Billet a Friel-like shooter
By DOUG
DOUGHTY
Exclusive
to roanoke.com by 5 p.m. Thursdays
So much attention has been focussed on the in-state football recruits who will be visiting Virginia this weekend that it is easy to overlook the uncommitted out-of-state prospects with whom UVa remains involved.
Three are scheduled to visit Virginia this weekend, including Brandon Snow, a 6-foot-1, 215-pounder from Newark, Del., who was rated the No. 1 fullback in the country by SuperPrep before the season.
UVa is also entertaining 6-4, 315-pound Ronald Darden, an offensive lineman from Glen Burnie, Md., and Daniel Inman, a 6-7, 285-pound offensive lineman from South View High School in Hope Mills, N.C.
Darden was rated the No. 11 prospect in Maryland by SuperPrep and Inman was rated the No. 21 prospect in North Carolina. At the time, it was reported that Inman had made an oral commitment to East Carolina, where his father, Wayne, was an All-American.
Sammy Batten, the North Carolina correspondent for SuperPrep, said Inman decommitted to East Carolina approximately 10 days ago and visited Georgia last weekend. After visiting Virginia, Inman is scheduled to go to N.C. State, which Batten considers the favorite.
Inman says he is still considering East Carolina, where his father is in the sports hall of fame, but coach Steve Logan has a history of breaking connections with recruits who change their minds.
As for Snow, SuperPrep reported before the season that Miami, Florida and Florida State were his leaders, but "Brandon's never been one to reveal a whole lot about what he's thinking," SuperPrep publisher Allen Wallace said Thursday.
Darden, a 4.0 student with 1,000 on the Scholastic Assessment Test before a fall retake, said in the preseason that he favored Virginia over an academically diverse group that included Stanford, East Carolina, Maryland and Harvard.
From Darden's thumbnail, it appeared as if ECU was the only school that had offered him at that time. It would make sense that UVa would be recruiting another linemen, although the Cavaliers may have cooled in their pursuit of South Carolina preseason All-American Stephen Sene.
Darden was named second-team All-Metro by the Baltimore Sun.
Among the prospective offensive linemen who have committed to Virginia (in approximate order of how they are rated) are D'Brickashaw Ferguson, Randy Hand, Robert Jenkins, D.J. Bell, Brad Butler, Robert Armstrong and Damian Spradlin.
Ferguson has been mentioned as a possible defensive lineman in some accounts, as has Armstrong. There also is a possibility that Armstrong may require a year in prep school and I have not heard confirmation that Jenkins is a qualifier after a second year in boarding school.
AT ONE TIME, Virginia was expecting as many as 17 prospects on official visits this weekend, although it appears that defensive end Darryl Tapp from Deep Creek in Chesapeake has eliminated the Cavaliers.
Tapp was once on UVa's visitation list for this weekend, as was 6-5, 280-pound tight end Shadeed Harris from Phoebus High School in Hampton. Harris, rated the No. 42 prospect in Virginia by The Roanoke Times, reportedly has committed to Syracuse.
The guest list includes five players who have committed to UVa, three in-state prospects and defensive back Willie Davis from Wilmington, N.C. Batten said Davis is "a great player" who is "a little better" than his preseason No. 14 rating in North Carolina.
Davis, who has 10.9-second speed for 100 meters, played tailback this year and rushed for between 1,500 and 1,600 yards.
Committed in-state players at UVa this weekend are running back Kenneth Tynes from Centreville, the above-mentioned Armstrong from Washington-Lee (Arlington) and Potomac teammates Keenan Carter and Antwan Stewart.
Stewart took a visit to Tennessee following his commitment to Virginia but never publicly decommitted to the Cavaliers. It is likely he will confirm his commitment to UVa if he enjoys his visit, although he and Carter are on the borderline academically.
WITH 21 COMMITMENTS TO DATE, Virginia would need some of its recruits to go to prep school if it got favorable news from the 10 uncommitted in-state players who will be on the grounds this weekend. That group includes six of the top 10 prospects in the state.
