Maryland masters road test, Virginia
By Andrew Joyner / Daily Progress staff writer
February 5, 2004

In a battle to avoid the cellar, Virginia and Maryland produced a thriller on Wednesday night at University Hall.
Facing the possibility of joining Clemson at the bottom of the league standings, Maryland held off Virginia 71-67 for the victory.

Virginia (12-7, 2-6 ACC), which has now lost three straight, had a chance to tie or win the game on its final possession but D.J. Strawberry stole the ball from Todd Billet and that led to a Maryland layup at the other end.

"It was a game we could have won. It was a game we should have won but we lost it in several areas," said Virginia coach Pete Gillen.

Maryland's John Gilchrist, a Virginia Beach native, led Maryland (12-7, 3-5 ACC) with 26 points while Elton Brown paced Virginia with 24 points and J.R Reynolds added 15.

After erasing a seven-point deficit and building a lead early in the second half, UVa trailed 67-62 with just more than a minute remaining. A Brown layup cut it to 67-64 and then the Terps, who were 18 of 36 from the line for the game, made 1 of 2 from the stripe.

On the ensuing possession, Devin Smith drained a trey to cut it to 68-67 with 30 seconds left.

After Nik Caner-Medley again made 1 of 2 from the line, Virginia came down with a chance to win or tie but Billet dribbled into a double team and Strawberry got the game-saving steal.

"We didn't communicate properly on the play and we didn't execute. We were trying to get the ball to Elton but we couldn't get it there," Gillen said.

Virginia trailed 43-36 at halftime but erased that with a 10-0 run - highlighted by back-to-back Gary Forbes-to-Derrick Byars layups - Virginia grabbed a 48-45 lead with 13:58 remaining.

Maryland led 43-36 at intermission after first half that featured significant runs by both teams. Virginia opened the game with a 12-5 spurt but that advantage vanished amid a 23-4 Terp run that vaulted Maryland to a 28-16 with 11:10 left in the opening half. The Cavaliers, however, responded by outscoring the Terps 20-12 over the waning minutes of the first half to cut the Maryland lead to 40-36 with 35 seconds left before halftime. Gilchrist, however, connected on a high arching 3-pointer just before halftime to give Maryland the seven-point advantage.

Gilchrist led Maryland with 21 first-half points while Brown paced Virginia with 17.

"This one hurts. It was there for us to win but we made too many mistakes," said Jason Clark, who had a career-high 13 rebounds.

Added Brown: "We should have won this game. It was a missed opportunity."

Virginia returns to action when it hosts N.C. State on Saturday at 3 p.m.
 

Same old song spells lose for Cavaliers
By Jerry Ratcliffe / Daily Progress sports editor
February 5, 2004

It was a game that Virginia stood to win and a game it couldn't afford to lose.
The Cavaliers entered Wednesday night's home game against Maryland with a chance to make life a little easier. Faced with a stretch of three of its next four games at home, the opportunity was there for Virginia to get something started.

Trying to avoid disaster

After last night's 71-67 loss to the Terps, the most Coach Pete Gillen can hope for from his struggling young team is to avoid a nosedive as they enter the second half of the ACC season.

With the defeat, Virginia is tied for last with Clemson halfway through the conference slate. Prognosticators will tell you that's precisely where the Cavaliers are supposed to be. Pessimists will tell you that's where they deserve to be.

But Gillen is the eternal optimist, the kind of guy, who if he fell off a 20-story rooftop, he would yell at someone to call him a cab on the way down.

Everybody knew what was on the line in this one. Gary Williams' Terps were struggling, too. The winner would go to 3-5 in the league and have a little momentum for the stretch run.

The loser? Well, that's another story.

Hard road to hoe

It doesn't get any easier for Virginia. The Cavs face a tougher task in Saturday's home game against second-place N.C. State, then travel to Cameron to face No. 1-ranked Duke, then return home against No. 15 Georgia Tech.

"It's a game we could have won, should have won," said Gillen of his 12-7 team, 2-6 in the ACC. "This was a big loss."

And therein lies the rub.

This is a bottom line game. It was encouraging to see several players bust their hump. Jason Clark had a career-high 13 rebounds and fought as hard as you could ask a player to battle. Devin Smith resisted agonizing back pain to come off the bench and hit a huge 3-pointer to give UVa a chance at the upset with 26 ticks of the clock remaining (68-67).

Elton Brown played as good an offensive game as necessary with 24 points. J.R. Reynolds hit a pair of big 3's and scored 15 points.

"There were a lot of positives, but we're not looking for positives," Gillen said. "The bottom line is you've got to win."

Too many mistakes

That's something Virginia has struggled to do in the ACC for the past three seasons and what lies ahead on the horizon isn't exactly a rainbow.

The Cavaliers made too many mistakes to win an ACC game, even against a lower tier team. By Gillen's own admission, it was ridiculous for his team to commit 20 turnovers in a game this late in the season. It was absurd that the team got shook, lost its poise against Maryland's press, which the Cavs had practiced against for the previous two days.

Too many errors. Too many problems. Even the optimistic Gillen must wonder if there is any way to turn this thing around.
 

Scrimmage gets lacrosse season underway
By John Galinsky / Daily Progress staff writer
February 5, 2004

No one questions whether the Virginia men's lacrosse team has the talent to win a second straight national championship.
The Cavaliers have three players on the Face-Off Yearbook preseason All-American first team and three more on the second. They are ranked No. 1 in that publication's coaches' poll by a smidgeon over Johns Hopkins, the team they beat in last year's final.

But talent alone doesn't win titles, as UVa coach Dom Starsia knows well. Dedication, discipline and desire are just as crucial, especially for a team coming off a championship season.

For that reason, Starsia has kept an eye out for signs of complacency and contentment. So far, he hasn't seen any.

