CHARLOTTESVILLE – My football obligations kept me in the States last weekend – USC doesn’t visit every day, you know – but I’ve talked to several people, Dave Leitao among them, who were in Montreal for the U.Va. basketball team’s three exhibition games.

Leitao had countless questions about his team heading into the trip, and many of them remain unanswered, including this one:

Who’s going to take the big shot for U.Va. late in a close game?

In Leitao’s first three seasons at Virginia, point guard Sean Singletary dominated the ball, but never more so than at the end of tight games.  The games in Montreal were the Cavaliers’ first without Singletary, who after brief stops in Sacramento and Houston has landed in Phoenix with the Suns, and his absence was felt most Sunday morning. 

After posting one-sided wins Saturday over St. Lawrence College and Concordia University, Virginia found itself in a close game Sunday against McGill University and didn’t handle the situation well.  U.Va. led 80-75 with 3:02 left but ended up losing 88-83.

There’s no guarantee Singletary would have rescued the ‘Hoos against McGill, but there’s no question the ball would have been in his hands.  With Singletary gone, Leitao’s most assertive player is probably Calvin Baker, but the junior guard doesn’t always make great decisions with the ball, especially when he’s passing.

Senior swingman Mamadi Diane, who didn’t play in Montreal because of an injury, might be another late-game option, but he’s not known for creating his own shot.  Same with sophomore shooting guard Jeff Jones.

Maybe the ball goes inside to sophomore power forward Mike Scott, the team’s best low-post scoring threat.  Or perhaps point guard Sammy Zeglinski, who redshirted last season because of an injury, drives into the lane and passes the ball out to a shooter on the wing.

Or maybe, just maybe, Sylven Landesberg ends up being U.Va.’s go-to guy.  He’s only a freshman, but the 6-5 guard from Queens was a McDonald’s All-American last season, and he has an old-school game that includes an uncanny ability to get in the lane and score or get fouled.  Landesberg looked great in Virginia’s first two games in Canada but then “hit the wall”  against McGill, as an assistant put it.  Landesberg also showed in Montreal that he’s capable of playing point guard when needed.

One final thought on Virginia’s Canadian experience: A person who made the trip told me the most pleasant surprises were probably Landesberg, junior center Jerome Meyinsse and sophomore guard Mustapha Farrakhan.  Meyinsse averaged 8 points and 7 rebounds, and Farrakhan, a non-factor as a freshman, averaged 7.3 points.

Moving on ....

With two commitments for 2009-10 – from Bethel High point guard Jontel “Bub” Evans and small forward Tristan Spurlock – Leitao may be finished recruiting in that class.  But Virginia is pursuing several prospects in the Class of 2010, among them John Marshall High forward Travis McKie, whose father played at Auburn and Virginia Union, and Courtland High forward Josh Hairston.

Hairston, whom Rivals.com ranks No. 14 among the nation’s 11th-graders, is likely to end up at Duke, but he’s planning an unofficial visit to U.Va. on Saturday.  Virginia’s coaching staff hopes that Spurlock, who’s now at Word of Life Christian Academy in Springfield, and Evans will be in town Saturday for the football game at Scott Stadium and can help with the recruitment of Hairston.

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Posted by Jeff White in • College Sports • University of Virginia
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