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Cavaliers' predicament commonplace
 By ANDREW JOYNER / Daily Progress staff writer
Jan 6, 2003
 
It was a play painstakingly familiar for the Virginia men's basketball team.

It was a play, despite UVa coach Pete Gillen's problems with the officiating throughout, which defined Virginia's 75-63 loss at N.C. State on Sunday.

With 5:31 remaining and Virginia just having cut the deficit to 53-47, N.C. State forward Levi Watkins connected on a 3-pointer after he received an open look off an inbounds play.

Gillen and his players later said it was miscommunication that allowed Watkins the unfettered shot.

"That was a big shot. At first, I heard we were in man. Then, I heard zone," said sophomore forward Elton Brown. "When I started out to cover him, next thing I know somebody was telling me to get off of him. … He was wide open."

It was Watkins' second 3-pointer of the game on what was just his second attempt of the contest as the Wolfpack connected on nine of 20 treys overall.

"Watkins made a big three in that spot. They made some big threes. They did a good job," Gillen said.

That play was preceded at the 9:25 mark by another wide open 3-pointer by 6-foot-9 Josh Powell, who entered the game 0 for 1 from behind the arc on the season. The shot had given the Wolfpack a 49-36 advantage as Powell, uncovered, dribbled once and let fly from the top of the key.

N.C. State has now made 42 of 81 3-pointers combined in its last four victories against UVa (three last season and Sunday's game). In its last two games against Virginia, N.C. State is an incredible 22 of 38 from behind the arc. One wonders if N.C. State coach Herb Sendek could expect such a performance during regular shooting drills in a N.C. State practice.

"They shoot the ball well against us and play very well against us," said Gillen, whose program has lost five straight to N.C. State and the last six contests in Raleigh. "We certainly bring out the best in them."

Subsequently, the Wolfpack also brought out the worst in Virginia in the same category. The Cavaliers misfired from the arc, making just four of their 22 attempts.

"We couldn't make shots. We couldn't put the ball in the basket," Gillen said.

The inability to make the shots from outside compounded the notion whether the Cavaliers should have been taking that many anyway as they seemed to settle for the outside shot instead of looking for Watson, Brown or Nick Vander Laan on the interior.

Regardless of whether Watson was or was not being harassed as Gillen claimed, the senior forward attempted just eight shots and made five of them. Even if he was being fouled each time he touched the ball, his proficiency on the shots he did take is evidence that he could have been a more effective option than he was allowed to be.

Watson was unavailable for comment after the game, but Brown voiced the protests of Virginia's frontline.

"In my opinion, we need a lot more play for Travis and us [in the post]. We need to go inside-out and not outside-in. The chances of Travis making a shot down low is like 100 percent," Brown said. "We need to have a meeting or whatever as players and coaches and realize that Travis needs to get the ball. … The coaches need to talk to the guards about that."

Added junior guard Todd Billet: "He [Watson] draws a lot of attention. He's one of the best players in the conference. Tonight, they played on his back and made him their primary focus. They made it tough to pound the ball into him."

Virginia, which has now lost eight straight ACC openers, will try to even its league mark when it hosts North Carolina on Saturday at noon.

It becomes an increasingly important contest with road games at No. 1 Duke and at Clemson following it.

"We have to come out of this game with a positive outlook. We have to build upon it and improve," Billet said.

Notes. Gillen said that junior guard Majestic Mapp is still not at a point where he can play or could have played in any of UVa's last few games. "Not yet. He hasn't been through a whole practice yet. Hopefully he'll be able to play in the not so distant future but I don't want to put a date on it." …

Watson, who turned in a double-double in each of Virginia's three games last week, was named ACC Player of the Week on Monday.

For the week, Watson scored 51 points, grabbed 47 rebounds, shot 52.8 percent (19-36) from the field and 81.3 percent (13-16) from the free throw line in 96 minutes of action. Watson also had seven assists, four steals and two blocked shots in the three games.

