Thoughts and suggestions for Virginia
By Jerry Ratcliffe / Daily Progress sports editor
February 26, 2004

There’s a few things I’ve been wanting to get off my chest for months and this is as good a time as any to let a few ideas and gripes fly. Let’s get the nasty one out of the way first.
Back when the ACC expansion was plodding along, I was bombarded by negative emails from readers across the nation complaining about my opinion that the lawsuit against the ACC would never go to trial. To those of you, including some who claimed to be lawyers, who called me an idiot, among other things, I just wanted to remind you that this old country boy might not be so dumb.

Pete’s fate
While appearing on the North Carolina basketball radio network prior to Tuesday night’s Virginia upset of the No. 12-ranked Tar Heels, host Mick Mixon asked me to predict Pete Gillen’s fate.
My answer was that I believed Virginia would give the embattled coach another year to get the program back up to standards.
To find out what UVa athletic director Craig Littlepage has to say about that, check out Friday’s edition which will include a major piece on the Gillen situation.
By the way, it was great seeing former Cavaliers Bryant Stith, Curtis Staples and Lance Blanks at the game. U-Hall drew a lot of familiar faces to the UNC game. We casually spotted Charlottesville residents John Grisham and Howie Long. One media member thought he identified legendary Southern author Pat Conroy in the crowd.

Holland Court
Ever since Virginia announced that the John Paul Jones Arena will be built, I have firmly believed that the school should honor Terry Holland by naming the court for him, just as Duke did for Mike Krzyzewski and Georgia Tech did for Bobby Cremins.
In 16 seasons, Holland established UVa as a household name in national basketball, having taken the Cavaliers to two Final Fours, to an NIT championship and 13 overall postseason appearances as his teams compiled a record of 326-173. He is the winningest coach in Wahoo history and the fifth-winningest coach in ACC history.
In my opinion, it would be more than appropriate to honor Holland by naming the court for him at the new place.

Hall of Fame
Chatting with TV hoops analyst Dan Bonner prior to Tuesday night’s game, we were razzing him about retiring the former Cavaliers’ jersey.
Bonner served as UVa’s captain in 1975 and traditionally he gets some good-natured kidding about retiring his jersey. But the conversation did spur me toward writing something that I have been thinking about for several years now.
I have always thought it would be a great idea for Virginia’s athletic department to create a Hall of Fame or Hall of Honor to recognize the great athletes and coaches who have graced our city.
Currently, UVa has six retired football jerseys and six retired basketball jerseys. I have had the pleasure of meeting 11 of those men and know many of them very well. They are all deserving.
However, I have never been a big fan of retiring a number so that it can never be worn again. I believe an athlete should have his personal jersey retired into a Hall of Fame and have a bust or portrait there with other memorabilia, but I think it should be a great honor for another athlete to wear that great player’s number.
If Virginia were to create such a hall, there are many, many candidates to fill classes for years to come. While guidelines would have to be created in order to qualify, the school could select a group to vote on potential inductees. A banquet could be held each spring to honor those new members and the school could make a huge media event out of the whole thing.
Can you name the 12 retired football and basketball numbers?
Football: Shawn Moore (12); Frank Quayle (24); Bill Dudley (35); Joe Palumbo (48); Jim Dombrowski (73); Gene Edmonds (97). Basketball: Jeff Lamp (3); Buzzy Wilkinson (14); Bryant Stith (20); Barry Parkhill (40); Wally Walker (41); Ralph Sampson (50).

 

For Pete's Sake
Decision on Gillen in hands of Virginia AD
By Jerry Ratcliffe / Daily Progress sports editor
February 27, 2004

When Virginia athletic director Craig Littlepage filled in for basketball coach Pete Gillen on the radio network’s show a couple of weeks ago, he said that Gillen’s job performance would not be strictly judged on wins and losses.

For those in the “Keep Pete” Camp, that was good news because at that time, the Cavaliers were struggling, having lost six of their last seven ACC games. Now that Gillen’s Wahoos have experienced a resurgence of sorts, having won three of their last four, including knocking off a pair of Top 15 opponents and having won on the road, the embattled UVa coach is home free, right?

Not so fast, my friend.

When Littlepage said that performance won’t be judged on wins and losses, he meant that both ways. The Virginia AD said that when he evaluates his basketball coach, he would examine the big picture and not simply a winning or losing streak.

