U.VA. NOTES
Richmond Times-Dispatch
Feb 25, 2005

COMING ATTRACTION: Two of Virginia's basketball recruits for 2005-06 will play in the Commonwealth Classic on April 1 at the Siegel Center.

This all-star game will match a national team against a squad made up of players who attend Virginia high schools or who will play college ball in this state. The Virginia all-stars will include U.Va. recruits Mamadi Diane, a 6-5 swingman from DeMatha High in Hyattsville, Md., and Laurynas Mikalauskas, a 6-8 forward from Blue Ridge School near Charlottesville.

Their teammates will include Virginia Tech recruit Terrance Vinson, a 6-9 forward from Valdosta, Ga.

Tickets for the Commonwealth Classic and its preliminary game, the Old Dominion Challenge, will go on sale Tuesday at the Siegel Center box office. The Old Dominion Challenge features all-stars from the Richmond area against players from the rest of the state. Call (804) 828-7267 for ticket information.

PLAN B: Pete Gillen's basketball team entered the season with the goal of making the NCAA tournament, and after the Cavaliers whipped Arizona and Richmond in November, that looked realistic. With little more than a week left in the regular season, however, U.Va. (13-11) isn't even assured a spot in the NIT.

To ensure they get invited to the NIT for the fifth time in Gillen's seven seasons as their coach, the Cavs probably must win at least one of their three remaining regular-season games and at least one game in the ACC tournament. Virginia, 4-9 in the ACC, plays Sunday at Wake Forest (10-3, 23-4).

BACK TO SQUARE ONE: Virginia's next two men's lacrosse games, originally scheduled to be played at the University Hall Turf Field, were moved to Klockner Stadium, the school announced this week. Because of yesterday's snowfall, however, the first of those games has been moved back to the turf field.

U.Va. (1-0) entertains Manhattan tomorrow at 1 p.m., then plays host to Denver on Monday at 3 p.m. A decision on the site for Monday's game could come today.

A season ago, about 24 hours after the Cavaliers lost to Air Force in Colorado, they suffered another stunning defeat, falling 9-7 to Denver. Virginia, NCAA champions in 2003, finished 5-8 in'04.

"I think it's more than just another game," U.Va. coach Dom Starsia said of the rematch with Denver. "We feel like we obviously didn't show them the type of team we are. I don't think I'll have trouble getting [players'] attention for Monday's game."

Redshirt freshman Bud Petit is expected to start at goalie tomorrow, Starsia said, and sophomore Kip Turner will play the second half. Tomorrow's game also will mark the 2005 debut of star attackman John Christmas, whom Starsia suspended for last weekend's opener against Drexel.

PARALLELS: Heath Miller came to U.Va. from a Group A high school, Honaker, and became an All-America tight end. The Cavaliers are hoping John Phillips follows a similar path.

Phillips, who signed with Virginia this month, is a senior at Bath County High, where he was a two-time all-Group A selection at tight end. He finished his high school career with 87 catches for 1,513 yards and 15 touchdowns.

"They are somewhat similar in their body types," U.Va. coach Al Groh said of Miller and Phillips. "They're similar in that they're both very proficient three-sport players. They're similar in that they're both good academic students coming in here . . . quiet and purposeful."

CLEARED: Former Cavaliers quarterback Matt Schaub was acquitted in Charlottesville last week of assaulting a U.Va. student who had taunted him in November. Schaub recently completed his rookie season with the Atlanta Falcons.

ATHLETE FOR ALL SEASONS: Football recruit Jason Fuller recently won the Eastern Region wrestling title as a heavyweight, despite weighing about 230 pounds. Heavyweights may weigh as much as 275.

"He's got a motor that doesn't stop," said Jeff McGowan, Fuller's football coach at Kempsville High in Virginia Beach.

Fuller, who stands 6-5, placed second in Group AAA at 215 pounds last year. This year's state meet begins today at Oscar Smith High in Chesapeake.

"He's getting stronger as the year goes on," McGowan said. "He's starting to understand what you can and can't do as a heavyweight."

In the spring, McGowan said, Fuller will run the 200 meters and throw the discus and shot put in track and field. At U.Va., Fuller might play outside linebacker.

