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Jags pick coordinators
Musgrave, Smith will join Del Rio
 

  • Gene Frenette
    Times-Union sports writer

    After owner Wayne Weaver made the "bold move" of hiring a young coach, 39-year-old Jack Del Rio, the Jaguars head coach is following the same track by bringing aboard University of Virginia offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave, 35, for the same position in Jacksonville.

    Musgrave will be introduced by Del Rio at a 1 p.m. news conference today at Alltel Stadium. Also introduced today will be Baltimore Ravens linebackers coach Mike Smith as defensive coordinator and former Dallas Cowboys standout Bill Bates as special-teams coordinator, the Times-Union has learned.

    Jaguars team spokesman Dan Edwards refused to confirm or deny the hirings, though all three were registered last night at a Jacksonville hotel. None were available for comment. Smith declined comment when reached last night.

    The Jaguars hope to announce the remainder of Del Rio's staff by tomorrow. The team has requested permission from the Carolina Panthers to speak to offensive line coach Paul Boudreau and at least one unidentified assistant according to a source within the Panthers' organization. Boudreau has coached offensive lines for five teams during his 16-year NFL coaching career.

    Lucious Selmon, the Jaguars defensive line coach this past season and an outside linebackers coach during his first seven years with the franchise, is believed to be under consideration for an assistant's job, sources said. An unconfirmed report on the Cincinnati Bengals Web site indicated quarterbacks coach Ken Anderson may join the Jaguars in that capacity. Anderson, the Bengals' all-time passing leader, was the team's offensive coordinator until he was demoted after the 2000 season.

    Musgrave, a backup quarterback from 1991-96 with the San Francisco 49ers and Denver Broncos, has NFL coaching experience with three different teams, most recently as offensive coordinator with the Carolina Panthers in 2000. He resigned that position after four games in a dispute with head coach George Seifert, reportedly over Seifert being too involved in the offense. Musgrave resigned on Oct. 3, 2000, two days after the Panthers' 16-13 overtime loss to the Dallas Cowboys.

    When asked if a strained relationship with Seifert led to his resignation, Musgrave told the Charlotte Observer: "It's probably not professional for me to say. He's the head coach. It's his team. I respect him for that. I work for him. I don't have anything really to say on the relationship. It was a normal working relationship. He's the boss. That's why I stepped away. If a change needed to be made, it needed to be me and not him."

    About his perception that he quit on his team, Musgrave added: "That's something I'm going to have to live with, and I'm not proud of that at all."

    Since Musgrave's contract prohibited him from going to another NFL team, he went to the college ranks the past two years as Virginia's coordinator under Al Groh, the former New York Jets head coach. The Cavaliers' passing offense was 48th in the country this season, averaging 230.1 yards per game with ACC Player of the Year Matt Schaub at quarterback. The Cavaliers finished 9-5, beating three teams ranked in the final Top 25, including a 48-22 rout of West Virginia in the Continental Tire Bowl in Charlotte.

    Smith, 43, and Del Rio worked together on the Ravens' staff as defensive coaches from 1999-2001. Smith was the defensive line coach before taking over Del Rio's job as linebackers coach last season after Del Rio joined Carolina.

    Prior to joining the Ravens, Smith spent 12 years coaching at Tennessee Tech, the last three as defensive coordinator and linebackers coach. A graduate of East Tennessee, Smith served four years as linebackers coach at San Diego State (1982-85) and another season at Morehead State as defensive line coach before going to Tennessee Tech. Smith was an All-State linebacker at Daytona Beach-Father Lopez in 1975.

    Bates, a defensive back and special-teams star with the Cowboys from 1983-97, immediately joined the Dallas staff upon his retirement as a player. He stayed five years until his dismissal, along with the rest of Dave Campo's staff, upon the recent hiring of Bill Parcells. Bates was an assistant special teams coach for the past two years, following one season (2000) as secondary coach.

    Del Rio and Bates were Cowboys teammates from 1989-91. Musgrave was in the preseason camp with Cowboys in 1991.

