Hoos in the Pros
Hoos in the NBA
Apr 27th
While watching the Dallas-San Antonio NBA playoff series, I keep having the same thought, and it came back to me while writing the post below about Sylven Landesberg.
We need more former Virginia players in the NBA.
Roger Mason, Jr., is really the only former Hoo in the NBA right now, though Mason’s Spurs are playing against a team coached by Rick Carlisle. Marc Iavaroni is still kicking around as an assistant coach. I am convinced that Sean Singletary will have a good NBA career…eventually.
Anyone else I’m missing? That’s a pretty thin roster of Hoos who are kicking around the league, only one of whom is a current player. If Singletary and Landesberg make NBA rosters next year, that’ll be three, and that’s a start. After seeing how much Tony Bennett’s NBA career seems to have helped him in recruiting, I can’t help but think having former Virginia basketball players playing in the world’s best basketball league would help in the recruiting process, as well.
Unfortunately, no one on the current roster appears to be a likely bet to make a future NBA roster. I have high hopes for the incoming recruits, but it’s too soon to tell.
At least our list of NBA players is more accomplished than this one.
Hoo will get picked in the NFL Draft?
Apr 23rd
As UVa fans, we’ve grown accustomed to seeing our guys picked early in the NFL Draft, despite less-than-stellar results for the team. Not seeing a Hoo picked in the first round last night was a bit of a shock to the system. Check out recent first and second round selections from Virginia:
| Year | Name | Round | Overall |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Eugene Monroe | 1 | 8 |
| Clint Sintim | 2 | 45 | |
| 2008 | Chris Long | 1 | 2 |
| 2008 | Branden Albert | 1 | 15 |
| 2006 | D'Brickashaw Ferguson | 1 | 4 |
| 2005 | Heath Miller | 1 | 30 |
The Draft continues tonight, and cornerback Chris Cook appears to be a good bet to be selected in the second round. Rashawn Jackson and Nate Collins are likely mid-to-late round picks, as well. Others, including Vic Hall and Jameel Sewell, are unlikely to be drafted but stand a decent chance of catching on as a free agent with a team. (On that note, the Redskins recently signed former UVa quarterback Marques Hagans, and we’re hoping Biscuit will be able to stick this time.)
It’ll be interesting to see where Cook, in particular, is selected. I was kinda hoping he’d sneak into the first round last night, but you have to believe he’ll be picked fairly early tonight. My fingers are crossed.
Rashawn Jackson’s Draft Prospects
Apr 19th
The WaPo has a pretty good look at Rashawn Jackson’s chances of building a pro career, with some quotes from Jackson. He’s the top fullback prospect in the upcoming NFL Draft, but that’s not exactly a deep pool.
Hoos in the NFL Playoffs
Jan 9th
Really, the only thing UVa football fans have had to be proud of recently is the number of Hoos performing well in the NFL (and continuing to be drafted year after year). Today’s first round of the NFL playoffs has been another good one for some UVa guys.
First, Thomas Jones and D’Brickashaw Ferguson are on their way to the next round, as their New York Jets defeated the Cincinnati Bengals. It wasn’t Jones’ best game, but he’s had a brilliant season, and it’ll be fun to watch both these guys as their season has been extended.
The Cowboys are playing the Eagles tonight, and a couple of undrafted rookie Hoos are contributing to the Dallas effort. Tight end John Phillips scored the first touchdown of the game on a reception from Tony Romo, and Kevin Ogletree absolutely rocked Macho Harris on the ensuing kickoff. (Yes, Harris is from Virginia Tech; makes it even sweeter, no?)
At halftime, it’s looking like Phillips and Ogletree may be moving on to the second round, too. Too bad my favorite team (Pittsburgh) and their two Hoos (James Farrior and Heath Miller) missed out on the playoffs a year after winning the Super Bowl.
The most frustrating aspect of the Al Groh era
Nov 23rd
But there is another measurement that, if not impressive to the general fan, resonates with those in a Virginia uniform. Sixty-five Cavaliers have gone onto the NFL after playing for Groh, including 22 selected in the NFL draft during the past five seasons. Groh produces NFL talent at a rate uncanny for a coach who has not had a 10-win season, much less a coach who might be unemployed in two weeks.
