U.Va. alters policy
Change will permit January admissions for student-athletes
Tuesday, Jan 15, 2008 - 12:07 AM Updated: 01:11 AM
By JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- The University of Virginia is changing with the times, and its athletic department stands to benefit.

With rare exceptions, U.Va. historically has not allowed freshmen -- athletes or otherwise -- to enroll at midyear. But the school has modified its policy, in part because many of its peers allow January admissions. A few first-year student-athletes each year may be admitted to U.Va. at the start of the second semester.

"Educationally, we think it's not a good idea," said Jack Blackburn, U.Va.'s dean of admissions. "We still feel that way, but we've decided to be reasonable with our athletic department, and the college deans feel [the new policy will work]."

Blackburn and Virginia's athletic director, Craig Littlepage, surveyed other universities in 2007 to learn about their policies on midyear admissions for student-athletes.

"It looks like most are taking a few kids" each January, said Blackburn, including such academically prestigious schools as Notre Dame, Stanford and Duke.

Until last year, Boston College had been the only ACC school whose policy on midyear admissions was similar to that of U.Va. But BC admitted football player Anthony Castonzo -- a one-time Virginia recruiting target -- last January, and he started at offensive tackle for the Eagles in 2007.

Under the new policy, which went into effect this academic year, U.Va.'s College of Arts and Sciences agreed to consider for January admission prospective student-athletes who have "solid academic records and have graduated from high school," Blackburn said.

Littlepage said: "They would not have to be extraordinary students -- 4.0 [grade-point average], 1,500 SAT type of students -- but students who would demonstrate by courses taken, standardized-test scores and writing skills that they could be inserted into an academic program midyear and be successful."

Tennis, soccer and football are the sports at U.Va. most likely to be affected by this policy change.

Virginia football coach Al Groh left the New York Jets after the 2000 season to return to his alma mater. Since then, Groh has added only one recruit in the middle of an academic year: linebacker Ahmad Brooks in January 2003.

Repeated attempts to reach Groh for comment were unsuccessful. But the policy change figures to only help him. U.Va. recruits and competes against schools that routinely add freshman football players at midyear. Virginia Tech, for example, enrolled three freshman football players in January 2007 and will add at least two this month.

Groh spoke last January about the former policy's impact on the Cavaliers' recruiting.

"There have been some players that did look like they'd be really solid U.Va. students who declared their intent to us that they were going to school in January," Groh said, "and we said, 'Look, that's not going to happen here.'"

The new policy, Littlepage said, at least allows Groh and his assistants "to have some flexibility, having that in their back pocket, if it is something that is important to a young man or his family to have such an opportunity."

In major-college football, January recruits typically are players who graduated from high school early, players who signed letters of intent the previous February but had academic issues, or players who agreed to delay their enrollment.

U.Va.'s football staff did not present any candidates for January 2008 admission, Blackburn said. A men's tennis player was offered January admission.

"I'm pretty pleased with where we are," men's tennis coach Brian Boland said yesterday. "I think we're on the right track."

The number of first-year student-athletes admitted to U.Va. each January is not likely to exceed four or five.

"I think our thought is, we're not going to set hard and fast rules on that," Blackburn said. "It depends on the quality of the kids."

 

London appealing candidate for Richmond
By Jay Jenkins / jjenkins@dailyprogress.com | 978-7250
January 15, 2008

Few knew about it, but a major curveball was thrown during the successful recruitment of Chris Long.

Originally comfortable with his verbal commitment to the University of Virginia, the defensive end was justifiably concerned when his lead recruiter, former offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave, left the program after the 2002 season.

Before Long could debate other options, a savior stepped in and salvaged the process that brought Virginia a player that went on to become an All-American and the 2007 ACC Defensive Player of the Year.

“I got shuffled a little bit when Musgrave left,” Long said, “and coach Mike London was the best thing that could have happened to me as far as recruiting and solidifying my commitment to Virginia. He helped me through that.”

Scores of current players and even future Cavaliers would say the same thing. Without question, London is viewed as Virginia’s top recruiter.

Others, including the University of Richmond, have taken notice. On Monday, sources confirmed that London met with Richmond officials about the school’s current vacancy.

Should Richmond offer and land London, Long knows exactly what the school would gain.

“He is a really special guy off the field,” Long said. “He will be the first to tell you that there is more to life than football. If a guy has an opportunity to be a head coach, that’s what can make a head coach great sometimes.

“He relates to players well and he knows when it is time to talk to you as a human being, as a person, and when to talk to you as a football player. That’s why I think he is so good. He is a family guy, he is a man of faith and he is a great guy off the field.”

His work at Virginia on the field speaks for itself, Long said. The Cavaliers, which went 9-4 and finished second in the ACC’s Coastal Division, ranked No. 16 nationally in scoring defense and No. 23 in total defense.

“I would go on the record as saying the proof is in the pudding. The work speaks for itself,” Long said.

“Coach London is in there every day with us. He is high energy. He’s the guy that I spend the most time with as a defensive lineman.”

Long could have used his own progression as an example, but elected to cite a teammate to drive his point home.

“To have a nose tackle in college at 280 pounds, like Allen Billyk, and be able to play that position so well, that’s great coaching,” Long said. “You have to understand how hard it is to get a college player to understand that system.

“The fact that he has done that so well is a testament to his coaching and how hands on he is.”

London, 47, who has worked at Virginia in two separate stints, became the program’s defensive coordinator before the 2006 season after coaching defensive linemen for a year with the NFL’s Houston Texans.

