I can hear the squeek of the shoes now!

Well folks, fall is a week old.  And while most in the sports world associate this time of year with football, to me it means practice is right around the corner on the hardwood.  Team workouts have already begun and we are two weeks away from a full practice schedule.  That means this blog will come back to life.  I had grand intentions of covering a host of offseason topics, but a busy summer at work and in my personal life forced me to regretfully abandon my little blog.  That will not be the case as we move towards the season and I plan to provide plenty of insight along the ride.  Stay tuned!

Our schedule (or lack there of):

You can pencil me in with the folks that are concerned about our schedule and how the selection committee will perceive it.  Missing are the real marquee out of conference games that you need to find a way to schedule these days.  The Paradise Jam will be a good opening season barometer.  Drexel has the capability to test the Hoos, and obviously a potential championship game against Marquette will be a great matchup.  But the only notable non-conference road games are trips to Oregon and LSU, and I’m afraid they just don’t have the luster the committee will be looking for.  Oregon has a chance to be a much-improved team, and I for one will be rooting for them to give that game a little more credibility.  LSU and TCU are teams in serious rebuilding mode, and for that matter do not consider that Winthrop is of the same caliber as in the Gregg Marshall days or that Towson offers any real challenge coming from the CAA.  All four teams are trying to climb out of conference cellars.  By my estimation, Michigan and Marquette are the only non-conference games that really offer any big game notoriety, and we aren’t even guaranteed the Marquette contest.   You can hope the Oregon game falls in that conversation but that remains to be seen.   I applaud the athletic department for finally getting a George Mason game done, but it will be one we are expected to win at home.   The rest of the slate contains a host of perennial RPI drains. 

This out of conference schedule looks very similar to the type that has kept our friends in Blacksburg out of the NCAA tournament despite 20+ wins and top 4 finishes in conference.   The ACC is not garnering the automatic respect that it used to.  I would have been much happier with this type of schedule the last two seasons, as we were doing a little more building.   But now that I feel we have an actual legitimate tourney caliber team, it just seems we have little to really separate ourselves unless we blow through the league.

A quick note on our ACC schedule, I like that it’s balanced, there doesn’t seem to be any crazy scary stretches of games.   Late February will be a test for sure, but overall we could have been dealt a tougher hand.  Of course we get UNC twice for the first time in three years, right when their roster looks like a future NBA lottery draft, but hey, what are ya gonna do.  I still contend we are a nightmare matchup for Ole Roy no matter who they trot out there.

Teven Jones commitment:

I got the news about the commitment about two minutes before I was getting on a plane.  Obviously didn’t know a single thing about the kid, had never heard the name, only saw ‘unheralded’ and that we were the first D1 school to offer.  I immediately wondered what the message boards were looking like.  Did the trolls pop up to claim this was a desperation move, that he’s obviously not an ACC talent and Bennett and company had to go to plan F because we failed miserably on all other PG targets.  I was happy to see that type of reaction was minimal.  First of all folks, the Virginia staff was not nearly as desperate or scared about the PG situation as some of you fans were.  Was it a priority? Of course.  But Tony isn’t going to waste a scholarship on a kid that he doesn’t truly believe in just to fill a jersey or have another body at the position.  Consider that Bennett’s successful WSU teams were never piloted by true point guards, and his system doesn’t really differentiate between the guards once you are in the set.  If you have a combo guy with some athleticism that can handle the ball well and get it up the floor, it’s really all you need.  Tony could’ve kept searching for that type of player (Teven isn’t necessarily outside of that model) or continue looking in other directions.  It was not panic time yet.

