Kyle Guy, a former University of Virginia star, retired from professional basketball at 26. Guy led the Cavaliers to their first national championship in 2019. He is returning to his alma mater as the Athlete Development Mentor/Special Assistant, Virginia head coach Tony Bennett announced on Wednesday.

“We are thrilled to welcome Kyle and his family back to Charlottesville,” Bennett said. “Kyle is not only one of the best players I’ve ever coached, but also one of the finest young men I’ve met. He will make an immediate impact on our program, working with our players and sharing the expertise and competitive fire he’s gained throughout his collegiate and professional career.”

Guy led the Wahoos in scoring during the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons. Virginia won 66 games during that two-year stint. Guy was part of the historic upset in which Virginia became the first men’s basketball No. 1 seed to lose to a 16-seed in the first round, losing to UMBC.

However, the following season, the Cavaliers finished the task of winning the title. In the Final Four victory against Auburn, Guy scored Virginia’s final six points, including three free throws with 0.6 seconds remaining. Kyle Guy was named the Most Outstanding Player of the 2019 tournament.

Guy was the 55th pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. He spent three seasons in the NBA. Guy played 53 games between the Sacramento Kings and Miami Heat. He also played two seasons internationally.

Guy’s professional playing days are over. Yet, he will stay connected to the game with his new role under Bennett.

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Virginia running back Perris Jones was taken to a hospital after a violent collision during Thursday’s game against Louisville. Jones was paralyzed on the third-quarter hit. 

The traumatic injury overshadowed the fact that Cavaliers wide receiver Malik Washington recovered Jones’ fumble and returned it for a touchdown. 

Jones got carted off the field with no movement. However overnight, the University of Virginia provided an amazing update that Jones regained movement in his extremities overnight while at a Louisville hospital.

A fifth-year senior, Jones accumulated 500 yards from scrimmage with two touchdowns on 82 touches this season. 

Louisville won the game 31-24. Virginia dropped to a record of 2-8 overall, and 1-5 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. At the moment, all pales in comparison to the health concern surrounding Perris Jones. 

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A chaotic sequence in the game’s final moments left the Virginia Cavaliers football team 0-4 for the first time since 1982.

Virginia’s freshman quarterback, Anthony Colandrea, completed 18-of-30 passes for 271 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions. He led Virginia on an entertaining game-tying drive with 36 seconds remaining.

However, three penalties ultimately led to the Wahoos’ undoing and a 24-21 loss to North Carolina State.

After Colandrea found wide receiver Malik Washington for a three-yard touchdown to cut Virginia’s deficit to 21-13, the Cavaliers got flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct. The penalty pushed Virginia’s game-tying two-point conversion attempt to the 18-yard line.

Still, Colandrea hooked up with wide receiver Malachi Fields for the two-point conversion. Then, the quarterback was penalized for removing his helmet.

Colandrea stood up in celebration after removing the helmet from his head. The image immediately got turned into a viral meme.

The penalty on the quarterback was assessed on the ensuing kickoff. Virginia had to kick to NC State at their own 20-yard line. The Wolfpack started its possession at UVa’s 48-yard line.

Former Virginia quarterback Brennan Armstrong led NC State into field goal with just over a half-of-a-minute remaining on the clock. Armstrong gained 18 yards on three plays with his legs.

Armstrong’s efforts set up the Wolfpack for a 48-yard field attempt with three seconds remaining. However, Virginia blocked the field goal, and it appeared the game was heading into overtime. Unfortunately, the celebration was short-lived as James Jackson, who had the block field goal, was flagged for leaping into the long-snapper.

The defensive penalty gave NC State another opportunity from the 15-yard.

Kicker Brayden Narveson drilled the mulligan from 33 yards out, giving NC State the win and pushing Virging into its first 0-4 start in 41 years.

Virginia has lost seven straight going back to last season

The Cavaliers program is still recovering from a November shooting that killed three team players and injured two more people, including current running back Mike Hollins. Meanwhile, the team has not been able to win on the field.

Colandrea started his third straight game as Virginia held out Tony Muskett with a shoulder injury.

Colandrea had another up-and-down game like his previous two. With two interceptions in the fourth quarter, Colandrea has thrown five picks in the final frame over the past two games.

The last time Virginia started a season 0-4 was the first under George Welsh in 1982. Current second-year head coach Tony Elliott would love to repeat history from this point on. Welsh coached UVA for 19 seasons, reaching 12 bowl goals.

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Virginia freshman quarterback Anthony Colandrea made his first road start Friday against the Maryland Terrapins. Despite starter Tony Muskett warming up during pre-game, the coaches decided to go with Colandrea. Muskett nursed a shoulder injury from two games ago against Tennessee.

Colandrea had a promising collegiate debut against James Madison the week before. But, his start against Maryland went from great to bad in a heap. Colandrea threw for 263 yards, one touchdown, and three interceptions en route to a 42-14 loss to the Terrapins.

