Kyle Guy answers skeptics in big debut with NBA’s Miami Heat
By Jerry Ratcliffe
With the G League shutdown because of Covid issues just before Christmas and Kyle Guy quarantined because he tested positive for the virus, the former Virginia star wasn’t sure when or where he would return to basketball.
Throughout his quarantine, several NBA teams reached out to Guy’s agent about signing him to a short-term deal, but he couldn’t due to the virus. Once Guy was cleared, he agreed to a 10-day contract with the Miami Heat on Tuesday.
Guy called it “divine timing.”
Skeptics wondered if Guy could even help the Heat, whose roster had been decimated due to injuries and Covid.
In his Miami debut Friday on the road in Houston, Guy answered all those questions. While he hadn’t played in an NBA game since last May, the former Wahoo delivered an eye-popping performance against the Rockets.
Guy tied his NBA career high with 17 points in helping the Heat grab a 120-110 road win. He connected on 4 of 6 shots from the 3-point line, was 6 of 8 overall from the field, grabbed four rebounds, four assists and four steals in 24 minutes.
Guy hit his first three triples en route to a big night.
“My confidence level never wavers,” Guy said. “I’m always ready when my number is called. One of the questions about me coming out of college was could I defend and play point guard. I think I did a good job of showing that tonight.”
KG is ringing in the New Year in style! 🔶⚔️🔷 #GoHoos #NBAHoos https://t.co/yEgotpI28l
— Virginia Men’s Basketball (@UVAMensHoops) January 1, 2022
The Most Outstanding Player of the 2019 NCAA Championship victory by Virginia, Guy showed up in Miami for the Heat’s game with San Antonio on Wednesday, but the game was canceled due to the Spurs’ virus issues. Guy said the Heat coaches urged him to shoot before the game to get loosened up.
Apparently, Miami coaches liked what they saw. He came out firing Friday against Houston on an extended road trip that will continue on Sunday at Sacramento against the Kings, Guy’s old NBA team.
It will come as no surprise to UVA fans that Guy showed up in Miami full of confidence. When asked after Friday night’s game if he was surprised by his successful debut, it wasn’t difficult to guess about his retort.
“Nothing surprises me,” Guy told Heat Nation. “I come in as a confident player. I put in the work. [Miami] believes in the guys they bring in and that says a lot.”
At the time the G-League shut down, Guy was putting up impressive numbers for the Cleveland Charge, the Cleveland Cavaliers’ affiliate.
In 11 games, Guy was averaging 21.8 points, 7.4 rebounds, 4.9 assists while playing 35 minutes per game. He was shooting 44.6 percent from the field and 36.3 from the 3-point arc.
“I’m really thankful [Miami] took a chance on me and to be part of a winning program,” Guy said.
Cavaliers travel to Syracuse for New Year’s Day tilt
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
Virginia (7-5, 1-1 ACC) travels to Syracuse (7-5, 1-0) for an ACC contest on Saturday, Jan. 1. Tipoff at Carrier Dome is set for 6 p.m. on ACC Network.
For Openers
- Virginia (7-5, 1-1 ACC) begins a three-game road swing at Syracuse.
- UVA has a two-game winning streak against the Orange.
- UVA held Syracuse to 34 points in its last visit to Carrier Dome on Nov. 6, 2019, marking an all-time low for the Orange in a game at the Carrier Dome.
- The 34 points were Syracuse’s lowest since a 49-28 loss to Sampson Navy on Jan. 13, 1945 (Sampson Navy was a team from a military base during the war years).
- UVA ranks eighth nationally in scoring defense (56.2 ppg), 13th in personal fouls per game (13.5) and 21st in turnovers per game (10.5).
- UVA has limited its foes to 49.6 points per game, 33.1 percent field goal shooting and 25 percent 3-point shooting in its seven wins.
Broadcast Information
- The Virginia-Syracuse game will be televised on ACC Network and streamed online at WatchESPN.com and ESPN App.
- The game will also be broadcast on Virginia Sports Radio Network, VirginiaSports.com and Virginia Sports app.
- Live statistics will be available on VirginiaSports.com and Virginia Sports app.
The Head Coach
- Dean and Markel Families Head Men’s Basketball Coach Tony Bennett has a 302-108 (.737) mark in 13 seasons at UVA and 371-141 (.725) career mark in 16 seasons as a head coach.
- Bennett won his 300th game at Virginia with the 61-43 victory against Lehigh on Nov. 26, 2021.
- The three-time National (2007, 2015 and 2018) and four-time ACC Coach of the Year (2014, 2015, 2018 and 2019) guided the Cavaliers to their 10th ACC regular-season championship in 2020-21.
- In 2018-19, Bennett led the Cavaliers to their first NCAA national championship, a share of their ninth ACC regular-season title and a school-record 35 wins.
- Bennett has led UVA to 10 consecutive postseason appearances (2012-21) and seven consecutive NCAA tournaments (2014-21).
- UVA is 150-63 (.704) in ACC play (85-22 at home & 65-41 away), 171-33 (.838) at home and 152-45 (.772) in non-conference action (86-9 at JPJ) under Bennett.
- Bennett ranks third all-time in winning percentage (.704) among ACC head coaches with 100 or more ACC wins.
Hoo Are These Cavaliers?
