Virginia

The Dave Leitao era came to an end in Charlottesville this spring. He did have one good year,2006-07, when his team shared the regular season ACC title and did make the NCAA tournament. But, in the end, he did not recruit enough ACC caliber talent to keep people coming to the brand new John Paul Jones arena. AD Craig Littlepage looked west and surprised many when he hired Washington States Tony Bennett to lead UVA’s resurgence.

Bennett, the son of a coach, was born to coach basketball. I was a teammate of his during his brief pro career and knew that his future would be on the sidelines leading a team. He followed his father, Dick, into coaching and proved his abilities by leading Washington St. to back to back 26 wins seasons in ’07 and ’08. He runs a disciplined, patterned offense and his teams play tough-nosed defense. The style may not wow the Wahoo faithful early on, but it is a style that can win once he recruits his type of player.

Speaking of players, the cupboard is not exactly overflowing with talent. Sylven Landesberg is the best returning player and is a legitimate ACC talent. Last year’s rookie of the year averaged 16.6 points and 6 rebounds a game and has an old-school type of game. He doesn’t have great range but has an incredible knack of scoring and getting fouled in the lane. 6’8” Mike Scott has been an enigma. He has excellent size and did average 10 points and 7 boards last year but you are left with the feeling there is so much more there. He must become a more reliable low post scorer to elevate his game. Sammy Zeglinski had a nice year as a back -up point but needs to become a more reliable shooter. Mustapha Farrakhan never was in favor with Leitao and could get a fresh start under Bennett. Calvin Baker needs to provide leadership as a senior and must give Bennett some production as a primary ball handler. There really is not much to say about the rest of the returning players other than they have been role players without eye popping stats.

Bennett had to re-recruit a couple of players and got them to honor their commitment. Tristan Spurlock was a top 100 type player that has some size and has the ability to score inside and on the perimeter. Jontel Evans should see some time at guard and could fit in well with Bennett’s style as he is known as a tough-minded defender.
It will take time for Bennett to create his culture in Charlottesville. There are a lot of positives- a beautiful arena, nearby high school talent and a marquis league to draw recruits. His deliberate style may not whip fans into a frenzy but Bennett’s team will compete every night out and I would be surprised if they are ever blown out in a game. Eventually, he will build a team that fits his style and the wins will come.

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