Ahmad Brooks, the Hylton High School linebacker who is rated the No. 1 prospect in the state, will be joined by No. 2 Marcus Vick, No. 3 Kai Parham, No. 4 Jonathan Lewis, No. 6 Michael Johnson and No. 9 Marcus Hamilton. Also on hand will be Vick's favorite target for the past two years, Brenden Hill, who was rated 37th on The Roanoke Times' Top 100.
I'm not sure what has happened to No. 26 Jimmy Williams, a defensive back from Bethel High School in Hampton who planned to visit Virginia at one time. Virginia Tech appears to be the leader for his services.
THE ILL-ADVISED DEPARTURE of sophomore men's basketball player Moe Young has given UVa an extra scholarship for next year and, given their erratic perimeter shooting, the Cavaliers might want to scour the country for the next Keith Friel.
"He's sitting on the end of the bench," said assistant Tommy Herrion, who feels that Todd Billet, a transfer from Rutgers, will furnish the 3-point threat that Friel provided for UVa's 2000-2001 team. "We won't see any zone next year. Trust me. Not with those two."
Herrion was referring to Billet and Roger Mason Jr., although that wasn't an out-and-out confirmation that Mason will return for his senior year.
"Nothing's ever definite, but I'm confident he'll be back," Herrion said. "You never know. If he keeps playing well, then it's an issue. Right now, I'm confident he'll be playing four years."
HERRION ON INJURED senior Adam Hall, on crutches Tuesday with a partial tear to his plantar fascia: "I think it's going to come down to how much pain he can tolerate and be effective with. I know he'd like to get back as soon as possible. He's chomping at the bit."
Freshmen rise to the occasion
By JERRY RATCLIFFE
Daily Progress sports editor
Who would have ever suspected that the biggest answers to Virginia’s
basketball dilemma over the past week would be freshmen.
When opponents began slapping a zone defense in the Cavaliers’ face and dared
them to win with perimeter shooting, one of UVa’s biggest weaknesses was
exposed to the basketball world. Not only did a zone slow the pace, take away
the Cavs’ athleticism and surround Travis Watson down in the paint, but it put
even more pressure on Virginia’s perimeter shooting.
With Adam Hall mired in a shooting slump (8 for 32 behind the arc), that meant
the pressure to score from outside fell onto the ample shoulders of point guard
Roger Mason Jr. and forward Chris Williams. Mason already had enough pressure by
having to run the team and somehow find 3-point shots.
It was clear that UVa needed two things: a third effective perimeter shooter and
someone to share time at the point in order to free up Mason more from
bonusphere. Mason is the one guy on the team who can carve up a zone defense if
he finds his range.
Enter freshman backup point guard Keith Jenifer and freshman swingman Jermaine
Harper. With those guys playing an expanded role, all of a sudden Virginia’s
offense ran as smoothly as an Enron document shredder.
Jenifer convinced Coach Pete Gillen that he could handle the challenge with some
solid minutes in UVa’s loss at Clemson. Next outing, Gillen didn’t hesitate
to start Jenifer at the point and move Mason over. It was a brilliant, though
gutsy move by Gillen, who put the fate of the team in a freshman that is so
thin-framed that the coach describes him as “Six O’clock.”
But it was a risk that Gillen had to take. If Jenifer implodes against the
pressure of starting in the Dean Dome and UVa drops to 0-3 in the league, who
knows what might happen. But Jenifer was effective against Carolina’s zone,
penetrating just enough, moving the ball around just enough that the Cavaliers
found enough offense to pull off the win.
Harper stepped up to the plate as well, sinking a big 3-pointer that gave UVa a
lead in the game and then made the biggest play of the afternoon, a key steal
with 41 seconds to play to help the Cavs prevail over the Tar Heels.
The success was a huge boost to the confidence of both freshmen, which helped
even more when 14th-ranked Wake Forest came to town Tuesday night.
Against the Deacs, Jenifer ran the offense like a pro and helped spoonfeed
Mason, who hit 7 of 13 shots from three-point range. Meanwhile, Harper
contributed 10 points and hit 2 of 3 from behind the arc, just enough to
establish himself as an outside threat in future scouting reports.