 

 

From The Stands: A Look Ahead
By Brett Wood
Date: Jan 6, 2003

This will be my last column on football for a while, other than perhaps some recruiting discussion. With the play on the field over for the 2002 season, it's time to look at the future. There are three ACC football programs presently being touted as "up and coming," Maryland, North Carolina State, and Virginia.

Florida State is still the king of the ACC until somebody dethrones them. Clemson, the "up and coming" program of two or three seasons ago is muddling in mediocrity with Tommy Bowden's name losing its luster and his chair a bit warmer these days. North Carolina, last year's "up and coming" program, came apart at the seams this year. There were definite signs of panic in Chapel Hill as Bunting asked several freshmen to give up their redshirt eligibility to play in a few meaningless contests late in the season. Wake Forest's Jim Grobe does more with less than anyone in the conference but it doesn't appear that he'll be able to find the horses to threaten the upper echelon. Duke may finally win a conference game or two next season but that's about it. Georgia Tech? Your guess is as good as mine as they are the mystery team of the ACC.
Let's talk about the three rising programs in the ACC. North Carolina State drew rave reviews for its manhandling of media darling Notre Dame in this year's Gator Bowl. With quarterback Philip Rivers, All ACC wide receiver Jerricho Cotchery, and tailback T. A. McLendon back next season, the Wolfpack will receive serious consideration as the preseason ACC champion. State has seven starters returning on an offense that should be among the most explosive in the nation. Defensively, they have some holes to fill with only four starter returning. There are numerous players that showed in part time duty that they may be able to fill the void, but the defense will be thin, particularly on the line.

State Coach Chuck Amato is putting together a fine recruiting class this season and should be able to capitalize on the Pack's recent success to finish the 2003 recruiting period strong. Amato isn't limited by some of the admissions issues that restrict Virginia and a few other ACC schools, so his potential pool of recruits is larger and includes junior college candidates. We'll find out about State early next season as Amato has replaced one of their I-AA non-conference opponents with defending national champ Ohio State. It should be noted that the game was contracted well prior to Ohio State's successful 2002 campaign.

Maryland's Ralph Friedgen's coaching prowess almost matches his girth if the media is to be believed. He certainly had the Terps well prepared for Tennessee as they dismantled the Volunteers in the Peach Bowl. It's difficult to assess the real value of that victory because the 2002 Vols little resembled the Tennessee teams of recent years. No argument that he's done a fine job at Maryland and the Terps appear posed for another excellent season in 2003 with at least seven starters returning on offense and nine on defense. Not included in those tallies is 2001 rushing star Bruce Perry who will likely be the starter in 2003. Maryland may be the safest bet for challenging FSU next season because of all the experience they return.

The high school class of 2003 in Maryland has substantially more football talent than usual and the Terps are looking to capitalize with a recruiting class that will provide a foundation of talent for the future. The Fridge has been winning with former coach Ron Vanderlinden's recruits. Vanderlinden had begged for one more season when he was dismissed by Maryland AD Debbie Yow. He knew the several solid recruiting classes his staff had put together were close to bearing fruit, but he was canned in favor of Friedgen. Last year's class, Friedgen's first, was decent but not of the caliber to keep Maryland in the top echelon of ACC teams. With all the local talent available, it's hard to imagine that the Terps won't land a top class this year, but already a couple of their primary targets have committed elsewhere. This year's class is crucial because 12 of their returning starters will complete their eligibility in 2003.

For all the success Virginia achieved in 2002, Coach Al Groh knows he still has many holes to fill. After the impressive whipping of 15th ranked West Virginia in the Continental Tire Bowl, Groh cautioned that the Hoos must start from the beginning again in 2003. Let's step off the wave of euphoria we've all been riding to consider his statement. Looking at the roster objectively, Virginia had no business beating ranked teams such as Maryland, North Carolina State, and West Virginia. The offensive line looked suspect before the season and was stripped by injury of some of its best and most experienced during the season. The defensive line was barely old enough to vote. Matt Schaub took his snaps from a center that began the year fourth on the depth chart and often had two true freshmen behind him in the backfield. Key players kept showing up for games on crutches and freshmen or former nobodies kept stepping in and doing the job. Groh and his staff performed near miracles in 2002 and no objective analyst can expect a repeat of those miracles in 2003 under the same circumstances.