- UVA is led by its returning backcourt of Kihei Clark (9.5 ppg & 4.1 apg) and Reece Beekman (7.3 ppg, 4.3 apg & 2.2 spg), and the additions of transfers Jayden Gardner (14.8 ppg & 8.1 rpg) and Armaan Franklin (11.5 ppg).
- Clark has played 105 games at UVA and is averaging career-highs in field goal percentage (42%) and 3-point percentage (40.4%).
- The Cavaliers added transfers Gardner (East Carolina) and Franklin (Indiana) to fill the void left by standouts Sam Hauser (16 ppg), Jay Huff (13 ppg) and Trey Murphy III (11.3 ppg).
- Gardner averaged 18.5 points and 8.9 rebounds in 79 career games at East Carolina, while Franklin averaged 11.4 points and shot 42.5 percent from 3-point range in 2020-21.
- Kadin Shedrick (6.3 ppg, 5.1 rpg & 2.9 bpg) and Francisco Caffaro (3.5 rpg) anchor the paint, while Taine Murray (46.7% 3FGs), Igor Miliĉić Jr. (38.1% 3FGs), Carson McCorkle (33.3% 3FGs), Malachi Poindexter and Kody Stattmann provide perimeter depth.
Virginia All-Time vs. Syracuse
- UVA is 10-6 all-time against Syracuse, including an 8-2 mark in ACC action, in the series that dates back to 1983-84.
- Virginia defeated twice last season, defeating the Orange 81-58 at John Paul Jones Arena and 72-69 at the ACC Tournament in Greensboro, N.C.
- UVA is 4-2 at Syracuse, including a 48-34 win in its last trip to Carrier Dome on Nov. 6, 2019.
- UVA has held the Orange to 69 or fewer points in each of the last 12 meetings between the teams.
- Head coach Tony Bennett is 9-3 all-time against Syracuse.
Last Time vs. The Orange
- Reece Beekman’s 3-pointer at the buzzer gave No. 1 seed Virginia a 72-69 win over No. 8 seed Syracuse in the ACC quarterfinals on Thursday, March 11, 2021.
- Sam Hauser led the Cavaliers with 21 points, while Jay Huff had his 10th career double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds.
- Trey Murphy III chipped in 15 points and Kihei Clark added 10 points and a game-high six assists.
- UVA shot 45.5 percent and attempted a season-high 35 3-pointers.
- UVA outrebounded the Orange 33-30.
- Buddy Boeheim had a game-high 31 points for Syracuse.
Last Time Out
- Hunter Tyson had 17 points to lead Clemson to a 57-40 win over Virginia on Dec. 22 at John Paul Jones Arena.
- The home loss was UVA’s largest since Feb. 26, 2011, when Boston College defeated the Cavaliers, 63-44.
- Reece Beekman led Virginia with a career-high 20 points.
- Clemson held a 17-0 advantage in bench points and scored 24 points off 14 UVA turnovers.
- UVA was 6 of 22 from 3-point range and was outrebounded 35-26 by the Tigers.
On The Horizon
- Virginia travels to Clemson on Tuesday, Jan. 4. Tipoff at Littlejohn Coliseum is set for 9 p.m. on Regional Sports Networks.
UVA Football notes: Taulapapa enters portal; Wahoos offer Stanford transfer; coaching hires; Ronde makes HOF cut
By Jerry Ratcliffe
Wayne Taulapapa
Another Virginia player has entered the transfer portal. Wayne Taulapapa, the Cavaliers’ regular starting running back for the past three years, announced on his Twitter account on Thursday that he plans to leave the program.
“Dear UVA, I will be entering the transfer portal as a grad transfer,” Taulapapa wrote. “You’ll never understand how grateful I am. My home away from home. Thank you for all your Love & Aloha. It has been a beautiful four years and I can’t begin to explain how amazing the journey was.”
The Hawaiian product rushed for 1,192 yards and 19 touchdowns during his career in an offense that featured the passing game. This past season, he rushed for 324 yards on 62 attempts in 10 games.
Taulapapa’s exit should open the door for Mike Hollins, who rushed for 213 yards and two touchdowns in nine games.
UVA offers Stanford transfer
The Cavaliers have made an offer to Stanford defensive end/outside linebacker Andres Fox, who has also received offers from Maryland and Florida State.
Fox, a 6-foot-4, 225-pound senior, originally from Mobile, Ala., started one game and appeared in six for the Cardinal last season. He made seven tackles and had 1.5 tackles for loss. He played in all six games for Stanford in 2020.
He was rated the sixth-best recruit in the state of Alabama by ESPN coming out of high school, and the nation’s 19th-best recruit weak-side linebacker by Rivals.
Fox has not announced a timeline for his commitment.
Coaching changes
Former UVA defensive coordinator Nick Howell will join the coaching staff at Vanderbilt as the defensive backs coach. He also coached the secondary for the Cavaliers. Howell came to Virginia with Bronco Mendenhall, and also coached under Mendenhall for 10 years at BYU.
Another former Virginia assistant, Vic So’oto, has been hired as defensive line coach at Colorado. So’oto came to UVA with Mendenhall, but left for Southern Cal after the 2019 season. He was the D-Line coach at both UVA and USC.
Ronde makes Hall of Fame cut
Former Virginia star defensive back Ronde Barber is one of 15 former NFL players to make the cut as a finalist in the Modern-Era Player category for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2022.