"Coming into the year, you might have thought you'd have to kick them in the pants in order to get them going, but we had a great fall, probably as good a group of fall practices as we've ever had," said Starsia, whose team plays its first spring scrimmage tonight against Navy at 7 p.m. at the University Hall Turf Field. UVa also plays Hampden-Sydney on Friday at 1 p.m.

"We had the best weightlifting and conditioning sessions. We even had the best team G.P.A. that we've ever had since I've been coach here. I'm not sure what that means exactly. I think it's an indication of how hard this group has been willing to work."

The Cavaliers will play three scrimmages before opening the season at Drexel on Feb. 21. They have several issues to sort out in the preseason, particularly at midfield and close defense, but they insist motivation and focus are the least of their problems.

"The work ethic is just amazing," said senior goalie Tillman Johnson, the MVP of last year's NCAA tournament. "We enjoyed ourselves for a while, but we've put last year behind us. If anything, I think winning the national championship helped show everyone that it was worth all the sacrifice, all the hard work. And we know we have to work that much harder to get back there and do it again."

Last year's team earned praise for its commitment and attention to detail while maintaining a high level of intensity throughout the season. This group plans to preserve those qualities, maybe even crank them up a notch or two.

"Last year we tried to put an edge on everything. Now that we've won a national championship, we're putting even more of an edge on every single thing that we do," said junior attackman Joe Yevoli. "Just little things like the dress code, no mouthpiece out in practice, what sneakers to wear, all that stuff. You think it's little things, but it ends up making a big difference at the end of the day."

Junior attackman John Christmas says competition within the team should allow the Cavaliers to keep their edge through the preseason.

"We have a bunch of guys still fighting for starting positions and that's really good," Christmas said. "We have a lot of parity throughout the team. Our coach makes reference to that all the time, that some kids are closer to the field than they think they are. Every day during practice, there are scrums out there, kids who are gunning for each other. So I think if that continues for the next two weeks, we'll be OK."

One thing's for sure: Virginia isn't short on ability. Christmas, Yevoli and Johnson are among the nation's best at their positions. Same goes for senior defenseman Brett Hughes and junior faceoff specialist Jack deVilliers. Two sophomores, attackman Matt Ward and middie Kyle Dixon, are budding stars.

But the Cavaliers also had overwhelming talent in 2000, the year after they won the national championship. That team fell short of a repeat, however, losing in the NCAA semifinals.

Virginia has won five national titles but never two in a row. That's a goal that drives this team, which is why Starsia doesn't refer to "defending" a national championship.

"Maybe it's just semantics, but saying you are defending a championship puts you in a defensive posture," said Starsia, entering his 12th season as UVa's head coach. "So we're talking more about trying to win consecutive championships for the first time in Virginia's history. That's our approach - trying to do something unique for this program."
 

Groh 'very pleased' with recruiting class
By John Galinsky / Daily Progress staff writer
February 5, 2004

Virginia football coach Al Groh readily acknowledges that his latest recruiting haul is not rated as highly as his previous two classes. But with the notable exception of wide receiver, Groh says the Cavaliers filled most of their needs and succeeded in improving the program’s overall talent level.

“We recruited the players we need to have on the team to make the team better,” Groh said Wednesday, the first day of the early signing period. “We’re very pleased with that.”

On defense, in particular, UVa’s 2004 recruiting class is full of promising prospects. Among the marquee newcomers are outside linebackers Olu Hall and Clint Sintim, defensive end Chris Long, safety Nate Lyles and cornerback Philip Brown.

“We want to score a lot of points around here, but as the adage goes … defense wins championships,” Groh said. “You have to make an investment in that and then you have to stay the course.”

Eighteen players had signed letters-of-intent with Virginia by Wednesday afternoon. A 19th, defensive back Ahmad Bradshaw, was expected to round out the class by Wednesday night.

Most of the players verbally committed to the Cavaliers by the end of October. Only a handful committed afterward. The latest addition was 6-foot-7, 310-pound offensive lineman Branden Albert, who played just two years of football at Glen Burnie (Md.) High School.

“He’s got size, he’s got athletic ability, he’s got toughness,” Groh said of Albert. “He’s certainly a guy who’s got his future in front of him. He’s got potential and he’s got work to do. That’s a good project to have.”

Unlike Virginia’s previous two recruiting classes, both of which were rated among the nation’s top 20 by various analysts, the current one is not receiving rave reviews.

Rivals, a respected recruiting service, listed UVa’s haul at No. 40, compared to No. 4 for Florida State, No. 17 for Maryland and No. 41 for Virginia Tech. TheInsiders.com rated four ACC teams among its top 25 recruiting classes: No. 4 FSU, No. 13 Maryland, No. 19 North Carolina and No. 25 N.C. State.

Still, the Cavaliers did well in their own state, reeling in seven of the top 25 players on The Daily Progress “Gold List,” including the top two (Hall and Long). They also got three of the best players in Central Virginia in Long of St. Anne’s-Belfield, Charlottesville High linebacker Devonta Brown and Western Albemarle tailback Bryan Lescanec (who will join the team as a recruited walk-on).

“This was a fantastic year for the local teams with just about every one of them in the playoffs,” Groh said. “This is our home base right here. There’s going to be players produced out of these schools every year. I think these players see the trend now. There’s no need to go any further. We like them, they like us, so we want to keep this continuing.”

Nationally, Groh said Virginia got many of the players it targeted. That includes California quarterback Scott Deke, Tennessee tight end Tom Santi, Pennsylvania kicker Chris Gould and Lyles, a safety from Illinois.

Lyles and Brown, who topped last year’s “Gold List” but attended Hargrave Military Academy while gaining academic eligibility, headline a bumper crop of defensive backs. Bradshaw and Jamaal Jackson are two other well-regarded safeties from within the state.

