AFP Podcasts

UVA Basketball, spending a week out west, still searching for an identity

The UVA Basketball program has taken up residence on the Left Coast, with a two-game road trip to new ACC members Cal and Stanford.

The 75-61 loss to Cal on Wednesday revealed more in the way of warts for the ‘Hoos, who were awful on offense, and worse on defense.

Interim coach Ron Sanchez, for his part, seems at a loss for answers.

It’s feeling like a lost season for Virginia fans.

Stories covered in this podcast

• A not good Cal team dominated Virginia: The writing is officially on the wall
• UVA Basketball: Tony Bennett didn’t do his buddy Ron Sanchez any favors
• UVA Basketball: Staff frustration with Christian Bliss bubbling to the surface
• UVA Basketball: Ron Sanchez has a Dai Dai Ames problem

 

AEW, reluctantly, shares the spotlight with New Japan

AEW finally played the back half of the home-and-home with New Japan, sending a handful of stars to Tokyo last week for “Wrestle Dynasty.”

I had resident #TeamAFP AEW beat writer Ray Petree on for our weekly wrestling podcast, and the relationship between AEW and NJPW was a focal point.

Among the discussion points:

• Kenny Omega made his in-ring return at “Wrestle Dynasty,” an interesting choice, given that AEW is where he makes a tony of money. Despite telling the AEW audience on this week’s “Dynamite” that he may never again be the Kenny Omega of old, Omega was, pretty much, the Kenny Omega of old in his match with Gabe Kidd.
• We’re told that NJPW suspended commentator Chris Charlton for his comments during the Omega-Kidd match directed at Tony Khan and AEW’s booking of former New Japan stars. One way to look at this: there’s a strain in the relationship between the companies. Which would make sense from New Japan’s perspective, since AEW raided the top of its roster. But why would AEW have an issue going forward with New Japan?
• Zack Sabre Jr. is a throwback to wrestling before it became sports entertainment. The IWGP world champ is unique in working matches that feel real in an era with guys trying to get in every high spot they can in the few minutes they get.
• Powerhouse Hobbs got the dub in the Casino Gauntlet Match to win a shot at AEW world champ Jon Moxley. Will this be another one-off for Hobbs, who has been the victim of on-again, off-again pushes?
• We got our first taste of what we’ll see in the first-ever Women’s Casino Gauntlet Match this week on “Dynamite.” It has to end with Toni Storm winning the title shot against AEW women’s champ Mariah May next month’s “Grand Slam Australia” PPV, doesn’t it?
• Mercedes Mone’s first several months in AEW were uneven, at best. But Mone, the TBS champ, is starting to hit her stride.

UVA Basketball-Louisville preview, point guards update, Ron Sanchez

UVA Basketball gets Louisville on Saturday in JPJ, with the Cardinals fresh off a 13-point win over North Carolina.

In this podcast, we preview the UVA-Louisville matchup, with updates on the status of point guards Dai Dai Ames and Christian Bliss, and we get a glimpse into the thinking of interim coach Ron Sanchez, with every game, at this point, being a must-win.

Online

• Preview: What UVA Basketball fans need to know about Louisville

• UVA Basketball: Updates on point guards Christian Bliss, Dante Harris

• UVA Basketball: Ron Sanchez not focused on what happens ‘three months from now’

UVA Basketball coaching search, NC State preview, FSU-NIL

The UVA Basketball team hosts NC State on New Year’s Eve in the ACC home opener for the ‘Hoos, with a lot on the line, including, apparently, the job prospects of interim head coach Ron Sanchez.

I’m overstating that, as I discuss in this podcast – the writing is on the wall as far as the coaching search is concerned.

We go into that, and also get into the weeds on the odd story coming out of Tallahassee regarding a suit filed against FSU Basketball coach Leonard Hamilton over NIL payments.

ICYMI

UVA Basketball: Our first dive into the pool of guys who could be the next head coach

Preview: What UVA Basketball fans need to know about NC State

Suit: FSU Basketball team threatened to boycott Duke game over NIL payments

#TeamAFP predicts winners, losers at AEW ‘World’s End’ PPV

AEW has had a nice run of shows as lead-ins to Saturday night’s “World’s End” pay-per-view, which will feature the semifinals and final of the Continental Classic and a four-way match for the AEW world championship.

