Cavalier Corner is the publication just for UVa sports fans!
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/291489
BY GREG WATERS S ECOND-YEAR GUARD Malcolm Brogdon was virtually dismissed from preseason all-conference ac- colades following a season-ending foot injury that cost him the final four games of the 2011-12 campaign and a redshirt year of mending and rehabilitation in 2012-13. But when Virginia concluded its magical run to the Sweet 16, bowing out in a 61-59 loss to Michi- gan State March 28, both the team and Brogdon were able to reflect back on a season where they defied pundits and expectations. Virginia claimed both the ACC regular-season and tournament titles, and was awarded a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Brogdon received first-team All-ACC recognition from the league's coaches, and second-team All-ACC as well as first- team All-ACC Tournament honors from the media. "If you overlook Brogdon, you're either really over confident with your own team or you haven't been watching the games I've been watching," North Carolina head coach Roy Williams said. "He's had a great year. You look at what he's done; he's averaging double figures, he's shooting a good percentage, he made big baskets. He's had a great, great year, and I think he's one of the premier play- ers in our league." But few outside the program were saying that in October. The former Mr. Basketball in Georgia underwent surgery for a broken bone in his left foot in March 2012. Dr. Robert Anderson operated on Brogdon, placing three permanent pins in his foot accompa- nied by a bone graft to assist the healing process. Brogdon returned to the hardwood for UVa's season opener in November 2013, but it was not until the conference opener in January 2014 that the redshirt second-year guard felt comfortable again on the court. Head coach Tony Bennett said there were mental and physical challenges that needed to be overcome, so they brought Brogdon along slowly. MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE Redshirt Second-Year Guard Malcolm Brogdon Was A Key Figure In UVa's ACC Championship Season i16-17.Malcolm Brogdon.indd 1 4/2/14 9:27 AM