Offensively, the Cavaliers did not do as well at the skill positions. Cedric Peerman of William Campbell High School may be the only tailback in the class. Andrew Pearman, the brother of UVa junior tailback Alvin Pearman, committed to Virginia but ended up signing with Hawaii.

“I’m not saying this to be jerky,” Groh said, “but I think if a player prefers playing in Hawaii than playing in the premier football conference in the country, I think it’s worked out well for everybody.”

The Cavaliers struck out in their bid to land a top-flight wide receiver, one of their highest priorities for this class. They lost out on three prospects late in the process when Dwayne Jarrett signed with Southern Cal, Bryant Creamer signed with Illinois and Eddie Royal signed with Virginia Tech.

“There were a couple of premium players that we targeted right from the start and went right to the finish line with,” Groh said. “With those kinds of players, you have to tell them: You’re our guy. We went right to the finish with some noteworthy programs. Just like those horse races, we got nipped in a photo finish, but that doesn’t do you any good.”

Note. As expected, Anthony Poindexter has been promoted to full-time assistant coach, taking the place of running backs coach Kevin Ross, who left to join his father Bobby’s staff at Army. Poindexter, a former All-American safety at UVa, had been a graduate assistant the past two seasons. He will be the wide receivers coach for now, Groh said, “but we have some other ideas about what he’ll do.”
 

Cavaliers nab Albert late, fail to get recievers
By Jerry Ratcliffe / Daily Progress sports editor
February 5, 2004

Virginia saved its biggest recruit for the end on Wednesday as the Cavaliers signed massive offensive tackle Branden Albert, a 6-foot-7, 320-pound late-comer from Glen Burnie, Md.

“I consider myself a big sleeper ... I was underexposed,” said Albert, who also drew interest from Maryland, Bowie State and Hampton. “People didn’t know about me because I didn’t do good my junior year, but I did a good job my senior year and that’s when a few people started noticing me.”

Meanwhile, UVa lost out on three recruiting targets on signing day: wide receiver Dwayne Jarrett of New Brunswick, N.J.; wide receiver Eddie Royal of Chantilly; and running back Andrew Pearman, a former commitment, from Charlotte, N.C.

Jarrett chose national champion Southern Cal over UVa and Ohio State, while Royal signed with Virginia Tech, choosing the Hokies over Virginia and Marshall. Pearman signed with Hawaii.

Albert, who is an accomplished basketball player, caught Virginia’s eye because of his athletic ability and the fact he was a sizeable player who could move. He has 5.2 speed in the 40, bench presses 370 pounds, squats 500 and cleans 260.

After moving to the Baltimore suburbs from Rochester after his sophomore year in high school, Albert only began playing football as a junior. He made first team all-county, first team All-Metro and honorable mention all-state after a year when he recorded 65 pancake blocks on offense and had 80 tackles and 9.5 sacks on defense.

UVa recruited him as a left offensive tackle.

“I plan to red-shirt because having played the game only two years, I still have a lot to learn,” Albert said.

He has not qualified academically as of yet and said that prep school could be an option for him if he falls short.

 

Gilchrist layup seals the deal as Terps extend U.Va.’s woes
By ED MILLER, The Virginian-Pilot
© February 5, 2004

CHARLOTTESVILLE — Desperate teams make for intense games, and Maryland and Virginia brought equal does of desperation into their match-up at University Hall Wednesday night.

Maryland had lost four of its last five, Virginia four of its last six. Wednesday’s loser was going to finish the first half of the conference season tied for last place in the ACC.

It wasn’t a position either team was eager to find itself in and the big question Wednesday was which team would play with more poise down the stretch.

The answer was Maryland, barely, in a hard-fought 71-67 victory that ended the Terrapins’ skid and put Virginia on pace for an ACC-tournament play-in game against Clemson.

The issue wasn’t decided until the final 10 seconds, when D.J. Strawberry stripped the ball from Todd Billet and fed John Gilchrist for a game-clinching layup as time expired.

Gilchrist, a sophomore from Virginia Beach, slammed the ball off the court in relief. He finished with a game-high 26 points.

In the end, Maryland (12-7, 3-5) had just enough to escape victorious. The Terrapins missed one of every two free throws they shot (18 of 36), and committed 17 turnovers, but beat Virginia 49 to 38 on the boards.

Maryland led 67-62 before a drop-step move and layup by Elton Brown cut the margin to three with 40.9 seconds left. A 3-pointer by Devin Smith with 26.9 seconds left pulled Virginia within one, 68-67.

But a free throw by Nik Caner-Medley, the steal by Strawberry and the Gilchrist hoop gave Maryland the final margin.

Virginia began the second half with a 10-2 run and took a 46-45 lead with 14:22 left. The lead was the Cavaliers’ first since an early 14-12 advantage.

Maryland led 43-36 after an intense first half that ended with Gilchrist canning a 25-foot 3-pointer over J.R. Reynolds as time ran down.

Reynolds did as good a job as any Virginia player defending the 6-foot-3 Gilchrist, who blew by Billet early in the game before Reynolds drew the assignment.

Gilchrist finished with 21 first-half points on 7-of-11 shooting, including 3 of 4 from 3-point range.

Brown scored 17 first-half points for Virginia, which jumped out to a 12-5 lead but wilted in the face of Maryland’s 2-1-2 pressure defense. Gilchrist got things started by hitting a 3-pointer, then stripping the ball from Billet and converting a 3-point play.

Maryland pushed its lead to 12 before Virginia rallied behind the inside scoring of Brown and the poised play of Reynolds.

A pull-up jumper by Reynolds cut the lead to 31-29 with 6:45 left. But Gilchrist took over in the final three minutes, scoring seven points to put Maryland up seven.