CONTINUING EDUCATION: Twenty-nine athletes from ACC schools have been awarded postgraduate scholarships, including four from U.Va.: swimmers Luke Anderson and Bo Greenwood (Goochland High) and women's soccer standouts Gillian Hatch and Jessica Trainor. Each will receive $5,000 for their graduate education. - Jeff White

U.Va.'s Gorham packing on pounds and keeping an eye on strength
BY JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER
Feb 25, 2005

When Chris Gorham enrolled at the University of Virginia last summer, he weighed about 165 pounds. At 6-0, Gorham had excellent height for a cornerback, and he ran well, but the weight room was not a place with which he was well-acquainted.

"He was weak coming in," U.Va. strength coach Evan Marcus recalled.

Which is not uncommon for defensive backs, Marcus said. Many were told growing up that bulking up would slow them down.

"A lot of times, the farther away from the ball they are on the field, the farther away from the weight room they want to be," Marcus said. "They have to realize that, with the added muscle, you're going to be faster."

At Pottstown (Pa.) High, Gorham lifted weights periodically, "but not consistently like I should have," he said. "There was always something going on in high school, other sports and things like that."

Gorham, who hopes to go to medical school, has put on about 15 pounds since arriving at U.Va., and he expects to add more. His coaches would be delighted if he's up to 188 or 190 by the start of training camp in August.

"I'm sure they'll take as much as I can gain, as long as I maintain my speed," Gorham said.

Exactly, Marcus said. "I'd like him as heavy as possible where he's still athletic. Everything will be measured by how well he moves . . . It's about strength and speed. As big as we can get him and as strong as we can get him, where he still has all those attributes of a good defensive back."

As a true freshman last year, Gorham appeared in four games. He quickly realized that speed and athleticism weren't all he needed to thrive in Division I-A. His primary goals this offseason: to gain size and strength.

"In high school," Gorham said, "you can get away with [sheer athletic ability] more than now."

He bench-presses 250 pounds, a figure he'd like to increase to 285 by next season. He's also hoping to lower his time in the 40-yard dash from 4.5 to 4.4 seconds.

"He's a kid that's willing to work," Marcus said. "He just lacks strength."

Irish tennis coach, a Richmond native, likes U.Va.'s team
BY JOHN PACKETT
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER
Feb 25, 2005

The University of Virginia men's team reached the final of the National Indoor Tennis Championships last weekend in Chicago, knocking off perennial powers UCLA and Stanford along the way.

The Cavaliers' showing may have shocked some people but it didn't surprise Notre Dame coach Bob Bayliss.

"I think they're a top-five team," said Bayliss. "I really do. They've got some of the best college players in the country. They're really, really good. They could, on the right day, beat anybody in the country."

Bayliss will find out exactly how good the second-ranked Cavaliers (9-1) are on Sunday when the Richmond native brings his 24th-ranked Irish (10-2) to the Country Club of Virginia for a dual match starting at 1 p.m.

Coming off the school's first ACC championship last year, U.Va. coach Brian Boland added a pair of talented freshmen to the lineup. Somdev Devvarman of India is playing No.3 singles, and Treat Huey of Alexandria is No.5. The duo combines at the No. 2 doubles spot.

Those two joined an already excellent group, which included three Californians - No.1 Doug Stewart, No.2 Rylan Rizza and No.6 Darrin Cohen - and Marko Miklo of Slovakia (No.4). Five of the six are ranked in the top 100 nationally.

Now in his fourth season in charge of the program, Boland has set his sights on winning the NCAA title, and the runner-up finish in Chicago - the Cavaliers lost to No.1 Baylor 4-1 - proves U.Va. is a contender in 2005.

"That's something that's been our goal for a long time," Boland said. "To put the program in contention to compete for a national championship each and every year. I believe we're a very good team, but we need to continue to improve and not get caught up in things we can't control. That's what we're trying to do right now."

Bayliss knows what it's like to have a team contending for the NCAA crown. The University of Richmond graduate led the Irish to the title match in 1992. His Notre Dame teams have made the NCAA tournament 13 times in the past 14 years, and his squads have finished in the top 20 nine times in that span. Now in his 18th year in South Bend, Ind., Bayliss has a 319-151 record.

Including stints at Navy and MIT, Bayliss has an overall mark of 601-245 in 36 years, a winning percentage of .710, third best among active Division I coaches.

"It's been fun," said Bayliss, who led Thomas Jefferson High to a state title before going to Navy.

