Bradley commits to play at Virginia
By Jerry Ratcliffe / Daily Progress sports editor
January 20, 2004

Several big-time football programs looked at Kevin Bradley and classified him as “a tweener.” Too small to play defensive line. Too big to play linebacker.

Virginia believes it has a place for Bradley to play and offered him a grant during his official visit over the weekend. Bradley accepted Sunday morning before he left campus.

“Coach Groh told me that he knows I’m going to play tough and play hard and he thinks I’m going to be either a linebacker or a fullback,” Bradley said Monday night. “We’ll find out when I get there.”

At 6-foot-2, 225 pounds, Bradley played out of position the past two years at Seventy-First High School in Fayetteville, N.C. He played mostly defensive line for Coach Chuck Marrs, who used to coach at Fork Union Military and at Pulaski County for Joel Hicks.

In fact, he played just about every position for Marrs.

“Kevin is a coach’s dream,” Marrs said. “We asked him to play fullback, defensive end, nose, linebacker, offensive guard. It didn’t matter. Anything we asked him to do, he did it. And he was good enough an athlete to pull it off.”

Bradley is a no-nonsense, military family kid, who is tough and aggressive. He runs a 4.5 in the 40, bench presses 400 pounds and hits hard. He had 96 tackles and nine sacks his senior season from the defensive line.

“He is a freak of nature in that he’s that big and strong, but has good speed,” Marrs said. “I think that in Virginia’s 3-4, he could be a prototypical guy coming off the edge. With his speed and range, he is so effective coming off that short edge. One of his best attributes is his first step on defense. He is so phenomenally quick off the ball.”

Bradley told The Progress he had offers only from UVa and Central Michigan, where he was supposed to visit next week. He has canceled that visit. He had a visit scheduled to Mississippi State last week but it was rescheduled because the new staff there wasn’t sure what it wanted to do.

“The word we kept getting on him is that he’s a ‘tweener,” Marrs said. “N.C. State and North Carolina didn’t think he was big enough to be a defensive lineman and he hasn’t played that much linebacker in high school. I’m good friends with the coaches at Virginia Tech and I thought for sure they were going to take him, but he was No. 3 on their defensive ends list and they had offered two others I guess.”

Bradley moved up to the top 35 prospects in the state of North Carolina his senior season and played in the Shrine Bowl.

He played some fullback his senior season, mostly as a blocker, but got some carries late in the season.

“Honestly, I don’t care where I play. I just want to contribute to the team,” Bradley said.

Marrs said he didn’t expect anything other than that from his star athlete.

“There is no nonsense in Kevin Bradley’s life,” Marrs said. “He knows what he wants and is willing to pay the price to get it. He will go to every practice, every meeting, every academic class. He’ll never go to the training room because if he gets hurt, he just gets over it. You’ll never run him out of the weight room.”

Bradley said it was a no-brainer when he was offered over the weekend. He has liked everything about Virginia since he attended the Cavaliers’ camp last summer.

“I felt like I really fit in there,” Bradley said. “I liked the way the coaches and players were so close-knit. It’s the No. 1 public university in the nation and it’s not far from home where my folks can see me play.”
 

Clark provides energy for UVa
By Andrew Joyner / Daily Progress staff writer
January 20, 2004

Junior forward Jason Clark is probably not completely ready to play conditioning-wise but Sunday’s game showed that the Cavaliers need him to play.

Clark, who several times showed difficulty simply running up and down the court and one time even asked out of the game, had nine rebounds, five points and two blocks in Virginia’s 76-67 overtime win over Florida State. He also seemed to give the Cavaliers a certain energy, especially on the defensive end, that has been lacking.

“He’s a physical presence. He’s a man. He helps us protect the rim,” said UVa coach Pete Gillen. “Everybody in the ACC has got a guy like that, and we need that.”

Of course, Clark would no doubt be able to be that “guy” easier if he was in proper shape.

Clark, who missed the season’s first 12 games because of an academic-related suspension, had not practiced with the team during that span, either.

When asked how he would feel waking up Monday after playing 34 minutes, Clark said it wouldn’t be easy for several reasons.

“Well, I have a nine o’clock class so that’s going to hurt a little anyway,” Clark said. “My main concern is my legs. I sucked it up as hard as I could and played the overtime.”

Still, despite any physical impediments, Clark more and more seemed at the proper pace of the game the more it went on.

“Sitting out a while will do that for you I guess,” Clark joked.

