UVa. wins nailbiter at Virginia Tech, 61-59
A 17-2 second-half run erased an eight-point deficit, and Virginia held on after losing its starting guards to foul trouble in the final two minutes to post a 61-59 win over Virginia Tech in Blacksburg Tuesday night.
The Hokies had won two of their last three on buzzer-beaters, and had a chance to win another one at the end after Akil Mitchell missed the front end of a one-and-one with 22.5 seconds left. Tech coach Seth Greenberg called timeout to set up a game-winning play, but his team never got a shot off.
UVa. (21-6, 8-5 ACC) had several chances to close the game out down the stretch, but missed the front ends of three consecutive one-and-ones in the final minute to leave the door open. Continue reading “UVa. wins nailbiter at Virginia Tech, 61-59” »
#24 UVa. holds off Seattle, 83-77
Senior forward Mike Scott scored a career-high 33 points and grabbed 14 rebounds to lead the No. 24 Virginia men’s basketball team to an 83-77 victory over Seattle University Wednesday night (Dec. 21).
It was the second game of a two-game road trip to the Pacific Northwest for the Cavaliers. UVa opened the trip with a 67-54 win at Oregon on Sunday (Dec. 18).
The victory was the eighth in a row for the Cavaliers and improved their record to 10-1 on the season. It was the sixth consecutive loss for the Redhawks who now have a record of 2-8. The game marked the first time this season a UVa opponent scored more than 58 points. Continue reading “#24 UVa. holds off Seattle, 83-77” »
Medical waiver granted: Scott gets fifth season
The Atlantic Coast Conference has approved the medical hardship waiver request for Virginia men’s basketball player Mike Scott, providing Scott another year of eligibility in 2011-12.
Scott, a 6-8 forward from Chesapeake, Va., underwent two operations on his left ankle during his fourth season with the Cavaliers in 2010-11 and missed 21 games. He played in 10 games, starting nine, and averaged 15.9 points and 10.2 rebounds a game. Continue reading “Medical waiver granted: Scott gets fifth season” »
Mike Scott: The comeback kid
The conventional wisdom that had been forming on Virginia senior Mike Scott: If he ends up needing to miss the rest of the 2010-2011 season due to the lingering ankle injury that had sidelined him since September, he won’t be coming back.
My individual wisdom on this: He’s probably not an NBA talent, but he’s definitely got a career overseas. Scott is a little light at his 6-8 to bang in the post with the NBA’s elite, but his athleticism around the basket and range on his jumper would suit him well to the game in Europe.
Another year of college isn’t going to do him much good as far as that goes, my line of thinking went. It’s not like he’s going to suddenly bulk up to 250, 260, keep his athleticism, and play his way into the NBA draft – any more than a year overseas could show NBA scouts what he could do against pros, and at least he’d be getting paid.
So the news that Scott plans to come back for a fifth year pending a medical redshirt that UVa. expects he will get from the NCAA took me by surprise. And after talking briefly with Scott on Tuesday about the decision, I have to say, Good for him.
“As far as a professional career, I think I had a pretty good season so far, but still definitely more room for improvement,” Scott told me.
Through 10 games of what was to have been his swan song on Grounds, Scott was putting up first-team all-ACC numbers – 15.9 points per game and 10.2 rebounds per game. And he was doing it as the obvious focal point of opposing defenses as Virginia’s only legitimate low-post threat.
Scott’s early run was reminiscent to this long-time Virginia basketball observer of power forwards of the recent past who turned up-and-down careers around in time for stellar senior seasons – think: Junior Burrough, Norm Nolan, Jason Cain.
The difference with those guys: They all had full senior seasons to show how far they had come.
“I don’t think I was really on anyone’s radar for me to just say, I’m done with college, I’m going to get my degree and try to play professional basketball,” Scott told me. “I don’t think I was ready yet. Another year for more improvement with the coaches to get me a little quicker and stronger, I think this will get me ready as far as being able to play professional basketball.”
Column by Chris Graham. More UVa. sports at VaSportsOnline.com.
Bad news for UVa. hoops: Scott to miss remainder of 2010-2011 season
The expected bad news regarding Mike Scott’s injured left ankle was confirmed Monday. The 6-8 senior will miss the remainder of the 2010-2011 season due to the need for a second operation on the ankle.
Scott, who leads Virginia in scoring (15.9 points per game) and rebounding (10.2 rebounds per game), had arthroscopic surgery on Dec. 16 to remove loose pieces of cartilage from the ankle. He returned to play just a week later, scoring 12 points and pulling down eight rebounds in 31 minutes off the bench in UVa.’s 59-53 loss to Seattle.
The ankle gave him problems in practice the following week, and he has not returned to the court since as Virginia has split four games in his absence, including a 62-56 loss to North Carolina on Saturday.
The second surgery will focus on the issues with cartilage and impinging bone spurs in the ankle. Scott will be expected to return to full physical activity in three to four months.
“Obviously we are going to miss having Mike on the court, but the most important consideration is what’s best for him,” Virginia head coach Tony Bennett said. “He will have the operation and focus on taking care of rehabilitating his ankle. In his absence all of our players will need to continue to step up and our young frontcourt players will continue to gain valuable experience.”
It is expected that the paperwork necessary to request a medical hardship enabling Scott to retain a year of eligibility will be filed.
Story by Chris Graham. More UVa. sports at VaSportsOnline.com.
Bad news for UVa. hoops: Scott to miss remainder of 2010-2011 season
The expected bad news regarding Mike Scott’s injured left ankle was confirmed Monday. The 6-8 senior will miss the remainder of the 2010-2011 season due to the need for a second operation on the ankle.