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    Phoebus' Brown ponders prep school early
    By Norm Wood
    Daily Press
    Published January 21, 2003

    Phoebus High School's Philip Brown must decide whether he should stay or go.

    Brown, a highly recruited cornerback who committed to Virginia last Wednesday, is considering leaving Phoebus in the second semester of his senior year to attend either Fork Union Military Academy or Hargrave Military Academy. If he leaves Phoebus, he will likely spend three semesters - one this school year and two next school year - at prep school.

    "I don't know what the plan is," Brown said. "I don't know what's going to happen now."

    Phoebus coach Bill Dee said it's a "definite possibility" Brown will need to improve both his grades and SAT scores in prep school in order to go to college.

    "It's a consideration (to start prep school early), but it's going to be up to Philip and his mom," said Dee, who was named the 2002 Riddell Footwear High School All-American team's National Coach of the Year last week. "I think it's important to look at all the alternatives. I don't think it's a bad thing for him to go to Fork Union early."

    John Shuman, FUMA's football coach, confirmed Monday he had been contacted by U.Va.'s coaches concerning Brown's prep schooling. Shuman said he will address Brown's situation after national signing day on Feb. 5.

    "This is the hardest way to qualify," Shuman said. "You're asking a kid to come to a prep school and get high-end grades and work on test scores at the same time. He won't have a lot of room to slide."

    FUMA has two terms remaining in its five-term school year. Brown could enroll for FUMA's fourth term, which begins Feb. 18, or the fifth term, which starts in mid-April.
     

     

    Nowhere to go but up
    Tech coach's job might be at stake
    By Dave Johnson
    Daily Press
    Published January 21, 2003

    The truth is, Ricky Stokes isn't used to this. As a point guard at the University of Virginia in the early 1980s, he played in two Final Fours. As an assistant coach at Wake Forest, he worked in seven consecutive NCAA tournaments and was a part of back-to-back ACC championship seasons.

    Now, as the coach at Virginia Tech, he directs a program that is coming off consecutive losing seasons and has a modest goal of making the Big East Conference tournament, which everyone but the last-place team in each seven-team division does. Tech is tied for fifth place right now.

    Losing isn't his only concern. Stokes also has to deal with lagging fan support and shaky job security. On most nights, Cassell Coliseum is two-thirds empty. And Hokie athletic director Jim Weaver, who three months ago all but guaranteed Stokes would return next season, has been become noncommital.

    But Stokes, at least publicly, remains upbeat. Case in point: After back-to-back near misses at Villanova and No. 6 Connecticut, he emphasized the good while constructively pointing out the bad. And three days ago, Tech (7-8, 1-2 Big East) gave its best performance of the season in a 92-79 victory over Providence.

    "We have a pretty resilient team," said Stokes, whose Hokies host Virginia tonight. "The key to coaching is doing what you believe and not changing, whether you're winning or losing. You have to keep your values and what you believe in.

    "I have a saying: God won't give you more than he thinks you can handle. You know? I've always been an upbeat guy who works hard, and I'm going to continue to do the best I can. We know we can compete in this league. I think we're narrowing the gap."

    You can't argue that. In 2000-01, its first season in the Big East, Tech lost 14 league games by an average margin of 18.5 points. Last season, those numbers shrank to 12 and 10.6. Tech lost by 35 at Connecticut a year ago. Last week, the Hokies led 53-49 early in the second half before losing 83-65.

    "There's no question," Stokes said. "We're making strides."

    Tech is 7-28 in two-plus seasons against Big East opponents, 1-17 on the road. But Stokes points out that Miami and Notre Dame also had difficult transitions after joining the Big East.

    The Hurricanes arrived in 1991 and compiled an 8-46 conference record in their first three seasons, 0-27 on the road. The Irish joined in 1995 and had a 19-35 record in their first three seasons, 5-22 on the road.