In reality, Clark says there is little comedic value in his return to the court. If anything, the time away from the court has increased his appreciation for it.

“You really don’t appreciate it until it’s gone. I felt that I was on punishment from my mom,” Clark said.

Clark started Sunday’s game in the frontcourt along with freshman Donte Minter. That duo seemed effective defensively in the post and combined for 16 rebounds and six blocks.

Gillen has rarely been able to play two true interior players at the same time, but that combination seemed to work effectively for stretches.

“Jason Clark is a great athlete. He can block a shot, help on defense and he can rebound. … Donte Minter is not a kid that’s not going to wow you but he’s gutsy and gritty,” Gillen said.

Added Clark: “He’s [Minter] is going to be a great player in this league. He plays down low so I just try to play off him and he tries to play off me. Once we get more practice time, we’re going to be more comfortable in the games.”

Clark’s contributions have not gone unnoticed by his teammates who claim they are certainly necessary.

“He brings an athletic presence that not many teams have. He’s able to go up and get rebounds a foot or two above the rim. It’s such a valuable aspect when you have an athletic big guy like that,” said senior Todd Billet.

Putting Clark and Minter in the starting lineup came at expense of normal starters Devin Smith and Elton Brown. While Smith’s benching was more tied to his constantly ailing back more than anything else, Brown’s seemed to be more of punishment to an extent.

Brown did play 20 minutes but scored just three points and grabbed four rebounds before fouling out with a little more than a minute remaining.

“We’re going to talk to Elton. We’ve talked to him before and we’re going to talk to him again today,” Gillen said Monday. “He’s very talented but like a lot of young players, there are things he has to improve on. Right now, he’s not playing his best and he has to get out of that by getting in the gym and doing extra. … He’s an emotional person and we have to get him back in sync.”

 

Bradley commits to U.Va.
By Norm Wood
Daily Press
Published January 20, 2004

Kevin Bradley, Virginia's newest football commitment, might help the Cavaliers open holes on offense or fill them on defense, depending on which side of the field he settles on.

Bradley, a 6-foot-2, 230-pound linebacker/fullback from Fayetteville, N.C., said he will accept a scholarship offer from U.Va., turning down one from Central Michigan. He visited U.Va. last weekend.

"After I was there for a while, I felt like I could easily fit in," said Bradley, who is the Cavaliers' 16th commitment.

In his senior season at Seventy-First High, Bradley had 96 tackles and 10 sacks. He also played fullback and had few carries but was a great blocker, according to Seventy-First coach Chuck Marrs. Bradley was clocked at 4.52 seconds in the 40-yard dash last summer at N.C. State's football camp.

"His first step and his speed getting off the ball is phenomenal," Marrs said. "That's what will really impress the college guys."
 

Clark adds muscle to Cavs' lineup
Physical presence was evident in Virginia's overtime victory over Florida State on Sunday
BY JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Jan 20, 2004
CLEMSON AT U.VA.
TODAY: 7 p.m. ON THE AIR: TV - CSN; Radio - WRVA (1140), 6:30

CHARLOTTESVILLE - Blood still trickled from the cut on his upper lip - a wound that had required stitches at halftime - but Jason Clark smiled broadly as he spoke to re- porters Sunday afternoon at University Hall.

Clark's contributions had been crucial in Virginia's overtime victory over Florida State. After playing a career-high 34 minutes, the 6-8, 245-pound junior was tired, but happy.

"You really don't appreciate it till it's gone," he said.

Clark, who started 15 games in 2002-03, missed the Cavaliers' first 12 this season. He couldn't play or practice with the team until U.Va. officials declared him academically eligible again. The Virginia Beach resident had expected that ruling to come shortly after the first semester ended - around Dec. 15 - but he wasn't cleared until early this month.

"I knew I was coming back," Clark said, "I just didn't know when. It was supposed to be the [Dec. 16] JMU game, then William and Mary, Providence . . . It kept dragging out."

In his first game back, Clark played five minutes in a 22-point loss to Duke. The next time out, Clark played 15 minutes and was one of the few Cavaliers to show much grit in an 18-point loss at Georgia Tech.

He started against Florida State. Had junior forward Devin Smith's back felt better at tipoff, Clark might have come off the bench, but he figured prominently in U.Va. coach Pete Gillen's plans anyway.

"He's a man," Gillen said. "He's a physical, aggressive man that everybody in the ACC has, and he helps us protect the basket. . . . In the league, you need that. Everybody's got'em."

