Author: roger-sager

I’m thinking Jontel Evans, Joe Harris, Akil Mitchell, Mike Scott and Sammy Zeglinski will remain special friends for life. 

That’s what usually happens with survivors in combat units when they come under fire and/or sustain heavy losses.

By now you probably know that this Cavaliers basketball team will go into action on Friday with the same group that battled through the final two games of the regular season and managed to grab the fourth and final bye in the ACC tournament.

That means, like us, they will watch the NC State-Boston College game closely.  The winner is Friday’s opponent at 2 PM.

I’m also thinking that, while this is only Coach Tony Bennett’s sixth year as a head coach in what figures to be a very long career, he will never forget this team. 

There are oh so many reasons for that.

Interestingly, three of the four main components, including the giant cog, are not his recruits.

Mike Scott and Sammy Zeglinski were already here, courtesy of departing coach, Dave Leitao.  Jontel Evans had signed a letter of intent while Leitao was still coach and elected to honor it after meeting with Bennett.

"Bennettball" is a unique style of play.  The fact that Scott and Zeglinski have adapted so well to the concept is testimony not only to their character, but to Bennett’s excellence as a coach and teacher.

It’s very rare that an incoming coach succeeds with his predecessor’s players.

It’s also very rare that a team faces anything close to the adversity this one has.

A quick tally shows three broken bones, two defections and one suspension. 

The task in front of this UVA team is daunting. 

A week ago, with the expected return of Assane Sene and Malcolm Brogdon, I thought an ACC tournament championship at least a possibility.

Now, as I’ve already written on the sports website I also write for, I think it’d be just this side of a miracle.  Or the other side.    

The task of winning three games in three days against the ACC’s best would be difficult for any five guys.

Yes, it is a seven man rotation.  Of sorts.  In the last two games, played with exactly what the ‘Hoos will go forward with, the starting five has scored 133 of of the team’s 135 points.

In many ways, the NCAA tournament figures to be an easier task.

But that’s for next week.

I know I’ve told you that sportswriters and broadcasters are a poor source for opinions but, hey, since I’m not really a "sportswriter," here’s a quick look at the ACC tournament starting today:

Three of Thursday’s games include teams with designs on more than just advancing to Friday. 

Depending on where you look or listen, both Miami and NC State are in a mob scene of teams on the cusp of "in or out" of the NCAA tournament.

The third team, Clemson, probably thinks themselves capable of becoming the first ACC team since the league’s most recent expansion to win four games in a row and capture the automatic bid to the NCAAs.

I won’t give you game-by-game selections (the results are too often embarrassing).  Suffice it to say I think Florida State is overrated.  Most so-called "experts" think them the main challenge to Duke and Carolina.

I disagree.

I continue to believe Miami can be the only real surprise from the ACC.  It’s a talent-laden team with an outstanding coach.

Either FSU or Miami could beat a Duke team that has elected to sit Ryan Kelly (due to a minor injury) until the NCAAs.  The Dookies are all saying the right things about wanting the rematch with Carolina, but their confidence must be shaken and they now have a ready-made excuse should they be badly beaten again by the Tar Heels.

With Kelly things may have been different.  In five of the last eight seasons Duke has lost the season finale to the Tar Heels, they still captured the ACC tournament title.  Now it seems relatively less important as a means to obtain a higher seeding in the NCAA tourney than the overall attitude of the team going forward. 

I think the Tar Heels are a cut below both Syracuse and Kentucky, but they should reign supreme this weekend. 

As for our guys? 

I’d like to take the "out" broadcast prognosticators do when they are excused from picking the game because they are going to "call" it.

Here’s what I’ll tell ya:  ENJOY every second of watching these guys.  They are a very special group of young men.

If the seven guys who will play for Virginia just showed up in the park without knowing each other and ran against the top seven guys from any of the other 11 teams in the ACC, who also didn’t know each other, how many teams do you think they could beat?

And that, fans, is why you should watch and appreciate this edition of the University of Virginia’s men’s basketball team.

The whole is so much greater than its parts.  

And it’s a beautiful thing to watch when it occurs.

Catch ya along the way,

Rog

Regardless of the sport, teams need to learn how to win.

The first time I met Joe Paterno I asked him if Penn State was recruiting a kid I had played against and thought was one of the best players in New Jersey.

He knew who I was asking about, but said that no, Penn State wasn’t looking at him.

I guess my face registered a look of surprise, so he explained why.  He said that Penn State only recruited players from teams with winning records. 

The theory was, when games were on the line late, he only wanted players that expected to win.  That were already used to winning.

I don’t know if he held firm to that policy throughout his career.  What I do know is over 40 years of watching Penn State football there have been countless times that I’m sure a team has walked off a field after losing to the Nittany Lions thinking, "How did we lose?  We’re better than them." 

Before Tony Bennett is finished with coaching I believe there will be countless times that will be the case here.

I can’t speak to his Washington State teams, but I’ve seen a number of times since coming to UVA I’m sure teams have left the court after losing to the ‘Hoos with that thought in their heads. 

The difference is, it wasn’t because Virginia has learned how to win, it was because neither team knew how to win.

"Bennettball" will always win games where it appears the less talented team has emerged victorious.

It’s a matter of styles.

What the current edition of Virginia basketball hasn’t learned to do is win.  And time is running out.

The common expression is, "There’s no substitute for experience."  Often, "experience" is simply another word for having been through a situation a number of times and coming to know what to expect and how to handle the possible scenarios.