This is the second year Barber has been nominated as a candidate for Canton.
Barber was selected for five Pro Bowls and was named to the NFL’s 2000s All-Decade Team. He is one of the two members of the 40/20 club (40-plus interceptions, 20-plus quarterback sacks) along with Charles Woodson. He also holds the record for most consecutive starts by a defensive back.
Virginia splits duals with SIUE, No. 24 Northwestern
(© Michael Chamberlin – stock.adobe.com)
The Virginia wrestling team (3-2) split a pair of duals on Wednesday, defeating SIU-Edwardsville in the first match of the day before falling to No. 24 Northwestern in a tight dual in the finale.
Virginia defeated SIUE by a score of 34-3, while falling to the nationally-ranked Wildcats 18-16.
Virginia got off to a strong start in the first match of the day, winning nine of 10 weight classes on the way to the 34-3 victory over SIUE.
In the day’s second dual, a Virginia rallied from a strong start by the Wildcats. Northwestern won the first three weight classes – including a victory by fall at 149 pounds – before the Cavaliers would rally with wins at the next three weight classes – including a major decision from Michael Battista at 184 pounds. Virginia took the lead for the second time with a victory by Patrick McCormick at 125 pounds before Northwestern would claim the dual with a last-second 8-7 decision in a battle of ranked opponents at 133 pounds. Each team won five weight classes on the day.
“We were right in there to win today’s dual with Northwestern,” Virginia coach Steve Garland said. “We can credit the second half of the lineup today. That put us in a position to win, but ultimately Brian (Courtney) lost a heartbreaker in the last seconds to a great wrestler. He competed his heart out. Our bench was going crazy. If Brian continues to compete like that, which I believe he will, he will not only do great things but he will be a lot of fun to watch.
“A big shoutout to Justin McCoy and Justin Phillips for flipping that match on its head, though. The way they wrestled completely changed the rest of the dual. We’re proud of them too. I’m glad we made this trip. We need to grow as a team and dual meets are the best way to do that. Credit to Northwestern and their staff and, of course, their athletes,” Garland said.
Notes
- With the win in the first dual of the day, Virginia improved to 2-0 all-time against SIU-Edwardsville.
- Virginia is now 0-2 all-time against Northwestern following the dual with the 24th-ranked Wildcats.
- Wednesday’s dual against Northwestern was the first since a 2007 meeting for the Cavaliers.
- Jay Aiello went 3-0 on the day after seeing action for the first time in the collegiate season on Wednesday.
• Justin McCoy improved to 5-0 in duals this season and is 9-0 on the season.
Virginia vs. SIUE
141: Saul Ervin (SIUE) dec. Dylan Cedeno, 5-1 – SIUE 3, UVA 0
149: Jarod Verkleeren dec. Caleb Tyus (SIUE), 8-5 – UVA 3, SIUE 3
157: Denton Spencer dec. Max Kristoff (SIUE), 5-0 – UVA 6, SIUE 3
165: No. 16 Justin McCoy by forfeit – UVA 12, SIUE 3
174: Justin Phillips dec. Kevin Gschwendtner (SIUE), 4-2 – UVA 15, SIUE 3
184: Michael Battista dec. Sergio Villalobos (SIUE), 6-1 – UVA 18, SIUE 3
197: No. 16 Jay Aiello dec. Ryan Yarnell (SIUE), 11-5 – UVA 21, SIUE 3
285: No. 27 Quinn Miller dec Colton McKiernan (SIUE), 7-2– UVA 24, SIUE 3
125: Patrick McCormick major dec. Austin Macias (SIUE), 10-0 – UVA 28, SIUE 3
133: No. 14 Brian Courtney by forfeit – UVA 34, SIUE 3
Virginia vs. #24 Northwestern
141: Frankie Tal Shahar (NU) dec. Dylan Cedeno, 7-2 – NW 3, UVA 0
149: No. 4 Yahya Thomas (NU) pinned Jarod Verkleeren, 4:42 – NW 9, UVA 0
157: Trevor Chumbley (NW) dec. Denton Spencer, 4-0 – NW 12, UVA 0
165: No. 16 Justin McCoy vs. No. 33 David Ferrante (NW), 10-5 – NW 12, UVA 3
174: Justin Phillips dec. No. 20 Troy Fisher (NW), 3-2 – NW 12, UVA 6
184: Michael Battista major dec. Jon Halvorsen (NW), 12-4 – NW 12, UVA 10
197: No. 16 Jay Aiello dec. No. 30 Andrew Davison (NW), 5-3 – UVA 13, NW 12
285: No. 14 Lucas Davison (NW) dec. No. 27 Quinn Miller, 9-4 – NW 15, UVA 13
125: Patrick McCormick dec. Matt Vinci (NW), 4-0 – UVA 16, NW 15
133: No. 14 Brian Courtney vs. No. 9 Chris Cannon (NW),
Extra Matches
174: Ankhaa Enkhmandakha (NW) dec. Krystian Kinsey, 7-6
197: Jay Aiello pinned Brendan Devine (NW), 3:22
Kyle Guy gets 10-day hardship deal with Miami Heat
By Jerry Ratcliffe
Photo by Matt Riley, UVA Athletics
Former Virginia star guard Kyle Guy has been signed to a 10-day hardship contract by the NBA’s Miami Heat.
