BC powdered
By Whitelaw Reid / wreid@dailyprogress.com | 978-7250
January 20, 2008

The alley-oop can be one of the most exciting plays in basketball.

If Virginia winds up having a successful 2007-08 season, Wahoo fans may remember the one they witnessed on Saturday night as their team took on Boston College.

Early in the second half, Mamadi Diane streaked down the right wing and lofted a pass that seemed way too high for teammate Adrian Joseph to snag - but Joseph soared way above the rim and threw down a vicious two-hand jam.

“I’ve got confidence in my jumping ability the way I do my jumpshot,” Joseph said. “I was definitely confident that I was going to make that.”

The play highlighted an 11-0 run early in the second half that catapulted Virginia to an 84-66 victory over BC in front of 14,039 fans at John Paul Jones Arena.

The win snapped a three-game losing streak and helped UVa coach Dave Leitao avoid the first four-game skid of his tenure.

“It feels like the monkey is off our back,” said Virginia sophomore Calvin Baker. “It felt like it finally stopped raining on us. Now we just want to go on a winning streak for as long as we can.”

If Virginia - which plays at Florida State on Wednesday night - can get the kind of scoring balance it did against BC, that could be possible.

Baker, who had 15 points, was joined in double figures by Diane (20), Sean Singletary (19) and Joseph (17).

The most encouraging performances were Diane’s and Joseph’s. The duo had contributed next to nothing offensively in recent losses to Xavier, Duke and Virginia Tech.

“[Singletary] needs help,” said BC coach Al Skinner, “and he got it tonight. [Diane and Joseph] obviously had a very fine game and we didn’t do a very good job of defending them.”

Joseph and Diane combined for 12 field goals. That equaled the total from everybody not named Singletary in Wednesday’s loss to the Hokies.

Tyrese Rice led BC with 20 points and six assists. Virginia held the Eagles to 39 percent shooting - 29 percent from 3-point range.

Leitao and staff did a good job of mixing up their defenses.

“We tried some zone to kind of go fastball-curveball, fastball-curveball, so that they couldn’t just try and continue to beat us down in man-to-man,” Leitao said. “We played defense well enough to get out and run.”

In the first half, neither team could take command. There were nine lead changes.

The Eagles (12-5, 3-1 ACC), thanks to a well-balanced scoring attack, eventually built a 28-22 advantage.

But Virginia (11-5, 1-2) clawed back. Diane hit a 3-pointer to tie the game at 30. After BC had taken the lead on a pair of Shamari Spears free throws, Jamil Tucker drained a trey for a 33-32 UVa lead.

Tyler Roche got a friendly bounce on a 3-pointer to put the Eagles up two before Singletary connected on a driving circus shot to tie the game at 35 heading into the break.

At the start of the second half, Leitao inserted senior Ryan Pettinella into the lineup for freshman Mike Scott. The maneuver seemed to energize Virginia.

“In the first half, he was giving us a lift,” Leitao said. “He was hedging, defending, pressuring the ball. I wanted to make sure we got off to a good start, so that’s why I made the decision.”

Ninety-nine seconds in, Spears (13 points, 11 rebounds) converted on an offensive put-back to pull BC to 40-39. But then the Eagles went over four minutes without scoring.

Virginia went on its 11-0 run to take a 51-39 lead.

Diane hit a 3-pointer, Baker knocked down a jumper and Pettinella scored a fastbreak layup to set the stage for the Joseph alley-oop that had JPJ rocking.

“The first thing coach said tonight before the game was to have fun, and on that play we were just having fun,” Joseph said. “That play was the icing on the cake.”

Dunks

Will Harris, who missed Wednesday’s game against Virginia Tech with a bad back, suited up but did not play. … Tunji Soroye, also suffering from a back injury, did not dress.

 

Leitao's good vibes get it done in first win
By Jerry Ratcliffe / jratcliffe@dailyprogress.com
January 20, 2008

If you thought Wahoo Nation was bummed out after last Wednesday night’s last-second home loss to Virginia Tech, then you should have been a member of Virginia’s basketball program.

The Cavaliers had been through coach Dave Leitao’s version of boot camp during a string of three losses. They had been locked out of their locker room, had their practice jerseys taken away, practiced long and hard. Still, they lost and still, Leitao, who admittedly can be brutally critical of his own players, didn’t change his approach.