After the Georgia Tech game, Clark said, Gillen "kept preaching, 'We're not tough enough.' I guess he feels that putting me in the starting lineup would bring a toughness out there, and I understood that."

Clark matched his career high with nine rebounds and added five points and two blocked shots. He's the strongest and most athletic of Virginia's big men, and that was readily apparent Sunday.

"He's able to go up and get rebounds a foot or two above the rim, and that's such a valuable aspect," senior guard Todd Billet said. Other ACC teams have "such athletic guys . . . so we needed that high-wire guy."

Virginia (1-3, 11-4) plays host to ACC rival Clemson (1-3, 8-7) tonight. Gillen was noncommital yesterday when asked if he'd go with the same lineup he started against FSU. Rest assured, though, Clark is back in the rotation.

"He's a big addition," Billet said. "He's a little behind in terms of where his conditioning was, I think, when he was playing last year. He's got to keep pushing that, and he'll become more and more important as the season goes on."

Fatigue hit Clark about four minutes into Sunday's game, and he asked to come out for a breather. Once he got his second wind, Clark rarely stopped moving, and his energy inspired his teammates.

"Just his presence on the court helps everybody out," freshman guard J.R. Reynolds said.

Clark was stunned to learn that he'd played 34 minutes, the most of any Cavalier. But he wasn't complaining.

"I'll do whatever it takes to win," Clark said, "whether it's 34 minutes, 44 minutes if we go into overtime, or five minutes. However long I'm out there, I'm going to go out and play hard."
 

Virginia looks for second ACC win
Cavaliers host Clemson after big effort from Billet, Smith, Clark during Sunday defeat of Florida State at U-Hall sod;hg;osd 'Noles at U-Hall
Graham Tucker
Cavalier Daily Senior Writer

All Cavalier fans let out a big sigh Sunday afternoon as Pete Gillen and the troops recorded their first win in the ACC. Now, the Virginia men's basketball team (11-4, 1-3 ACC) turns their attention toward Clemson (8-7, 1-3 ACC). The Cavaliers take on the Tigers tonight as Virginia looks to string together back-to-back ACC victories.

Last time out, the Cavaliers defeated Florida State 76-67 after an extra overtime session in what was a must-win game. With the possibility of starting 0-4 in the ACC, a first since the 1998-1999 campaign, Virginia coach Pete Gillen understood what was on the line.

"In the ACC every game you win is the greatest thing that's ever happened and every game you lose it's like the world's going to end," Gillen said. "On Sunday, the world didn't end. It was a giant win, because it was our first ACC win, but we have a big game on Tuesday."

Virginia's win was due in large part to great individual efforts offensively from Todd Billet and Devin Smith, with their 26 and 21 points respectively, and defensively by Jason Clark, with 9 rebounds and two pivotal blocks. The Cavaliers will have to settle for no less from their team if they want to stay out of the ACC cellar.

Clemson, coming off their most recent defeat at the hands of N.C. State 86-69 this past Saturday in Raleigh, will be hungry for that first illustrious ACC road victory as they look to continue their two-game winning streak against Virginia. Last season the Cavaliers watched the first of their two losses to the Tigers slip out of their hands as Clemson forward Olu Babalola sunk two free throws with 5.7 seconds remaining to clinch the game.

In order to prevent the same result tonight, Virginia must rely on several factors, the first being Clemson's proneness to turn the ball over. Coming into tonight, the Tigers have averaged a league worst 19.0 turnovers per game while the Cavaliers have averaged 13.1 turnovers per game, a league best.

The Cavaliers must also continue their emergent emphasis on defense. Tonight they will attempt to shut down Clemson's leading scorer, Sharrod Ford who is averaging 11.6 points per game, and hold the Tigers under 40 percent shooting for the second straight game (31.9 percent against Florida State).

To achieve this, Virginia will need another great effort by its most recent addition to the starting lineup, junior forward Jason Clark.

"He's a man," Gillen said. "He's a physical aggressive man and he helps us defend the basket: a tough, hard-nosed, gritty guy and we need that in this league. Everybody's got them."

After the addition of Clark, Virginia's rebounding margin has increased from -3.0 to 0.0, and looks to continue to rise with the effort and muscle put forth by Clark.

Finally, Virginia will hope to gain momentum from the energy of the crowd tonight as the new Cavaliers HOOps Band debuts.

