While I will not try to steal Larry Sabato's thunder, I have recently felt it appropriate to take a peak into the Virginia sports crystal ball. With athletic director Craig Littlepage twirling his magic wand over the sports department, the future forecast looks like a sunny day at Nags Head with one giant thunderstorm looming. (I'm sorry, what?) Tap (your heels) the magic shoes three times and let's go on a journey forward four years to the year 2010 ...
Our first stop is Davenport Field, home to the Virginia baseball team. Two ACC championship flags billow in the outfield of the recently expanded stadium. Wahoo students tailgate before games and create a fun atmosphere for home stands. Virginia coach Brian O'Connor recently turned down an offer from the Washington Nationals stating that he wants to see Virginia win a national championship before moving on to the majors. The Nats were attracted to the possibility of Ryan Zimmerman, reigning National League MVP, playing for his former college manager.
Our next stop on the journey is the state-of-the-art tennis stadium, Boland Court, home to reigning ACC championship men's and women's tennis teams. The stadium offers a retractable roof and natural grass. With tennis seating at a premium, the fan group HOO CREW TWO was recently founded by students. Unfortunately, heavy criticism remains over who gets the mid-court seating and if the group is tearing apart the Virginia fans.
A short carpet ride takes us over to the football field with dark clouds above it. After last season's loss in the Viagra bowl, Orange Fever has been replaced by the Greek social scene at football games. Students once again look forward to popping their JCrew collars to make an appearance at the game on Saturdays.
While the team continues to underachieve, head coach Al Groh points to the high number of Virginia players drafted each year to the NFL as a sign that he is one of the best coaches in the game. Some columnists argue that the high amount of talent combined with lackluster performance shows a lack of actual coaching ability. These writers are mocked on independent Virginia websites for their outside-the-box thinking and are urged to never criticize Virginia sports.
The next stop on our journey is John Paul Jones arena. Virginia coach Dave Leitao was recently given a huge ten-year contract to keep him from going back to Connecticut after Jim Calhoun retired. While some argue this contract will haunt the team, reminiscent of Groh and Gillen deals, this team has won meaningful games late in the season for multiple years and performs in a disciplined manner both on and off the court.
After back-to-back Sweet 16 finishes, the Wahoos have high aspirations for the next season. Point guard Sam Zeglinski has performed well in taking over the position from fellow Philly native and NBA player Sean Singletary. Hooville is once again populated by the most intense fans, who camp out to get the best seats in the house. Rather than looking like a wild bunch of chimps on the court, the players box out with intensity and play a style that makes Ralph Sampson proud. While Leitao remains an intense coach, his constant yelling has ceased since his team understands his expectations.
A glance at other Virginia sports shows Virginia competing at a high level in practically every (area) (sport). Swimming, lacrosse, soccer and even cross country are routinely at the top of the ACC. What about women's basketball, softball, crew? You can NOT just talk about guys sports. Littlepage has built the teams by finding coaches that are motivated to do whatever it takes to excel in their sport.
With most Virginia sports contending for ACC championships, Virginia Tech no longer thinks the Commonwealth Challenge is a fair competition. After last year's 20-2 Virginia victory in the challenge, the Hokies suggested the football game be worth 21 points as opposed to only two. Littlepage recommended trying to find a rival school that competed in more than one sport.
With the crystal ball forecast complete, we travel back to 2006. Indeed, the future looks bright, except for that one sport that seems to keep having players suspended...
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