The nature of "Bennettball" creates a lot of close games because it limits the number of possessions in the game.  The fewer possessions, the fewer opportunities to score.  The fewer opportunities to score, the less likely the margin will be large.

The ‘Hoos have played eight games that have been decided by three points, or a single possession, thus far this season.  They have won three and lost five.  The three victories have come against teams decidedly lower in the Sagarin Rankings (a quick note:  This time of year you hear a lot about RPI and SOS.  I’ve always found the Sagarins to be extremely accurate.  http://sagarin.com/sports/cbsend.htm).  The losses have come to three teams lower in the Sagarins (Virginia is No. 22, by the way) and of course North Carolina and Duke.

In other words, Virginia has split six games that according to any ranking system other than the Associated Press they should have won.  The AP Poll is made up of sportswriters.  There is no group involved in sports that is more misleading, or misled, than sportswriters.  (We’ll revisit that statement in a little bit.)

So, with those eight games, plus another handful that were close in the closing minutes, the Cavaliers have gained a great deal of experience.

With the ACC tournament a week away and the NCAA’s right behind that, expect that experience to be a valuable asset.

I think Virginia is ready to win a couple the "experts" think they shouldn’t.

Before I close this missive I think a couple of things you’ve read, or heard over the airwaves recently, should be addressed.

First, a couple of local scribes continue to pose Virginia as in a "life or death" struggle to make the NCAA tournament.  It’s simply not true.  There has been no time since the "Who’s In and Who’s Out?" discussions have begun that Virginia has not been squarely in.  In fact, the only thing that would prevent the Cavs from returning to the Dance for the first time since 2007 would be to lose both remaining regular season games and their first round ACC tourney game.  

I don’t want to boggle your mind, but probabilities are one of my passions.  Anticipating what the point spreads will be on those three games, the odds of Virginia losing all three are roughly one in 18.  In other words it’s not even worth discussing at this point.

Second, let’s look at the North Carolina game before and after.  Back to the writings of the senior spokesman in this area, whom I respect and enjoy reading.  On game day he wrote that "On paper, Virginia doesn’t have much of a chance" and that Coach Bennett and his staff needed to "figure out a way to beat the odds (and) prove everyone wrong."  Again, simply not true. 

He did acknowledge that the line on the game was lower than he expected (it was still too high — people who wagered on Virginia won the game "with the points"), but apparently put no weight on that indicator. 

I’m here to tell ya, forget sportswriters and forget broadcasters.  You want the best indicator of an upcoming sporting event?  Look to the people who are literally putting their money where their mouth is (by allowing you to wager against their opinions). 

What those folks were telling you last Saturday was that if Virginia and North Carolina played that game 13 times Virginia would win five and lose eight.  Sound like a team without "much of a chance?"

Lastly, after the game, one of the two local broadcasters placed strong emphasis on the "disparity" of the number of foul shots taken by each team.  Now I understand that these two gentlemen are employees of the university and in the case of the particular broadcaster I’m referring to, an ex-player (and a very good one). 

But the impression he gave listeners after the game was that the referees had somehow done UVA a disservice by calling the game in such a lopsided manner.  Once more, simply not true. 

In football games, where most coaches, players and fans agree that penalties can be called on most every play, it appears that referees make a conscious effort to keep the penalties called against each team reasonably even.

That’s not the case in basketball.

North Carolina’s strategy against Virginia is to pound the ball inside to take advantage of their decided height edge.  When one team is shooting a high percentage of their shots from within eight feet of the basket and the other is shooting more than half their shots from long range, what would you expect?

UVA fans were irate at the fouls called on Mike Scott, in particular his fourth foul.  Credit Roy Williams for putting in the refs’ minds (before the game) that Scott fends people off with his left arm a lot (which he does) and John Henson for selling every possible opportunity to display it.

But enough.  

Let’s finish on a very positive note:  This Cavaliers basketball team has grown up a great deal in the past couple of weeks.

I know of no one who, told Mike Scott would score just six points and play only 22 minutes against the vaunted Tar Heels, would have given Virginia the remotest chance of winning.  Yet, there they were with three chances in the final minute to first take the lead and then tie the game.

Learning to win almost always begins with losing. 

These Cavs have had plenty of lessons. 

Don’t be surprised if they pass a couple of tests in the next few weeks.   

 

Last night in Blacksburg might have been the Virginia basketball fan’s equivalent of watching their son or daughter graduate from, well, college.

"Our baby’s growing up," might have been a fair reaction to what we had just witnessed.

But, instead of it taking 21 or 22 years, it took 27 games.

And, just as a college degree doesn’t make it, "Presto!  Instant adult!" (and parents reading this are thinking, "Nooo, THAT would be a J-O-B) one game does not certify these Virginia Cavaliers as a legitimate, absolutely-for-real basketball team.

To be fair, it didn’t happen in one blink of the eye.  Just as with that college grad, there were many lessons-to-be-learned along the way.  There were some shaky moments, some stumbling blocks, a skinned knee here, maybe a broken bone (or in the case of this team, TWO broken bones!) there.  Things we chose to call "learning experiences" in the heart-to-hearts we had afterwards.  But in the end, there you were, proud as punch, watching the mortar board get tossed in the air!

I understand nothing is chiseled in stone yet, so let’s enjoy what happened last night, and what’s likely to happen going forward, quickly because the next two visitors to JPJ are two of those previously-mentioned "stumbling blocks."  No. 7 North Carolina and then No. 15 Florida State are coming to town.  Each has already defeated Virginia, and each may do it again (although I’ll be surprised if the Cavs don’t get even with at least FSU).