Virginia held Caner-Medley to one point in the half. Jason Clark blanketed the Maryland sophomore, who left midway through the half with a leg injury but returned early in the second half.
 

Receiver missing from Cavs' class
"I think this team is significantly more talented than it was yesterday," says Virginia coach Al Groh.
By Doug Doughty

CHARLOTTESVILLE - After spending an hour answering questions about his recruiting class, Virginia football coach Al Groh turned to a room full of reporters and asked, "How'd we do?"

The Cavaliers class was ranked 40th in the country by rivals.com and 24th by TheInsiders.com. The main difference between this year's UVa recruiting class and its two predecessors, ranked among the top 10 in the country by some services, was the failure to sign an impact wide receiver.

"There's some validity to that," Groh said Wednesday on national letter-of-intent day.

"If somebody tells you that you've got the third- or fourth-best class in the country, hey, you feel good about it. I'm not going to diminish that you wouldn't want to be there. At the same time, I have to evaluate this against the targets we set out to get. I think this team is significantly more talented than it was yesterday."

Virginia distributed a list of 18 signees, as expected, but it was not the same 18 players who had committed to the Cavaliers. Conspicuous by his absence was Graham High School running back Ahmad Bradshaw, the 2002 Group AA player of the year.

Groh said Virginia was waiting on a letter from a previously committed player and did not expect any complications, although coaches at two other Division I-A programs say they have received inquiries on Bradshaw's behalf.

For the third year in a row, Virginia's list contained a relative unknown, 6-foot-7, 310-pound Branden Albert from Glen Burnie, Md.

"Some guys better buy some new radar," Groh said. "He's from the same high school as [UVa linemen] Ron Darden and comes from similar circumstances. He moved down from Rochester, N.Y., to play with his older brother and played only two years of high school football.

"He's a very good basketball player. We've seen him do that. He's light on his feet and moves well."

The Cavaliers had received commitments since the weekend from a pair of SuperPrep All-Americans, in-state defensive ends Olu Hall and Clint Sintim, but could not land a trio of wide receivers who announced decisions this week.

Dwayne Jarrett from New Brunswick, N.J., signed with Southern California; Eddie Royal from Fairfax County signed with Virginia Tech, and Bryant Creamer from Chicago signed with Illinois. Earlier, highly touted Washington, D.C., wide receiver Doug Dutch picked Michigan over Virginia and others.

"We were [disappointed] when we went to the finish line with a couple of premium players we had targeted from the start," Groh said. "We lost a player to Southern Cal and we lost a player to Michigan. Those were the two teams in the Rose Bowl. We lost a player to Miami. They were in the Orange Bowl this year and had played for the national championship the previous two years.

"We've moved into some new territory in terms of the shelf we're picking off of."

More surprising was the loss of a player, previously committed Andrew Pearman, to Hawaii. Pearman is the younger brother of current UVa running back Alvin Pearman.

"I'm not saying this to be jerky," Groh said, "but if a player prefers Hawaii to playing in the best conference in the country, then maybe that's a situation that works out well for everybody."

Two-time All-Group A running back Cedric Peerman from William Campbell had been mentioned as a possible defensive back prospect, but was listed exclusively as a tailback.

"That wasn't me talking," Groh said. "This guy gained 5,000 yards in his career."

UVa signed eight players ranked among the top 25 prospects in the state by The Roanoke Times, including No.1 Hall and No. 3 Chris Long, a defensive lineman from St. Anne's-Belifield in Charlottesville who is the son of NFL Hall of Famer Howie Long. Two other signees, Philip Brown and James Terry, made the 2002 Top 25 before going to prep school.

Hall, Long, Sintim were named to the SuperPrep All-American team, Brown was a 2002 SuperPrep All-American and Devonta Brown and Jon Kirchner were named to the 225-member PrepStar All-American team. Kirchner, from Rockbridge High School, was a first-team All-Timesland choice as an offensive linemen.

In other news, Groh said that former Cavaliers' All-American Anthony Poindexter will become a full-time member of the coaching staff. Poindexter, a graduate assistant last year with responsibility for wide receivers, assumes the roster spot previously held by new Army offensive coordinator Kevin Ross.

 

Terrapins serve up win over Cavs
Loss to Maryland extends U.Va.'s streak to three
By Dave Johnson
Daily Press
Published February 5, 2004

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- In conference play, coaches often preach the importance of "holding serve" - that is, winning on your home floor. For Virginia, a team not known for breaking serve, that seemed especially true Wednesday night.

But in a game that looked to be an absolute must for any hopes of a decent finish in the ACC, the Cavaliers just didn't have enough to avoid a 71-67 loss to Maryland in University Hall.

Virginia had a chance to force overtime on its final possession, but Terrapin freshman D.J. Strawberry swatted away Todd Billet's pass and John Gilchrist sealed it with a layup.

In winning for only the second time in six games, Maryland (12-7, 3-5 ACC) broke out of a tie for seventh place in the conference standings with U.Va. The Cavaliers (12-7, 2-6) lost their third straight game to fall into a tie for eighth with Clemson.

Virginia took its last lead at 54-52 with 10:55 remaining but scored only 13 points on 4-for-13 shooting and committed seven of its 20 turnovers the rest of the way.

"It was a game we could have won, but we lost it in several areas," Cavalier coach Pete Gillen said. "Twenty turnovers - you're not going to win in the ACC very often with that."

The turnovers, combined with 39.6-percent shooting from the floor and Maryland getting 24 offensive rebounds, made the Cavs' task tougher.

Maryland was hardly crisp, shooting 35.8 percent with 17 turnovers. But the Terps had nine steals, with Strawberry's being the biggest.

"We made some really good defensive plays down the stretch to help us win the game," Maryland coach Gary Williams said. "Even though we didn't shoot well, we made the plays on the defensive end of the court."

