Whitey's World

Witherspoon says it’s a “Stalemate”

2008-05-01T02:43:00Z

I just got off the phone with Wesley Witherspoon, the 4-star recruit small forward out of Georgia who the Virginia men’s basketball team is recruiting heavily.
Witherspoon told me that he still hasn’t made a decision yet. He’s considering Memphis, UVa, Colorado and Texas.
He said he was about to sit down with his mother and talk about all of his choices one final time.
Right now, he called things a “stalemate.”
He said he will announce his pick, as planned, at a 3:30 p.m. press conference tomorrow (Thursday).
One source close to the situation has told me that Witherspoon and Memphis-signee Tyreke Evans aren’t too fond of each other. Apparently, they didn’t get along very well at a recent all-star game (The Jordan Classic).
I guess we’ll see pretty soon how much truth there is to that.
Virginia also remains in the mix for point guard Paul McCoy. He has narrowed his choices to UVa and Kentucky and could make his decision at any time.
Of course, Virginia presently doesn’t have any scholarships to offer Witherspoon or McCoy. That could make the next few weeks interesting as we wait to see which UVa player(s) will no longer have access to Gus burgers next year.
[THIS BLOG ENTRY WAS EDITED BY BARNEY BREEN-PORTNOY]

Mac McDonald Out

2008-04-30T04:20:00Z

After serving 12 straight seasons as the play-by-play voice for University of Virginia sports, Mac McDonald has been let go, several sources confirmed to the Daily Progress late Tuesday evening.
McDonald could not be reached for comment.
McDonald has been with Virginia since 1996. He previously served as the voice of the Cavs from 1980-85.
No word on why McDonald was let go or who his replacement might be.

Virginia to play Richmond in CBI

2008-03-17T07:06:01Z

Remember when everyone would get all frustrated about having to wait until 11 or 12 at night to find out the NIT pairings?
Well, the inaugural CBI took until a little after 2 in the morning!
Believe it or not, Virginia is a No. 1 seed. The Cavs will host Richmond on Tuesday night, then host the ODU-Rider winner on Monday, March 24.
Here’s the tournament link.
I’m going to sleep.
CBI link

Can I get 1 good game!

2008-03-15T02:29:00Z

So we’re about to wrap up Day 2 of the ACC Tournament here in Charlotte...and I’ve yet to witness one good game!
By good game, I mean one that is relatively close, has an exciting play or two, maybe a little drama.
As a basketball junkie, is that so much to ask for?
The game I’m watching right now is OVER—and it’s only halftime. Clemson is destroying BC.
The worst part about watching a dud is the fact that you have 12 different radio broadcast teams sitting right behind you (one from each school) and have to listen to the same boring descriptions and cliches over and over.
Maybe BC will have some sort of miraculous comeback—but that’s probably wishful thinking.

So much for that…

2008-03-14T01:00:00Z

So much for this game coming down to the wire. I don’t think Virginia has scored since I typed that. Tech leads 83-68 with 4 minutes left in the game.

Down to the wire?

2008-03-14T00:37:00Z

It looks like this game is gonna come down to the wire. That wouldn’t be a shock since both previous games were extremely tight.It’s 61-59 Tech right now.
Sweet Caroline is being played by the UVa band right now. I’ve always had a dislike for that song—ever since the Boston Red Sox started using it.

Mo Money $$$$

2008-03-14T00:08:00Z

Mamadi Diane is on fire. He’s hit his first two shots of the second half and is now 7 of 7 from the field. Where has this been all season?
Mo looks so locked in right now. If he was smart, he would give a few pump fakes and try and get to the rack now.

Down by two at the half

2008-03-13T23:41:00Z

Virginia trails Georgia Tech, 44-42, at halftime. Mamadi Diane was The Man for UVa in the first 20 minutes. Don’t have the stat sheet in front of me, but he looked really confident in knocking down a number of jumpers.

Go inside!

