[Mark Umansky]
Virginia Tech announced today that forward Joey van Zegeren has been suspended indefinitely.
"Joey failed to meet the expectations we have for our team," head men's basketball coach Buzz Williams said in a release. "He demonstrated a lack of discipline and self-control at practice and as such this suspension was warranted."
van Zegeren has played in all 13 games this season. He's averaged 9.8 points (third most on the team), 5.3 rebounds (team high) and 20.4 minutes (fifth most) a game. The 6-10 forward was only one of a couple of bigs on Buzz Williams' roster.
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Dang it, Joey.
Disappointing
Holy guacamole.....What the F............? Very disappointing.
leg for you sir!
Perfect timing, you know, with the start of the conference slate tomorrow versus 'Cuse.
You know what... I like this. It sends the right message and is a clear shot across the bow to everyone in the program, and its happening at a critical time in our season (if you care about wins and losses this year). Nobody is untouchable. You either adapt and buy in, or you can sit your ass at home and contemplate what you should be doing. I also like how Buzz addressed the reasoning for it specifically. There's a big difference between saying it was a violation of team rules and the following:
This kind of move will pay off in the end. Now everyone knows what happened, there won't be any speculation or hand wringing over what is happening. JVZ has apparently not dedicated himself to the team at the levels to which are expected and now he's paying the price. Hope all the freshmen take note.
VT hoops has been suspending players for a decade and nothing ever good comes from it.
VT hoops also hasn't been coached by Buzz Williams for a decade.
Yup....
And its not like we weren't warned. Attrition was an ongoing issue (issue in the sense that it happened every year) with Marquette and we were told repeatedly to not fall in love with anyone on the roster until they have proven they can handle themselves over the course of a season with him in charge. The Buzz Williams approach doesn't work with every player, and there will be some who drop out and move on. But this is not a bad thing. In the end, we will be a much stronger overall program when he leaves than when he arrived. Right now, we're building the foundation towards which the Virginia Tech basketball dynasty will be traced, and we're going to make sure all the pieces are strong before moving forward.
Yup.
Plus, it might be an indefinite suspension, but we don't know what direction he'll go. He could very well end up pulling a Corey Marshall and come back a much more disciplined, productive player.
That is my hope on reading this. JVZ can right this ship if he tries.
Darn you. Was just coming here to say the same "well done" to Buzz for putting program culture above individual performance. This is how you build a program the right way.
Not that you really need it, but leg for you, sir.
We have to stop the attrition. I'm not saying JVZ isn't at fault, but when it comes to this point, like with parenting, it is a failure on all sides.
Buzz is establishing his culture. He'll put 4 guys out there if he has to to get his point across. Methinks he could care less about the W/L record this year so long as his guys start buying in and develop.
You got kids?
When it gets to this point, you've both failed.
Horrible analogy. Buzz basically just adopted these players. If this is still going on in year 4 of his tenure, then we will have reason to complain.
Except if you're using that analogy, then JVZ is a step-child, and Buzz has to clean up the failings of the previous parent (coaches)
Nicely done. You went stepchild. I like that better than adoption.
See Alum07's comments about Buzz's teams at Marquette. This isn't a failure of the coach, it's a kid who's not a good fit and can't handle the fire - of which there have apparently been many.
This was a player recruited and coached by 3 different staffs. He's a product of the old system and this is definitely not a case where we should upset the apple cart because of one very bad apple.
I wouldn't necessarily say one very bad apple (probably lost his cool in spectacular fashion at practice), but he definitely hasn't had the most stable career.
He's always seemed like a really nice guy in my interactions with him, but in reference to the "indefinite suspension" label, he's not coming back from this one for reasons that will become more obvious later on.
Well that's disappointing. Sure hope Buzz hits the recruiting trail hard to bring in some big men.
If you don't like player attrition, I suggest you stop following Buzz Williams coached teams. Even when he was rolling with Marquette, they always saw a player or 2 drop to the wayside each year because they just couldn't handle the workload expected of them. But at the same time, this kind of attrition is what makes his teams so strong and so good. Everyone buys into the system, and if you can't hack it, the door is wide open for you to leave.
....but seriously. What? I mean.....wow.
I'm glad Buzz is keeping them honest. He preaches that he's more interested in making his players into men, and this reinforces that notion.
I hope Pierce is ready to grow up in a hurry.
Buzz is making an example of JVZ, but if the season were going better as of now, he wouldn't have done it. By doing this, Buzz gives himself a little more of an out if the play is poor. Call me a pessimist, but I don't think he does this if they're 10-3 and playing well. The media will ultimately blame any excessive poor play on the fact that JVZ is not out there.
Buzz will throw anyone under the bus if that person isn't pulling their weight in practice. Nobody likes a lollygagger
if JVZ permanently leaves, it's just another scholarship that Buzz can use to recruit a top-flight talent.
I understand what youre saying here, but keep in mind this is a huge issue for this team moving forward. Im not talking wins and losses — we all seem to be in agreement that our W/L total this year is moot and development reigns. However, JVZs absence is going to be a problem from a developmental standpoint for a variety of reasons. The quick hitters are:
But to me, the biggest issue is that the loss of JVZ removes a true threat in the pick-and-roll game. JVZ executes the roll better than anyone on this roster and is the only true threat catching the pass on the move and in traffic. JVZ properly seals off his man as he turns and moves toward the basket with authority, meaning he is the only one in position to receive the pass. Satch doesnt have that weapon in his game right now. Henry and Beyer do a great job setting good, hard screens; however, neither has a respectable offensive game outside of 5-feet.