Maryland led most of the second half but was unable to pull away, largely because of its 18-of-36 shooting from the foul line. After Nik Caner-Medley went 1-of-2 with 22.5 seconds left to make it 69-67, the Cavs had the ball with a chance to tie or win.

But as Billet looked for Elton Brown (24 points) in the post, Strawberry knocked away the pass.

Strawberry chased down the loose ball and missed on the other end, but Gilchrist followed as time expired.

"We called the play at the end but didn't execute it properly," Gillen said. "Our (point) guard's gotta run that. He's gotta tell everybody what we're supposed to run. We didn't communicate what we wanted to run. In other words, everybody wasn't in the right spot. (Brown) was still free. We just couldn't get him the ball."

Billet had five turnovers, two in a key 41/2-minute stretch in the first half during which Maryland went from seven points down to 12 up with a 21-2 run. Gilchrist had 11 of his 21 points during that span, hitting a pair of 3-pointers and converting an old-fashioned 3-point play.

"He provided great leadership," Williams said.

 

Virginia: No wideouts, but most needs filled
Groh disagrees class lacks pizzazz of previous two
By Dave Johnson
Daily Press
Published February 5, 2004

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Virginia coach Al Groh isn't dismissing the dot-com recruiting services, not after all the good press the Cavaliers received with their 2002 and '03 classes. Both were considered top-15 groups, immediately boosting the program's talent level with names like Ahmad Brooks, Wali Lundy and Kai Parham.

Groh's '04 follow-up, while filling some needs, doesn't have that kind of star power. Rivals100.com rated the Cavaliers' class No. 40 in the nation, fifth among the new ACC's 11 teams.

"There's validity to those things," Groh said Wednesday afternoon as his 18-member class was released. "Hey, if somebody gives you the fourth- or fifth-best recruiting class in the country, you feel good about it.

"By the same token, I have to evaluate this against the targets we set out to get. I think the team is significantly more talented than it was yesterday morning. And that's what we set out to do."

On paper, at least, there is talent. Lineman Chris Long, son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Howie Long, was the 74th-best prospect in the nation, according to ESPN.com's Tom Lemming. Linebacker Olu Hall of Fairfax is considered a four-star recruit and, by some, the best player in the state. Chicago safety Nate Lyles was a prize get.

Tailback Cedric Peerman, from outside Lynchburg, rushed for 2,016 yards and 43 touchdowns last fall. Virginia beat out Notre Dame for place-kicker Chris Gould, the heir-apparent to rising junior Connor Hughes. And there's Phoebus cornerback Philip Brown, who signed with U.Va. last year but enrolled at Hargrave Military Academy to get his SAT score.

"As every coach in the country is going to say today, and every coach in the NFL is going to say in April, we're very pleased with the new talent coming in on the team," Groh said. "We really are. I think it's consistent with the talent level of the (two) groups that preceded it, particularly in the areas we targeted as primary positions."

But one of Virginia's biggest needs - wide receiver - was not filled. Groh went hard after Dwayne Jarrett, Doug Dutch, Eddie Royal and Bryant Creamer, all considered among the nation's top wideouts. But Jarrett went to Southern Cal, Dutch to Michigan, Royal to Virginia Tech and Creamer to Illinois.

"There were some premium players that we targeted from the start and went right to the finish line with," Groh said.

"We went right to the finish line against some noteworthy programs. But it's just like those horse races: We got nipped (in a) photo finish."

Virginia also lost a prospect who had verbally committed. Charlotte, N.C., running back Andrew Pearman, the younger brother of Cavalier tailback Alvin Pearman, signed with Hawaii.

"I don't want to sound jerky," Groh said, "but if a player prefers to play in Hawaii instead of the premier football conference in the country, that works out best for everyone."

Virginia expects to add a 19th player to its list as early as today. Ahmad Bradshaw, a cornerback from Graham, had committed to the Cavaliers but was unable to get his signed letter-of-intent to the school on Wednesday.
 

Terps, Gilchrist hold off Virginia
Point guard's 21 in 1st half, bench's strong play carry Maryland on road, 71-67
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By Gary Lambrecht
Sun Staff
Originally published February 5, 2004

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - University of Maryland sophomore point guard John Gilchrist said he felt ashamed of his team's losing skid and his own recent performances. And Gilchrist played like an angry, determined man on a night when the Terrapins needed a victory.

Gilchrist capped a game-high, 26-point evening by making a put-back with four seconds remaining, after a steal and a missed shot by freshman guard D.J. Strawberry, as Maryland overcame, among many problems, poor shooting from the foul line and the field and hung on to beat Virginia, 71-67, before 7,378 at University Hall.

This was a victory the Terps (12-7, 3-5) had to have. Maryland, which had lost four of its previous five games, avoided its first three-game losing streak in three years and a fall into a last-place tie with Clemson in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Terps completed the first half of their league schedule in seventh place by winning their second road ACC game.

The Terps earned very few style points, but their grit was everywhere, from an outstanding effort by their bench to a career-high 10-rebound night in 12 minutes by sophomore forward Travis Garrison to sophomore forward Nik Caner-Medley, who limped through the second half with a bruised right quadriceps and scored seven of his eight points.

Maryland, which blew a 43-36 halftime lead but regained the advantage at 56-54 midway through the second half on a steal and a layup by Caner-Medley, staggered to the finish by shooting just 29 percent from the field in the second half and 50 percent at the free-throw line.

"There were a lot of things riding on this game that I didn't want to talk to the team about tonight. They know," Maryland coach Gary Williams said. "This is how we play. This is how we have to play. It's never going to look pretty. If we're going to be good, we have to play this way.

"I think John was the key with his leadership. That leadership is something this team needs from the point guard position. I really thought he was focused tonight."