Over the last 49 minutes, Jenifer has scored 13 points, dished out seven assists
and turned the ball over eight times. Not bad for a rookie thrown into the
pressure of ACC hoops.
“All of our freshmen have big hearts,” said Gillen.
He’s right. Not only have Harper and Jenifer answered the call but so have
forwards Elton Brown and Jason Clark. The two big men will have their moments
but for now the spotlight is on Harper and Jenifer because of the situation.
“Both of them are good defensive players,” said Gillen. “That’s all we
want right now. Offense from them is a bonus. Harper’s 10 points (vs. Wake),
well, we didn’t expect that. They’re not afraid.”
Watson, who recorded his eighth double-double of the season and the 24th of his
career, had the utmost respect for what the freshmen did against the Heels and
Deacs.
“They were tremendous,” said Watson. “That is the play we need from them.
The better they play, the better we are as a team.”
Jenifer said once he shook the jitters the first few games of the season, he’s
concentrated on building confidence while trying to improve every phase of his
game.
“I’m trying to get better every game and I think I have since the N.C. State
game,” said Jenifer, a hard-nosed guard from Baltimore via Hargrave Military
Academy. “I have learned one thing quickly though. Against ACC teams, I can
see a teammate open and when I go to pass the ball to him, he’s not open
anymore. I have learned that I need to get the pass off much quicker.”
While he has improved his free throw shooting and defense, he still wants to get
better at decision making, handling the ball and shooting.
“I’ve got to start knocking down jump shots to keep the defense honest,”
said Jenifer.
Harper came to UVa with the reputation as a defensive stopper. But now he has
thrown up some offense that has opened a few eyes.
“I can do it all now,” said Harper with a big smile. “Score, defense,
whatever it takes to win.”
But he is more confident because of the confidence that Gillen and his teammates
have shown in him. Hall, out with a foot injury, came over and talked to both
Harper and Jenifer prior to the Wake game and challenged them to be aggressive
out on the court, something that Harper said meant a lot to him.
“The fact that Coach Gillen put me in the North Carolina game in key
situations showed me that he had confidence in me and that gave me a big
boost,” said Harper. “I can see myself being that third shooter. We need all
kinds of shooters against a zone and I have to prove to defenses that I can make
shots like that.”
It doesn’t hurt that UVa’s coaches are always encouraging the freshmen to
take the shots in practice and in games.
“They don’t want us to pass up shots,” said Harper.
Mason loves what the freshmen are doing and he believes they are on the right
track to making Virginia a more complete basketball team.
“The key is just playing,” said Mason. “When you have talented players,
all it takes is time.”
And the freshmen do know one thing. Time is on their side.
Weekend will be a big one for Virginia recruits
Insider gregg doyel
"It wasn't a good experience for me," Gillen said. "Honestly I
don't take any joy about going against Skip, win or lose. It's no fun. I don't
like going against friends. Some people like it - I don't. I feel badly."
Prosser probably felt worse. After the game he certainly wasn't in the mood
to discuss coaching against Gillen, his boss for eight years at Xavier. Prosser
said he wasn't trying to gain any advantage from his knowledge of his former
mentor.
"I wasn't paying attention to what he was doing," Prosser said,
which wasn't entirely true. When Gillen or Virginia assistant Tom Herrion would
call out a play by tapping the tops of their head, Prosser would turn to his
team and tap his head as well. Or maybe Prosser was tapping first, and Gillen
and Herrion were relaying the same information to their players.
"It didn't matter what he was calling," Prosser said.
"Whatever he called worked."
Gillen was almost sorry about that. Almost.
"I don't get any extra satisfaction at all - at all - about beating
them," Gillen said. UVa plays host to recruits By JERRY RATCLIFFE Coach K fired up after loss By JERRY RATCLIFFE Road warriors. Clemson coach Larry Shyatt said he called the ACC
office to complain about the Tigers’ schedule when it was first revealed that
five of his team’s first seven ACC games were on the road. Free throws … You have to like Steve Spurrier’s response when
asked how he expected to deal with Dan Snyder’s demanding personality. “Hey,
I survived Duke … twice,” said Spurrier. And if you question whether the man
can turn the Redskins around or adjust to the NFL, just remember, Spurrier won
at Duke. That may not happen again in our lifetime. … North Carolina offensive
line coach Robbie Caldwell, considered by many as the best line coach in the
ACC, has left the Tar Heels to become assistant head coach and line coach at
Vanderbilt. … Rumors have it that Duke coach Carl Franks might get a job offer
from old boss Spurrier in Washington. Franks worked for Spurrier for 12 years at
Duke and Florida before taking over the Blue Devils in 1998. … After N.C.