Guy, a free agent playing with Cleveland’s G-League team, was brought on after the Heat was struck with Covid issues. Kyle Lowry Udonis Haslem, Zylan Cheatham, P.J. Tucker and Max Strus are in the NBA’s safety protocols, opening up a spot on the Miami roster.
The 6-foot-1 Guy has been strong in the G-League for both Cleveland and the Sacramento Kings. In 49 career games, including 39 starting assignments, Guy has averaged 21.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.1 steals per game, while shooting 42 percent from the field and 39 percent from behind the arc, along with 78.8 percent from the free throw line.
While with Cleveland’s G-League team only, Guy has posted a 61.6 true-shooting percentage in 386 minutes, 12 games, 10 starts. For the Cleveland Charge, Guy is averaging 20 points, 7.2 rebounds, 4 assists and 0.8 steals, averaging 32.2 minutes per game. He is shooting 45 percent from the field and 36.3 on 3-pointers, 75.9 percent from the free throw line.
Guy adds a multi-level scorer for the Heat, someone who has playmaking skills.
Clemson’s Tim Bourret tells us all about Tony Elliott
Long-time Clemson SID Tim Bourret joins “The Jerry Ratcliffe Show” to share with us his favorite stories of new Virginia football Tony Elliott, dating back to when Elliott walked on at Clemson in 1999.
Omicron wreaking havoc on sports schedules
Dr. Winston Gwathmey joins “The Jerry Ratcliffe Show” to give us a glimpse into the cancellation of the Wasabi Fenway Bowl due to COVID.
‘Hoos in, ‘Hoos out as Virginia Football moves to offseason mode
Jerry Ratcliffe welcomes Chris Graham to the show to discuss the latest offseason news with Virginia Football.
All-American Oluwatimi joins UVA’s transfer party, commits to Michigan
By Jerry Ratcliffe
If anyone wonders just how good Virginia’s offensive line was this past season, they don’t have to go any further than the transfer portal to discover the evidence.
All-American center Olusegun Oluwatimi completed wiping out UVA’s line on Monday when he announced that he has transferred to Michigan. Oluwatimi joined left tackle Bobby Haskins, who transferred to Southern Cal on Sunday, and guard Joe Bissinger, who transferred to SMU earlier Monday. Also, UVA’s top linebacker and third-leading tackler Noah Taylor announced Monday that he has committed to North Carolina.
Oluwatimi, who visited Michigan a few weeks ago prior to Tony Elliott being named Virginia’s new head coach, was a second-team All-American and a Rimington Award finalist and one of the nation’s top centers. He chose Michigan over Clemson in the transfer process.
It was a good day for Wolverines coach Jim Harbaugh, who lost starting center Andrew Vastardis to eligibility. Michigan became a run-dominant offense this past season, which led it to the College Football Playoffs.
Oluwatimi made the announcement on his Twitter account Monday night, with him wearing a Michigan jersey in a graphic designed by the Wolverines’ football program, adorned by the hashtag #GoBlue.
#GoBlue pic.twitter.com/eqPYvXtyzM
— Olu (@bigolu55) December 27, 2021
The 6-foot-3, 310-pound center started all 12 of Virginia’s games this past season and would have started the Fenway Bowl game against SMU this week, which was canceled due to Covid problems within the UVA program. Oluwatimi started the last 32 games for the Cavaliers. He has one year of eligibility remaining.
Pro Football Focus graded the Virginia starter as the country’s second-best center in run-blocking, a huge attraction from Harbaugh’s Wolverines, which switched from a more open offense to a strong running attack this past season.
Originally from Hyattsville, Md., DeMatha Catholic, Oluwatimi began his career at the Air Force Academy but didn’t play in a game, as he transferred to Virginia and made an immediate impact.
Virginia loses another offensive lineman as Bissinger transfers to SMU
By Jerry Ratcliffe
So much for the theory that retaining offensive line coach Garett Tujague would keep several of Virginia’s linemen from transferring.
Joe Bissinger, who played left guard for the Cavaliers the past couple of seasons, announced on his Twitter account Monday that he will transfer to SMU. Bissinger, a junior this past season for UVA, is from Houston, Texas.
Bissinger is the second Virginia offensive lineman to announce a transfer over the past 48 hours. On Sunday, left tackle Bobby Haskins said he is transferring to Southern Cal to play for Lincoln Riley. Earlier on Monday, UVA linebacker Noah Taylor committed to North Carolina.
Bissinger is a 6-foot-4, 320-pound lineman who has played in the majority of Virginia’s games the past three seasons and started several games.
Ironically, Virginia was scheduled to play SMU in the Fenway Bowl in Boston this week, but the game was cancelled due to Covid problems within the Cavaliers program.
BREAKING: Taylor transferring to North Carolina
By Jerry Ratcliffe
Noah Taylor strikes a pose after a first-quarter quarterback sack against Virginia Tech in 2019 (Photo by John Markon).
One of the top returning defensive players for Virginia, linebacker Noah Taylor, has committed to play for North Carolina.
Taylor, a senior with a year of eligibility remaining, made the announcement on his Twitter account Monday afternoon.
