Lalich era begins now for Cavs
By Jerry Ratcliffe / jratcliffe@dailyprogress.com
January 22, 2008

Now that Jameel Sewell is gone, it’s time for the “Pistol Pete” Show in Charlottesville.

Rising sophomore quarterback Peter Lalich, whose high school passing exploits preceded his arrival to Virginia’s football program, is the heir apparent to the Cavaliers’ starting job.

In retrospect, Lalich’s limited playing experience as a true freshman has now become more of an asset than an issue. At least he’s gotten his feet wet and has a grip on UVa’s offense. Sewell’s sophomore season was a tenuous situation because of his academic issues and a wrist that could have weakened at any time. Had either slipped, Virginia would have been left without a quarterback with any experience, so in retrospect playing Lalich made all the sense in the world.

“We felt all along that we better have somebody being groomed so it wouldn’t be a totally new experience,” Virginia coach Al Groh said on Sunday, just before he left on a five-day recruiting trip that also included a stop at the New England Patriots’ AFC championship game in his old stomping grounds of Foxboro.

Proving it

While Lalich saw limited action, particularly late in the season, he did become battle-tested and showed the coaches during game situations and in practice that he could get the job done.

“He’s got a natural, God-given talent to throw the ball,” Groh said. “That’s not just a good arm. There’s a natural eye-to-hand connection that all good quarterbacks, good basketball shooters, good baseball players have. That comes at birth. Yeah, there’s lots of mechanics and techniques that goes into being a good passer, but some just have it to a better degree than others. Peter is blessed to have it to a high degree and that was evident throughout practice. He has a good physical gift to throw the ball.”

Working out the rest

However, having a gifted throwing arm doesn’t make a quarterback. There’s a lot of other phases that come into play. Leadership, a strong mental game, toughness, are all important parts, too.

Groh likes to use analogies to explain his points and the one he chose to paint the Lalich quarterback picture was the one about the big hitter in golf, a guy that strikes 340-yard drives, but doesn’t have the rest of the game to win on Tour.

“At that point, the golfer makes a commitment to not be just a big hitter, but a low scorer,” Groh said. “He has to address the mental part of the game, the short game, all the things that determine scoring as much as a guy’s ability to hit the daylights out of it. Until you get into that process of a player, you never really know his mentality about that and that’s the phase that Peter is in.”

We will all have to wait until spring practice, sometime in late March or early April before we can see Lalich’s progress in those visible areas. Until then, the young passer will have to be content to work on other parts of becoming a team leader, the kind of player that his teammates will trust and respect.

Groh said that is what the offseason winter program is all about. Players aren’t allowed to do any work with balls during that phase of the season, but rather more can be derived from lots of interaction with other players.

“This is when the connection and the bonds of teammates are made during the winter program,” Groh said. “Guys who play diverse positions can interact because they will be in the same agility drills together or on the same [weightlifting] platform.”

That’s a very important part of being a quarterback in Groh’s view.

“One of the things all top quarterbacks have in common is that they have the ability to make everyone else in the organization, coaches, players, feel that ‘If I keep working, this guy will see to it we’re good at the end,’” the coach said.

“Some guys strike that feeling amongst their teammates. We have witnessed that in [Tom] Brady and [Brett] Farve, two quarterbacks that have mastered that to the highest degree anyone ever has. Everyone in the organization has a good feeling about what they have done for those organizations.”

That’s the inside stuff that only people inside those organizations get a true feel for. Everyone else that watches from a distance just sees the passes, not all the behind-the-scenes stuff.

It’s the kind of stuff that Virginia’s coaches will be watching for over the next several weeks as Lalich proves himself to his teammates. There’s a level of trust he must establish, and while some of that comes on the field, a whole lot more of it comes off the field.

 

Sewell looking to move forward
By Jay Jenkins / jjenkins@dailyprogress.com | 978-7250
January 23, 2008

Many shook their heads in disbelief when Jameel Sewell elected to sit courtside Saturday night inside the John Paul Jones Arena for Virginia's basketball game.
The sighting came just four days after Sewell, Virginia's starting quarterback in its past 22 games, received final word that he would not be allowed to attend UVa during the spring semester due to his academic standing.