“To the degree that we all respond favorably to winning as opposed to losing, it then begins a question of how that plays into the evidence of progress of the program overall,” Littlepage told The Daily Progress. “That’s a long-winded way of saying the evaluation of one’s program or success in terms of performance would not be strictly on the basis of wins and losses, although part of an overall measure of performance.

“The work that I do with coaches has to be ongoing and over time instead of what has happened in the last week or two weeks,” Littlepage said. “... Evidence of sustained progress and standing for the program and how that all fits into our goal of becoming a Top 10 program or are we not.”

When UVa president John T. Casteen III gathered a group of influential heavy hitters some time ago and made it their charge to establish Virginia’s athletics program to become “the Stanford of the East,” that mission statement elevated the expectations of every sport at the university. Accompanying those expectations was significantly more pressure placed upon the shoulders of the coaches of those respective sports.

“The essence of it is that we’re in this to have a Top 10 program and a program competing for the NCAA Tournament and the ACC championship,” Littlepage said of UVa’s goals toward men’s basketball, although that same focus remains true of all the 25 men’s and women’s sports at the school.

While there is an emphasis to uphold UVa’s academic traditions for its student-athletes, which includes not only graduating them but to position them to be placed in successful situations after graduation, there is the competitive side that plays a significant role in the process as well.

“We want to have that kind of a program,” Littlepage said. “We don’t want to settle for being a seventh-, or eighth-, or ninth-place team. Our goals are higher than that. All the coaches [in the athletic department] will tell you that’s the same standard they set for themselves.

“How are we moving toward that? Are we in better position than a month ago? Or, a year ago? All that goes into the equation.”

If Gillen is not judged solely on wins and losses, what other factors will be included? Graduation rates will likely be included and while the current system the NCAA subscribes to in evaluating such matters is seriously flawed, Virginia basketball players who have played their entire careers here have fared well academically under Gillen.

The coach is active in the community and has worked to bring fans and students into the program by visiting dorms, sending out pizzas to students camping out for tickets in past seasons, and hosting various breakfasts that welcome community involvement.

What heavy hitter’s view perhaps as the teetering point, is whether Gillen can lead the program to the level where it will be a serious contender for the ACC title on an annual basis. There is where the two camps of the “Keep Pete” and “Pete Must Go” are divided.

He took over a program that had fallen upon hard times under former coach Jeff Jones, who directed the Cavaliers to a 25-9 record and a Final Eight appearance in the NCAAs in 1994-95. Two of the next three years, Virginia suffered losing seasons, leading to Jones’ firing.

Gillen inherited a squad with six scholarship players but surprised ACC and UVa fans by finishing 14-16, then recorded back-to-back 9-7 seasons in the ACC the following two years. The Cavs made the NIT field, then the NCAAs, a remarkable and unexpected turnaround in a span of three seasons.

That led to a 10-year contract negotiated by Littlepage in order to keep Gillen locked up until retirement time. The controversial deal is speculated not to include a buyout, an issue that school officials decline to discuss and Freedom of Information Act laws prevent from revealing.

While the Cavs have tailspinned at the end of the previous two seasons, Gillen is guaranteed of finishing with a fifth straight season with a winning record this campaign. It should be noted here that no basketball coach in ACC history has ever been dismissed after posting five consecutive winning seasons.

In fact, you would be hard-pressed to find a coach at any major Division I school fired under such conditions without having violated a morality clause of some sort.

Gillen recently won his 100th game in six seasons at UVa and owns a 61-21 record vs. nonconference competition, a current 40-54 mark against ACC opponents (30-17 at home, 10-37 road).

His record vs. Top 10 teams is 6-19, but 11 of those losses have come against Duke. He is 12-12 against teams ranked between No. 11 and No. 25, and his record in games after Jan. 31 is currently 21-40. Postseason play has been a sore point as the Cavs have not won an ACC Tournament game under Gillen and have lost three out of four NIT games and its only NCAA contest during his era.

“What I have to focus on is what is in the best interest in our program and what will help us achieve our stated goals,” Littlepage said. “And not to be persuaded by some of the other topics that are out there with the arena or donors or recruiting. It is purely what I feel is in the best interest of our program.”

UVa broke ground on the 15,000-seat John Paul Jones Arena last May with a completion date in 2006. The new facility is nearly double the size of University Hall, the smallest arena in the ACC.

While funds to pay for the $129 million JPJ have not been fully raised, there is some question as to whether donors will ante up while the basketball program struggles.

