Streaking The Lawn

Former Virginia lacrosse player George Huguely convicted of second degree murder

2012-02-23T00:15:29Z

We have been silent the past few weeks as George Huguely's trial in the murder of Yeardley Love has progressed, for a number of reasons. The first is that we are not in the courtroom, we don't have the evidence before us, and we're not hearing the arguments made by both sides. The second is that we're here to feed you all with information on Virginia sports, and while tangentially related in that both the defendant and the victim were lacrosse players, I don't find it in my place to feed the play-by-play of a murder trial. There are all sorts of other reasons that I can list another day in another forum.

That having been said, we'd be remiss not to at least make mention of events garnering such national attention in cozy Charlottesville.

After approximately nine hours of deliberations, the jury in the case just reached a verdict, finding Huguely guilty of second degree murder and grand larceny, and not guilty on all other counts.

The judge in the case has provided the jury with instructions on its sentencing recommendation. According to the Washington Post, Huguely faces at least five, and up to 40, years in prison on the murder charge. The Daily Progress has also been covering the story closely, as have any number of media sources that you can find with a quick Google search.

I present this to you without comment, except that this writer's thoughts are with both the Love and Huguely families, both of whom are going through times I can't imagine and wouldn't wish upon anyone.

UVA vs. VT: The Best from Twitter

2012-02-22T16:02:12Z

While following Twitter during the Hoos' 61-59 win over the Hokies last night, I came to the realization that the Wahoo faithful is a pretty funny, albeit cynical, bunch. Here are some of the best in-game tweets to get you a laugh and help you follow our psyches (sorry in advance to those who don't speak "Twitterese"):

The game didn't start off well at all, as Hokies chucked threes that kept falling:

@The_Superhoo: Luck. Sheer luck is keeping Hoakies in this game and in the lead. DFS just had a 3 bounce several times before falling in.

@VirginiaSports: UVa shot nearly 70 percent from the floor in the first half, yet trails 35-32. Here's why: Tech is 6 for 9 on 3s and 7 for 7 from line. JW

One could never have too many Karl Hess jokes:

@ddamarketing: TV announcers disagree with the official not giving UVA a timeout. Karl Hess would have ejected the TV announcers....

@SethDavisHoops: I'm having a lot of fun watching hoops. I only hope Karl Hess doesn't barge into my living room and kick me out of the house.

...or Carolina jokes either

@BeerControl: Mike Scott is the player of the year in the ACC, only the tobacco road mafia media can keep it from him.

Keep it classy, Hokies!

@WahooBasketball: Hokies throwing things on the court. Again. All class.

@The_SuperHoo: Imagine that. A #VT fan threw something on the court. That NEVER happens at VT. #UVA

UVA climbs back into the game...

@PWiley87: Fun fact for this broadcast: Every time they say "Finney-Smith," it totally sounds like "Fitty Cent"

@UVAHooCrew: BUB WITH THE DESPERATION SHOT CLOCK THREE HAHAH

(saga continues after the jump)

...but the team's injury and foul problems are cause for concern...

@rmj_equals_hero: I am looking forward to having a chance to bid on the toothpicks and duct tape holding together the UVa roster

@rmj_equals_hero: To recount: UVa now has a one handed joe harris, frosh Paul Jesperson, one footed malcolm brogdon.

...though nothing is as concerning as VPI's lack of a working game clock!

@TheUVAFool: How many Hokies does it take to operate a clock? Hokies....this is not exactly how one "slows down the tempo"

@GreatBlogofVA: I keep waiting for the camera to pan over and show a golden retriever running the clock.

The heart-stopping end game...

@UVAHooCrew: Timeout VT. 34.1 seconds left, Hokie ball...Hoos up 3. Good news is that UVA has been in this spot before

@PWiley87: Anytime something w VPISU comes down to a mental challenge, my money's gonna be on the good guys

@TalkinACCSports: must be quite a few UVA fans there at #VT, because there was alot noise during those Free throws

@KenPomeroy: Is there a reason Tony Bennett has to have Akil Mitchell in the game?

Victory!!!:

@hokieguru: Smh sigh

@The_Superhoo: #UVA wins! 61-59! SUCK IT HOKIES! What a horribly reffed game by the #ACC refs.

@TheUVAFool: FINAL SCORE: #UVA 61, #Hokies 59. Hoos remain undefeated this season when reaching 60 points and are 21-6, 8-5 on the season!

