Baker returns to UVa rotation

TAMPA, Fla. — Last week, Virginia coach Tony Bennett said that he was going to wait a little bit before he named any team captains, if he did so at all.

Well, he definitely has at least one player who is ready to embrace the role — senior Calvin Baker.

The 6-foot-2 guard from Newport News, who served as one of the team’s three captains last season, made his return to the court in Virginia’s 66-49 loss to South Florida on Monday night.

“It felt good,” said Baker, who missed the season opener against Longwood because of recent arthroscopic surgery on his right knee. “The first half, it felt like I didn’t really have my legs under me. It felt a little different because I haven’t been playing, but it felt good to be back.

“I know that my presence on the court is important, me being a leader. Even though I wasn’t playing [against Longwood], I was trying to talk to the team and things like that. But it’s easier to do it when you’re engaged in the game.”

Against the Bulls, Baker had five points (on 2-of-4 shooting), two rebounds, an assist and zero turnovers in 15 minutes of action.

“You can see that he’s a competitor,” said Bennett, whose team hosts Rider on Thursday night as part of the Cancun Challenge. “Early in the game he got hit and got crossed over once, but I think as the game wore on, he got more comfortable, and he fought hard.

“I know we’ll need his experience, and I’m glad that his knee held up for the 15 minutes because he’s still pretty fresh off the injury ... he gave us a lift, certainly.”

Baker said his knee, on which he has endured two arthroscopic procedures in the last three months, is still not 100 percent.

“But it’s good enough to play,” he said. “It’s not giving me any pain. It’s just not as strong as it was. But it’s coming along good and I’m happy with the recovery.”

Baker said he expects to be back at full strength within the next couple of weeks.

“I just have to keep playing on it,” he said. “That’s the only way it’s going to get back [to full strength]. Coach has been smart with how much I practice and play in games.”

With Baker back in action, freshman guard Jontel “Bub” Evans’ playing time decreased. After playing 20 minutes in the opener, Evans logged just 13 minutes, many of which came late in the game.

This year promises to be a balancing act for Bennett between getting Baker minutes and developing Evans.

Baker, who has been in the program for four years — he had to sit out a year after transferring from William & Mary — may not have the kind of game that is aesthetically pleasing to Wahoo fans, but he does bring certain attributes to the table.

“With the experience that he has, he’s definitely a good presence to have out on the floor with his senior leadership,” said Virginia junior Jeff Jones. “He’s been through the ACC for about three years now — we definitely need that experience.”

Dunks

Virginia’s 49 points against USF were its lowest since scoring the same amount in a game against Stanford in the NIT in 2006. ... Will Sherrill and Solomon Tat made their season debuts on Monday. Sherrill collected two points and a rebound. ... Freshman Tristan Spurlock had one point and two turnovers in nine minutes of action. ... Bennett used the same starting five that he did against Longwood — Sammy Zeglinski, Jeff Jones, Mustapha Farrakhan, Sylven Landesberg and Mike Scott.