In three seasons at Virginia, Taylor posted 169 tackles, 28.5 tackles for loss, 12.5 sacks and three interceptions. He served in a hybrid role for Bronco Mendenhall’s defense, rushed the passer 530 times in his career and dropped into pass coverage on 513 snaps.
He owns an 86.3 coverage grade for his UVA career and 73.9 pass rush grade. He missed only three tackles in 70 attempts this past season, one of the few bright spots on the Cavaliers defense.
BREAKING: Virginia targets NFL assistant Kitchings as Cavalier offensive coordinator
By Jerry Ratcliffe
Des Kitchings (Photo: Gwinnett Daily Post)
According to ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg, sources indicate that Virginia has targeted Atlanta Falcons running backs coach Des Kitchings for the Cavaliers’ offensive coordinator position.
Kitchings served as NC State’s co-offensive coordinator from 2012-2019.
While Tony Elliott is courting Kitchings, the deal is not done due to the Falcons still finishing the season.
BREAKING: Elliott retains assistant coaches Hagans, Tujague and Sintim
By Jerry Ratcliffe
Marques Hagans (Photos: UVA Athletics)
Tony Elliott has retained three assistant coaches from Bronco Mendenhall’s staff, including wide receivers coach Marques Hagans, offensive line coach Garett Tujague and defensive line coach Clint Sintim. While those three have been retained, their job assignments are subject to change.
As previously learned, Elliott hired Adam Smotherman as football’s head strength and conditioning coach. Also Nate Pototschnik was promoted to associate strength and conditioning coach, moving up from his previous full-time role on the staff.
Hagans, one of the most popular members of the Virginia coaching staff after starring as a multi-purpose player for Al Groh, has developed a multitude of receivers for Groh, Mike London and Bronco Mendenhall. He has coached nine of the 15 Cavaliers wide receivers who appear on UVA’s top 20 all-time career receptions list.
Garett Tujague
This past season, four of Hagans’ receivers gained more than 600 yards, including All-ACC receivers Dontayvion Wicks and Keytaon Thompson.
Tujague’s offensive line boasted All-American center Olusegun Oluwatimi, the school’s first Rimington Trophy finalist and one of three UVA linemen to be named on an all-conference team. Tujague’s offensive lines have spearheaded more than 5,000 yards of total offense in three of the last four seasons. He came to Virginia with Mendenhall.
Sintim is also a former UVA standout (2009) under Groh. He joined Mendenhall’s season in 2020, when his defensive line finished No. 11 in the nation in sacks per game. Those 32 sacks are sixth all-time in a single season by the Cavaliers.
Clint Sintim
Smotherman was known as Clemson’s “get back” coach, as he was responsible for keeping Tigers’ coordinators on the sidelines during games. He was at Clemson for nine years (see related story in this site’s archives).
Starting left tackle Bobby Haskins is transferring to Southern Cal
By Jerry Ratcliffe
Bobby Haskins. Photo courtesy UVA Athletics.
Virginia’s starting offensive left tackle Bobby Haskins will finish his football career for Lincoln Riley at Southern Cal.
Haskins made the announcement on his Twitter account Sunday evening. He is one of three veteran offensive linemen from Virginia to have entered the transfer portal. Right tackle Ryan Swoboda and center Olusegun Oluwatimi also entered the portal. Oluwatimi, who was a Rimington Award finalist as the best offensive lineman in the country, has visited Michigan.
Haskins released this statement on his account:
“The last four years being a Virginia football player have been the most rewarding of my entire life. I am forever grateful for the relationships I have been fortunate enough to build with my teammates, coaches, athletic trainers, equipment staff, and athletic staff members. For the rest of my life I will be proud to call myself a Virginia football player. With that being said, I am incredibly blessed and excited to put everything I have into my last year of college football playing for Coach Riley at the University of Southern California. Fight on!”
Haskins was a regular starter on Virginia’s offense and graded out at 92 percent overall, 94 percent for run plays and 91 percent for pass plays. He allowed zero pressures from his left tackle spot and posted seven pancake blocks against Duke that earned him ACC Offensive Lineman of the Week honors.
Haskins was All-ACC honorable mention.
Syracuse set to hire former UVA offensive coaches Beck and Anae
By Jerry Ratcliffe
Photo: UVA Athletics
According to reports out of Syracuse, the Orange will hire two former Virginia assistant coaches, offensive coordinator Robert Anae and quarterbacks coach Jason Beck, for the same positions on the Orange coaching staff.
Anae left Virginia’s program more than a week ago, and he will replace Sterlin Gilbert, who was Syracuse’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Beck was scheduled to replace Anae as UVA’s play-caller for this week’s inaugural Wasabi Fenway Bowl in Boston, which was cancelled Sunday after the Cavaliers program was shut down due to Covid issues.
Both had worked under Bronco Mendenhall for the last nine years at Virginia (six seasons) and BYU. Mendenhall surprisingly resigned as UVA’s head coach a few days following the Cavaliers’ loss to rival Virginia Tech in the season finale. Virginia hired Clemson offensive coordinator Tony Elliott to replace Mendenhall.
Many Cavaliers fans had hoped Elliott might retain Beck to guide an offense that featured record-breaking quarterback Brennan Armstrong. In fact, Armstrong had expressed a strong interest in working with Beck for one more season.
It is unknown whether Beck was interested in returning to Virginia or if Elliott was considering keeping him in the program.