All that being said, it appears the talent level in Charlottesville will move up another notch in 2003. The Cavs will welcome back 18 starters and all most all of the key reserves from 2002. The 2002 recruiting class was outstanding. Even after three key recruits failed to qualify, the class was still ranked in the top 12 of the nation. While the instate talent in Virginia isn't of the same national caliber as the 2002 class, it looks like the Cavs will put together another class that will finish among the top 15. For the 2003 season, the Hoos will have on scholarship as much or more raw talent as any team in the ACC save Florida State. However, much of that talent will be in the form of freshmen and sophomores. Both NC State and Maryland will field more developed talent and that should allow them to finish ahead of Virginia in 2003. Keep in mind I'm trying to be objective here, my heart says the heck with the turtles and the pups, the Hoos will rule 2003!

When you peek beyond 2003, Virginia seems to have a real advantage. Of the Hoos' 18 returning starters, only four will be seniors in 2003. While both Maryland and North Carolina State claimed youth in 2002, Virginia will still be very young in 2003. There's no doubt that the Cavs' best football is still ahead of them.

My early prediction for the 2003 season is that no team will complete conference play undefeated but Florida State will finish at the top, perhaps tied with Maryland. North Carolina State and Virginia will battle for the next slot, Georgia Tech and Clemson for the position behind them. North Carolina has better talent than Wake and Duke but it'll be interesting to see how the Heels recover from 2002. I think Wake will finish in front of them simply because Jim Grobe is one of the best coaches in the ACC.

If all that comes to pass, Clemson will need a new coach in 2004. Carolina fans will be screaming for the same in Chapel Hill. Carl Franks needs a conference win or two to keep his job at Duke. Jim Grobe will get a bigger and better job and Wake will continue to be a rest stop for college coaches, either on their way up or their way out. And, Al Groh will be looking at 2004 as the year his Virginia program makes its charge for its first BCS bowl bid. I wouldn't bet against it.

It's been a lot of fun to write about UVa football this year as the gridiron Hoos have exceeded all expectations and have done so with a flair that has the nation buzzing. I hope I have as much fun with the rest of the Hoops season.


 

 

Virginia coach apologizes for criticizing officials
Jan. 7, 2003
SportsLine.com wire reports

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Virginia coach Pete Gillen apologized Tuesday for criticizing Atlantic Coast Conference officials following a 75-63 loss to North Carolina State over the weekend.

Gillen was critical of Mike Wood, Ted Valentine and Gary Maxwell moments after Virginia's 12-point loss Sunday night, saying star forward Travis Watson was roughed up by the Wolfpack inside, but didn't get to the foul line.

Gillen also questioned why N.C. State went to the foul line 27 times while his team took just 12 free throws.

During the league's weekly teleconference on Tuesday, Gillen said he was sorry for his comments.

"I would like to publicly apologize to the ACC, to the officials and to the N.C. State team for comments I made after the game," Gillen said. "I was frustrated and I was just trying to point out some things. But I didn't do it in the right manner and through the right channels and I apologize for that. I was wrong."

ACC spokesman Brian Morrison said a top league administrator talked with Gillen about his comments Monday, but that the Virginia coach would not be suspended. A league rule prohibits coaches from criticizing officials in public.

N.C. State coach Herb Sendek said he had not spoken with Gillen about the issue, but considered the matter closed.

"He did not need to make any apology to me," Sendek said. "I really didn't expect a conversation to take place. Coach is running his program in the best way he sees fit and I have great respect for Coach Gillen. He's a good friend of mine. It's time to move forward."

Watson had 29 points in last year's game at the RBC Center, but was held to 10 on just eight shots Sunday night in the ACC opener for both teams.