The Terps missed 10 of 19 foul shots in the game's final 8:29 and were clinging to a 69-67 lead and dropping back on defense, as Virginia (12-7, 2-6) was setting up for a possible game-tying or game-winning shot. As Cavaliers guard Todd Billet crossed the midcourt line, Maryland guard Chris McCray turned him toward the sideline, where Strawberry darted into the picture, stole the ball, drove to the basket and missed a layup.

Gilchrist, who was trailing the play, grabbed the miss and banked in the game's final basket to send Virginia to the bottom of the ACC standings.

For Gilchrist, who played at Salem High in Virginia Beach, the ending completed a night of redemption. After back-to-back subpar showings in losses against Wake Forest and North Carolina State, Gilchrist responded with 21 first-half points and went on to finish with eight rebounds. He also committed nine of Maryland's 17 turnovers and had only one assist, but the bottom line negated that problem.

"My motivation came from the losing streak we've been on, and I just wanted to come out here and, more than anything else in this world, get a win," said Gilchrist, who made four of six three-point attempts.

Thirteen of his 21 first-half points came in a 23-4 run that lasted only 4 1/2 minutes, giving the Terps a 28-16 lead. He ended the half by dribbling the clock toward zero, then swishing a 25-footer with three seconds left.

"The taste of losing is something I haven't been used to all my life," Gilchrist said. "It hurts so bad when you lose. Just to be labeled as losers, we had to come out with that type of urgency tonight. It's not about individual talent. It's all about heart."

Maryland needed plenty of it. Senior center Jamar Smith never got into the flow and finished with six points and only one rebound before fouling out in 17 minutes. Freshman Hassan Fofana stepped in and made his 275-pound presence felt in the paint with a career-high 10 rebounds, five points and a blocked shot.

Garrison replaced freshman Ekene Ibekwe in the starting lineup after coming off the bench for seven games and ran into immediate foul trouble, but he still grabbed nine rebounds in the first half.

McCray continued his prolonged shooting slump by scoring just three points in 30 minutes, but Strawberry (nine points, five rebounds, three steals) and freshman Mike Jones (seven points, three rebounds) filled the void. In all, Maryland's bench accounted for 23 points and 19 rebounds.

"When you go on the road, it's always going to be tough to win," Strawberry said. "You have to figure out a way to fight and scrap your way to victory."

Gilchrist was the lone Terp to score in double figures, while Virginia had four.

Junior center Elton Brown scored 17 of his team-high 24 points in the first half and had nine rebounds. Freshman guard J.R. Reynolds scored 15 and hit a pair of three-pointers that each pulled Virginia to within three points of Maryland down the stretch. Junior guard Devin Smith (12 points) made the three-pointer that cut the Terps' lead to 68-67 with 30 seconds left.

But the Terps, who could not put away the contest at the foul line, secured it with a hustle play at the end by forcing Virginia's 20th turnover.

"It's a game I thought we could have won, but it was lost in several areas," Virginia coach Pete Gillen said. "I have to give Maryland credit. They made the big plays when they had to."
 

Cavaliers Get Big Game From Small Lineup
By Jim Reedy
Special to The Washington Post
Thursday, February 5, 2004; Page D04

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Feb. 4 -- For four minutes early in the second half Wednesday night, all was right in the world of Virginia basketball. The Cavaliers cut through the Maryland defense for easy baskets and played stout defense on the other end. They erased the visitors' lead and pulled ahead for the first time in ages.

The stretch featured some of Virginia's best play in this frustrating season, thanks in large part to an athletic, smaller-than-usual lineup: guard Todd Billet, guard-forwards Gary Forbes and Derrick Byars and forwards Devin Smith and Jason Clark.

But with 11 minutes 51 seconds remaining, Coach Pete Gillen broke up the quintet with a trio of substitutions. Up 52-50, the Cavaliers (12-7, 2-6 ACC) swooned under the weight of an eight-point Maryland run and could not pull even again, swallowing a 71-67 loss that dropped them into a tie with Clemson for last place in the conference.

For those four minutes, though, Virginia looked like it had found its best lineup. Billet runs the offense and shoots three-pointers. Byars and Forbes, two of the team's most gifted players, can slash to the hoop, play tight defense and out-rebound most perimeter players. Smith can do a bit of everything, and Clark is one of the conference's most athletic big men.

That lineup would mean benching center Elton Brown, who had 24 points Wednesday, but the main problem, Gillen said, is that Smith and Clark aren't equipped to play long stretches at a time. Smith rarely practices because of a back injury that has plagued him since preseason. Clark (career-high 13 rebounds) has played less than a month since rejoining the team after clearing up academic issues.

"Our quickness was good for a while with Jay Clark and Devin," said Gillen, whose team lost for the fifth time in seven games. "Then guys get tired. Jay Clark was in a long time and Devin can't go too long because he hasn't practiced. But that was a good lineup."

Smith "didn't practice the last two days. He just shot on the side. He just gets tired quickly. So we'd like to keep him in there more, but he just doesn't have his legs."

Smith wasn't in the mood to talk after the game, but Clark said he feels his conditioning is up to par.

"I feel I'm ready to play 40 minutes if need be," the 6-foot-8 junior said.

Forbes said from what he's seen, Smith and Clark can keep up with everyone else.

"You put basketball players out on the court, they want to play basketball. Even though Devin doesn't practice, he gives us 100 percent when he's on the court. He doesn't run from anything. Jay Clark is just the same, even though he's just getting back. . . .

"It was obvious [that lineup worked]. We had a [six]-point turnaround. They just outlasted our run."
 

