Optimism flows at UVa

Sylven Landesberg has a message for the next Virginia basketball coach — "the soldiers are here."

The ACC Freshman of the Year expects the Cavaliers to return to the top third of the ACC standings next season, according to his quotes in the Roanoke Times, including his channeling of Kellen Winslow.

"[W]e need a coach who's ready to go," Landesberg said. "The soldiers are here and we're ready to go to war with him."

Private Sammy Zeglinski, reporting for duty?

Ah, the optimism of youth. Virginia went 4-12 in the ACC and finished 10-18 in Dave Leitao's fourth and final season. Leitao "resigned" shortly after the first-round exit in the ACC Tournament.

Landesberg told UVa AD Craig Littlepage the Cavaliers should be among the top "four or five teams" in 2009-10.

"We were a young team this year, we took our hits, but through all this experience, we learned a lot," the freshman guard said.

In Landesberg and forward Mike Scott, the Hoos have two pieces to the puzzle, but one of the reasons Leitao's cashing his settlement check is because he couldn't recruit. And no wonder: just watch the guy on the sidelines of any game and you'll see 40 minutes of verbal abuse of his own players, the officials and a general disregard for what was actually happening on the court.

Sophomore guard Jeff Jones, one of the few top-100 recruits Leitao signed and one of Leitao's favorite targets to yo-yo in-and-out of the lineup, must have the best parents on the planet, because he was given the chance to rip Leitao in the Roanoke Times article and didn't.

"In some games, guys didn't play to their full potential," Jones said. "You definitely can't blame the whole season on the coach."

Maybe not the whole season but a good chunk.