Bennett hints of multiple starting lineups; has liked his team in scrimmages

By Jerry Ratcliffe

For the most part over the years, Tony Bennett has normally gone with a set starting lineup, but that may not be the case this season.

Bennett, entering his 15th year at the helm of the Cavaliers, said during his first meeting with state media on Monday afternoon that he is considering mixing things up a bit.

During a question about redshirt freshman Leon Bond, the veteran UVA coach said he told Bond there could be various starting lineups this season due to legitimate playing depth.

“I think we’ve got a handful of guys … we could have a revolving-door starting lineup in terms of who starts based on matchups or who’s playing well,” Bennett said. “I think there’s some depth. Whether you can play 10 guys remains to be seen, or nine, but I think there’s legitimate depth.”

As usual, how the players practice will be a determining factor, and good defensive execution is a requirement.

Bennett has, for the most part, liked what he has seen from his rebuilt team in the preseason scrimmages against defending national champion UConn and Maryland (the Cavaliers open the regular season next Monday, Nov. 6, at 7 p.m. vs. visiting Tarleton State).

The coach said he thought his team struggled early in both scrimmages but played much better as the games moved along, particularly in the second half.

“I was encouraged that as the scrimmages wore on — and those games were against quality opponents — I’ve always been a big believer to go against legitimate athleticism and size,” Bennett said. “What I liked is a lot of guys got opportunities, you saw them play really hard throughout, and fixed some things.”

Some of his concerns during those scrimmages were mostly related to the fact of being a newer team with 10 different players than were on the squad at the end of last season.

“I thought it was a little bit of a cold water in the face … the pace at which teams got down the floor, the physicality on offensive rebounding, some of those key areas that we always talk about and every team has to be good at,” Bennett said. “We just had some inexperience, but overall, we had a chance to play different guys and look at different combinations.”

For those who have watched Virginia basketball over the years, they know Bennett will continue those experiments throughout nonconference play to prepare for the ACC wars ahead.

“Some of the guys showed good stuff (transfer point guard Dante Harris did not play in the second scrimmage against Maryland due to an aggravated shoulder, after standing out in the UConn scrimmage),” Bennett said.

After next Monday’s season opener, the Cavaliers travel to Charlotte on Friday night for nonconference battle against Florida as part of the Hall of Fame series.