Defensive Lapses Irk Bennett
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 01/30/2010
By Jeff White

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Tony Bennett has a request for the engineering school at UVa. The Cavaliers' first-year basketball coach joked Friday night about wanting a device with which he could jolt his perimeter players to remind them to sprint back on defense.

"I wish I had an electric prodder or something," Bennett said with a smile at John Paul Jones Arena. "A shot goes up and you're a perimeter guy and -- bzzzz -- you've got to go. It almost has to be like that to play against these teams we're playing against."

Bennett saw several things that disappointed him Thursday night at JPJ, where UVa squandered a 10-point lead in the final three minutes of regulation and lost 76-71 in overtime to arch-rival Virginia Tech.

Foremost among them: his team's poor transition defense.

"There's a couple staples to our defense that I've talked about from probably the first meeting I had with these players back in April," Bennett said.

"We talked about transition defense. As we say, the defense never rests. When we were back and set [against the Hokies], we were pretty good. But it gets harder as the game wears on."

When UVa fails to get back on defense, Bennett said, it's "like a dam breaking, and that's what happened [Thursday night], the way they scored at the end of the first half and the end of regulation, the transition baskets they hit. And we just have to keep working on it."

Transition defense was the focus on the Wahoos' practice Friday. They hit the main court at JPJ about 19 hours after the end of their crushing loss to Virginia Tech, and the fast breaks began, one after the other. And when Bennett saw a player not hustling back on defense, practice stopped for a loud lesson.

"I don't know any other way," said Bennett, whose teams at Washington State were known for their defensive soundness. "We could try hypnotizing them and talking about [transition defense], but there's no other way but practice."

Especially when Virginia's next opponent is defending NCAA champion North Carolina, whose coach, Roy Williams, wants his team to push the ball at every opportunity. UNC (2-3, 13-7) and UVa (3-2, 12-6) are scheduled to meet Sunday at 7:45 p.m. in snowy Chapel Hill.

The Wahoos haven't beaten UNC at the Dean Dome since 2001-02. From last season's team, the Tar Heels lost Tyler Hansbrough, Ty Lawson and Wayne Ellington, but Williams still has such weapons as Ed Davis, Deon Thompson and Will Graves.


"They're big on the glass, they run, and they're hitting their stride, so it'll be a test," Bennett said.

Before his players returned to the court Friday, Bennett addressed them.

"I told them it's OK to feel discouraged and down to an extent," he said later, "but most teams would take that onto the court and let it affect them. I just said, 'Let's not be like most teams.'

"That was my message: 'Let's not be like most teams. Let's be different. Let's be competitive. Let's learn from it, what we saw, and let's try and apply it. And let's start with a film session, let's do it on the practice floor, let's do it tomorrow in the practice [in Chapel Hill], and let's try to compete, because you're walking in a situation where you're going to have to be ready, or you could be in trouble.'"

In 2007-08, Bennett's second season as head coach at Washington State, his team met UNC in the NCAA tournament's third round. The Cougars lost 68-47 in Charlotte, N.C., in part because they failed to slow then-Carolina point guard Ty Lawson in transition.

"That's all we talked about and preached in the week leading up to the Sweet 16," Bennett recalled. "It's hard to emulate in practice, but we do our best. It's something that you gotta pay the price on daily."

In Bennett's system, the power forward (also known as the 4) and the center (the 5) are expected to compete for offensive rebounds on every possession. Bennett wants his point guard (the 1) and his shooting guard (the 2) and, in most cases, his small forward (the 3) to race back on defense when a shot goes up.

"It depends who we're playing," Bennett said. "Sometimes we have the 3 [crashing the boards], so we'll have three. But against certain teams, we try to get for sure three back. And I mean when the shot goes up and it's airborne, it's gotta be boom! It's gotta be instinctual."

Which is where practice reps come in.

Transition defense is "not second nature to anybody," Bennett said. "Your first instinct when the shot goes up is, 'I'm going to stand and watch it.'

"It's not natural for anybody to be a great player [in transition defense]. We always say it's uphill on transition defense and downhill on transition offense. And the first three steps are everything. It's not trot, trot, sprint and find your way. It's sprint, sprint, sprint and then locate and go."

This will be the only regular-season meeting between UVa and UNC in 2009-10. The Heels have won six straight in a series they lead 124-48.


 

U.Va. seeking rewind
Related Info
VIRGINIA AT NORTH CAROLINA
Today:7:45 p.m.
TV: CSN
Radio:WRVA (1140), WHAN (1430)
By Michael Phillips
Published: January 31, 2010
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Timing can be everything in ACC play. North Carolina was struggling just two weeks ago, fighting through injuries and unable to find a chemistry among young teammates. Meanwhile, Virginia was off to a 3-0 start in the conference.

Unfortunately for Virginia, both trends have been reversed.

This is also the year when the Cavs won't get to play host to the Tar Heels -- the road being the one place where Roy Williams' team has been vulnerable. Instead, tonight's game will be the only regular-season matchup between the teams, and it will be in the Dean Dome.

The Cavs will be looking to reclaim some of their early momentum after a heartbreaking overtime loss to the Hokies on Thursday night. Sensing the players were feeling down after the game, coach Tony Bennett went locker to locker and checked in with each of them, telling them they could be down for a little while, but they'd have to be ready to bounce back.

"I said if you'll bring that heart, and we'll try to bring a little more of the execution, that's all we can do," he said. "And you better be ready to go, or you're going to be in trouble in this league if you're lingering over a past loss."

The Cavs have operated on a modified schedule since then. They held their usual Friday morning practice, but departed for Chapel Hill afterwards, so they wouldn't get caught in yesterday's snowstorm.

