Wahoo Wire

The Tony Bennett era begins this Friday, as Virginia opens its season against the Longwood Lancers.

The former Washington State coach brings a slow-down defense to a conference filled with high-flying offenses. He is counting on this style to make his first season in Virginia more enjoyable than his predecessor’s last one. The Cavaliers managed a mere 10 wins last year and promptly booted then head coach Dave Leitao. In replacing Leitao, Bennett offers a strong pedigree that includes an AP College Basketball Coach of the Year Award in 2006-07. He knows his job is to guide Virginia basketball back to ACC respectability.

A successful turnaround starts with Sylven Landesberg, the sophomore guard/forward who garnered ACC Rookie of the Year honors last season. If Landesberg can build on his 16.6 points and 6.0 rebounds per game, he could be one of the premier players in a talented conference.

Senior Calvin Baker and Sophomore Sammy Zeglinski will compliment Landesberg in the backcourt. Baker, who put up 8.4 points per game last year, is coming off knee surgery and will miss the season opener. Zeglinski showed promise as a freshman, averaging 7.8 points per game, but had a disturbing propensity for turnovers.

After a strong sophomore season in which he scored 10.2 points per game, junior forward Mike Scott will be Virginia’s second scoring option. Sophomore Center Assane Sene will likely round out the starting five, but will miss the Longwood matchup while serving a three game suspension.

The Cavalier team is relatively high on talent, but low on expectations. The ACC Preseason Poll projected Virginia to finish 11^th in the conference.

The team, however, does have arguably the easiest schedule in the ACC, with more than their fair share of the proverbial “cupcake” teams on tap.

Virginia takes on Cupcake #1 this Friday, in the form of Independent league Longwood University. However, the team knows not all desserts are as tasty as they appear, and the game may not be a cakewalk. As the Virginia football team demonstrated, season opening matchups should not be taken lightly.

Longwood finished a respectable 17-14 last season and return four starters this year. Senior guard and team captain Dana Smith will lead Longwood, having averaged 14.8 points and 6.4 rebounds during his 2008 campaign. Smith is also tough on the defensive end, boasting 60 career blocks.

Joining Smith in the backcourt is Senior Kevin Swecker. The guard posted 10.9 points a game last year, while showing a keen nose for the ball. His 72 steals last season ranked 24^th among Division I players.

Senior forward Billy Robinson and junior guard Durann Neil will also return as starters. Sophomore center Antwan Carter is the most promising candidate to fill out the starting five.

Although the Lancers are no pushovers, Bennett undoubtedly scheduled them as an early season confidence booster. This Friday, Virginia will look to capitalize on that matchup, and take its first step towards improvement. After suffering its worst season since the 1970’s, the team has plenty of room on the upside.