    Miami and Notre Dame took contrasting approaches to their coaches during the early struggles. Miami retained Leonard Hamilton, who later guided the Hurricanes to three consecutive NCAA tournaments. Notre Dame, after a fourth consecutive losing season in the Big East, dismissed John MacLeod and hired Matt Doherty.

    At the same time, it's fair to say Tech basketball is stuck in the worst stretch in 60 years. The Hokies have finished below .500 in five of the past six years - the one winning season (16-15) was Stokes' first, in 1999-2000. Tech still hasn't played a game in the conference tournament in New York.

    It wasn't always this way. From 1976-86, the Hokies averaged 20 victories a season. But since coach Charlie Moir was forced out following the 1987 season, Tech has had 20-win seasons only twice. The Hokies won the NIT in '95 and advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament a year later under Bill Foster. But that turned out to be a blip.

    Tech hasn't landed a marquee recruit since Dell Curry arrived two decades ago. Though they are in a major conference, the Hokies are not yet a major player.

    Neither of the two players Tech signed in the fall are blue-chippers. Center Coleman Collins of Chamblee, Ga., had offers from the College of Charleston, Furman, Davidson, Rice and Southern Methodist. Jamon Gordon, a point guard from Jacksonville, Fla., picked the Hokies over South Alabama.

    Stokes dismisses this, pointing out that Tim Duncan wasn't on anybody's radar screen, either.

    "Recruiting is like rolling the dice, anyway," he said. "We have found that our recruiting has gotten better each and every year. We've been able to sign quality players in the early signing period, which has been a plus."

    Will it be enough to help turn this program around? And will Stokes, who is in the fourth season of a five-year contract, be here to see it? Back in October, Weaver said Stokes was safe. But asked about Stokes' future last week, Weaver said, "I don't think we need to get into that now. It's too premature."

    Asked where he believed the basketball program stood, Weaver chose his words carefully.

    "Ricky and our team and our administration, including me, had high aspirations of possibly being 8-2 or 9-1" at Christmas break, Weaver said. "We didn't do that, and we're all disappointed in the lack of success on the court."

    The Hokies were 5-5 at Christmas after losing to the likes of Wofford, William and Mary and Western Michigan. They are averaging 3,649 fans a game at Cassell Coliseum, which is slightly ahead of last year's final figure. But Weaver says with the football team's continued success, both on the field and at the gate, "that issue is not as crucial."

    As for Stokes, he only wants to win some games. Nothing puts fannies in the seats like winning. After Virginia, the Hokies face St. John's and Boston College - two winnable games - in Cassell before hitting the road for Providence.

    "Our goal is to have a winning season and go to New York," Stokes said. "I think if we can continue to improve, we can jump right in and be competitive in the conference. They're pleased with the (Providence) win, but they know we have a lot more games and a lot of opportunities to prove themselves."
     

     

     

    Hokies always geared for Cavaliers
     By ANDREW JOYNER / Daily Progress staff writer
    Jan 21, 2003
     
    Virginia's first break for its ACC slate likely will not be much of one at all.

    The Cavaliers, coming off road losses last week at Duke and Clemson, travel tonight to Blacksburg for a contest against in-state rival Virginia Tech.

    It will be the third straight road game for a team that is 1-4 on the road this season and the Cassell Coliseum crowd, as shown two years ago, likely will not be too welcoming for the struggling Cavaliers.

    Given that the Cavaliers are 1-3 in the ACC, wins of any kind are at a premium. Considering tonight's contest is just one of two remaining non-league games (UVa travels to Ohio University on Feb. 26), a win might almost be essential to any hopes of making the NCAA tournament.

    "It's still very early. In league play, you just almost have to be 8-8 to go to the tournament. You have to win as many as you can," UVa coach Pete Gillen said. "This is a giant game for us. It's the in-state rival. They have great tradition and are playing well right now. We're 10-5 and we want to win as many as we can. This is a tough game and a big game."

    Virginia Tech is 7-8 after a 92-79 win over Providence on Saturday which ended a three-game slide. At their best, the Hokies played competitive games at Connecticut and at Villanova. They also lost to Wofford at home so they're not an easy team to gauge.

