The top three men's basketball headlines Sunday afternoon on the Virginia athletic department's Web site read as follows: Jeff Jones Leaving Virginia Basketball Program; Sylven Landesberg Not Returning To Virginia; Tristan Spurlock Leaving Virginia Basketball Program.
None of this was new information, with the most recent article posted April 6, but I still found myself shaking my head at the sight. How could it be that three promising players - a junior, sophomore and freshman, respectively - could leave the Cavaliers during the span of two weeks?
Virginia had 15 players on the roster this past season, four of whom were seniors - guard Calvin Baker, guard Tom Jonke, center Jerome Meyinsse and guard Solomon Tat. The departure of this quartet would have left the 2010-11 Cavaliers with 11 returning players, including four of the five starters, with Meyinsse the lone exception. But soon after the Cavaliers' disappointing 15-16 season came to an end last month, attrition began.
Before first-year coach Tony Bennett coached his first game at John Paul Jones Arena, he had already reeled in his first recruiting class at Virginia, receiving five commitments by the start of October. The five-man class was ranked in November by Rivals.com as the 15th best in the nation, and at the time was comprised of two four-star recruits - guard K.T. Harrell and forward James Johnson - and a trio of three-star players with guard Joe Harris and forwards Akil Mitchell and Will Regan.
With knowledge of a deep recruiting class soon entering the University, pressure was on many Cavaliers to impress Bennett during the season, not only to ensure minutes this year but also to secure playing opportunities in the years to follow. Then, March 2, a sixth player - three-star guard Billy Baron - joined the nationally-touted recruiting class. Mathematics dictated that there weren't going to be enough scholarships to go around to accommodate the 11 returning players and six incoming freshmen, so it became all but certain that some Cavaliers who could have come back to Virginia wouldn't be doing so. The question became not if anyone would, but who would, be leaving the program.
Speculation began to build during the season that Spurlock would leave the Cavalier program, as his appearances on the court were infrequent and short-lived. Originally signed to the program by former coach Dave Leitao, Spurlock agreed to stay with Virginia after meeting with Bennett last summer. But this season didn't go according to plan for the freshman, and when all was said and done, Spurlock logged only 60 minutes in 13 games. The former four-star recruit became the first victim of circumstance, announcing his decision shortly after the Cavaliers were bounced from the ACC Tournament by the eventual NCAA National Champions from Duke.
I still think Spurlock has potential and hope he reaches it wherever he decides to go. With three years of college eligibility remaining, I think he will find a comfortable fit somewhere in Division I basketball. I have less certainty in the future of Sylven Landesberg. While Spurlock and Jones are finishing their semesters at the University, Landesberg has already checked out. I'm not shocked that he left Charlottesville already, considering he was suspended for the end of the season for not meeting his academic obligations, but I am surprised at the way he let down his teammates, and ultimately shot himself in the foot by not taking advantage of an education at the University.
The most accomplished individual player at Virginia during his near-two-year stay, Landesberg won ACC Rookie of the Year honors as a freshman and was second team All-ACC in his suspension-shortened sophomore campaign. He's entered the NBA Draft pool and is projected by some - including DraftExpress.com - to be a second-round selection, but many wonder if he's truly ready for the pros yet. I think Landesberg is a great offensive player but could have benefited from at least one more year at Virginia. Nevertheless, I hope that he does get drafted June 24 because the other options out there are, in my opinion, less attractive than another season in the confines of JPJ.
And as for Jeff Jones, I'm still perplexed by the whole situation. The common line about Jones is that he showed "flashes of brilliance" during his three years at Virginia, including his memorable Nov. 17, 2007 performance on the road at No. 17 Arizona in his third college game. Jones scored 15 points on 5-7 shooting from behind the arc and had Cavaliers fans dreaming of the possibilities; could Jones step right into the void left by former guard J.R. Reynolds and pair with then-senior Sean Singletary to form yet another dominant back-court duo?
The answer became apparent soon enough because of inconsistency in Jones's play, followed by inconsistency in the minutes he was given to overcome his shooting woes. He started 25 games as a freshman but averaged only 15 minutes per game; as a sophomore, he was in the starting lineup only nine times and this past year, Jones played in a team-leading 31 games but saw only seven starts and 18.3 minutes per game.
I'm sure Jones was frustrated with his opportunities and his performance, but I can't quite grasp why he would choose to leave Virginia with only one year of eligibility remaining. If he goes to another Division I school, he'll have to sit out next season; he can play right away if he decides to transfer to a Division II or III school, but that wouldn't be the best showcase for his talent. Whatever his reasons for leaving, I wish him the best of luck, but I'll still wonder why he made his choice when he did. Then again, the Virginia basketball program leaves me wondering about many things these days.
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