Sewell's reasoning for watching the Virginia-Boston College game seems logical.

"I am a fan just like a lot of other people, so I have to show support," Sewell said Tuesday evening. "I am still part of this family. I am still part of this Virginia family and the Virginia football family.

"I haven't let my brothers go yet, and I don't want to let them go."

He may ultimately be faced with that dilemma.

For now, Sewell is remaining patient and looking at every possible alternative.

"Right now, I am still trying to work things out and make the best decision for me," said Sewell, who passed for 2,176 yards and rushed for 279 more as Virginia went 9-4 overall.

"Once I get everything worked out I will definitely let [the media] know what the deal is with me, if anybody still cares."

Sewell had four options, but eliminated one recently.

"I am definitely not trying to go to the league," Sewell said, referring to the NFL's Supplemental Draft.

He could, however, attempt to appeal his academic suspension in the fall, and if successful, he could rejoin the football program for the

upcoming season and the 2009 campaign. That scenario would likely need to be accompanied by a strong academic showing in summer classes at another university or college.

Sewell, a Richmond native, could also serve a two-semester suspension and apply to return in time for his senior season, his final year of eligibility, in 2009. It is not a farfetched idea - former wideout Ottowa Anderson returned to the program in 2005 after skipping the previous season.

Anderson spent the idle months away shipping and assembling furniture.

Sewell, if eligible by NCAA standards in the fall, could also transfer to an NCAA Division I-AA or Division II program and boast two years of eligibility. Desiring to be a starting quarterback, Sewell could research viable programs as a free agent in the months that lie ahead.

Time, for now, is on Sewell's side.

"It would just be smart for me to think things over the best that I can before things get too late, before any type of deadline arrives or anything like that," Sewell said.

 

Sewell waits for U.Va. word on return
Father of suspended QB says they should hear by Wednesday
Monday, Jan 21, 2008 - 12:07 AM Updated: 08:44 AM
By JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Jameel Sewell is awaiting word from the University of Virginia on what he would need to do to get readmitted and how soon he could re-enroll.

Sewell's father, Harry, said yesterday that the family expects to hear from U.Va. officials no later than Wednesday. Jameel Sewell has started the past 22 games at quarterback for the Cavaliers. Sewell and three other U.Va. football players learned Thursday that they would not be enrolled for the spring semester, which started Wednesday. The suspensions are related to academics, sources have confirmed.

A Hermitage High graduate, Sewell entered U.Va. in 2005 and redshirted that fall. He has two seasons of eligibility remaining. Sewell was in the crowd at John Paul Jones Arena, seated with several teammates, for the U.Va.-Boston College men's basketball game Saturday night.

Harry Sewell spent the weekend with his son in Charlottesville, and he said Jameel hopes to finish his college career at U.Va.

"That's all he talks about," Harry Sewell said. "He felt he's let the university down as well as his family. It's just kind of heavy on his heart right now. He really feels like he owes something to that that school to finish up there academically and athletically."

The elder Sewell said he has spoken to Al and Mike Groh, Virginia's head coach and offensive coordinator, respectively, and "they are interested in Jameel returning."

Ultimately, though, the family must "do what's in the best interests of Jameel," his father said.

If Sewell were not able to return to U.Va. for the fall semester, he would have only one season left if he resumed classes there in 2009.

Hermitage coach Patrick Kane said Friday that Sewell, though academically ineligible by U.Va.'s standards, appears to be in position to remain eligible under NCAA rules. If so, Sewell could transfer to a Division I-AA school and play in the fall.

In a news release Thursday, citing privacy laws, U.Va. did not say if or when any of the four players might be able to return to the university.

