sabres.gif (4521 bytes)

Groh weighs options for coordinator
By Jerry Ratcliffe  / Daily Progress staff writer
February 21, 2003

 

It was the winter of 2001, during an impromptu conversation about offense with then-new Virginia football coach Al Groh, when he said something that I will never forget. Groh said his offensive scheme would be created so that coordinators could come and go, but the scheme would remain Virginia’s scheme and not Joe Blow’s offense. When Groh hired Bill Musgrave as the Cavaliers’ offensive coordinator, he knew that it was temporary. Musgrave had been a hot commodity in the League when the Carolina Panthers promoted him to offensive coordinator. There was no reason for Groh to think that some NFL team wouldn’t come and scoop up the former pro quarterback to jazz up their offense. When the Jacksonville Jaguars did just that last month, Groh began to study his options. D-Day, that is Decision Day, is forthcoming shortly. Two choices Reading between the lines, it appears that Groh’s options are to bring in a new coordinator from the outside, or to promote one of his current assistant coaches to the position. The latter option could have an asterisk attached. While an assistant could be named coordinator, Groh himself could end up calling the plays. There has been strong interest in the job from talented college and pro coaches. There is also the possibility of promoting offensive line coach Ron Prince or another assistant into the job, which would allow Virginia to bring graduate assistant Andy Heck on board as a full-time assistant coach. Regardless of what happens, don’t expect the way Virginia conducts its offensive business to change. “Fifty percent of the team is not going to change because one person left,” Groh said Thursday afternoon. “That seems to be bad math. When that happens, the program loses continuity and cohesiveness as far as player development.” Otherwise would be foolish. Because Virginia played so many true and redshirt freshmen last season, Groh wants 2003 to be their second season, not the first season repeated by having to learn a new system. “The key thing is that we don’t need another system,” said Groh. “We have a system that our players are well versed in and how we play is going to remain the same with alterations to accommodate the particular skills of this team.” Crazy to change With quarterback Matt Schaub, the ACC player of the year, returning for his senior season, it would be unfathomable to make drastic changes. If Groh decides to call the plays himself it will not happen without great internal debate about what’s best for his team. There’s a tradeoff in assuming those responsibilities and Groh has to be convinced that it’s the right move to make. “One of the things the head coach is responsible for on each team is being responsible for the ball,” said Groh. “That’s the way it has been here the last two years and will be, whether I call plays or not. Those coaches who call plays in the game, and call them well, have to immerse themselves in the process.” You can’t just go out there on Saturday’s and call ‘em as if you were playing your buddies in a John Madden video game. There have been successful coaches on both the NFL and collegiate level who called their own plays. Tampa Bay’s John Gruden and former Florida and current Washington Redskins’ coach Steve Spurrier, immediately come to mind. Groh has done it before — in his last three years as head coach at Wake Forest — so it is nothing foreign to him. You can bet your sweet bippy that most of the stuff that came down from the press box when he was head coach of the New York Jets went straight through his headset on the sideline as well. It could turn out that he elevates an assistant to the coordinator’s post and decides to call the plays himself. “I don’t think that being a coordinator on offense or defense, necessarily requires play-calling responsibilities,” said Groh. “The person on the staff in the best position to call plays, should call the plays.” Groh believes that there are several other responsibilities a coordinator should be consumed with: organizing the overall offense; teaching the players so they know how to run the plays; leadership of the unit; and construction of the game plan to be carried out. “I’ve known some fellas who could call a good game but didn’t have the organizational or leadership skills that are required of a coordinator,” said Groh. Groh hasn’t been going back-and-forth in his mind on what he should do here. This won’t be a last resort kind of thing. He knows the pros and cons both ways. Instead, he said he will make the determination as a few other things become more definite, things that he chose not to divulge at this time. Nevertheless, Wahoo fans won’t have to wait much longer for a decision. The coach said he is just about at the end of the process of putting things together for the upcoming season, including the offensive coordinator’s job.

 

 

 

COMMENTARY
Gillen, Stokes not making teams better

By DOUG DOUGHTY
THE ROANOKE TIMES

   It isn't often that Virginia and Virginia Tech fans can be said to be on the same page. In the case of their men's basketball programs, however, they're at least in the same chapter.

