Memories...

Mark Newlen feels your pain. He’s a proud UVA graduate – Class of 1977 – and a former basketball player to boot.

 

If that isn’t enough, he’s felt the sting of an early exit from the Big Dance following an Atlantic Coast Conference tournament title, just as the Cavaliers did this year. Disappointment? Dashed expectations? Frustration? Tell him about it. Thirty-two years later, he still has memories. He also has perspective.

 

“The 1975-76 season was exciting for Virginia basketball,” he said. “We’d had a good year, although we’d lost several close games.”

 

Including a 73-71 decision to league-leading North Carolina in Chapel Hill on February 21.

 

“I remember (UVA) Coach (Terry) Holland coming into the locker room after that game and saying, ‘Guys, this is the third-ranked team in the country. We lost at the buzzer. We’re going to win the tournament,’” Newlen said. “We knew we were capable.”

 

The Cavaliers split their final two contests to finish the regular season 15-11, then headed to Landover, MD, as the sixth seed in the six-team ACC. First up was No. 3 N.C. State.

 

“We were ready to go and had a great game,” said Newlen, since 1988 a Collegiate School coach and physical education teacher. “This is the tournament where Wally Walker captured his nickname ‘Wonderful Wally.’ He ended up being MVP. He really carried us.”

 

After defeating State 75-63, the Cavaliers faced No. 2 Maryland, which had defeated them 81-73 a week earlier.

 

“We thought they had the home court advantage in Landover,” Newlen said. “John Lucas was on that team. Great player. All-American.”

 

The Cavaliers prevailed 73-65 to advance to the championship game against the Tar Heels (25-2).

 

“UNC had Walter Davis, Phil Ford, Tommy LaGarde, Mitch Kupchak, all future pros,” Newlen said. “Here we are, underdogs in all three games, in the ACC finals. We played a tough, hard-nosed game. Fought tooth-and-nail and came out with the (67-62) win. It was a thrill to be part of that experience.”

 

Following what’s known in UVA lore as the Miracle at Landover, there was little time to rest. In the first round of the 32-team NCAA tournament, the Cavaliers were paired with DePaul.

 

“It was a good draw, but it didn’t go well,” Newlen said of the 69-60 verdict. “Wally Walker got the flu and was only about half speed. DePaul was a very good team.”

 

A 6-4 forward who was an All-State honoree at R.E. Lee of Staunton, Newlen saw spot duty that season.

 

“I was a glue guy,” he said. “I felt like I could really help by giving my best effort in practice. I guarded Wally Walker pretty much every day. I did a lot of cheering and supporting the team. You have to be a team player, put your ego aside, and do everything you can to help the team succeed.”

 

Newlen played most of his fourth year as a backup, then started the final regular-season game against Maryland. He scored 13 points (3-for-4 from the field, 7-for-7 from the line) and earned a chance to start in the ACC tournament.

 

The first night, No. 7 UVA eliminated No. 2 Wake Forest 59-57. Next, the Cavaliers defeated No. 3 Clemson 72-60 to earn another shot at UNC in the championship game.

        

“Same scenario as the year before,” Newlen said. “Nobody expected us to come close. We were leading 41-40 at halftime. I remember (UNC Coach) Dean Smith getting a technical foul. Who gets to shoot the technical? Coach Holland said, “Mark Newlen, you’re up.”

 

He responded by hitting both shots.

 

Alas, the Cavaliers fell 75-69. The Tar Heels advanced to the Big Dance. UVA, 12-17, headed home.

 

After graduation, Newlen traveled to England where he signed with Stockport Belgrade based near Manchester. There, he led the National Professional Basketball League in scoring (32 ppg) while hitting 108-for-117 from the free throw line.

 

He recalled his first road game against London-based Metro, a one-point victory in which he scored 45 points including a pair of free throws with one second remaining to complete a 19-for-19 performance from the line.

 

“It was a great trip back,” he said. “I had an absolutely fantastic time in England.”

 

Following that season, Newlen returned home and joined the UVA staff as a graduate assistant. A year later, he became a part-time coach.

 

“There was a guy named Ralph Sampson who was being recruited nationally,” Newlen said of the 7-4 Harrisonburg native. “Coach Holland decided we needed to see Ralph play every game. He had 24 games. We divided it up. Coach Holland took six. Jim Larranaga took six. Craig Littlepage took six. I took six.

 

“We took turns going over and standing in line with everybody else, with Dean Smith and Lefty Driesell  and all the coaches from across the country. You got your 20 seconds with the parents. ‘I’m Coach Newlen from the University of Virginia. We’d certainly love to have Ralph come over the mountain. It’s really close. You guys can come see all the games.’”

 

Sampson, of course, committed to UVA. His first year, the Cavaliers went 24-10 and won the National Invitation Tournament.

 

“Beat a good Minnesota team (58-55 in the championship game),” Newlen said. “They had Kevin McHale and Randy Breuer, two 7-footers, against Ralph. It was quite a matchup. Winning the ACC tournament as a player and the NIT and a coach were two highlights of being part of Virginia basketball.”

 

Fast forward to Coach Tony Bennett’s arrival in Charlottesville in 2009.

 

“I wrote him when he got the job,” Newlen said. “I knew of his faith and commitment. Within the week, he wrote me back saying, ‘I’m so excited to be here. I want to run the program the right way. We obviously share a similar faith, which is more precious than gold.’”

 

Then there was the first time Newlen attended a UVA practice session.

 

“I met Coach Bennett at half court afterwards and introduced himself,” he said. “Told him I played back in ’73 to ’77. He was so receptive. He said, ‘You guys set the foundation for what we’re doing today.’ I shared that I’d been working with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. He said he’d been involved with the FCA for years and asked, ‘What’s your favorite Bible verse?’ Oh, my goodness. I had to think really quickly.

 

“I told him Romans 8:38. Coach Bennett said, ‘Yeah, I like that verse. Thirty-nine’s really good too. I thought, ‘Wow!’ It struck me as I left that here’s a coach who has 100 things on his mind, and he was able to share his beliefs and heart with somebody he’d never met.”

 

Which brings us to today, almost a fortnight after the UMBC loss.

 

“We were all surprised,” Newlen said, “but as Coach Bennett said, that’s part of life. If you play long enough, you’ll experience wonderful victories and down times too. How do you handle it when you lose? You learn. You grow. You take what you can from the lessons. Enjoy the process. Enjoy the journey as opposed to the destination. You can’t beat yourself up so much that you feel like a failure or less of an athlete.”

 

He paused, then continued.

 

“Being part of UVA basketball is a continuum,” he said. “I feel very fortunate and blessed.”

     -- Weldon Bradshaw