As I'm sure you've noticed if you checked the site following basketball season, things have slowed down here at the Society. In the last few months, I would have liked to find the time to write a post defending Dom Starsia, a good man who in many corners was thrown under the bus for running what was deemed an out-of control program following the tragic death of Yeardley Love. As far as I think the Washington Post came with Zach Berman trying to revive its Virginia coverage, their piece on Starsia following Love's death was nothing short of a one-sided, ignorant hatchet job. I also would have liked to chime in on Mike London's efforts to revive the program -- his outreach to the 757 and the energy he's brought to Charlottesville. Believe me, he's a LONG way away from rebuilding this thing, but the first several months of his tenure have confirmed my belief that the University has the right man for the job.
Simply put, we here at the Society just haven't had enough time to make this site what we wanted when we launched almost to the day last year. As cjhoo noted, my wife & I welcomed the newest member of Hoo nation in January, and I also switched jobs to a position that will be taking up a lot more of what little was left of my free time. My colleague cjhoo and his wife are also expecting their first in October, right around the time Mike London might be wondering what he's gotten himself into. So while it was a blast to do for a year, and we'd like to keep it up, its just not realistic at this point. This will therefore be the last post here at the Society.
I hope, as had been my goal, that we intelligently added to the discussion. We tried to thread the needle between the Fourth Estate, the core of which when it comes to UVA sports has been around a LONG time (in some cases too long), and mindless fandom, which far too often litters the internet these days. But doing a blog on the side did remind me how hard it is to follow a beat full-time, and gave me even more respect for those bloggers who consistently churn out quality content even though they do so in many cases as a second job for little (if any) monetary benefit. I still think there's a niche out there that's yet to be filled. When it is, I can promise I will be among that site's most loyal readers.
Shout-out to cjhoo, who carried the water for the site after the birth of my son and really found his groove writing about hoops in the winter. Shout out to my former colleague and the Sabre's Kris Wright, who was always generous with a link and kind words for the site. Non-shout out to acccoy, who I asked only to commit if he could contribute but very infrequently did. We're still waiting on that ACC hoops piece, acccoy (sorry man, couldn't resist). Shout out to Japers Rink, a Washington Capitals blog that inspired me to start this one. I know there are probably only a handful of hockey fans who followed the Society, but J.P. (thanks for the words of encouragement) and his troupe churn out content of a quality I could only have hoped to do for UVA sports. Shout out to all those bloggers out there still doing yeoman's work. I still think each of the other sites out there have a ways to go, but I'll be watching for one to break through. Good luck boys. And a final shoutout to our readers. I appreciate the comments, words of encouragement, and most importanly, visits to the site, each one of which provided just a touch of validation to what we were doing. I especially appreciated all the traffic around the football coaching search, when I thought we did some of our best work. Thanks for noticing, and coming by to see what we were writing about.
I'll be leaving the blogspot version of the site up for a while. Who knows, maybe cjhoo and I will get bored again with our day jobs, recruit some more writers, and make another run at this thing. Until then, GO HOOS!
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Virginia officially announced Sylvan Landesburg will not be returning to Virginia. In fact, the sophomore from Flushing, NY will not even finish the semester. Landesburg plans to "pursue his professional aspirations." It's a case that seems eerily similar to that of the Hoo formerly known as Roger Mason Jr (now just Roger Mason). Some projections have Landesburg going late in the second round of the NBA draft while others have him going undrafted. Mason also made the jump early and ended up going in the first-half of the second round. He toiled for years as a journeyman in the NBA, but to his credit, he stuck with it and had a breakout year last season for the Spurs. Former Virginia star Sean Singletary was also drafted in the second round (42nd pick by the Sacramento Kings) and in October of 2009, he was waived by the 76ers. He currently plays in Spain. So, based on some recent history, Landesburg definitely has his work cut out for him - then again, knocking down 500k a year in Europe isn't necessarily chump change nor the worst thing in the world.
More to come...
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No, Tristan Spurlock was far from a misfit - it simply appears UVa was not a good fit for him. In other words, a miss-fit. By all accounts, his decision to leave is solely due to basketball and where he fits in moving forward. Hoo fans have speculated the move for months, and, quite frankly, it comes as no big surprise. As a top-100 rated recruit and a player expected to come in and get immediate playing time, the fact he played very little this past season made it a natural for fans to speculate his departure. Despite the constant talk about his future, Spurlock contends he finalized his decision last night, and it stemmed from the fact Coach Bennett saw him as power forward while he envisioned himself as a wing player.