 

 

Cavaliers forgot Pack's soft spots
By Lenox Rawlings
JOURNAL COLUMNIST
 

RALEIGH - The ACC basketball schedule kicked into a higher gear last night, which meant that the hours of illusion and delusion arrived in one breathless flurry.

N.C. State defeated dreary Virginia 75-63, the Cavaliers' eighth straight flop on opening night. You can't blame Pete Gillen for all the bad reviews, his coaching tenure now approaching five years. Of course, you can't blame Gillen for much of anything. He's too busy blaming someone else.

That's where the illusion and delusion come into play.

The illusion involves the game virtually everyone expected to see: Virginia's powerful frontcourt creating relatively easy shots and controlling offensive rebounds, then forcing the Wolfpack's erratic shooters outside at the other end.

So much for rationale. The Cavaliers opened their ACC season firing 22 3-pointers and making only four, which calculates to 18 percent. Inside forces Travis Watson (10 points) and Elton Brown (nine points) took 20 of the team's 65 shots.

Months ago, Gillen publicly conceded his defensive shortcomings and hired specialist Rod Jensen, Boise State's head coach from 1995 through last season. That's why Virginia shelved the helter-skelter style notable for its layup-inducing matador defense.

But then the Cavaliers ignored what worked so well for Gonzaga and Massachusetts, which was the simple logic of letting State shoot jumpers, preferably from distant ranges.

The Wolfpack missed its last 19 shots of the first half against Gonzaga, the impetus for defeat No. 1. The Wolfpack missed its first 13 shots of the second half against UMass on Thursday night, failing to deliver a basket for nearly nine minutes. The upshot: defeat No. 2.

Virginia studied the videotape and wound up outsmarting itself, concocting a mess of junk defenses and changing defenses and man defenses. Sometimes defense is a rather loose term. The Wolfpack pressed little, got out in transition seldom and scored few layups, yet somehow managed to shoot 52 percent in the second half and 47 percent overall.

On offense, the Cavaliers lost touch with Watson or watched Watson hang around the 3-point line in a walkabout wonder or merely settled for other shots. The results: 33-percent shooting in the first half and 40-percent overall, with Watson making five of eight for his 10 points. He had only four points with eight minutes left. He managed 12 rebounds, but only two on offense, and played an insignificant role.

Irresistable force resisted

Post partner Brown refused to credit Josh Powell, Marcus Melvin and Levi Watkins, the 'Packers responsible for interior defense.

"We've just got to get Travis the ball," Brown said. "He's, like, an All-ACC player or player of the year in the ACC or whatever. We've got to learn how to get him the ball more. I don't think it was struggling, like Powell just holding him defensively where he can't get the ball. We've just got to learn to get him the ball. Travis can't be stopped. Nobody in this conference can stop Travis, hands down, nobody."

Brown obviously concluded that the Cavaliers stopped Watson, a theme that State's Melvin bought.

"I guess in their transition defense their guards tried to probe instead of trying to use him like they'd been doing," Melvin said. "That was something that really helped us, too."

R-e-s-p-e-c-t!

It isn't like State pounded on Watson and made him submit to a football beating. To the contrary. Powell, a 223-pound sophomore, doesn't possess the muscle to knock Watson into the band, nor does the 220-pound Watkins. Melvin gives up 20 pounds.

But herein lies the delusion. Gillen complained that State took 27 foul shots to Virginia's 12, a stat that typically reflects how often a team attacks the basket, not how much the refs conspired against the visitors.

Gillen contended that State banged on Watson, just hammered the guy senseless. "He didn't get any respect tonight," Gillen said. "He didn't take any free-throw shots tonight. I was really disappointed."

His disappointment sounded more like a lame excuse. One of his guards, transfer Todd Billet of Rutgers, said as much.

"I was in the Big East for two years, playing Georgetown, Providence," Billet said. "Some of those games turn into a wrestling match. It wasn't overly physical. You just play through it as best you can."

Herb Sendek, the State coach, had trouble playing through a rendition of Gillen's excuses without breaking into laughter. Sendek settled for incredulity.