"I remember getting a call from the athletic director at the Naval Academy the day before I was going on my honeymoon. He said, 'This is Captain J.O. Coppedge at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, and I want to talk to you and see if you'd be interested in becoming our tennis coach.' I was floored. The thought of being a college coach had never entered my mind.

"I said, 'You mean the varsity team?' And he started laughing. I figure I cost myself $5,000. But my wife, Pat, and I went up there, fell in love with Annapolis and thought it would be a neat place to go for a couple of years. Fifteen years later, I was still there. I guess this is what I seem to have been destined to do. I have never looked back and I never felt like I had to go to work."

 

Big things expected from Phillips
Replay news hits home
By Doug Doughty
THE ROANOKE TIMES

When I saw recently that Bath County senior John Phillips had scored 32 points and grabbed 25 rebounds in a basketball game, it reinforced my thinking that Phillips might be one of Virginia’s most underrated football recruits.

UVa coach Al Groh feels the same way.

“Wow! Thirty-two and 25!” Groh said. “Since his junior year, which was curtailed early, we’ve all been very upbeat around here. He’s just going to fit right into this mold.”

The reference was to the notion that UVa has become a haven for tight ends, including 2004 Mackey Award winner Heath Miller and returnees Jon Stupar and Tom Santi.

“Around here, he’s [Phillips] seen as one of the top ‘gets’ in the class,’ ” Groh said.

Groh “can see” where Phillips might have been underrated, considering that he committed in April and had played for a Group A program that had not previously produced a Division I-A signee.

“He would have had to come down to the midnight hour for anybody other than local people to wonder, ‘What’s going on up there with John Phillips?’ ” Groh said. “ I think his ability to grow into something is really substantial.

“He’s very competitive. He’s big (6-6, 235). He’s raw-boned. He’s tough. What I said about all those guys [Phillips and fellow tight ends Alex Field, Aaron Clark, Jason Fuller and Antonio Appleby] wasn’t just something to keep the interview going.

“They played offense, they played defense, they have a second sport that they’re very good at, they’re on winning teams.”

Miller and redshirt running back Cedric Peerman from William Campbell were the only UVa scholarship players last year who came out of Group A programs. Miller was the Group A state player of the year in 2000 as a quarterback at Honaker High School but was rated only the No. 14 prospect in the state by The Roanoke Times.

Fellow UVa signee and tight end Patrick Estes was fifth on that list, wide receiver Ottowa Anderson was 10th and linebacker-turned-defensive lineman Melvin Massey was 13th. (Miller’s fellow All-American, Elton Brown, was 18th).

Other than the fact that Phillips is likely to play a position in college that he did in high school, there are plenty of similarities between Phillips and Miller, now 6-5 and 255 pounds but smaller than Phillips coming out of high school.

“They’re also similar in the very professional manner they go about their business,” Groh said.

GROH HASN’T HAD much to say about the ACC’s decision to experiment with instant replay in football next year, but it’s hard to find a Virginia game in which replay would have been as great a factor as in the Cavaliers’ 37-34 overtime loss to Fresno State in the MPC Computers Bowl.

It is widely conceded that Fresno State wide receiver Jaron Fairman stepped out of the end zone on the fourth-and-goal touchdown reception that enabled the Bulldogs to send the game into overtime and “definitely ran out on his own,” Groh said. “Plus, there were two other plays that were clearly factors in the game.”

Groh was referring to a second-quarter pass from Hagans to Alvin Pearman on which Pearman was ruled out of bounds before catching the ball at the 6-yard line. At the end of the third quarter, UVa cornerback Tony Franklin was ruled out of bounds on a would-be interception in Cavaliers’ territory.

Pearman was “clearly in bounds when he caught the ball,” Groh said. “If all we do is fall down on the next three plays, we probably kick a field goal. [Franklin] clearly intercepted the ball, after which they scored seven points. There’s a 10-point swing that instant replay would have changed.”

According to the model employed by the Big Ten, the coaches are not allowed to challenge a call. All replays are called by an official in the press box. It’s not like the NFL, where, if the UVa assistants had seen a replay in the box, they could have alerted Groh to make a challenge.

“Correct,” Groh said. “In the [coaches’] meetings that went on in Louisville, there was discussion about giving the coaches some input, but, when you look at the television copy from that [Fresno State] game, you can see a lot more than we can even see in the coaches’ copy.”

AN EDUCATED GUESS on the medical issue afflicting offensive guard Ron Darden is that he had recurring headaches, or something of that nature, but it is his hope to return. Darden, a sophomore, was listed with the first team at the start of preseason drills in August.