Spurlock came to Virginia after having a couple of contentious relationships with previous coaches, but in this case, the freshman out of Word of Life Christian Academy has proven a model citizen. He continues to say all of the right things; singing the praises of UVa, and the fans (not too often anyone compliments Virginia fans) as well as showing unwavering respect for Bennett. Spurlock has shown a great deal of class throughout the entire ordeal (unlike senior Calvin Baker, he never griped about playing time), and he has handled the transfer with a sense of maturity far beyond that of most freshman. It's hard for Hoo fans not to like him.
Some people will likely wonder why Bennett fought so hard to keep him committed to the Cavs if he wasn't a good fit for his system. First and foremost, that assumes Bennett knew right away that Spurlock was not a player well suited for his system, and there is no indication of that being the case. Even more importantly, keeping Spurlock was a necessary PR move for the new coach - it was an early win that showed he could come in, pick up the pieces, and start the program moving forward. Losing Spurlock would have signaled that the wheels had fallen off and that Bennett was working with a program stripped down to its foundation. Ultimately, Bennett has reworked the program - breaking it down to the foundation in order to install his system and philosophies with the intent to build it back up from there. Yet at the time, keeping Spurlock was a key pickup for Bennett and helped maintain the positive outlook that came with his arrival.
Many UVa fans will be disappointed not to have had the chance to see what could of become of Spurlock - it was an intriguing story to say the least. It will certainly come as no shock to see Spurlock do well somewhere else, and given the fact he is leaving on good terms, most Virginia fans will likely be rooting for him. We here at the Society wish him all the best.
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Realistically speaking, it was hard to expect much more. Today's game against Duke caused headlines to use such adjectives as "pesky" or describe Duke as "holding off" the Hoos. The last time these two met, it was a blowout and Virginia had no chance from the start. UVa kept it close for 3/4 of the game until a late run helped the Dookies notch a 57-46 win over the Cavs.
Another hard-fought, well-balanced effort from Virginia, though sadly, after two solid efforts, Sammy Zeglinski was noticeably absent. Zeglinski scored a team high 21 points yesterday in the win over BC, yet failed to get on the board against Duke. Imagine how 9 points from him (his season average) would have changed the game.
As we said before, in light of the 9 game losing streak, the best "realistic" ending to the season was two competitive losses against the league's top-two teams and a win over Boston College. Given the circumstances, we'll take it. Virginia ends the season with a shred of dignity in tact and a small glimmer of hope that better days are ahead. So crank up the rumor mill and let the guessing games begin - the Hoos' offseason soap opera now takes center stage.
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For Virginia fans, it probably feels good to smile - even if it is only a slight grin. At the very least, you can't help but feel happy for these guys who, in the face of adversity, continued to play hard and battle. It's only fitting that Virginia got off the snide with a well-balanced effort. As a team, the Hoos refused to roll over (even when it would have been easy and understandable to do so), and it was a team effort that lead to Virginia's 68-62 win over Boston College in the opening round of the ACC tourney. Five guys scored in double figures lead by a very strong outing from Sammy Zeglinski. He finished with a team-high 21 points while Jeff Jones pitched in 14 (going 3-5 from beyond the arc). Jerome Meyinsse continued his strong play and put up 12 points. After a slow start made it look as if Mike Scott was still stuck in his funk, the junior forward played very well in the second half and finished the game with a double-double. Mustapha Farrakhan added 10 points, including a strong layup and one down the stretch.
Without Sylven Landesburg, guys like Farrakhan, Jones, and Zeglinski needed to step up offensively and all three answered the call. The new-look offense also affords these guys the opportunity to get more involved offensively, and without Landesburg in the last two games, Jones has especially blossomed. The disparity in pure talent and scoring ability between Landesburg and the rest of the crew likely makes it difficult for the supporting cast to find a good, comfortable role that allows them to be consistent contributors. Now the players are far more balanced and even which makes it easier for them to be more comfortable on the court and to simply play. To be honest, this particular team might be as good or even better without him. Bennett's system calls for a balanced, deliberate, and well-executed approach on both offense and defense - it's vital that everyone gets involved on both ends of the floor. It's a a style of play that actually helps teams with less pure talent stay competitive with just about anyone - as long as everyone gets involved and executes their assignments, the team has a chance. Of course, getting involved offensively generally leads to more energy and passion defensively. With one player serving as such a focal point offensively, it makes it far more easy for guys to struggle finding a rhythm and to simply check out - that leads to breakdowns. Without Landesburg (at least in the last two games) it appears everyone looks more comfortable and can get more involved which enables the group to gel more and play more cohesively.
