OMAHA, Neb. -- With 92 seconds left and the outcome long since decided Friday, Tony Bennett sent Doug Browman and Akil Mitchell into the game, and fifth-year seniors Sammy Zeglinski and Mike Scott walked off the court for the final time as UVa men's basketball players.
Each slowly made his way down the bench, exchanging hugs and handshakes with teammates and coaches.
This was not the exit either had hoped for. But in the program's first NCAA tournament appearance in five years, the Cavaliers unraveled in the second half against the taller, deeper, more athletic and more talented Florida Gators.
The Wahoos' progress has been pronounced under Bennett. They were coming off a 10-18 season when he replaced Dave Leitao the spring of 2009. Virginia finished 15-16 in 2009-10 and 16-15 last season.
In year No. 3 of the Bennett era, the 'Hoos posted their most victories since 1994-95, when they won 25 games. Picked fourth in the Atlantic Coast Conference, UVa made the prognosticators look good, finishing tied for fourth with NC State and Miami. But the year was anything but routine for the Cavaliers.
They opened practice in October with 11 scholarship players, one of whom, freshman swingman Paul Jesperson, entered the season planning to redshirt. But after two players decided to transfer in December, Virginia no longer had the luxury of redshirting Jesperson. He made his college debut two days after Christmas. Bennett did not have nine scholarship players for long. On Jan. 19, starting center Assane Sene fractured a bone in his right ankle, and the 7-0 senior never returned to action this season.
On Feb. 11, Harris, the team's second-leading scorer, broke a bone in his non-shooting hand in a game at North Carolina. Harris played the rest of the season with his left hand heavily wrapped, a display of toughness that won the admiration of his teammates and coaches, but his effectiveness, not surprisingly, dipped.
Finally, sixth man Malcolm Brogdon, a 6-5 freshman, had major foot surgery late last month. With Brogdon out, Bennett had seven healthy scholarship players for the final two regular-season games, the ACC tournament and the NCAAs.
"A lot did happen," Bennett said Friday when asked about the tumultuous season, "and I haven't been part of something quite like this, just with the numbers. The way this ended was hard ... I really appreciate what Sammy and Mike contributed to the program and what they stood for. There's no greater thing for a coach than to see the young men, the light come on for them and get it and mature off the court, and then have them reach a goal of theirs, as far as getting to the [NCAA] tournament. Now, certainly we wanted to play better and do well, but it was a privilege to be part of that for them."
Sophomore Joe Harris added, "for the guys that are returning, we'll build on this. This loss will be motivation for us in the offseason. I think these guys [seniors] set up the foundation for what we want the Virginia program to be."
-Excerpts from article by Jeff White, VirginiaSports.com (Link to full article)