One focus will be on staying mentally sound. Bennett felt like his team gave up too many easy points defensively on Thursday.

But the players know they'll have to walk the line between learning from those mistakes and dwelling on them.

"We have to have a short memory," guard Sammy Zeglinski said. "We are going to stick to who we are. We just made too many mistakes. We are going to keep fighting."

Zeglinski hit one of the team's highlight shots of the season against the Hokies, a long 3-pointer with 1.3 seconds left that sent the game to overtime -- a shot that would have had more significance had the Cavs prevailed in the extra frame.

There will also be a focus on Virginia star Sylven Landesberg, as the Hokies are one of the few teams who have been able to shut him down in his college career.

Last year in Charlottesville, Landesberg finished just 1 for 9 shooting, with 2 points. He's scored in double-digits every game this season, the only player in the ACC who can make that claim. He'll also be looking for a bounceback game after getting in foul trouble in the first half against Virginia Tech, then missing a go-ahead shot in the game's final seconds.

It's an opportunity for Virginia to break two recent trends -- its slide and Carolina's resurgence -- and set things back on their original path for the remainder of conference play.

Analysis: Cavs not good front-runners
By Doug Doughty | The Roanoke Times

At the mere hint that Virginia may have choked Thursday night with an ACC victory in its grasp, junior Jeff Jones shook his head and responded, "That's not us."

Maybe not, but the record suggests that this UVa team has a hard time holding onto leads, particularly double-figure leads.

The Cavaliers (12-6, 3-2 ACC) could only hope to be in that position tonight, when they visit North Carolina (13-7, 2-3) for a 7:45 tipoff.

Virginia will be seeking to avoid a third straight defeat after a 76-71 overtime loss to Virginia Tech in a game the Cavaliers led by 10 points with under three minutes remaining in regulation.

UVa has lost leads of 10 points or more in three of its six losses, including a 69-66 setback against Penn State in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge and a 68-67 loss at Auburn.

Thursday night's collapse was more egregious than either of the previous two games, in which Virginia held 10-point leads in the first half but not thereafter.

On the other hand, it was only 11 days earlier that Virginia had squandered a 16-point, second-half lead before rallying for a 69-67 victory over a UNC Wilmington team that came to John Paul Jones Arena with a 6-11 record.

Moreover, against the Hokies, Virginia held a 12-point lead in the first half, gave it away, built its lead back up to 10 points in the second half and then let that evaporate.

UVa entered Thursday's game ranked third in Division I in fewest turnovers per game (10.29) but had 16 turnovers against the Hokies.

"It's uncharacteristic," said guard Sammy Zeglinski, who had four turnovers.

Zeglinski's field goal with 1.3 seconds remaining sent the game into overtime at 65-65, and Zeglinski added another 3-pointer in overtime, but those are his only field goals in the last two games.

Obviously, some or most of that could be attributed to Virginia Tech's defense. Much is made of Bennett's "Pack Line," but he is no more committed to defense than the Hokies' Seth Greenberg.

But, the fact of the matter is better time management on the Cavaliers' part would have made it next to impossible for the Hokies to overcome a 10-point deficit.

Heck, Tech made it look easy. When Malcolm Delaney stepped to the free-throw line with 2:57 remaining, the Hokies trailed 62-52. Following a Dorenzo Hudson 3-pointer with 1:36 left, Tech had trimmed the deficit to 62-61.

At a time in the game when UVa should have been holding the ball, Tech went on a 9-0 run during a 1:21 span and did not commit a foul in the process.

"We almost didn't need a field goal to win that," Bennett said. "That's when we needed to milk the clock. I felt some of the decisions down the stretch cost us. Eleven turnovers in the second half is hard to overcome."

The turnovers led to Tech fast breaks and Bennett bemoaned his team's porous transition defense.

"When our defense was set, for the majority of the game, it was hard for [the Hokies] to score," he said.

The turnovers came at a time when Virginia had switched to a four-guard lineup in hopes of improved ball-handling. However, the Cavaliers couldn't even get the ball in-bounds after the Delaney free throws with 2:57 left.

UVa freshman guard Jontel Evans did a nice job on Delaney early, but Evans did not score in 16 minutes of playing time. Reserve post player Will Sherrill did a nice job in tipping some loose balls, but Sherrill did not attempt a shot in 15 minutes.

Sylven Landesberg and Mike Scott each went 8-of-16 from the field, but the Nos. 3-5 scorers on the team -- Zeglinski, Jones and Mustapha Farrakhan -- were a combined 6-of-19.

Jones missed both ends of a late two-shot opportunity and Landesberg missed both of his free-throw opportunities, including a one-and-one. The Cavaliers shot 68.2 percent (15-of-22) from the line after hitting 74.9 percent of their efforts before Thursday.

"When they're going in, it makes it a little easier to win down the stretch," Bennett said.

Bennett used eight players, a season low, against the Hokies. Calvin Baker was in uniform after missing a trip to Wake Forest as the result of a coach's decision but did not play Thursday. Neither did 7-foot sophomore Assane Sene.

Baker and Sene both started when the Cavaliers beat the Hokies 75-61 late in the 2009 season and played 28 and 22 minutes, respectively.

Jamil Tucker, dismissed earlier this season for academic reasons, had 13 points and nine rebounds in that game.

‘Dean Dome’ has been bad to Cavs
By Whitey Reid
Published: January 31, 2010
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The Dean E. Smith Center, aka “The Dean Dome,” has pretty much been a house of horrors for the Virginia men’s basketball team. UVa hasn’t won there since the 2001-02 season and has lost 21 of 23 all-time. Under former coach Dave Leitao, Virginia lost three games in the arena by an average of 26 points.