State coach Herb Sendek refused to talk to beat writers who cover the Wolfpack
prior to their game against Florida State, several of the writers boycotted
Sendek’s postgame news conference after his team’s victory over the
Seminoles. … Georgia Tech coach Paul Hewitt is considering redshirting 7-foot
Australian freshman center Luke Schenscher, who has been out of the lineup since
Dec. 1 with a broken bone in his left foot. Five days removed from a hard fought victory over Wake Forest, the No. 10
Virginia men's basketball team looks to continue its two-game winning streak
Sunday when it goes up against Florida State at 4 p.m. at University Hall.
The Cavaliers (11-2, 2-2 ACC) won both games last season over the Seminoles
(9-6, 2-2), including a thriller in Tallahassee in which junior guard Roger
Mason Jr. hit a three-pointer with time running out to give Virginia a narrow
69-66 victory.
The Cavaliers will need a similar performance from Mason if they hope to
extend their winning streak against a vastly improved Florida State team that
pulled off a huge upset against No. 1 Duke on Jan. 6.
Florida State is "a very talented team," Virginia coach Pete Gillen
said. "Anyone who beats Duke has to be very good. We have to bring our 'A'
game if we hope to win on Sunday."
With senior guard Adam Hall still sidelined with a foot injury, the Cavaliers
will count on Mason, senior Chris Williams (14.5 points, 6.1 rebounds) and
junior Travis Watson (13.2 points, 10.5 rebounds) to pick up the slack. Watson
came up with his eighth double-double of the season against Wake and leads
current ACC players in career double-doubles.
"Adam is the heart of the team," freshman Jermaine Harper said.
"We know that we have to step up with him out with the injury."
More important is the role of the Cavaliers' freshmen guards. They will have
to face one of the most talented point guards in the ACC.
Florida State's fifth-year senior point guard Delvon Arrington will challenge
Harper and fellow freshman Keith Jenifer in the backcourt. Arrington is third in
the ACC with 7.27 assists per game and, more importantly, he doesn't turn the
ball over. He is fourth in the ACC in assist-to-turnover ratio.
The Seminoles will turn to Army veteran Monte Cummings for scoring in the low
blocks. At 14.9 points a game, Cummings leads the team in scoring and will be
helped out by fellow forwards Antwuan Dixon and Michael Joiner. The Seminoles'
starting lineup is rounded out - literally - by 6-foot-10, 350-pound Nigel
Dixon, who is affectionately known as "Big Jelly."
"We are going to have to play hard and full of intensity," Williams
said. "They have some good players, and we can't just come out expecting to
win the game."
Despite being second in the conference in field goal percentage defense
(.392), the Cavaliers had struggled at the defensive end before a surge of
intensity turned the defense around nine minutes into the win over Wake Forest.
Virginia will have to come out fired up. It has fallen behind early in every
ACC game this season. If it happens again this Sunday, the Cavaliers might not
be able to stop a surging Florida State team that has swept its home series with
Duke and North Carolina for the first time ever.
"We can't be content with just one game," Mason said after the Wake
Forest victory. "We want to show everyone what we can do, so we can't
afford to take it easy against any team in the ACC." Coaching against friends
Daily Progress sports editor
Al Groh will roll out the red carpet today for the biggest football recruiting
weekend since the former New York Jets coach took over the University of
Virginia program.
At last count, at least a dozen uncommitted prospects, including some major
recruiting targets are due to arrive sometime today or Saturday to make their
official visit to UVa. Their visit will conclude Sunday when the group takes in
the Cavaliers’ home basketball game against Florida State.
