Whitey's World

No Miracle

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 15:04:38 -0600

GREENSBORO—Duke wins, 57-46.
Gutty effort by the Wahoos, just not enough talent.

Do HOO believe in Miracles?

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 14:00:56 -0600

Somehow, Virginia is tied with Duke at the half.
The Hoos have played one of their grittiest halves of the season and are now tied at 27.
Virginia has turned the game into a slow-down, half-court slop-fest and has taken Duke out of its game. Jon Scheyer has looked brutal. Several of his shots weren’t even close.
The question is—can Virginia keep this going?
I highly doubt it.
But, hey, the U.S. did beat Russia.

Jerome thinks Sylven’s a Goner

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 15:43:30 -0600

Jerome Meyinsse didn’t come right out and say it, but his reaction said it all.
In the wake of Virginia’s first-round victory over BC that just finished, I asked the senior captain if he had a gut feeling about what Landesberg would do—stay in school or go to the NBA?
“I do [have a gut feeling],“ said a smiling Meyinsse. “I’m not going to talk about it…it will come out when it’s time—his decision. I just wish him the best.“
Doesn’t exactly sound promising for a return to school IMO.

Sylven Skipped Art?

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 13:25:44 -0600

On the basketball court, Sylven Landesberg could be considered an artist of sorts. Off the court, that doesn’t seem to be the case.
Sources have told The Daily Progress that the class Landesberg never attended was in art of all things!
On the ACC teleconference that just wrapped up a few minutes ago, Virginia coach Tony Bennett was asked (by Dough Doughty of the Roanoke Times) about his policies pertaining to players’ class attendance.
“I think, first and foremost, the responsibility falls to the student-athletes,“ Bennett said. “But we do random class checks and there are pretty clear guidelines with our players that we expect them to go to class…
“We have meetings with players each week and [ask] how the class is going? Talk to me about how you’re doing in the class and what’s going on, so there’s a lot of communication, random class checks and guidelines that have been established and a level of trust of, ‘This is what we expect.‘“
Bennett, who suspended Landesberg for the season on Saturday, added: “Sylven’s situation was that he was at a lot of his other classes. This one, obviously, it didn’t happen, and it was unfortunate.“

Sylven Suspended

Sat, 06 Mar 2010 13:43:24 -0600

Talk about a shocker!
We were just handed a press release from Virginia media relations man Rich Murray saying that Virginia soph leading scorer Sylven Landesberg has been suspended for the rest of the season for “failure to live up to academic obligations.“
“Sylven has failed to live up to his academic obligations and will not play in games for the remainder of the season,“ said Virginia coach Tony Bennett. “This is a very difficult decision. Sylven is a fine young man who I deeply care care about, but our players need to take personal responsibility for their academic obligations. There are standards and expectations that Sylven and every player in this program now and in the future must uphold. When they are not upheld, there are consequences.
“It’s important for our current and future players to understand it’s a privilege to compete in the ACC and attend one of the finest institutions in the country. My hope is through this action it will help Sylven and the other young men in our program understand the value of a degree from the University of Virginia and the opportunities it provides for life after basketball.“

Bennet adds sixth recruit

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 18:41:53 -0600

Virginia coach Tony Bennett, it seems, will be adding a floor general to the 2010 incoming class after all. On Tuesday, Billy Baron—a 6-foot-2 guard from Rhode Island who plays for Worcester Academy in Massachusetts—announced that he is signing with the Wahoos.
The development was something of a curveball, considering that Virginia, as presently constructed, has no scholarships available for next season. In addition, it was expected that Baron would play for his father, Jim, who is the coach at the University of Rhode Island.
However, apparently the draw of playing in the ACC was too much for him to pass up.
“It’s the toughest thing I’ve ever been through in my life,‘’ Baron told the Providence Journal. “I love Rhode Island. I’ve been here since I was 10. I’ve seen every game. I love the guys on the team. It’s been my dream for them. But I realize this is a great overall opportunity.”
With the five players who have already signed for next season, Virginia is at the maximum number of players on scholarship (13). With Baron’s arrival, Bennett has to somehow free up a scholarship.
My guess is that freshman Tristan Spurlock, who has barely played this season, will transfer.
And don’t rule out Sylven Landesberg turning pro.

Landesberg Still Hurting

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 18:51:04 -0600

Virginia guard Sylven Landesberg is still recovering from a leg bruise that he sustained the other night in Miami—coach Tony Bennett just told me during his teleconference.
Clearly, UVa will need Sylven to be feeling good if they have any hopes of snapping a six-game losing streak and upsetting Duke on Sunday night.
“He’s not 100 percent—he’s stiff,“ Bennett said. “He got nailed pretty good. We call it a knee or corked thigh, and it’s stiff. I think it will be OK, but it’s stiff. That usually—as long as you treat it well—day by day improves. But he’s not 100 percent right now.“
Landesberg, Virginia’s leading scorer, nailed a career-high six 3-pointers against the Hurricanes en route to 27 points.

UVa trails at half

Tue, 23 Feb 2010 20:49:47 -0600

CORAL GABLES—Virginia is trailing Miami, 33-32, at the break.
Neither team has looked very impressive.
It definitely looks like a game between two bottom-tier ACC teams.
The lone bright spot for Virginia has been the outside shooting of Sylven Landesberg (16 points). The UVa soph has a season-high four 3-pointers and has essentially kept UVa in the game.
Tony Bennett started Calvin Baker and Jerome Meyinsse in place of Jontel Evans and Assane Sene. The change hasn’t made any noticeable difference in the team’s play.
The atmosphere here is terrible. There can’t be more than 3,000 fans in the stands. Definitely the poorest-attended game I’ve witnessed in my five years on the beat.
Former UM football players Warren Sapp and Rohan Marley are in the house, though. So far, they’ve received the loudest cheers of the night, with the possible exception being when a 7-year-old kid hit a 3-pointer to win a a free pizza.

New lineup

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 20:09:39 -0600

Trying to break a three-game losing streak, Virginia coach Tony Bennett has gone with a new starting lineup tonight.
Bennett has started Jeff Jones and Calvin Baker in place of Bub Evans and Sammy Zeglinski. Both Evans and Zeglinski have been struggling mightily with their shooting in the last several games.
We’ll see how it works out.
The game is tied at 6 with 13:29 left in the half right now.
FSU 7-footer Solomon Alabi went out of the game in the first minute but is back in the game now.

No Solomon

Sat, 13 Feb 2010 20:42:09 -0600

BLACKSBURG—I’ve just received word that Virginia senior captain Solomon Tat won’t be in uniform tonight against Virginia Tech.
Tat caught an elbow in practice recently and sustained a concussion.
Tat hasn’t played much this year, so obviously this isn’t a huge loss.
He’ll likely still be able to be his vocal self from the sidelines,