In the previous 126 seasons of UVA football prior to Beck’s arrival, the Cavaliers never had a 3,000-yard passer and could boast only one quarterback to post 3,000+ yards of total offense in a season. In Beck’s six seasons at Virginia, he’s coached three: Kurt Benkert (now with the Green Bay Packers), Bryce Perkins (L.A. Rams) and Armstrong, who has a year of eligibility remaining. Beck also coached Taysom Hill at BYU. Hill is with the New Orleans Saints.
Between 2013 and this season, Beck’s quarterbacks have averaged more than 3,200 passing yards and more than 500 rushing yards.
There are rumors that Elliott could bring former Clemson and NFL quarterback Tajh Boyd to Virginia in some capacity for his coaching staff. Boyd, a Virginia native, has served on Dabo Swinney’s coaching staff this past year overseeing player development.
Boyd was Clemson’s starting quarterback for three years before being drafted by the New York Jets in 2014.
UPDATE: UVA AD Carla Williams confirms team’s Covid results killed bowl game
By Jerry Ratcliffe
Virginia will not play in this week’s Wasabi Fenway Bowl due to Covid issues within the team, the school confirmed this morning.
A final round of testing ended the trip for the Cavaliers. Due to the number of Covid cases impacting its roster, preventing safe participation, the game has been canceled.
“We are extremely disappointed the team will not be able to participate in the inaugural Fenway Bowl,” said Carla Williams, Virginia’s director of athletics. “Playing this game was something our team very much looked forward to and it is unfortunate Coach Mendenhall will not have one last opportunity to coach this group.”
According to the school’s release, in days leading up to the team’s planned departure on Christmas day, some UVA players displayed symptoms associated with COVID-19 and subsequently tested positive for the virus. As a result, the entire team was tested Christmas morning. The completed test results provided to Virginia athletics on Sunday morning (Dec. 26), revealed additional positive tests that prevented the team from safely participating in the game.
“We want to thank the Fenway Bowl and its staff for their preparation to host the game and for their communication with us over the past few days,” Williams said. “We appreciate the hard work by our team and coaching staff. They earned this bowl invitation and it is unfortunate they will not be able to compete in the game to complete the season. We regret how this also impacts our fans who were planning on attending the game as well as the SMU program and its fans.”
Mendenhall, who surprisingly stepped down after the season, had decided he would coach his team for the bowl game, but Covid has ended the season. It is the second consecutive year that Virginia was eligible to play in postseason but did not extend its campaign.
According to sources, several UVA players did not practice Friday, including quarterback Brennan Armstrong.
The Cavaliers finished the season 6-6 and were scheduled to play SMU (8-4) in the first-ever Fenway Bowl at historic Fenway Park, home of Major League Baseball’s Boston Red Sox.
Refunds will automatically be posted to the payment card used for purchases within the next 14 business days according to bowl officials.
Virginia will not play in this week’s Fenway Bowl due to Covid issues, season over
Photo: UVA Athletics
By Jerry Ratcliffe
Virginia will not play in this week’s Wasabi Fenway Bowl due to Covid issues within the team, sources confirmed this morning.
UVA was awaiting the results of one last round of testing in hopes of salvaging the bowl trip, but those results that just came in confirmed the team is not healthy enough to play in the game. Coaches were just informed of those results within the last few minutes.
The Cavaliers were scheduled to fly to Boston today, but that trip has been canceled. Coach Bronco Mendenhall has scheduled a team gathering this afternoon to officially address his team.
Mendenhall, who surprisingly stepped down after the season, had decided he would coach his team for the bowl game, but Covid has ended the season. It is the second consecutive year that Virginia was eligible to play in postseason but did not extend its campaign.
According to sources, several UVA players did not practice Friday, including quarterback Brennan Armstrong.
The Cavaliers finished the season 6-6 and were scheduled to play SMU (8-4) in the first-ever Fenway Bowl at historic Fenway Park, home of Major League Baseball’s Boston Red Sox.
Armstrong on Elliott, Beck, the Fenway Bowl and the reason he won’t go to Bronco’s ranch
By Jerry Ratcliffe
UVA quarterback Brennan Armstrong celebrates one of his two rushing touchdowns in the win over Georgia Tech. (Photo: Matt Riley, UVA Athletics)
Virginia’s record-breaking quarterback Brennan Armstrong is trying to remain focused on the present, including preparing for the Cavaliers’ upcoming bowl game with SMU. He’s also keeping an eye on his future.
Armstrong has met with incoming head coach Tony Elliott a couple of times to discuss what the offense might look like next season. He has also met with outgoing coach Bronco Mendenhall, who stepped down after the regular season, but will coach the team through the Dec. 29 game in Boston.
_____________________
WASABI FENWAY BOWL
Who: Virginia (6-6) vs. SMU (8-4)
When: Dec. 29, 11 a.m.
Where: Boston’s Fenway Park
TV: ESPN
Weather forecast: 44 degrees, rain
____________________________
Unlike some of his teammates seeking council, Armstrong has purposely not traveled out into the county to Mendenhall’s ranch for a sit down.
“For one thing, I’m allergic to horses, so I’m not trying to go out there and ride horses,” Armstrong laughed. “My eyes swell up. I still haven’t done that yet, even on my recruiting visit, I didn’t ride the horses.”