This is the backdrop for the Cavaliers tonight as they try and snap out of a two-game losing streak against reigning NCAA champion North Carolina.

If there’s any good news for Virginia (12-6, 3-2 ACC), it is the fact that UNC hasn’t resembled much of a champion this season. The Tar Heels, without Ty Lawson, Wayne Ellington and Tyler Hansbrough — who are all playing in the NBA — have looked pedestrian.

North Carolina (13-7, 2-3) dropped its first three league games to Clemson, Georgia Tech and Wake Forest, falling out of the top 25 in the process.

However, the Tar Heels, who currently sit in 10th place in the congested ACC, are coming off a semi-impressive road win at N.C. State on Tuesday.

“We have to get ready to play a team that looks like it’s catching their stride,” said Virginia coach Tony Bennett.

Unfortunately, that is not the case for Bennett’s bunch. In fact, the truth is closer to the opposite.

After an impressive 3-0 start within the conference, Virginia has lost its last two. On Thursday against Virginia Tech, the Cavaliers essentially handed the Hokies a victory, blowing a 10-point lead with under four minutes to play.

“We just did not make a lot of smart decisions,” said Virginia junior Mike Scott. “We played hard, but not smart. We took bad shots, and had a lot of turnovers.”

Transition defense, or the lack thereof, was also a big factor. Bennett was not pleased with his team’s inability to get its defense set. Virginia Tech had 10 fast-break points to Virginia’s four.

Against North Carolina, a team that thrives in transition — even off of made baskets — UVa will have its work cut out.

“We have to have a short memory,” said Virginia guard Sammy Zeglinski. “We are going to stick to who we are. We just made too many mistakes. We are going to keep fighting.”

Added Scott: “We just have to pick our heads up and move on.”

Dunks

UNC leads the all-time series, 124-48 (63-5 in Chapel Hill, 21-2 at the Smith Center). The Tar Heels have won six straight in the series, including both meetings last season. ... Tonight’s game is the only regular season meeting. ... Last season, UVa had one of its best 3-point shooting games of the season at UNC, shooting a season-high 50 percent (10 of 20) from long range. The game is the only time in the past five seasons that Virginia has shot 50 percent from 3-point range in an ACC road game.
 

Virginia's men's basketball team plays North Carolina three nights after tough loss to Virginia Tech
By Zach Berman
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, January 31, 2010

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Following a demoralizing overtime loss to rival Virginia Tech on Thursday, Virginia Coach Tony Bennett went from one player to the next in the Cavaliers' locker with the same question.

"You going to be all right?" Bennett asked.

Bennett needs his players to recover from Thursday's loss, and he needs them to recover quickly. Virginia (12-6, 3-2 ACC) visits defending national champion North Carolina (13-7, 2-3) on Sunday night. The Tar Heels are talented enough to provide a difficult test as it is; if the Cavaliers continue to feel the effects of Thursday's defeat, their hot start in the ACC will be buried as deep as the snow that crippled the two schools' campuses this weekend.

"You better be ready to go," Bennett said, "or you're going to be in trouble in this league if you're lingering over a past loss."

Virginia surrendered a 10-point lead in the final three minutes of regulation against the Hokies and needed a theatric, final-second three-pointer by Sammy Zeglinski to send the game into overtime before being dominated by Virginia Tech in the extra period on the Cavaliers' home court.

Adding to the challenge, Virginia did not conduct its normal practice routine between Thursday's loss and Sunday's game. A major snowstorm throughout North Carolina and Virginia forced the Cavaliers to leave Charlottesville after Friday's practice -- one day earlier than usual -- and spend Saturday in the Chapel Hill, N.C., area. The team was scheduled to practice in Chapel Hill on Saturday night.

Although the travel was inconvenient, the quick turnaround could be good for the Cavaliers' players, who were visibly disappointed after Thursday's collapse.

"After a game like this, we don't want to have to go through a week of practices just thinking about this game," Zeglinski said.

Thursday marked Virginia's second consecutive ACC loss after a 3-0 start in conference competition quickly drew attention. The differences between the wins and the losses were noticeable.

Bennett's system is predicated upon stinginess on defense and efficiency on offense. Opponents in Virginia's two ACC losses made 48.1 percent of their field goals; in the Cavaliers' three ACC wins, their opponents shot 41.8 percent.

Virginia's offense has suffered from the same problem, dropping from 46.2 percent in ACC wins to 38.5 percent in conference losses. The same decline could be seen from three-point range (41 percent in wins, 27.5 percent in losses) and the free throw line (85.5 percent in wins, 60.5 percent in losses).

"We can't let a loss just make us question ourselves, question the system we've been winning with," Zeglinski said. "We're going to have to stay who we are, and keep doing what we do, keep the right identity."

The free throws are the most confusing, considering they are unaffected by the opponent. Star guard Sylven Landesberg missed both his free throw attempts against Virginia Tech, including the front end of a critical one-and-one in overtime.

"We're not doing anything different from the line as far as practice," Bennett said. "Sometimes shooting free throws is like putting. You keep your routine, you step up and shoot them. But when they're going in, it makes it a little easier to win down the stretch. There's no question."

None of these issues would appear as worrisome had Virginia outplayed Virginia Tech in overtime and entered Sunday tied with Maryland atop the ACC standings. Instead, the Cavaliers must win in Chapel Hill to avoid falling to .500 -- and they have won only two of 23 meetings at Smith Center, and none since 2001-02.

That was why Bennett told his team they could "feel down" in the minutes after Thursday's loss before ensuring that they recover. It's bad enough to lose one game, but even worse if that game affects the next.