    One thing that is certain is traditionally the Hokies enter their contest with Virginia extremely and often visibly more motivated than the Cavaliers.

    For example, last season at University Hall, the Hokies led by as many as 19 in the first half and 16 at halftime before succumbing to the Cavaliers, 69-61.

    That's something not lost on Gillen.

    "They'll be motivated and we have to be very motivated. I think our players take it very seriously. They respect Tech and know they have some very talented players. They know Tech is very excited to play Virginia and we're real excited to play them," Gillen said. "I can't get in their minds. All we can do is get us ready to play. It will be a hostile environment. We have to be ready to play."

    This series was moved to the schools' respective homecourts four years ago. When it was played at neutral courts in Richmond or Roanoke, the games were usually in late January or mid February. The past two seasons, the contest was moved to late November and early December but it had to be moved back to January this season. Gillen admits that his preference is not to play the game at this point in the season but that outside factors were involved in its current placement.

    "What happened is we were going to Hawaii [Maui Invitational] which was booked a long time ago and then we had our exam period. We couldn't get a date," Gillen said. "This is not when we wanted it and it's not when they wanted it I believe. We'd rather play it earlier. We couldn't get a date that was good for both of us."

    Gillen said Monday that one date that was an option was the Friday after Thanksgiving and the night before the Virginia-Virginia Tech football game in Blacksburg.

    That was the same setup in the last game in Blacksburg in 2000.

    "We couldn't play them the day after we got back from Hawaii. That would have been a disaster, too. That was one date that was thrown out there," Gillen said.

    The contract to play at each team's homecourt is set to expire after next season.

    Gillen said he's unsure of the future of the arrangement but that's because he really hasn't given it a tremendous amount of thought.

    "I really haven't thought about it. It's great when they come to town. They like it when we come there so I think there are some pluses," said Gillen, who noted next season's game likely will be in early December. "As one of the state's schools we like to travel around and play in Richmond some time or the Tidewater area. … I don't mind playing in Charlottesville in every other year and in Blacksburg every other year. When that time comes up, will decide and talk about it and go from there."

     

     

    Hokies aiming to end slide
    Cavaliers have won six straight in series
    BY MIKE HARRIS
    TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Jan 21, 2003
    VIRGINIA AT VA. TECH
    TODAY: 7:30 p.m., Cassell Coliseum ON THE AIR: TV - ESPN2. Radio - WBBC (93.5), WXGI (950), WRVA (1140), 7

    BLACKSBURG - Virginia Tech's football seniors have a number of highlights to enjoy from their careers. Chief among them is the knowledge that they never lost to the University of Virginia.

    Tech's basketball seniors are on the other side of that one. It's a fact Brian Chase, the only one of Tech's three seniors who has been in the program four years, would love to change.

    Virginia has won six straight, eight of the past nine and 12 of the past 14 against the Hokies. The rivalry is renewed tonight (7:30) at Cassell Coliseum. Virginia brings a 10-5 record into the game that will be televised by ESPN2. Tech is 7-8.

    Chase just sees 0-3 right now, his personal mark against the Cavaliers. Nothing tops the football rivalry between the schools in terms of "buzz" and excitement. To the participants in other meetings, it is every bit as important. The Hokies for the moment will forget their quest to make the Big East Conference tournament. This nonleague game will bring the season's biggest crowd to Cassell, even with a $25 per ticket price tag.

    "I want it," Chase said. "Like I tell the new guys who haven't had a chance to play in one yet, the big ones for us are the Big East games and this one.

    "The atmosphere is going to be the best it will be all year in Cassell Coliseum. Virginia Tech-Virginia is big, no matter what sport. You just want to come out feeling like you're the better school in Virginia."

    Most of the games in U.Va.'s domination of the past 14 meetings have been close, too close for the Hokies' liking. Virginia has won in overtime three times and has two more victories by one point. In Chase's three games against Virginia, one was a one-sided victory. Virginia won in overtime in 2000 at the Richmond Coliseum (the last year before the game returned to campus sites).

