London's replacement up in the air
By Jay Jenkins / jjenkins@dailyprogress.com | 978-7250
January 21, 2008

Al Groh saw it coming.

During his introductory speech on Saturday at the University of Richmond, Mike London, the school’s new football coach, said Groh thought the move was “inevitable.”

That said, Groh has had the last week to prepare mentally for his next plan of attack. For the sixth time since he took over at Virginia prior to the 2001 season, Groh is forced to name a coordinator.

Groh could appoint himself or promote from within.

Tight ends coach Bob Price was a defensive coordinator in the Canadian Football League for a pair of teams. Special teams coordinator and linebackers coach Bob Diaco was the co-defensive coordinator at Central Michigan in 2005 and has known the Groh family since his playing days in high school in New Jersey.

Defensive assistant coach and assistant defensive line coach Levern Belin has been with the program since 2005 and has drawn heavy praise from former players.

If Groh plans to look internally, he did not tip his hand to London.

“When I talked to coach Groh I just thanked him for my opportunities and he just talked to me about some head coaching things,” London said Saturday. “I don’t know what they are going to do. There are some capable guys there.

“It will be interesting to see what they are going to do, but I am quite sure he is going to make the best decision for the program.”

That decision could mean looking to the NFL for a name that would make a splash.

Prying New England Patriots defensive line coach Pepper Johnson away from coach Bill Belichick’s staff, Groh’s confidant, would achieve that. Groh would know what he was getting - while with the New York Giants, he coached Johnson.

Other candidates from the NFL have direct ties to Virginia, including Baltimore Ravens linebackers coach Mike Pettine. A former safety at UVa under former coach George Welsh, Pettine intercepted a school-record-tying three passes in a game in 1986 against North Carolina State.

Rex Ryan, who mentored Pettine as the Raven’s defensive coordinator, offered strong praise in Pettine’s bio.

“Mike is my right-hand man,” Ryan said. “Our backgrounds are very similar. My father is a legendary NFL coach and his father is a legendary football coach, who recently retired as the winningest [high school] football coach in Pennsylvania history. “I know Mike will make a name for himself in this league. He’s one of the best communicators I know, and he relates well with the players. He’s smart, and he’s dedicated.”

Groh could look for proven names at the college level.

Former Duke coach Ted Roof, the former defensive coordinator at Georgia Tech and later at Duke, would fit the bill. Although he accepted a position as the linebackers coach at Louisville earlier this month, could he be enticed by a return to the ACC?

Groh also maintains a “close friendship” with former Texas A&M defensive coordinator Gary Darnell.

When Groh coached outside linebackers at North Carolina in 1976 and 1977, Darnell coached the linebackers on the inside.

Darnell, 59, also worked as Groh’s defensive coordinator at Wake Forest in 1986.

“We’ve stayed pretty much in touch ever since then,” Darnell told The Daily Progress in 2003 before his Western Michigan team faced Virginia. “Even while Al was in the pros we crossed paths.

“When I was [defensive coordinator] at Notre Dame, I visited his staff. There’s a lot of mutual ideas between the two of us.”

And who could forget Groh’s close friendship with former Marshall coach Bob Pruett. Two former defensive coordinators under Pruett are assistant coaches in the ACC. Jim Collins was recently named linebackers coach at Duke, and Tim Billings is the wide receivers coach at Wake Forest.

Some may be interested. Others may not. And Groh has proven a knack to pull candidates out of left field based on personal experiences or from referrals from his friends such as Bill Parcells or Belichick.

If the past is any indication, Groh will likely keep the position vacant as he places a majority of his focus on recruiting until after National Signing Day, which is on Feb. 6.

Staying put

Concern grew earlier this week in Cavalier Nation that London would attempt to bring an assistant coach of Virginia’s staff with him to Richmond.

That seems all but impossible based on London’s words and the financial ramifications of such a move.

Reports earlier this week linked Virginia running backs coach Anthony Poindexter to the defensive coordinator post at Richmond. Poindexter was given a raise before the 2007 season, boosting his annual salary to $115,000.

“I don’t anticipate talking to anybody on the staff,” London said. “There has been a lot in the media about that, but it’s untrue.”

Missing out

Virginia lost recruiting battles for a pair of its top remaining targets on Sunday.

South Lakes wideout A.J. Price, a two-star prospect, gave his verbal to Penn State following an official visit to the Big Ten school, and R.J. Mattes, a four-star offensive tackle, committed to N.C. State.

Mattes, who stands at 6-foot-6 and 260 pounds, picked N.C. State over Clemson, South Carolina, Virginia and others. Mattes’ father, Ron, played at UVa from 1981 to 1984.

Virginia entertained a host of visitors this weekend, including several commitments and quarterback prospect Brent Burnette. The Tennessee native was not offered a scholarship, a source confirmed. An offer may come for Burnette, but Virginia has expressed interest in Iowa State de-commit Josh Jordan, who hails from Louisiana.