So, there they were, in one of the more notoriously difficult venues to escape with a win.  The past two Virginia Tech basketball teams were both left on the outside looking in when NCAA tournament bids were extended.  In both instances decent won-loss records were overshadowed by poor "strength of schedule" according to the Selection Committee. 

Coach Seth Greenberg, pleading his case, said that it was difficult to get worthy opponents to visit Blacksburg.  (Almost everyone reading this may now insert the Tech/Blacksburg joke of your choice.)  And, yes, there is some validity to the claim.

In the seven previous years since Virginia Tech joined the Atlantic Coast Conference (and the teams began meeting twice a year), these two arch-rivals had each defended their home court successfully five of the seven times.  And every time a visitor won it resulted in a sweep of the season series.

One of those occasions was last year, when the ‘Hoos won both contests and to many observers it was Tech’s two losses to a 16-15 Virginia squad that sent them off to the NIT rather than the Big Dance.

Having administered Virginia’s only home loss to date, Tech certainly had in their mind to potentially return the favor this season.

I promised when I started this blog to not simply regurgitate statistics and recaps you have many alternative sources to locate.  But, to explain the opening comment about this team "growing up" last night, some of that is necessary.

In the first half the Hokies shot lights out from beyond the arc.  In UVA’s previous game versus Maryland, the Terps did the same thing.  The difference was, with Maryland, the defense was not at fault.  The two Maryland guards were firing from another area code and were simply hot.  Last night, Tech moved the ball crisply and swiftly and simply defeated the Cavs defense by obtaining, and making, their open looks.

The ‘Hoos were lucky to escape the first half only trailing by three points.  The big reason, as per usual, was an outstanding 20 minutes from Mike Scott.  The big horse was 7-10 from the field for 15 points.

Another notable stat line from the first half read:  0-1, 0 points.  That was Sammy Zeglinski’s. 

Stepping back for a moment:  Last blog (and now two games ago) I speculated that "one of three things has to happen to carry these guys through".  The first was getting significant contributions from Paul Jesperson, something I made roughly akin to hitting the lottery.  Well hello Virginia’s newest millionaire!  Jesperson hit 1-2 three point efforts against Maryland and last night had his career-high game (more on him to follow); the second was getting more production from Malcolm Brogdon, who had a career-high in the Maryland blowout (and more on him to follow); lastly was what I deemed the "most likely" (and truthfully the most important) and that was a "Sammy Sighting."  The Z-man did start to shake off the cobwebs against Maryland, having his first multiple three-pointers in weeks. 

But last night the first half was a bagel.  In his defense, the boys were feeding Scott, who delivered, and no one else took more than two shots.

The second half, for Sammy and this whole team, was a thing of beauty. 

For Mr. Zeglinski it was a half everyone hopes will jettison him, and the team, to new heights in the weeks to come.  He scored 13 points on 5-8 shooting, including 3-6 from three-point range.  In addition he grabbed five rebounds, had two steals and an assist and played turnover-free basketball.  Welcome back, Sammy!

But it was far from a one-man show. 

After Erick Green, who had quite a second-half himself, scoring 17 of Tech’s 24 points, made a jumper to give the Hokies a 49-42 lead with 13:02 to go, the Cavaliers’ defense put on a clinic, forcing difficult shot after difficult shot.  Virginia’s "D" held Tech without a basket for over 12 minutes and allowed just one more in the game!

For all that, the game was still up for grabs with three minutes to go when first Jontel Evans, and then just 30 seconds later, Zeglinski, fouled out.  That left the ‘Hoos without a true point guard to get them home.  It was the first time this year UVA had anyone disqualified.

And time for us to revisit Jesperson and Brogdon. 

Everyone reading this knows the Cavaliers began the year as a senior-dominated team with Scott, Zeglinski, and Sene playing the pivotal roles.  And everyone knows about first Sene’s injury and then second-leading scorer, Joe Harris’ more recently.

Malcolm Brogdon has been a significant contributor from the start and his future in Charlottesville looks bright.  Paul Jesperson began the year as a red-shirt.  When a couple of players decided to transfer during the holidays leaving the Cavaliers’ ranks depleted, he willingly stepped up and elected to burn the red-shirt.

The timing wasn’t good for him to get much playing time or experience as this all occurred right on the cusp of the ACC season. 

I called his recent play "jittery" in the last blog.  But last night he saw the most minutes he’s been given by far and responded handsomely.

So, on a night when one fifth-year senior (Scott) carried the team in the first half, and the other (Zeglinski) did the same until fouling out in the second half, it came down to the two true freshmen to make the two game-deciding plays.

Jesperson followed a Scott miss with a put-back that would be the deciding basket and Virginia’s only points in the final three minutes.

Then, on Tech’s final possession, with an opportunity to tie or win the game, Brogdon anticipated a last pass with his back turned to the ball and deflected it away, securing the win for the Cavs.

That’s a mix of contributions that could spell "Sweet Sixteen" in a few weeks.       

Where I grew up it was never hard to get something done that wasn’t quite mainstream.

Need something fixed without a permit or license?  No problem.

The reason?

Because everybody had a guy who knew a guy.

Over the years, to avoid the possibility of incrimination, an extra level of insulation was added.  Suddenly, everyone had a guy who had a guy who knew a guy.

