked best with Zeglinski at point, Jones at the 2, Landesberg at the 3, Scott at the 4, and Sene in the middle. This lineup is extremely talented but more importantly, extremely young. Seeing this team excel to the level it did last night gives me incredible optimism for the future of UVA basketball. This has been driving me nuts all year but Leitao seems to have finally settled, or resigned to, this younger developing lineup. This collection of 2 freshman and 3 sophmores could easilybe the starting 5 for the next 2 seasons and probably should have been all of this season. This group plays fast, exciting, and aggressive basketball lead by the dynamic scoring ability of Sylven Landesberg, who has emerged as the teams go to player even as a freshman. With big bodies like Scott and Sene to clean up the boards, Zeglinski to distribute and Jones to alleviate some of the defensive pressure on the inside with his ability to hit the three this team has all the pieces in place to be not just a good, but I believe a great ACC team in the future. Even their bench is strong. Jamil Tucker consistently provides a spark off the bench and Mustapha Farrakahn has shown flashes of brilliance. The core players of the UVA basketball team are young and talented and last night’s game showed that and also made me extremely excited for the future, and I hope everyone else is too.

Introduction to Mike

2009-02-18T23:04:00.002-05:00

I figured I’d give you a little insight into who I am just to put some of my points into perspective. I'm actually a transfer student to UVA this year from the University of Miami in Florida. The biggest thing I’ve noticed in coming here is how differently the athletics are handled at this school than they were at Miami, and I’d like to highlight a few of them for everyone.
First off in listening to local sports talk radio I learned that the academic support system for the athletes here is a little lack-luster. This was shocking to me as being a tutor of the football players was the highest paying student job on campus at Miami, and let’s faces it that's not exactly Harvard down there. The second glaring difference I’ve noticed is the connection the football team has with the students. I lived in the Pearson Dorms at Miami which hosted the infamous "7th Floor Crew" as well as the rest of the football team. Every day I would eat lunch with one of my best friends down there Chaz Washington, a 6-3 315 pound defensive tackle. That's something that could never ever happen at this school because all the football players live off grounds and eat at JPJ (which says something to the quality of the O-Hill food). The lack of interaction with the team was something I needed to adjust to. I really think that Randy Shannon requiring the football players to live in the dorms the first 2 years of school was one of the greatest ideas he's had down there. You can say all you want about the recruiting classes he can bring in but I noticed it's very hard to boo someone that you eat lunch with every day.
That connection with the student and even the community that the entire athletic department at Miami had was really a testament to how much the school and its sports team are intertwined. Sure everyone see's the U as a team full of thugs and bad dudes but it really was the unifying spirit of the school. I don't think that Craig Littlepage understands that, or if he does knows how to go about achieving it. Your football and basketball teams in my opinion at an ACC school represent your entire university. Whether Craig likes it or not they need to be given a bit of favoritism. I'd be lying if I told you football wasn't a factor in me choosing to go to Miami. When the teams are nothing special they can't get the national publicity and generate interest in the school from people who otherwise wouldn't think about coming here. Having strong athletics don't just benefit current student and fans, but it also helps generate interest in the university as a whole. I left Miami in the midst of a rapid change in school policy, attempting to move from "Suntan U" to a prestigious university based completely on football money, or money from alumni who became interested in the school because of the success of the football team in the 80's and 90's. I think for Craig to effectively run the athletic department for the benefit of the university he needs to take a peek 1000 miles south of here to a place where I really think they know how to play the game (pardon the pun).

Scenario 4 (Win 2 Lose 1 Win out)
Game Number	Date	Starter
1	6/19/2011 14:00	Roberts (W)
2	6/21/2011 19:00	Hultzen (W)
3	6/24/2011 19:00	Wilson (L)
4	6/25/2011 19:00	Roberts (W)
5	N/A	N/A
Finals
1	6/27/2011 20:00	Hultzen
2	6/28/2011 20:00	Roberts
3	6/29/2011 20:00	Wilson