“He has medical conditions that caused him not to participate and leaves his [future] participation in question,” Groh said. “He hasn’t done anything wrong and he’d like to play but, in reviewing his situation at lots of different medical facilities, nobody’s been able to get a handle on it.

“He’s a real good student, he’s a good kid, he works hard, he’s by here periodically. He’s doing a little bit more, saying, ‘Coach, if I can do this, I really want to come back.’ It seemed like the compassionate thing to say, ‘Don’t worry about it. Just get your circumstances taken care of.’ ”

Groh said he would not be opposed to looking at star recruit Eugene Monroe at guard, then take stock at the end of the 2005 season.

Rotation of guards aids Virginia defense
Point guards Singletary, Reynolds, Bannister run Cavalier offense, defense as they prepare to face Wake Forest's trio of Paul, Downey, Gray
Mike Speight, Cavalier Daily Staff Writer

After a week without playing a game, the Cavaliers should be well-rested for this weekend's matchup against the No. 6 Demon Deacons of Wake Forest.

The first meeting this season between Virginia and Wake was a 19-point win for the Deacons, who easily controlled both phases of the game through the stellar play of sophomore sensation Chris Paul.

Since their last meeting, Wake has been very consistent, remaining at the top of the ACC throughout the season. Virginia, on the other hand, has continued to float at the bottom of the conference. So after failing to close out against Maryland -- a middle of the pack team -- last weekend, it may seem as if there is no hope for the Cavs as they travel down to Winston-Salem this weekend.

But behind every cloud there is a silver lining, and that silver lining is shining brightly on sophomore guard T.J. Bannister. At the start of the season, Bannister was forced to keep Hank Nacey company on the bench, as the Virginia faithful fell in love with freshman phenom Sean Singletary.

But after a couple of losing months, Virginia coach Pete Gillen decided to make a switch to a three-guard offense to capitalize on Virginia's quickness. Thus, the rejuvenated Bannister was thrust back into the starting lineup, and since then, Virginia has played alarmingly more consistent defense, keeping many games close until the end.

"We were trying to play the three-point line, but we couldn't do it, to Virginia's credit," Maryland coach Gary Williams said.

Bannister had his best game of the year against Maryland, dishing out seven assists and playing tenacious defense the entire game.

"That's what Coach Gillen wants us to do -- he wants us to play good defense and play hard the whole game," Bannister said. "That's what I try to do and give him whatever I can on offense. I can score, but basically, I have a lot of scorers around me, so I get them involved and just play hard defense like Coach Gillen wants me to."

With Bannister in the starting lineup, Virginia can minimize turnovers by having another ballhandler on the floor with Singletary as well as add an element of quickness to an undersized defense.

"Sean and I love playing together, like we said in the beginning of this season," Bannister said. "We can get to the basket and dish it off to somebody else to hit the shot."

Virginia will need Bannister to play with the same consistency he has been playing with lately, especially in this weekend's game. Wake Forest features a talented trio of guards in Chris Paul, Taron Downey, and Justin Gray. However, up until last month, remaining consistent has not been easy for Bannister, who went from a five-assist effort in 37 minutes against Florida State to a six-turnover night in Chapel Hill earlier this month.

If the Cavaliers can play with as much consistency as they played with against Maryland last weekend, they could be in a position to win and possibly pull out a surprise upset on the national stage.

Class of 2005: A Disgrace Odyssey
Sean McLernon, Cavalier Daily Sports Columnist

Wednesday, November 8, 2000 was a good day for Virginia basketball coach Pete Gillen.

His team was rising in the polls and would eventually land a No. 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament. A few months later, he would sign a contract extension for 10 years that would pay him about $900,000 each season. To top it all off, he had just secured "the best recruiting class in the ACC," according to recruiting analyst Bob Gibbons.

That class of point guard Keith Jenifer, shooting guard Jermaine Harper forward Jason Clark and center Elton Brown would indeed be pivotal for the development of the program under Gillen. But instead of launching the Cavaliers to the top of the ACC and cementing Gillen's place among the coaching elite, the self-termed "Fab Four" plunged Virginia into a four-year slump and left their once-promising coach with only a fraction of the job security he enjoyed at the beginning of the decade.

