It has been a rough season for Virginia. High hopes of another trip to go dancing were slowly demolished in the cruelest of fashions as the Cavs consistently lost to conference foes by the smallest of margins. The uproar from Sean Singletary's return from the cusp of an NBA draft entrance became quieter with each loss, even as he put up heroic numbers while fighting the physical pain of a hip pointer and the emotional pain of a losing season. Plagued by injuries and devoid of confidence for most of the season, the triumphant return of Lars Mikalauskas only boosted the Cavaliers out of the cellar and into 10th place in the conference. Virginia and its fans were only left to wonder what could have been.
The ending, however, could not have been sweeter. The sold-out crowd at Sunday's season finale against Maryland, simultaneously eager and saddened at the prospect of Singletary's last game at JPJ, was treated to a breathtaking performance, and, in a much rarer occasion this season, a win.
The precision of Singletary's onslaught was stupefying; coach Dave Leitao called him a "one-man wrecking crew." He needed 25 points to become the fifth Cavalier to reach the milestone of 2,000; he scored 27. Always brilliant in transition, his array of deftly quick moves, timely passing and savvy ball-handling was better than ever. His final line: 27 points, eight assists and six rebounds. And, to top it off, with an 80-73 lead with 2:30 left on the clock and Maryland making one last effort to claw its way back, Singletary stole the show. He started with one of his typically dazzling, hanging layups after beating the field down court. After getting a quick, 24-second rest, he found a steal, tore down court once again and lofted a soft, underhand alley-oop pass that junior Mamadi Diane and Jamil Tucker simultaneously leaped for, with Diane taking the dunk and the credit.
"I wonder if I got two assists for that," Singletary joked.
Points 26 and 27, however, were the sweetest of all. With Virginia up 10 and just more than a minute left, Singletary once more found a loose ball and led the break. With Mikalauskas ahead of him and only Maryland's Bambale Osby to beat, Singletary gave a simple pass-fake that had Osby convinced he had dished to Mikalauskas, only to discover too late that Singletary had kept it for himself for a sweet finger roll to put the game away.
If there is one way fans should remember Singletary, it is the image of him faking a big man out of his shorts on his way to a graceful layup that brings the crowd to its feet. If he did intend exactly that with that shot, however, Singletary was too humble to admit it.
"I'll let you be the judge of that," he said.
Well, Sean, I will be the judge of that and more. If Sean is too shy, then I will eagerly say for him that he is the best Cavalier basketball player that I will ever lay eyes on in my time at Virginia.
I am also not shy of remarking on how impressive Singletary is off the court. It seems cliché to talk about what a great competitor he is, or how he was just as good a person as he was a basketball player. And, let me be clear, I will make no such claim. To say that I know Sean personally after being a member of the media would be short-sighted; knowing Sean in the press room is a great leap from knowing him on a personal level.
After speaking with Singletary in a one-on-one setting before the season, and in postgame interviews since, I do nevertheless feel compelled to offer my impression of Singletary the person in my limited relationship with him.
To date, he could not have impressed me more. He was always convinced that Virginia was going to make a run at the NCAA Tournament, and in fact, still is. He never had a bad word for his teammates. He never hinted in the slightest that, in hindsight, he would rather have entered the draft last June than suffer through a losing senior season. He never made excuses when he had the flu bug in December, the hip pointer in January and February or what I imagine is a wide assortment of other nicks and bruises obtained after getting knocked around game in and game out.
When a writer jokes with him, he jokes back. When someone thanks Sean for his time, he says, "No problem." To my journalistic dissatisfaction but personal delight, he never used the media to vent his frustration, but rather utilized it as one more mechanism to demonstrate his maturity as the leader of a struggling program.
Say what you will about compromising my journalistic integrity; if I get the chance, I will tell him all that. I will tell him that people don't know just how lucky they were to witness a player as exciting as him. I will tell him that his game is a joy to watch, from the perspective of a basketball aficionado and a competitor.
He'll probably just give a shy smile, and, say, "Thanks, I appreciate it." After being on the receiving end of countless compliments during his career from people of much greater stature, it probably won't mean much to him to hear that from a skinny little reporter like me.
Then again, maybe it will. It was Sean himself, after all, who reminded us to never underestimate the value of the little guy.
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