"Just having the crowd with you at home, to get loud when certain things happen, it really helps you out," freshman forward/center Donte Minter said.

In a conference as solid as the ACC this year from top to bottom, Minter also understands the importance of winning at home especially when yours is a beleaguered 1-3 team in the ACC.

"It's very important. This year the ACC, top to bottom, is really tough, so you have to get your wins when you can."
 

Gillen saga masks real issues for Cavaliers
Jonathon Evans
Cavalier Daily Senior Writer

Love him or hate him, there's just no getting away from Virginia basketball coach Pete Gillen. After a less than inspiring start to the conference season, the job security of the besieged Brooklynite has overshadowed many of the real issues surrounding the Virginia men's basketball team. The play of many key Cavaliers has been overlooked in all of the constant "fire Gillen" banter. Squabbling over Gillen's future in the middle of this very young conference season accomplishes nothing.All that it does is cast a cloud over the program and divert attention away from the student-athletes that play the game.

Last Sunday against the Seminoles, those critics who were looking at stopwatches, waiting to complain about how quickly Gillen will call his first timeout, missed out on arguably the greatest game of freshman guard J.R. Reynolds' young career. While a stat line of eight points, five assists and one steal is good in and of itself, it doesn't do justice to his performance. Matched up against Seminole standout Tim Pickett, he held the senior guard to just nine points on 3-for-16 shooting. Furthermore the freshman played with poise and drive that some of the team's veterans could learn from.

"J.R. has played great," Gillen said. "He's a tough guy, and he's willing to do whatever you need him to do on the court. He's strong for a freshman, and has played well for us this season."

Also overlooked has been the play of fellow freshman Donte Minter. The 6'7" forward has provided a post presence to a Virginia team with a gaping hole in the middle. In his first career start, Minter pulled down seven rebounds and swatted four shots, numbers that Cavalier fans only dream of junior Elton Brown putting up.

"Donte, he's going to be a good player in this league," junior forward Jason Clark said. "He plays both ends very well, he boards and does everything that you need."

The return of Clark has been overshadowed by the question of whether or not Gillen should be allowed to pace the Cavalier sidelines. In his return to the starting lineup, Clark reminded his teammates what exactly it means to play defense. Grabbing nine boards, rejecting two shots and altering several more, the forward exhibits athleticism and intensity that the Cavaliers sorely need.

It is no surprise that on a very deep team, Reynolds, Minter and Clark logged 30, 24, and 34 minutes respectively against Florida State. The seemingly unheralded performance of these players was instrumental in Virginia earning its first conference win.

It's still January, and with 12 games remaining, the conference season is very much salvageable. Even though the ACC is so talented that it's scary, writing off the season at this point is an insult to those who wear a Virginia uniform.

Yet it is obvious that Virginia is a flawed basketball team. They boast a post player with the attitude and the aggressiveness of a toddler, a cocky over-dribbling freshman who is learning the phrase "put up or shut up" the hard way and a small forward whose confidence is decreasing by the millisecond.

There is no way to get around the fact that the Cavaliers have their work cut out for them this season. Hopefully we can all get back to talking about the type of work that must take place on the hardwood instead of the type of work Gillen will be doing next year.

Whether or not Gillen is the man for the job is irrelevant at this point. The Cavalier players need to figure out how to win games, not read the paper to see if their coach still has a job. Virginia will have a chance to prove what type of team they're capable of being tonight when Clemson comes to Charlottesville. Hopefully, tonight at University Hall will be a basketball game between the Tigers and the Cavaliers and not another audition for Pete Gillen to save his job.
 

Virginia Lacrosse Picked as Pre-season No. 1
Melissa Silverman
Cavalier Daily Associate Editor

The defending national champion Virginia men's lacrosse team was selected to retain their top spot in the country by a pre-season poll. The Cavaliers earned the No. 1 pre-season ranking for the first time since 2000 by recieving 26 first-place votes in the Face-Off Yearbook coaches' poll. Johns Hopkins, the team Virginia defeated 9-7 in last year's national championship game, earned a second-place ranking in the pre-season poll. The 2003 Cavaliers were honored for their championship by President George W. Bush at a White House reception.Coach Dom Starsia lost standout players and Major League Lacrosse draftees A.J. Shannon and Chris Rotelli from last year's squad, but signed nine high school athletes to compete during the 2004-2005 season. The 2004 Cavaliers will face nine teams ranked in the preseason top 25 during their 11-game regular season schedule.