Dear Coach Tony Bennett,
Hi, my name is Aaron and I have been a good boy this year. It looks like I'll end up with pretty good grades and I haven't gotten in too much trouble. I stopped believing in Santa Claus when I was 17, but I have my own Christmas wish list for you.
I would be appreciative if you could give me just one present this basketball season: a decent team that plays hard and plays smart - a team fans and I can really rally behind and support, even if it loses. Get us back to respectability, especially at home. JPJ was rockin' my first year when we went 16-1 at home. Slowly, however, the mystique surrounding our new arena deteriorated during the next two years, and our home court advantage has virtually disappeared. Bring the pride back!
Mr. Coach Bennett, hear my plea. I am a fourth-year student here at the University and I'm not sure if you heard, but I was recently forced to suffer through a dreadful final football season - the Cavaliers' worst since 1982. The team was 3-9 overall and, even more painful to watch, 1-6 at home. Truthfully, I kind of stopped caring, a horrible feeling considering I've been a passionate Virginia fan for more than 10 years now. The current situation is dire, but you can help out.
I love that Virginia's non-revenue sports' teams are successful. Men's soccer is still in action and will play Maryland in the NCAA quarterfinals tomorrow. Meanwhile, the women's basketball team is solid, if not great, and boasts one of the nation's finest players - Monica Wright - in addition to a host of promising young underclassmen. The spring season - when Cavalier teams really shine - is not too far away.
Still, men's basketball is the only other major sport remaining this year and thus marks my last major sport to witness as a student. This is where you come in.
Please have pity on my fellow fourth-year students and me and make something great happen for the Wahoos. I'm not asking for much - after all, this is only your first season. You must lay a foundation first, and it could take three years before you take the Cavaliers to the Big Dance. I'm not expecting the team to advance that far, but what I would like is for the team to exceed everyone's expectations.
As you know, your squad is picked to finish 11th in the ACC. Regardless of this preseason rank, you have at your disposal the reigning ACC Freshman of the Year, Sylven Landesberg. A solid supporting cast of Mike Scott, Sammy Zeglinski, Mustapha Farrakhan, Jeff Jones, Assane Sene and Will Sherrill, whose sweet spot apparently lies outside the arc - at least when he's south of the border - surround him. Taking all of these players into account, I know we can finish better than 11th in the ACC.
It would be a step in the right direction if we could win our first conference game of the season at N.C. State on Jan. 9. Though the Wolfpack are expected to be the worst team in the ACC this season, I'm sure you'd be happy to win your first conference game, regardless of the caliber of the opponent. The victory would also prove that this team is capable of playing tough on the road, a huge improvement after the Cavaliers struggled at South Florida and then in Cancun against Stanford to start the season. Playing well on the road has been a problem at Virginia as of late, especially for the two major sports teams, so I hope you can help rectify the frustrating situation.
Looking at the rest of the schedule, there are a few things I would like to request. First, a win against Virginia Tech at JPJ is paramount. I'm so tired of the Hokies beating us in football, and the way the Tech fans invaded Scott Stadium last Saturday was sickening. Don't ever let this happen at JPJ. Please. I know men's basketball is not football, and Hokie supporters will say it doesn't matter as much, but we all know they don't like losing to a bunch of Cavaliers at anything, and every victory against Virginia Tech is a satisfying one. A win in Blacksburg, too, would be especially sweet, but all I'd really like is the win at home. Wipe that silly smirk off Jeff Allen's face and give Seth Greenberg as many headaches as possible. Make him put his head down and rub that shiny dome in despair.
A win against Maryland in the regular season home finale would be pretty sweet, as well. The Terrapins are a hated rival - I dislike them even more in men's basketball than I do in football. There's nothing I love more than making the Terps mad and Gary Williams sweat. We took it to them last year when Terrapin fans tried to invade the JPJ student section. Our last two wins against Maryland really damaged the Terps' NCAA Tournament hopes, and the 2008 win marked a deciding factor in their failure to make the tourney that year. Mr. Coach Bennett, I've witnessed the Wahoos defeat the Terps every time they've visited JPJ during my time here - make it a sweep!
I'm tempted to ask for two major upset wins at home but I'll settle for one because I understand the ACC is an elite basketball conference. Last season, Virginia somehow found a way to defeat Clemson at home when the Tigers were ranked No. 12 in the nation, and I was shocked by the upset. We only recorded 10 wins last season, and I know you will lead us to more than 10 victories this year. A second upset at home, while not necessary, would be the icing on the cake. (By the way, this one win is in addition to the wins against Maryland and Tech.) It doesn't have to be against Duke on Feb. 28, but maybe you'll surprise me. You'd probably have a statue of yourself built alongside Jefferson in front of the Rotunda if you could pull off such an upset in your first year against what will probably be a top-10 ranked Blue Devil team. Still, I don't expect you to beat the Blue Devils, but is it too much to ask for the Cavaliers to at least make it an interesting and semi-competitive game?
As for the year as a whole, I would like five or six ACC wins - that would keep me happy. We won only won four conference games last year, so five or six would be a step up. All we need to get to postseason play is 15 wins during the regular season. This means you should try to get to the 10-win mark before ACC play starts, and that means winning out until then. Just thought you should know.
Mr. Coach Bennett, I love what I've seen out of the team early on this season. Even in losses, we've looked scrappy, especially in Monday's defeat against Penn State. I feel like this team is on the verge of doing great things with you as its coach, and I have high aspirations for your career here at Virginia. I know you can get men's basketball back to respectability. I've already noticed your recruiting class for next year is top-notch, with players hailing from across the country.
Essentially, all I'm asking for this season is a solid and hungry team we can all rally around. I think if I get that, I will also get what I've asked for in this letter. Thank you for reading. I will leave cookies out for you.
- Aaron
P.S. Any chance you ran into Chris Petersen during your time in the great Northwest? If so, tell him I said hi and that I love the way his offenses score points, and well, by golly, Virginia could sure use some of that. Find out what his favorite cookies are, would you?
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