“I can tend to be an ornery guy, and it’s been a long three weeks, and as the days passed I got more and more ornery,” Leitao confessed, as if we didn’t know.

Ornery?

Hey a puff adder is in a better mood when surprised from a nap than Leitao during a losing streak. If he wore a mood ring, it wouldn’t change colors ... it would explode.

A frown, upside down

So, if screaming and ranting and cursing didn’t work, then maybe a smile or two might do the trick?

Leitao’s approach for Saturday night’s visit from Boston College was all sunny-side up.

It’s difficult to gauge exactly how much Leitao’s attitude affected things, but his players appeared loose and relaxed for a game they couldn’t afford to lose. The Cavs, a five-point favorite, knew that an 0-3 start in the ACC would be difficult to overcome, so they took out their frustration on the Eagles, who came into the game unbeaten in the conference and tied for the league lead.

On this night, everything that didn’t seem to work during the losing streak was working just fine. Defense, rebounding, open players hitting jump shots, you name it, as Virginia pummeled the Eagles, 84-66.

“I’ve never heard [Leitao] say, ‘Just have fun,’” said UVa guard Calvin Baker, who definitely enjoyed a 15-point performance as one of four Cavs in double figures. “He always tells us to play relaxed, but today was a new coach Leitao that I hadn’t seen before.”

Leitao said he and his staff and the players talked about having fun on Thursday, Friday and even game day.

Clear eyes, full hearts

“You forget sometimes that they’re young people and you have to work with them,” the coach said. “When their minds are clouded, their feet are slow. If their minds are clear, then they have a better chance to perform and they did that.”

Now, before we go and anoint Leitao as the next Mr. Rogers, let’s toss in a dose of reality. He might have been a nicer, kinder version of himself, but he still demands certain things.

“It’s not that he was mellow,” chipped in Sean Singletary, who had a double-double with 19 points and 10 assists to go with only one turnovers and six steals (although his 37-game streak with at least one 3-pointer, second-longest in the ACC, came to an end). “It wasn’t like we just came into a happy-go-lucky practice ... we knew we had to get after it and the fun part of basketball is the results you get from hard work.”

Perhaps the only player on the roster that wasn’t bothered or depressed over Leitao’s constant bellowing was Singletary, who has always been accustomed to such discipline and tough love from previous high school coaches and his own parents. He knew how to take it, knew that Leitao was trying to motivate in various ways.

Some of the other guys probably felt like the coach’s personal verbal punching bags.

“[The change] definitely helped them in terms of confidence and in terms that they understand they’re an important part of the team,” Singletary said of his teammates. “When they’re not getting yelled at, they feel a lot better about themselves and came into game with a lot of confidence. After we got over a little hump early in the game, everything was free-flowing.”

It probably didn’t hurt, either, that wings Mamadi Diane and Adrian Joseph were back to their old selves, hitting the open jump shots when Singletary spoonfed them with a variety of no-looks and strong passes all night.

Diane dropped in 20 and Joseph 17 on the Eagles. Combined, they were 7 of 23 against Virginia Tech in that hard-to-swallow setback the other night. Same shots, but this time 12 of them went in.

Only one more would have done the trick against the Hokies, but that’s water under the bridge.

Virginia has stopped the bleeding and now heads to Tallahassee to see if it can right the ship back into contention in the unpredictable ACC.

Maybe, somewhere, even Leitao will be smiling.

 

Singletary's mates join him for win
The Cavs top BC, getting 20 points from Mamadi Diane and 17 from Adrian Joseph.
By Doug Doughty
981-3129

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- In a men's basketball season that has yielded few thrills for Virginia of late, the Cavaliers had the distinction Saturday night of handing Boston College its first conference loss.

The Eagles' status as on of the ACC's last two unbeaten team in conference play lasted for just over four hours before UVa found its bearings in an 84-66 victory at John Paul Jones Arena.

The Cavaliers, seeking to avoid the ignominy of four straight losses, got a season-high 20 points from junior Mamadi Diane and a flawless floor game from Sean Singletary in raising their record to 11-5 overall and 1-2 in the ACC.

"You know Sean is going to get his points," Boston College coach Al Skinner said, "but he needs help. He got it tonight."

Singletary finished with 19 points and 10 assists, with his one turnover coming on a fast-break pass that Jamil Tucker probably could have handled. It was Singletary's fourth career double-double and second in as many games.

On Wednesday night, Singletary accounted for 34 points and 10 rebounds in a 70-69 overtime loss to visiting Virginia Tech, but his teammates were unable to deliver on would-be assists.