Among those players are four of the nation’s top 25, according to The Sporting
News’ Hot 101 prospects: Warwick High quarterback Marcus Vick; Princess Anne
linebacker Kai Parham; running back Michael Johnson out of Heritage High in
Newport News; and linebacker Ahmad Brooks of Hylton High in Woodbridge, along
with the state’s top defensive back, Marcus Hamilton from Centreville High.
“If Virginia gets three of these guys, then we’re talking about pushing the
Cavaliers’ recruiting class into the top five classes in the nation,” said
Mike Farrell, a recruiting analyst for Rivals100 (Farrell has his own recruiting
site dedicated chiefly to Virginia at www.farellfiles.com.
“That could be the best Virginia recruiting class in at least 25 years,”
Farrell said. “What Virginia needs is guys who can come in and play right away
and this is a great year for high school talent in the state.”
Among the other in-state, uncommitted prospects visiting this weekend are:
Shadeed Harris, a tight end from Phoebus; Brenden Hill, Vick’s main wide
receiver out of Warwick; Jon Lewis, a star linebacker from Varina; Darryl Tapp,
a defensive end from Deep Creek; and Ken Tynes, a running back/defensive back
from Centreville.
A few out-of-state prospects are visiting as well, including Brandon Snow, a
running back from Newark, Del.
Three players who previously committed to Virginia are making their official
visits, including Arlington defensive tackle Robert Armstrong; Potomac defensive
lineman Keenan Carter; and Wilmington, N.C., safety Willie Davis. Carter is one
of the key players in this visit because he knows many of the big-time
uncommitted state players who will be on hand.
“I know that Vick and Johnson are very good friends along with Hill,”
Farrell said. “They’re all going to drive to Charlottesville together and
talk about their college choices on the way. I think basically, there’s no
uncommitted high school players in Virginia who are strangers at this point.
They have all been together at either games or photo shoots and they all know
each other.”
Groh is banking on that kind of relationship bringing these players together for
one of the nation’s top recruiting classes and some future championship runs.
When Groh was introduced as Virginia’s coach in January of 2001, he said that
his goal was to win a national championship and that in order to do so, he had
to recruit the type of players who can beat the likes of Florida State.
Those kinds of players are on campus this weekend. It’s Groh’s job to get
them to come back for four years.
“Virginia hopes to get them all together for a 48-hour period and let them
bond and take the challenge upon themselves to come in and turn the program
around,” Farrell said. “All of these guys could be committed by now but they
have waited.”
At least two of those prospects have hinted to Farrell that they might commit
this weekend: Hamilton and Parham. If that is the case, UVa is hoping that might
set off a chain reaction as the state’s best talent comes together for a
commitment to winning a national title.
“Hamilton has mentioned to me that he is thinking about committing this
weekend if he feels comfortable and blends in with the players and coaching
staff,” Farrell said. “Parham is down to Virginia and Tennessee and visited
Tennessee last weekend but right now, indicated he is leaning toward Virginia.
He feels very comfortable with (UVa secondary coach) Bob Price and defensive
coordinator Al Golden and he likes Virginia’s graduation rate. That’s
important to him and his mom, the graduation success at UVa, that it’s close
to home and the possibility of playing right away.”
According to Hamilton’s coach, Mike Skinner, the prized cornerback has
narrowed his list to Virginia and Maryland. He has already visited Michigan
State and cancelled visits to Tennessee and Georgia.
“Whoever gets Marcus Hamilton is going to be real fortunate,” said Skinner.
“He’s the best cover corner in the state of Virginia without question.”
Brooks, selected as USA Today’s national high school defensive player of the
year, told The Daily Progress on Thursday that he will spend the next three
weekends at Virginia, then Tennessee, then Penn State. He has already visited
Virginia Tech and Florida State.
“I’m going to wait until either the week before signing day or until the
last day,” said Brooks. “I want to sign with a school that has good
academics, where I can start my freshman year and a place with a good
atmosphere, where I can feel comfortable with the coaches, players and the
student body in general.”
Vick, whose older brother Mike led Virginia Tech to a national championship
showdown with Florida State a couple of years ago, has narrowed his final list
to Virginia, Miami, Florida State, Tennessee and Notre Dame, according to
Rivals.
