Shot blockers impress at camp

There was an anomaly inside of John Paul Jones Arena during the first day of Virginia’s Elite Camp on Sunday afternoon.
A pair of UVa players were blocking shots. Lots of them. And sometimes each other’s.
The sultans of swat were incoming freshmen John Brandenburg and Assane Sene.
Scrimmaging against top high school players, the
6-foot-11 Brandenburg and the 7-foot Sene didn’t stand out on the offensive end — but they sure looked good defensively.
The addition of the duo has to make Virginia fans feel good since the team finished dead last in the ACC in shotblocking this past season.
“I think anytime you have guys with that kind of height and length, it gives you a chance to have a really good defensive presence,” said Virginia assistant coach Bill Courtney.
Last season, Virginia blocked just 2.36 shots per game, more than a block less than the next worst outfit, Georgia Tech (3.5 per game). UVa’s leading shotblocker was 6-foot-5 Mamadi Diane, who averaged .66 per game.
Virginia’s lack of blocks — or any kind of interior intimidation — clearly had an effect on its overall defense. UVa ranked second-to-last in both opponents’ field goal percentage (.449) and opponents’ points per game (74.8).
Part of the reason for the team’s dearth of blocks was the absence of 6-foot-11 Tunji Soroye. He missed all but two games with knee and back injuries.
Soroye is still awaiting word about a medical redshirt and also trying to figure out how to pay his tuition since Virginia is at the
13-scholarship limit. If he doesn’t come back, Brandenburg and Sene’s presence will be even more vital.
Offensively, the freshmen have somewhat contrasting styles.
“Assane is aspiring to be a Kevin Garnett — a face-up type of guy,” Courtney said, “and John is probably a little better in the low post.
“Both guys possess unique skills that are different than the other one. I think both have a lot of room to improve. They’re definitely guys who will be more valuable on the backboards and defensive end before the offensive end.”
One of the most exciting sequences of a first-session scrimmage occurred when Sene received a pass ahead of the field. The native of Senegal looked like he had an easy dunk, but Brandenburg blocked him from behind.
Later in the scrimmage, Sene blocked a Brandenburg shot in the lane.
“It was fun,” Sene said. “Every time I play against him I try and get [a block] on him because I know he has my same height and I know right now that everywhere you go in the [ACC] you will see big guys like him.
“I need to play well against him in order to improve my game.”
Brandenburg was already pretty impressed with Sene’s game.
“He’s really athletic,” Brandenburg said. “When he gets a little bit stronger, I think he’s going to be really good.”
The soon-to-be first-years have already started some friendly trash talking out on the court.
“He thinks I foul him a lot because I get pretty low,” said Brandenburg, smiling. “I could be fouling him, but I think he’s not used to how physical I play.”
Adapting to the physicality of college basketball is also high on Brandenburg’s agenda. The St. Louis native said it only took him a couple of pick-up games against the likes of Soroye and fellow Virginia big man Jerome Meyinsse to see that.
“After playing with them, I realize I have to get stronger,” Brandenburg said, “because it’s hard to box people out and get position when guys are 25 or 30 pounds heavier than you are.”
You can still swat their shot, though.
Dunks
The most heralded recruit of Virginia’s 2008 class, McDonald’s All-American Sylven Landesberg, also took part in Elite Camp. The 6-foot-6 Landesberg showed a nice ability to finish on the fastbreak, dunking several times. Landesberg, a New York City native, says Charlottesville has taken some time to get used to. “Everything’s a little slower,” he said, “but they’ve got me occupied throughout the day. Right now they’re teaching me time management.”