    Last season, Tech used a hot start to race to a 19-point first half lead. The edge dissolved into an eight-point Virginia victory.

    "We've played them tough but haven't been able to walk away with a victory," Chase said. "If Rolan Roberts doesn't foul out [in 2000], maybe we get that one. Last year, we just couldn't hold it together."

    Chase thinks Tech's current combination of personnel and the way the Hokies are playing now gives them a good chance tonight. In a 92-79 victory over Providence on Saturday, Tech got at least 13 points from all five of its starters. Terry Taylor and Dimari Thompkins - both of whom had "double-doubles" against Providence - are a strong inside combination. Chase, Bryant Matthews and Carlos Dixon are capable long-range bombers. Tech hit 12 of its first 16 shots from 3-point range Saturday.

    "We have gotten better at a lot of little things over the course of the season," Chase said.

    "Virginia is an excellent team, so we have to go in knowing it will be a fight to the finish. They're tough inside with Travis Watson, and they have some shooters, too. We need to hit some shots again, but for the most part, I think it will be our defense that makes or breaks the game."

    Virginia comes in off back-to-back losses at Duke and Clemson. The Cavaliers shot better than 50 percent in both games but allowed their opponents to do so as well.

    "We've just got to dig down," Virginia coach Pete Gillen said. "I think we're working hard, but we've got to work harder. I think we've got to be a little more desperate. We haven't been as good as we need to be."

    Gillen called the Hokies "a very talented team. [Coach] Ricky [Stokes] has them playing well. They'll be very motivated. We've got to be very motivated. It's going to be a hostile environment again. Tech played a great game last year, and we were fortunate to win."
     

     

     

    Musgrave leaves Cavs for Jaguars
    BY JEFF WHITE
    TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Jan 21, 2003

    Bill Musgrave, the University of Virginia's offensive coordinator in 2001 and'02, is headed back to the NFL.

    Musgrave, 35, who also coached U.Va.'s quarterbacks and tight ends, will be introduced today as Jacksonville's offensive coordinator. His new boss is Jack Del Rio, the former NFL linebacker whom the Jaguars hired as coach last week.

    For Virginia, the timing of Musgrave's departure stings. The NCAA signing period opens in about two weeks, and Musgrave's presence was a selling point for prospects.


    A former NFL quarterback, Musgrave had never coached in college before coming to U.Va. when Al Groh took over there following the 2000 season.

    In Musgrave's final game calling plays for Groh, U.Va. crushed West Virginia 48-22 in the Continental Tire Bowl at Charlotte, N.C., on Dec. 28. The Cavaliers' offensive dominance in that game enhanced Musgrave's reputation as one of the game's promising young coordinators. So did the dramatic improvement shown in 2002 by junior quarterback Matt Schaub, a part-time starter in 2001.

    Schaub was named ACC player of the year in 2002 after having perhaps the finest season ever by a U.Va. quarterback.

    The Jaguars weren't the only team to pursue Musgrave once Virginia's season ended. The Colorado native turned down an offer to become offensive coordinator at UCLA, and he talked to the Arizona Cardinals when they had a vacancy at offensive coordinator.

    Musgrave's base salary at U.Va. was about $125,000 annually. He's expected to more than double that in Jacksonville, which will be the fourth NFL team for which he's coached.

    Neither Musgrave nor Groh, who's on the road recruiting, could be reached for comment last night. But a source at Virginia said Musgrave and Del Rio have been friends for years.

    Musgrave coached the Raiders' quarterbacks in 1997 and was the Eagles' offensive coordinator for the final 10 games of the following season. He coached the Panthers' quarterbacks in 1999 and added the title of offensive coordinator in 2000. After four games that season, however, Musgrave shocked the Panthers by quitting because of philosophical differences with then-coach George Seifert.