"It's a long year, and there's going to be losses like this," Zeglinski said. "But the ACC is still up for grabs, every game is going to be close. We're going to be in this situation again, and we just got to deal with it, show more poise down the stretch."

Virginia, Virginia Tech going in opposite directions
By Dave Fairbank 247-4637
January 31, 2010

Virginia Tech and Virginia hit the road for ACC games today headed in opposite directions.

The Hokies (16-3, 3-2 ACC) have won two in a row — three if you count North Carolina Central — and won their first conference road game of the season in dramatic fashion Thursday against the rival Cavaliers.

Meanwhile, Virginia (12-6, 3-2 ACC) attempts to snap a two-game losing streak and does so against a team and in a place where it's had little luck.

The Cavaliers travel to the Smith Center to face North Carolina (13-7, 2-3 ACC), to whom they have lost eight of nine. Virginia hasn't won in Chapel Hill since 2002 and has lost the past six road games there by an average of 21 points.

Tech faces a Miami (15-5, 1-5 ACC) team it dusted 81-66 in Blacksburg 18 days ago — a game that wasn't as close as the final score indicates. The Hokies shot 62 percent from the field in the first half and led 48-13 at one point.

The Hokies haven't had it nearly that easy since. They lost a pair of ACC road games at Florida State and North Carolina, and then found ways to win against Boston College and at Virginia.

Against the Cavaliers, Tech overcame double-figure deficits three times, the last with less than three minutes remaining in regulation in an eventual 76-71 overtime win.

Malcolm Delaney, Tech's and the ACC's leading scorer, poured in a game-high 27 points. But the most encouraging sign from the Virginia game was that Tech came back without forward Jeff Allen, who was ejected with 13:41 remaining in regulation for a flagrant personal foul.

Reserve wing J.T. Thompson was the primary contributor in Allen's absence, scoring 15 of his season-high 17 points in the second half and overtime.

The Hokies' opponent today has face-planted since a 14-0 start in its non-conference schedule. The Hurricanes have lost four consecutive ACC games by almost 15 points per game.

Virginia's first order of business is erasing the bad mojo from Thursday night. The Cavs watched Tech run off 13 consecutive points in the final three minutes of regulation and would have lost in regulation if not for Sammy Zeglinski's 3-pointer from Massie Road that sent the game to overtime.

Forward Mike Scott led the Cavs with an ACC career-high 21 points, but didn't score in the final six minutes of regulation or the five-minute overtime. Leading scorer Sylven Landesberg added 18 points, but he didn't scratch after the 5:44 mark of regulation.

Scott was unable to take advantage of Allen's absence inside. He figures to find tough maneuvering inside today against Carolina's inside tandem of Ed Davis and Deon Thompson, who are combining for 29.6 points and 16.4 rebounds per game.

Poor decision-making also hurt the Cavaliers against Tech. Though they commit an average of only 10 1/2 turnovers per game, they had 11 in the second half alone versus the Hokies.

Tech and Virginia were two games apart in the ACC standings eight days ago, with the Cavaliers the league's only unbeaten team. Five days later, they are tied and momentum clearly rests with the Hokies.

Lazor learned from the best
By Jerry Ratcliffe
Published: January 31, 2010
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Used to be when Joe Gibbs was head coach of the Washington Redskins, staff meetings stretched deep into the night.

So deep, in fact, that Gibbs always knew it was time to break up when the garbage trucks showed up at the trash cans at Redskins Park.

That was 3 a.m.

Virginia’s new offensive coordinator, Bill Lazor, sat through many of those meetings as an offensive assistant, then quarterbacks coach for four years, learning from the master.

“That’s how [Gibbs] got it done,” Lazor said Saturday after a snowy tour of the University of Virginia campus. “It was good to be in the room, although at times, you were ready to leave.”

All part of the education of a young assistant striving to absorb as much football knowledge as possible in an attempt to win games.

Lazor, a 37-year-old guy who could easily pass for 27, has had the rare opportunity to learn under some of the best football minds in the business, including three Hall of Famers: Gibbs, Dan Reeves, and Mike Holmgren. Gibbs is already in. Reeves and Holmgren will be shoo-ins for Canton when the time comes.

Like any young assistant worth his salt, Lazor learned all he could at each stop.

“There were so many great lessons from each of them and other coaches I have worked for as well,” Lazor said.

“The thing that stands out from coach Holmgren was the way he coached the quarterback and wanted the quarterback coached,” Lazor said. “The way he presented things to me about what he believed was important how the quarterback should play. He had a real vision of the offense and what he felt his offense should look like, the tempo, everything.”

When Lazor came to the Seahawks he learned quickly how Holmgren operated. The veteran coach told Lazor, “If you’re going to coach the quarterbacks, you better wear an iron jockstrap.”

There was no sugarcoating in Holmgren’s operation.

Because Holmgren had run the same West Coast offense for so long, he could easily watch a play and quickly diagnose if it fit or if it didn’t look right and how to fix it.

Seattle was Lazor’s last stop with Holmgren and Jim Mora Jr.

His first NFL opportunity came with Reeves in Atlanta, as an offensive quality control coach in 2003. He was almost mesmerized that season working for Reeves.

“I watched a man who had been doing it for a long time, but just had such a great poise and such control and just understood what he was going to do in a football game,” Lazor said. “I thought he was excellent at calling plays and putting the whole package together and seeing the big picture when dealing with the details. He was just a great play-caller, had a great feel for what play to call and I felt like I learned something every day.”

The man in the middle was the legendary Gibbs. Lazor worked for the Redskins from 2004 through 2007, the last two as quarterbacks coach.

“What makes Coach Gibbs stand out was that he worked with such great determination,” the new UVa OC said. “He would keep working at things until he found a solution.”

