Thursday, March 27, 2008
Season's conclusion raises questions about Soroye
Harris situation equally mysterious
Doug Doughty
Doug Doughty's UVa Insider is exclusive to roanoke.com and is posted by 5 p.m. Thursdays in season.
See Doug and Randy talk sports every week with the Sports edition of the TimesCast
Recent columns
Some Virginia men’s basketball teams would have been happy to win six of their last 10 games, but, by the time the Cavaliers righted themselves this year, the season was too far gone.
The Cavaliers were done in by an 11-game stretch between Jan. 3 and Feb. 12 in which they lost 10 games. UVa’s greatest shortcoming was defense and even when the wins came more frequently at the end of the season, the defense wasn’t much better.
I doubt I’m the only person who wonders if 6-foot-11, 252-pound post man Tunji Soroye would have made a difference. After undergoing preseason knee surgery, Soroye missed seven games before making his season’s debut Dec. 30 against Hartford.
He played three minutes against Hartford, came back five days later and played five minutes against Xavier, then sat out the rest of the season with a back injury.
Soroye meets all the criteria for a successful hardship appeal that would enable him to return for a fifth year in 2008-2009, but there are several issues to be addressed first.
Soroye said he would be interested in returning in 2008-2009 but the Cavaliers do not have an available scholarship. However, Soroye recently told Charlottesville beat writer Whitelaw (rhymes with “outlaw”) Reid that he would consider taking out a loan in hopes of obtaining a Master’s degree.
My first inclination is to think it’s a no-brainer. Think how much better Virginia would have been with a presence like Soroye’s in the middle. Soroye could block shots, a threat that did not exist without him.
“I definitely would like to see him come back,” said Mamadi Diane, who had a team-high 22 blocks for the season, including one of two UVa blocks Wednesday night in a 96-85 loss to Bradley.
Problem is, we remember Soroye at his best. He had 11 rebounds and four blocks at Maryland last year and was instrumental in a 69-65 victory at Comcast Center. But, in 81 career games, he has reached double-figure rebounds once. He has had three games with four blocks and one game with three.
The last time I saw Soroye, which was the only time I saw him this year, he was chasing after a loose ball at Xavier and could not bend down to pick the ball off the floor. Who knows? Maybe he needs surgery.
It’s always something with Soroye. One summer, he contracted malaria, which prevented him from gaining weight. The next year, it was a sports hernia. Then knee surgery. Then, his back. Big bodies are like that.
There’s little risk if you bring Soroye back. He’s a character guy who’s not going to cause any problems in the locker room, but maybe it’s best to get a full medical report first.
With the Cavaliers at the NCAA scholarship limit and still recruiting players for 2008-2009, there’s something of a cloak of secrecy surrounding the program now. Coach Dave Leitao had few answers Wednesday when asked if the Soroye matter is near resolution.
“It’s not even close,” Leitao said. “We’ve been finishing out the season and, again, nothing is changed nor can I tell you anything different than what I said a month ago or two weeks ago or a month ago.
“It’s not a decision where Tunji can say, ‘This is what I’d like to do,’ or coach Leitao can say, ‘This is what I’d like to do.’ There’s a lot of avenues to this that have to be talked about. Medical issues and a lot of other issues.
“We may both want something to happen and it may not happen. Or vice versa. That process will start once the season comes to an end.”
Although media relations director Rich Murray had invited the media to ask two more questions, there was no second question after Jeff White asked about Soroye.
Wednesday probably was not the time to ask about Will Harris.
HARRIS, BY THE WAY, has not played since an 11-minute appearance Jan. 30 at Maryland. At the ACC Tournament, he and Sammy Zeglinski sat in the crowd.
While some may have interpreted that as a slap, the reality was, there is a limit on the number of players that a team can have in uniform at the tournament. Since Harris and Zeglinski were unable to play, walk-ons Andy Burns and Will Sherrill filled out UVa’s 15-player allotment.
Zeglinski is still walking with a boot almost two months after foot surgery, although he has ditched his crutches. His redshirt appeal should get a rubber stamp.
Harris played in game No. 18 of UVa’s 33-game season, so he can’t get an extra year. That was his 15th game, which represents too high a percentage to meet the hardship requirement, plus he played in the second half of the season, which is another stipulation.
Harris, too, has a back issue. However, little has been sent about the extent of the injury or the prognosis for a full recovery.