The remnants of a class which came in with so much promise are about to end their basketball careers mired in disappointment. For the four players who entered the University in 2001, their time here could be defined as a Disgrace Odyssey.

Jenifer was notorious as much for his frequent marijuana use as for his tendency to turn the ball over. A speedy point guard who earned several starts during his first year, Jenifer never lived up to his potential. He was a streaky shooter and often found himself in foul trouble. Off the court, he was arrested for assault and battery midway through his sophomore season and was suspended from the team for the remainder of the year. He now is playing at Murray State, trying to break out of the shadow of his younger, more successful cousin Carmello Anthony.

Jenifer wasn't the only member of the class of 2005 to get himself into trouble off the court. Harper was arrested and charged with a DUI in November 2002. After sitting out the first few games of the season, Harper never managed to break through. Despite scoring 5.8 points per game during his freshman campaign, he managed only 3.9 ppg in his second season. Harper, too, left Virginia after the 2002-03 season and transferred to Cal State Fullerton.

Without two of their prized guards, the Cavaliers lacked experience in the backcourt entering the 2003-04 season. A natural shooting guard, Todd Billet was forced to play the point. Freshmen guards T.J. Bannister and J.R. Reynolds were thrown into the fire of ACC play with little experience under their belt. And as if the vacancies at the guard positions weren't enough, the Cavaliers were forced to fill another hole in their lineup when Clark failed to maintain his academic eligibility for the 2003 fall semester.

Clark had been a solid defensive presence in the paint for the Cavaliers in his first few seasons, and he was sorely missed during the opening games of the 2003-04 season. By the time he brought up his grades, returned to the court and got back into the swing of things, he helped the Cavaliers pull a string of late-season upsets that almost earned them an NCAA berth. And just when the momentum seemed to be carrying over to the 2004-05 season with an upset victory over Arizona and a top-25 ranking, Clark's grades for the 2004 fall semester came in. He would have to sit out his final semester because of his struggles in the classroom.

With Clark gone for the season, Brown would have to pick up the slack in the post for the Cavaliers. The 6-foot-9 center had always been known for his ability to score in the post and averaged almost 15 points a game last year. Defense has never been his strong point, however, and the absence of Clark magnified these flaws. After the Cavaliers allowed 208 points in a two-game stretch against North Carolina and Providence, Brown found himself riding the bench in favor of Jason Cain.

Brown has never been known for his hustle or his ability to come through in the clutch, and his struggles continued last weekend against Maryland when he shot 3-for-13 from the free throw line. Now there is a new facebook group titled "I want to play HORSE with Elton Brown."

In an interview with the Washington Post's John Feinstein last week, Gillen talked about the mistakes he has made in recruiting during his time at Virginia. Gillen was successful in the past with players who were rough around the edges, finding ways to mold them to the college environment. At Virginia though, this method just hasn't worked very well. Gillen admitted that he "took some kids here that weren't bad kids, but they were knuckleheads."

"Knucklehead" is a very Gillen-esque term, but it's also very appropriate for the kind of players who have graced the court at Virginia during his tenure.

Gillen has made some progress since his recruiting debacle four years ago. He has brought in such talent as Todd Billet, Devin Smith and Sean Singletary since that fateful class. But it certainly seems like it's too, little too late for Gillen. The Cavaliers seemed destined to head to the NIT for the fourth straight season. And with a new arena set to open in 2008 and a frustrated alumni base growing more and more uneasy, Gillen will likely not be around Charlottesville for too much longer.

It could have been different, but the failures of the Class of 2005 continue to haunt Gillen -- over four years after that fateful day in November 2000.

Cavs overcome jitters
Experience of players from 2003 championship season helps establish stability for early season jitters against Manhattan
Kyle O'Connor, Cavalier Daily Senior Writer

Virginia lacrosse coach Dom Starsia knows his players are tense. He knows what it feels like to put on a jersey early in the season and step from the safety of the practice field to the midfield line in front of hundreds of fans. He also knows that now is not the time to let those nerves take over.

"Some young players are tighter in games than scrimmages because they've never experienced that [kind of environment] before," Starsia said. "These games are more about the personality of your team than anything else, but you don't want to overlook their significance. All these games are important."

Though they may seem more like warm-ups before the heart of the schedule kicks in, Starsia has learned from experience what can happen if players take these early season games too lightly.

In 2004, the team came out flat, dropping four of their first five games to teams like Denver and Air Force. Though they eventually bounced back and reached the ACC title game, any loss of momentum early in the season can spell trouble.