While watching this week’s Steelers game, they cut in to show a highlight of Jason Snelling scoring a touchdown for the Atlanta Falcons (he had two on the day). Then they came back to the game, and Heath Miller caught a pass for a long gain.
My Hokie friends are constantly asking how Virginia can be so terrible at football when they have players drafted — and drafted highly — into the NFL every single year. There can really only be one answer to that question, unfortunately.
There is, and has been, talent in the program. It’s gotta be the coaching (or lack thereof).
Ryan Zimmerman wins NL Gold Glove
Nov 12th
I’m a devoted (insane?) Cincinnati Reds fan, and I have been since birth. Two of my favorite baseball players, however, play together for the Washington Nationals. One of those players is former Red, Adam Dunn.
The other, as you may have surmised, is Virginia baseball legend Ryan Zimmerman. Zimmerman just won his first National League Gold Glove award. Alas, no Reds were selected, although I think Dunn was nominated for the slightly less prestigious Iron Glove Award.
Anyway, always good to see Wahoos succeeding at the next level, in any sport.
Sean Singletary headed to Spain
Nov 10th
It appears that the greatest point guard in UVa history is headed to Spain. Sean Singletary has signed a contract with a pro team, and will be spending the next year playing in the ACB and Euroleague leagues, according to Streaking The Lawn.
I’m a fan of the Philadelphia 76ers, and I was deeply disappointed when they cut Sean loose last month. I really believe Singletary is going to find a home in the NBA, but it’s starting to look like he’s going to have to take the Roger Mason route to success (i.e., the winding road).
Singletary is my favorite Hoo since Jason Williford, so I’m definitely rooting for him to make it.
Let’s talk hoops
Nov 9th
In the interest of trying to forget about football entirely, let’s talk hoops for a minute. I have a big stack of Virginia basketball links that I’ve been meaning to post (and I want to stay positive, so no discussion of the Assane Sene suspension), but I went out of town this weekend and am just now getting around to it.
Before the link roundup, however, a note about my expectations for the 2009-2010 men’s basketball squad. The Good Ol Blog is running a poll, asking for predictions on the number of ACC wins Tony Bennett’s squad will reach this year. I voted for 7, which seems to be a popular selection.
Seven wins would be a great result in Coach Bennett’s first season. The team is predicted to finish next to last, which I think is absurdly pessimistic. We don’t have top-four talent on this roster, but there’s enough there for Bennett to fashion a competitive squad. I think the Hoos are going to finish in the bottom half of the conference, but they will have at least one big ACC upset, and they will be blown out of very few games.
More than that, I think they will be fun to watch (something we can’t say about the football team, unfortunately). They are going to scrap and claw and fight to the end of every game. It’s their coach’s disposition (ask his Washington State players), and I really believe his players are going to buy into it.
I’m very high on Tony Bennett, if you haven’t noticed. (Take that with a grain of salt, however; I was high on Pete Gillen and Al Groh, too).
Anyway, on to the links:
–The poll above was prompted by Dear Old UVa’s interview with John Gasaway, of the ever-popular Basketball Prospectus (here is part one of the interview, and here is part two). Gasaway predicts that Virginia will go 8-8 in the ACC. That, my friends, would be a spectacular success, as far as I’m concerned.
–The Daily Press had a couple of outstanding articles on Coach Bennett this weekend, and they are both worth a read. This one focuses on the fact that rebuilding is in Coach’s blood, and this one is a collection of items about Bennett that didn’t make it into the main story. There is a ton of great stuff in there for UVa hoops junkies. Like me.
–Looking back at one of our favorite Hoos ever, JR Reynolds (some great video at that link). Although it’s looking increasingly unlikely, I’m still hopeful that JR will get a shot at the NBA sometime.
–Shifting over to women’s basketball for a moment, Monica Wright’s name is on the finalists list for the Senior CLASS award. That won’t be the last time we hear “Monica Wright” and “award” in the same sentence.
–Finally, it’s behind the subscription wall, but The Sabre has this interview with Jeff Jones, the key to UVa’s season, in my opinion.
D’Brickashaw Ferguson Way
Oct 25th
Good piece in the NY Times about one of our favorite former Hoos, D’Brickashaw Ferguson. Brick is not only progressing nicely in his pro career after a bit of a bumpy start, but he now has a street named after him in his hometown. Sweet.