"The game ended, we talked about it and there hasn't been two minutes of conversation about Virginia Tech since," UVa coach Dave Leitao said. "From a scouting standpoint, the key Thursday, Friday and today was to have fun.

"I can tend to be an ornery guy and it's been a long three weeks. As the days passed, I got more and more ornery. [Having fun] changes the mood in the gym. You forget sometimes they're young people and you have to deal with them."

Singletary's 10th assist Saturday night came on a pass to fellow senior Adrian Joseph on the right wing. Joseph, scoreless in the first half, knocked down a 3-pointer that gave him 17 points for the night.

After making 4 of 16 3-point attempts in the first half, the Cavaliers were 5-for-10 from behind the arc in the second half.

They also made 17 of 21 free throws, a start contrast to the Eagles, who were 11-for-24 from the line.

"The problem when we were missing free throws is that we allowed them to get into transition," Skinner said.

Junior guard Tyrese Rice from Richmond had a team-high 20 points for the Eagles (12-5, 3-1), but nobody was faulting UVa defender Calvin Baker, who was 5-for-7 from the field and finished with 15 points, one assist and zero turnovers. Rice was 6-for-16.

"I've played against Tyrese since we were back in high school," said Baker, who is from Newport News. "He changes speeds really well and likes to draw contact. I knew a lot of his moves, though. Playing against him before was an advantage."

After going 9-for-31 against the Hokies, the threesome of Diane, Joseph and Baker were a combined 17-for-33 on Saturday night.

Second-chance baskets sparked Boston College in the first half, but the rebounding finished 43-43. UVa's top two rebounders were reserves Ryan Pettinella (eight) and Jamil Tucker (seven).

In a first half that featured nine lead changes and seven ties, BC took a 28-22 lead with 5:10 left, causing Leitao to re-insert Singletary into the game following a timeout.

It was a risky move, considering that Singletary had two fouls at the time, but the Cavaliers went to a zone and Leitao was rewarded with a 35-35 halftime tie.

"Obviously, he felt that it was a need at that time and it worked for him," Skinner said.

 

Diane steps up for Cavs
Mamadi Diane comes back from a poor outing to lead four Cavaliers in double digits as Virginia gets its first ACC win.
BY MELINDA WALDROP | 247-4634
11:14 PM EST, January 19, 2008
 

CHARLOTTESVILLE - Mamadi Diane was a virtual no-show in the offensive statistics from Virginia's loss to Virginia Tech on Wednesday.

The junior guard changed that in a big way on Saturday night.

After managing just eight points against Tech, Diane scored a team-best 20 as Virginia beat Boston College 84-66 to avoid its first 0-3 ACC start since the 2004-05 season, Pete Gillen's last year as U.Va. coach.

"I was just basically being aggressive on both ends of the floor in everything that I did," Diane said. "I was just being aggressive, and the points came."

Sean Singletary had 19 points and 10 assists, Adrian Joseph had 17 points after a scoreless first half and Calvin Baker added 15 as the Cavaliers (11-5, 1-2) snapped a three-game losing streak.

"You know that Sean's gonna get points, but he needs help like everyone else, and he got it tonight," Boston College coach Al Skinner said. "We did not do a good job on Diane most of the night. ... He got open a few times, and I thought he got real comfortable."

Diane served notice early that this game would be different than Wednesday's 70-69 overtime loss, opening the game by making his first shot, a clean 3-pointer.

"That didn't mean we had won the game, but it was a good sign," U.Va. coach Dave Leitao said. "It was obviously a good sign for him, because he stayed aggressive. He's doing a little bit more of the things necessary to be well-rounded."

Another 3 from Diane started a 14-2 Cavalier run that gave U.Va. its first double-digit lead at 51-39 five minutes into the second half. One of the buckets in that spurt was Joseph's slam off Diane's alley-oop, an empathic bucket that had Diane letting out an exuberant yell as Boston College quickly called a timeout.

Two minutes later, Virginia's lead swelled to 14 as Diane hit another three.

The Cavs led by as many as 15 before the Eagles (12-5, 3-1) fought back with a 7-0 run to pull within 60-52 on Tyrese Rice's 3-pointer with 9:48 to play.