    As politely as I can put it, neither Pete Gillen nor Ricky Stokes is getting the job done.

    At Virginia Tech, quite simply, it's time to start winning. After going 16-15 in Stokes' first season, with players he had inherited from ex-coach Bobby Hussey, it was reasonable to think the Hokies might be better than 10-14 in his fourth year.

    At Virginia, which made the 1999-2000 NCAA Tournament and finished 21-9, a third straight season without an NCAA Tournament bid would be unacceptable. Five seasons without a postseason victory of any sort - ACC, NCAA or NIT - would be embarrassing.

    The Cavaliers still have a chance to win a postseason game this year, but their chances of an NCAA Tournament bid have faded. It's not what Gillen had in mind after an NIT loss to South Carolina last year, when he got on the public-address system and told fans, "I promise you we'll be even better next year."

    To say the Cavaliers would be better would suggest that they had been good, which was open to debate after a 3-10 finish that dropped them to 17-12. Chances are, they won't be better.

    At 14-10, with games upcoming against Wake Forest and Ohio University on the road, where the Cavaliers have won once all season, I'm not sure they will win another game.

    I'm not sure Tech will win another game, either, although the Hokies have a three-game homestand against Pittsburgh, Villanova and Miami. A victory over Miami, currently tied with Tech for sixth place in the East Division of the Big East, might get Tech in the Big East Tournament.

    That would be a first under Stokes, whose first year at Tech was the Hokies' last in the Atlantic-10, but would it be enough to save his job? Athletic director Jim Weaver has been good at not tipping his hand, but he has to ask himself, "Will things be better next year?"

    For lack of a better term, call it the honeymoon theory.

    In 1997-98, Jeff Jones was fired by Virginia after going 11-19. Gillen was hailed as a savior the next year when the Cavaliers went 14-16 - the same 14-16 record that would have had everybody calling for Jones' head.

    Let's say Tech goes 12-18 this year and Weaver allows Stokes to return for the final year of his contract? Does Weaver think Tech will have a winning record next year? If not, Stokes is going to be gone anyway, so why not make the move now, bring in a new coach and let him have a honeymoon.

    The Hokies would be out close to $210,000 for the final year of Stokes' contract, but football-blessed Tech could afford it. Things are a little stickier at Virginia, where Gillen has eight years remaining on a package that averages $900,000 per year.

    The Cavaliers are not strapped for money, but they are going ahead with plans for a new $128-million arena, scheduled for groundbreaking this spring or summer. With less than $60 million committed to date, the last thing UVa needs is an expensive buyout.

    UVa athletic director Craig Littlepage said Thursday that Gillen's contract has a confidentiality clause that requires UVa to reveal only the total compensation. Whether that would stand up under the Freedom of Information Act is somewhat immaterial. The Cavaliers aren't going to fire Gillen.

    "Pete is our coach and has my full support," Littlepage said.

    It's not like politics, where the public has the option of voting officials out of office, or, in the case of Virginia, where there is a statute that limits the governor to four years at one sitting.

    Hmmm. Term limits? Maybe that's the answer.

 

 

Benching Watson may be counterproductive

Billet factor can't be overlooked

By DOUG DOUGHTY
 Exclusive to roanoke.com by 5 p.m. Thursdays

In case you hadn't noticed, something's been going on with Travis Watson for the past three games.

Coach Pete Gillen has been taking Watson off the floor for what would appear to be a breather and Watson has been staying out of the game for an inordinately long period of time.

Used to be, Watson would only come out of the game when he was in foul trouble, which was a fairly normal occurrence. But Watson has not had more than three fouls in any of the past three games and has played 32, 26 and 34 minutes.

The change in pattern has coincided with the cut sustained in practice Feb. 11, when Watson took an elbow to the left eye and required eight stitches. For the first two games after that, Watson wore an orange headband to help protect the wound.

It wasn't until later in the week that coach Pete Gillen revealed that he had waived his no-headband policy. Some insiders say that Gillen initially was opposed to Watson wearing the headband and that there may have been a momentary stalemate on that issue.

On more than one occasion, Gillen has made mention of Watson's irregular practice attendance, citing injuries or academic issues. To paraphrase Gillen's comments after a 61-58 victory over North Carolina State in which Watson had seven turnovers: Every time it's something else.

