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Nbanflguy 11 years, 6 months ago.
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NbanflguyCOACH AND PROGRAM
After cobbling together competitive teams his first two seasons at Virginia, coach Tony Bennett finally had enough pieces to contend in the ACC last season.
And Virginia did, again getting off to its customary fast start before hanging on down the stretch and finishing fourth. With 22 wins — the most for the program since 1995 — it was good enough to land the Cavaliers back in the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2007.
But Bennett didn’t enter the postseason, even the late season, with the team that he had painstakingly put together. Defensive linchpin Assane Sene broke his ankle in January and never made it back. Reserve swing-man Malcolm Brogdon broke his foot in February, and scoring ace Joe Harris played the last month with a broken hand.
The Cavs might have weathered those setbacks better but their depth had already been diminished when sometimes-starting-guard KT Harrell and reserve forward James Johnson left the program in December.
And so Virginia lost seven of its last 11, including a tough 67-64 setback to NC State in the ACC tournament, and then an embarrassing 71-45 thrashing at the hands of Florida in the NCAA tournament.
Still, Bennett’s bunch gutted out road wins against rivals Virginia Tech and Maryland and also suffered late-season three-point losses to North Carolina and Florida State, games that could have been different had the ‘Hoos been healthier.
"We had work to do and not as many resources as we had to start the season," Bennett said. "I told them that it was gratifying to achieve [top four finish] but also not to feel too good. We ran into a buzzsaw in Florida, and we learned a lot. You have those moments where you celebrate a little that you took a step, but you have to look at what you need to do to take that next step."
The steps get a lot steeper this year with leading scorer and rebounder Mike Scott (18.0 ppg, 8.3 rpg) and gutty guard Sammy Zeglinski (8.6 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 2.7 apg) graduated. The Cavaliers have one of their best incoming recruiting classes in recent memory, though, and there’s a young core of talent that bodes well for the future.
"We’re young this year, but I like the foundation that’s here," Bennett said. "We’re going to throw the young guys into the fire this season and see what happens."
Fortunately, the player leading the charge, 5-11 Jontel Evans (7.3 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 3.9 apg), is a senior. And he has some experience, playing in every game (94) since he joined the program. He’s started 70 games, including all 32 last season when he was chosen to the ACC’s All-Defensive Team and posted career highs in assists and steals (1.6).
"Jontel helps us so much just by being so steady," Bennett said. "He’s improving offensively, but he does so much for us being aggressive, getting the ball to the basket and on defense, defending on the ball."
Joe Harris (11.3 ppg, 3.9 rpg) is the team’s leading returning scorer and second only to Evans in minutes played (30.8 to 30.3). And the 6-6 junior wing got his last month of minutes playing with that broken left hand.
"Joe has some physical attributes that work very well for him, but the thing now is just being around so long, there’s a confidence that comes with that," Bennett said. "I like his maturity and the way he has taken a step each year. He’ll be a key guy for us because he has shown the ability to shoot and score."
Harris shot 44 percent from the field, including 38 percent behind the arc. He led the Cavs in scoring six times. Without Scott in the low post, he’ll be the top threat.
Malcolm Brogdon (6.7 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 1.4 apg) is another key if he’s back on solid footing. The 6-5, 215-pound sophomore underwent foot surgery and his recovery has been a slow process. Bennett hopes to have him back by the start of practices, and the coach sees a big role for the big guard.
"Malcolm is an important guy for us; he can play the one, the two or three, and he really understands the game," Bennett said.
Bennett likes the idea of a "power point guard," a really big, strong player there at times, and Brogdon looks like a glue guy, probably starting or one of the first Cavs off the bench.
Brogdon’s injury and Harrell’s departure forced Paul Jesperson (1.5 ppg, 0.8 rpg) into the fray as a freshman. Bennett hoped to redshirt the 6-6 guard last year, but now he has a little experience (10.5 minutes in 21 games).
"Paul and Darion Atkins had to play more at the end of the year when we were really clawing to get into the tournament," Bennett said. "They didn’t get mop-up minutes, and that’s going to help them."