I had #TeamAFP resident AEW beat writer Ray Petree on the podcast today to review this week’s “Collision” and “Dynamite,” as the basis of us then trying to forecast the eight-match “World’s End” card.

The card:

• MJF vs. Adam Cole for possession of the Dynamite Diamond Ring
• AEW International Title match: Konosuke Takeshita (c) vs. Powerhouse Hobbs
• TBS Title match: Mercedes Mone (c) vs. Kris Statlander
• Continental Classic Semifinal: Will Ospreay vs. Kyle Fletcher
• Continental Classic Semifinal: Kazuchika Okada (c) vs. Ricochet
• Continental Classic Final: winners of Ospreay/Fletcher and Okada/Ricochet
• AEW Women’s World Title match/Tijuana Street Fight rules: Mariah May (c) vs. Thunder Rosa
• AEW World Title Match: Jon Moxley (c) vs. Orange Cassidy vs. “Hangman” Adam Page vs. “Switchblade” Jay White

AEW ‘Dynamite’ returns to Washington, D.C., its ancestral home

AEW returned to Washington, D.C., this week, for the “Holiday Bash” edition of “Dynamite.”

The show, which featured an instant classic between Darby Allin and Will Ospreay, a TBS title defense by Mercedes Mone and backstage musings from Swerve Strickland, Ricochet and Toni Storm, got a nice jolt in the ratings, and drew 3,000 people to the Entertainment & Sports Arena.

#TeamAFP’s Ray Petree was there live, and I had him on for this week’s podcast to talk about how the TV show played to the live crowd.

UVA Basketball: ‘Hoos showing signs of progress, but the margin for error going forward is thin

For some reason, Memphis coach Penny Hardaway played UVA Basketball for the first 20 minutes on Wednesday night – measured, precise, largely halfcourt basketball.

Go figure, it didn’t work – the Cavaliers led 30-21 at the break, and seemed poised for the upset of the 21st-ranked Tigers.

Hardaway unleashed the hounds of hell on the ‘Hoos in the second half, pressing full court after makes and misses, utilizing halfcourt traps to get Virginia out of its offensive sets.

The stratagem turned the nine-point halftime deficit into as much as a nine-point second-half lead before UVA was able to right the ship.

Ron Sanchez’s steering corrections came too late in what turned into a 64-62 Virginia loss.

AEW hosts ‘Winter is Coming,’ continues march to ‘World’s End’ pay-per-view

AEW continues to struggle in the ratings, averaging 594,000 viewers for its two-hour “Dynamite” on Wednesday.

The show had more ups than downs, though.

I talked with Ray Petree, our resident AEW beat writer here at AFP, to review the show.

We also discussed the controversy that has arisen backstage with Toni Storm making her return on Friday’s “Rampage,” and the lingering issue with the contract status of Ray Fenix.

Podcast: There’s more to the problems with UVA Athletics than meets the eye

You want to blame UVA Football coach Tony Elliott, or UVA Basketball coach Ron Sanchez, or the athletics director, Carla Williams, but the truth is, the problems with UVA Athletics are more than what you think.

Our #TeamAFP resident Chicken Little, Scott German, joins me on the podcast for a rousing discussion of all that ails UVA Athletics.

Included in our rather depressing chat:

• We’re losing the starting quarterback, Anthony Colandrea, for no good reason.
• We’re keeping the offensive coordinator, Des Kitchings, for no good reason.
• Is Carla Williams even around in a few months to have to deal with all of this?
• Do the issues involving UVA Health and the external review of the Nov. 13, 2022, shootings play a role in all of this?

Photo: UVA Athletics

UVA Football, Tony Elliott, at a crossroads after late-season swoon

UVA Football showed improvement in 2024, winning five games in coach Tony Elliott’s third season, after back-to-back three-win seasons.

But with Elliott facing having to replace 43 seniors and grad students off the 2024 roster, and his starting QB, Anthony Colandrea, hitting the transfer portal, his career at UVA, and the UVA Football program itself, is at a crossroads.