Tough loss

by Whitey Reid on December 8th, 2009

Well, I’m back at my hotel now following Virginia’s one-point loss to Auburn.
Reading some e-mails and the like from fans, I see a lot of frustration. I don’t think it’s merited.
This is going to take some time. Bennett has to get his guys in here. Right now, he’s trying to fit square pegs into round holes with his roster.
It’s kinda like my New York Knicks really—coach Mike D’antoni trying to use players like Eddy Curry in a run n gun system. It just doesn’t work.
I mean, gimme a break—tonight Bennett had Will Sherrill and Jerome Meyinsse in his starting lineup. Whoever thought at the beginning of the season that those two could be part of any rotation, let alone be starting?
Certainly not me.
I think what fans have to realize is that Bennett is going to have this program take two steps back, so that he can then take four steps forward. That’s a mindset his predecessor never had. Winning now isn’t of paramount importance to Bennett. He’d rather get his system in place and maybe lose a couple of extra games than have some aesthetically pleasing record at the end of the season with no real progress toward the future.
Speaking of the future, I’m growing more and more impressed with freshman Jontel Evans. I’ll have a story on Evans in Wednesday’s paper. Tonight, he showed that he is more than just a defensive dynamo. On two occasions, he drove hard to the basket and finished with his left hand—something I haven’t seen very many, if any, Virginia guards do in the last four years. When you’re undersized like Evans, using your left is an essential fundamental. Being a former football player—he was offered scholarships from a number of DI programs—I figured Evans would be light on the fundamentals, but he seems to be proving me wrong.
As for the loss tonight, I was sitting right underneath the basket when the final play occurred. I thought Assane Sene made the right move to jump out and challenge Reed’s shot. It was hard to tell who was responsible for blocking out Knox.
I must say, a few minutes earlier, Knox should have been called for a loose ball foul. He clearly climbed over Sherrill’s back for a rebound.
One last thought…You had to feel good for Sammy Z tonight…a game after missing the final shot versus Penn State, Sammy nailed three clutch free throws to give UVa the lead. I, for one, didn’t think he’d drain all three.

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