Prior to his work with the Texans, London served as Virginia’s defensive line coach and was the program’s recruiting coordinator.

 

Baker stands out against Duke
By Whitelaw Reid / wreid@dailyprogress.com | 978-7250
January 15, 2008

DURHAM, N.C. - What separated Calvin Baker’s play from that of his teammates on Sunday night was pretty obvious.

Everything the Virginia sophomore did on the court against Duke had a common theme: It was done aggressively.

“Before the game, coach Leitao told me that he needed me to be real aggressive,” said Baker, following Virginia’s 87-65 loss. “That’s all I needed to hear. If he’s going to tell me to be aggressive, that’s what I’m going to do.”

Baker didn’t shoot a very high percentage - he was 6 of 14 from the field and finished with 13 points - but the guard’s tenacity on both the offensive and defensive ends was palpable.

Baker, who also had four rebounds, two assists and a steal in 29 minutes, was making his first start in a Virginia uniform. The walk-on transfer from William & Mary replaced struggling freshman Jeff Jones in the lineup.

“I don’t think there’s that much of a difference,” said Baker, when asked about starting versus coming off the bench. “Coming off the bench is a little different because you can see what went wrong already, but when you’re already in the game you can trigger how the game is going to turn out.

“It just showed the confidence that coach Leitao had in me,” Baker continued, “and I really appreciated that.”

Baker’s 10 first-half points kept Virginia (10-4, 0-1) from getting completely embarrassed for the second straight game. He was one of the only Virginia players who didn’t look intimidated by the Cameron Crazies.

Meanwhile, Jones said coming off the bench was an adjustment - and it certainly looked like it. He had no points and three turnovers in four minutes.

“I just tried to stay focused and have the same attitude and scoring mentality, and play tough,” said Jones, who had started the previous 13 games. “I want to do whatever it takes for the team to be successful, so whatever coach has in mind.”

Against the Blue Devils, Baker wound up bearing some of the point-guard responsibilities. With freshman Sammy Zeglinski out for the rest of the season (ankle surgery), that could be a sign of things to come.

“It wasn’t necessarily intentional,” Baker said. “They were denying Sean [Singletary] so much that somebody else had to bring the ball up and we needed a little more scoring, so we were trying to run Sean off more screens so that he could get open.”

Although Leitao, the diehard-New York Giants fan, said “nothing’s permanent except death, taxes and the [Dallas] Cowboys losing” when asked about Baker’s future in the starting lineup, it would be surprising if Baker didn’t get the nod against Virginia Tech on Wednesday.

Luckily, UVa will not have to face Jamon Gordon and Zabian Dowdell, the two senior leaders off of last year’s Hokies squad.

Stating the obvious, Baker said Virginia just needs to “regroup.”

“I don’t think anybody’s really down,” Baker said. “We feel like we beat ourselves. I don’t think the team feels like [Duke] came out and dominated us. I think we’ll be ready for Wednesday.”

 

Fulmer meets with players involved in marijuana incident
By Drew Edwards (Contact)
Originally published 10:13 a.m., January 14, 2008
Updated 10:05 p.m., January 14, 2008

Two Tennessee football players were charged with misdemeanor possession of marijuana following a traffic stop Friday night in the Fort Sanders area near campus, Knoxville Police Department spokesman Darrell DeBusk said Monday.

Police found marijuana in a vehicle driven by freshman wide receiver Gerald Jones, 18, and registered to freshman wide receiver Ahmad Paige, 18, after stopping the vehicle near campus Friday at 10:41 p.m.

Police initiated the stop of Paige's Dodge Magnum at the intersection of 11th Street and White Avenue after an officer spotted a burned out tag light, DeBusk said.

Freshman defensive lineman William Brimfield and a Tennessee recruit, Muskogee, Okla., wide receiver Jameel Owens, also were in the vehicle.

Neither Brimfield nor Owens was charged.

However, Brimfield will serve the same punishment from UT coach Phillip Fulmer as Jones and Paige.

Jones, Paige and Brimfield will not be allowed to host a recruit for one year, and all will be subject to more frequent drug testing in addition to performing community service at a drug rehabilitation facility and participating in a police ride-along.

"I am extremely disappointed in these young men and the decision they made," Fulmer said in a statement released by the university. "This is an example of youth and stupidity by boys that need to become men and not make stupid and irrational decisions trying to impress each other. I have met with all three players individually, and they understand that this behavior will not be tolerated.

"They have a number of things they need to do to get back in our good graces."

After stopping the vehicle, police observed smoke coming from one of the car's open windows that smelled like "burnt marijuana," DeBusk said.

After receiving permission to search the vehicle, officers found two marijuana cigars, one half-smoked in the center console and another between the center console and the passenger's seat.

Jones also was cited for the tag light violation and for not wearing his seat belt.

Jones and Paige were cited for misdemeanor possession and released.

In addition to Tennessee, Kansas State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Texas Tech are recruiting the 6-foot-3, 210-pound Owens.

Jones, a native of Oklahoma City, Okla., played in nine games this season and scored touchdowns in his last three games.

The widely recruited receiver also was featured at quarterback, where he scored rushing touchdowns against LSU in the SEC championship game and against Wisconsin in the Outback Bowl.

Jones caught a touchdown pass in Tennessee's overtime victory over Kentucky to clinch the SEC East title.

Paige, from Monroe, La., did not play this season and will redshirt.