GREENSBORO, N.C. – Coming into the season, there were a number of questions for the Virginia men’s basketball program.
Point guard minutes, how good could the sophomores be, and could Anthony Gill be an impact transfer all mixed to provide a sense of uncertainty but hope among Wahoo fans. That was especially true with seniors Akil Mitchell and Joe Harris both coming off outstanding junior years. So there was a buzz was in the air that UVa might be able to do something special this season if these players could come together as a unit.
As the excitement and expectations of a potentially competitive team were emerging, however, there was still concern that one of the Cavaliers’ better players, Malcolm Brogdon, would show signs of rust, or perhaps not come back 100 percent from foot surgery. Brogdon’s recovery dragged on for weeks, then months, and then to something not many expected – having to sit out the entire 2012-13 season with a medical redshirt.
It was a tough blow to Brogdon, who had to sit on the bench with no ability to physically help his team. When Virginia lost a first-round ACC Tournament game to NC State, the Hoos’ bubble burst and they were left out of the NCAA Tournament.
“It was really hard,” Brogdon said. “[Anthony and I] remember that time and that’s what makes us play hard right now, because we know we could be sitting out right now. It’s a blessing. It’s an opportunity. And we just try to play hard every day.”
While redshirting was difficult for Brogdon, the experience along with the concern for his teammates led Brogdon to work hard to rehabilitate his injury and to become a stronger and smarter player entering the 2013-14 season. The difficulty of missing a year turned out to be a beneficial time overall for both Brogdon and Gill.
“We sat out, we watched the team, and we watched what they would need next year after those seniors graduated,” Brogdon said. “We tried to pick up on what Coach Bennett was preaching to the team, what he really wanted to see, and what he expected from us in the future. We tried to work on that individually, skill-wise. And when we played with each other on the scout team, we tried to play together and build that chemistry starting then.”
“I think it really helped me to sit out and get my mind right and realize what I needed to do, and improve my I.Q.,” Brogdon added. “It just made me more hungry. It made me realize this isn’t something that’s just given. This opportunity can be taken away and it’s really just a blessing and I try to take advantage of it every time I step onto the court.”
Gill, who was also sitting out a year due to mandatory NCAA rules due to his transfer from South Carolina, echoed Brogdon’s thoughts.
“[It made us] very hungry,” Gill said. “Just to have to sit out a whole year and not be able to help your brothers out there on the court, it really makes you want it more – a lot more. When we got our opportunity, we just wanted to help our team out as much as we could.”
Aside from Brogdon, no one really knew or could predict how he would recover from this injury though. He answered the questions with a consistent and impactful season. During ACC play, Brogdon led the team in scoring with 12.3 points per game and through the ACC Tournament Semifinals he has scored in double figures in 19 of 20 games against league opponents. He leads the team at the free throw line too with an 88.6% average.
He’s smooth with the ball, a sound defender, and he can cover for London Perrantes at the point. But perhaps Brogdon’s greatest strength is that he makes everyone around him better. He has emerged as the perfect complement to an already talented team. But the level to which he has progressed was unexpected entering this season, even to his teammates.
“He’s a beast,” Gill said. “I don’t even think anybody on the team expected this to happen. But he worked really hard last year – he put a lot of work in. I just can’t be more proud of him than I am. I saw all the work he put in. I saw the stuff he did throughout his surgery. It’s just great for it to pay off for him.”
Every successful team needs that rock, someone with a steady hand, someone who can hold the team together – who can become its glue, or perhaps even super glue. Brogdon is that guy.
So isn’t it fitting that when Virginia was in a tight battle in both games against Pittsburgh this season, including Saturday’s ACC Tournament Semifinal, it was Brogdon who stepped in, stepped up, and calmly helped save the day. His teammates, coaches and the fans have almost come to expect it at this point. Brogdon welcomes the role, and he delivers.
When UVa defeated Pitt earlier in the season in a close game at the Zoo, it was Brogdon who nailed a 3-point shot at the buzzer to win the game, 48-45. You don’t get any more clutch than that.
Fast forward to Saturday’s game against the Panthers. There was a lot to be gained if the Hoos could pull out a win, including a spot in the ACC Tournament Championship Game for the first time since 1994
“I thought I might have to step up [in the second half],” Brogdon said. “And there were going to be opportunities where I had to go at the defense. I feel like I did for the most part.”
Up just three points late in the game, and the Cavaliers having scored just two points in more than 8 minutes, somebody had to step up. Cue the super glue. With just more than one minute remaining in the game, Brogdon took a pass from Perrantes and drove down the lane to make a tough lay-up in traffic. That made it 49-44 and the Hoos held on for the 51-48 win.
“I was trying to give off to Joe or London,” Brogdon said. “I was trying just to get us in the offense. But no one was open. They were denying. Then someone came up and set a ball screen and I just tried to take my shot.”
Remarkably, this ACC Tournament was the first postseason opportunity in college for the redshirt sophomore. He missed the end of his freshman season with the foot problem that led to sitting out last season.
“It’s my third year and I hadn’t played in an ACC Tournament [until now],” Brogdon said. “It’s been very gratifying to come in here for the first time and win two games, and help accomplish things that my school hasn’t done in a while. It’s been nice.”
This is the first time in 20 years that the Cavaliers have advanced to the title game. Before that it was 1983 when the Hoos lost to NC State. But for an ACC Championship? You have to go all the way back to 1976 when Virginia won the only ACC Tournament in school history. The opportunity to get the Cavaliers over the hump and into the record books could put pressure on lot of players, but not Brogdon and his teammates.
“We’re going to not try to think about any expectations or any past history for our school. But we are definitely playing for our school, and trying to represent really well – and try to go on and win,” Brogdon said. “That’s really all we can do at this point.”