"There can't be very many, if any, better frontcourt guys in college basketball," Sendek said. "In the paint, he's awesome. I don't think anybody in college basketball stops Travis Watson alone. It has to be a team effort."

Yet Gillen implied that State's team effort amounted to physical domination, which was silly enough to startle the poker-faced Sendek.

"He's as physical as anybody in our league," Sendek said. "I mean, he devours you. When he posts up, he is just so strong. His picture is next to the word 'physical' in the dictionary."

Watson's picture may be next to lots of things in lots of books, but his face wasn't around when reporters ventured into the Virginia locker room. The Cavaliers promised to produce him, but a while later, spokesman Rich Murray returned alone.

"He had permission to leave," Murray said.

Maybe that helps explain why Watson didn't show up for the first half and disappeared so often.

• Lenox Rawlings can be reached at lrawlings@wsjournal.com

 

 

U.VA. NOTES
Jan 07, 2003

COMMANDING PRESENCE: Virginia senior Travis Watson has been named ACC men's basketball player of the week.

In three games - U.Va. beat Liberty and Wofford and lost to N.C. State - the 6-8, 255-pound Watson totaled 51 points, 46 rebounds and seven assists and shot 52.8 percent from the field and 81.3 percent from the line.

Against Wofford, Watson had 21 points and 20 rebounds to became the first Cavalier in nearly 20 years to have a 20-20 game. He won the ACC rebounding title in 2001-02 and leads the league again this season.

"I mean, he devours you," N.C. State coach Herb Sendek said. "When he posts up, he is just so strong. His picture is next to the word 'physical' in the dictionary."

Watson, an Oak Hill Academy graduate, has 44 career double-doubles. Only one other ACC player has more than 10: Wake Forest senior forward Josh Howard (15).

UNHAPPY CAMPER: Virginia coach Pete Gillen has long complained that Watson, given his stature in Division I, gets called for too many touch fouls. Gillen's displeasure increased Sunday night in Raleigh, N.C., where Watson played 37 minutes yet didn't attempt a free throw in a 12-point loss to the Wolfpack.

"Travis Watson's got to change his name," Gillen said. The officials "don't like him."

EXTENDED SEASON: For three Virginia seniors, college football did not end with last month's Continental Tire Bowl.

Linebacker Angelo Crowell, who made the all-ACC first team, will play in the Senior Bowl on Jan. 18 in Mobile, Ala. Safety Jerton Evans, a second-team all-ACC pick, will play Jan. 25 at the Rotary Gridiron Classic in Orlando, Fla. Linebacker Merrill Robertson, the Cavaliers' second-leading tackler this season, will head to Hawaii late this month for the Feb. 1 Hula Bowl.

Another U.Va. senior, all-ACC wideout Billy McMullen, also was invited to the Senior Bowl. But McMullen dislocated his left elbow in the early moments of the Continental Tire Bowl, in which Virginia whipped West Virginia 48-22.

STAYING PUT: Virginia offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave recently turned down an offer to take that same position at UCLA, and now Kentucky may be pursuing him.

Musgrave played quarterback at Oregon for Rich Brooks, UK's new coach, but the 35-year-old native of Grand Junction, Colo., is expected to call the Cavaliers' plays again in 2003. Musgrave's next stop probably will be a head-coach job, but that won't stop other schools from trying to hire him as offensive coordinator.

Such is the price of success, Virginia coach Al Groh knows. Groh expects his other assistants, most of whom are younger than 40, to generate interest from other schools, too.

"A year ago, everybody was saying, 'Gee, I think that staff's too young,'" Groh said. "Now, everybody's saying, 'How are you going to keep these guys around?'"

MEDICAL REPORT: An undisclosed illness marred fullback Jason Snelling's stellar freshman season, causing him to miss the Nov. 16 game against N.C. State and the Tire Bowl.

"It's been a little bit of an ongoing situation during the course of the season," Groh said, "but we have every reason to be very confident it's going to work itself out."