Blue Ribbon Previews 
Take an Inside look at the ACC with Blue Ribbon’s 2012-13 team reports: 
Boston College
Clemson
Duke
Florida State
Georgia Tech
Maryland
Miami
North Carolina
NC State
Virginia
Virginia Tech
Wake Forest
The Cavaliers also have what Bennett calls "the X factor" at small forward — 6-6 freshman Justin Anderson (17.8 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 3.4 apg, 2.1 bpg) from Montrose (Va.) Christian Academy. Anderson committed early to Maryland, but when Gary Williams retired he signed with Virginia, where he brings some much-needed explosive athleticism to the wings.
"He’s different from some of our other incoming freshman because he’s physically ready," Bennett said. "He’s a little raw, but he has skills and he can compete physically. He’ll make plays around the rim, in the open court, on the glass."
Bennett is also a bit concerned that he doesn’t have a true point guard behind Evans, something that becomes a bigger issue if Brogdon isn’t healthy. Freshman Taylor Barnette (20.5 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 3.5 apg) is more of a combo guard out of Lexington (Ky.) Christian. The Virginia coaches love the 6-3 Barnette’s feel for the game, and he hit a school-record 226 3-point field goals in high school with an unorthodox jumper.
Another possibility is 6-0 Teven Jones (22.0 ppg, 7.0 apg in 2010-11 in high school). Jones played at Fishburne (Va.) Military Academy last fall but transferred to Virginia for the spring, and he practiced with the team the remainder of the season. He has familiarity with the system, but there’s a huge drop-off right now when Evans comes out of the game, as the team discovered on a European tour this summer.
"We’re looking for someone to be able to come in and give us a lift there," Bennett said.
Up front, the Cavaliers have one really experienced returnee in junior Akil Mitchell (4.1 ppg, 4.4 rpg), who started the last 15 games after Sene was lost. At 6-8 and 234 pounds, Mitchell was sometimes overmatched, but he never backed down. He came to Virginia with enough of a perimeter game to be considered at small forward and now Bennett hopes the incoming big men will allow Mitchell to land at Scott’s old power forward slot.
On the European tour, Mitchell was second only to Harris, scoring 13.4 points, and he yanked down a team-leading 10.0 rebounds. "He’s not a big scorer, but he impacts the game in a lot of ways on the defensive end, on the glass," Bennett said.
The only other returning big man is 6-8 sophomore Darion Atkins (2.2 ppg, 2.3 rpg), who averaged 10.2 minutes in 27 games. He’s a quick, long-armed forward, and he looked improved on the tour, too, particularly on the offensive glass. That kind of play could be vital because the baskets inside will be harder to come by without Scott.
The Cavs are counting on 6-11 freshman Mike Tobey (21.0 ppg, 9.0 rpg) out of the Blair Academy in N.J., to help immediately at center. He has skills, good hands and good feet, and as he adds strength on that 227-pound frame, he could be another important building block. Of course the 17-year-old Tobey is also so young that he was the only player in the European traveling party that didn’t have to pay to go in the Louvre in Paris.
Another freshman, 6-8 Evan Nolte (17.0 ppg, 7.0 rpg) figures in the rotation, too, though he’s a completely different animal — a big forward who shot 42 percent from 3-point range last year at Georgia state champion Milton High.
South Carolina transfer Anthony Gill (7.6 ppg, 4.7 rpg) is a 6-8 forward that will sit out this season but be able to help the Cavs in practice. He’ll really help them on the floor next season.
BLUE RIBBON ANALYSIS
BACKCOURT: B
BENCH/DEPTH: C+
FRONTCOURT: C
INTANGIBLES: B
It hardly seems fair that Virginia didn’t get its whole team to postseason play last year. The Cavaliers may struggle with so much youth this year, but these guys will be veterans next season when Gill becomes eligible, too.
As for now, there’s just one senior and two juniors, so the 2012-13 season will be about building to a point where Virginia can be as good as it was early last year when it won 14 of the first 15 games.
The Cavs will miss Sene defensively, and Scott’s offense is impossible to replace other than by committee. Evans should again lead a defensive charge, though, and the key number in Charlottesville is still 70. Bennett teams are 39-9 when holding opponents below 70 points.
The faster some of the youngsters come along, the quicker Virginia can be a contender. Mitchell providing some offense around the basket would be a plus. A healthy Brogdon can lighten the load on Harris and Evans, and that’s important over a long season.
Bennett may try some wild things — big smalls and small bigs — four guard lineups with Harris at power forward. Brogdon at point some. Virginia might not be as good as last season, but it should be entertaining.
And next year, watch out.
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