Chris Graham: Dumb move, dumping Greenberg
All Seth Greenberg did in Blacksburg was win 58 percent of his games in nine seasons.
Keep in mind that in the eight seasons prior to his arrival, Virginia Tech had won just 49 percent of its games, and that the program had gone a woeful 30-54 in the three seasons before Greenberg showed up in Southwest Virginia to take on the program’s latest rebuilding effort.
What Greenberg failed ultimately to do was live up to the expectations that his success had created among the fan base and administration, both otherwise fat and happy with the gold standard that is Virginia Tech football. Read more
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. Read more
Virginia Tech transfer eligible immediately for JMU
James Madison men’s basketball head coach Matt Brady announced Tuesday that incoming forward Gene Swindle, a transfer from Virginia Tech, has been cleared by the NCAA to compete immediately for the Dukes during the 2011-12 season.
“We’re absolutely delighted that Gene was granted immediate eligibility by the NCAA and we’re eager to welcome him to our team and our program,” declared Brady after the ruling.
Typically NCAA rules require transfers from one Division I institution to another to sit out a season. However, Swindle, who stands at 6’11″ and 260 pounds, was limited to less than one minute of action in three years with the Hokies. After redshirting as a freshman in 2008-09, he suffered an injury to his knee thought to be career ending during a Nov. 17 game against UNC Greensboro. He had one rebound and a missed field goal, his only official career statistics. Swindle then spent the 2010-11 season as an undergraduate assistant coach at VT before deciding to transfer to JMU and give basketball one more shot. He will be a redshirt junior for the Dukes for the 2011-12 campaign.
“I’m just thrilled to be honest after sitting out last year with an injury,” commented Swindle. “Just the fact that I’ve been cleared by the doctors and cleared by the NCAA means the world to me after everything I’ve been through. JMU is a good fit for me. I like the team and the coach and feel like I fit in pretty well with the program.”
Brady added, “He’s a terrific addition to a team that is coming together nicely for JMU in 2011-12. Gene brings terrific character, work ethic and an enthusiastic love of the game to JMU and our basketball program. It was unfortunate that things didn’t work out for him health-wise at Tech. I know they liked him as a player and a person, but JMU became an excellent opportunity for him and for us.”
Swindle originally hails from Miami, Fla. and played scholastically for three years at Gulliver Prep following his freshman year at Westminster Christian School. He was a three-time team captain while leading the Raiders to three straight district titles. Swindle averaged 15.3 points, 10.4 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game during his three years at Gulliver, highlighted by 18.0 points, 14.0 rebounds and 5.0 blocks as a senior. In addition, he helped the Gulliver water polo team to a state championship as a junior and was a member of the student council. Swindle competed in football and volleyball in addition to basketball as a freshman at Westminster.
ACC-Big 10 Challenge matchups announced
The 13th annual Big Ten/ACC Challenge Presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods on Nov. 29-30 will be highlighted by Duke at Ohio State and Wisconsin at North Carolina – four traditional power programs expected to be highly ranked entering the 2011-12 season – and an expanded format with new Big Ten member Nebraska.
ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPN3.com will combine to broadcast all 12 games of the two-day event, one more than in the previous 12 Challenges. Read more
Hokies' ACC run ends
An Erick Green layup at the 18-minute mark brought Virginia Tech within six, but an 11-2 Duke run pushed the lead back into double figures to stay as the #2-seeded Blue Devils topped the #6 seed Hokies 77-63 on Saturday in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals.
About 16 hours after an emotional 52-51 victory over Florida State, Tech (21-11) came out flat for Duke, which lost 64-60 at Tech two weeks ago. Read more
Hokies survive apparent buzzer-beater
Erick Green made an 18-footer with 4.5 seconds left to give Virginia Tech the lead, and an apparent game-winner at the buzzer by Florida State’s Derwin Kitchen was nullified by a lengthy official review, allowing the Hokies to escape with a 52-51 victory in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals Friday night.
#6 seed Tech (21-10) advances to play #2 seed Duke in Saturday’s semifinals – and perhaps more importantly appears to have all but sewn up an at-large berth in next week’s NCAA Tournament. Read more
The AFP on WREL: Senate Madness
Posted by afp on March 18, 2011 · Leave a Comment
The segment begins with a review of Virginia politics news. The focus in that sector is still on what Tim Kaine will or will not do regarding a potential run at the 2012 Democratic Senate nomination.
A look at the Virginia economy through the lens of state-revenue collections follows, and then the attention turns to the NCAA Tournament. Can Richmond make a run to the Sweet 16?
Filed under Blogs · Tagged with acc basketball, afp on wrel, jim webb, tim kaine, virginia politics, virginia tech basketball