@ovfd55: Wait the Clock just stopped at 0 does that mean it over or did it just break again?

@ZShiffles: Hokie shotclock tom-follery fails to stymie courageous #Cavaliers in plus pounding finish! Go hoos!

Even after a win, the mortal peril to fans persists:

@TheUVAFool: I'm going to drive home now and hope that my irregular-beating heart does not cause me to crash and die.

@WahooBasketball: Holy freaking cow. Great basketball game. I might have a coronary.

@MaizeNBlueWahoo: Virginia fans: keeping liquor stores in business on Tuesday night game nights since 1981.

@MamaNikas: "this team is taking years off our lives" @KimmyH00 #wahoowa

But hey, at least the team is happy:

Assane Sene (@azousene89): Believe in my team

Jontel Evans (@bubevans1): Great win on to the next. I love my team.

Doug Browman (@dbj_zero): Man I love my team... On everything

Akil Mitchell (@ajmitchell25): #wahoowa!! Proud of my team!

Sammy Zeglinski (@SammyZeglinski): Love my team

On to the next!

@MScott4Wooden: big win tonight...but its in the past...STATEMENT game Saturday vs. UNC...

Go Hoos! Feel free to toss any of your own favorites into the comments!

Baseball Takes on Tribe in Midweek Affair

2012-02-22T15:30:15Z

Coming off a rough weekend the Hoos will look to get on with the winning ways today as they host William and Mary in the home opener at Davenport Field. The Hoos won a little bit, lost a little bit, and even kissed their sister a little bit this past weekend in Myrtle Beach. The 1-1-1 record gives the boys the third worst record in the ACC right now, but we all know it is too early to look at the standings.

The Tribe enter the midweek tilt with a 2-1 record after they took the series this past weekend when they hosted Rhode Island. Senior RHP Matt Davenport will take the mound for William and Mary in his initial appearance this year. Although he hasn't seen the mound this year, he struggled a bit last year. In 68 innings he compiled a 6.22 ERA and a 2-7 record. He struggled last year but was an All-CAA selection in his sophomore year with an 8-2 record an 1.82 ERA. He is tall and lanky at 6-8 but the Hoos should be able to handle the challenge.

At the plate, William and Mary has been paced by Senior INF Tadd Bower. Bower had four hits this past weekend in eleven at bats. He didn't have any RBIs which says he is more of a tablesetter but scored two of their seven runs. After looking at their stats from this season, William and Mary looks to be very aggresive at the plate. They don't walk a whole lot having only earned 7 walks while striking out 17 times. The Cavs' pitching staff is going to have to take advantage of that aggressiveness and make the Tribe earn every base.

For the Cavaliers, third year JUCO transfer Joel Effertz will take the mound for the first start of his Cavalier career. Joel did appear this past weekend in Myrtle Beach with a scoreless inning against Coastal Carolina on Saturday. Fans should be able to take solace in the fact that Effertz has been on a fairly big stage before. He spent his freshman year of college at the University of Arizona before transferring back home to the Madison Area Technical College. He was also drafted this past year by the Chicago White Sox in the 43rd round. This kid can pitch a little bit.

I expect UVa to win and win fairly easily this afternoon. After last night's basketball game I need an easy win. Joel and the bullpen will take advantage of the aggressiveness while Stephen Bruno is going to break out with a huge game.

Official prediction: UVa 6 - W&M 2

As always, follow the game on twitter (@STLUVaBaseball) and as we know William and Mary's most famous alum Thomas Jefferson would say: GO HOOS!

Hoos Earn Revenge Against Hokies in 61-59 Thriller

2012-02-22T06:16:00Z

In a game that was exciting, terrifying, and bizarre all in one, UVA picked up a huge road win at Cassell Coliseum when it stormed to a second-half lead and held on in the final seconds to beat the rival Hokies. The Cardiac Cavs were at it again, as they won a third ACC game this season on a last defensive stand, this time when Malcolm Brogdon, playing with an ankle injury, swatted at a pass to earn a steal and seal the win. The win puts #25 Virginia alone in 4th place in the ACC at 8-5 (21-6 overall), while Tech drops to 4-9.