(I paraphrase because my tape recorder wasn’t working).

Watson's ability to play with an assortment of injuries has been well-documented and, when exams were approaching in early December, some attention to academics was admirable. However, when Gillen started talking about Watson missing practice time to attend to academic matters in late January, reporters were left to wonder.

If I'm not mistaken, second-semester classes didn't start until the third week of January. Who has academic "issues" in January?

Watson has never shot lower than 49.7 percent in a season during his career but he is 11-of-33 from the field over the last three games and 31-of-81 over the last six. The eye injury may have effected his shot somewhat, although he was 7-of-8 from the line against Carolina, one day after he sustained the cut.

Moreover, Watson has been turning the ball over at an alarming rate. He had five more turnovers Tuesday night against Clemson, his fourth game with at least five turnovers in the last six. He already has a career-high 70 turnovers for the season.

There have been plenty of reasons to sit Watson down -- turnovers, poor shot selection and inconsistent free-throw shooting -- but one very big factor outweighs all of that. Watson is one of the best rebounders in ACC history and he's better now than he's ever been.

When Watson came out with four minutes left at North Carolina, the game was pretty much out of reach. When he sat for a total of 14 minutes against Duke, it didn't make much difference. When he went to the bench for an extended period against Clemson, the Cavaliers suffered.

When Watson goes out against a team that rebounds well, like Clemson, the Cavaliers get killed on the boards. Elton Brown had a season-high eight rebounds against the Tigers but can't jump and has poor technique; another forward, Jason Clark, has had exactly one rebound in each of the past four games

Maybe Watson blows off practice and maybe he gets frustrated in games and maybe he's sloppy with the ball, but if he's playing less than 40 minutes, he's not playing enough.

I HATE TO SAY IT because he's a classy kid who always plays 100 percent, but you look at Virginia's two most crushing losses -- at Virginia Tech and against Clemson at home -- and junior guard Todd Billet was a combined 3-for-19 from the field, with 12 turnovers.

I don't really blame Billet for the Clemson loss because I thought Gillen made a mistake by inserting him as soon as he returned to the bench after having his head sewn shut and then playing him for virtually the entire last 15:26.

Billet, who had received a shot of novocaine, seemed woozy after the game and was the last player out of the locker room, escorted by Nick Vander Laan. Normally, Billet is the first player dressed, meeting with his parents before returning to the locker room and talking to the media.

Billet has scored 20 points or more in six games and has made five or more 3-pointers in five games, but his 1.14-to-1 assist-turnover ratio is lower than it was in either of his two seasons at Rutgers, especially his second year, when it was 1.5-to-1.

Billet has had games in which he's been 0-for-3, 1-for-9, 1-for-7, 1-for-5, 1-for-4, 2-for-10, 2-for-8 and 3-9, but that was his pattern at Rutgers. After scoring 20 points or more in six straight games as a sophomore, he was 0-for-9 and went scoreless against West Virginia. At 39.1 percent, he is shooting only slightly lower than the 40.4 percent he shot at Rutgers.

Majestic Mapp started the second half against Clemson and appeared to have righted himself after a zero-point, nine-turnover nightmare against North Carolina and Duke. Mapp played 10 minutes, with one assist and zero turnovers, and seemed to have things under control. The Cavaliers had turnovers on each of their first three possessions after he went out.

If Keith Jenifer does not return from a suspension and leaves the program, Mapp will be the only true scholarship point guard in the program. Maybe he's only a shell of his non-reconstructed self, but why not start him now, find out if he can become what they need next for year, and go from there?

Besides, this season is almost shot.

VIRGINIA FOOTBALL COACH Al Groh confirmed that special-teams coach Corwin Brown had been interviewed for a position at his alma mater, Michigan, but would be returning for a third year with the Cavaliers.

There was nothing new on Virginia's plans on replacing Bill Musgrave, who went to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Groh is considering elevating one of his offensive position coaches, but as to whether it might be his son, Mike, Groh said, "Probably not at this time."

The younger Groh has been the UVa receivers coach in his first two seasons as a college coach.

Groh said that plans have not been finalized for ex-UVa star Anthony Poindexter, a graduate assistant this past season, but he hopes there will be a place for Poindexter on the field. One of the UVa graduate assistants, Reed Case, will complete his UVa tenure this spring.

