Cav’s hot hand is not enough

-- BLACKSBURG -- At the 4:45 mark of the second half yesterday, the University of Virginia trailed Virginia Tech 66-51. Mustapha Farrakhan had two points and was no more than a footnote in the drama unfolding at Cassell Coliseum.

By game's end, the U.Va. reserve had almost become the story.

That distinction ultimately belonged to A.D. Vassallo and Malcolm Delaney, who combined for 53 points, on 19-for-31 shooting from the floor, to help the Hokies escape with a 78-75 victory. But the 9,847 fans at this ACC basketball game -- and everyone else in the building -- witnessed a remarkable display of late-game marksmanship by Farrakhan, a 6-4 guard from the Chicago suburbs.

In a span of 143 seconds, the grandson of Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan hit three 3-pointers and, after being fouled on another attempt from beyond the arc, three free throws.

Farrakhan's foul shots pulled Virginia to 70-65, and the left-hander wasn't through.

With 49 seconds left, his catch-and-shoot 3-pointer from the right wing cut the Hokies' lead to 72-70. Farrakhan fouled out with nine seconds remaining, trying to swipe the ball from Vassallo (29 points). When he left the court, the Hokies breathed a collective sigh of relief.

"You've got to give him credit," Tech coach Seth Greenberg said. "The guy made tough shots ... Two of them weren't good defense. Two of them the guy made killer shots."

Cavaliers coach Dave Leitao and Farrakhan's teammates said they've seen similar sprees from No. 2 in practice.

"When he gets hot, he just keeps going, and it's hard for him to turn off," said freshman swingman Sylven Landesberg, who led U.Va. (1-1, 7-6) with 20 points.

For virtually everyone else, though, Farrakhan's play was a revelation. His 17 points were five more than his previous career high and 12 more than his average coming in. Before yesterday, he'd never made more than two 3-pointers in a college game.

Farrakhan started Virginia's first two games this season. But he scored only two points in the first and zero in the second, after which he was demoted.

"It's just tough sometimes," Farrakhan said. "It's a mental roller-coaster a little bit. I just try to stay positive through it all and continue to work every day."

His role has increased over the past month, and he's scored at least nine points in four of the Cavaliers' past five games.

"I'm proud of him, the way he's playing right now," said sophomore forward Mike Scott, who contributed 16 points and six rebounds against Tech. "He's playing with a lot of confidence."

Leitao said Farrakhan has been practicing better and showing "more confidence, knowing that he's going to get an opportunity and then making the best of his opportunity. What's ailed before him is, because of all those things, he had not been able to play through some errors, and mentally he's playing through those errors a lot better."

After a freshman season in which Farrakhan played in only 19 games, many outside the program speculated that he might want to start over at another school. But his father, who was in the Cassell stands yesterday, encouraged Farrakhan to persevere at U.Va., and a transfer wasn't seriously considered.

"First year it was a tough year," Farrakhan said. "It was a new experience for me, a new setting. I just feel like this year I'm adjusted better and it's working out for me."
Contact Jeff White at (804) 649-6838 or .