2008-03-13T23:14:00Z

If Virginia is going to win this game, they’ve got to start looking inside. So far, they’ve made no effort whatsoever to do so.
Mikalauskas and Pettinella have both been wide open on a number of occassions.
UVa trails 26-25 with 7:54 left in the half.

Lars hurt

2008-03-13T22:58:00Z

They’ve just taken Lars Mikalauskas into the locker room after he took a nasty spill...wait, he just came back to the huddle.

I’ve figured out The Lithuanian’s strategy!

2008-03-13T22:44:00Z

Ever see the movie “Along Came Polly” where Ben Stiller’s character has to guard that really sweaty, hairy old guy who doesn’t have a shirt on?
Stiller, quite understandably, doesn’t want to ‘D’ up. Who would?
Well, I think Virginia junior Lars Mikalauskas must have seen this movie. The Lithuanian is usually drenched with sweat before the game even begins. By the time he’s checked into the game, he’s got a nice little stank going that the opposition clearly wants no part of.
That is once again the case this evening. Mikalauskas looks as if he’s taking his covert tactics to the extreme. I just saw him walk into the locker room and it it looked as though he had just gone swimming in Lake Norman.
I feel a little bad for Georgia Tech big men Zack Peacock, Alade Aminu and Gani Lawai.

Memories…

2008-03-13T22:09:00Z

As Virginia warms up on the Charlotte Bobcat Arena court, about 45 minutes before tip-off, I can’t help but laugh.
The arena just showed some highlights from UVa’s quarterfinal game against Duke in 2004.
Elton Brown, Donte Minter and T.J. Bannister were prominent in the video montage, along with former Cavaliers coach Pete Gillen.
Of course, Virginia lost that game. In fact, UVa has lost in the quarterfinals in each of the last eight years.
If the Cavaliers were to beat Georgia Tech tonight, they would face Duke in the quarters tomorrow at 7 p.m.

Hickson gone?

2008-03-13T20:15:00Z

You have to wonder if N.C. State freshman J.J. Hickson has played his last college game. I just overheard some reporters from Raleigh saying they thought he was a goner.
Personally, I haven’t been that impressed by Hickson this season, even though I know NBA scouts like him and he’d probably be a first-round pick.
I like Hickson’s teammate, Brandon Costner, better.
I don’t think Lowe has utilized Costner very well this year. He’s turned the versatile 6-foo-9 forward into a one-dimensional player. Maybe it’s because of Hickson’s presence, but it seems like all Costner ever does is stand outside on the perimeter and fire up 3-pointers.

Time to lose that coat!

2008-03-13T20:06:00Z

Sidney Lowe’s red sports coat was magical last season. It was one of the best good-luck charms I’ve ever seen.
The last-place Wolfpack went on a big-time run in the ACC Tourney before losing in the finals.
Well, it’s time for Sidney to ditch that coat—FAST.
N.C. State is looking brutal in its first-round game against Miami. They’re trailing 50-35 with about 4 minutes left.
Actually, the Wolfpack have been pretty brutal all year. He should have lost that thing a long time ago.
Lowe should just rip that thing off right now and chuck it into the stands—kinda like what Dennis Rodman used to do with his jersey after a game.
Seriously, how do you have a team with at least three future NBA players on it and turn in such a lackluster performance?
I don’t get it.

Best Cheerleaders a No-Brainer

2008-03-13T17:33:00Z

It’s only the first day of the tournament and I’ve only watched one half of a game, but there is absolutely no doubt which school has the best cheerleaders. FSU is clearly in a league of its own.
It’s been that way for the last two years I’ve covered the tourney and I don’t expect it to change anytime soon.
OK, so I’m gonna stop typing now before I say anything that might get me in trouble.
Maybe I’ll report later on the tournament’s worst cheerleaders. I’m pretty sure on that selection. Wait a sec, that could probably get me in trouble, too. I’ll give you a hint: Former UNC coach Matt Dougherty once agreed with me.