Upon his introduction to the Virginia media on Friday, Lazor said his offensive philosophy was built off two notions: to be explosive and to be physical. He expounded on that Saturday.

“You’ve got to have some explosiveness and that usually comes from the passing game, the easiest way to get big chunks of yardage,” he said. “At the end of a season, when you add up the explosive plays a team had, those usually come from the passing game.”

With so many new coaches coming together with vastly different backgrounds, putting together Virginia’s offensive system will be challenging, but at the same time fun in Lazor’s eyes.

After a quick trip back to the Seattle area, he will return to Charlottesville and immerse himself in learning UVa’s personnel and coming up with ideas that will work with the Cavaliers.

For the first time since he left the University of Buffalo in 2002, Lazor will be the guy calling the plays, something he believes he was quite accomplished at doing and something he welcomes doing again.

He will use practices this spring to become reacquainted with calling plays live, but won’t wait until then.

“Just like anything, you have to practice, so some of that may come in team practice situations, but sometimes it will just be myself going through scenarios,” Lazor said. “I will work at it until I know I’m ready. The only gauge of that is when I know that I’m comfortable.”

Still, the new coach said there’s nothing in rehearsal that matches the intensity of the first game.

He believes he’ll be more than ready. Having been exposed to some quality play callers during his career, he’s learned a lot.

“I don’t think there’s just one way to do it,” Lazor said. “I’ve seen some coaches who like to script the beginning of a game and be specific in what they call. I’ve been with other coaches who like to have a large menu and like to have a lot of options in a game because they may want to go in a different direction.

“The ultimate definition would be a guy whose plays work,” he chuckled.

Much of that work comes in preparation and planning during the week so that the entire staff and players know what to expect in most every situation.

“Some of it is your personality and the personality the whole offense takes on,” Lazor said of the play-calling. “We’ll work all that out as we go forward, but I like to go into battle with a lot of bullets in my belt and have plenty of options, not only to have a plan, but contingencies ready in case the opponent does something different so that you can take advantage.”

See, he wasn’t dozing during those 3 a.m. meetings.
 

Lazor wants Cavs to be 'explosive'
By HANK KURZ Jr.
AP Sports Writer

RICHMOND
--In four seasons living in Northern Virginia and working as an of-fensive assistant with the Washington Redskins, Bill Lazor developed an affinity for Virginia football, and a pretty lofty image in his mind of the Cavaliers' possibilities.

Now, he'll be critical to helping them get there.

Lazor, hired Thursday as coach Mike London's offensive coordinator, said he formed the images while visiting Charlottesville with friends who were on the Cavaliers coaching staff.

"I have a certain picture in my mind of this school and of what this football program should be and so, to have the opportunity to come here, I thought, was just fantastic because I really believe that the University of Virginia should be an excellent football program and should win football games," Lazor said on a teleconference with reporters yesterday.

Lazor said the offensive scheme, incorporating London's desires along with what he's learned in nine seasons as a college coach and the last seven with some offensive gurus in the NFL, will likely look "pro-style, with an emphasis on being explosive and physical."

"There are a lot of different ways to do it, but in football, you've got to find ways to score, and being explosive is part of that," he said. "And it's also very important to be physical. It doesn't matter how many times you decide to run the ball in a game. When you do, you had better be physical and you better be able to come off the ball."

The offensive coordinator at Buffalo when the team was completing its transition to Division I competition, Lazor left seven years ago to become a quality control coach under Dan Reeves with the NFL's Atlanta Falcons. He also worked four seasons under Joe Gibbs with the Washington Redskins, and the last two with Mike Holmgren and Jim Mora Jr. in Seattle.

He expects his time in the NFL to make him a better play-caller.

"The way I look at it is it's something I enjoy doing and thought I was good at when I did it, and I can't imagine having a better seven years of study behind people who do it very, very well," he said. "I'll be very disappointed in myself if I don't bring as many of those lessons I've learned from some of the greatest minds in football with me."

Lazor is the eighth assistant coach hired by London since he took the job on Dec. 7, and the only one on the offensive side of the ball whose role has already been defined.

He said he's eager to immerse himself back into areas unique to college football like recruiting, and to begin studying the players already on campus before spring practice.

Recruiting, he said, is just the start of an often rewarding process.

"It isn't always fun if you have to stop at a fast-food drive-through for a couple meals in a row, but it's fun when you get to the point where you're sitting with young men and their families and you're trying to figure out really what makes them tick and what's important in their lives," he said. "And it's especially fun when they come to school and you get a chance to watch them grow over their time there and what they become on the other end."

He said he arrived on campus Monday. The Cavaliers begin spring practice March 15.

It 's tough to recruit the 757, and with Virginia's change in coaches, it's even tougher now
By Norm Wood 247-4642
January 31, 2010

By the time his football recruitment was in the final stages, highly touted prospect Nick Dew felt like he'd seen enough sales pitches that he could be a recruiter himself.

Maybe he's right, but as a rookie, it might be best to start in a location a little less challenging to mine than Hampton Roads — the fertile football corner of the recruiting world affectionately known as the "757," in reference to the predominant area code.

With 49 high schools stretching from Gloucester to Virginia Beach in five Group AA- and AAA-classified districts, even the most experienced of in-state and out-of-state recruiters can find the task daunting.

The most successful recruiters in this area must have a dependable set of wheels, a comfortable pair of shoes and a combination of traits that can make any 18-year-old young man with a knack for tackling, catching, running or throwing fall in love.