I was eager to get to my hotel to hit the internet for footage.  Obviously, you have to like the size and athleticism.  There are reports that the kid ran a 40 in the 4.3’s, and is catching alley oops and what not.  In the limited video I saw though, I didn’t see him really showcase that kind of athleticism.  It didn’t appear to me that I was watching someone who had an immediate advantage over the kids around him athletically.  If he has that kind of speed and leaping ability, I would challenge him to use it.  It’s tough for me to really offer any real opinion on Teven past that, highlight videos do little for an accurate evaluation.  I do like that he will go through a prep year knowing his destination.  Not only will he mature mentally and physically, the staff can pinpoint specific things for him to work on before enrolling.  Until I can see him firsthand, I will trust the evaluation process from Bennett and staff.  Not a doubt in my mind that he was closing in on other significant D1 offers outside of the NC State one that came right after us.  He seems like a kid with good character that fits the student athlete that Bennett wants in the program.

James Robinson to Pitt:

This came as quite a shock to me.  I had a source that was very confident in our position, and once collaborated by the “insiders” at more than one of the fan sites, I admit I was expecting the Pitt visit to never materialize.  A week or so before I truly felt we were on the verge of a commitment.  But such is life in recruiting.  I think James is actually a great fit for the style of basketball Jamie Dixon teaches, and who can blame the kid for choosing a team that seems to always be in the national championship conversation.  He has an outstanding chance to excel there.  Of course, you have to wonder if the delay in offering and hesitation to really put a full court press on James ended up hurting us in the end.  A lot of folks in the area seemed to be a little baffled as to what exactly was holding Bennett back there for a while, especially considering our PG situation.  We will never really know the thought process of the staff, but one thing is certain, delay or not we still ended up the team to beat in his recruitment, and in the end I think that’s all that happened.  We got beat.  Kudos to Pittsburgh.  Who knew he would end his career as a conference foe.

Grant staying with OSU, forget the below post. Boo.

My source spoke directly with Curtis on Saturday and he confirmed that he will be staying with OSU despite any NCAA sanctions.

Apparently on Monday and Tuesday of last week Grant's camp did aggressively pursue their options, including learning of any restrictions they would put on a release from his LOI.  He reviewed the situation with mentors and family and by the weekend had decided that his heart was still with Ohio State and Coach Fickell.

My source says he was "genuinely surprised" considering the tone of things early in the week, and was confident that he very well could have switched to Virginia "had things come to light sooner and Curtis not had a foot out the door".

I apologize for getting anyone's hopes up, I hope this doesn't put me on the bad source list.  Trust me, if you knew who the source was, you would take any information as good information as I did, and ultimately what he did confirm for me was essentially true.  Better reporting on my part would have been to leave out the opinion part... but oh well.  Hard to do when someone that close to it says "I think he'll end up at Virginia".  I had a really hard time believing it anyways after knowing how much he loved OSU originally and reading those quotes after the Tresell removal, but the info just seemed to trustworthy not to report.  Oh well.

Legitimate Curtis Grant update..

I do actually have a source close to Curtis Grant and I do not think it hurts anything to pass along the following information.

Curtis is indeed exploring his options at this point.  While the door is not completely closed on Ohio State, Curtis does not really have a desire to play for a heavily sanctioned program that could lose bowl game appearances or have other constant issues with the NCAA.  Because of this, Curtis is taking time with his family and his coaches to make sure his options are open.  As of today, they are still in the information gathering process, trying to determine the exact details of what he is allowed to do via the NCAA and also what requirements Ohio St. would try to make upon releasing him from his LOI, or if they are even willing to do so.

Virginia would absolutely be a serious player in Grant's recruitment were it opened back up.  It would be similar to the Justin Anderson situation in the fact that UVA ended the race a close second to Ohio St, and of all the coaches that were after Grant, London has the best relationship with him, and they have a mutual respect for each other.  So naturally, Grant would reach out to London and company if he becomes available.  I will pass along this nugget that you can take for what it is worth.. my source that is close to the situation believes at this point that Curtis will most likely end up playing football at the University of Virginia.

