UVa hoops headed to Canada

By Whitey Reid

Published: May 21, 2008

The last time that the Virginia men’s basketball team traveled outside of the 50 states to play games was during the 2006-07 season.

Things didn’t go well.

Does the University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez ring a bell?

That was the Division II school whose tallest player was just 6-foot-4. Virginia barely squeaked out a win over the Tarzans in the San Juan Shootout after losing to Utah and Appalachian State.

Well, now UVa is headed in the other direction — north of the border.

On Tuesday, sources confirmed to The Daily Progress that Virginia will be participating in a series of exhibition games in Canada over Labor Day weekend.

In recent years, this has become a popular practice among younger programs that are looking to gain experience. The NCAA allows teams who play these games some extra practice time beforehand. That’s a nice plus when you consider that most everybody else has to wait until late October to begin full-scale practices.

With All-ACC guard Sean Singletary having moved on to a pro career, the games could be an excellent opportunity for some of coach Dave Leitao’s younger players, such as incoming freshman and McDonald’s All-American Sylven Landesberg, to acclimate to their new teammates and the college game.

The big difference between the games in Canada and the ones that took place in Puerto Rico is that the ones in Canada will not count toward the team’s overall record. They are only exhibitions.

One would think that the schools in Canada will also feature at least a few guys who are taller than 6-foot-4.