Snelling, a 2002 graduate of L.C. Bird High, had 31 catches for 314 yards and four touchdowns in 12 games. That's the second-most receptions by a freshman in U.Va. history.

"He's got a very, very bright future in front of him," Groh said.

HELP WANTED: Groh said he has a short list of candidates to succeed Tony Decker as head strength coach. Decker left U.Va. in August to return to his alma mater, East Stroudsburg (Pa.) State.

"This position has a little different function than the linebackers coach or the secondary coach," Groh said, "but we view it as the same thing. It's an integral staff position."

As he'd hoped when he took over at Virginia in December 2000, Groh said, his staff has "really has become 'the tribe.' There's a significant bonding and compatibility among all the assistants and, I think, between the assistants and the head coach. We're just looking for another tribe member."

Offseason workouts for football players begin this month.

POSTSEASON HONORS: Three football players who have committed to U.Va. competed Sunday in the third U.S. Army All-American Bowl, a high school all-star game in San Antonio, Texas. The Charlottesville-bound trio: tight end Jonathan Stupar of State College, Pa., and offensive linemen Ian-Yates Cunningham and Gordie Sammis of Lewisville, Texas, and Readington, N.J., respectively.

Others who played at the Alamodome included Vernon Davis, a tight end from Dunbar High in D.C. Davis is expected to choose between Maryland and Virginia. - Jeff White

 

 

Gillen off hook for criticizing refs

1-8-03
By BILL HASS, Staff Writer
News & Record

GREENSBORO -- The ACC office said Tuesday it was satisfied with an apology from Virginia basketball coach Pete Gillen for comments he made after the Cavaliers lost to N.C. State on Sunday.

"After the game I was frustrated and I was just trying to point out some things," Gillen said to start his segment of a weekly teleconference of ACC coaches. "But I didn't do it in the right manner and the right channels, so I apologize for that and I was wrong."

ACC associate commissioner Fred Barakat said Gillen came close to crossing the line on criticizing officials, which can result in a reprimand or suspension.

After N.C. State's 75-63 victory, Gillen pointed out that Virginia center Travis Watson took no free throws.

"That is very disappointing," Gillen said Sunday. "He is telling me, 'They are grabbing my arm and holding me.' We take 12 free throws and they take 27 and we are playing a zone defense. That is frustrating and disappointing."

Later, Gillen added he was trying to fight for his players and said "they (the ACC) send out memos about cleaning certain things up and obviously they haven't."

Barakat, a former supervisor of ACC basketball officials who now oversees basketball operations for the league, said he called Gillen on Monday and Tuesday, and the coach accepted responsibility for the comments.

"He thought he shouldn't have said it, but he acted out of frustration," Barakat said. "I think we came to an agreement that it was wrong and it didn't need to be said. He said that he would use the (teleconference) today to apologize for it. We're satisfied with that."

The ACC's policy for all sports is that coaches may not criticize or comment about officials, with violators facing disciplinary action, such as suspension or a reprimand. Barakat said Gillen's comments fell just short.

"I don't really believe it met the parameters and the guidelines that we have, but it was close," Barakat said. "That's why it was important that we speak because if that happens again and there is a crossing of the line, of course he would be subject to some kind of reprimand or suspension and we'd like to avoid that."

Gillen received no reprimand and is not on any kind of probationary status.

Meanwhile, in North Carolina's 64-61 overtime loss at Miami on Saturday, coach Matt Doherty expressed disappointment that no foul was called on a 3-point attempt by Jawad Williams in the waning seconds.

Doherty followed officials off the court briefly, trying to get their attention.

"I don't see how Jawad's last 3-pointer doesn't go 10 feet unless his hand was hit," Doherty said after the game. "But it's part of the game."

Barakat said he was pleased with the way Doherty handled his postgame comments.

"I think he handled it in a very adult way, very professional, because I do think there was an error made there in the officiating," Barakat said. "I think there was a foul on Jawad Williams' 3-point shot. Matt had every opportunity to be upset about it, and they should have been on the line and had the opportunity to shoot three foul shots.

