Hoo is the offensive answer to pulling Virginia out of a losing slump?

By Jerry Ratcliffe

While teasing this column on Twitter, I wrote that this piece would be about the player I thought could turn things back in the right direction for Virginia as the Cavaliers head into the final week of the regular season.

The Wahoos are in a three-game nosedive, but Tony Bennett isn’t ready to push the panic button. He’s working on solutions to what the rest of the ACC has thrown at UVA the past few weeks. Opponents are smothering Sam Hauser, Jay Huff and Trey Murphy III.

Sometimes those three, or at least various members of that Wahoo trio, manage to beat the suffocating defense. Sometimes they haven’t, and that has been a recurring nightmare for Virginia.

Opponents are essentially locking in on limiting those three players and daring the rest of the Cavaliers roster to beat them. Can’t blame ‘em. It’s a good strategy.

So, what player is going to lead UVA out of this mess? Twitter followers took a lot of guesses, but only a couple hit on the guy I think is going to be the key to forcing opponents to play a more traditional style … if he can do what he does best.

Some guessed Hauser or Huff. Those two are either going to get theirs like they did against NC State the other night, or they’re not. As shown against the Wolfpack, they can combine for 40 and it’s still not enough, although without those two scoring, UVA has little chance.

Some chose point guard Kihei Clark. Certainly it’s going to be important for Clark to attack the basket and if the shot opportunity is not there, to dish it to a big man inside or to kick it back out to the perimeter.

Others chose Murphy, which is a really good choice. Again, if he’s being locked down by the opposing defense like he was at Duke, where he only attempted a few shots, how’s he going to loosen the defense?

Reece Beekman? Some believe he has hit the proverbial freshman wall. I would like to see him attacking the basket more because I think he has more offensive prowess than he has showed. Still, we’re not sure what direction he’s going to take the remainder of the season. Aggressive or passive.

If the “Big Three” are being stuffed, who is out there that can burn a defense and make it play honest?

I think it is Tomas Woldetensae.

In fact, I think if Woldetensae hadn’t been sidelined with Covid contact tracing, that Virginia would have beaten both Duke and NC State and we wouldn’t even be having this conversation about snapping out of a losing streak.

All UVA needed against Duke was one or two 3-pointers by Woldetensae. Probably the same goes for NC State because if he had been drilling a few 3’s from Bonusphere, the Wolfpack would have had to either sluff off of Murphy or Hauser, or pay the price of risking Woldetensae lighting them up.

“We can’t wait to have Tom back,” Hauser said after the loss to State, when he had made five of UVA’s seven 3-pointers in the game. “Unfortunately Tomas had contact tracing. Other guys have to step up.”

Problem was, nobody did.

I just don’t think State could have pulled off the win if Woldetensae had been there to drop a couple of bombs from long range. Duke? No question about that one.

“Tomas will be a welcome addition, and his scoring on the perimeter would help,” Tony Bennett added after the State loss. “Tomas knows how to play.

“The more you watch, teams are saying ‘OK, here’s what we’re going to do. We’re going to switch, we’re going to lock onto guys, guys are going to have to make plays. Some of it is they’re guarding us hard with athleticism. We’ve got to keep trying to figure out ways, going inside a little more and try to attack.”

That’s where Woldetensae comes in.

He’s got some fight in him and right now, this team needs all the fight it can muster.

“If I can talk for the players, just be ready to fight every game,” Woldetensae said after the Florida State loss wen he scored 12 points in 13 minutes, hitting 3 of 4 attempts from behind the arc. “People have to want it. Go through our plays better and to attack them, not just be attacked.”

We’re talking about a guy who is shooting 50 percent from the 3-point line. 50 percent.

Who does that?

Woldetensae showed us his ability to contribute against quality competition at FSU. 12 points in 13 minutes, 75 percent from the line. Against Pitt, he was 4 of 5 from the arc and scored 14 points in 20 minutes.

Teams are probably stretching it trying to lock down three Virginia shooters. Can they possibly guard four? I don’t think so.

Woldetensae was brought in as a hired gun from Indian Hills Community College in Iowa, where he tore up the junior college ranks from Bonusphere.

Had he played against Duke and NC State, I’m convinced he would have gotten wide open shots because of all the attention given to Murphy, Hauser and Huff.

All Virginia would have needed would have been a couple of Woldetensae 3’s. The Devils and the Wolfpack would have had to choose: come off Murphy to guard Woldetensae? That would have been a disaster for either defense.

Perhaps I’m wrong. Perhaps someone else will be the key to turning this thing around, but come Monday night when UVA plays its last game of the season at JPJ, and Woldetensae should be back from the contact tracing stuff (unless he tests positive), I think it would be a smart thing if he’s given a chance to sink a few shots against Miami and see what happens.