But eight points was as close as the Eagles would get, as Singletary kept his team on top by driving the lane to make shots, find open teammates or draw fouls. After Rice, who led BC with 20 points, cut U.Va.'s lead to 68-60 with 7:15 left, Joseph made two foul shots, and the Eagles trailed by double digits the rest of the way.

Diane's U.Va. career has been marked by inconsistency, with stellar games followed by disappearing acts. Saturday, he still showed a few Jekyll-and-Hyde tendencies, losing a rebound out of bounds and dribbling the ball off Joseph's foot.

But he atoned for some lapses with head-in-the-game hustle. When his 19-footer missed everything, he came up with a steal that led to a 3-pointer from Baker, a Woodside High product, and a 73-60 Cavs lead with 5:39 to play.

"I've just been trying to play hard and play through it," Diane said. "I'm learning and experiencing new things, even in my third year. So I'm just continuing to get better every game."

 

Fun and Games for UVA vs. BC

By Jeff White
Times-Dispatch Staff Writer

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- The clouds parted last night at John Paul Jones
Arena, and the smiles returned to the faces of University of Virginia men's basketball players.
That's exactly what U.Va. coach Dave Leitao had hoped would happen. Leitao knows he has a tendency to be "ornery," as he put it, and he sensed that his negativism was hurting the Cavaliers, who entered last night's game with Boston College on a three-game losing streak.
So in the practices that followed Virginia's overtime loss to Virginia Tech on
Wednesday night, Leitao stressed above all that the team should "have fun," the head coach included.
"I think it starts at the top," Leitao said after U.Va.'s 84-66 rout of BC. "I have a tendency to bark and bark and bark. And so sometimes you've got to smile. Sometimes you've got to look at the positive."
The crowd of 14,039 had plenty to applaud last night, especially the re-emergence of Sean Singletary's supporting cast. Four of Leitao's players scored 15 points or more as the Cavaliers avoided their first 0-3 start in ACC play since 2004-05 and broke a three-game losing streak.
That one of those Cavaliers was Singletary surprised no one. The all-ACC guard rarely plays poorly. His teammates' lack of production, however, had doomed U.Va. (1-2, 11-5) in its first two conference games.
Not last night. Junior forward Mamadi Diane scored a team-high 20 points. Senior forward Adrian Joseph, scoreless at halftime, finished with 17 points. Sophomore guard Calvin Baker, who'd missed two critical shots late against the Hokies, added 15 points. In 26 minutes off the bench, senior center Ryan Pettinella contributed four points and eight rebounds.
"You know that Sean's going to get his points, but he needs help, like everyone else,
and he got it tonight," Eagles coach Al Skinner said.
Singletary's streak of 37 straight games with at least one 3-pointer ended last night, but he was magnificent nonetheless. He scored 19 points and tied his career highs in assists (10) and steals (six). He turned the ball over only once.
Equally important, the 6-0 senior avoided picking up his third foul after re-entering the game with 5:10 left in the first half and U.Va. down 28-22. By halftime, the Cavaliers had closed to 35-35, and Singletary had a hand in their final 10 points.
U.Va. went ahead to stay on a Diane 3-pointer that made it 40-37 with 18:34 remaining. In his previous three games, he'd shot 8 for 30 from the floor. Against the Eagles (3-1, 12-5), Diane opened the scoring with a trey 38 seconds into the game.
"It didn't mean we had won the game," Leitao said, "but it was a good sign."
The crowd included a couple of dozen fans who showed up to cheer BC guard Tyrese Rice, a junior who'd been an All-Metro performer at L.C. Bird High in Chesterfield County. Rice scored 20 points to lead the Eagles, but he wasn't pleased with his play. He came in shooting 89 percent from the line but missed 4 of his 10 free throws.
His teammates weren't that accurate. Overall, BC made only 11 of 24 free throws in its first road game in more than a month.
The Cavaliers, by contrast, were 17 for 21 from the line, and after a slow start they shot well from the floor, too. U.Va. made 16 of 30 field-goal attempts after intermission, including 5 of 10 from beyond the arc. And suddenly, basketball was enjoyable again for the Wahoos.
"It's not been fun for anybody the last three weeks," Leitao said, "so we just
wanted to make sure that win, lose or draw, we changed our mindset."
 

Virginia breaks out of a three-game slump
By Andy Bitter
Lynchburg News & Advance
January 20, 2008

CHARLOTTESVILLE - Dave Leitao is the first to admit that he isn't the most positive person when he's courtside or in practice.
But after Virginia lost its third straight game earlier this week when state-rival Virginia Tech pulled off a shocker at the buzzer, the third-year coach came to the conclusion that his brooding, often demonstrative demeanor wasn't making things better.

