A couple thoughts:
1) I hope that Virginia Sports TV does this every night after every practice. (Is that really too much to ask? Okay, I guess it is.) 2) Whether it's Jack Salt scoring over Mike Tobey, or Justin Anderson finding BJ Stith for the dunk, it's fun seeing the new recruits in action, playing with the "old guard." 3) Malcolm Brogdon is going to be unstoppable. He looks strong, and is going to be a force this season. Jeff White tweeted out a few Tony Bennett quotes - here they are:After @UVAMensHoops' first practice, Tony Bennett said his veterans have all improved in 1 or 2 areas. "I think they've put in the time."
— Jeff White (@JeffWhiteUVa) October 3, 2014For @UVAMensHoops' freshmen, the long practice was a grind. "I think they need to understand how hard they have to play," Bennett said.
— Jeff White (@JeffWhiteUVa) October 3, 2014After sweeping the ACC titles in 2013-14, @UVAMensHoops wants to build on that success. "Always thankful, never satisfied," Bennett said.
— Jeff White (@JeffWhiteUVa) October 3, 2014For @UVAMensHoops, there will be no "basking in reflected glory," Bennett said, or "looking in the rear-view mirror." On to 2014-15.
— Jeff White (@JeffWhiteUVa) October 3, 2014YES YES YES! We are ready!
Basketball practice is officially underway at JPJ, and we sit under 6 weeks from UVA's season-opener against JMU on November 14th.
What we learned:
1. CavMan is a little creepy. 2. Students are ready to #RockScott against Pitt Saturday. Go Hoooooos!Cav Man is absolutely fantastic in this video! Poor guy only gets rejected once, but HOOS ready to #ROCKSCOTT this Saturday night??
OMG OMG OMG
@Sportschannel8 put together this fantastic tribute to the Red Panda, who recently retired
Here's SBN's story about Red Panda' retirement. Whether you have seen her perform (at JPJ) or not, you have to watch because she's amazing. We'll miss you, Red Panda.The playful, happy atmosphere was perhaps most apparent just before the moment everyone was waiting for, when James pulled a prank on rookies Joe Harris and Alex Kirk. The four-time MVP gave the draftees the honor of leading the team out of the tunnel and onto the court for warm-ups, only to hold up the rest of the players behind them so the rooks ran out alone.
Lebron James Gives Glimpse in Scrimmage"Tony Bennett's team dominated the ACC last season, and he has many pieces back in place for another big run," writes Dick Vitale in his list of the top 40 teams in 2014-2015. "Malcolm Brogdon is solid and London Perrantes is Mr. Consistent with the rock in his hands. Mike Tobey will make more noise up front."
It's no surprise that Vitale gave a nod to Perrantes - he fawned over the "diaper dandy" at JPJ during the UVA-Cuse matchup. 4 ACC teams appear in the top 10 of Vitale's rankings. See all 40 above.Virginia ranked 4th in the new SBN power rankings. Okay, they are tied with half the conference, but give those guys a break...ranking the ACC is impossible!