It was safer that way, even if there really wasn’t another guy.   

I bring this up today because Sammy Zeglinski, and by extension, the Virginia basketball team, needs a guy.

I’ve watched basketball of all levels for a long time.

Sammy Zeglinski’s current shooting slump is the most prolonged I have ever seen.

In the beginning I told everyone, "Don’t worry about it.  His coach is still the leading percentage three-point shooter in NCAA history.  If anyone can straighten out his shot, it’s Bennett."

But for some odd reason, coaches are reluctant to tinker with a player’s shot when they reach this level.

Recently Bennett, when asked about Zeglinski’s shooting slump, commented that he thought his shot looked "fine".   But could he really have believed that? 

Sit in the Aberdeen Barn or Belmont Pizza and Pub, the Biltmore or Boylan Heights, Bodo’s or Littlejohn’s, work out at ACAC or the AFC, wherever you go these days, everyone’s got the answer.

"He’s out of rhythm", "he’s not squaring up", "his legs are flailing", "the ball’s not coming off his index finger last".

Even my sister, who reads these only because her brother writes them, had this to say after, in a recent blog, I questioned how this basketball team would handle all the adversity being thrown at it,  Zeglinski’s slump being a part of that adversity:  

"It left ME, who doesn’t really care about the basketball team you’re writing about, wondering how the team will fare, and "rise to the occasion".

It also left me wondering what happened to "wonder-boy" that caused this uncharacteristic slump…. obviously something happened of some import. If the body is as well as it was before the slump, it doesn’t forget how to shoot… reflexes don’t suddenly fail us without cause… so if the body isn’t sick, then the mind/spirit is troubled… Did his girlfriend get pregnant? his Mother get ill? his brother get arrested? he’s in danger of not graduating?… WHAT?.. inquiring minds want to know…"  

And indeed they do. 

This basketball team is teetering on the brink of disaster.  Virginia has managed to win a number of games this year with only one other major contributor besides their All-ACC player, Mike Scott.  More often than not, that player has been Joe Harris.

But Harris fractured a bone in his non-shooting hand at North Carolina last Saturday.  On Tuesday at Clemson, Harris played with what looked like a small boxing glove on his left hand.  It badly affected his shooting and ballhandling and almost eliminated his ability to rebound.

Jontel Evans has done an admirable job stepping up and providing a second scorer in the last two games.  And not that UVA isn’t in desperate need of every point, but Evans’ points come from his penetrating to the basket.

The Cavs have to have an outside threat.  Six weeks ago they had two.  Zeglinski was connecting at over a 40% rate.  Harris was not far behind.

It forced defenses to play UVA "honest".  They couldn’t collapse on Scott because Zeglinski or Harris would make them pay dearly.

I won’t make you suffer more by posting "before and after" shooting stats.  Suffice it to say the difference in Virginia’s three-point shooting then and now is beyond belief.

Five regular season games remain.

Three wins will definitely get the ‘Hoos to the Dance.  Two may do it, depending on how Miami finishes their season.

As you’ve read here, or seen for yourself, this Virginia basketball team is a gutsy bunch. 

But coming off two consecutive losses, both by double digits after not having lost a game all season by more than three, their remaining confidence must be fragile.

One of three things needs to happen to carry these guys through.  The first has odds roughly similar to hitting the lottery:  Paul Jesperson, reportedly an outstanding three-point shooter, needs to come in, make his first or second trifecta attempt, and go on a storybook run over the remainder of the season.

To date, Jesperson has looked jittery and his shot has been erratic.

The second possibility is Malcolm Brogdon.  The freshman has been a significant part of UVA’s success.  He is really the only true triple-threat offensive player.  But his long-range shot has gotten flat and he’s looking to put the ball on the floor more of late.      

The third, and most obvious, is a "Sammy Sighting".  Zeglinski played 38 minutes versus Clemson and attempted only five shots.

"Shooters need to keep shooting" is an old basketball adage.  The rationale is the only way to get out of a slump is to make shots, and the only way to do that is to take them.

My wife, on a par with my sister when it comes to sports awareness, offered this suggestion when I told her the subject of this diatribe:  "Maybe he should wear his girlfriend’s underwear like the guy in "Bull Durham" ". 

What "Nuke" LaLoosh actually wore under his uniform was Susan Sarandon’s garter belt.  It’s an option previous generations of basketball players wouldn’t have had (the shorts were too short).

But the frame of mind Sammy’s probably in these days, he might consider it.

Me?  I think he needs a guy.  Or a hypnotist.

Maybe the palm reader up 29 North has a guy. 

Assane Sene photographed by Jack Looney.

One of the first things that strikes you about Tony Bennett’s sideline coaching style is his always outwardly calm demeanor.

Regardless of the time or situation, an isolated view of just him would leave an observer thinking he was watching Tony watch his dog run in the park. 

He occasionally smiles.  Once in awhile he laughs.  He crouches a lot.  He also whistles, that two or four fingers-in-the-mouth shrill kind of whistle.

But, if you see him looking out of sorts on the street these days, glancing skyward apprehensively for falling space debris, cut him a little slack.

Just before the holidays, UVA basketball was off to a promising start and people paying attention were getting excited about this team’s prospects.

Then, two of the previous year’s heralded recruiting class, labeled Bennett’s "Six Shooters" in an award-winning series in the DAILY PROGRESS, decided to transfer. 

