It finally happened. After losing game after game by the smallest of margins, the Cavaliers finally broke.
In most of Virginia's losses, there have been bright spots. Somebody unusual has a breakout scoring night; one of the big men puts up double-digit rebounds; or Singletary puts on a dazzling display. But as Virginia coach Dave Leitao put it after one game, he never really took stock in the positives after poor overall performances. As he put it after the Cavs let recent Division I-addition Longwood hang around for much of the game in a Dec. 7 win against Longwood, "If you have a flat tire on your car, does it matter if it's shiny?"
Well, in this game, the car was pretty much totaled. And after freshman Mike Scott's comments about the overtime loss to Virginia Tech Saturday, was this all-out collapse such an unpredictable outcome? Much has been made of what Scott said after Saturday's game against Virginia Tech. For those of you who haven't read his remarks, they go something like this: The Cavaliers, and the freshmen in particular, are suffering from confidence issues because they are worried about being pulled by Leitao for making a mistake.
One of my fellow columnists at The Cavalier Daily, Kevin Zdancewicz wrote a column in yesterday's edition in which he sided with Scott, saying Leitao should not quite be so quick on the trigger. And let me first say that I respect Kevin's opinion, and more then that, admire him for the side he chose on this issue. It takes real guts to criticize someone with the stature of Dave Leitao.
Nevertheless, I must respectfully disagree with Kevin's assessment. It's not so much that I think that Leitao is in the right, but rather that Scott was in the wrong.
My first issue with was Scott said is not what he said, but to whom he said it. As a reporter, I am obligated to publish any content that would be of interest to the readership of this newspaper, and Scott's words certainly incurred plenty of interest. On the other hand, I must say that I was disappointed with the freshman for voicing his dissatisfaction to the media. If he had a problem with Leitao, he should have spoken to the coaching staff, an older teammate or someone else within the program and left it at that. I find it foolish and back-handed for any player, particularly a freshman, to use the media as an avenue for disapproval, with the rare exception of a leader who is trying to motivate his team. Scott, as a freshman who is only starting because of a depleted frontline, certainly has not yet earned leadership status, nor were his words in any way motivational.
Second, while Scott's feelings on his coach's style have changed from positive to negative, Leitao's ways have not wavered one bit. When Leitao was leading Virginia to a share of the ACC title and a fourth seed in the NCAA Tournament, was anybody questioning his methods? To the contrary, Leitao was a hero, the man who turned the Virginia basketball program into an ACC contender.
And, in case anybody has forgotten, Leitao was no different last year in his coaching manner. He was the same yelling, fiercely passionate head coach who would unhesitatingly yank a player at the slightest mental lapse.
And Scott had to know this coming to Virginia this year. If he was paying any attention when he was being recruited, he had to see Leitao for the coach that he is. He had to see Leitao demands perfection and is critical of anything less.
If you are a loyal reader of The Cavalier Daily, you know Leitao doesn't keep any secrets about his game manner. In a telephone interview I conducted with him that was published several weeks ago in this paper, he was very candid, saying simply that he feels that the yelling, quick substitutions, and generally harsh game demeanor are all things that he feels are necessary to being a head coach.
I am not in any way implying that I agree with Leitao's confrontational style, nor am I suggesting that I disagree; my stance is that a head coach should do what he feels necessary both for himself and for his team. As a member of the press who is essentially disconnected from the interaction between players and coaches outside of the game setting, I don't think I'm in a position to say whether his coaching style is a factor in Virginia's losing season or not.
What I am saying is that when things aren't going your way, it's all too easy to blame the coach, and Scott fell into this trap in the worst of ways. The fact of the matter is that if Scott is not the type of player who can handle the criticism that Leitao so regularly dishes out, he should have recognized that before he committed to this University, not halfway through a losing season in front of the press.
"That's something that every player in America deals with, having to go out there and worrying about other factors," junior Mamadi Diane said. "Everybody deals with it."
And that's exactly what Scott, and anyone else who feels the same way, needs to do: deal with it. Just go out and play hard and be happy with the minutes that you get on the floor.
Maybe then, the Cavs can pick up the pieces of their shattered team and try to salvage some semblance of a basketball season.
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