Virginia
The Plus/Minus: Virginia Basketball Throttles Coppin State
In a buy-game special, the Virginia Cavaliers overwhelmed the Coppin State Eagles in pretty much every facet of the game. This game gave Virginia the chance to try out a new point guard and give more run to Jacob Cofie, who looks like he’s going to be Virginia’s most-impactful newcomer. Better competition awaits, but for now we’ll just review this game.
Plus
A win is a win is a win. Coppin State is not the team that Campbell was, and the disparity in talent made for uninspiring viewing if you weren’t a Cavalier fan. Virginia’s non-conference slate has gotten less inspiring in recent years, but for interim head coach Ron Sanchez, you can only play the teams that are in front of you. Four Wahoos – Dai Dai Ames, Isaac McKneely, Elijah Saunders and Jacob Cofie – all reached double figures.
Plus
Andrew Rohde was the announced starter at point guard, and he came out and warmed up, but he was a gametime scratch. Christian Bliss didn’t dress out for the second straight game. (Jalen Warley is long gone.) Virginia had exactly one healthy lead guard, but fortunately Dai Dai Ames was up to the task. He did not impress in his 10-minute stint against Campbell, but he looked a like a completely different player this go round. He scored Virginia’s opening basket on the night, an and-one, was 2/3 from deep, and had three assists against zero turnovers. It could take Rohde three games to match Ames’ 13 points in this game. Now, he doesn’t look like he’s going to push the pace much – Virginia had 61 possessions this game versus 55 against Campbell and it took seven possessions in two minutes late in the 2nd half to get there – but Ames showed he could get into the paint, showcasing the best point guard touch in the lane since Ty Jerome. Sure, it was against substandard competition, but Ames certainly deserves a longer look as the team’s point guard.
Plus
With 3:20 remaining the first half, Coppin State was still hanging around and Virginia’s lead was just 23-14. Isaac McKneely poured in three threes in less than two minutes to break open the game and give Virginia a 32-16 lead. McKneely went 4/8 from beyond the arc and helped Virginia go 9/27 from deep. Now, that’s just 33% and that’s not great, but seeing Virginia attempt that many threes is a good sign.
📂 ACC 🔶⚔️🔷#GoHoos pic.twitter.com/eAV7kQaaSy
— Virginia Men’s Basketball (@UVAMensHoops) November 12, 2024
└📂 Virginia players
└📂 iMac
└📂 Not letting it fly
└ ⚠️File Not Found
Minus
Ames went 2/3 from beyond the arc and Elijah Saunders was 1/2, but TJ Power, Ishan Sharma and Taine Murray went 1/13. Again, 27 attempts is a better reflection of the modern game, but McKneely is going to need more help.
Plus
After blitzing Campbell in the first half, Jacob Cofie was largely silent in the first against Coppin State. He came out blazing in the second half, scoring all 11 of his points – a perfect 4/4 from the line and 1/1 from deep – enroute to an 11-rebound double-double. Cofie played the Ryan Dunn role to perfection, adding three blocks, four steals and a pair of assists. He’s had a magical two games. Even when he loses the ball on a steal and fast break, he’s able to convert:
🎬 𝒮𝒽𝑜𝓌𝓉𝒾𝓂𝑒
🔶⚔️🔷#GoHoos pic.twitter.com/i4xBGCTMJj — Virginia Men’s Basketball (@UVAMensHoops) November 12, 2024
Minus
Conversely, it’s been a rough start for TJ Power, who went 1/6 from deep and is looking like the guy who got dropped to mop-up minutes for Duke last year. With the emergence of Cofie, he’s going to struggle for minutes, but maybe Power can fill the role of glue guy for the team. His +22 plus/minus was the second-highest (only behind Ames) on the team.
Plus
Elijah Saunders looks like he’s going to be able to give Virginia a post-up game. He flashed a sweet hook turnaround against Campbell, and he had two nice post-ups on this night. He was 1/2 from three and a perfect 4/4 from the line.