It wasn’t a terrible loss to this year’s team.  The two would have likely had very minor roles and seen limited playing time (a conclusion they also obviously arrived at, prompting their defections).   

Days after the announcements, the Cavaliers creeped into the Associated Press Poll, showing up at No. 24.  (Forgive this aside, it is a blog after all, but I just looked back at the last sentence and found myself thinking of Casey Kasem!  Read it again, imagining him saying it.)

And the ‘Hoos marched on, not missing a beat.  The following week they also appeared in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll (and have remained in both since then). 

Their one-loss start was their best since the days when a skinny kid named "Ralph" roamed the Grounds (and for those of you roaming the Grounds these days that are reading this……that was before you were born!)

Real trouble befell this squad when, in only the third game of the ACC season, starting center Assane Sene (the subject of a C-VILLE cover story) went down in the first half of a game at Georgia Tech with what at the time seemed a minor ankle injury.

Sene himself said after the game he expected to play in three days against Virginia Tech. 

But x-rays the next morning showed a fracture that has Sene sitting out until at least the final week of the regular season, and maybe longer.

His absence was painfully apparent as the ‘Hoos dropped a 47-45 decision to their most hated rival in their first game without him.

That Tech loss is of the type a team like Virginia can ill afford.  It’s what’s known as a "bad loss", the kind where you lose to a team you surely should have beaten.

Conference seasons are a long, often grueling test of a team’s stamina and resolve.  Almost everyone suffers a loss of this type along the way.

But for the Cavs, a team with a very small margin for error, the Tech loss was especially costly as it has kept them just off the front runners ever since.

Still, on the Cavs went, winning three in a row, including what may turn out to be a very important victory at NC State.

Which brings us to this past Saturday.

Our intrepid heroes marched into Chapel Hill to face (then) fifth-ranked North Carolina.

Virginia’s four losses had come by a total of just 10 points.

Saturday, North Carolina whipped UVA by 18. 

The Tar Heels bludgeoned Virginia on the backboards, outrebounding them 52-32.

I recapped the game on another website I report for, and a UNC fan added this comment:  "(We) beat a smallish team with their best big player Scott….in foul trouble…..A team with 6 dressed Mickey D’s….beat up on an average talent (well coached) team with NONE." 

Succinct and pretty accurate.   ("Mickey D’s", in case you don’t know, are McDonald’s High School All-Americans.  The North Carolinas and Dukes of the world stockpile them all the way down the bench to the student manager.  It’s BIG news when a UVA lands one.)

After the game, Joe Harris revealed he had injured his left, non-shooting hand early in the first half when someone stepped on it.  Harris’ play was clearly affected by the injury as he made only two of nine shots in the game.

Much like the situation with Sene at Georgia Tech, the full extent of the injury wouldn’t be known until the next day.  Again, x-rays revealed a fracture.

In an announcement made by the university, Harris was cleared to continue playing for now.  He will wear a thermal plaster pad with a hard outer shell that will allow him to move his fingers and flex his wrist.

As of this writing, Harris had not yet practiced with the protective covering.  That was set to happen in a Monday night practice at Clemson.  Coach Tony Bennett deemed whether Harris would play a "game-time decision".

Joe Harris is Virginia’s second-leading scorer and rebounder.

Tuesday night’s game at Clemson is a crucial one for a number of reasons.

Although it won’t ultimately determine the Cavs’ fate as regards post-season play, it will go a long way in determining whether UVA could grab a first-round bye in the ACC tourney, or have to go that demanding four-games-in-four days route.  I don’t need to tell you that as thin as this team has gotten, they’d be running on fumes by Sunday.  Especially if Sene can’t return.  

As important as the result will be in the ACC standings, it may have even a bigger effect on this team’s psyche. 

This is a team that has overcome, some would say "overachieved", a lot.  If they were afflicted with a "what next?" attitude right now you could hardly blame them.  At times like this confidence, in oneself and one’s teammates, is extremely important.  A win at Clemson would do wonders for that confidence.  A loss might shatter it. 

If Harris can’t play Tuesday at Clemson, Malcolm Brogdon will start.  The freshman has been averaging more than 23 minutes a game in ACC play and many observers, this guy included, think he should be seeing even more court time anyway.

The biggest effect on playing time of Harris’ absence would likely be in increased playing time for Paul Jesperson.   The freshman, who elected to burn his redshirt after the two December defections, has looked nervous while on the floor thus far.

But, he was the AP and Gatorade Wisconsin High School Player of the Year last year and can reportedly "shoot it down".

So, "Bennettball" marches on.  If I were staging a team picture these days I’d probably have them dressed in the ragged remnants of Revolutionary War uniforms, with bandaged heads (and hands and ankles!), playing the fife and drum.  You know the painting(s).

And, as I recall, those guys won!

Most of us work at jobs where we feel there’s much more to our job than meets the eye.

I’ll suggest that there are few places that is more true than as a major college basketball or football coach.

Of course the final measuring stick is a coach’s won-lost record.  There are seldom any reasons to retain a coach who simply isn’t winning.

If you can, for a moment, forget the circumstances of the last three months of Joe Paterno’s life, I can personally tell you that among the most faithful of Penn State fans the majority were calling for his dismissal during the early 2000’s as the Nittany Lions suffered through losing seasons.  

This was a man who at the time had done more for his university than any other coach in history.

Yet, in the sections of Beaver Stadium that the Nittany Lion Club asked for the highest donation level to maintain your seats within, almost everyone wanted him fired.  Why?

Because Penn State was losing.