For Virginia and Virginia Tech, the Hampton Roads area is the staging ground for recruiting struggles that have had a decidedly Hokie flavor in recent years. With Bethel High graduate Mike London in place as U.Va.'s new coach, and Kecoughtan High product Chip West serving as U.Va.'s new point man on recruiting in the area, the Cavaliers hope to continue their recent positive momentum change in Hampton Roads.

"I used to come to the area to recruit even back (when I was an assistant coach at Colgate University from 1999-2001)," said West, who will work the area along with fellow U.Va. assistant Vincent Brown. "I didn't make a killing, but I got a few recruits here and there. From that point on, I guess people saw that I was going to work hard and I was a person they could trust. I was a person that was going to take care of the kids that they coached."

Dew, a highly touted safety from First Colonial High in Virginia Beach, witnessed recruiting failure right before his eyes. He got to see several out-of-state coaches try to come in and win his heart. When coaches from LSU came to visit him, they managed to get off on the wrong foot right away.

"I knew from the get-go I wasn't going to like LSU," said Dew, who ultimately committed to Virginia Tech. "They came in here, and the first thing they told me to do was pick up a basketball and just go dunk it. That wasn't good.

"I know everybody is different, but I think it depends a lot on the type of kid you're recruiting in the 757. I know with me, you've got to come off with a great personality, and you've got to sell the school before you sell the athletic program. I think that'd work with most every recruit."

Rijo Walker is a cornerback from Bethel High who has committed to U.Va. and will sign with the Cavaliers on Wednesday — National Signing Day, the first day athletes are allowed to sign with programs.

Walker saw some similar showmanship from out-of-state recruiters. He was recruited by out-of-state schools including N.C. State, South Carolina, Northwestern and West Virginia.

"They were more aggressive in trying to pursue me," Walker said regarding the out-of-state recruiters. "Northwestern came all the way to see me, and that's way over in Illinois. For a school to come all that way, they need to be a little more aggressive and offer some incentive for you to possibly end up accepting a scholarship and going to their school."

Phoebus High coach Stan Sexton said he knows when to expect the heavy hitters from out-of-state to drop by his office — when the crop of players is rich with talent. Otherwise, he'll see the usual suspects, and that has a profound trickle-down effect on his younger players.

"Virginia, Virginia Tech, Penn State, Maryland, North Carolina and N.C. State are schools that we see on a regular basis, and I'm just talking about the big schools," Sexton said. "The further south you get in the SEC, the only times we really see those guys is when you've got a stud. There's almost an arrogance about the out-of-state coach, like 'I'm going to get this kid.' I always tell the kid, 'The in-state guys have to come back every year. These guys that are in the SEC or the Big Ten or the Pac-10, we don't see them every year. We only see them when we've got a top-notch player. If you go somewhere and it doesn't work out, it's really no skin off their back.' They'll just say, 'Well, we made a mistake on that one — on to the next.'

"The kids know those (in-state) guys because they see them consistently two or three times a year. Those in-state guys sell their program by being honest about the program."

As much as U.Va. struggled with in-state recruiting for much of the Al Groh era, assistant coach Bob Pruett seemed to get it when it came to Hampton Roads recruits. Last year, Pruett got seven area signees — all of whom qualified academically — in the fold at U.Va. It nearly was as many signees as U.Va. had gotten out of the area in four previous years combined, when it pulled in 10.

Of course, Pruett is gone now, resigning from the staff before this past season. The current undisputed champion of Hampton Roads recruiting is Curt Newsome, Virginia Tech's offensive-line coach. Since leaving an assistant-coaching gig at James Madison in '06 to come to Tech, Newsome has recruited all of the Southside schools and Hampton High.

In that time, Newsome has been responsible for getting 13 signees or commitments out of the Hampton Roads area. No other recruiter in the nation has had more success in the area during that time than Newsome. While Newsome travels to the Southside and Hampton High, fellow Tech assistant Jim Cavanaugh works the Peninsula District and Bay Rivers District schools.

"I feel like if I go into a school (in the Hampton Roads area) with a 'VT' on my briefcase, we should at least be in your top three," Newsome said. "That's just the way I feel."

Like West, Newsome also has the advantage of extensive local knowledge. He's a Hampton native. From 1987-98, he coached at Kecoughtan High and Heritage High. West played for him at Kecoughtan.

"I know what it's like to have to deal with a classroom and weightlifting and being the coach," Newsome said. "I did the same thing those coaches do now, and I think they appreciate that to a degree. I wasn't good enough when I was coaching (at Kecoughtan and Heritage) to beat anybody really bad, so I've got good relationships with other coaches."

As U.Va. has discovered in recent years, it's not enough to simply have a presence in the area and hope for the best. Considering U.Va.'s elevated academic standards, the student-athlete has to be committed to the student portion of the equation.

Richard Morgan, the coach at Oscar Smith High in Chesapeake, sent two players — running back Perry Jones and wide receiver Tim Smith — to U.Va. last year. Morgan said Groh was most concerned with looking to fill open spots on his roster with very specific body types. If Groh couldn't find those body types in the Hampton Roads area, or anywhere else in the state for that matter, he was willing to head elsewhere — generally north.

"I think with Al having the NFL background, they were looking for the perfect guy to fit a position, and they didn't always take the best guy available," Morgan said. "If you didn't fit the mold, you didn't get an offer. Unfortunately, with high school kids, it's not like the NFL draft. You've got to find the best players and then incorporate them into the best spot you can find in college."

Morgan was told by U.Va. that All-American linebacker Jerod Askew wasn't big enough at 6-foot-1 and 230 pounds to play middle linebacker in Groh's 3-4 defensive alignment. U.Va.'s loss wound up being Tennessee's gain, as Askew signed with the Volunteers and redshirted this past season.