    Candidates to succeed Musgrave may include another former NFL quarterback, Jeff Rutledge. Groh interviewed Rutledge, the frontrunner for the coordinator's job, in January 2001. But U.Va. hired Musgrave after Rutledge withdrew from consideration, choosing to continue as Vanderbilt's quarterbacks coach.

    Musgrave's replacement will inherit a talented group led by Schaub and tailback Wali Lundy, MVP of the Continental Tire Bowl. Of Virginia's offensive starters against West Virginia, only wideout Billy McMullen was a senior.

     

     

    Cavs, Hokies seek more than bragging rights
    The Cavaliers have thoughts of postseason play, while the Hokies try to keep their momentum going.
    By MARK BERMAN
    THE ROANOKE TIMES

    The Virginia men's basketball team has beaten Virginia Tech six straight times, but that doesn't mean the Cavaliers have become blase about the annual showdown.
    UVa (10-5) is trying to fashion a resume that will impress the NCAA Tournament selection committee, and a loss to the Hokies (7-8) won't help its cause. The teams will square off at 7:30 tonight at Cassell Coliseum in a game that will air on ESPN2.

    "You have to be 8-8 just about now in league play to go to the tournament ... and you've got to win as many as we can, so this is a giant game for us," UVa coach Pete Gillen said Monday. "This is a tough game and it's a big game. You've got to win our two [remaining] nonconference games and try to go 8-8 or better in the conference."

    Tech center Terry Taylor said the Hokies are looking forward to playing UVa. The Hokies enter the game with some momentum, having snapped a three-game losing streak with a 92-79 victory over Providence on Saturday.

    "We're going to come out and try to play [against UVa] like we did tonight, and if we do, great things should happen," Taylor said after the game.

    Virginia has lost 10 of its last 11 road games, including four of five this season.

    "We haven't been great on the road. It's tough to win on the road today in any league," Gillen said. "To win on the road, you've got to defend, you've got to rebound, you've got to make your free throws. When we do that, we have a chance. But we've got to defend a little better, make our free throws a little better and rebound a little bit better. ... Our free throws have hurt us the last couple of games."

    UVa missed seven foul shots Saturday in a 78-77 loss at Clemson and missed 11 free throws in a 104-93 loss at Duke last week.

    Playing at Cassell is a plus for Tech, which has lost 23 of its last 24 road games. This could be Tech's first sellout since UVa last visited in November 2000. Tech is no lock at home, though, having lost to Wofford and Florida State at Cassell this season.

    Tech gave UVa a big scare last season but blew a 16-point second-half lead and lost 69-61 at University Hall. The Hokies squandered a 13-point second-half lead in a 76-60 loss at East Carolina last month. They picked up some confidence, however, by beating Providence. The Friars whittled a 24-point second-half deficit to eight with 4:44 left, but a Taylor bucket and two Brian Chase free throws ended the threat.

    "This game right here just proved now we can put them away," Tech forward Bryant Matthews, who averages a team-high 15.1 points, said after the win.

    UVa has won 15 straight games against intrastate foes, including 14 under Gillen. Tech coach Ricky Stokes is 7-9 against intrastate opponents, including 0-3 against UVa, his alma mater.

    The showdown in the paint should be interesting. Power forward Dimari Thompkins, who had come off the bench the previous four games, rejoined the starting lineup last weekend. He gave Tech an effective 1-2 inside punch alongside Taylor, who is averaging 14.5 points and 7.4 rebounds. Virginia's inside game features Travis Watson (15.1 ppg, 10.1 rpg), Elton Brown and Nick Vander Laan.

    "Virginia Tech's going to try to take away Travis Watson. They do a good job with that, so we have to have other options," Gillen said. "Our big guys got to be able to shoot it from the perimeter a little bit."

    UVa hopes to play better defensively than it has the past two games. UVa allowed Duke to shoot 50 percent from the field and Clemson 55 percent.

    "We have to improve that," Gillen said. "We're working at it, but we've got to work harder. ... We've got to be a little more desperate, a little more intense - got to get the long rebounds, got to get the loose balls.

    "Clemson ... they were a little bit more desperate for the game than us."