UVA had built a 59-51 lead after a Sammy Zeglinski 3-pointer with three minutes to go when things got really exciting/terrifying/bizarre. In the next 90 seconds, he and Jontel Evans, both point guards, picked up their fourth and fifth fouls and exited the game, much to the shock of viewers watching at home who were unaware of any foul trouble at all. In fact, we witnessed the first and second times a Cavalier has fouled out all season within seconds. Brogdon, who had injured his ankle against Maryland and was resting after it flared up in the first half, was forced to re-enter the game (the only other option to handle the ball would have been walk-on Doug Browman). Joe Harris was playing with one hand. How would the Hoos hold on?

The answer, apparently, was by the skin of their teeth and Malcolm's finger nails. The only UVA points down the stretch were earned on a Paul Jesperson layup; the Hokies, on the other hand, climbed quickly back on a series of layups and phantom foul calls. On consecutive possessions, Virginia inexplicably inbounded the ball to Akil Mitchell, once on a cross-court pass from Malcolm Brogdon. Akil, a 53% free-throw shooter, missed the front-ends of two one-and-ones, giving Virginia Tech a final possession, during which Malcolm's game-winning steal sealed the win.

The strange endgame was exacerbated by clock trouble at the barn that is Cassell Coliseum. A combination of aging equipment and a Hokie trying to operate electronics led to multiple official reviews when the refs realized the clock's motion was completely uncorrelated to game action. While it is cute that the ACC tries to allow Virginia Tech to use nice stuff, the issues really disrupted the flow of the game.

Building an eight-point lead in the first place took an impressive comeback, as the Hoos trailed by nine in the first half and didn't retake the lead until a Jontel Evans layup with under eight minutes to play in the second. The Hokies built their lead on some poor three-point defense by UVA, combined with plenty of luck. Tech sunk 8 of their first 11 three-pointers to overcoming a potential weakness of the pack-line defense. However, this weakness is eliminated with hard close-outs on these attempts, and that's what we saw later in the second half. From the 13:02 mark to the 4:35 point, Tech was stuck at 49 points; in fact, they converted just one field-goal in those last 13 minutes.

The comeback was spearheaded by Mike Scott, Jontel Evans, and the re-emergent Sammy Zeglinski. Evans and Scott closed the first-half lead by combining for 11 points in the final four minutes. Scott finished with 20 points on 9-16 shooting, including a made three-pointer, as he continues to make his case as runaway ACC Player of the Year. Jontel was also key, making all four of his shots and drawing seven fouls in the process on his way to 13 points.

No points were more unlikely than his 30-foot three-point bank shot as the shot-clock expired. Sammy Zeglinski sent the ball Evans's way as the clock ticked to 0:01, and he threw the ball up as it ran out. Watching the replay, it appeared as if the clock had hit zero with the ball still in his hand; however, after a closer look, the clock appeared to be misaligned once again, as neither the buzzer nor the backboard lights indicated time was up. Announcer Jay Williams terrified Wahoo fans when he told viewers that the play could be reviewed later....but he was wrong on that one. (Don't worry, this one is in the books).

Sammy Zeglinski started off shaky, missing a poor early shot, fouling on a three-point attempt, and committing a bad turnover. However, he redeemed himself with a strong second-half performance, finishing with 13 points on 5-9 shooting, 3-7 from behind the arc, three assists, and two steals. I still would like him to take smarter shots, recognizing the game situation...but I'll take this Sammy any day.

The performances of freshmen Paul Jesperson and Darion Atkins can't be overlooked either. Jesperson had his best game yet, playing a career-high 28 minutes and scoring seven points, two of those the game-winners off an offensive rebound. He committed just one turnover, on miscommunication with Mike Scott, while his length continues to give opponents fits defensively. UVA's injury trouble means that he'll be increasingly important to the team. Atkins played just 11 minutes and didn't factor into the box score offensively. However, his rise as a defensive stopper has been noticeable, as he picked up two key blocks tonight and shut down the lane when he played.

Malcolm Brogdon's health becomes a major concern for the shorthanded team. He described the pain as "throbbing," and would not have reentered if it weren't for the fouled-out guards. Joe Harris's hand still limits him, most notably when he failed to come down with a late offensive rebound - the officials would award the Hokies with a timeout while the ball rolled loose on the floor. The call was especially ironic after the refs did not grant Harris a timeout when he called one as he fell out of bounds with possession. There is nothing more infuriating than an official who makes a mistake because of lack of familiarity with the rules, and this was one of those times.

