He has never fully materialized as an offensive threat and his ball-handling is suspect at best, but when senior Assane Sene fractured his right ankle Jan. 20, the 7-foot center left a big hole in the Virginia men's basketball team's already undersized lineup.
During an ugly 47-45 home loss to Virginia Tech last Sunday, then-No. 15 Virginia (15-3, 2-2 ACC) received its first taste of its next six weeks without Sene, and although his 4.9 points per game would likely not have salvaged the Cavaliers' woeful shooting night, Sene's absence forced the Cavaliers to make uncomfortable adjustments.
"We miss him a lot," junior guard Jontel Evans said. "He's a great communicator. He really helps on the weak side so it was tough playing without him."
During his four years at Virginia, Sene has established himself as a potent shot-blocker, and the Cavaliers' interior defense suffered without his post presence. Although Sene incurred his share of fouls defensively, the massive height and wingspan he displayed when showing on the perimeter on opponents' ball screens, as well as when altering shots in the paint, unquestionably aided Virginia's hot start.
Without Sene, offensive specialists like senior forward Mike Scott and sophomore guard Joe Harris shoulder a greater burden defensively, matching up for longer increments against bigger opponents. As the season wears on, those scorers may exhaust their energy on defensive duty and struggle to find their feet for crunch-time shots. Against Virginia Tech, a worn-down Virginia team missed six of its final 10 free throws and made just one of 14 from three-point range.
"I think there is so much energy consumed when you're in those physical games, and it's a grind that sometimes you don't have your legs or you're just a little off," coach Tony Bennett said. "You can't all of a sudden change who you are. Assane's not in the lineup, so you have to play to your strengths and do the things you have to do."
Bennett switched to a four-guard rotation in the second half against Virginia Tech, and although it helped Virginia cut into a 26-19 deficit, it also forced Harris, who currently averages 12.5 points per game, to adopt a less natural four-spot position.
"We haven't done that a lot this year because when we've had Assane and at least we've had four interiors, we've had a good rotation," Bennett said. "But with our numbers being shortened, you have to consider that at times."
This is not Harris' first time switching from his more accustomed swing position - after Scott suffered a season-ending ankle injury last season, Harris adopted a more active role in the paint. Harris handled the transition effectively last year, averaging 10.4 points per game, and assumed the role competently again Sunday night, finishing with seven rebounds, including four offensive boards.\nStill, few teams would ask their second-leading scorer and most consistent outside shooter to shift positions. Then again, few teams have endured such a rapidly thinning roster as No. 19 Virginia.\nThe Cavaliers lost two players in two days when both sophomore guard KT Harrell and redshirt freshman forward James Johnson decided to transfer Dec. 23 and Dec. 24, respectively.
The 6-foot-9 Johnson would have been an obvious candidate to fill Sene's void, but since his departure, Scott, sophomore forward Akil Mitchell and freshman forward Darion Atkins stand as the only Virginia players taller than 6-foot-6.
Both Mitchell and Atkins have traditionally served as sparks off the bench, but now Bennett must ask Mitchell to log starter's minutes and put Atkins in situations with which he is neither familiar nor necessarily comfortable.
Mitchell was quiet during his 25 minutes as a starter Sunday night and pulled down just one rebound in a game in which Virginia badly needed his height on the boards. Bennett understands, however, that he must be patient when asking players to adopt more active identities.
"Anything we can get out of [Mitchell and Atkins] is big for us," Bennett said. "We'll look for that without changing who they are and trying to [play] within their game."
Sene's absence prompts a trickle-down effect which poses added physical and mental challenges for each player on Virginia's roster.
"Assane is a huge part of our team because he's a such a great team player on both ends of the basketball," Harris said. "He does a great job screening for guys and getting people open on the offensive end ... He's kind of that leader, the anchor of our defenses, always talking and helping guys out. So it was a little bit weird not having him out there, but we're going to have to adjust, and I think we will"
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