 

Diane paves way for Cavs against BC
By Whitelaw Reid / wreid@dailyprogress.com | 978-7250
January 21, 2008

There have been games in the last two years where Mamadi Diane has played so passively that you forget he’s even on the court (last season’s zero-point, one-rebound outing against Tennessee in the NCAA Tournament certainly comes to mind).

Saturday night, however, wasn’t one of those instances.

From the opening tip, Diane seemed to have an extra bounce to his step against Boston College.

The junior’s 20-point, five-rebound performance was key to helping Virginia snap its three-game losing streak.

Diane drained a 3-pointer on UVa’s first possession and wound up taking three of the team’s first four shots. Diane’s 10 3-point field goal attempts were a career-high.

“It was a good sign for him because he stayed aggressive,” said Virginia coach Dave Leitao, whose team plays at Florida State on Wednesday. “He’s doing a little more of the things necessary to be more all-around.

“What we’ve tried to get him to do is use a lift fake to get space and he’s been trying to rebound and defend better.”

In the first half, Diane streaked past the BC defense, took a pass from Sean Singletary and went zooming in for one of his patented spread-eagle dunks.

In the second half, Diane continued hitting from the outside. He hit a 3-pointer to put Virginia up 40-37. Later in the half, he drilled another to increase UVa’s lead to 14 points.

“I was just trying to be aggressive on both ends of the floor and in everything I did,” Diane said. “The points just came.

“I’ve just been trying to play hard and play through [sub-par games]. I’m learning and experiencing new things even in my third year. I’m just trying to get better.”

Baker v. Rice

Saturday’s game featured a battle between a pair of old high school rivals - Virginia guard Calvin Baker and BC guard Tyrese Rice.

Baker starred at Woodside High in Newport News; Rice was a standout at L.C. Bird in Richmond.

Baker’s squad defeated Rice’s in the regional championships his junior year and in the state semifinals his senior year.

“Tyrese and I are real cool,” Baker said. “We talk every now and then and keep in contact. We both were in the same all-star game coming out of high school.”

On Saturday, Baker finished with 15 points (on 5 of 7 shooting) and four rebounds. Rice led BC with 20 points (6 of 16), six rebounds and six assists.

But Baker won the trash-talk battle.

“He talks. I talk,” said Baker, smiling. “It feels good to beat your friend.”

The two will meet again when Virginia (11-5, 1-2) plays at BC on Feb. 17.

Will woes

Sophomore Will Harris, who has had an assortment of injuries -mainly a balky back -suited up, but did not play.

“He practiced for about a day and a half,” Leitao said. “[Tonight] wasn’t about

opportunity and [a] long bench, it was about making sure we had the right people on the floor to help us win.

“Will is one of those guys, but he has like four things going on physically. He may be getting healthier, but I don’t know that [he has] his game rhythm. He’s got to feel better.”

Dunks

Sean Singletary (19 points, 10 assists) had his second consecutive double-double. It was his third this season and the fourth of his career. Two of Singletary’s double-doubles have been points-rebounds and two have been points-assists. …Singletary tied his career highs in assists (10) and steals (six). …Ryan Pettinella and Jamil Tucker each set a season-high in rebounds. Pettinella had eight, while Tucker had seven.

 

No. 1 Cavaliers roll past Tribe
By Whitelaw Reid / wreid@dailyprogress.com | 978-7250
January 21, 2008

This week, Virginia senior Somdev Devvarman talked about a “fire” that was inside every UVa player heading into this season.

On Sunday afternoon, that fire was pretty evident.

Virginia, the No. 1-ranked men’s tennis team in the country, crushed 43rd-ranked William & Mary in its season opener. The Cavaliers swept the Tribe, 7-0, in front of a large crowd at the Boar’s Head Sports Club.

“Overall, I was pretty pleased,” said Virginia coach Brian Boland. “I think we came out with a little bit of nerves, which is something to expect, but for the most part I thought the team played well.

“It’s a good start to our season - something we needed as we prepare to play a really good Illinois team next weekend.”

Virginia (1-0), which finished No. 2 in the nation last season after making it to the NCAA Tournament semifinals, dropped just two sets.

Devvarman, the No. 1-ranked player in the country, set the tone, defeating Alex Cojanu, 6-2, 6-4.

“He’s tough,” Cojanu said. “He doesn’t miss any shots and he’s very tough mentally.

“He’s always putting the pressure on you. You constantly feel the pressure to hit winners and that’s his biggest asset right there.”

Cojanu had lost one previous meeting with Devvarman in a local event over a year ago. In that match, Devvarman needed a third set to prevail.

Cojanu said Devvarman’s serve was the difference this time.

“The last time we played was like 14 or 15 months ago, so I hope my serve has gotten better,” Devvarman joked. “I keep trying to find ways to improve my game.”

Serving at 5-4, 30-15 in the second set, Devvarman aced Cojanu to get to match point.

“I felt really confident at that point and the adrenaline was going,” Devvarman said. “It was a big point and I just went for it.”

Boland said Devvarman’s serve has come a long way in the last six to eight months.

“He puts a lot of focus on that,” Boland said. “He’s trying to elevate his game to the next level and that’s something that he needs to improve on in order to play at the ATP level.”