Beating the Hokies is lots of fun. You get to witness Hokie-hater Mike Scott giving a piggy-back ride to a beaming Jontel Evans as they leave the court. You have the usual ceremonial game-stoppage to allow Hokie fans to toss bottles at the UVA bench. You see VT head coach Seth Greenberg writhing on the floor, banging on it and kicking the scorer's table in what is one of the more embarrassing traditions in college basketball. (Just imagine Tony Bennett acting like this, it's a hysterical thought.) The only thing missing was a classic Jeff Allen ejection - boy, do I miss him. Most importantly of all, however, UVA now has a firm grasp on the ACC's 4-seed and accompanying first-round bye, as Miami and NC State both fell earlier in the night. Both teams are now 7-6, effectively giving Virginia, who holds the tie-breaker, a two-game lead.

We all know what comes next. The Tar Heels visit Saturday, entering a sold-out John Paul Jones Arena that will be ready to absolutely explode. A win would all but lock up an NCAA Tournament bid and give students a much-deserved chance to rush the court (YES, we deserve it). The Hoos won a true dog-fight tonight, and the team will have some time to refocus before what promises to be another battle. There will be lots to discuss before that game, such as "Do we have any available players," and we'll try to answer those right here in the coming days.

Virginia Lacrosse Shuts Down VMI 19-5

2012-02-22T06:15:32Z

The VMI Keydets struck first, but Steele Stanwick sparked a 6-0 run to lead the No. 1 Virginia Cavaliers to a 19-5 victory to improve to 2-0 on the season. With seven points coming from two goals and five assists, Stanwick broke his long drought of games without any points at all...one. The Hoos are now 19-0 against VMI.

Ten different Cavaliers found the back of the cage in tonight's home opener at Klockner. Matt White and Mark Cockerton each led the way with three goals apiece. Along with Stanwick, Chris Bocklet, Owen Van Arsdale, Colin Briggs and Matt Cockerton all had two goals. Chris Clements, Ryan Tucker and Chris LaPierre all made it into the box score as well, with one goal each.

Virginia struggled tremendously on face-offs tonight, winning only eight of 28 attempts. Specialist Ryan Benincasa won 4 of 13, while Mick Parks won 3 of 10.

Senior Rob Fortunato only needed to play 30 minutes in the cage tonight, where he gave up three goals and had four saves to pick up the win. Redshirt freshman Austin Geisler saw 19:29 in playing time, adding a save and not giving up any goals. Conor McGee had a quiet 4:47 in the cage, while Rhody Heller gave up two goals and made one save in 5:44 of playing time.

Virginia hosts a down Stony Brook this weekend (down? Or regressed-to-the-mean?). The Seawolves lost their season opener to Fairfield in large part due to a 5-1 run in the third period. The game is scheduled to face off at noon and will be on ESPN3.

Baseball's Terrible Weekend in Myrtle Beach Comes to a Close

2012-02-22T01:51:36Z

It has been about nine or ten years since UVa baseball fans had to deal with a .500 record or worse after the initial weekend of the season. We're in new territory UVa fans, but I see bright times in the not so distant future.

Saturday the Hoos ended up having to play a doubleheader against host Coastal Carolina and interstate rival James Madison due to inclement weather that ended up not even waiting til Sunday! As Michelle Tanner would say, "How wude!"

In the initial game of the day, the Chanticleers (that's right, named after Chaucer's character in the Canterbury Tales). The Cavs put on by far their best performance of the weekend against the team who many regarded to be their best competition. Starting pitcher Whit Mayberry had his best performance since UNC in the ACC tournament last season throwing 6 innings, striking out 4, giving up only 2 earned runs, and not issuing a single walk. The bullpen closed out the game giving up only one run on two hits the final three innings. At the plate, 4th year Jared King paced the team with four RBIs, 2 runs, and 3 hits including a three run home run in the seventh inning. The Hoos ended up winning 9-3 to improve to 1-1 on the year and raced over BB&T Coastal Field after the game.

After traveling across Myrtle Beach, the Hoos arrived at the Myrtle Beach Pelican's stadium to take on the Dukes in the final game of the weekend. JMU entered the game coming off two losses to BC and Coastal. Scott Silverstein took the rubber for the Hoos and pitched a solid five innings giving up 2 runs (1 earned) while not surrendering a hit. Neither team was very good at the plate, but unfortunately UVa's defense assisted JMU in staying in the game. The UVa pitching staff only gave up three hits and four runs but only earned two of those runs.

