Q&A: Former Virginia Basketball Standout And Analyst Jim Hobgood

The subject of our latest Q&A feature is Jim “Hobbo” Hobgood, a three-year letter winner on the Virginia men’s basketball team from 1971-73. He was the second-leading scorer on UVA’s 1971-72 squad, which posted a 21-7 record and advanced to postseason play (NIT) for just the second time in school history, and a co-captain along with Barry Parkhill on the 1972-73 Cavalier team. Hobgood later served as the analyst for Virginia men’s basketball on the Virginia Radio Network for 12 years from 1996-2008, and today he pairs with fellow Wahoo Frank Maloney as co-hosts of “Hoos Talking,” a radio show devoted solely to Virginia Cavalier sports on AM 910 The Fan in Richmond.

Hobgood is indeed a Wahoo through and through, so you might imagine the satisfaction he had watching Virginia men’s basketball win its first ever national title last week. He took some time to discuss what the championship means to him, reflect on Virginia’s amazing tournament, and more in this Q&A feature.

Q&A WITH JIM “HOBBO” HOBGOOD

Where were you when Virginia men’s basketball won its first ever national championship?

JIM HOBGOOD: “I was at home. I have been to three Final Fours. Unfortunately, Virginia was not a participant in any of them. Who knows, Atlanta is in the offing next year. I was sweating and having my blood pressure exposed at home.”

Have you ever seen anything like the string of three games Virginia put together to make the Final Four, make the championship game, and finally win the title?

JIM HOBGOOD: “No. Absolutely amazing. The Wall Street Journal had an article on the probability of Virginia winning during the course of those three games. I think it was 11%, 9% and 4%. It was something like a one out-of-2,500 chance of winning all three. I’ve quoted [legendary Marquette coach] Al McGuire, who said to win a national title there has got to be one game you make it through that you probably should’ve lost. I don’t know where that leaves UVA (laughs).

“It’s a tribute to Coach Bennett that they were able to maintain their composure and have confidence in those situations. Certainly, it didn’t hurt to have luck on their side. Who knows, maybe it was destiny, but at this point they are national champions.”

Things didn’t look so good for Virginia in the first-half of the Gardner-Webb game. Do you think the way the team responded in that game helped spur them on to the title run?

JIM HOBGOOD: “It was Friday afternoon and the game started at 3. I told my wife I would meet her for dinner, and I thought it might be a relaxing afternoon. I was by myself. Then [Virginia was down 14]. Like everybody else, I thought, if this happens again, we’ll never get over this. We’d be branded forever as a team that can’t win in March. Maybe it shook off some of the nerves. In the tourney, I think every game is like a separate event. Clearly there were nerves in the first game. I did not expect it. I was a little surprised at the way the game unfolded. The run at the end of the first half to close it to six was big.”

From the perspective of a former player, what did you think of how Virginia handled the late-game situations versus Purdue, Auburn and Texas Tech?

JIM HOBGOOD: “I appreciate the skill level and not getting nervous. Where mental strength becomes a factor is when Kyle Guy stepped up to make three free throws to beat Auburn. Repetition and muscle memory come into play, but even he admitted he was terrified. During the game, players are just in the moment. Just playing. It is much more nerve-wracking on fans because they are thinking about the repercussions of if this happens or that happens. At the end of Purdue and Auburn, I was starting to prepare myself for the idea that this run is over. That’s one of the hardest things on players. You go and you go and then all of a sudden it is over.”

What are your thoughts on “The Play” by Kihei Clark/Mamadi Diakite at the end of the Purdue game?

JIM HOBGOOD: “Amazing, terrific, unbelievable. To make a one-handed pass like that on the dribble. He threw it 40 feet. That play will go down in Virginia basketball history forever. It’s a further tribute to Coach Bennett. One of his great skills – maybe it was because he was born with a basketball in his hands – is that he can see potential maybe other coaches don’t see. I must admit, when we went to media day last fall, it was the first time I had seen Kihei. My first reaction was, ‘Are you kidding? This kid is going to play at the ACC level?’ Now I know, don’t judge somebody by their package. He’s smart and he has great court savvy. Don’t leave Oregon off the list. He dropped a 3 to tie that game at 45. He had great games throughout the tournament.”

Kihei certainly was clutch with some big-time buckets in important moments.

JIM HOBGOOD: “A lot of that was in the tournament. There were moments this year when he was hesitant to shoot. He gained confidence and thank goodness he did.”

Do you have a favorite moment or performance you think of when looking back on this NCAA Tournament?

JIM HOBGOOD: “The one that stood out is the Edwards kid from Purdue. That was as good a performance I think I’ve ever seen a college kid have. I take my hat off to him. A lot of those shots were contested. A lot were five or six-feet beyond the 3-point line. He almost single-handedly beat us. I’m happy we won, but I had to feel sorry for Purdue because the Final Four brings a certain level of satisfaction. They talk about the best coaches to not reach a Final Four. Painter is on the list. The good news for us is that Tony Bennett is no longer on that list.

“It was a heck of a tournament, certainly for the team and coaches, but for all of us who are fans. If we win again … there is just something about that first time. It would be hard to win in the manner we won those three games.”

As a Virginia alum and former Cavalier player, what does the title mean to you?

JIM HOBGOOD: “I’m not sure it has totally sunk in. It’s funny, it’s kind of a dream come true. You get the NCAA trophy, but you also get a beautiful Waterford crystal basketball on a stand. I’ve seen those at Duke and North Carolina and Maryland and Michigan State and other places. Every time I saw one, I thought, ‘Man, I’d really love to see one in Charlottesville.’ I think a lot of it still has to sink in. There were so many moments and it was so stressful. The first thing I have to do is catch up on sleep. My adrenaline was pumping, so I was teed up after those games. It probably hasn’t totally sunk in.