Leitao showed a kinder, gentler side Saturday night and the Cavaliers looked loose and relaxed as a result, pulling away with a strong second half for an 84-66 win against Boston College at the John Paul Jones Arena.

"I tend to be obviously an ornery guy, and it's been a long three weeks," Leitao said. "As the days passed, I got more and more ornery and it changes the mood of a gym. And you forget sometimes that they're young people and you have to work with them and you have to have the ability to bounce back."

Virginia (11-5, 1-2 ACC) bounced back across the board to avoid its first 0-3 start to conference play since Pete Gillen's final season in 2004-05.

Two players mired in slumps busted out. Mamadi Diane scored 20 points, two shy of a season high, and Adrian Joseph scored all 17 of his points after the break.

Sean Singletary continued his dominant play, scoring 19 points and tying a career-high with 10 assists.

The senior had six steals and committed just one turnover.

As a team, Virginia had a season-low six turnovers, shot over 40 percent for the first time in the new year and finished with nine steals and 24 fast-break points.

The turnaround came after three stressful weeks that included blowout losses at Xavier and Duke and the heartbreaker to Virginia Tech. Leitao, who tried a military-style approach earlier this year by revoking the Cavaliers' locker room privileges for lackadaisical play, watched the film of Hokies' game and decided to go an opposite route.

"I have a tendency to bark and bark and bark, and sometimes you've got to smile," Leitao said.

"He told us that it looked like we were playing a little tense," said UVa guard Calvin Baker, who scored 15 points. "He said the key to the game was just to come out and have fun. ? I've never seen him just say, 'Have fun.' It was a new Coach Leitao that I haven't seen before."

The message got through. Diane kept UVa in it early, scoring 14 first-half points to help the Cavaliers erase a six-point deficit and go into halftime tied at 35.

They opened the second half on a 16-4 run, highlighted by a fast-break alley-oop from Diane to Joseph that seemed to jumpstart the 6-foot-7 senior.

Joseph, the team's second leading scorer at 11.9 points per game, hadn't looked the part in weeks, with 20 points in the last three games. He had zero points in eight minutes during the first half Saturday, spending most of his time on the bench for failing to block out on several occasions.

"By coming back to him, it was a continued test to see how he was going to respond and if he was going to respond," Leitao said.

Joseph did, not settling for the jump shots he was missing in the first half and attacking the rim. He made six of his eight second-half shots, only one of which - a 3-pointer in the waning seconds - was a jumper.

Boston College (12-5, 3-1 ACC) faded as the game progressed. The Eagles committed 14 turnovers and were 11-for-24 from the free throw line. UVa was 17-for-21.

BC guard Tyrese Rice scored 20 points but went 6-for-16 from the field, including 2 of 7 from 3-point range.

The win was much-needed for Virginia, which travels to Florida State on Wednesday and plays three of its next four on the road. Leitao shouldn't have to work as hard to get the Cavaliers in a jovial mood this week, however.

"The best part of basketball is the winning," Singletary said. "And when things are going well, that's fun."

 

London takes Richmond job
By Jay Jenkins / jjenkins@dailyprogress.com | 978-7250
January 20, 2008

RICHMOND - Dressed in a dapper suit, Mike London shook every awaiting hand, flashed his trademark smile and rolled through countless interviews with no visible rust.

London’s first moment in the sun - or light snow as it happened to be - finally arrived.

At a press conference Saturday at the University of Richmond, London was introduced as the school’s 33rd head football coach, officially opening a vacancy on the staff at the University of Virginia.

London served as Virginia’s defensive coordinator the past two seasons and was widely considered the best recruiter on the staff.

The 47-year-old offered strong praise for his former boss, coach Al Groh, his former players and the school’s administration. In fact, London said he pursued the job solely because Richmond, his alma mater, was the “right fit.”

“This has always been a job that, had it come open, it would have been the right job,” London said.

Through a released statement, Groh returned the praise for London, who has coached at Virginia in six of the last seven years.

“Mike London has played a significant role in the success of Virginia football over the past seven seasons,” Groh said. “We are pleased that Mike becomes the fourth staff member to become a head coach and are elated for Mike and his family.

