Thursday, December 20, 2007
Meyinsse performance may increase his role
Jones continues to struggle
Doug Doughty
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If I were one of the five injured Virginia basketball players who were unavailable for the Cavaliers’ game Wednesday against Hampton, I might want to do everything possible to speed up my recovery.
The Cavaliers’ train may be ready to leave the station without them.
In particular, Ryan Pettinella and Lauris Mikalauskas had to take notice of the nine-point, nine-rebound performance turned in by Jerome Meyinsse when he was given 22 minutes of playing time in a 79-65 victory over Hampton.
Meyinsse has been largely ignored in discussions of the 2007-2008 season or even 2008-2009. That’s when newcomers Assane Sene and John Brandenburg will be joining the program and most observers figure they will offset the departure of Pettinella and fellow senior Tunji Soroye.
With the scant playing time (33 minutes) he had given Meyinsse until this point, coach Dave Leitao had not given much indication that Meyinsse figured prominently in his plans.
Of course, this is low-major Hampton we’re talking about, but could Leitao have counted on nine points and nine rebounds from Pettinella or Mikalauskas? Pettinella had started the first eight games of the season before shin splints intervened and Mikalauskas took his place against Longwood.
Mikalauskas was not in uniform Wednesday as the result of shoulder issues and, while Pettinella was dressed out, he only would have played in an emergency. Also sidelined were Soroye (knee), Solomon Tat (abdomen) and guard Sammy Zeglinski (foot).
Soroye and Tat haven’t played all season as the result of preseason operations, but both have returned to practice and should be available after the start of the year, if not sooner.
Freshman Mike Scott started at center and contributed 15 points and six rebounds, but it’s no longer a surprise when he plays like that. Scott has been playing out of position, seeing more time at center than forward, but nobody doubts that he has a bright future. He’s been playing that way for a while now.
You can get away with playing Scott (6-8, 233) at center if there is another power player on the floor with him. Natural small forward Adrian Joseph has been a surprisingly good rebounder to date but Virginia may need more of a post presence when the ACC schedule starts.
It would help if Meyinsse (6-8, 245) were a little taller, but he has put on muscle since the end of the 2006-2007 season. Besides, if he were 6-10, maybe he wouldn’t have been available in the spring of his senior year in high school.
With the return of the four injured forwards or centers, Leitao has “got some decisions to make or they’ve got decisions to make based on how well they perform,” he said.
Meyinsse bulled his way to the hoop on several occasions but also made a nifty turnaround and attempted a jump hook.
“Mike would probably rival [Meyinsse] as the two guys in the low post who have the best touch,” Leitao said. “What I’ve tried to get Jerome to do – and coach [Steve] Seymour does a real good job with the big guys – is to stop banging guys so much.
“He’s always taking it into the teeth of [the defense]. He’s got a terrific turnaround jump shot, he can face up and shoot the ball. That is more how he can be effective. Getting the shot off without the defense banging him is to his advantage.”
Another subtle shift Wednesday night was Leitao’s decision to start Calvin Baker ahead of freshman Jeff Jones in the second half. Jones finished with six points and two assists in 14 minutes, but missed two more 3-pointers and is now 0-for-11 from behind the arc except for a 5-for-7 night at Arizona.
“Jeff continued to be a little bit passive on the perimeter, not taking it into the teeth,” Leitao said. “He got a little bit confused when we were switching [defensively] and we were only up four, so I just decided to go with the stability that Calvin was giving us.”
In the context of a 76-57 victory over Longwood, described by Leitao as one of UVa’s most uninspired efforts of his tenure, it was reasonable to think that he might “go off” again Wednesday. But, the Cavaliers found a way to right themselves and his parting impression was positive.
“I’m going to keep asking for more,” Leitao said. “It was better today than it was against Longwood, but we’ve still got a ways to go, particularly at the defensive end. I always tell the guys, ‘If you guard a man and a half, and you do the math, they’ve got five and we’ve got more than five.’
“I was wondering how we would play after a 12-day layoff. We hadn’t played really good basketball before then and we were [going up against] a team that is pretty difficult because they play in a way that disrupts your rhythm. That’s why teams average 55 [or] 56 points against them.
“Do I think we played a great game? No. But, I thought we played pretty well, given the circumstances, not just the layoff but the injuries. It makes you think you’re on the road to becoming a better team.”
