A friend of mine somewhat sarcastically said the other day that he liked how I "had essentially become the college basketball columnist" for The Cavalier Daily. Looking back, I guess I haven't strayed very far from basketball in the last few (five) weeks. Whoops.
As a result, this will be my final column about Virginia basketball.
During the last four years, I have worked in a variety of positions for this publication that have provided me close contact with the basketball team.
During my time following the Cavaliers in each of these positions, the program has been through a lot, and the following is my best effort to summarize the images that stick out in my mind from the last four years.
Other Virginia reporters have certainly been around longer and seen more, but here are some notable memories, in superlative fashion.
First experience in Person: Catching a win over Virginia Tech Friday, Nov. 28, 2003 in Charlottesville. Elton Brown, Gary Forbes and Todd Billet each had 16 points.
Favorite moment: Finishing an article at North Carolina (after a bad Virginia loss) earlier than the guy I was traveling with and heading back out to the court at the Dean Dome after the arena was empty. It was me, a janitor cleaning the very last row and the ghosts of some of the best college basketball players in history. Under endless rafters of retired jerseys, I even found a basketball and shot a few jumpers.
Saddest moment: Briefly catching a glimpse of the profile of senior captain Jason Clark in the tunnel at U-Hall just days after he had left the team for academic reasons. Even all the way from press row, I could see him shaking his head in angst.
Most appalling locker room moment: Hearing former Cavalier Elton Brown say "Get off me, [expletive]" to a female colleague of mine who had tapped him on the shoulder to ask a postgame question in the players' lounge. I was told by Virginia media relations that I "should probably do The Cavalier Daily interviews with Elton for a while." We decided not to run with the story at the time. I still kind of wish that we had.
Worst highway: Interstate 85 in North Carolina at night, while driving down to Raleigh-Durham. It's particularly bad at 3 a.m. when coming back from a 9 p.m. ESPN game.
Toughest post-game question: Associated Press writer Hank Kurtz asking Pete Gillen the question on everyone's mind after Virginia's last game in Charlottesville -- a loss to N.C. State -- on March 2, 2005. Kurtz asked if Gillen thought this was his last game in Charlottesville. Pete said: "We'll see. Time will tell." I've always thought that he already knew the answer.
Most ironic answer to a question: Gary Forbes told me on the day of the press conference introducing Dave Leitao that he was "ready to go." By that September, Forbes had announced his intention to transfer.
Favorite interview: T.J. Bannister, early in 2004, about his faith in God. This often seems like a cliché in the sports world, but you could tell that Bannister really meant it. Sean May and Julius Hodge are close seconds for "Favorite Interview."
Quickest exit for bars: Pete Gillen after a close Saturday loss at home to Maryland, 92-89, in March of 2005. I was walking on Wertland Street about 30 minutes after postgame interviews and heard a familiar voice. Coming across the train track were Gillen and three friends, headed in the direction of St. Maartens.
Favorite "behind the scenes" image: While walking across the cement floor of the JPJ to go to the Selection Sunday gathering this year, I looked up toward the Lexus Club at the arena and saw the tall silhouette of Dave Leitao pacing back and forth across the concourse.
Twins separated at birth: My friend Coles and Virginia sophomore forward Lars Mikalauskas. One night we tried to convince Lars that the two looked alike, and he responded, "No, no, I don't see it." Trust me, it's there. A goal of mine is to get a picture of this duo together before graduation.
Most unexpected ride: Coming out of 7-Day Junior on JPA with a friend of mine and two cases of beer and running into Donte Minter. We recognized one another and started talking. Before I knew it, we were in the trunk of his friend's SUV (the car was full) heading to some party on John Street.
Last experience in person: Watching the team's excitement on Selection Sunday 2007. A new beginning? Maybe.
So there you have it: My last Virginia basketball column. There have been great times, weird times and frustrating times throughout the last four years. There were many frustrating losses. And as of late, finally, a few exhilarating wins. With that in mind, it's a funny feeling to look back on everything, particularly without the intention of pursuing sports journalism.
I'll steer clear of saying thanks here to people associated with the program -- I think that my gratitude to numerous people is understood by them.
Instead, I'd rather say good luck.
At this moment you have a chance, Virginia basketball, to be something great. You've been through a lot recently. But right now you have the opportunity to once again be a very successful and respected program.
Keep working hard, and best of luck.
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