Zeglinski eager to strut his stuff

By Whitey Reid

Published: June 17, 2008

There was something different about Sammy Zeglinski as he hung out on the sidelines at Elite Camp earlier this week.

Sure, the Virginia guard wasn’t trudging around with any sort of cast or protective boot on his right foot.

But there was something more.

Zeglinski, who missed almost all of last season following two ankle surgeries, was smiling a lot.

That’s something you didn’t see very much out of the Philadelphia native during the 2007-08 campaign.

Ah, the joy of being pain-free.

Zeglinski told The Daily Progress that his ankle is feeling good. The 6-foot, 175-pounder has been participating in pickup games since about the middle of last month.

“Right now it’s at about 90 percent,” Zeglinski said. “And my game is at about 90 percent. I’m just trying to get back in the flow of things and stuff.”

Zeglinski, who turned 20 on Monday, appeared in just eight games as a freshman. The peak of his frustration was not having the chance to play against his brother, Joe, when Hartford visited John Paul Jones Arena in December.

Fortunately, the season didn’t turn out to be a total wash for Zeglinski since he was granted a medical redshirt and still has four years of eligibility remaining.

In addition, he had the opportunity to learn from All-ACC guard Sean Singletary, who was also his former high school teammate at the William Penn Charter School in Philadelphia.

Zeglinski says he has a different feeling heading into this season.

“It’s real exciting that I’ll be able to take more of a role on the team this year,” he said, “especially being healthy now. The expectations are definitely higher for me with Sean gone and I’m looking forward to fulfilling them.”

Zeglinski used most of his down time from the injury to work on his shooting. In his limited time on the court last season, he showed a nice perimeter touch. However, his best attribute is clearly his playmaking.

“He’s a very good passer and does a very good job of getting everyone involved,” said Virginia assistant coach Bill Courtney. “He really sees the floor well and is really crafty with the basketball.”

It should be interesting to see how UVa’s lineup shakes out. Heading into the season, Mamadi Diane is probably the only surefire starter.

Zeglinski will most likely be competing for minutes with Calvin Baker and highly touted freshman Sylven Landesberg. At least one thing in Zeglinski’s favor is that he’s probably the only pass-first guard on coach Dave Leitao’s roster.

This summer, Zeglinski plans on continuing his rehabilitation and brushing up on his shooting and defense.

“I want to be in the best physical condition that I can be in and be ready for when we go to Canada,” said Zeglinski, referring to Virginia’s exhibition games in Montreal over Labor Day weekend.

Then Zeglinski smiled.

“It’s definitely a lot more fun when you get to play and not just watch,” he said.