 

Cavs set to battle Seminoles
By Whitelaw Reid / wreid@dailyprogress.com | 978-7250
January 23, 2008

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - It was about two years ago when the Virginia men's basketball made it last visit here and Florida State big man Alexander Johnson made Lars Mikalauskas look like the Drago character at the end of the movie "Rocky IV."
Johnson broke the Lithuanian's nose with an elbow on his way to throwing down a monster dunk.

The play, which had FSU fans going bonkers, was symbolic of Virginia's trip to the Sunshine State.

"It wasn't an environment that we played real well in," said Virginia head coach Dave Leitao, alluding to his team's 76-62 loss. "We have to do a really good job, especially mentally, in preparing for an environment such as that.

"Coming off a loss [to Wake Forest], they're going to be ready physically, as well as mentally, so we have to be prepared. For us, it's an opportunity to try and continue to improve ourselves, as we did Saturday, by playing well on the road and in back-to-back games. We have our work cut out for us obviously."

Tonight, Virginia (11-5, 1-2 ACC) - which got a badly-needed win over Boston College - will need to be as disciplined as it was against the Eagles. In the 84-66 win, UVa committed a season-low six turnovers.

The newfound prudence came after Leitao admitted to easing up on his players, encouraging them to have more fun and allowing them to play through mistakes.

It certainly will be interesting to see how long the new Joy Luck Club approach will last if Leitao's team should falter early.

"We've got 17 different guys in the gym with 17 different personalities trying to mesh into one," Leitao said. "When you do that, you have to be able to push the right buttons and know when to back off.

"Over the years, I've tried to look at it like you're part-time psychologist and part-time coach and you put it all into one."

If Virginia can get the kind of play it did from Sean Singletary on Saturday, Leitao won't need to play shrink. UVa's senior captain had, arguably, his best performance of the season in scoring 20 points, dishing out 10 assists and notching six steals.

"He just destroyed a very good Boston College team the other day," observed Florida State coach Leonard Hamilton.

Of course, when teammates are knocking down shots the way Mamadi Diane and Adrian Joseph were, that makes life a lot easier.

Florida State (12-7, 1-3), like Virginia, is a perimeter-oriented team. The Seminoles' top three scorers - Toney Douglass, Isaiah Swann and Jason Rich - are guards.

Douglass is the orchestrator.

"I think Tony is a guy who has had to adjust to being a point guard," said Hamilton, whose team is coming off losses to Duke and Wake Forest. "He came to us as basically a scoring guard and has worked hard to adjust his game and is making tremendous progress.

"Toney means a lot to us."

But really, the game could be decided on the interior. Unless one team just lights it up from the outside, the side that gets the most production from its inside players will likely be in the driver's seat.

Virginia, which has been decimated by injuries to its big people this year, has received great efforts from Ryan Pettinella in the last two games. The senior, who might very well move into the starting lineup in place of freshman Mike Scott, has been all over the court lately. And, the 25-percent free-throw shooter has even knocked down his last three attempts.

"I think in the last couple of weeks he's come to the realization that he's lucky to be out there and that it's almost over," Leitao said, "and that's allowed him to continue to be energized and to impose that energy on his teammates in practice every day - and he's been able to display that energy come game time.

"There's always going to be a place for a guy who brings energy like that."

Dunks

Virginia leads the all-time series, 17-14. UVa won the lone meeting last season, in Charlottesville, 73-70. Singletary led the Cavs with 19 points. Current L.A. Clipper Al Thornton had 30 for the Seminoles?FSU has five players with double-digit scoring averages: Douglass (13.7), Swann (12.1), Rich (12.1), Uche Echefu (11.9) and Ralph Mims (10.8)?The Seminoles are the best free-throw shooting team in the ACC at 79.4 percent.

 

FSU collides with Cavs' guards
Seminoles hope to boost NCAA hopes vs. Virginia
By Doug Blackburn
DEMOCRAT ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

It's not a mystery as far as Isaiah Swann is concerned.

Florida State's mercurial guard knows exactly what the Seminoles have to do to snap a three-game losing streak and climb out of the Atlantic Coast Conference cellar.

"The big picture," the senior said, "we've just got to get better."