Yesterday, the Hoos committed a season-low five turnovers, and unlike their recent trip to Chestnut Hill, Virginia rebounded extremely well and kept BC from getting a ton of second-chance points. Today UVa faces number-one seed Duke - a tall task indeed though not impossible (see: Big East Tournament). In order for Virgina to pull off the major upset, another well-rounded effort is absolutely in order. Protecting the ball and owning the defensive boards will once again prove vital. On top of having 4-5 guys in double figures, the Hoos will likely also need someone like Will Sherrill or even Tristan Spurlock, what a made-for-tv story that would be, to go Kyle Kuric (see: Louisville over Syracuse to close down Freedom Hall) on the Dookies.
Regardless of today's outcome, the Hoos notched a much-needed win over BC in order to avert complete disaster. For the players and the fans, it feels good to win again. Yesterday featured a few first-round surprises, and with few expectations and virtually no pressure, Hoo knows, Virginia might just make it interesting. From the Society's perspective, a win yesterday is really all we asked for, so at this point, we're playing with house money...as long the team goes all in, we'll either leave fairly satisfied or stay to play another hand.
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Certainly the last thing Virginia wants to do is close out the season on a 10-game losing streak. UVa's current nine-game skid serves as the worst since the 1961-62 squad. Furthermore, a loss today at noon against Boston College would forever join the Hoos with the 1981 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets as the only other ACC school to finish a season with 10 straight losses. Not good. Despite the fact Virginia's season is effectively over, these are the types of things every teams wants to avoid and this is not how these kids want to get in the record books. This is not how they want to be remembered. Quite frankly, Virginia fans also don't want the Hoos' complete collapse to be the lasting memory that carries them through the offseason. For what it's worth, a win today will serve as reason enough to no longer use "complete" when describing UVa's late-season collapse. Small and largely insignificant to be sure, but we're feeding on crumbs here.
No question Virginia's chances today are rather slim. First off, the ACC tourney is an event that has not treated the Hoos all that kindly in recent years (especially in the Gillen era). Furthermore, BC waxed UVa earlier in the season and, in fact, mercifully ended the Cavs season last year in, you guessed it, the first round of the ACC tourney. Sylven Landesburg is gone, and Calvin Baker has left the team, so to say the Hoos are undermanned is a huge understatement.
Heck, for all intents and purposes, the season is over. Tristan Spurlock is already (at least publicly) stating his desire to return. Coach Tony Bennett is already making sure the press and fans know Landesburg is welcome to return and that the suspension only applies to this season. This team has already begun to look ahead to next year, so in some respects, it could be argued even they have cashed it in for the year. From a fan's perspective, this year is definitely done. The "As the worlds of Spurlock and Landesburg turn" soap opera is about the only shred of entertainment value this squad provides. The only true excitement surrounding the program stems from the hopes and dreams pinned to one of the more highly-regarding incoming freshman classes to arrive on Grounds in years. The fan focus is on the future and not the present.
Ultimately a win or loss won't really mean much of anything. The program won't be damaged beyond repair, and a dark cloud won't hang so heavy that it ruins next season as well. Yet, maybe that's just it. Nobody gives Virginia a chance today, and to be honest, outside of the die hard wahoo fans, nobody really cares. All the story lines point to next season and many are ready to get on with it already. Despite all that, the game must be played, and a Virginia win would help - even if only slightly. Sure, it sounds trite, but it's the truth - today the Hoos are playing for pride. When all the chips are down, does this squad have the character to find a way to win. Is coach Bennett building a program that fights against all odds? Can the Cavs head into the offseason having stopped the bleeding? A loss today and Virgina's season will be tattooed with "10 consecutive losses" and will be primarily remembered for the dubious feat. A win today coupled with a competitive outing against Duke changes things - the story now shifts to the fact UVa finished on a bit of an upswing and showed some signs of life. A win and two hard-fought losses against the league's top two teams.
A gut check, playing for pride, backs against the wall, fighting to the end....pick whatever cliche you want, Virginia just needs to play for something. A win and a small glimmer of hope - well that's something, and something is better than nothing.
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