It happens every year, to every coach, in every sport. The time comes when fans must say goodbye to their beloved seniors and move forward with young talent. This year is no different for the Cavaliers. Tonight in University Hall, Virginia will try to send their seniors out with a win, giving Cavalier fans something to look forward to for next season.
As hard as it is for some Cavalier fans to wave goodbye to Elton Brown and Devin Smith, they must. Despite the team's struggles this season, the two captains have played a significant role throughout their careers at Virginia.
Both have started for two seasons and were named All-ACC Honorable Mention last year. The pair is once again vying for all-conference selection after averaging 12 and 16 points, respectively, in conference play. Together Brown and Smith have provided a nice inside presence since Gillen made the switch to a three-guard offense by averaging eight and six rebounds, respectively.
Virginia began the season relying heavily on the team's senior leadership, which seemed to be a relatively good strategy after key wins over Arizona and Richmond. But after a string of losses early and a constant struggle to keep out of last place in ACC throughout the year, Gillen was forced to look elsewhere for leadership.
Freshman Sean Singletary and sophomores T.J. Bannister and Gary Forbes have been some of the only bright spots throughout this difficult season. Singletary has been the consistent floor general for Virginia, while Bannister and Forbes have come on very strong as of late, helping Virginia win three out of its last six ACC games. Against Wake Forest, Bannister tied his career high with 15 points and kept Virginia close throughout the first half.
"I could always shoot, but coming here I had to change up my game and be more of a passer," Bannister said. "It's just about me getting my confidence back."
While Forbes and Singletary had off games against a stingy Wake Forest team this past weekend, it seems that they are due for a turnaround against N.C. State tonight. The duo has shown consistent scoring and leadership throughout the year, averaging close to 10 points per game in conference play.
"He [Sean] got hurt, sprained an ankle, hobbled off the floor, came back and hit a three," Gillen said. "That shows you how hard he works. He's a freshman point guard playing against some great players in a tough atmosphere."
Despite the shift in leadership and Virginia's apparent desire to build for next year, the younger players have realized that sending the seniors out on a positive note is more important then looking too far ahead.
Bannister specifically has said that it is important to keep working hard because they want to make sure the seniors are able to go out on a good note.
Hopefully for Cavalier fans, Virginia's seniors can rekindle the leadership they once had this season and come together under the lights for one final Wahoo-wah.
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