I am not ready to go that far because the situation is fluid.  Make no mistake about it, Curtis Grant loved Ohio State.  I do not rule out the possibility that officials there are able to sway him into staying.  But here is what I will confirm.  It is far from a lock that he will remain committed to Ohio State, and from my sources point of view, it is actually unlikely.  Furthermore, if and when he is granted a release from his LOI, Virginia is the clear cut favorite to land his services.  The source goes as far as to say he believes that is where Grant is will ultimately put on a jersey.

I am not asking you to take this as gospel, but this is a very credible source.  With any recruiting situation, things can change in a heart beat.  I was able to confirm the Grant to Ohio State commitment long before the press conference, so hopefully that gives me a little bit of credibility.  Grant is smart kid with a good head on his shoulders, so he and his family will be thorough in this process as they were in the last.

Make sure to follow me on twitter @wahoobasketball and I will keep you updated.

Excited fan base? Good for at least a few wins.

For years and years, the one topic that has gotten me in the most hot water on the message boards is my criticism of the fan base.  I don't typically start the threads, but I certainly throw my two cents in,  and it tends to get people fired up.  

Bottom line, I don't think enough people go to the games.  I don't like the overall lethargy of a lot of the people that do show.  I make no bones about it.  Is it that I am unrealistic in my expectations?  Probably.  I can't help that.  What really irks me to the core is that showing up to the games and cheering loudly and energizing your team is the one thing you can do as a fan to have an influence on winning and losing.  Yet if the Cavaliers suffer a tough loss, the same guys who sat on their thumbs will be the first to start running their mouths about how bad we suck.  It drives me absolutely bonkers.  I really don't think the average fan really understands how much of an impact the crowd has.  Basketball is a game of runs triggered by confidence and emotion.  The energy in that crowd severely impacts players in both capacities and fuels the runs.  

Let me ask you this.  Do you think Virginia would have gone 14-1 at home in 2006-07 if we were still in Uhall?  What was it that really got a team that was picked to finish 8th in the ACC over the hump that season?  As special as that Reynolds/Singletary back court was, I honestly feel the difference was that building.  We opened our new palace by riding an absolutely raucous sold out crowd to an 18 point second half comeback win against the number 10 ranked team in the nation.  That win set the tone for the season, took the players confidence to the next level, and fans continued to file in the doors wanting a taste of victory.  There is no doubt in my mind that the energy in that building was worth 2 to 3 wins that season.  Would 9-7 or 8-8 in the league even have gotten us in the NCAA tournament?  Crazy to think about considering we were a 4 seed, but we earned that seed by sharing the regular season ACC title.  Take away a couple wins, our resume starts to look awfully sketchy.  

Fast forward to today.  Even before the Justin Anderson commitment, the buzz around Cavalier hoops is growing.  The basketball message boards have been amazingly active considering the time of year.  National writers are taking notice and predicting a rise in the standings.  Fans believe we are starting to turn the corner and optimism is high.  What intrigues me the most out of all of it is the fact that this should lead to more asses in the seats.  The team may actually get the support it deserves, and the crowds at JPJ could once again will the team to a couple wins that otherwise may have slipped away.  It's just another piece of the puzzle I see coming together this season.  The most complete roster in a decade, a smart well coached team, an enthused fan base.  It's really hard to not be optimistic right now.


** A couple disclaimers on this post.  First, I completely understand that fans on the message boards or most that would read this blog are not the folks that are the problem attending or being enthusiastic at games.  Also, I absolutely realize that it is a lot easier for me to attend games living in Richmond than it is for a lot of you.  I am not claiming to be a better fan than you, I am simply adamant that the team deserves more support, even when we aren't competing for ACC titles.


Second, I wrote this before the Anderson commitment.  Obviously, an elite talent like Justin brings an entirely new perspective to the table.  He has the kind of athleticism, flair, and swagger that people will buy tickets to see, and it only helps fuel my anticipation for a rocking John Paul Jones Arena for the future of Virginia basketball.**