COLUMBUS, OHIO -- I sat down in front of my computer to analyze the game that just ended between Virginia and Tennessee in the second round of the NCAA Tournament here at Nationwide Arena in Columbus. Tennessee took a page out of Virginia's playbook and started hot, draining three-pointers from all over the court. Throughout, however, the Cavaliers showed incredible guts battling back and almost stealing a victory from the Volunteers if not for fate's twisted humor and J.R.'s tweaked ankle. But as I sit in the media workroom listening to Tech down by 10 to Southern Illinois, the only thing I can think of is how honored I feel to have witnessed the last four seasons of Virginia basketball, this past season in particular.
First and foremost, I have been honored to share the last four years with J.R. Reynolds. An undersized, moderately recruited shooting guard when he arrived in Charlottesville four seasons ago, Reynolds molded himself into one of the truly great shooting guards in the country. In the first halves of his final two games, Reynolds shot 13 of 19 from the field and eight of 13 from three for a total of 45 points.
It takes more than numbers to describe Reynolds' contribution to this year's Cavalier team. There were numerous times this season when Reynolds, and Reynolds alone, was Virginia's offense. Not the offense's primary threat, mind you, but the entire offense. The second half of the N.C. State game in Raleigh comes to mind, as Reynolds scored 18 consecutive points in leading the Cavaliers to their first ACC road win of the season. It is truly a shame that we did not get to see a completely healthy Reynolds in yesterday's game. After tweaking his ankle just before halftime, he simply wasn't the same player in the second half. As I sit here today, there is no doubt in my mind that Virginia would have won that basketball game if J.R. were 100 percent.
Second to Reynolds, I am honored to have been a part of the first two seasons of the Leitao era in Charlottesville. In an incredibly short amount of time, Leitao has completely revitalized a catatonic Virginia basketball program. Not only has he brought more wins to Charlottesville, but Leitao and his staff have brought back respectability to a program without an identity for much of the recent past. Today's Cavaliers play extremely hard for 40 minutes, consistently perform way beyond their assumed talent levels and live and die with the bounce of the ball. That is the kind of team I am proud and honored to witness play.
The crazy part is -- for those of us who plan to support Virginia basketball well beyond graduation -- that the Leitao era has just begun. As Leitao himself has said many times, there are still many holes to fill in just year two. I am supremely confident that despite the losses of Reynolds and Jason Cain, Leitao and the rest of the Cavaliers will continue the upward trend that spiked north this past season. And, just for the record, Singletary spoke of "looking forward to next year" after yesterday's game and it didn't include the letters N, B or A. Wahoowa!
Lastly, I am honored to be a part of the first class to usher in John Paul Jones Arena this season. Though many Wahoos may remember the arena best for JT's rendition of "Dick in a Box," I will forever remember the wonderful memories I have of an undefeated home ACC record in The John's first season.
Thank you J.R. Thank you Jason. Thank you Coach Leitao. And thank you to the entire Virginia program from the student body; it has truly been an honor.
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