Gillen has a young team this season, losing guards Todd Billett and Majestic Mapp, and has signed what recruiting analyst Bob Gibbons rated the 19th-best class in the country during last November’s early signing period. Whether those players might attempt to back out of their letter-of-intent in the instance Gillen would not be retained is another issue.

“I think everybody respects that Pete and his staff have worked extremely hard and have brought the program back from a very difficult time years ago and have done a good job in terms of the young talent on this club now and the young talent that will come in next year,” Littlepage said. “What is difficult is that everyone respects Pete for being the kind of person that he is. Any personnel matter is difficult in college athletics, in particular because the bottom line is we all rely on young people to produce in the end.”

Previously, Littlepage had stated that the decision will come down to what he feels in his gut and that two weeks ago, the answer to what will happen was not obvious to him then.

While the Cavs have won down-to-the-wire games in three of their last four outings, the solution is no clearer to the AD.

“No, because then it would reflect that the outcomes of the games have been more influential than what they are in the end result,” Littlepage said.

While the decision to keep or not keep Gillen will be Littlepage’s call, he said fans and media should not expect any public show either way.

“There might not be any sort of need to have an announcement made. Who knows? I will continue to work very hard with Pete and with the coaches and the team to a degree to help with their efforts,” Littlepage said. “I will show that support. I want this team and this coach to be successful.

“Winning gets us to the next game, to the next week, to the next phase of the season and helps us all feel that some of the work that has gone into the season in terms of game preparation, development of players and the program overall ... that some of that hard work has yielded a benefit.”

Clearly, the decision will be upon the athletic director to make.

“I think primarily it is a decision of an AD, with consultation and the advisement of the president of the university,” Littlepage said. “I would feel compelled to share my observations and seek observations and advice from John Casteen, particularly if he felt he needed to weigh in heavily on this or any other personnel decision.”

However, Littlepage emphasized that he feels comfortable that he can be objective in making the decision. Having been a long-time assistant and head basketball coach, having experienced success and the sting of being fired in a losing situation, supplies the Virginia athletic chief with more real experience than many of today’s college athletic directors.

“We all need to take a step back and see how difficult, particularly in a conference like this ... in a year where it is so balanced, it really is,” Littlepage said. “We’re talking about guys in terms of coaching staffs, who are people with emotions of their owns, with their livelihoods, with families. So, there are many things involved.

“Yeah, it’s difficult, but we all get into [athletics] understanding the stakes are pretty high,” Littlepage said.

In Virginia’s case, the stakes are enormous in terms of several factors: financially (seven years remain on a contract worth approximately $700,000 annually in salary that doesn’t include non-cash compensation); support (can UVa fill a new arena down the road with a crippled program and will donors renege on promised money if they don’t like the way things are going?); and reputation (breaking precedent by firing a coach with five straight winning seasons).

Under any of the aforementioned scenarios, becoming the Stanford of the East is a pricey proposition.
 

Let's make a deal
2004-05 schedule will be tougher
By DOUG DOUGHTY
Exclusive to roanoke.com by 5 p.m. Thursdays

Let's say that Pete Gillen desperately wants to return as Virginia men's basketball coach in 2004-2005 but athletic department officials aren't sure they want him back.

How about a deal?

It's happened before.

At the close of a 1981 football season in which the Cavaliers were 1-10, then-athletic director Dick Schultz came to football coach Dick Bestwick with an offer.

Bestwick had three years remaining on a five-year pact he had signed after a 6-5 season in 1979. After the Cavaliers had lost 13 of 14 games, including the final three games of the 1980 season, Schultz met with Bestwick on the eve of the 1981 regular-season finale against Maryland.

Bestwick had the option of resigning, in which case he would be paid for the final three years on his contract, or he could return in 1982. However, if he returned in 1982 and did not win six games, he would resign and be paid for only one of the final two years on his contract.

Bestwick decided to walk, which was probably a good thing, considering the Cavaliers went 2-9 in 1982.

To get some idea of how the money in college athletics has changed, Schultz used the word "ridiculous" when asked about reports that Bestwick's buyout would come to $360,000.

"His contract is such that the terms of a settlement are all spelled out,” Schultz said. "I'm sure that when the lawyers get together, they'll see that it's all in black and white."

FROM ALL INDICATIONS, there is no buyout provision in the 10-year, $900,000-per year contract that Gillen signed prior to the 2000-2001 season. So, if UVa were to buy out the final seven years of his contract, it would come at a cost of $6.3 million.