More: Matt’s Five Takeaways
Plus
Speaking of which, the team shot 11/12 from the charity stripe with the only miss coming from the normally reliable McKneely. Given the adventures this team has had from the pinstripe the past couple of years, the contributions made by Cofie, Saunders and Ames are most welcome.
Minus
Taine Murray had a night to forget. Twice he stepped on the line driving to the bucket, just two of a whopping six turnovers on the night. He airballed a three, and most egregiously, he had a poor closeout and subsequently fouled on a made three, giving Coppin State a 4-point play. He got 18 minutes, which might be the earliest indicator of the difference between the coaching of Tony Bennett and Ron Sanchez. I suspect Bennett would never have given Murray this kind of burn with the night he was having.
Plus
Anthony Robinson made his long-awaited debut and had a beautiful little finish for his first points as a Cavalier. It was widely presumed that Robinson would bring defensive energy to the floor, but this is a sweet touch.
☺️ Things you love to see: His first career points!
🔶⚔️🔷#GoHoos pic.twitter.com/cU7CJXJdqR
— Virginia Men’s Basketball (@UVAMensHoops) November 12, 2024
Next Up: Virginia travels to Baltimore on Friday to take on Villanova in the Hall of Fame Series. Game time is 5:00pm and will be shown on TNT. I’ll be at the game, so hit me up on Twitter (X) @JerzyWalker.
Virginia Basketball Beats Coppin State 62-45 | Key Takeaways
Virginia vs. Coppin State Live Updates | NCAA Men’s Basketball
UVA Basketball: Christian Bliss Injury Update, Point Guard Situation
Jacob Cofie Shines in Debut, Leads UVA Basketball to Season Opening Win
Why Did Tony Bennett Retire? UVA Basketball Coach Explains Decision
CLARKSBURG, W.Va. (WBOY) — West Virginia has plenty of state symbols, be it the black bear as the state animal, the cardinal as the state bird or the rhododendron as the state flower, but did you know that the Mountain State also has its own official gun?
The Hall Flintlock Model 1819 was first manufactured in Harpers Ferry by John H. Hall in 1811 and was adopted by the United States Army in 1819, making it the first breech-loading rifle ever adopted by a country’s military.
-
Model 1819 Hall Breechloading Rifle presented by Congress to Gustavous A. Bird for his participation in the Battle of Plattsburgh 9/11/1814 by John C. Bird via the Smithsonian Institution -
Model 1819 Hall Breechloading Rifle presented by Congress to Gustavous A. Bird for his participation in the Battle of Plattsburgh 9/11/1814 by John C. Bird via the Smithsonian Institution
All of this information is listed in Senate Concurrent Resolution 7, which was introduced and passed during the 2013 West Virginia Legislative session, and officially recognizes the Model 1819 as the official firearm of the State of West Virginia.
On top of being created in West Virginia, the resolution also points out that the rifle saw use during the Civil War, an event that directly led to West Virginia’s statehood.
While having an officially recognized state firearm may seem far-fetched, West Virginia is not the only state that has one. As a matter of fact, a fifth of the states in the country have officially designated a state firearm, including West Virginia’s neighbors in Kentucky and Pennsylvania.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — In this world of college football, with the transfer portal and recruiting battles, bad blood is present more than ever before between head coaches.
That’s not the case between the Virginia Tech head coach and Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney, however. In fact, Franklin revealed at ACC Kickoff on Thursday that the two are actually close friends, dating back to their time at the Nike trip that various coaches take over the summer.
“Dabo’s my guy,” Franklin said on Thursday. “We go way back. We’ve been on the Nike trip for a long time. His wife and my wife are friends.”
The long-time Penn State head coach is making the move to the ACC after being fired from the Nittany Lions in October. 12 seasons of being with the program had Franklin hold a 44-21 record against top 10 opponents, an impressive record for a new conference foe of Swinney’s.
But when that trip comes around, there’s a camaraderie between Swinney and Franklin and both of their wives. In fact, the two hang out with each other instead of the other coaches at times. It simply comes to an “edgy” time in college athletics that raises tempers.
