The off-balance shot leapt from junior forward Lyndra Littles' fingers. The buzzer sounded as the ball flew wide left of the hoop. Air ball. Senior point guard and captain Sharneé Zoll collapsed to the ground in tears.
"It's a tough loss," Zoll said. "What I've known for four years has come to an end."
Many casual fans and followers of Virginia's women's basketball team may remember the 2007-08 season for a disappointing loss in the second round of the NCAA Tournament against Old Dominion. More holistic observers, however, might recall different events. Perhaps they'll think of big events, like Zoll breaking the ACC career assists mark or the dramatic victory against Clemson. Maybe smaller moments will stick with them, like senior captain, fan-favorite and former walk-on Tara McKnight's 15-point explosion against Rider or junior center Aisha Mohammed's 21-rebound performance at Florida State.
Those who regularly attended the Cavaliers' home games at John Paul Jones Arena might instead look back on the season as a series of sights and sounds: junior guard Britnee Milner's unceasing smile and hyperactive defense, McKnight hopping off the bench and being the first one to high-five her teammates at every timeout and coach Debbie Ryan having her way with referees, informing them that she's never seen a call like that even though she's "been in the game for 31 years."
No matter how fans ultimately look back on the Cavaliers' season, it seems certain how Zoll will be remembered: as one of greatest and most consistent players to ever wear the Cavalier uniform, one who helped revive a basketball program that had been lagging before her four years as a Virginia starter.
"I don't know if words can describe what Sharneé has meant to our team," Ryan said. "I haven't had many players in my life that have taken on as much responsibility as she has and just carried the torch the way that she has under adverse conditions."
Zoll and McKnight are the only graduating seniors, meaning the Cavaliers' roster will remain relatively intact next year.
The team will look for even more success next season. Many of the key players in the Cavaliers' 24-10 season are returning, including sophomore guard Monica Wright, who led the team in scoring and was one vote away from being selected as Second-Team All-ACC, Littles, who averaged over 21 points and 13 rebounds in the last five games of the season, and Mohammed, who nearly averaged a double-double despite averaging fewer than 30 minutes per game.
Once next season begins, Ryan will have been inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame. In 31 seasons as a Cavalier coach, Ryan has notched a monumental 675 wins, averaging nearly 22 wins per season. With that vast resume of success, it might seem unlikely her 2007-08 squad would be particularly memorable, but Ryan insists this team is a special one.
"It'll be a team that will always be in my heart ... as a team that just fought through so many things and came out on top," Ryan said.
In the wake of a loss in front of an unfriendly crowd, Zoll and the Cavaliers walked off the court in a manner that certainly did not match the optimism and excitement the Cavaliers and their fans showed when ESPN announced the Cavaliers' impressive fourth seed in the NCAA Tournament. Instead of junior forward Abby Robertson leaping in the air and embracing her teammates, as she did after Virginia's ranking was shown on the JumboTron at John Paul Jones Arena, she had to solemnly comfort her teammates. McKnight dried tears off of her normally glowing face with her warm-up.
Instead of lamenting the Cavaliers' quick exit from the tournament, Ryan noted the team's growth, complimented the athletes' character, expressed her tremendous respect for Zoll and celebrated the program's bright future.
"This team means a lot to me," Ryan said. "They are a team that struggled at times, but it's more about how this team conducted itself off the court and conducted itself as Virginia Cavaliers that makes me extremely proud of them as a group. They have represented this program extremely well, both on and off the court, and carried this program back into the national limelight, which is where we belong"
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