Thursday, March 20, 2008
Backcourt a big question mark for 2008-2009 Cavaliers
Has Leitao jinxed another shooter?
Doug Doughty
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I wasn’t taking notes, but I believe that Dave Leitao said on his radio show Monday night that Sammy Zeglinski is a really good shooter.
Leitao must not be superstitious.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have wanted to jinx Zeglinski.
The last time Leitao had something to say about the shooting ability of one of his freshmen, it was preseason media day and Leitao was talking about Mustapha Farrakhan.
“What I've noticed from him is that he can really, really shoot the basketball,” Leitao said. “I mean really shoot the basketball.”
I’ve watched Farrakhan in pregame warmups and he can really shoot the basketball during warmups, but he hasn’t been able to transfer that to the court.
Farrakhan is 7-of-38 from the field (18.4 percent) this season and has made only two of 16 3-point attempts (12.5 percent).
Farrakhan is 0-for-9 from the field in his last six games, including a seven-minute stint Tuesday in a 66-64 victory over Richmond, when he did not attempt a shot.
Farrakhan and fellow freshman shooting guard Jeff Jones were on the floor for a combined 17 minutes. Between them, they didn’t even attempt a field goal or grab a rebound.
Jones hit one of two free throws and Farrakhan got an assist but they also had four turnovers, several of the hapless variety, and Farrakhan had two personal fouls.
When J.R. Reynolds completed his eligibility last March, there was reason to believe UVa would find a competent replacement from among four newcomers -- Farrakhan, Jones, Zeglinski and Calvin Baker, who became eligible this year after transferring from William and Mary.
The only one who has come close to delivering is Baker, although Zeglinski hasn’t had a chance. He suffered an ankle injury in the preseason; then, not long after his return, he reinjured the ankle and underwent surgery.
Zeglinski meets the criteria for a successful hardship appeal and almost certainly will get an extra season of eligibility. But, as good a shooter as Zeglinski might be, his floor leadership will be crucial.
When senior point guard Sean Singletary picked up his second foul with 4:30 left in the first half Tuesday, Virginia led 29-22. Leitao sat him down for the remainder of the half and Richmond went on an 11-2 run.
In Zeglinski’s absence, Baker is the only UVa player capable of subbing for Singletary at the point, but Baker isn’t really a point guard. On Tuesday night, he wasn’t much of a shooting guard either, going 2-for-6 from the field and missing two late free throws when he could have given UVa a two-possession lead.
It wasn’t one of his best nights, but Baker is the kind of combo guard that Leitao likes. He has made more than 40 3-pointers for the season, including a game-winner at Georgia Tech, and he has 75 assists.
His 75-54 assist-turnover ratio is not what you’d want from an ACC-caliber point guard and he’s a little shaky at the free-throw line (66.0) but he works well as a third guard.
If Baker doesn’t start next year, who does? Zeglinski hasn’t played enough for people to know whether he’s an ACC-caliber point guard and his fellow freshmen, Jones and Farrakhan, have been a bust this season at shooting guard.
In ACC play, Jones is shooting 25.1 percent from the field, including 14.3 percent (2-for-14) on 3-pointers. He was 5-for-7 on 3-pointers in a 75-72 victory at Arizona that seems more shocking by the day, but he’s been 3-for-31 on 3’s the rest of the season.
Jones was the leading scorer in the history of the Philadelphia Catholic League and was at least as highly regarded by recruiters as Virginia Tech freshman Malcolm Delaney.
Compare their numbers: Delaney is averaging 9.2 points, with 41 3-point field goals and 98 assists. Jones is averaging 4.0 points, with eight 3-pointers, and 17 assists.
You could say that Delaney, averaging 27.1 minutes, has been given more of an opportunity. He’s also earned that opportunity. Jones has more starts than Delaney, 23-22, and you can believe they’d be leaving him out there if he were producing.
So, who’s the shooting guard next year? As of now, you’d have to pick Baker over Jones or Farrakhan, but what if Baker has to be the point guard? The “X” factor is high-scoring fall signee Sylven Landesberg, recently named a McDonald’s All-American.
When he committed to Virginia, Landesberg spoke about the possibility of playing point guard for the Cavaliers. At 6 foot 6, he would appear better-suited for the wing but who knows? None of the backcourt returnees has earned a starting job.