Williams joins UM as incidents in Gainesville come to light
By MANNY NAVARRO
mnavarro@herald.com
NURI VALLBONA / HERALD STAFF

Carol City star linebacker Willie Williams began Wednesday by signing to play football for the University of Miami. By the evening, he was answering questions about three separate sworn complaints to police during his recruiting trip to the University of Florida this past weekend.

One of the complaints was sent to the Gainesville state attorney's office Wednesday as a possible felony; the other two were sent as possible misdemeanor battery, according to police.

One of two incidents at The Hilton University of Florida Conference Center on the Gainesville campus could carry the felony charge, according to the campus police report. UF police information officer Joe Sharkey said his department received a call about Williams discharging three fire extinguishers at about 4 a.m. Saturday at the UF Hilton, where Williams and other recruits were staying.

While UF police sent that felony complaint to the state attorney's office, State Attorney Bill Cervone told The Associated Press his office has the ``discretion to deal with it differently.''

Gainesville city police filed a sworn complaint to the state attorney's office that says Williams, 19, was involved in an altercation with another man at a downtown nightclub at 2:30 Saturday morning.

Williams, a USA Today and Parade All-American, denied being involved in the club altercation, which could hold a misdemeanor battery charge according to police.

''I wasn't arrested,'' Williams said when reached on his cell phone Wednesday evening in Atlanta, where he was a guest on a recruiting TV show. ``Basically, nothing happened. I was at a club and there was a fight, but I wasn't involved.''

Gainesville public information officer Keith Kameg said witnesses at Royal Blue Nightclub said they saw Williams punch Akeem Thompson of Gainesville several times in the face ''for no apparent reason.'' The police report says Thompson sought medical attention for a cut lip and bruised face.

According to another incident report by campus police, a female guest at the UF Hilton was hugged by a man she did not know at about 11 p.m. Friday. The report said when Joanna Braganza of Gainesville realized she didn't know the man, she tried to remove herself from his grasp and he did not let go immediately. Braganza and her boyfriend, David A. Cohen of Gainesville, exchanged insults with the man before they parted, the report said.

Braganza and Cohen said they did not know the man's name, but the police spoke to Williams about the incident when he came to the campus police station about the fire-extinguisher matter, the report said. Williams told police he hugged a woman he did not know at the hotel, according to the report.

UF athletic director Jeremy Foley said the incidents involving Williams are ``not a University of Florida issue. It is a Willie Williams issue. I was aware there were some issues, but I know for a fact he was not arrested when he was here.''

When asked if something could have been done to prevent the incidents, Florida coach Ron Zook said ``Yeah, not brought him in.''

'Obviously, when we bring a prospective student-athlete on campus, I'm responsible,' '' Zook said. ``. . . We try to school our players on keeping the [recruits] out of situations where things can happen. And from what I understand, our players did a great job.''

Said UM coach Larry Coker: ``We will see the attorneys and see all the allegations and take appropriate action. Sure, it concerns us when those things are out there.''

HAPPIER NEWS

Before the revelation of the Gainesville incidents, Williams started national signing day by playing to the crowd at the Carol City High library.

First, he tried on a Florida State jersey, a Deion Sanders No. 2 throwback. Then, he wore a UM Jerome Brown No. 98 jersey.

''When I put on the UM jersey, I got a feeling I couldn't explain. I said this is where I've got to be,'' the 6-2, 228-pounder said later.

So, the MVP of the Class 6A state title game announced his decision: He will join the Hurricanes. The announcement drew cheers.

Then, over a speakerphone so reporters could listen, Williams called UM linebackers coach Vernon Hargreaves.

''Coach Hargreaves, I'm there,'' Williams said over the speaker phone so reporters could listen. ``I'm going to UM, coach.''

Hargreaves didn't believe Williams at first. ''Stop playing,'' he told Williams.

Hargreaves then ran to go ''tell the boss,'' Coker.

''I'm doing cartwheels over here,'' Coker told Williams. ``Let me tell you something, you're going to do great. You're committed to us and we're committed to you.''

Williams then told Coker he wanted to come to Coral Gables right away.

''Matter of fact, I might come by and tackle you today,'' Williams said.

Coker laughed, then reminded Williams he can't visit UM until Friday because of NCAA rules.

TOUGH DECISION

Williams said he would be ready to play when the Hurricanes meet Florida State on opening night and even challenge for a starting spot at weak-side linebacker. The Hurricanes have just four linebackers on the roster.

In the minutes before his announcement, though, Williams said he wasn't sure which side he was going to be on. When Williams first went up to make his announcement, he asked reporters to give him five more minutes. He sat back down with his aunt and uncle, Adriana and Kevin Rutledge, rubbed his head and walked over to teammates.

''I actually made the decision when I stepped up to the podium,'' said Williams, who has a 3.0 GPA and a 1070 SAT. ``. . . I'm not sure if signing day was tomorrow if I might not pick FSU. This wasn't easy.''
 

Last act: U.Va. falls into ACC cellar
Cavaliers join Clemson at the bottom of the league after Terps hand them third straight defeat
BY JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Feb 5, 2004

CHARLOTTESVILLE - If the teams seemed to play with extra intensity at University Hall last night, there was a good reason. Neither Virginia nor Maryland wanted to join Clemson in the ACC cellar.

Alas for the Cavaliers, that's where they woke up today. With a chance to send the game into overtime - or win on a 3-pointer - U.Va. failed MARYLAND 71 VIRGINIA 67to get off a shot in the final 10 seconds and went down to its third straight defeat.

Freshman guard D.J. Strawberry knocked the ball loose from Virginia point guard Todd Billet with 7 seconds left, leading to a John Gilchrist layup that sealed the Terrapins' 71-67 victory before a stunned crowd of 7,378.

The turnover was Billet's fifth and Virginia's 20th.

"We made some really good defensive plays down the stretch to help us win the game," Maryland coach Gary Williams said.