“I’m going to be honest, I wouldn’t say we’re necessarily like the type of people that love a lot of other coaches and a lot of other programs,” Franklin said. “It’s hard when you just compete year-round.”
On Swinney’s end, there are a few who could immediately come to mind among Clemson fans. Perhaps the most recent would be Ole Miss coach Pete Golding, who played the most significant role in the tampering of former linebacker Luke Ferrelli.
It’s a select list of coaches who make the good side of the Tigers’ head coach, and Franklin is certainly on that list. On the other hand, Hokies’ head coach has Swinney on his own shortlist.
“Obviously, tremendous respect for what he has built at Clemson and what he’s done at Clemson, and what he’s done for the ACC,” he said.
The two will see that close relationship face off at Memorial Stadium this upcoming season. Clemson will host the Hokies on Oct. 24 in what could be a potential title-eliminator for the ACC Championship.
Of course, the last game that we’ve seen the Tigers play in was against Franklin’s former team in Penn State at the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl. That game ended in a 22-10 contest that saw a foundation of Franklin players end Clemson’s season in disappointment.
Swinney will see many of those players once again in October, including starting quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer, in that contest. The anticipated Hokie starter recorded 260 yards and two passing touchdowns on the Tigers in the Bronx that day.
Although friends become foes, another ACC coach has given Swinney his flowers for what he’s been able to do for the conference. In the upcoming moments, Franklin will look to prepare his team to prove itself on one of the biggest stages in the ACC, while Swinney looks to put his team back at the top of a conference he’s dominated for over 15 years.
Follow
MARTINSVILLE, Va. (WSET) — Extreme drought conditions in parts of Virginia have prompted an emergency drought warning for a wide swath of the region, including Bedford, Campbell, Charlotte, Franklin, Halifax, Henry, Mecklenburg, Patrick, Pittsylvania and Roanoke counties, along with the cities of Danville, Roanoke, Salem and Martinsville.
The governor has warned that if conditions worsen, she will activate mandatory nonessential water-use restrictions.
In Martinsville, city leaders have issued a voluntary water conservation notice and are urging residents and businesses to cut back where they can. The request comes as local businesses that rely heavily on water say the drought is already affecting day-to-day operations.
SEE ALSO: Botetourt County residents adjust daily routines as voluntary water restriction continues
John Hughes, owner of John’s Car Wash, said the dry conditions have hit his business hard in recent weeks. “For the last 3 weeks, it’s been hitting pretty hard. We done three yesterday and haven’t done anything today with the drought and hot weather. Yeah, I’m really concerned about it,” Hughes said.
Restaurants are also feeling the strain. David Kitzmiller, an owner of Be Wiched, said water is essential for routine tasks such as washing dishes and preparing some menu items.
“We use a lot of water for washing dishes and some of our recipes if they limit us in anyway defiently can’t produce and its a scary aspect,” Kitzmiller said.
Kitzmiller added that cutting back is not always realistic for businesses that must meet sanitation needs. “Not really feasible for a business that depends solely relies on water to wash their dishes, so that can’t definitely be an impact there,” he said.
City leaders emphasized that the conservation request is voluntary for now, but they are encouraging everyone to do their part by taking shorter showers, turning off the faucet when it is not in use, washing only full loads of laundry, and limiting outdoor watering whenever possible.
-
Lifestyle8 minutes ago‘I Want You to Be Happy’ takes on modern-day dating
-
Technology20 minutes agoApple’s plot to crush OpenAI
-
World26 minutes agoLeaked Iran report finds record public anger as regime focuses on holding power
-
Politics32 minutes agoWhite House dishes out new election security jab over Olive Garden’s pasta pass ID policy
-
Health38 minutes agoDoctors warn your ‘stomach bug’ may actually be a parasite that’s harder to detect
-
Sports44 minutes agoAEW star Kenny Omega blasts social media user over Charlie Kirk comment
-
Technology50 minutes agoNew bank scam laws could stop suspicious payments
-
Business56 minutes agoEnvironmental groups press to halt Imperial Valley lithium venture