Despite U.Va.'s lack of success in the Hampton Roads area under Groh before last year, Morgan said part of the onus for helping U.Va. get re-established in the area falls on players and coaches themselves. It's not going to be an overnight process.

"To be honest, the high school kids need to take care of their business in the classroom," Morgan said. "U.Va. can't look at kids with 2.0s (for grade-point averages) and no test scores. Unfortunately, some other schools can, but U.Va. can't. I think too often in the past U.Va. has gotten the bad rap for not recruiting the area, but in reality, a lot of kids' grades did not afford U.Va. the opportunity to recruit them. I think high school coaches need to stop complaining and get on their kids about grades, and then maybe U.Va. will come recruit their player."
 

White: Santi Restricted to Sideline Duty at Super Bowl
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 01/29/2010
By Jeff White

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- The New Orleans Saints' roster includes safety Darren Sharper, a William and Mary alumnus whose brother, Jamie, starred at linebacker for UVa.

Virginia's football team has a stronger link to the Saints' opponent in Super Bowl XLIV. Second-year tight end Tom Santi is a former UVa standout who has 8 catches for 107 yards for the Indianapolis Colts this season.

The Colts leave Monday for South Florida, and Santi will be on the trip. But it would be inaccurate to say he's thrilled about his role ahead of the Feb. 7 Super Bowl.

"I'll do all the stuff with the team except pretty much the important stuff," Santi said by phone the other day, "which is practicing and playing."

Santi caught 6 passes for 80 yards Nov. 22 against the Ravens -- both career highs -- but overall this has been a trying season for him.

He missed the first six weeks with a high-ankle sprain. Then, after appearing in three games, he fell awkwardly in practice and suffered a back injury that ended his season. The Colts placed Santi on injured reserve Jan. 2, which means he's not eligible to play in the Super Bowl.

"I definitely have mixed emotions," he said. "Obviously, the overriding thing that I feel is the desire to play. It was tough in that regard to just have to watch, especially this time of year. But then again, you've got to be real with yourself and realize this is still a really cool opportunity to be a part of a team that's making a Super Bowl run."

His rookie season ended prematurely too. Santi, whom the Colts selected in the sixth round of the 2008 draft, started two games for them that fall. In all, he apeared in six games, catching 10 passes for 64 yards, before a season-ending shoulder injury sidelined him in November 2008.

At UVa, where he started 25 games for Al Groh, Santi dealt with various injuries, including a high-ankle sprain, but nothing serious enough to keep him out for long.

"This was a turbulent year for me," Santi said. "I had a lot of injuries, a lot of things that I had to play through. So I've been really limited by the frequency of injuries. I'm hoping I'm getting all that stuff out of the way, because when I have been healthy, I've been able to contribute."

The high-ankle sprain he suffered last summer bothered him throughout the season.

"There comes a point when obviously it feels good enough that you can deal with it, but it seems like those thing never heal," Santi said.

"I truly believe when you start a season with an injury, it trickles down. Your body's got to compensate in different ways for injured parts. I definitely put a lot of stress on my body. Who knows if that's all due to starting with [an injury] or not? I'm just hopeful that I'm getting them all out of the way."

Santi expects to stay with the Colts, so he may yet have a chance to play in a Super Bowl.

"We've got a great team," he said. "I think we'll have future opportunities."

At UVa, Santi majored in sociology, but not because he planned a career in that field. He simply enjoyed the courses.

"But at the same time I kind of had a couple of, I guess, mentors that I would discuss economic stuff with," he said. "I always keep up with that stuff. I've got the subscription to the Wall Street Journal and all that."

When his football career ends, Santi said, he might pursue an MBA, and he wouldn't be the first NFL player from UVa to do so. (See Darden graduate Patrick Jeffers.)

In his more immediate future is a four-day program in February -- after the Super Bowl, of course -- at the University of Pennsylvania's famed Wharton School of Business. It's part of the NFL Business Management & Entrepreneurial Program.

"I think it's going to be a great experience," said Santi, whose sister, Annie, did pre-med work at Penn.

Al Groh's tenure as UVa's coach didn't end well, but he regularly sent players to the NFL. Among the current pros with whom Santi played at Virginia are D'Brickashaw Ferguson, Brad Butler, Jason Snelling, Chris Long, Eugene Monroe, Clint Sintim and John Phillips.

"I talk to Chris the most," Santi said. "I saw Gene a few times this year, because we're in the same division, but I keep up with everybody. I watch everybody's stats, especially when a teammate's playing in a game that's on TV when I can watch. That's always fun, to see other guys that you played with doing well. I saw John Phillips catch his touchdown pass [for Dallas] in a playoff game."

From Indy, Santi followed Virginia's 2009 season with interest. The Cavaliers finished 3-9 -- their third losing record in four seasons -- after which Groh was dismissed and Mike London hired.

"First and foremost, I know there was a lot of controversy surrounding Al Groh," Santi said, "but I'll always admire and appreciate him for his dedication and what he did for us as players.

"That said, I'm really excited about Coach London. I think he's a great change-up for our program. I think he's got the energy and the people skills and, clearly, the football skills that I think we need to move forward with the program."

Inconsistent play at quarterback has been a common thread in UVa's losing seasons. Santi goes to work every day with Peyton Manning, so nobody has to sell him on the importance of superior play at that position.

"It allows you to do so many more things," Santi said. "It's vital. You've got to have somebody special at that position if you expect to do special things."

 

Play Ball!
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 01/30/2010
Jan. 30, 2010
10:28 a.m.

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- The temperature Friday afternoon was barely above freezing at Davenport Field, and several UVa players wore knit ski hats over their caps.

"Hey, it's baseball weather in Charlottesville," seventh-year coach Brian O'Connor said with a smile.