Renegotiation is a way of life in professional sports, so why not in college?

If the decision were made today, I think there is a good chance that UVa would keep Gillen, based on three victories in the last four games, including two over teams ranked among the country's top 15. Plus, the Cavaliers already have clinched a winning record, and I don't know if UVa has ever fired a coach with a winning record.

With every win, Gillen's future looks brighter and brighter, but look at what's coming up: Wake Forest at home, Maryland on the road, then the ACC Tournament. I actually think that Virginia would be best-served by a berth in the ACC's "play-in" game. Chances of a third victory over Clemson would be better than a first victory over N.C. State in a battle of No. 2 and 7 seeds.

Virginia could win a couple of games in the NIT, but what does it do with Gillen?

Depending on who is in a position of strength at that point, Virginia could guarantee Gillen a seventh season in 2004-2005, but only if he agrees to have a buyout clause put in his contract, say $1 million if Virginia makes a change prior to the end of his contract.

That way, Gillen would make $1.9 million -- his 2004-2005 salary, plus the buyout. Of course, if Virginia chose to terminate him at this point, he would get $6.3 million (we think), which would mean he would be leaving $4.4 million on the table.

There's no way Gillen's agent or lawyers would agree to that, but how badly does he want to keep his job?

IF GILLEN'S RECRUITING class is as good as he thinks, the Cavaliers could show the kind of improvement in 2004-2005 that would make him the choice to lead UVa into its new arena, but the schedule will provide some potential hurdles.

This year, Virginia had non-conference home games with Iowa State, Providence and Minnesota, with Minnesota the opponent in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge. Next year, the Cavaliers must go to Iowa State and Providence, in addition to the road game they will play against a Big Ten team.

UVa is 10-1 against non-conference opposition this year, but still finds itself in a bind because of a 5-9 ACC record (up from 2-8). If Virginia were to lose three non-conference games next year, they could go 9-7 in the conference (highly unlikely) and still have double-digit losses.

Recruit Sean Singletary could represent a major upgrade at point guard, but where is the rebounding going to come from? UVa is at the bottom of the ACC in rebounding this year and, while recruit Tunji Soroye has potential as a shot-blocker and defender, he is not yet a proven rebounder.

It might help if Gillen would consent at least to review his philosophy for calling timeouts, which have become a standing joke in the ACC. At least three of his timeouts Tuesday were suspect. The first, with 12:41 remaining in the first half, with a TV timeout to follow as soon 41 seconds later. When he called the second, with 7:58 left in the first half, a timeout was coming on the next dead ball. That was also the situation when he called his fourth with 7:49 left in the game.

Gillen says he likes to call timeouts to change momentum, but the first came after the teams had traded baskets and with Carolina up 13-12. All too often, Gillen's first timeout coincides with an early substitution and an apparent concern that a lineup change might create some confusion.

That's a legitimate concern, but there simply aren't enough timeouts -- even TV timeouts -- to call a timeout whenever the lineup changes.

SOME READERS MAY have read too much into quotes from Craig Littlepage earlier this week. At the end of a phone interview, even Littlepage said, "Dancing, aren’t I?"

I've heard it said that Littlepage could have been more supportive of Gillen, but Littlepage's tone was not pessimistic. "I don't think anyone's pulling against him," Littlepage said at one point.

When Littlepage said that money would not be an issue, I think he may have been covering himself to some degree. If money were an issue, it would not speak well of the person or persons who failed to put a buyout in the original contract.

I still wonder if Virginia would fire a coach with a winning record, but this is a high-stakes era for the Cavaliers, who have done well in fund-raising for the new arena but still have a long way to go.

Littlepage will seek input from people he trusts before making a decision, but I still wonder where president John Casteen figures in all of this. Judging from his position on the ACC expansion issue, it's safe to say he has a history of surprises.

ON A PARTING NOTE, let me ask, with all the scrutiny being given to Gillen, does Virginia overlook developments in its women’s basketball program, the other principal occupant of the new arena?

The women have lost four in a row to drop to 12-14 and, at 5-9 going into a Thursday night home game with Wake Forest, have the same ACC record as the men.

I'm told you can't compare men's and women's basketball and, besides, UVa women's basketball coach Debbie Ryan has taken the Cavaliers to the NCAA Tournament for 23 straight seasons. With that kind of record, an occasional off year is understandable.