The 12-7, 1-3 FSU men's basketball team will try to get better starting tonight when it hosts 11-5, 1-2 Virginia, which snapped a two-game losing streak Saturday when it topped Boston College 84-66. Tip-off is at 7 p.m.

To say the game is important for the Seminoles is an understatement. If FSU wants to keep alive any hope of playing in the NCAA Tournament, a win tonight is almost a must.

"We don't have a whole lot more room for miscues," FSU coach Leonard Hamilton said. "I feel pretty confident we'll bounce back and get back to playing the way we're going to have to play with the talent we have.

"We have to get this done and we have to start on Wednesday night."

The Cavaliers are led by Sean Singletary, a two-time All-ACC guard who initially declared for the NBA Draft following last season. He's averaging 23.7 points per game in Virginia's first three league games and 18.9 overall.

Singletary and J.R. Reynolds formed perhaps the best backcourt in the conference the past two years. But Hamilton is wary of Reynolds' replacement, Calvin Baker, a sophomore transfer from William & Mary.

"He's a smart, heady, courageous kid who plays off Singletary," Hamilton said. "He's a thorn in everybody's side."

Virginia coach Dave Leitao has trained the Cavaliers to fire away from 3-point land.

It's worked well, as they are No. 1 in the league in both 3-pointers taken (376) and made (148). Forward Adrian Joseph made five 3-pointers to lead the Cavaliers to a 73-70 win over FSU last season in Charlottesville.

FSU, meanwhile, is struggling to get back in sync.

The Seminoles had only one low-post player for their first two conference games, but have since seen forwards Ryan Reid and Julian Vaughn return.

"We just have not had the right balance," Hamilton said. "I think that's the main thing."

But that hasn't been the only thing. FSU committed 15 turnovers and shot just 35.7 percent in losing 74-57 to Wake Forest on Sunday.

"The thing that's been disappointing is that we've had a difficult time with our decision-making — that's obvious," Hamilton said. "What we're doing now is trying to simplify things.

"We can do less and hopefully we'll be more efficient. It's particularly disappointing when you take into consideration that we have what's supposed to be an experienced team."

Swann says he's striving to regain his focus.

"I think that it's more mental for me than anything else. Physically I know I can do it," said Swann, FSU's second-leading scorer at 12.1 ppg. "It's the mental part for me. I have to just focus on every game and do what I need to do.

"I think I worry too much about other things. Not off the court, but on the court. I worry about should I take this shot, or should I pass it? Sometimes I get a little unsure of myself."

 

Singletary climbs past Reynolds on scoring list
UVa notes
By Doug Doughty

Positions on Virginia's all-time scoring list are starting to roll by like highway mile-markers for Virginia senior Sean Singletary.

Singletary, who was in an 18th-place tie after three seasons, moved into the top 10 Wednesday with a career-high 34 points in a 70-69 overtime loss to Virginia Tech.

In the process, Singletary moved ahead of former three-year backcourt partner J.R. Reynolds and set his sights on Reynolds' fellow Roanoke native, Curtis Staples.

Staples, with 1,757 points, stands ninth on UVa's career scoring list. Singletary has 1,729.

That includes a 19-point effort Saturday night as the Cavaliers snapped a three-game losing streak with a 84-66 victory over Boston College.

"Singletary is who he is," said Florida State coach Leonard Hamilton, whose Seminoles (12-7, 1-3 ACC) entertain the Cavaliers (11-5, 1-2) at 7 p.m. Wednesday. "He just destroyed a very good Boston College team the other day."

In other words, Hamilton hopes that the Seminoles can shut down Singletary's supporting cast.

Singletary did a good job of keeping everybody involved Saturday night, passing up an uncontested layup to set up junior Mamadi Diane for a dunk. Singletary, who entered the game with a 1.32-to-1 assist-turnover ratio, finished with 10 assists and one turnover.

"Not only that, but he controlled the game," UVa coach Dave Leitao said. "He really did a good job of pressuring the basketball. He stole the ball six times, which means he had a real serious effect on the game on the defensive end, which is something we've been asking him to do more and more.