“Mike is competitive, compassionate, demanding and an excellent communicator all key ingredients for a top leadership position. All of our players and coaches are pleased and confident for his success.”

London could have waited for an opportunity at the NCAA Division I-A level, as former Virginia coordinators Al Golden (Temple) and Ron Prince (Kansas State) did.

“That was a dilemma at first, but as I have said, this job is the right-fit job,” London said. “I would rather feel better on Saturday evenings after we’ve won than go to a place that is I-A where you get beat repeatedly and you feel bad on Saturday evenings. Had this job been somewhere else in a different part of the country, I wouldn’t even approach it, but being where it is and what it is, that’s the interest.”

London graduated from Richmond in 1983 after playing in the secondary for the Spiders and worked as an assistant coach at the school on two separate occasions.

It was also in Richmond that London got his start in the professional world, working as a police officer and detective.

That experience, he joked, would help him when the Spiders take the field next season. Richmond opens play against Elon on Aug. 30 travels to Virginia on Sept. 6.

“Pressure was when I was a Richmond city detective and had to serve a search warrant,” London said. “That’s pressure.”

While London was basking in the moment, Virginia’s coaching staff was in Charlottesville attempting to close on its current crop of verbal commitments - many of whom London recruited - and add remaining targets to the mix.

London said he would talk with the players he had involvement with, a practice that Golden, Prince and former UVa assistant coach Danny Rocco (Liberty) also did when they departed to become head coaches.

“It is tough because part of recruiting is building a relationship, a personal rapport with the kids and the families,” London said. “What you have to keep reiterating is that not only did you pick possibly a coach, but you pick the school, pick the circumstance, pick the type of education [and] pick the type of environment you want.

“If it was too much of a coach then you may have issues, but I am hoping that the message at Virginia, much like the message here at Richmond, is that you can get a great education, play good football and get coached by good people. It is going to be interesting to see how things finish up there, but the message that Virginia has is similar to the message that [Richmond] has.”

 

UR welcomes back London
Additional experience made former Spiders aide, player ready to be the head coach
Sunday, Jan 20, 2008 - 12:07 AM
By JOHN PACKETT
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER

The first time Mike London interviewed for the University of Richmond football job in 2004, he may not have been quite ready for it.

"Whatever barriers there may be, in terms of a guy getting a head-coaching opportunity, if it's no NFL experience or if it's he hasn't been a coordinator, those barriers were crossed," said London, who was an assistant at the University of Virginia four years ago.

"When I left that interview and went and got those experiences, the next time I came back, all those were checked off the box. Now the only thing left is being a head coach, and that's the thing I'm most anxious to deal with and start my career."

London, 47, began that phase of his life yesterday when he was introduced as the Spiders' head coach during a press conference at Jepson Alumni Center.

The former player and assistant at UR was welcomed home by Richmond Athletic Director Jim Miller during his opening remarks.

London succeeds Dave Clawson, who left nine days ago to take over as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at the University of Tennessee.

Although the terms of his deal were not released, it's believed London agreed to a five-year contract worth between $275,000 and $300,000, making him one of the highest-paid I-AA coaches in the country.

The Hampton native was making $240,000 at U.Va., where he had been the defensive coordinator for the past two years. He also served one season (2005) as the defensive-line coach for the NFL's Houston Texans.

The additional coaching experience played a major role in Miller's choice of London the second time around.

"I'll be honest with you," Miller said. "The first time I talked with Mike four years ago, it was a situation where we should just talk to him. But I was very, very, very impressed with him then.

"He and I talked at that time about the fact his experience was as a recruiting coordinator and position coach, and not being a coordinator was a negative. This time, when Dave Clawson told me he was leaving, Mike immediately came to mind as a very, very strong candidate."

Miller said he investigated "a lot of people," but only interviewed two candidates: London and UR defensive coordinator Russ Huesman.

London said he hasn't made any decisions about his assistants yet, but it's expected he will keep at least a few of those on Clawson's staff.

"I'm excited about the opportunity that has been presented to me," said London, who was a standout defensive back at UR. "I've walked the grounds here. I've been on the football field and the practice field. I know what it takes to be a student-athlete at this school.

"Things didn't work out the first time, but I firmly believe that things happen for a purpose. I needed more training, and now I've come back and I'm ready."

The Spiders, who went 11-3 last season and reached the semifinals of the I-AA playoffs, return nine offensive starters and eight on defense, and will be favored to repeat as champions of the Colonial Athletic Association. Expectations will be high for 2008.