Lots of Mendehall’s recruits and later, players, have visited the ranch where the coach keeps horses, and invites players to get the experience of riding. Mendenhall often mounts up when he returns home from practice just to relax.
Armstrong has a lot on his plate in that he’s hoping to end the season on a good note, trying to re-recruit some of his teammates who have entered the transfer portal, and delaying a decision on whether he might jump into the NFL Draft after the bowl.
Should he not be successful in pulling some of the players out of the portal _ particularly three of his veteran starting offensive linemen _ might that impact his decision on whether to stay or go?
Mendenhall believes the NFL feedback that Armstrong will receive will recommend that the quarterback returns to school for one more year of seasoning. However, if Armstrong believes he might be running for his life with little protection, that could influence where he lands.
He has talked to several of the players presently in the portal with the same message:
“We’ve been here for a long time, so why would you want to go?” Armstrong shared. “There’s unknowns at other schools, knowns here. You’re very cemented here rather than other places. I’m asking them if they want to play with me for one more year. I’m trying to get a lot of guys to come back. That makes my decision harder depending on what people do. There’s a lot of moving parts with that, and that’s why decisions haven’t been made yet.”
Armstrong has been impressed with Elliott in the couple of meetings he has had with his new coach.
“I sat down with [Elliott] and talked about the offense, about where that’s going to lead,” Armstrong said. “He’s coached the best of the best. He knows what a championship team looks like. I think he’s a great fit for us, kind of what the next step for this program kind of needs, so I’m excited to see where he takes it.”
The quarterback said he and UVA teammates have received good feedback about Elliott from Clemson players they know, but he recognized that Elliott was “a good dude” during the team meeting last week. Armstrong said he is also impressed with Elliott’s track record with quarterbacks such as Tajh Boyd, Deshawn Watson and Trevor Lawrence.
He is also excited to see how the offense evolves with acting offensive coordinator Jason Beck, who was promoted to that spot after the exit of former OC Robert Anae.
“Coach Beck has coached three great quarterbacks (Taysom Hill at BYU, Kurt Benkert and Bryce Perkins at UVA),” Armstrong said. “He’s a young offensive mind, so I’m excited to see what he does in the bowl game. I’m happy for him to get this chance. It’s going to be fun.”
Will the play-calling be different under Beck?
“I don’t know, honestly,” Armstrong said. “We’ll find out. It has been fun out there in practice already.”
Armstrong will enter the Dec. 29 bowl by running the nation’s No. 2 passing offense (392.6 ypg) and the No. 3 total offensive team (515.8).
The UVA quarterback needs only 191 yards of total offense to break Perkins’ program career total offense record and needs 145 yards to break the ACC’s single season passing record held by former Clemson QB Deshaun Watson. Should he manage to pile up 562 yards of total offense, Armstrong would break Lamar Jackson’s ACC single game total offensive mark from 2017.
“I’m excited to play in a bowl game,” Armstrong said. “The last part of the season didn’t go the way we wanted, so I want to get a win and send out Coach Mendenhall and the seniors the right way.”
UVA, though bowl eligible, declined the opportunity to play in the postseason in 2020, and was only a backup in 2019 when the Cavaliers faced Florida in the Orange Bowl.
Armstrong said he’ll be healthy for the Wasabi Fenway Bowl, which will be played in Boston’s Fenway Park, the historic home of Major League Baseball’s Boston Red Sox. After suffering broken rib(s) vs. BYU on Oct. 30, and tweaking ankle/knee in games afterward, the UVA QB feels like he’s good.
“I’ll be fine,” Armstrong said. “Flak jacket, brace, so I’ll be ready to go.”
While he is a star football player, Armstrong grew up in Ohio dreaming about being a professional baseball player. He said his favorite player growing up was David Ortiz. He’s eager to see Fenway for the first time in person, and is excited about one of the team activities, taking batting practice at the legendary yard.
Virginia makes the cut for Class of 2023 Five-Star Point Guard
By Jerry Ratcliffe
Virginia basketball is strongly in the mix for one of the nation’s top point guards in the Class of 2023.
London Johnson, a 6-foot-4, guard out of Norcross, Ga. (Atlanta suburbs), cut his list to a final six, including Virginia, Alabama, North Carolina, Clemson, Georgia and Southern Call. His new list eliminated NC State, Wake Forest, Auburn, Florida, Houston and Xavier.
Johnson, a 5-star by Rivals and 4-star by 247Sports, is considered among the top 25 prospects in the nation and the No. 6 overall point guard by 247. He originally had more than two dozen offers.
While a definite date for his announcement hasn’t been decided, the blue-chipper said he will make his decision around the New Year, and that he already has an idea where he’s going.
Isaac McKneely, who signed with Virginia’s 2022 class last month, has been encouraging Johnson to come and play with him and the Cavaliers’ top 10 class that will come in next season.
Johnson said he fits Virginia’s style of play and realizes he would be surrounded by good shooters with the incoming class, which would help him facilitate as a point guard. During his visit to Charlottesville during football season, Johnson said that Tony Bennett and Jason Williford showed him film of how he would fit into UVA’s system.
Clemson wallops Virginia; Can Tony Bennett fix this or is the season unsalvageable?
By Jerry Ratcliffe
Photo: UVA Athletics
Okay, now you can reach for the panic button.