Anthony Colandrea had his highs through the first three quarters. He completed 20 of 33 passes for 251 yards. His touchdown pass started with him rolling left before he looked across his body and lobbed the ball to running back Kobe Pace for the 19-yard score. The Virginia touchdown put heavily favored Maryland in a 14-0 hole for the second straight week.

Colandrea tried getting the ball out of his hands early, relying on short passes. When he tried to go intermediate, he overthrew his receivers. Yet, Colandrea was very mobile, rolling out of the pocket to get clear passing lanes.

Everything unraveled in the fourth quarter for Anthony Colandrea

His efforts kept the Wahoos in the game. But Maryland rallied to take a 21-14 lead entering the fourth quarter. Unfortunately, that’s when disaster struck for Colandrea.

He opened the quarter with interceptions on three consecutive passes.

The first interception occurred with the Cavaliers in the red zone. On the drive, he finished with three straight incompletions with the third resulting in a pick. He rolled to his right, underthrowing his intended receiver right into the hands of Maryland cornerback Tarheeb Still in the end zone.

Maryland’s offense responded with a touchdown that extended their lead to 28-14.

On the first play of Virginia’s next offensive drive, Terrapins defensive end Donnell Brown read Colandrea’s eyes, got his hands on the pass, bobbling the ball three times before hauling in the interception at Virginia’s 30-yard line.

Maryland’s offense capitalized on the short field with a touchdown in three plays. The score busted the game wide open, extending the Terrapins’ lead to 35-14.

Unfortunately, Colandrea was not finish gifting Maryland the ball. Two plays in Virginia’s next drive, Still undercut Colandrea’s pass for another interception. Three throws, three picks for Colandrea.

Maryland put a bow on the game with another touchdown. The Terrapins scored 21 points off Colandrea’s three interceptions.

Despite the interceptions, Colandrea showed his potential. He has to hone his gunslinger mentality and become more accurate on his intermediate throws.

Cavaliers head coach Tony Elliott said Muskett was only available against Maryland in an “emergency situation,” giving him another week to heal.

Elliott expressed starting Colandrea was best for Virginia long-term. There’s no official word on which quarterback will start Friday when Virginia hosts North Carolina State at Scott Stadium.

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The USC Trojans clinched a spot in the Pac-12 Championship Game with a thrilling 48-45 win over UCLA. While many of the players celebrated the win at the Rose Bowl, one Trojan player had a different range of emotions.

USC left tackle Bobby Haskins transferred from Virginia after playing four seasons with the Cavaliers. As his teammates basked in beating their crosstown rivals, tears poured down the face of Haskins as he walked around the field.

Haskins was overcome with emotions, presumably thinking of his former teammates, after three Virginia football players were shot and killed on Nov. 13 by a former Virginia walk-on Christopher Jones Jr.

Jones opened fire on a group of students returning from a field trip in Washington, D.C. Virginia wide receivers Devin Chandler, Lavell Davis Jr., and linebacker D’Sean Perry were killed. Cavaliers running back Mike Hollins and a non-football student, Marlee Morgan, were also shot.

As Haskins walked around the field, USC head coach Lincoln Riley embraced him.

“We’ve tried to certainly surround him this week and just be there for him,” Riley said earlier in the week, per Keely Eure of The Athletic.

Haskins was a teammate of Chandler, Perry, Davis, and Hollins. The shooting affected the entire the University of Virginia community and the Commonwealth.

Virginia Tech and Liberty chose to wear orange and navy uniforms to honor Virginia during their game against each other. The Washington Commanders wore helmet decals in Sunday’s game.

Virginia canceled its game against Coast Carolina Saturday. Instead, the university held memorial services for the three slain players.

The tragedy widely affected many, including former Virginia Cavaliers player Bobby Haskins.

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There are not many moments in sports better than silencing a raucous crowd on the road with a game-winner. That is what Virginia sophomore guard Reece Beekman got to experience Monday at Duke.

With Virginia trailing 68-66 in the final seconds, Duke’s crowd was loud and hyped. Then Beekman popped out from the corner before draining a buzzer-beating three with 0.7 seconds remaining.

The go-ahead shot silenced the Cameron Crazies. The voice of ESPN’s Rece Davis could be heard emphatically saying, “A shot, for the lead!”

Virginia only made 2-of-12 three-point attempts for the game.

But all they needed was two. Here’s a courtside view of Beekman’s shot.

The win is a resume booster for Wahoos of Virginia. They’re now 15-9 overall and 9-5 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Virginia is one game behind Duke and Notre Dame for first place in the conference.

The loss for the Duke Blue Devils comes a game after blowing out their archrival, North Carolina on the road in coach Mike Krzyzewski’s final game at the Smith Center.

Duke was unable to carry over momentum into Monday’s clash with Virginia. Instead, the Wahoos were the only ones celebrating inside Cameron Indoor Stadium.

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Virginia men’s basketball team was playing in a hostile environment up the road against James Madison. JMU fans packed their new Atlantic Union Bank Arena with the largest crowd (8,439) ever to watch a Dukes game in Harrisonburg, Virginia.

