RICHMOND
It is very unlikely that Virginia women's basketball coach Debbie Ryan envisioned her 2001-02 Cavaliers roster to be in its current state.
Virginia's roster features only one senior, Telisha Quarles, and is without last year's leading scorer and rebounder, Schyue LaRue. To the rescue, or to the blame, comes a highly touted batch of freshmen. These five freshmen - Brandi Teamer, LaTonya Blue, Bethany LaSueur, Jocelyn Logan-Friend and Lynette O'Reggio - were ranked as the 11th-best recruiting class in the nation by Blue Star Basketball.
The speed at which these players can turn that preseason ranking into regular season wins will go a long way in determining Virginia's success this year.
Teamer, a forward, is well on her way to establishing herself as a viable offensive option for Virginia. The Illinois native dropped 26 points and pulled down 13 rebounds in only her second collegiate game last night.
The Cavaliers established Teamer's role from the start against Richmond, feeding the freshman early and often when set up in their half-court offense. She responded well, scoring Virginia's first eight points in the game.
Teamer scored at will against the Spiders from all over the court. She showed her mid-range touch, finished from inside and pulled up for some tough in-betweeners en route to her game-high 26 points.
Blue showed sparks of greatness against the Spiders. Blue showed a do-it-all ability, totaling 13 points, six assists, eight boards and four steals against Richmond.
Blue was able to penetrate against the Spiders - getting to the hole with hesitation dribbles, Iverson-like crossovers, and spin moves. The only problem is that it takes more than a pretty move to put the ball in the basket. Blue was unable to finish with any regularity, shooting 6-of-18 for the game, and missing out on many chances to tie the game or put Virginia on top. With the Cavaliers down by three with 12 minutes remaining, Blue grabbed a rebound and went coast-to coast for the layup plus a foul. Unfortunately, Blue's game-tying free throw rimmed out. Blue missed three of her four free throws in the game.
LeSueur checked in nine minutes into the game and immediately produced, draining a three to put the Cavaliers on top. Her five turnovers in 17 minutes in action, however, were not something for the backup point guard to write home about.
A general consensus in the sports world is that defense is what wins games. It was on this side of the floor that the Cavaliers really did show their age. Virginia let Richmond shoot 44 percent from the field, including nearly 53 percent from beyond the arc. Richmond made the Cavaliers pay when they suffered lapses on defense or missed their assignments.
With three minutes left, the Cavaliers found themselves down by three and in need of a stop. Richmond had other things in mind as Elise Ryder nailed a three to double the Spiders' lead. Ryder got a clean look at the three thanks to a missed defensive switch from Quarles to freshman Blue.
For freshmen, executing on offense can seem easy compared to figuring out how to play defense. Learning a collegiate defensive attack is a daunting task and one that will take more than a few games to master.
Just how good these Cavaliers freshmen are - or will be - still is uncertain. It is very early in the season and the newcomers still are getting their feet wet. But one thing is certain: These freshmen will have a lot to do with Virginia's overall performance this year, one way or the other.
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