Mailbag: Lots more questions from conscientious UVA Basketball fans

Who calls the offensive sets during the game?

I don’t think Tony Bennett does from the bench; he would be standing up more during game.

I guess it would be who is at point. Used to be Kihei. Miss his no-look passes!

Kevin

Tony stands for most if not all of the game, from my view.

I don’t want to swear to this on a stack of holy books, but I seem to see whoever the point is looking over at him for a signal on the set that they’re going to work from within.

 

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I saw a lot of shots not taken in the Duke game by some good athletes. No urgency pushing it up the floor, no fast breaks.

David

I don’t mind the lack of fast breaks as much as the unimaginative halfcourt offense.

The game plan for Duke was horrible. The staff adjusted at halftime and ran decent offense in the second half – the high screen and rolls for Beekman are a simple play, but they worked – but the game was already over.

It’s no sin to lose, but it is a sin to not put the kids in a position to be able to win.

We’ve been writing about how Tony needs to hire an assistant from outside the Bennett family tree to bring some new thoughts into the room.

That would be my priority #1.

 

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No reason that a coach like Tony Bennett and a school as good as UVA should not get a five-star every other year and some good four-stars each year.  UNC, Duke, Kansas, Kentucky all got plenty of five-stars during the COVID time and after.  I know that Bennett is so particular in who he recruits.  If it is not a perfect kid, he backs off. Seems like after Austin Nichols, he never took a risk.

I just do not understand Bennett at this point.  Is he just so stubborn that he wants to prove he can win with his defense and his offense?  Or is it arrogance or blind faith? I think everyone agrees that the offensive system could use improvement. and there is plenty they could do.

The one thing I will say is that every NBA team, college team, high school team, even my below-average seventh-grade team runs the three-man handoff weave at the top of the key. Why? It helps reverse the ball, gets defenders moving and allows offensive players space to drive or kick out. I have never seen UVA (under Bennett) do this.  They might do one handoff, but I’ve never seen multiple handoffs. Why does every team run this, because it works. UVA could install this in five minutes because every kid on the team has done this in high school.

Russell

I don’t think it’s arrogance or stubbornness. I think, like everybody, Tony is just doing what he knows to do. He coaches basketball the way he was coached, and he has success with it.

It’s the same as me with my news business. There are probably better ways for me to do things, but I do what I do because it’s successful for me, and I’m comfortable with it.

I think that’s just human nature.

You’re old enough to remember that we had a long period of similar-level success under Terry Holland – good years, really good years, a few so-so years.

Then we had a similar period under Jeff Jones, before his run petered out (and the personal issues caught up to him).

Then Pete Gillen and Dave Leitao were … bad.

We went 12 years without winning an NCAA Tournament game, and only playing in two.

I hope Tony can get things moving back to where they were from 2013-2019 again. He’s the only guy who had us close to that level of success. I include Terry Holland in there, too, because outside of the Ralph years, he was a 20-win, get in the tournament, maybe win a game or two guy (still can’t explain 1984, but hey, that was magical).

 

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Let me begin by saying that Chris Graham is a fine journalist. He puts content out that is thoughtful and engaging. Tony Bennett has done some remarkable work in the past here in Charlottesville. Nobody is disputing the titles and all-time wins record, both very impressive.

But just because he has the keys to the city, and I believe the fan base has been largely spoiled rotten (I recall a blowout win in 2019 at JPJ v. Wake where even after a 23-point win, there was a collective sigh of boredom, from my section, at least), doesn’t make his program Teflon. Every season has highs and lows and adjustments to be made. Chris is merely doing what an impartial journalist should do. Report objectively based on facts and trends. If some readers don’t like, well, you got options.

The reality is this. This team has been fun to watch sometimes and utterly embarrassing at others. If you are a real bona fide fan, and you can’t take a little heat in the kitchen, then stay outside or go play pickleball. Chris has chastised me a few times when I was ready to abandon ship. It was his challenging my sometimes emotional responses to a lousy offense that got me to rise above my own pity and look at the long view.

I am not a compensated writer or contributor. I’m an average Joe who appreciates the content and who likes the full span of what’s covered. I’m tired of people crapping on the man. The harsh reality is Bennett is amazing, but he is human. The system doesn’t fit the personnel. If you don’t like it, then there’s plenty of other content you can find to pacify your excuse making.

Tony himself said after the UMBC loss that the lows take you to a place, and the lessons learned when you win couldn’t have been learned until you first lose together. Sorry if that’s poorly paraphrased. I’m proud to be an avid reader, but show this guy a little more grace. He has a degree from this place. And I’m sure it’s sometime painful to keep it funky as a fan and a journalist, but that’s what this fan base desires. And if you think about, you do, too. Keep the negative vibes coming, and it only makes the message stronger and solidified. But please, people, don’t shoot the messenger.

Bryan

Bryan’s words are way too kind.

Continue to give me crap if I deserve it.

(Sometimes I deserve it.)

It can get a little nonsensical. Some guy named Eugene keeps trolling me because he “heard from a lot of people” that I don’t like Tony Bennett.

I wonder where that BS came from …

(I don’t actually wonder. And it’s not “a lot of people”; it’s, like, three people, who use pseudonyms on a message board that is on its last legs.)

The good emails lead to the back-and-forths in these Mailbag columns.

The Eugenes … I should share some of those back-and-forths sometime.

UVA Basketball has its share of MAGA morons, is what I’m getting at there.