"I was just talking to Dr. [Ed] Ayers [UR president], and he mentioned pressure," London said. "I told him pressure was when I was a Richmond city detective and serving a search warrant. With the production of the team and all the returning players, that's [pressure] something to be expected, and I look forward to the challenge of the season."

Several players attended the press conference, and all of them seemed impressed with their new boss.

"I'm excited about Mike London," said wide receiver Kevin Grayson. "After hearing him speak and see the plan he has for this university, and the fact he actually graduated from here and played football here, that's a big deal. He can relate to the football student-athletes here."

Added quarterback Eric Ward, "I think they picked the right guy for the job, and I'm interested in seeing where we go from here."

The Spiders open the season at Elon on Aug. 30, then travel to Charlottesville for a date with U.Va. on Sept. 6.

"The most important thing right now is focusing on spring practice and the players and that first game, but obviously that [U.Va.] will be a significant game because I spent a long time there," London said.

 

London seems 'perfect fit' for Spiders
David Teel
7:18 PM EST, January 19, 2008
RICHMOND
BY DAVID TEEL

Leading a college football program for the first time isn't that daunting. Not when you've stared down the business end of a bad guy's revolver. Not when you've donated bone marrow to your sick little girl.

And certainly not when that initial head-coaching opportunity doubles as a homecoming.

The University of Richmond introduced Mike London as its football coach Saturday. Former city detective Mike London; devoted and thankful father Mike London; UR class of 1983 Mike London.

"It's a perfect fit," he said.

Sure seems that way.

London knows the school, the city, the state and the game.

He grew up in Hampton, attended Bethel High and played defensive back on the Bruins' 1976 state championship team. He captained Richmond in 1982 and earned his degree in sociology.

London worked as an assistant coach at Richmond, William and Mary, Boston College and with the NFL's Houston Texans. He served two tours at the University of Virginia, most recently as defensive coordinator, and was hands-down the program's most effective recruiter.

"I've been trained for this," London said.

Trained by his parents -- his dad is retired military -- to treat others with dignity and respect. Trained by head coaches such as Jimmye Laycock, Tom O'Brien and Al Groh to value academic as well as athletic ability.

But none of those old-school types can match London's sideline animation. So brace yourselves, Spiders faithful and players, for loud yelps and aerial chest-bumping.

"I'm an excitable guy," London said with a grin.

A grateful one, too. Grateful that the burglar's gun stuck in his face misfired. Grateful that his 12-year-old daughter Ticynn is coping well with a rare blood disorder, Fanconi anemia, that can lead to leukemia and cancer if not treated effectively.

London's brush with death came during the late 1980s when, as a Richmond police detective, he and his partner stopped suspects in a fast-food robbery. As London -- he fancied himself a Secret Service agent while attending Richmond -- reached into the driver's-side door, a man raised his gun and pulled the trigger.

Nothing. Just a click.

"That can change your mind quickly about what you want to do with your life," London said.

So he became a coach. While working at Boston College in 2000, London learned of Ticynn's condition, and three years later he donated his bone marrow, a procedure that worked wonders.

Saturday, Ticynn and her three younger siblings sat patiently with their mom while their dad spoke and answered questions.

"Ticynn's doing great," said Regina London, a Newport News native. "We're so blessed."

For all of Mike's professional hopscotching, Regina never doubted he'd wear the big whistle. Not when Richmond passed him over four years ago, or when Old Dominion did the same last year.

"This day was going to come," Regina said. "I knew that. … I just didn't know when it would come or where it would be. What you see on the football field from Mike is half of what we get at home."

It's difficult to imagine much more enthusiasm and polish than London brings to coaching. And he showed it Saturday.

"I really resent it when the football coach can speak without notes and I have to pull mine out," university president Edward Ayers said.

"I don't prepare speeches," London said. "This is coming straight off the cuff."

Speaking from his office in Williamsburg, Laycock called London a consummate players' coach, and London, 47, vowed not to let a promotion affect his interaction with the athletes.

"People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care," he said.

London's message to his new players: "Your education is paramount. This is my university, and when you graduate, this will be your university, too."

With less than three weeks remaining until the Feb. 6 national signing day, London must quickly assemble a staff and finalize recruiting. The good news is that former coach Dave Clawson, who resigned to become Tennessee's offensive coordinator, left London 17 starters from an 11-3 squad that advanced to the NCAA playoff semifinals.