"What’ve you done for us lately, Joe?"

I bring this up today because I believe one of the finest rising talents in the world of college basketball coaching, UVA’s own Tony Bennett, has likely been involved of late in some of the aspects of his job that we don’t always think about.

When your friend says someone’s a "good coach", what exactly does he mean?

Generally, it’s as simple as that coach is winning more games than he’s losing.

No one will dispute that Tony Bennett is a good coach.

But today’s head basketball coach must wear many hats to be successful at his trade.

Those hats include (but may not be limited to):  Recruiting, teaching, strategizing, delegating, being "dad", being "mom", being priest/minister/rabbi, being a confidante, being a therapist, being a taskmaster, being the warden.  You can probably think of other roles.  And, of course, there are subsets to many of the aforementioned.

For example, what makes a good recruiter?

First, you need to be able to sit in their living room and convince mom and dad that their boy will be in good hands with you.  You need to determine which of those hats mentioned above are most important to each set of parents, and sometimes you need to do that on the fly.  As they say, you only get one chance to make a first impression, and that first visit to them may well decide if there will be a first visit to your school.

This is not a one-way street, either.

As a coach is trying to put the right foot forward to sell a potential recruit on himself, his program and his institution, he also needs to be determining whether he positively wants those feet on his basketball court!

He needs to be able to assess a potential recruit’s character.  Does he have the right mental make-up to fit into the program?  Does he have the ability to see the "big picture", to understand all that will be required of him to succeed within that program?  Can he handle the academic requirements? 

Yup, no easy job, this coaching stuff.

So, why all this today?

Because, if you have been following "The Perils of Pauline" known as the University of Virginia’s Men’s Basketball season, you know there is great concern right now about one Sammy Zeglinski.

Sammy has been an integral part of this team’s success. 

Yes, Mike Scott is the "big horse".  We surely wouldn’t be having this discussion without all the contributions he’s made to this team and the success he’s enjoyed this season.    

But to many observers, Sammy Zeglinski is the heart and soul of this basketball team.  A fifth-year senior, Sammy has exhibited that "Philly boy" toughness throughout his time here, playing despite nagging injuries with nary a complaint or excuse. 

In the eight games prior to the ACC season Sammy was 26-58 from three-point range, or 44.8%.  In the eight games since league play began that shooting percentage has dropped off dramatically to just 26.6%.

Just as Sammy has been an integral part of his team’s success, he has been the most obvious reason for its failures. 

Teams are just that, teams.   But in the Cavaliers’ three ACC losses by 3 (Duke), 2 (Virginia Tech), and 3 (Florida State), Sammy has been 0-5, 0-6, and 1-5 from beyond the arc.

The math isn’t hard to do.

But before you begin to think this is a condemnation of Sammy Zeglinski, you need to understand he continues to contribute in every other way.  He knows the game.  And, like every other member of this team, he plays hard every second (another measurement of a "good coach").

After defeats at Duke and at home to Virginia Tech, teammates acknowledged they needed Sammy and still had total faith in him.

On Saturday in Tallahassee, as Zeglinski had another subpar game, Jontel Evans and freshman Malcolm Brogdon picked up the slack and nearly pulled off an astonishing comeback.

But although the ‘Hoos fell short, it was the strongest demonstration to date that yes, things go better when Sammy’s shot is "on", but this team isn’t dead in the water if it’s not.

And this is where coaching behind the scenes comes in.

With the possibility of benching Zeglinski in favor of Brogdon being raised, Bennett claimed that the distribution of minutes among his perimeter players was more important than who started and who came off the bench.

Zeglinski would continue to start.  A vote of confidence meant to instill confidence in his beleaguered player.

But also since Saturday you can bet that this team has had it made clear to them that they can succeed regardless of whether contributions are coming from the expected sources or from other places.

A college basketball season is a long trail drive.  It is ever evolving.

A coach must observe, evaluate, and react to its ebbs and flows.

The extent to which he does so successfully ultimately determines the level of success, or lack thereof, his team will enjoy.  And also whether he is seen as a "good coach".

As previously stated, the University of Virginia has a good coach.

The second half of the ACC season begins tonight.  If you’re not excited about what awaits this basketball team over the next four to seven weeks you better check for a pulse. 

If this UVA basketball team were a summer movie they’d be a box office smash. 

Like Depp, DiCaprio, Damon or Affleck, these guys are real easy to root for.  And they are seldom dull.

There’s a human element, dare I say a "Hoosiers"-like quality to them.

With 10 minutes to go in their game with Boston College on Thursday night at JPJ their whole season, which had begun so promisingly, was hanging in the balance.

After losing to hated arch-rival Virginia Tech last Sunday (the Hokies’ only win in six ACC games) the ‘Hoos found themselves in a 44-44 tie with Boston College, a team that is unlikely to win an ACC away game this season.

Suddenly Virginia was at a crossroads.

If this season results in an NCAA bid and possibly a successful run in the tournament, we might look back at the final 10 minutes of the BC game as the catalyst.

The Cavs went on a 22-3 run that included scoring contributions from six different players.

And, with the exception of a dominating performance against a bad Georgia Tech team, these ‘Hoos don’t let you leave early to beat the traffic.  Like the movie hero that appears to have won the fight and saved the girl only to have the bad guy seemingly return from the dead, Virginia thus far has lacked that "killer instinct" to put away an opponent.