Virginia, which made its first appearance at the College World Series last year, officially opened practice for the coming season Friday. Expectations could not be much higher.

UVa, which returns all of its starting position players, has been picked to win the ACC. The Wahoos are ranked No. 2 nationally in Baseball America's preseason poll.

"I don't think it's a hindrance at all," said O'Connor, whose record at Virginia is 265-104-1, with six trips to the NCAA tournament.

"I think it's a great honor that people out there feel that way about our program. And I've never been one to say that you should shy away from it. I've talked to my team about this all the time, that they need to wrap their arms around it and welcome it. I think you make a big mistake if you try to push it away.

"It's nice [when the polls] come out, but once they're out, it's over, and you go to work and do what it took for you to get there."

Junior Dan Grovatt, an all-ACC outfielder in 2009, agreed.

"We feel honored and privileged to be a part of that, and that people thought of us that highly," Grovatt said. "But when it comes to our performance and how it's going to affect the way we play, we're going to prepare the exact same way we did last year. Everything's going to be exactly the same."

UVa opened practice with nearly a full complement of players. The exceptions: sophomore infielder Jared King and sophomore pitcher Scott Silverstein, who will take medical redshirts in 2010. Each is out after having season-ending shoulder surgery.

For Silverstein, a 6-6, 235-pound left-hander, the operation was the second on his shoulder. O'Connor said he's hopeful Silverstein will recover from the injury.

"He's very determined to do it," O'Connor said. "He's a big kid, with a big frame. I gotta believe that he's going to be able to come back from this, but you just never know. This kid had two major surgeries. I don't know that there's been somebody that we have recruited, a pitcher out of high school, that was more talented than this kid. But unfortunately his senior year, he blew his shoulder out and just hasn't been able to come back yet."

As for Friday's chill, O'Connor reminded a crowd of reporters that he was an assistant at Notre Dame before coming to UVa.

"The weather can get frustrating at times," he said. "But you know what? I coached at a place for nine years where we never got outside in the preseason. We'd fly to Texas and play the University of Texas on opening day having never thrown a ball or hit a ball or fielded a ball outside. I don't think it's that big of a deal. They'll be prepared. We'll get them out here. As long as there's not snow on the ground, we'll be on this field."

Grovatt said: "It's definitely not as fun to play baseball in the cold, but it is what it is. It's going to be cold in February when we start playing. We've got to get used to it, and it's not going to be any different when we start playing."

-- Jeff White

 

2010Virginia Looks to Young Attack Led by Sophomore Steele Stanwick
January 25th, 2010 by Danielle Bernstein
Go to IL.com Blog Home

Steele Stanwick will be thrust into a leadership role as a sophomore this season.When you run a very attack-oriented offense and you lose two of your star attackmen, it could make for a rough transition. For Virginia, it means the loss of 122 combined points, two All-Americans and the quarterback of the offense. It also means that for the first time in a long time, it’s the Cavaliers attack that enters the season with the most question marks.

In fact, the last time the Virginia attack was this young was in coach Dom Starsia’s second year in Charlottesville, 1994, where the unit consisted of a sophomore, Tim Whiteley, and two freshmen, Doug Knight and Michael Watson. That UVa team went on to lose to Princeton in overtime in the national championship game and that unit went on to become one of the best the game has ever seen.

But enough about the past – this year’s Virginia attack appears to be in good hands as sophomore and 2009 ACC Freshman of the Year Steele Stanwick takes over.

“He envisions himself as the lead guy on this attack and that’s who he is. That’s who he wants to be,” Starsia says of the leadership role Stanwick will take on this season. “It’s a lot to ask a boy in his second year but I have every confidence he’ll be fine. To be honest, even if your attack was Steele Stanwick and no one else, you shouldn’t feel sorry for me.”

Stanwick put up 36 goals and 22 assists last season playing on the left wing, even though he is right handed and this season will play from X in more of a quarterback role, his natural position coming out of Loyola Blakefield in Maryland.

Check out Virginia's new-look attack as they take on North Carolina at this year's Konica Minolta Big City Classic at the New Meadowlands Stadium on April 10.“There are a lot of new faces but everyone’s working hard,” says Stanwick, adding that he’s had to prepare a little differently as he anticipates facing the opponents’ top defenseman rather than the third defender as he did last season. “We started to gel toward the end (of fall) but there’s a lot to improve on. I’m doing my best to help out the younger guys when I can and learning from the older guys on the team, especially the veteran midfielders.”

Stanwick played mostly with classmate Chris Bocklet through fallball, but as many as five players would see time on the field at attack if the season started tomorrow. Bocklett is a good finisher with a solid stick and played well in the fall, something Starsia partially attributes to having a season under his belt and being better prepared to handle what’s coming. Three highly-touted freshmen are still under consideration as well – Matt White, a good feeder who could also fit into a quarterback-type role, Connor English, a tough lefty, and Nick O’Reilly, who Starsia says is working on maintaining consistency at a high level.

“We can’t anticipate how they will react in certain situations,” Starsia says. “Everything we do will be a first time through for them but based on the fall, they all earned the right to continue on with this. I don’t think one distinguished himself to be head and shoulders above the other.”

An offense that typically runs through its attack, Virginia does have a very athletic and experienced midfield to rely on but ultimately, the Cavs need that attack unit to start clicking.

“We’re getting comfortable with each other and learning each other’s tendencies,” Stanwick says. “Trying to figure out the best way to help your linemates succeed and making sure they’re in a spot where they can excel.”

Catch Steele Stanwick and the Virginia Cavaliers as they take on ACC opponent North Carolina in the Konica Minolta Big City Classic on April 10 at the New Meadowlands Stadium.