"Again, it was handled internally here in the office, and we'll deal with the officials as we see fit when they make good calls or make bad calls."

Staff writers Tim Peeler and Larry Keech contributed.

 

 

Mail Bag
Don’t judge a state by a few rowdy people
Wednesday January 8, 2003

 

Don’t judge a state by a few rowdy people

I read with great dismay several letters in Friday’s Mail Bag about WVU fans during the Continental Tire Bowl.

First, Mr. White of Richmond, Va., states that when he and his family entered a hotel, they were subjected to chants of “white trash” by WVU fans. I find this very, very hard to believe. Please tell us which hotel chain permitted this act so we can ensure we never stay in their chain again — after I call and ask about this matter.

Next, as usual, a Marshall fan takes a whack at WVU and says we embarrassed the entire state. Yes, U.Va. played their best game of the season and, even though we owned nearly every stat advantage, we lost big. But wait a second. One person — or two or three — out of nearly 50,000 people gets upset and gets arrested (for reasons you probably don’t know) and ALL WVU fans are screwed up?

How many Marshall fans actually go to any games — let alone traveled to their bowl? Obviously you didn’t read all the positive comments about WVU fans pouring out of Charlotte for the past week or, for that matter, out of every bowl town WVU has been to.

As usual, a Marshall fan sees one negative about WVU and decides to harp on it. Worry about what you’re going to do without Byron Leftwich. WVU fans will worry about our team.

Pat Garrison

Chesapeake, Va.

Gov. Wise to blame for pep band flap

In regard to the WVU/U.Va. hillbilly controversy over the pep band at the Continental Tire Bowl, Gov. Wise is to blame. There is no story here other than the one he is making.

If the state and, in particular, the governor hadn’t made such a big deal over the issue, who would have known about it — the handful of people who were at the game and not in line for the restrooms or concessions?

The only thing being “perpetuated” here is the state’s inferiority complex, or, as I like to call it, the “SKY Syndrome,” aka Soupy/Knotts/Yeager Syndrome. You know the drill — anything remotely connected to the state that is mentioned outside the confines of its borders immediately becomes a BIG deal and is usually followed up with a self-validating comment like, “You know, Soupy Sales, Don Knotts and Chuck Yeager are from West Virginia.”

(By the way, those terminally afflicted with this syndrome will also add that Nick Nolte once lived in Charleston and that Gilligan lives near Bluefield.)

This should have never become a story. If nothing was said, do you think it would have made national news? At most, if asked, the governor should have made a passing comment about it being a classless thing to do — end of story. But in West Virginia you can’t do that. You have to make a big fuss over it, to get recognition — to be ACKNOWLEDGED. The state is forever burdened by that “hillbilly” stereotype because it wants to be — it’s the one thing it can exploit to get its name mentioned outside of the state. Let’s face it, it is the state’s identity — the state’s claim to fame. Without it, it’s nothing. Just a reference to an area west of Virginia Beach.

Jeff Thompson

Denver

 

 

So far, ACC holding its own
By AL FEATHERSTON : The Herald-Sun
afeatherston@heraldsun.com
Jan 7, 2003 : 11:33 pm ET

RALEIGH -- The ACC’s 50th anniversary basketball season is shaping up to be a very good one — certainly much better than most of the national pundits expected.

With the bulk of the league’s non-conference schedule wrapping up tonight, the ACC has recorded the best winning percentage of any league and is ranked as either the nation’s No. 1 or No. 2 conference, depending on the statistical measure used.

Pretty good for a league that was supposed to be rebuilding this season.

"I’ve heard people say that the league was down," Maryland coach Gary Williams said. "Nationally, there may not be one team that jumps out at you, but I think our league is as good as anybody, top to bottom."

Well, yes and no — nationally, no other league can approach the success of the ACC’s projected second-division teams, so top to bottom, the ACC is in a class by itself. But Williams’ assertion that the league doesn’t have a team that "nationally ... jumps out at you," is curious in light of the fact that the ACC does have the nation’s No. 1 ranked team and the nation’s last two undefeated teams.

