Cavalier Corner

December 2012

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"Whatever you want, he'll do it. He has zero ego. He's about making this program good." Bennett won't be banking on Harris for all the offense. He envisions a well-balanced attack in which any number of players could lead the team in scoring on a given night. "Certain guys will have to step up and be more assertive in their scoring roles," Bennett said. "Hopefully we'll have four or five guys who are in that eight- to 12-point per game range … "Not having a player who drew the attention like Mike did will present some challenges. We'll have to have more ball movement. A lot of our offense was geared to- ward getting the ball to Mike in certain spots and letting him go to work. We'll look a little differ- ent this year." And that's where a few of Bennett's first- years will likely come into play. Bennett has brought in the most highly rated a step back and work with the younger guys. "Some of these younger guys are going to have a really nice future, but losing some of these trans- fers has made us more inexperienced." Anderson, a 6-6 wing who can jump out of the gym, is Virginia's most highly rated recruit since the 1999-2001 seasons when former head coach Pete Gillen landed Majestic Mapp, Travis Watson, Roger Mason Jr. and Elton Brown (Mapp, Watson and Mason Jr. were in the same class). Recruiting analyst Bob Gibbons has said that "The makings of a nice team are all there, for sure. It's just, can it come together in the absence of a lot of upperclass- men? Can we overcome that? recruiting class of his tenure — one that Rivals. com rated 17th in the nation and fifth in the ACC. Mike Tobey, a 6-11 center who only recently turned 18, will be relied on heavily, due to Vir- ginia's lack of size. Guard Justin Anderson and forward Evan Nolte will also need to provide some offensive punch. "The makings of a nice team are all there, for sure," Bennett said. "It's just, can it come together in the absence of a lot of upperclassmen? Can we overcome that? That will be the challenge." This was supposed to be the year that former Virginia players KT Harrell, James Johnson and Billy Baron were coming into their own. "I thought at this stage we would have more of a mature team," Bennett said. "But with the depar- tures and the transfers, that makes you have to take Anderson, who originally committed to Maryland head coach Gary Wil- liams, is a better athlete than NBA player Vince Carter was coming out of high school. Anderson is still That will be the challenge." HEAD COACH TONY BENNETT picking up the nuances of Bennett's pack-line defense, but has been praised for his effort and determination on that end of the floor. "His attitude and enthusiasm is infectious," Har- ris said. Tobey is already more skilled than any post player Virginia has had since Brown in 2005. He can shoot with either hand and possesses a nice perimeter touch. He'll likely see major minutes this season since Virginia's only other bigs are Akil Mitchell and Darion Atkins, both of whom are only 6-8. "He's just a pup," Bennett said. "Most of the guys his age are high school seniors … "But I definitely plan on him being a part of the rotation." The best shooter of the class is Nolte. The 6-8 forward from Milton, Ga., whose older brother played at Georgia, has been praised for his high basketball IQ. Bennett said Nolte can play the three or the four.

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