Gilchrist, a sophomore point guard from Virginia Beach whom U.Va. didn't recruit, finished with 26 points, one shy of his career high, and eight rebounds. Twenty-one of his points came in the first half, including an NBA-length trey before the buzzer that sent Maryland (3-5, 12-7) into the break with a 71-67 lead.

"In addition to what he did on the court tonight, he was a great leader tonight," Williams said.

Three other alumni - all Cavaliers - of the Boo Williams AAU program had memorable games, too. Junior center Elton Brown had 24 points and nine rebounds. Junior forward Jason Clark had a career-high 13 rebounds, five blocked shots and three steals, and freshman guard J.R. Reynolds came off the bench to score 15 points.

The Cavaliers (2-6, 12-7) took a 54-52 lead on Devin Smith's two free throws. That was their last lead. The Terps ran off eight straight points, a spurt capped by Strawberry's three-point play with 7:06 remaining.

Reynolds' trey, his second of the game, pulled U.Va. to 60-57 at the 6:32 mark. His third and final 3-pointer made it 65-62 with 4:03 left. A controversial intentional-foul call on Smith helped Maryland stretch its lead to 67-62, but Brown scored inside to make it a three-point game with 40.9 seconds left. After Strawberry made 1 of 2 free throws, Smith drained a 3-pointer from the left wing to make it 68-67.

Nik Caner-Medley was fouled moments later, and the sophomore forward made only 1 for 2 from the line, giving Virginia the ball with 22.5 seconds left. The Terps harassed Billet outside the 3-point arc, and Strawberry left his man, swooped in and swiped the ball.

The game started well for Virginia. Uncharacteristically aggressive on the offensive boards, the Cavs bolted to a 12-5 lead. Maryland responded with increased defensive pressure, though, and U.Va. wilted. A 21-2 run put the Terps ahead 26-14, but Virginia rallied behind Reynolds, who started a 9-2 spurt with a trey from the right wing.

Brown, in the right place at the right time, picked up a loose ball in Maryland's basket and dunked to pull U.Va. to 40-36 with 38 seconds left.


 

Groh likes hits despite misses
Coach believes U.Va. made improvements though some big ones got away
BY JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Feb 5, 2004

CHARLOTTESVILLE - University of Virginia football fans are likely to dwell on the ones who got away, such coveted prospects as Dwayne Jarrett (Southern Cal) and Andrew Pearman (Hawaii) and Dwayne Hendricks (Miami, Fla.) and Doug Dutch (Michigan).

Coach Al Groh, not surprisingly, focused on the players U.Va. landed. Eighteen players signed letters of intent with the Cavaliers yesterday, and Groh said he expected to add another player to the class.

"As every coach in the country is going to say today, and every coach in the NFL is going to say in April, we're really pleased with the new talent coming onto the team. But we really are," Groh told reporters at Scott Stadium. "It's consistent with the talent level of the three groups that preceded it, particularly in the positions we targeted as primary positions to up the talent pool."

Unlike Virginia's previous two classes, this one won't be ranked in the top 15 nationally. Even so, Groh said, "I think the team is significantly more talented, officially, than it was [Tuesday] morning. That's what we set out to do."

Virginia's big misses came at wide receiver. The Cavaliers targeted Jarrett, Dutch, Bryant Creamer (Illinois) and Eddie Royal (Virginia Tech), among others, only to watch each sign elsewhere. Of U.Va.'s signees, only Deep Creek's Jamaal Jackson saw significant time at wideout in high school, and he's expected to play safety in college.

Groh, whose team finished 8-5 in 2003, adopted a high-risk strategy: Pursue the best players available, regardless of the competition.

"We chose that path because there's a lot of good, young talent at most of the positions on our team," Groh said. "So we didn't have to, at many positions, recruit for the immediacy, to put them in the game right now. And so therefore we said we're going to target certain premium players, national-level players, players that will raise the team more than a notch or two.

"We came out ahead on some of those, and we were right in the fight till the end on some others where it didn't go the way we wanted it to."

Of the 18 players who signed yesterday, 10 are from this state, including marquee recruits Olu Hall of Robinson High and Chris Long of St. Anne's-Belfield in Charlottesville. Hall is widely considered the state's No. 1 prospect. Long's father is Pro Football Hall of Famer Howie Long.

The Cavaliers expect to land another Virginian, Graham High cornerback Ahmad Bradshaw. Graham coach Glynn Carlock said last night that Bradshaw remains committed to U.Va. but wants to have his family present when he signs his letter of intent. Bradshaw may not be able to do so until tomorrow, Carlock said.

Cornerback Philip Brown and fullback James Terry, signed with U.Va. in 2003, too, but they enrolled at prep schools last summer to strengthen their academic credentials.

All of the recruits except one publicly committed to U.Va. before signing day: Branden Albert, a 6-7, 310-pound offensive tackle from Glen Burnie High (Md.), the school that produced Ron Darden, a reserve offensive guard for the Cavs in 2003.

"He's got work to do," Groh said of Albert, a standout basketball player, "but that's a good project to have at 6-7, 300-plus, with feet and toughness, to develop into an offensive lineman."

Pearman, a swift tailback from Charlotte, N.C., committed last summer to U.Va., where his brother Alvin is one of the team's most versatile players. But the younger Pearman re-opened his recruiting last month after Virginia's running backs coach, Kevin Ross, left to become offensive coordinator at Army, and ultimately opted for Hawaii.

"I'm not saying this to be jerky," Groh said, "but I think if a player prefers playing in Hawaii to playing in the premier football conference in the country, I think it worked out well for everybody."

NOTE: Groh confirmed that former U.Va. star Anthony Poindexter has been promoted from graduate assistant to full-time assistant. Poindexter may coach the Cavaliers' wide receivers, but Groh said other options also are being considered.