But as good as 9-0 Duke and 10-0 Wake Forest have been, the ACC is not the top-heavy league it’s been in recent years. It’s not even clear the No. 1 Blue Devils or the No. 17 Deacons are as good their unranked league rivals.

"I don’t think any of the coaches or the players in the league are surprised [by the ACC’s success]," Clemson coach Larry Shyatt said. "I think we all did agree that we were going to be a young league. But the guys dug in and won important games and maybe not such unimportant games ... we kept from that plague of being upset in November and December. I think that helped all of us."

That’s been the secret of the ACC’s nonconference success. While the league has only a few really impressive wins — Virginia over Kentucky in Maui, UNC over Kansas and Stanford in New York, Georgia Tech over Georgia jump to mind — it doesn’t have any bad losses. A year ago, Clemson lost at home to Winthrop and Yale ... Georgia Tech lost at home to IUPUI ... Florida State went down in Tallahassee to Western Carolina and American ... North Carolina was humiliated in the Dean Dome by Hampton and Davidson (and almost by Binghamton).

What’s the league’s worse loss this season? Florida State lost to a mediocre Boston University team, but it was on a neutral court in Arizona. N.C. State fell to a not-so-great UMass team on the same floor where the Minutemen almost upset No. 3 UConn. UNC, crippled by injuries, illness and suspension, lost to struggling Iona in New York but immediately bounced back to beat a better St. John’s team 24 hours later.

Overall, the ACC is 70-17 against nonconference opponents (80.5 percent), including a 20-12 mark against the other so-called BCS leagues. Even more impressively, ACC teams have lost just three games at home: FSU lost by one point to No. 11 Florida; Maryland lost by five to the Gators; UNC lost to No. 18 Kentucky.

That’s it ... three homecourt losses, all to ranked teams.

"I think people probably underestimated the talent level [in the ACC]," Wake Forest coach Skip Prosser said. "I think all the schools have recruited well, not only this year but the last several years as well. The talent pool is perhaps better than people expected. Obviously, having so much youth is less than ideal. The best teams overall have both talent and experience.

"But if you had to choose one or the other, you’d take talent."

The ACC’s nonconference success will be crucial if the league turns out to be as balanced as it now appears. League RPI basically is determined by what happens in November and December. And after tonight’s four games, the ACC will have played 91 of 103 nonconference games.

Remember, conference games don’t impact a league’s RPI.

"We’re going to knock one another off because we’ve got a lot of good teams," Shyatt predicted. "We’d like to believe that winning the Big 10 challenge and being No. 1 in the RPI ... would all be indicative of more spots in the NCAA Tournament."

With the league’s RPI at or near the top nationally, it probably means that any team finishing 8-8 or better in the ACC will have a good chance to earn a bid to the NCAA Tournament. Even a 7-9 ACC record could be good enough for teams such as UNC and Virginia, which have played strong nonconference slates.

The next question is whether or not the league’s many youngsters will continue to get better as the season goes on.

"It will be interesting to see how they hold up," UNC coach Matt Doherty said. "Young players hit a wall sometimes. They can get frustrated. Their heads swirl sometimes. I said before the season that teams with young players have high highs and low lows. Emotionally, it’s a real big roller coaster."

Georgia Tech’s Paul Hewitt suggested that the league’s veteran coaches can help steady those young players.

"I think what you’ll see is that these guys will get better," Hewitt said. "Especially when you look around the league, some of the better coaches have a lot of good freshmen. I kind of put my faith in guys like Gary Williams. I think his freshmen are going to develop because of his coaching ability and his ability to maintain their intensity level and understand what it takes to win games in this league. Certainly, at Duke, I don’t think there’s any question that Coach [Mike] Krzyzewski will have his freshmen ready to make a run.

"I said back in November that I think our league will get stronger and stronger. Once you get to March, if everybody stays healthy, I think we could be a very strong league."

If the ACC gets any stronger than it is now, it will be every bit as good as it’s ever been.