The Dukes upset the Wahoos 52-49. It is James Madison’s first-ever win over Virginia in 12 meetings.

During the tight game, the fans injected their energy into the game. Unfortunately, a small but voiceful group of fans directed an obscene chant at Virginia head coach Tony Bennett.

Following the game, Bennett reflected he enjoyed the atmosphere despite the inappropriate chant towards him.

“What an atmosphere,” Bennett said per Mike Barber of the Richmond Times-Dispatch. “What a beautiful arena. The fans were great, minus a few of them, a few things I heard. But that’s all part of it.”

Bennett added bigger schools playing mid-majors is good for college basketball. It’s a lesson he learned from his father, Dick Bennett.

Bennett’s response was full of class. He didn’t let the chant take away from the moment that belonged to his opponent James Madison. It’s a moment made official with the JMU fans storming the court.

Bennett has coached a fair share of upset losses in his career. None are bigger than when Virginia became the first No. 1 seed to lose to No. 16 seed in the NCAA Tournament to UMBC in 2018.

He also has his share of wins, including a 2019 national championship. This season’s team isn’t nearly as talented as either the 2018 or 2019 team. But, you won’t hear Bennett speak on it.

The night belonged to JMU and its fan base. Bennett won’t let a small overzealous group spoil that for the Dukes.

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The largest crowd ever to watch a James Madison game in Harrisonburg packed the Atlantic Union Bank Center to watch the Dukes defeat Virginia for the first time ever. Virginia had won the first 11 meetings.

However, the streak was snapped Tuesday as the Dukes edged out the Cavaliers 52-49. Following the final buzzer, a great portion of the 8,439 fans in attendance stormed the court in jubilation.

Virginia was awful offensively. The Cavaliers shot 4-of-26 from three-point range and 19-of-50 overall.

Virginia senior forward Jayden Gardner had a game-high 12 points. Senior guard Kihei Clark added 11 points.

None of James Madison’s players scored in double figures. But, the Dukes made 22-of-47 shots from the field. That offset a dreadful day at the line of 4-of-11 shooting. 

Nevertheless, the Dukes improved to 8-2 on the season. Virginia is the only Power 5 school on JMU’s schedule this season.

For Virginia, Tony Bennett’s team fell to 6-4 on the season. The Cavaliers started the season ranked No. 25 in the nation. But, they’ve lost to the likes of Navy, Houston and Iowa.

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Virginia men’s baseball team is headed to the College World Series after their dramatic 5-2 win over Dallas Baptist Monday. It may have never happened if not for the highway robbery UVA outfielder Chris Newell pulled on Dallas Baptist’s Andres Sosa in the seventh inning.

Sosa got a hold off a 2-1 pitch while dropping to one knee off Virginia pitcher Matt Wyatt. The ball was headed over the center field wall. In fact, Sosa thought he had a homer as he flexed dropping the bat on his way to trotting the bases. However, Newell was able to leap and snag the ball against the wall for the out.

Newell was pumped up after the play. His catch kept the Cavaliers’ deficit at 2-1. It crushed any chance of Dallas Baptist gaining more momentum.

Newell’s glove play paid off. UVA took the lead for good in the bottom frame of the seventh behind a grand slam by Kyle Teel. Now the Wahoos are headed to Omaha.

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Jamaree Bouyea scored 19 points and added six assists to lead the San Francisco Dons to a 61-60 upset win over fourth-ranked Virginia in the HomeLight Classic Friday. The game was played at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut as part of the “Bubbleville” event.

Sam Hauser missed a potentially game-winning three-pointer on Virginia’s final shot as time expired, sealing the win for San Francisco.

Sophomore forward Justin McKoy led Virginia with 11 points while junior point guard Kihei Clark struggled to nine points and two assists.

Virginia (1-1) entered the 2020-21 season with aspirations of returning to the Final Four after winning the last NCAA Tournament in 2019. However, their struggles on offense continue to plague them. The Cavaliers were outscored 39-9 beyond the arc, as the Dons made 13 three-pointers.

San Francisco (2-1) shot 46.4% from three. However, Virginia was a mere 3-of-12 from the same range.

Virginia led 24-21 at halftime, but San Francisco scored 40 in the second half getting out in transition. The Cavaliers offense was stagnant much of the second half as they had just five assists unlike their season-opening win against Towson in which they made 15 treys and had 17 assists.

The stunning loss to San Francisco is Virginia’s first to a non-major conference team since their historic loss to UMBC in the 2018 NCAA Tournament. The Cavalier then become the first No. 1 seed to ever lose to a 16-seed.

The loss also shows Virginia cannot lean solely on their program-defining defense. They will have to improve their offense consistency. Bennett will have time to iron out the wrinkles before their next game against St. Francis (PA) on Dec. 1 in Charlottesville.

Meanwhile for San Francisco, its the program’s first win over a top-five ranked team since 1981. It’s a program-building win that the Dons be able to carry them as they look to climb in the West Coast Conference. They’ll remain at the Bubbleville to play their fourth game in five days on Sunday against Rhode Island

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