Witness Saturday’s effort, which for the first 20 minutes versus NC State in Raleigh almost had you wondering if you had the right channel on your TV.  NC State loves to get up and down the court.  Our beloved ‘Hoos, not so much.  Yet here were these two teams playing at a pace that surely favored the Wolfpack and, don’t look now, the Cavs were beating them at their own game!

Yes, it took "lights out" shooting, but Virginia had its highest scoring half of this ACC season and it came not in a mop-up situation but in a very competitive game that each team wanted desperately to win to first secure the fourth spot for the time being in the ACC and secondly, because it was the only meeting between the two this year, to get a leg up in the NCAA Selection Committee’s mind should the ACC end up only a four bid conference again this year.

But 20 minutes does not a college basketball game make. 

After shooting 60 percent from the field in the first half, the Cavs went ice cold.  Over the first 11:35 of the second half UVA was just 4-14 from the field.  And that’s the good news!  The Cavaliers did not manage a single basket for the remainder of the game.  Nada, zilch, nothing. 

But (as you are probably beginning to recognize a continuing theme in this space), this team has heart.

Despite not scoring another basket, Virginia actually increased its lead to double digits for the first and only time with 6:37 to go when Joe Harris made both free throws to give Virginia a 55-45 lead.

But this edition of Bennettball not only keeps you in your seat until the very end, they keep you on the edge of it!

Virginia never trailed in the second half, in fact trailed for only three minutes all night.  But all of a sudden, here was NC State with the ball with 15 seconds left, trailing by only a single point, with a chance to steal a victory.

The Wolfpack called time with seven seconds left to set up a final shot.

In the Cavalier huddle, Coach Bennett told his team, in effect, they had the ‘Pack right where they wanted them.  Turn on any sports channel, go to any website, and this Virginia basketball team is said to be winning because of its defense.

And, in a game that saw everyone in the main rotation contribute, it was an unlikely source that made the key defensive play.  Akil Mitchell has struggled thus far while trying to assume the responsibilities handled by Assane Sene before his injury.  But I can assure you that Mitchell reacted just as Sene would have on the last play, jumping out to force the NC State ballhandler wide as he tried to turn the corner at the top of the key. 

That decision and reaction by Mitchell forced the NC State player right into Jontel Evans (Virginia’s best defender) and, with late help from Sammy Zeglinski, all Lorenzo Brown could manage was a long heave that drew nothing but air. 

Game over.   Virginia wins.

It’s hard to imagine the recounting of any Virginia basketball game not including the name of Mike Scott.  And this one won’t either.  Scott led UVA in scoring for the 14th time in 20 games.

But this win belonged to everybody.  And that is how it will have to stay if this Virginia basketball team is to have a chance to realize its dreams.       

In a piece I wrote recently for a sports-related website I gave "report cards" for all 12 teams in the ACC.

My final comment for the Virginia basketball team was: Virginia might be the ACC’s version of "The Little Girl With A Curl ". "When she was good, she was very, very good. And when she was bad she was horrid." (In case you’re wondering, those are the last lines of a Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Nursery Rhyme.)

In the space of 72 hours these Cavaliers went from the "very, very good" line versus Georgia Tech (demolishing them, 70-38) to the "horrid" line versus Virginia Tech (losing an offensively-challenged game, 47-45).

To be fair, it wasn’t quite that simple.

On Thursday night in Atlanta, seven-foot starting center Assane Sene went down in the first half with what was originally called a "sprained ankle". At the time it didn’t seem serious, in fact Sene said he fully expected to be ready on Sunday evening for Virginia Tech. (The "sprain" turned out to be a fracture. Sene underwent surgery on Friday and is tentatively slated to return in six weeks.)

The Cavaliers started the second half with sophomore Akil Mitchell replacing Sene and the first five minutes of that half turned out to be an indication of a chink in UVA’s armor.

On three straight possessions, and four of five, Georgia Tech scored taking advantage of defensive breakdowns in the post.

If you look in a box score, or at stats in general, there is simply no way to appreciate the value of Assane Sene’s presence on the court. Call him the "King of Intangibles".

From early on in any kid’s introduction to basketball he is encouraged to "talk it up" on defense. In other words, communicate with his teammates to alert them to such things as screens or open men. Some people are naturally comfortable in the role. But even at the NBA level you’d be surprised how many players can’t, or don’t, do it.

Sene is a natural. And, at his height, he is literally and figuratively UVA’s "control tower", seeing and quickly communicating everything other members of his "Pack Line" defense need to know.

What he is not is a natural shot blocker. But his sheer size and wingspan are a deterrent to anyone who gets past his defender and heads for the basket.

Amazingly last night, Virginia was still able to keep Tech from crashing the boards and getting those cheap put-back baskets known as "second chance" points. Again to be fair, Virginia Tech does not rebound well and they have few players interested in going in and doing the "dirty work". But nonetheless, seventeen to nothing, nothing (!), the Cavs outscored them in that category.

And therein lies the appeal to this Virginia basketball team. THEY WORK HARD.

Virginia was ice cold last night. They couldn’t, as the expression goes, hit water if they jumped off a boat in the middle of an ocean.

But despite that, they led with under two minutes to go.

Would Sene have made the difference? Almost certainly. But even if the first 39:30 had remained the same, his yelling at Mitchell to get out on Dorenzo Hudson so he couldn’t get a clean look at the three-point shot he hit that sealed UVA’s fate might have been all the ‘Hoos needed.

So, time to regroup, watch tape, learn from mistakes and oh yeah, take some shooting practice !