Women's basketball can't make as much money as men's basketball, but it's still a high-budget item, with Ryan receiving a base salary comparable to Gillen's. I don't say to throw Ryan "under the bus" or "into the river," to use Gillen's new favorite expression, but is it fair to hold him to a different standard?

Just asking.
 

Tar Heels, Cavs coaches having trying seasons
BOB LIPPER
POINT OF VIEW: Feb 27, 2004

In honor of Todd Billet (who keeps calling 3-ball in the side pocket and keeps draining that sucker), three ACC hoops storylines . . .

1. Ol' Roy.

There was one undersiege coach on display Tuesday night in Charlottesville. His name wasn't Roy Williams. Pete Gillen has been barbecued for not paying dividends on his $900,000-per-annum package. Ol' Roy has a $1.6 million deal that's coated in Teflon. I don't want to say he's stealing money from North Carolina. But it's not as if he's delivering much bang for the buck, either.

This wasn't the plan when Williams was beckoned home from the prairie. Ol' Roy was supposed to rescue the family farm in Chapel Hill. Ol' Roy would shape up those prima donnas who rebelled against Matt the Hun. Ol' Roy would challenge Coach K's grip on the ACC. Ol' Roy would cure all ills and get the ball rolling toward nirvana.

So now look. UNC is 6-7 in the league. It hasn't won three consecutive games since Dec. 14. It lost at Clemson, where Duke won by three touchdowns. It blew a 24-point lead at Florida State. The Tar Heels are fine as long as they can run their stuff on offense. But asking them to play defense, hustle for loose balls and crash the boards is like asking Donald Trump to do the dishes.

They allowed Duke's Chris Duhon to beat them with a coast-to-coast layup. Tuesday, Raymond Felton and Sean May executed a clumsy pas de doo-doo on a high screen, leaving Billet momentarily uncovered to nail the winning shot.

Ol' Roy is a certifiably terrific coach and he's likely to do just fine, but he'll win no plaques for his work with this passionless bunch. He's vented all season about his players' lack of grit, but at some point, isn't the coach part of the equation? Postcoronation, Williams told anyone who'd listen that "Ol' Roy just ain't that good." Nobody paid attention then.

2. Sunday greedball.

Confirming it will leave no revenue window unopened, the ACC brokered a 10-year deal for Sunday TV three seasons ago. The vertical button on the remote is officially out of control. The ACC this season will stage 15 league matchups on Saturday afternoons and 17 on Sundays - 12 of them at night.

Inconvenience to ticket-holders? Skewed workload for players who could use a weekend day off for R&R and maybe to even crack a textbook or two? Fuggedaboutit. Money talks. Loudly.

On Jan. 17, after a Cameron Crazies win over Wake Forest, Mike Krzyzewski lamented the fact it was Duke's last Saturday-afternoon home game of the season.

"As we're looking at the big picture, I wish we would just let everybody see this game, let everyone hear this crowd, because wouldn't it be great to replicate that on Saturday afternoons throughout the conference?" he said. "That's what perpetuates a brand."

Sorry, tradition matters little to ACC power brokers nowadays. Otherwise, they wouldn't have diluted the product by luring Miami and Virginia Tech football and sentencing round-robin basketball to the dustbin. So get used to Sunday businessball, which has seven more years to run. Just like the contract of . . .

3. Gillen.

Billet may have saved his bacon. There's no other way to look at it. Without Billet sinking three game-winning shots the past two weeks, Virginia is 12-13, and Gillen's tenure probably is on the clock. Now, although nothing is certain, it's tough to believe AD Craig Littlepage will pull the plug on a coach who's about to go postseason - albeit likely the NIT again - for the fifth consecutive year.

Give Gillen and his squad credit. At a time when the Cavs could've mailed in the rest of the season, they regrouped, upset two ranked teams at home and stole a win at Clemson. They remain a wobbly and flawed product. But they're hustling and playing with some conviction, and they deserve a reward or three for their efforts.

Recently, Gillen touted his next recruiting class and predicted better days ahead for the Cavs and for him "if they don't throw me in the river."

That long wooden thing in his hands?

It's the paddle Billet tossed him.

 

U.VA. NOTES
Richmond Times-Dispatch Feb 26, 2004

BUBBLE BOUND? Asked Monday about his basketball team's closing regular-season stretch, Virginia coach Pete Gillen said, "We've got three big challenges. . . . Let's just go day by day and see what happens."

