I’m hoping to catch basketball coach Tony Bennett later this summer when he’s speaking to alums down here in my end of the state.

I’d be pretty surprised if Bennett actually signed someone else. There are six kids coming in as first-years this fall, and I can’t imagine they’ll want 7 kids in the same class. To add another, it would have to be a player that the staff just couldn’t pass up, and there aren’t many of those guys still available.

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.

What would you tell high school basketball players if they asked you if UVa was a good place to play basketball?

i would tell them its a great school nd great experience

and this…

besides your teammates, what will you miss most about UVA?

hmmm… gus burgers lol

One more:

Should i be mad at Coach Bennett for you leaving?

no not at all coach is a great guy

Sylven made a dumb mistake by skipping that class, and Coach Bennett had little choice in his response…but we need to remember that Landesberg is still a kid. He planned on going pro after the season anyway, and I hope he has a ton of success. I hope Hoos will give him the benefit of the doubt.

There have been times since the New Gillenium began that I would’ve given my kingdom for a few players who didn’t take bad shots and make bad decisions. I’m so tired of that, but I’m very optimistic that Bennett is going to change that.

At any rate, what brought on this rambling post was this Daily Progress profile of Billy Baron. Check it out.

–Assane Sene needs to eat!

–Jeff Jones has announced his transfer destination: Rider. I wish Jones all the luck in the world.

–Sammy Zeglinski is recovering from hip surgery.

With only five scholarship players returning, Tony Bennett’s 2010-11 squad is going to be interesting to watch. It may not always be fun, but the development of the group will be interesting to UVa partisans. In Tony We Trust.

Mission accomplished. Virginia went down to Chapel Hill and demolished a UNC squad that, frankly, looked like they didn’t care for much of the game. I love the intro to the AP story:

Sylven Landesberg scored 29 points and Virginia ran off 18 unanswered points early in the second half to beat struggling North Carolina 75-60 on Sunday night.

Sammy Zeglinski added 19 points for the Cavaliers (13-6, 4-2 Atlantic Coast Conference), who regrouped from consecutive losses to earn another impressive victory under first-year coach Tony Bennett. Virginia had lost 63 of 68 meetings in Chapel Hill, but blew the game open by holding the Tar Heels without a field goal for nearly 8 minutes in front of a stunned Smith Center crowd.

Wow. I’m still stunned, myself.

Landesberg was incredible tonight, one of the best performances I’ve seen from the young guy. The defense, however, was simply spectacular. The Hoos held UNC to 36% from the field, and they got a stop every time they needed one. Jerome Meyinsse blocked 3 shots, and all were important. You can’t help but be happy for Jerome. He’s having a great senior season.

Up next: NC State comes to Charlottesville. With a win, Virginia would improve to 5-2 in the ACC, and that’s almost unimaginable. Heck, if they hadn’t given away the Tech game, they’d be 5-1 now and in control of the conference.

Oh well, I’m not going to complain. It’s a night to celebrate. Way to go, Hoos.

I agree with his general observation that sample sizes are too small to draw any grand conclusions. The problem Tony Bennett’s squad is facing is that they really don’t have very many legitimate ACC weapons in the offensive fold. Sylven Landesberg is a stud, and Mike Scott is a good low-post threat, and several others complement those two…but it’s tough to win in this conference without more serious threats.

That said, the team is efficient, they handle the ball well and take good shots. That goes a long way. Just ask Bob Knight, whose teams relied on just those offensive principles for years.

Can’t wait for the Hokies tomorrow!

Following Virginia’s 69-57 loss at Wake Forest on Saturday, the normally talkative Tony Bennett suddenly turned laconic when asked to elaborate on guard Calvin Baker’s status. Baker, a senior co-captain, didn’t make the trip to Winston-Salem.

“Coach’s decision” was all Bennett would say.

On Sunday, sources confirmed to the Daily Progress that Baker’s situation is related to his displeasure with his reduced role on the team. The sources said Baker’s future status is in flux.

I can understand Baker’s frustration, but I’m not going to question the way Bennett has handled this team or the rotation. Bennett is doing an exceptional job, from my vantage point.

It’ll be interesting to see how this one plays out.