"His mind gave him 19 and 10, as well as his talent. He did a terrific job mentally, as well as he always does physically."

Singletary leads the ACC in scoring in league games and ranks first in assists in all games.

n Reynolds is scoring a team-high 16.6 points for Vanoli Soresina, which has an 11-5 record and is tied for first place in the Italian League's A-2 Division.

Reynolds is shooting 47 percent from the field, including 41.6 percent on 3-pointers, and 83.3 percent from the free-throw line.

Kinder gentler

The Cavaliers saw a more mellow Leitao following their loss to Virginia Tech, but Singletary cautioned reporters about reading too much into that.

Singletary said it was a good practice Friday that altered Leitao's mood.

"I don't think that I coached Saturday with any less vigor than I normally do," Leitao said. "I still yelled at some people and I was demanding, but what happens is, I don't yell a whole lot when we practice well, and that's consistent.

"As a result of Friday's practice, I think everybody, including myself, was in a much better frame of mind. It became a quote-unquote kinder, gentler version [of Leitao], but I think the guys have a lot to do with me and how I operate."

At the same time, it was Leitao who said the Cavaliers didn't devote two minutes of conversation to Virginia Tech after that loss.

"I was surprised actually, coming off a loss, at how calm he was," Calvin Baker said. "He wasn't angry. He wasn't punishing us. I think that really affected us in a good way. It showed he had our backs, no matter what."

Said Leitao: "I think it starts at the top. I have a tendency to bark and bark and bark. Sometimes you've got to smile. It's not been fun for anybody the last three weeks, so we just wanted to make sure that win, lose or draw, we changed our mind-set."

In football

The recruiting weekend did not end well for the Virginia football staff, which learned that coveted Concord, N.C., offensive lineman R.J. Mattes had committed to North Carolina State.

Mattes' father, Ron, was one of the stars of UVa's 1984 Peach Bowl team. ... Virginia also finished second for A.J. Price, a wide receiver from South Lakes in Reston who committed on his visit to Penn State.
 

Move a gain Cav's Joseph
Joseph dreams of Trinidad, enjoys U.Va. opportunity
Tuesday, Jan 22, 2008 - 12:07 AM
By JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER

CHARLOTTESVILLE - Even on warm days, Trinidad is never far from Adrian Joseph's thoughts. But when the temperature drops below freezing, as it did here over the weekend, the University of Virginia senior bundles up tighter and dreams of home.

In Trinidad, he said, it's "like 85 degrees every day, 365 days a year." And then there's winter in the United States.

"I haven't gotten used to it yet," said Joseph, the Caribbean lilt still unmistakable in his speech. "Every time it's cold outside, I'm shivering."

Joseph, whose parents and four siblings remain in San Fernando, left home before his freshman year in high school. Watching Michael Jordan on TV had inspired Joseph to pick up basketball, and American scouts spotted him in a tournament in Trinidad. They liked the potential of the tall, lean boy who, like many of his friends, was also accomplished at soccer and cricket. Joseph was offered a scholarship to Marianapolis Prep, a boarding school in Connecticut.

"It was one of the toughest decisions I ever made in my life," Joseph recalled recently. "It was a big sacrifice. I had nights where I just wanted to just go back home. I also would think about how if I was home, I could be with my family, just be happy and live a regular life. But it's a sacrifice for the better."

He spent the 10th and 11th grades at Bergen Catholic in New Jersey. He would have been too old to play sports in Jersey as a 12th-grader, so he enrolled at Brewster Academy in New Hampshire, where he starred for a team stocked with college prospects.

Had he stayed in Trinidad, his life would have been more stable. But he wouldn't have landed a scholarship to a school such as U.Va.

"I think America is the land of opportunity, and there's so much than I can accomplish over here, whether it's sports or whether it's academics," said Joseph, who turned 23 in August. "It exists so much more over here than it exists in Trinidad."