Boston College comes to town on Thursday. They are extremely young and, although they shocked everyone with two close victories at Chestnut Hill (including one over Virginia Tech) this figures to provide UVA with a good opportunity to work on "Bennettball AS" (that’s "after Sene") for tougher games to come..

Over the coming weeks and months this blog will follow the University of Virginia’s quest to return to the NCAA Basketball Tournament.  I will recap the previous week’s games along with any other notable occurrences in the Atlantic Coast Conference.  What I won’t do is regurgitate all the stats and play-by-play you have countless other sources to access.

I’ll tell you upfront I’m a big fan of Coach Tony Bennett.  Three years ago I proclaimed it the "best hire" by Virginia in the 23 years I’ve been in Charlottesville (baseball, tennis, and lacrosse fans may disagree — in fact, with the coaches in place throughout UVA athletics currently it figures to be a prime topic at water coolers, bars, and gyms for years to come).  But, that said, I won’t hesitate to question in-game decisions or the allotment of playing time should I see reason.

I hope to bring you a slightly different perspective, sprinkled with some facts or ideas you won’t find elsewhere.  Mostly, I want this to be fun, for you and for me. 

Let’s start with a quick review of the Cavaliers’ season to date:

Coach Tony Bennett, in his third season at UVA, returned a strong nucleus of seniors along with the four remaining players from his heralded recruiting class originally known as the "Six Shooters".  Add to that a couple of promising freshmen and the battle for playing time figured to be intense.

The ‘Hoos "stepped on a pop top" early on in the Virgin Islands, losing to TCU, 57-55, in the Paradise Jam.  But after that they reeled off 12 straight victories (their longest winning streak in 30 years) to go 14-1, the best start to a season since a tall, skinny guy named Sampson used to roam the Grounds. 

Included in that run are a couple of notable victories including a 70-58 defeat of then #15 Michigan in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge and a 57-52 win over LSU in Baton Rouge, the first road win over an SEC opponent in UVA history.

The ‘Hoos opened ACC play with a tense one-point win over Miami, a team that haunted UVA last season.

This past Thursday night the ‘Hoos traveled to what has been historically one of the most difficult venues for visiting teams to emerge from with a victory in the history of college basketball.  Cameron Indoor Stadium on the campus of Duke University only holds 10,000 (notice I didn’t say "seats" and there are two reasons for that:  First, the Duke students, known as the "Cameron Crazies" have a student section located at floor level that seats 1100 but, because no one EVER sits down has been known to contain as many as 1600 bouncing, jumping, yelling future captains of industry.  And secondly because there actually is sufficient standing room for seven hundred people), but the proximity of the fans to the playing floor creates an atmosphere unlike any other in major college basketball.

UVA’s last win at Cameron came back in 1995 and is notable because it remains the largest half time deficit ever overcome in an Atlantic Coast Conference game.  The Cavaliers trailed by 21 points, 40-19, before rallying to win in double overtime.

Unless you’ve been living in a cave you know by now that the ‘Hoos came tantalizingly close to snapping their 15 game losing streak at Duke and extending their own winning streak to 13 games before falling, 61-58.

This is a team that figures to be successful enough that no one left Durham thinking "moral victory". 

But it is worth noting that the win was Duke’s 44th straight at home, a streak second in Division I only to the University of Kentucky’s.  And, during that streak, their margin of victory has only been smaller than the other night’s one time.  Lastly, although Tony Bennett is 0-5 versus the Blue Devils in his three seasons at UVA, he has managed to slow the Dookies down and be competitive.  Over the past three years Duke is averaging just over 80 points a game against the rest of the world.  "Bennettball" has held Duke to an average of under 63 points a game.  That difference hasn’t gone unnoticed by the winningest college basketball coach in history.  Duke’s Coach K has actually called Virginia’s defense "beautiful".

This Virginia basketball team is very easy to root for.  Football is usually thought of as the ultimate team sport.  In basketball or baseball one or two individuals can often make or break a team’s success.  UVA basketball has such a talent in Mike Scott.  I likely wouldn’t be writing this and you wouldn’t be reading it if he wasn’t a Cavalier.  But Scott doesn’t handle the ball and is dependent upon his four teammates to get it to him where and when he wants it.  The other seven or eight players in Bennett’s rotation range from useful to very good players.  But make no mistake, as Coach Bennett has acknowledged, there are a number of teams in the ACC with better talent.  But, there may not be a number who are actually better teams. 

"Bennettball" emphasizes defense, not always a favorite aspect of the game for highly recruited high school stars.  It also stresses sharing the ball and moving without it, two more things scorers aren’t always thrilled about.  But this group has bought in to all the premises.  They work extremely hard on defense, a defense, in case you don’t know, that was invented by Bennett’s dad, Dick (and is known as the "Pack Line").  Tony played for him in college and then sat next to him as an assistant at Wisconsin-Green Bay and then Washington State before assuming the reins there.  On the offensive end these Cavs are extremely unselfish.  They share the ball, some might say, too much.  

All these characteristics, as I’ve said, make this a very easy team to invest yourself in. 

So, make a note to come along for the ride.   It should be an exciting ten weeks. 

This whole exercise will work best if there’s interaction.  I want to hear from you.  Whether it’s praise (my mom’s gone so I don’t get much of this), criticism (my wife isn’t so I have all I need, but don’t let that stop you), or just your opinions.   Mi soapbox es su soapbox.

Catch ya along the way,

Rog