 

 

U.VA. NOTES
Feb 21, 2003

TAKING A TOLL? Point guard Keith Jenifer was suspended indefinitely from Virginia's basketball team Feb. 3 after being charged with misdemeanor assault and battery. Three nights later, U.Va. knocked off defending NCAA champion Maryland in College Park. Three days after that stunning upset, Virginia beat N.C. State at University Hall.

Jenifer had lost his starting job after a Jan. 21 loss at Virginia Tech, and his absence didn't seem to bother the Cavaliers against Maryland or N.C. State, as Majestic Mapp ran the offense smoothly. Since beating the Wolfpack, however, Pete Gillen's club has lost three consecutive. The latest setback came Tuesday against Clemson at U-Hall, and there was much talk about Jenifer afterward.

"If he plays, we might not win, but we're a different team with him in there," Gillen said.

Jenifer, a 6-3 sophomore, was shooting only 33.3 percent from the floor when he was suspended but had contributed in other ways, averaging 5.5 assists (to 2.7 turnovers), 3.5 rebounds and 1.3 steals. It's not clear if the Baltimore native, whose off-court behavior has displeased university officials, will return to the team this season or if he'll be at U.Va. in 2003-04.

Mapp, who missed 2½ seasons because of a knee injury, struggled in losses to North Carolina and Duke, forcing Todd Billet, a natural shooting guard, to play primarily at the point. Virginia shot 38.1 percent from the floor against UNC, 40 percent against Duke and a season-low 34.4 percent against Clemson.

Neither Billet nor Mapp is as quick as Jenifer. Billet, a junior, had a game-high six assists against the Tigers, but he also missed 8 of 9 shots from the floor and turned the ball over six times.

"When he plays the point, sometimes he has trouble scoring," Gillen said. "If we don't get scoring from the other people, then we struggle."

Sophomore swingman Devin Smith said: "It really shows how much we need Keith."

ON THE MAT: Virginia's wrestling team whipped Maryland 32-12 on Wednesday to finish unbeaten in ACC dual meets for the first time since 1974-75.

It's been a memorable month for Cavaliers coach Lenny Bernstein. U.Va. announced last week that an anonymous donor had given more than $1.5 million to improve the school's wrestling and women's volleyball facilities.

About $850,000 will be used to renovate Memorial Gym, where the wrestling team will hold its home matches, and another $496,000 will be used to upgrade the team's practice areas at Onesty Hall.

"They will be the best in the Atlantic Coast Conference, by far," Bernstein said. "I would venture to say they will be in the top 10 or 15 practice facilities in the country."

Bernstein's program also will receive $100,000 for its operating budget and $75,000 for scholarships.

CHANGE OF ADDRESS: Philip Brown, who signed with U.Va.'s football team this month, has withdrawn from Phoebus High in Hampton and hopes to enroll this week at Fork Union Military Academy in Fluvanna County.

John Shuman, who coaches Fork Union's postgraduate team, said Brown "showed up on our doorstep" yesterday morning after taking a bus from Hampton. Brown and FUMA officials needed to finalize financial arrangements before the all-Group AAA cornerback could begin classes, Shuman said.

Brown, who needs to bolster his academic credentials to meet NCAA eligibility requirements, plans to remain at FUMA through the 2003-04 school year and then enroll at Virginia in the summer of 2004. FUMA students take one subject for six weeks, then switch to another.

BOMBS AWAY: The greatest 3-point shooter in U.Va. history, Curtis Staples, grew up in Roanoke. So did another sharpshooter, 6-2 guard J.R. Reynolds, an Oak Hill Academy senior and one of two players to sign with Virginia in November.

Reynolds, a former star at Roanoke Catholic, made a school-record 14 treys and scored 44 points in nationally ranked Oak Hill's 112-73 romp over Laurinburg (N.C.) Institute last week.

Staples made an NCAA-record 413 3-pointers in his U.Va. career.

LADIES' DAY: The event was a success last year, so U.Va. is bringing back "Football 101 for Women." It will be held April 5 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Bryant Hall at Scott Stadium. The hostesses will be Anne Groh, wife of U.Va. football coach Al Groh, and Margaret Littlepage, wife of U.Va. Athletic Director Craig Littlepage.