So far, so good for U.Va, which stunned 12th-ranked North Carolina 74-72 at University Hall on Tuesday night. Virginia, which upset then-No. 14 Georgia Tech on Feb. 14, now shifts its focus to 11th-ranked Wake Forest, which visits U-Hall on Tuesday night.

That will be the final regular-season home game for fifth-year seniors Majestic Mapp and Todd Billet.

The Cavaliers (5-9, 15-10) close the regular season March 7 at Maryland (5-8, 14-10), and a win in College Park might lift them out of the ACC tournament's play-in game.

Virginia is likely headed to the NIT for the third straight season. Still, the Cavaliers have won three of their past four games, and if they were to beat Wake and Maryland and win at least once in the ACC tourney, they'd merit consideration for an at-large bid to the NCAAs.

To reach that point, though, Virginia will have to break a bad habit. During Gillen's tenture, the Cavaliers are 3-14 in March and never have won an ACC tournament game.

FAMILIAR TERRITORY: Its victory over UNC assured Virginia of finishing with a winning record for the fourth time in Gillen's six seasons. The Cavaliers, who were 16-16 in 2002-03,

have finished below .500 only once under Gillen, in his first season.

Virginia, with only six healthy scholarship players, went 4-12 in the ACC and 14-16 overall in 1998-99.

Gillen's record at U.Va. is 40-54 in ACC games and 101-75 overall.

STILL FIGHTING: Freshman swingman Gary Forbes, who scored 21 points in his college debut, has struggled at times recently. But he was on the court in the final moments against UNC and finished with solid numbers: seven points, five rebounds, one steal, one blocked shot and three turnovers in 23 minutes.

"Gary plays with a lot of energy," Gillen said. "He's aggressive. Something happens [when Forbes plays]. It's not always good, but something's going to happen. He's going to knock the maintenance man over, hit the concession lady, he's going to do something. He's young, but he's a gutty kid. He wasn't afraid of guarding [UNC star Rashad] McCants in the end, in the last four or five minutes."

FACES IN THE CROWD: Among those spotted at U-Hall on Tuesday night were former U.Va. basketball players Curtis Staples, Lance Blanks, Jason Rogers, Billy Langloh and Bryant Stith, NASCAR driver Hermie Sadler, Pro Football Hall of Famer Howie Long and best-selling authors Pat Conroy and John Grisham. Conroy's latest book, "My Losing Season," chronicles his senior season as point guard at The Citadel.

DYNASTY IN THE MAKING: The ACC men's swimming and diving championships are under way in Charlottesville, and eighth-ranked Virginia is heavily favored to win a sixth straight title.

If coach Mark Bernardino's Cavaliers succeed, they'll set a school record for consecutive ACC titles. Virginia also won five straight in men's soccer (1991-95) and women's outdoor track (1983-87).

The U.Va. women's swimming and diving team, also coached by Bernardino, captured its second consecutive ACC title last weekend in Charlottesville.

The ACC meet runs through Saturday night at U.Va.'s Aquatic and Fitness Center. Finals start each day at 7 p.m. Preliminaries begin today, tomorrow and Saturday at 11 a.m. There is no admission charge.

TOP HONORS: Virginia's Dom Starsia last week received the J. Roy Rodman Memorial Award as the state's outstanding college coach for 2002-03. The Norfolk Sports Club presents the award annually. Starsia led the Cavaliers to last year's NCAA men's lacrosse title and was named ACC coach of the year for the sixth time. U.Va. has won two NCAA championships under Starsia.

Cavaliers football coach Al Groh received the Rodman Award for 2002-03.

ON THE ROAD: Groh's first game as Virginia's coach was a 26-17 loss at Wisconsin in the 2001 Eddie Robinson Classic. Groh and his staff went back in Madison this week to study the Badgers' system. Groh has long admired the coaching of Wisconsin's Barry Alvarez.

ROOM TO GROW: Alex Field, Virginia's latest football commitment, stands 6-6 and weighs 248 pounds. Between now and the summer of 2005, when Field intends to enroll at U.Va., expect to find the junior from Broad Run High in the weight room much of the time.

"I don't want to get to be a big, fat guy," Field said, "but if I can gain 10, 15 pounds of muscle by the time I get to U.Va., that's what I'm looking to do."

Field, 17, is a second cousin of Jeff Uhlenhake, a former Washington Redskins center. Corwin Brown began recruiting Field for U.Va. After Brown left to join the New York Jets' staff, defensive line coach Mike London took over as Field's main recruiter. - Jeff White