Virginia had clinched the match before Devvarman’s victory when senior Ted Angelinos beat Richard Wardell,

6-4, 6-2. Angelinos’ aggressive play from the baseline was too much for Wardell.

“It’s a nice feeling to win that clinching match,” Angelinos said. “It was a good first day for the team. We just have to keep working hard in practice, keep our focus and hopefully we’re ready for a big year.”

Angelinos said playing Wardell, a left-hander, wasn’t too challenging.

“Sometimes I struggle with lefties…it’s a different serve and a different spin, so it can take time to adjust,” Angelinos said. “But it’s good because we have Treat [Huey] on the team and get a lot of practice.”

Huey, playing at No. 2 singles, had the fastest match of the day. The senior easily downed Dominic Pagon, 6-0, 6-4.

Freshman Sinam Singh, playing at No. 3, was the last Cavalier to wrap up. He prevailed, 11-9, in the third set of his match.

Houston Barrick and Lee Singer rounded out the sweep, winning their matches at No. 5 and 6.

Junior Dominic Inglot sat out the singles portion of the event.

“We have a great deal of depth, so we’re trying to give everyone a chance to play as often as possible and then let things work themselves out through the course of the season,” said Boland, when asked about his starting lineup. “We expect to play eight guys this season.”

Aces

Virginia played without highly touted freshman Michael Shabaz, who is still recovering from a finger injury. “He should be ready for next weekend,” Boland said. “He’s day-to-day right now. Hopefully he’ll be all right.”…UVa has now won the last five meetings against William & Mary…Virginia plays at Illinois on Friday, then at Notre Dame on Sunday before returning home for VCU on Feb. 1.

 

Leitao, love and leisure
Paul Montana

Who would've thought that after the Cavs gave away Wednesday's overtime loss to Virginia Tech that Virginia would have a laid back, let's-all-be-happy practice the next day?

"I'm just going to say it was an unorthodox practice we had," senior Ryan Pettinella said. "It was a lot of fun, everyone was involved, and everyone had a great time."

I guess that's why Virginia coach Dave Leitao is the 2007 ACC Coach of the Year.

In Virginia's convincing 84-66 win over Boston College Saturday, the team looked looser, more aggressive and overall more excited to be playing basketball than it had looked since well before its three-game losing streak to begin the new year. And this was no coincidence -- for Leitao and company, it was the entire point.

"It's been a long three weeks, and as the days passed I got more and more ornery," Leitao said. "You forget sometimes that they're young people, and you have to work with them."

The ornery side of Leitao we know all too well. The yelling at players when they come out. The foot-stomping. The head-holding. The head-shaking. The brow-furrowing.

But after the heartbreaker that was Wednesday night, it takes a real man to admit that it's time to back off.

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

Smile? The mere fact that Leitao has the muscles that allow a smile to caress his face is news to me.

Then again, I wasn't at practice.

"We were expecting to go through a war in practice after that Virginia Tech loss," Pettinella said. "We didn't even really practice, it was kind of a team-bonding."

And so was the theme of game day: Go out there and have a good time.

But what does it mean to have fun out there? For one thing, it's about tension. When Leitao has his finger on the trigger, ready to pull a player the moment he makes a mistake, relaxation is a tough mental state to reach.

"When [Leitao] told us all to just go out there and have fun, no one was really worried about making mistakes, everyone was just playing, talking," sophomore Calvin Baker said. "It was just a better atmosphere for us."

Then again, maybe having fun translates into even more than that.

Maybe having fun means that jump shooters make their open shots. After struggling to find openings in the previous three losses, junior Mamadi Diane and senior Adrian Joseph both put up good numbers, as Diane led Virginia with 20 while Joseph put up all of his 17 in the second half.

Then again, having fun might involve aggressive hands on defense leading to transition on offense. Boston College turned the ball over 14 times to Virginia's 6, but more importantly, the Cavaliers converted 24 points off those turnovers compared with the Eagles' 8. Senior Sean Singletary himself had an obscene six steals -- poor Tyler Roche could barely get the ball from his hand to the floor before Singletary started swatting it away.

Or maybe having fun just means being emotionally involved in the game. We all saw Singletary, Baker and Pettinella get fired up when the team went on big runs. We all saw the reaction from the bench after Joseph got up just a little higher to throw down an alley oop in transition. The team was smiling, and good things were happening.

The point is this: The common mantra is that winning is fun, and most athletes construe this as, when you win, you have fun. But perhaps we have been looking at this expression all wrong. Indeed, maybe the reverse is true -- just as when you win you have fun, when you have fun, you win.

"Having fun is the most important thing about playing basketball," Pettinella said. "That's why all of us started playing basketball, that's why we continue to play basketball ... It brings out the best in competitors, and it really showed tonight."

Thank you, Ryan. Thank you for giving us the necessary reminder that the reason we play sports, above all else, is because we want to. The basketball court should be a haven, not a torment. Leitao should be a confidante, not a tyrant. Putting the ball in the basket should be an adventure, not a necessity.

Next stop for the Cavs is Florida State. Let's hope they have a ball.