Areas to be discussed include offense, defense, penalties and officials' signals and football's role in the lives of players and coaches.

The cost is $30, which includes lunch. For more information or to make reservations, contact Amy Potter at (434) 982-4987 or apotter@cavsports.com. - Jeff White
 

 

 

Virginia hopes to capture critical road win at Wake
As tournament hopes hang in the balance, Cavaliers will try to regain momentum against No. 10 Demon Deacons, currently No.1 in ACC
Bayless Parsley
Cavalier Daily Staff Writer
Virginia's season teeters on the brink of disaster as the Cavaliers prepare for a must-win match-up at Wake Forest Sunday.

Reeling from three straight losses by an average of 13.7 points, Virginia (14-10, 5-7 ACC) must find a way to stop the bleeding against the No. 10 Demon Deacons.

Wake Forest (17-4, 7-3) had an atypical week, going 1-1 in their two games against the last two national champions. A double-overtime thriller against Duke on February 13 produced 64 total fouls, with eight players fouling out. Sophomore forward Vytas Danelius had a team-high 20 points in the 94-80 victory, the Deacons' first over Duke in 14 games.

After the record snowfall that slammed the Eastern seaboard cancelled Wake Forest's match-up with Maryland on Sunday, Deacon players found themselves stranded in College Park, waiting for news of whether the game would be played Monday or postponed until after the regular season was slotted to end. The game was rescheduled hastily for Monday afternoon. The Terrapins romped to a 90-67 blowout, out-rebounding the Deacons –- the No. 1 rebounding team in the nation -- 44-24. It was Wake's worst loss of the year, and also temporarily took them out of the top spot in the ACC -- a spot they've since regained thanks to Duke's 75-70 defeat of Maryland Wednesday night.

Virginia did not fare as well against Duke, looking uninspired against the Blue Devils and disappointing the sell-out crowd, many of whom had camped out for the entire week preceding the game.

On Tuesday night, the Cavaliers reached a new low in this tumultuous season that has seen three players suspended, getting swept by conference-patsy Clemson in a 73-64 shocker.

The presence of sophomore point guard Keith Jenifer has been missed, with the Baltimore native still serving an indefinite suspension on assault charges. Majestic Mapp is playing off the rust of four knee surgeries and a 1,032 day hiatus, while transfer shooting guard Todd Billet appears uncomfortable outside of his natural position when asked to handle the point.

"Sometimes when Todd [Billet] plays the point he has trouble scoring. Teams are coming after the point guard spot," Coach Pete Gillen said after the loss to the Tigers.

The Cavaliers won the first contest versus Wake at U-Hall on Jan. 23. Leading up to the game they found themselves in a similar position to the one they are mired in now. The Cavaliers were coming off a three-game losing streak, including losses to Duke and Clemson, while faltering at two games below .500 in the ACC.

With Duke, Maryland and Wake Forest widely regarded as locks for the NCAA Tournament, the fight for a fourth ACC selection has begun. A loss Sunday would push the Cavaliers into a corner from which escape would be nearly impossible. Virginia currently is sixth in the ACC, sitting one game behind Georgia Tech after the Yellow Jackets upset the Deacons in Atlanta last night. Virginia is in a fifth place tie with Georgia Tech in the ACC, trailing fourth-place NC State by two and a half games.

Teams with losing conference records have not fared well with the selection committee in the past. With three conference matchups remaining -- at Florida State, and closing out at home against Georgia Tech and Maryland -- the Cavaliers must win out and hope for a late season collapse by Georgia Tech and NC State, the two teams vying with Virginia for a final tournament spot.

"We're getting to the point where, if we want to go to the NCAA tournament, really every game is a must-win," sophomore guard Devin Smith told reporters after the Clemson loss. "From here on out, we've just got to come out and put it all on the line."

Smith, a Coffeville Community College transfer, chose to come to Virginia over joining the Kansas program last year. While Virginia has patented the February falter and remain unranked, the No. 6 Jayhawks have Final Four aspirations. In order for Smithto feel content in Charlottesville , he -- along with Gillen and the rest of the Cavaliers -- will need to heed those wise words this weekend against the Demon Deacons.