The lack of a pick-and-roll threat limits our offensive opportunities, putting more pressure on our shooters to make plays. Given Syracuses 2-3 zone, I dont think Joeys absence will be as big of an issue this weekend. But keep an eye out for how we match up in the paint against teams like FSU and NC State, if the suspension continues for that long.
I completely agree with you
For the sake of argument I will assume that whatever he did was egregious and I trust that Buzz Williams understands how teams deteriorate. If whatever JVZ did put a crack in the foundation of the team, there is no reason to keep him around.
I don't watch VT basketball enough to start an #InBuzzWeTrust crusade, but at this point, does any of us really have any reasonable option? The guy is a proven frickin' winner and if his assessment that the team is better off without JVZ for the moment, then I am inclined to believe him.
Your comment makes me feel like I need to clarify that by no means was I stating that I took issue with Buzz suspending JVZ. My intention was simply to state my concerns surrounding his absence from a pure X's and O's standpoint.
Wait to hear the reason before making any expert opinions, right now we don't have the details and we shouldn't put the young man down until we hear those details.
Here's to hoping Isaiah Ford is really really really good at center.
Maybe Bucky can play hoops
He's probably well over 7 feet by now, so I'm sure he can.
If he's not back by the Duke game (which is really late in the year), Okafor might have 40 at half.
Disappointing. JVZ looked like he might be ready to take the next step with his game. But I thought it would be up not out.
You know, after listening to Buzz's comments in interviews the last 2-3 weeks, I kept thinking - 'JVZ is a candidate for one of the guys who won't return next year...' It seemed like Buzz was getting a little tired of JVZ not transferring his practice game to the real game.
I don't know what the last straw was, but I completely support Buzz in having the stones to do this. Those who wring their hands because we lost our main big man just don't get it. Buzz doesn't play games. he backs it up, and will do so even if it hurts him in the short term. To those fretting, don't you remember only a couple of weeks ago when Buzz sat down the entire starting lineup for the whole first half? Just because they didn't take things seriously?
Buzz. Does. Not Play.
I didn't say it before, but I'll go ahead & say it now - I would not be at all surprised to see Wilson & Adam Smith fall by the wayside,too. Not looking to get into a long argument over why, just saying they seem to tread the same path JVZ did.
Buzz wants players who are committed to HIS plan from September until April, and who then work their tails off in the other months for hoops, too. I've no problem with that.
Disagree completely re: Wilson. He seems to be a keep your head low, work your tail off and keep the faith kind of guy. He's not the most talented but he's team first which makes him a Buzz prototype.
I won't judge either party here since we dont know the specifics. As for the impact, I do agree with Pierson on the detrimental effect this could have on the development of every player on the court. Like it or not, JVZ was at the heart of the majority of our offense in one way or another. Teams won't have to dedicate a help defender down low with him out of the lineup which will cut down on open shots. Our players will also not be able to utilize the drive and dump as often so it will limit what Hudson and Wilson can do when they drive the lane. So many other little nuances are lost with this move. Regardless of all the negative effects, we have put this team in Buzz's hands and will have to trust that he has a plan from this moving forward. I do think that this move essentially guarantees us zero wins in the ACC this season. Hopefully Buzz has accounted for the negative mental aspect of losing eighteen games in a row. I am not sure I am prepared to watch this season devolve into another year of constant blowouts like last season but I fear that's exactly where we are headed with this move.
The difference in this year & last is that Buzz has a defined plan, and that we have zero indications that we'll resort to playing stall ball to keep from getting crushed by 20+ points in every game like we had to do last season. We'll still win a couple of ACC games. If we could do it last year, we certainly can do it this year. We'll just need to decide that the other players will rise to the occasion in stepping their games up, instead of crumbling. We'll see what happens with Paige, Henry & Beyer. I'm not ready to bet against them.
Yeah, I gotta believe out of an 18 game ACC slate we can pull out at least 3 wins, but I don't think they'll come until late as the schedule lightens up a bit and Pierce has more time to gel with the guards.
I really thought the freshman talent with JVZ down low gave us a chance to pull some upsets, but knowing this was a rebuilding year doesn't make it as bad a blow. 2 or 3 years from now we're gonna be thankful that Pierce got this opportunity for so many valuable minutes. I've seen nothing but a positive attitude from him so far so I've got to believe he'll be around for a while.
...and if we finish last (again) we'll get a better draft pick.
I hope we look back on this like more of a John Wooden type of move rather than a Jim Weaver type of move.
Really?? No one has thrown in the jumbo gif telling Jameis to calm down in yet?? I'm on my phone so I can't put it in but perfect opportunity.
Without knowing the details, have we given up that Joey might still come back? Maybe they work it out.
That is always a possibility, but I get the impression that Buzz is a guy who doesn't suspend you unless he is done with you. That's probably poor wording, but I don't think it would be a deal where JVZ comes back in 3 weeks or whatever. Since Buzz is still new to us, we will learn as we go this season how he treats all of that stuff. He's been incredibly transparent about a lot, but of course in disciplinary issues you can't always say much. Buzz did reference practice behavior, so that would probably rule out legal misconduct or academics.
Hokies just gave Syracuse all they could handle, last second shot to win was off by Muller. Lost by 2 but great effort by all. We will win some ACC games this year.
They were down by 19 at the half too. What an effort by the boys today. Bibbs is a man.