“Another dream I always had is it always struck me that most non-aligned people – those who aren’t graduates of a particular school – in the state of North Carolina, they root for UNC. It is kind of the flagship program of that state. I’ve always wanted UVA to be that in the state of Virginia. In recent years I think Virginia Tech has been that school. I think maybe the success of the football program is the reason for that. Because of the national championship in basketball and what Coach Mendenhall is doing, I think Virginia has a chance to be the athletic program within the Commonwealth a lot of people begin to identify with. I think we could be headed into the glory days for Virginia athletics.”

Have you heard from other former players, perhaps some of your former teammates? If so, what are they saying about Virginia’s accomplishment?

JIM HOBGOOD: “A lot of them were there in Minneapolis. Thomas Rogers put together sort of an alumni news list. We do a lot of communicating back and forth. I’m on a chain with Wally Walker, Ralph [Sampson], Bryant Stith, [Barry] Parkhill. From all of us I think there was a combination of gratitude, relief, disbelief and joy. I saw a clip of Coach Bennett after the game. He said to stay humble and be thankful. One thing about this championship is that it’s not exactly like we blew everybody out. We’re just thankful that we somehow found a way to prevail. There were no easy moments.”

In the locker room postgame, the coaches and players huddled together and Coach Bennett gave a speech. I noticed former player Joe Harris and former assistant Ron Sanchez were in the group. This team obviously had great chemistry, but additionally what does the support of past players and coaches say about the program Coach Bennett has established here?

JIM HOBGOOD: “I think even Ty and Kyle in the postgame talked about how close the team is. Ty during the NCAA Tournament, he talked about winning and advancing and being able to spend more time with the people he loves and wanted to be with. In college, a lot of times there is travel, practice, playing and, in some cases, living together. You have to have good team chemistry. You can tell the teams that like each other and get along from the ones that don’t. Brogdon and those guys, I think they feel like they are part of the current success. I think Bronco is trying to do the same thing on the football side, too. From a basketball perspective, I think the people who have played for Tony feel especially close to the program and feel like they made a small contribution to the championship.”

As a former Virginia player and color analyst, what was it like to call a game in the NCAA Tournament?

JIM HOBGOOD: “I’m envious of Jimmy Miller because it must have been amazing to be the analyst with the success the current team is having. In my 12 years we were only in a few games in the tournament. There was the Gonzaga game in 2001. When Virginia played Gonzaga, we had Chris Williams, Adam Hall, Donald Hand, and it was a 5/12 matchup that came down to the wire. We ended up losing by one. In ’07 we did win a game. In 12 years, we won one game. There was the frustration of the Gonzaga game. If we had won I think Indiana State was waiting in the second round. We might have gotten to the second weekend, and, who knows, it might have impacted Pete Gillen’s status. Pete is an unbelievably great guy. As it turns out, everything has a purpose and a reason. It doesn’t matter the sport, leadership matters. As long as Coach Bennett remains, this program will be in good hands.”

“It struck me [when Virginia lost to Gonzaga] that the NCAA Tournament is like a race. Then, you hit a brick wall. You’re going 100 miles-per-hour, and a moment later the season is over. Psychologically, it’s very tough. For 67 out of 68 teams, the season ends with a loss. When you win it, it’s really special, but I think about the fact that there are a lot of devastating moments for players, especially Purdue and Auburn and Texas Tech.”

What does the title do as far as Virginia’s national status?

JIM HOBGOOD: “In my mind there are the brands who are in a class by themselves, like Duke, UNC, Kentucky, Indiana, UCLA. The most important thing is consistency, like what Tony has brought the past six years. Look at all of the accomplishment of Dean Smith. Keep in mind there were fewer games back then, but he had 25 or 30 consecutive seasons where he won 20-plus games. He had that program that good for decades. I think what Tony is bringing is absolutely amazing. It brought us into the conversation. When people look into the ACC now, there is Duke, North Carolina, and now all of the sudden you have to throw Virginia into the conversation. Tony Bennett will be in the Hall of Fame at some point, with what he has done and what he is going to do. He is a Naismith Hall of Fame coach. You just have to pinch yourself. Barry Parkhill and me, going way back, we like to think we laid the foundation for Ralph and them to come. Then there was Stith and Williford and those guys. Tony has taken us to the ultimate level.”

Where does the Virginia program go from here?

JIM HOBGOOD: “It probably erodes a little next year, but not all bad. One thing this year taught all of us is how tough it is to win a national championship, even just to get to the Final Four. I think of Tom Izzo. I think he won the title the [second] time he went, but he has been to the Final Four seven other times and come up empty. It is just not easy to get to the Final Four or win a national championship.

“The big news of the spring is who’s leaving and who’s staying. We all assume De’Andre will leave. If both Kyle and Ty leave, regardless of how good the people coming in are, that’s a lot of leadership and experience. You have to think we’d take a step back there.”

Could you have envisioned UVA accomplishing this feat when Tony Bennett was hired?

JIM HOBGOOD: “I went over to his introduction press conference in the spring of ’09. The reason I was upbeat at that point in time was that I had a sense from the very outset that Tony was a good fit for UVA. I had experienced a bad fit in Dave Leitao. Not that Dave is a bad guy or coach. He just wasn’t a good fit for Virginia. All coaches know Xs and Os, but a lot of it is being a good fit for an institution. I think UVA and Tony is a marriage made in heaven. Driving back in the spring of ’09, could I imagine a national title? I wasn’t quite that optimistic. I just knew they found somebody who would represent the university in the right way.”