In his first three seasons at Virginia, the 6-7, 200-pound left-hander was known primarily for his high-arcing 3-pointers. His coaches wanted more from him in his final season.

"The whole thing with him is, if your shot's not falling, do something else to help the team," U.Va. assistant Bill Courtney said.

In his first season as a full-time starter and a co-captain, Joseph has thrived as an undersized power forward. He's second on the team in scoring (12.2) and steals and leads the Wahoos with 36 treys.

The revelation, however, has been Joseph's rebounding. He averaged 1.2 boards as a freshman, 4.5 as a sophomore and 3.5 as a junior. This season, he's jumped to 7.6, eighth-best in the ACC.

"I think it's just a mindset of trying to be more aggressive," Joseph said. "I'm trying to do that all around."

Case in point: his new willingness to venture inside the 3-point line. Joseph, who attempted only eight free throws in 2006-07, is 21 for 26 from the line this season. He scored 17 second-half points Saturday night in U.Va.'s win over Boston College despite not making a trey until the game's final minute.

His sophomore and junior seasons at U.Va., the team's unquestioned leaders were J.R. Reynolds and Sean Singletary. Reynolds' departure created a leadership void that Joseph's teammates elected him to fill.

"He's quiet by nature, but he's a really hard worker," Courtney said. "He's not nearly as laid back as you might expect of a kid from the islands."

Joseph is from a rough neighborhood in San Fernando, and his parents encouraged him to pursue an education in America. They've never been to the States to see him play, but Joseph hopes the crowd at John Paul Jones Arena on March 9 -- senior night for U.Va. -- will include his mother and father.

"I miss it every day," Joseph said of Trinidad. "It's home, sweet home, and I got all my childhood memories and stuff that I still think about it."



 

Virginia recruit Landesberg shines on television
By Whitelaw Reid / wreid@dailyprogress.com | 978-7250
January 22, 2008

The day probably isn’t too far off when ESPN will be televising elementary school basketball games - live from local playgrounds.

But for now, viewers will have to be content with watching teenagers battle it out.

On Monday morning, Virginia hoops fans got a special treat.

ESPNU featured a game between seventh-ranked Archbishop Mitty (Calif.) and No. 23 Holy Cross (N.Y.) as part of its Old Spice High School Showcase.

The game was won by Archbishop, but Holy Cross’ Sylven Landesberg - the highly touted member of Virginia’s 2008 recruiting class - had 26 points and five rebounds en route to being named player of the game.

UVa coach Dave Leitao, whose team plays at Florida State on Wednesday night, was holding practice and couldn’t watch the game live. However, he said he planned to check it out later in the day.

In the first half, Landesberg showed his versatility. The 6-foot-6, 195-pounder scored on a fastbreak dunk, a 3-pointer and offensive put-back in the lane.

Throughout the game, the one thing the Queens, N.Y. native didn’t do much of was bring the ball up the court. He played primarily on the wing and down low.

Still, Leitao envisions Landesberg as a point guard when he gets to Charlottesville next season.

“Absolutely,” said Leitao, during his teleconference. “I think he has the ability to play on the ball, but he has the unique ability - particularly because he’s scoring the ball so much and has over his career - to be multidimensional and be the receiver of a pass as opposed to just a passer.

“Hopefully he continues to develop and we can put him in a lot of different situations, but one of which will be on the ball.”

With Sean Singletary graduating, Landesberg will be competing with Sammy Zeglinski and Calvin Baker for minutes at the point next season. He could also battle Jeff Jones and Solomon Tat for time at shooting guard.

Earlier this season, Landesberg - who chose Virginia over his hometown St. John’s team, Georgia Tech, Kentucky and Texas - broke the all-time scoring record at Holy Cross. Coincidentally, the player he passed was Willie Dersch, a former Virginia guard.

Landesberg is rated a 4-out-of-5 star recruit by Rivals.com and as the 54th-best prospect in the country (11th-best shooting guard).

The other 2008 Virginia signees are big men John Brandenburg and Assane Sene.