A fond -- scratch that -- overdue farewell
To University Hall, or as former Virginia center Ted Jeffries put it so well, The Pregnant Clam.
I'm here for North Carolina's 41st and final visit to U-Hall, where in the early '80s, the teams had some classic showdowns. I've never had a romantic view of this place and I'm not about to adopt one now. John Paul Jones Arena will open across the street this fall and not a moment too soon.
As for tonight's game, the Heels aren't exactly facing a powerhouse. No, the Cavaliers have eight scholarship players and if not for Sean Singletary, they'd be lost on the floor. Actually, Dave Leitao seems to be doing a good job turning the Cavs into a defensive-minded team that can cause teams problems. He's already milked two ACC wins out of them.
It should be a decent test of the UNC freshmen's resiliency and poise on the road. That USC trip still lingers in the mind. But their visit to Florida State on Sunday likely will prove tougher than their last trip to U-Hall.
Comments (4)
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Pregnant clam?! That's fantastic. Can't believe it never caught on. Will folks start calling the John Paul Jones Arena the Bonhomme Richard? OK, maybe that's a little too History Channel for most fans.
So Dave Leitao has now milked three ACC wins out of this Cavs team, which is a very narrow loss to FSU away from being 4-1 in the conference. Pretty phenomenal.
I'm sure Cavs fans are giddy about Leitao's start, but remember this: there was another time when a new coach came into Charlottesville and also coaxed a team with very little talent into a pretty decent season in his first season at UVA. That coach?
Pete Gillen.
Posted on January 20, 2006 4:24 PM
Good point, Jimbo. the talent comparison is about even -- Sean Singletary is a better all-around point guard than was Donald Hand but Chris Williams was probably better than J.R. Reynolds. The early success netted Gillen a good couple of signing classes. Of course, the Cavs never accomplished much with Travis Watson, Adam Hall, et al.
I'd figured the Heels to be a little too much for UVa, even in the clam. Now, their weaknesses have been fully exposed this past week and the trip to FSU Sunday becomes pivotal. Not so much in terms of winning or losing, but they've got to start developing alternatives to the all-Hansbrough all-the-time offense.
Posted on January 20, 2006 4:47 PM
They're naming the arena after the Led Zeppelin bassist?
(It's a joke, a joke. Although, if someone wanted to name their building the Jimmy Page Coliseum, I wouldn't complain....)
Posted on January 23, 2006 4:58 PM
Thank you for finally validating what I knew I heard old TJ call it back in the early '90s. I blogged about it while the Md game was going on, then tonight I googled it to see if anyone else remembered that phrase...
Randy (CLAS '93)
Posted on March 7, 2006 2:17 AM