The bats that caught fire late in the Coastal Carolina game cooled down a bit in the nightcap. Nobody in the lineup was able to record a multihit game but Colin Harrington paced the offense with two RBIs and a run scored on a hit and a walk. The bright side of the Hoos at the plate was that they were able to earn five walks and only struck out a single time. I mentioned in the recap of the BC game that they were going to have to limit their strikeouts while earning more walks and they were able to do that late Saturday. The boys ended up with a tie against JMU and I have no doubt they know their defense let them down.

I imagine most are looking at the 1-1-1 record and asking "What?! WHY?!? Thank GOD we have lax!" (again, looking at you Brian) but I still don't think the sky is anywhere near falling. If you look at the game they lost and tied, passed balls, wild pitches, and errors lead to a loss and a tie. I will contribute these to nerves being the first weekend. Remember, there is a good amount of inexperience on the field and it takes a few weeks to let the nerves settle and get back to just playing baseball.

Fortunately, the next few games on the schedule should be an opportune time for the young players to get used to the field and the veterans to show them how to do that. Hoos take on William and Mary in the home opener on Wednesday and will look to right the ship and get in to a winning groove.

UVA vs Virginia Tech Basketball: Game Thread

2012-02-21T23:48:12Z

What: No. 25 Virginia Cavaliers (20-6, 7-5 ACC) vs. Virginia Tech Hokies (15-12, 4-8 ACC

Time: 9:00 p.m.
Date: February 21, 2012
Place: Cassell Coliseum
TV: ESPNU
Radio: Virginia Sports Radio Network

Spread: Virginia -2; Pomeroy: Virginia 56, Virginia Tech 53 (64%)
Last Meeting: Virginia 45, Virginia Tech 47
Last Time Out: Virginia Tech 74, Georgia Tech 73
Series: Virginia leads 81-53

In the last meeting between these two teams, senior forward Victor Davila was stuck to Mike Scott like glue, and while the stats don't show it, he was probably the biggest factor in effectively shutting down the big man. He has missed the last two games, though, and is listed as a game-time decision today as a result of a groin injury, for which he received an MRI today.

Virginia made a total of 15 baskets during the last meeting between the two teams. That...must get better. There's really nothing more to say and no other way of saying it. You don't win games on 32.6% shooting.

Virginia Tech's game notes say that an "interesting side note" is that of the Hokies' 11 active scholarship players, only three had meaningful action in past previous seasons, and five of them are freshmen. You know what I consider to be an interesting side note? That of Virginia's nine active scholarship players, one has a broken ankle and one has a broken hand. This is why we can't have nice things.

I also love this tidbit, from Virginia's game notes. "70 is a magic number" -- this is a "story line" that the media relations folks have been using since last year. Under Tony Bennett, in games where the Hoos have scored 70 or more, Virginia is 24-2, as opposed to 27-35 when failing to reach 70. But now, with this new and improved team, the media relations folks have dubbed that "60 is the new 70." Virginia is 16-0 this season when scoring at least 60 points, and 4-6 when failing to do so.

Big game for Virginia tonight. Some consider this a must-win, others do not. Everyone agrees that I will personally rage out if we don't get the job done.

Leave your pre-, in- and post-game thoughts here and Go HOOS!

Could Virginia land the next Jeremy Lin, right out of Hampton Roads?

2012-02-21T16:56:45Z

The Chinese/Taiwanese-American Knicks star Jeremy Lin has been the focus quickly become the hottest thing since sliced bread. Could the next Lin be hanging out....right here in the commonwealth of Virginia? Yahoo! Sports' Prep Rally thinks so, and the recruit, 6-foot-2 point guard Chris Tang of Hampton Roads Academy (Newport News, Va.), has caught the eye of Virginia head coach Tony Bennett, as well as others.

According to Prep Rally, Tang, just a sophomore, is already receiving interest from Virginia, Virginia Tech, Maryland, Davidson, and none other than Harvard. Prep Rally notes Tang's exception court vision, ability to cut into the lane, vertical ability and agility. At 15, he's already had a 41- and 42-point performance this year.

The Chinese point guard moved to the U.S. in eighth grade and has lived with a foster family since. He's also a Boo Williams AAU product, as were current Cavaliers Jontel Evans and Mike Scott, as well as UVA legend Bryant Stith, among others.

Here's a highlight reel from Scouts Focus, or you can read the full Prep Rally article here.