CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Virginia's basketball team continued limping to the finish line with yesterday's announcement that senior guard Calvin Baker will not join the team in Greensboro for the ACC tournament.
The Cavaliers will play Thursday's noon game against Boston College without three of the players on the roster at the start of the season.
First, senior Jamil Tucker was dismissed from the team by coach Tony Bennett for academic reasons.
Then before Saturday's home finale against Maryland, Bennett announced that he was suspending star sophomore Sylven Landesberg for the rest of the season -- reportedly for not attending an art class.
Added to all that was yesterday's announcement regarding Baker.
"Calvin will miss the rest of the season for personal family reasons," Bennett said. "A member of his family is ill, and he needs to be with his family. Calvin and his family have our best wishes."
This obviously was something Bennett couldn't anticipate, but Baker had started 10 games this season and provided a veteran poise though the team's current nine-game losing streak, the longest since the 1960s.
Since transferring from William and Mary after the 2006 season, Baker had some tough breaks at Virginia, including a foot injury and a knee injury that kept him sidelined for significant amounts of time.
He also made his own trouble when Bennett suspended him for a game for poorly handling his demotion from a starting spot. By the end of the season, he had played himself back into the starting five.
Baker was a team captain in his junior and senior seasons. He's from the Tidewater area.
His departure means that another Tidewater player, freshman Jontel Evans, will see extended minutes in Greensboro.
Bennett spoke with reporters yesterday before the Baker announcement was made. During a teleconference, the main line of questioning regarded Landesberg and his academic suspension.
"He was at a lot of his other classes, but with this one obviously it didn't happen, and it was unfortunate," Bennett said.
Landesberg will have to decide in the coming weeks whether to declare for the NBA draft, where he is being pegged as a second-round selection, return to U.Va. for his junior season, or even play overseas for a season before entering next year's draft.
Contact Michael Phillips
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