Moreover, the university plans to build an on-campus stadium that could open in 2010 -- Richmond has long played in a dingy municipal facility off campus.

London's first game as a head coach will be Aug. 30 at Elon. The 2008 schedule also includes visits to two former London haunts: Sept. 6 at Virginia and Nov. 22 at William and Mary.

"I look forward," London said, "to the challenge of exceeding some of the expectations that are out there."

 

U.Va. faces tough task in replacing London's Peninsula connections
Mike London, hired by Richmond to be its head football coach, relates well to Peninsula players.
BY MELINDA WALDROP | 247-4634
3:00 PM EST, January 19, 2008
 

Bryan Smith knows first-hand how strong Mike London's Peninsula connections are.

When Bryan's father, longtime Hampton football coach Mike Smith, was in the hospital for gall-bladder surgery in 2003, Bryan, then a kicker at Virginia, didn't even know his dad was sick. His parents were trying to keep him from worrying.

But they couldn't stop London, a U.Va. assistant coach, from seeing Mike Smith during a weekend recruiting trip, finding out about his illness and asking Bryan about his father's health.

"He said, 'How's your dad doing?', and I was like, 'He's fine.' But the way he said it ..." Bryan Smith said. "He had more inside information than I did at the time."

That's the kind of relationship London built during his years of recruiting the area, and it's what the Cavaliers will have to find a way to replace.

London, a Bethel High graduate, resigned as Virginia's defensive coordinator Friday to become head coach at the University of Richmond, his alma mater. He succeeds Dave Clawson, now the offensive coordinator at Tennessee.

London, 47, spent six seasons at U.Va., with a one-year stint as the Houston Texans' defensive line coach sandwiched in between. He served as the Cavaliers' recruiting coordinator from 2002-04, returned as defensive coordinator in 2006 and forged a reputation as the staff's most effective recruiter. He recruited Hampton Roads, Washington, D.C., and Georgia for the Cavaliers, and was the lead recruiter of half of the program's 16 committed players for next season.

In 2007, London's defense ranked 16th nationally in scoring, giving up 19.7 points per game, and 13th in rushing defense, allowing 107 yards per game.

"Mike London has played a significant role in the success of Virginia football over the past seven seasons," U.Va. head coach Al Groh said in a release. "(He) is competitive, compassionate, demanding and an excellent communicator -- all key ingredients for a top leadership position."

But London's contributions went beyond statistics.

"Certain people you just take a liking to, and they really take an interest in the players," said Mike Smith, who's known London since his high school playing days at Bethel and watched him recruit Hampton stars such as Elton Brown and Almondo "Muffin" Curry to U.Va. "The kids relate to him really well. He's just an outgoing, friendly, honest guy. (He) was a product of this environment, this area, so he's got a lot of ties here."

Phoebus senior cornerback/wideout Reid Evans, who's drawing interest from Virginia, West Virginia and Maryland, has had several phone conversations with London and talked with him during trips to Cavaliers games in Charlottesville.

"He's just like a friend. Just his personality is so human, it just comes natural," Evans said. " He's just real. ... He's honest -- he wouldn't just tell you something and not mean it."

Evans said his opinion of Virginia won't change now that London is at Richmond.

"I like him as a coach. I want the best for him," Evans said. "If that's gonna be a good job for him, he should go there. I still got interest in U.Va."

Woodside coach Danny Dodson saw London in action as he recruited Wolverines linebacker Jared Detrick, who had three tackles in 11 games for the Cavs as a true freshman in 2007.

"Mike's a first-class guy," Dodson said. "He's sincere, he's down-to-earth, he's very in touch with the kids. (He) keeps up with technology and all the stuff they do, and he can talk to them."

Bryan Smith noticed that right away in his freshman season, 2001, when London joined the U.Va. staff.

"Easy to talk to is sort of a cliche, but he was," Smith said. "He was very genuine in his interest and concern when I would talk to him, and I think most guys would say the same thing. He was definitely one of the first people on the staff you felt comfortable talking to outside of X's and O's."

Those conversations didn't end with Smith's playing days. He said London sent him notes during his grad-school studies, and the two still talk.

That personal touch is why those who know London are convinced he'll be a good head coach -- and why Virginia faces a tough task replacing him.

"He's got a good work ethic, and he's personable," Phoebus coach Bill Dee said. "He'll do a great job recruiting within the state, which is what you need to do to be successful."