With little fanfare, basketball season has descended on the University of Virginia. And while the women’s program has already set the bar high by knocking off perennial powerhouse Tennessee, the men’s team, picked to finish dead last in the conference this year, is quietly winning close games against mediocre competition.
Only a few dozen fans (well, technically 8,810) showed up to watch the Cavaliers take on the Bulls of South Florida. The John Paul Jones Arena, home to the basketball team for just the third season, looked as empty as it ever has—neither the wealthy alums nor the raucous undergrads deigned to show up in force, and the lower section was a wash of blue-backed empty seats pockmarked by the Wahoo faithful.
But those in attendance were treated to a close game that came down to the final possessions. It was a back and forth physical match-up, and UVA (2-0) happened to score last, winning 77-75. The victory came courtesy of two missed jumpshots from the Bulls’ best player, Dominique Jones, after the Cavaliers scored the go-ahead basket on a Sylvan Landesberg lay-up with 13.9 seconds left.
For the past four years, fans have had one reason to come to games: Sean Singletary. Now that the living highlight reel has moved on to the Phoenix Suns, the Cavaliers entered this season—the fourth with Dave Leitao at the helm—with huge question marks about who would fill the expansive offensive gap left by the petite point guard.
The first two games suggest that the end of the Sean Singletary Era is the dawn of the Sylvan Landesberg Era. Landesberg is a 6’6” guard and true freshman, a New Yorker with tattoos up his arm and a quiet confidence in his game. In UVA’s first game of the season against the Virginia Military Institute on Sunday, Landesberg put up 28 points. But since VMI plays an extremely up-tempo game, it was hard to know what to make of his performance.
Tonight, Landesberg proved that his VMI numbers were no fluke. He was the only player on the floor who consistently showed that he’s not afraid to score, putting up 21 points on an array of drives, pull-up jumpers and foul shots. His older teammates were often too timid to make an aggressive move to the basket—they are perhaps still shaking out of the hypnotic spell that Singletary cast—though senior forward Mamadi Diane (13 points) played solidly and sophomore power forward Mike Scott (10 points, 6 boards) showed that he is growing into a fierce post player.
“[Landesberg’s] got a quiet without cocky presence as a basketball player and I noticed that early on,” said Leitao after the game. “…He’s got a very good mind for the game and a very good competitive spirit. Most good players that grow up in New York City have that by reputation, and his reputation happens to be true.”
UVA next plays Radford at the JPJ on Friday night. The Cavaliers first real test comes November 28 at Syracuse.