After Virginia imploded in the second half, once going 11 minutes without a basket, and scoring only two field goals the final 17 minutes, 34 seconds in a lopsided 67-50 loss to visiting Clemson on Wednesday night, Cavalier fans have lots of reasons to worry.
The Tigers snapped an 11-game losing streak to UVA, including the last eight in Charlottesville, as they scored 24 points off 14 Cavalier turnovers and dominated the paint, outscoring Tony Bennett’s struggling team, 22-12, in the lane. Virginia had not lost by 17 or more points at home since 2011 when Boston College won, 63-44.
“We’ve got a lot of work to do, that’s real,” Bennett said after watching UVA slip to 7-5 on the season, the worst start by a Cavalier team since Dave Leitao’s last team in 2008-09 (Virginia finished 10-18 that season). “That’s a very solid (Clemson) team we played and we’ll keep working to improve. I just kept telling the guys to keep battling, keep battling, keep trying to be as tough as you can.”
While those fans who festoon themselves in orange and blue may be tempted to throw in the towel, Bennett is not giving up the ship.
“You keep battling. Who knows?” Bennett responded when quizzed on whether he has the pieces to turn this team around going into the new year. “I’d be lying if I said, ‘Oh, absolutely’ [the pieces are there]. But you just keep working.
“Maybe someone’s going to emerge as guys get more experienced, but never ever have I said, ‘We’re going to find out in this room.’ Do we have the group of guys we can go through adversity and then keep trying to grow from it, and just keep showing up and keep knocking? That’s all you can do in these spots.
“But can we get this turned around? Absolutely. You pursue that and no matter what you just keep getting better. I can’t say, ‘We got this,’ and I can’t say, ‘No way.’”
Everyone knew heading into this season that points were going to be hard to come by. With Sam Hauser, Jay Huff, Thomas Woldetensae and Trey Murphy exiting, it left the Cavaliers nearly bankrupt on offense. Three of those guys are playing in either the NBA or G-League, and the unexpected rise of Murphy from nearly unknown to the 17th pick in the first round particularly surprised the UVA coaching staff, who thought he would return for another year.
No wonder Virginia scrambled to the transfer portal in order to find some scoring help. Armaan Franklin, who was a solid 3-point shooter and the most-improved player in the Big Ten, jumped off the sheet and the Cavaliers lured him to the ACC. Jayden Gardner, an accomplished big man from East Carolina, was another.
Both have been somewhat inconsistent of late, which has been the norm for this team. One night, Gardner will be on and Franklin may not be.
Reece Beekman, who has struggled with his scoring during this rough start, scored a career-high 20 against the Tigers (including 3 of 5 from beyond the arc). Franklin, who has struggled from the perimeter, was only 1 for 7 against Clemson, but managed to score 13 points. Gardner had nine points and six rebounds, but only two other Cavaliers managed to score at all. Kihei Clark had six and Kadin Shedrick two.
Virginia shot only 21.7 percent (5 for 23) in the second half as Clemson slowly pulled away.
“We had a nice little spurt in the second half and cut it to two or three, and that’s where a breakdown occurred,” Bennett said.
Trailing 35-27 at the break, Virginia came out hot in the second half with an 8-2 run and drew within a field goal of the Tigers at the 17:34 mark.
And that was it.
The Cavaliers didn’t make another bucket until Franklin’s jumper with 6:31 to play. UVA’s next basket came with 48 seconds to go on a triple by Beekman.
While message boards ran rampant with doom during and following the game, staggering out of the blocks shouldn’t be shocking. Consider that Kihei Clark and Beekman (a sophomore) were the only two returning players with any real experience in Bennett’s system.
Gardner and Franklin were transfers and are trying to learn on the fly. Shedrick is essentially a newcomer. Igor Miličić and Taine Murray are true freshmen, and Carson McCorkle might as well be.
Associate head coach Jason Williford classified this season “a work in progress,” well before the first game.
If that isn’t enough to discourage even the most positive-thinking Cavalier, Virginia hasn’t lived up to its reputation as a great defensive team. The blueprint for Bennett’s success has been defense. He dedicates the majority of his practices to that side of the floor and takes great pride and joy in suffocating opponents with lockdown defense.
We are accustomed to seeing UVA ranked in the top three nationally in defensive efficiency, if not No. 1 in the land. After Wednesday night’s debacle, the Cavaliers stood at No. 54.
Solid defense and ball protection are tenets of Bennett Ball, from Tony’s father, Dick Bennett, passed down to son. This team is violating those tenets at a highly alarming rate.
But the Cavaliers believe they’re not done as they take a Christmas break before returning to a schedule filled with 18 ACC games beginning on New Year’s Day with a date at Syracuse, the first of three straight road games, including a return engagement at Clemson (Jan. 4) and at North Carolina (Jan. 8), before returning home on Jan. 12 against rival Virginia Tech.
Who knows what Virginia might look like by then.
“We’re just trying to figure it out on both ends of the floor,” Beekman said. “With this new group, I feel like we still have time to develop. I feel like this (Christmas) break might help us, everybody recuperating and everybody getting a break from basketball and coming back with a whole different mindset.”
If not, it’s going to be a long, long season for Virginia basketball. Go ahead and reach for that panic button. It’s time.
