Scattershooting: Will Woldetensae bring his 3-point shooting touch home to JPJ?
Posted on Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2020, 5:43 pm
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By Jerry Ratcliffe
Photo by Jon Golden
Scattershooting around the ACC in an abbreviated version, with a game coming up this evening between Virginia and Boston College …
Tonight is a rematch between the Eagles and the Cavaliers, an opportunity for UVA to avenge an early-January loss at BC (60-53). Two things to watch for this evening at JPJ (8 p.m. tip) is that Virginia’s Tomas Woldetensae is a different player now than from the earlier matchup when he hadn’t recovered from preseason wrist surgery.
In that first meeting, Woldetensae was essentially ineffective — he played just eight minutes and didn’t have a point or a rebound.
The other thing to watch for is that BC will be playing with two of its top scorers, both of which did not play in the first game — and UVA still lost. Point guard Derryck Thornton and post player Nik Popovic missed that game but are healthy and back in the lineup for tonight’s game.
Woldetensae has been on a tear — well, at least on the ACC road. The junior-college transfer has made 20 of 34 from 3-point range over his last three ACC road games (Wake Forest, Louisville and North Carolina).
He is hoping he can bring that shooting success to JPJ, where his 3-point shot has been a little off in his last three home games. He’s made 4 of 18 from Bonusphere in those contests (Florida State, Clemson, Notre Dame).
The Italian Galleon
Woldetensae, a native of Italy, has definitely started showing up on opponents’ scouting reports, including BC’s Jim Christian.
“Obviously he’s a guy who shoots the ball extremely well,” Christian said of the Virginia junior guard. “He’s one of the guys in this league who, when they see the first couple go in, gets more comfortable. There are some great screeners on [Virginia’s] team. He can get it going and gets the shot off quickly.”
JPJ a tough place to play
Christian was asked to rate John Paul Jones Arena among other ACC venues in terms of how challenging it was to win there.
“It’s loud, tough,” Christian said. “Their basketball fans are very knowledgeable. From the second you go in there until you leave, it’s loud. It’s a really hard place to play.”
Virginia is 192-45 (.810) — including an 11-3 record at home this season — at JPJ over 14 years. The Cavaliers were 15-1 at home last season.
Most fans would guess that Cameron Indoor or the Smith Center would be the toughest places to win in the ACC. However, UVA is an ACC-leading 62-8 (.886) in league home games over the past seven seasons, just ahead of Duke at 61-9 (.871). The Cavaliers have won 11 or more home games for 11 consecutive seasons.
Ain’t goin’ nowhere
Josh Pastner was the youngest head coach in the ACC when he arrived at Georgia Tech four seasons ago. He’s been in the league for awhile now and at age 42, is still the youngest.
He’s in a league dominated by much older successful coaches, including three Hall of Famers: Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski, North Carolina’s Roy Williams and Syracuse’s Jim Boeheim.
There are four coaches in the ACC that are age 70 or older and another who is 69.
Boeheim is 75, Krzyzewski 73, FSU’s Leonard Hamilton at 71, and Miami’s Jim Larrañaga at 70. UNC’s Williams is 69.
“When I came into the league, people told me you’re coming in at a great time because all those guys are going to be retiring,” Pastner said. “Every year at the league meetings, I see those guys full of energy … none of those guys are ever going to retire. They’re going to coach until they’re 100.”
Still, Pastner is OK with that.
“I count my blessings every day to coach in this league,” he said. “I don’t ever take a day for granted.”
Power Poll
Make sure you check out our ACC Power Poll, a weekly poll of four veteran sportswriters on how they rank the league’s 15 teams. The poll is sponsored by our good friend Lee Shifflett and his Riverside Lunch, where you’ll find the best burgers in town.
(W-L records as of 2/19)