Scott, who leads Virginia in scoring (15.9 points per game) and rebounding (10.2 rebounds per game), had arthroscopic surgery on Dec. 16 to remove loose pieces of cartilage from the ankle. He returned to play just a week later, scoring 12 points and pulling down eight rebounds in 31 minutes off the bench in UVa.’s 59-53 loss to Seattle. Continue reading “Bad news for UVa. hoops: Scott to miss remainder of 2010-2011 season” »
Hot shooting pushes UVa. to 84-63 win over Howard
Mustapha Farrakhan made his first 11 shots from the field en route to a career-high 31-point night.
The only blemish in the box score: that last missed shot.
Farrakhan’s hot shooting paced a surprising 67 percent shooting night from Virginia in a fast-paced 84-63 win over Howard Tuesday night. Continue reading “Hot shooting pushes UVa. to 84-63 win over Howard” »
The young shall lead: Freshmen key to UVa. win
Freshman K.T. Harrell scored 15 points as homestanding Virginia posted a much-needed win, 64-50, over Louisiana State University Sunday in John Paul Jones Arena.
The Cavaliers (9-5) broke a two-game losing streak despite the absence of leading scorer and rebounder Mike Scott, who missed his second consecutive game relating to ankle surgery in mid-December.
LSU, too, was banged up, with starting forward Storm Warren sidelined with an Achilles tendon injury. Starting guard Ralston Turner, who scored 11 points, was also forced to the bench late in the game with a foot injury. Continue reading “The young shall lead: Freshmen key to UVa. win” »
UVa. 64, LSU 50: Not pretty, but … get used to it
Another night without Mike Scott, another wrenching performance, but Virginia also got another win.
“We have a ways to go, but it was a nice little performance,” said UVa. coach Tony Bennett after the Cavs’ 64-50 win over LSU Sunday night. Continue reading “UVa. 64, LSU 50: Not pretty, but … get used to it” »
Sans Scott: These Cavs are going to struggle
“Now we’re back to square one,” UVa. coach Tony Bennett said of the health issues of senior Mike Scott, whose bad ankle kept him off the court for Virginia’s lackluster 60-47 loss to Iowa State Thursday night.
He could also have been talking about his team as a whole. The defeat was the second in a row for the ‘Hoos, who have seen an 8-3 start that included wins over Minnesota and Virginia Tech turn into an 8-5 headscratcher. Continue reading “Sans Scott: These Cavs are going to struggle” »
‘Hoos, without Scott, knock off Oregon
Five minutes before tipoff, members of the Virginia media staff were handing out typed press releases announcing that Mike Scott, the ‘Hoos leading scorer and rebounder, would miss Friday’s game with Oregon after having arthroscopic ankle surgery on Thursday.
The first 10 minutes of the televised game in the John Paul Jones Arena went according to the new script. Oregon jumped out to a 15-6 lead, and Virginia had seven turnovers against the Ducks’ press.
Senior Mustapha Farrakhan was unfazed. “He came in when we were a little rattled and said, We’re going to be OK, we’re going to be OK,” coach Tony Bennett said of Farrakhan, who ignited a first-half flurry that got UVa. back into the game with a transition three, and later ignited the crowd in the second half in a sequence with Virginia up 35-31, blocking a shot and hitting another three on the wing on the ensuing fast break.
Oregon would get no closer than five points the rest of the way in what turned out to be a 63-48 Virginia win.
“Coach told us to stay in the moment and be thankful of the opportunity to play. We rallied behind each other and played together,” said Farrakhan, one of three Cavs in double figures with 17 points.
Freshman KT Harrell, starting in place of Scott, scored a game-high 20 points on 8-of-12 shooting from the field, on a dizzying array of midrange jumpers off screens in Bennett’s motion offense.
“I’m relaxed and playing my game, trying to be aggressive offensively,” Harrel said.
Sammy Zeglinski scored 12 for Virginia (7-3) in his second game back from October knee surgery.
Virginia shot 50 percent from the field despite getting just one field goal in four attempts from the nominal post players in Bennett’s rotation. Bennett went with a four-guard lineup in Scott’s absence out of necessity more than anything else.
“I’d look sometimes and there’s four freshmen and a sophomore, and I thought, Just hang on, what’s going to happen here. But fortunately from a matchup standpoint, we sizewise could match up with them with four guards,” Bennett said.
“I told the guys yesterday, I said, It’s going to be hard. You’re going to go through some rough patches. We’re without Mike, we’re without Will (Sherrill). I said, Embrace this challenge. That was my message to them on the day when I knew Mike was going to have surgery. I said, Just embrace this. Let’s take this challenge. I know it’s going to be tough,” Bennett said.
Bennett didn’t give any kind of definitive timetable for Scott’s return following the surgery. The coach said the injury occurred in practice last week and flared up again this week when Scott tried to play through pain in his ankle.
“It’s all about how quickly the swelling gets out and how functional he can be. I’m hoping it’s not too long,” Bennett said.
Story by Chris Graham. Chris can be reached at freepress2@ntelos.net.
Mike Scott: The comeback kid
Posted by afp on January 12, 2011 · Leave a Comment
My individual wisdom on this: He’s probably not an NBA talent, but he’s definitely got a career overseas. Scott is a little light at his 6-8 to bang in the post with the NBA’s elite, but his athleticism around the basket and range on his jumper would suit him well to the game in Europe. Continue reading “Mike Scott: The comeback kid” »
Filed under Blogs · Tagged with acc basketball, mike scott, tony bennett, uva. basketball, virginia basketball