Johnson, considered the best running back in the state, lists Virginia, Miami,
Florida State, Notre Dame and Tennessee as well.
What a package it would be for the Cavaliers to land both Vick and Johnson along
with the rest of the big names on the list.
It would be college football’s gold mine.
Daily Progress sports editor
Scattershooting around the ACC, while wondering what Mike Krzyzewski might have
done if his Blue Devils didn’t perform up to expectations late last night in
Durham, N.C. …
To say the Devils were in Coach K’s doghouse heading into the Maryland game
would have been a gross understatement, although an offensive one to Krzyzewski.
After his team lost at Florida State, Krzyzewski was so infuriated at his team
that when the Devils returned to Durham late that night, the coach headed to the
team’s locker room and had the players’ nameplates and chairs removed.
He also had the pictures taken down.
According to freshman Daniel Ewing, Krzyzewski wanted the players to earn
everything back.
I have always believed that Krzyzewski was one up on most coaches in the country
for two reasons: One, he only recruits players who can shoot well; Two, he is a
master, perhaps the best ever, at knowing what buttons to push and when as far
as motivating his team. The thing I don’t like about him is that he rarely
gives Duke’s beat writers the time of day.
Tar Heel trouble
OK, how many of you out there ever thought you would live to see North Carolina
basketball so bad? Raise your hands.
The Heels are experiencing their worst season since 1962 when Dean Smith was in
his first year as its coach. Carolina fans hung Smith in effigy that year. They
might hang Matt Doherty for real if things don’t improve.
Carolina has the worst RPI rating of all nine ACC teams, dropping from 106th to
121st.
After losing at Florida State on Wednesday, things don’t get any better as
Carolina travels to Connecticut on Saturday.
Pulling no punches
Hey, you might want to watch your mouth if Georgia Tech guard Tony Akins’ mama
is in the stands.
Myong Akins was involved in a fight at Duke’s Cameron Indoor Stadium recently
when she was returning to her seat behind the Tech bench, slipped and fell and
all hell broke loose. She claims a Duke student grabbed her by the hair on the
way down, causing Ms. Akins to come up punching.
The female Duke student claims she grabbed Ms. Akins arm to prevent falling
herself, but she and Myong Akins came to blows with several punches thrown
before spectators broke up the action.
I don’t know about you but when I write about Tony Akins, I’m going to be
very careful to be nice.
Dude with the ’tude
When N.C. State beat Virginia in U-Hall a little more than a week ago, only part
of the crowd noticed that Wolfpack freshman Julius Hodge was giving it to the
Cavalier students down on one end of the floor.
After scoring on one breakaway layup, Hodge shimmied and shook, riling the fans.
Moments later he scored again and shook some more, sending the fans into a near
riot.
As he ran off the floor, Hodge held his right hand to his right ear as if to ask
the Virginia fans why they were so quiet with their team on the losing end.
But as ACC writers have come to learn, that’s just the way Hodge is, confident
border-
ing on cockiness. In fact, the Pack rookie was upset when a Raleigh TV report
described him as one of the top freshmen in the country. He responded by saying
he couldn’t think of anyone better than himself.
Scary thing is, he may be right.
Still, teammate Archie Miller has tried to get Hodge to tone down his act a
notch or two.
“Archie has told me to keep my composure and don’t play to the crowd,”
said Hodge. “I guess growing up in New York, the crowd is always against you,
so I play for that. It gives me extra energy. When I’m out there, I’m
emotional. Sometimes it can be good, sometimes it can be bad. I’m just out
there having fun.”
The ACC could use a few more characters like that, players who aren’t afraid
to show some emotion. I still miss Richard Morgan.
“I talked a great deal,” Shyatt said. “I fought for our players as well as
I felt I could, until which time I felt that the subject was moot and that the
greatness of this league has been by virtue of those who have given to its
greatness and that we would be the next in line.”
Cavs prepare to chop Seminoles
Virginia looks to continue momentum against ACC foe Florida State and move
about .500 in conference
Cavalier Daily Associate Editor