"Last year, we didn't take care of business in early season games, and that hurt us later on," Starsia said.

Fortunately for Starsia, the team is coming off a dominant 16-7 win over Drexel -- a victory that helped alleviate some early season jitters.

Saturday, the team hopes to notch their second win in as many games against Manhattan College, a relatively unknown team from the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.

"We don't run across each other all the time, so we're going into this one a little bit blind," Starsia said. "It's one of those games where you tell the players the preparation is more about us than anything else. We'll try to bring some excitement and some energy that maybe we didn't have against Drexel."

Faced with the standard early-season dose of nerves and common mistakes, Starsia emphasized that he is not worried this soon in the schedule.

"I want us to be a little sharper, but you're not supposed to be perfect in February," he said.

Starsia did seem pleased with his talented crop of freshmen, a group he hopes will gain experience over the course of the year.

"We've got a terrific class," he said. "Three freshman middies are getting playing time, and there are a couple of injured guys in the class that we think are players. I see a bright future for all the guys in the freshman class."

One player making his notable debut Saturday will be attackman John Christmas. The senior, who was named a second-team All-American in Virginia's 2003 championship season, battled through injuries in 2004 and was eventually moved to midfield towards the end of the year.

"I'm pretty anxious to get back on the field again [against Manhattan]," Christmas said, "but we're going to treat the game like any other game."

Even though Manhattan might not be on par with some of Virginia's traditional rivals like Syracuse, Maryland and Johns Hopkins, Saturday's game is just what the team needs at this point in the season. With a group of freshmen seeing their first NCAA action, seniors returning from injury and a coach testing out the waters of a new season, the Cavaliers will take all the experience they can get.

Virginia battles ranked foes in march to No. 1
No. 2 Cavaliers take on Va. Tech, Notre Dame at home
Chris Insolera, Cavalier Daily Staff Writer

Few things ease the pain of a miserable winter and another disappointing men's basketball season better than a national championship in the spring.

Two years ago, it was the Virginia men's lacrosse team that tore through the NCAA tournament and finished atop the rankings. Last spring it was women's lacrosse that brought an NCAA title back to Grounds. And while both lacrosse teams and the baseball team seem capable of greatness this time around, it might be an unexpected group of Cavalier student-athletes that finishes the season No. 1 in May.

After a dominant performance at the National Team Indoor Championships last week in Chicago, the Virginia men's tennis team has climbed to No. 2 in the latest Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) team rankings, its highest ranking ever. Virginia entered the tournament ranked No. 9 but disposed of No. 7 Stanford, No. 2 UCLA and No. 6 Mississippi before falling to No. 1 Baylor in the finals.

Head coach Brian Boland said he was pleased with this team's performance but, as usual, stressed that there was plenty of work still to be done.

"[The No. 2 ranking] is a nice reward, but it's not something that we spend any time thinking about," Boland said. "It's too early in the season, and we still need to get better and work on improving. At the end of the year we want to be No. 1."

Virginia will continue its quest for the top ranking this weekend when it takes on No. 63 Virginia Tech today at 6:30 p.m. at the Boars Head Sports Club and No. 24 Notre Dame on Sunday at the Country Club of Virginia in Richmond at 1 p.m.

"Tech is always competitive as our in-state rival," Boland said. "They have a great deal of depth. And Notre Dame is going to be another good test for us."

The Cavaliers will be led into competition by five players ranked in singles by the ITA, the highest number in school history. While junior Doug Stewart tops the group with a No. 7 ranking, it is his strong supporting cast that makes the Cavaliers such a potent threat. Freshman Somdev Devvarman currently sits at No. 13 in the rankings, his highest ranking ever, and junior Darrin "the Laser" Cohen, in his first career appearance in the rankings, is No. 36. Junior Rylan Rizza is No. 38 for the Cavaliers and sophomore Marko Milko is No. 86.

Cohen, who was named ACC Player of the Week for his efforts in Chicago and picked up his nickname because of how flat and precise he hits the ball, echoed Boland's emphasis on appreciating the historic No. 2 ranking while at the same time remaining hungry.

"It's surreal now, but it's sweet," Cohen said. "We're taking it with a grain of salt. Our goal all along has been to win the national title."

Stewart, the team leader and No. 1 singles player, agreed with his doubles partner. Stewart's quiet confidence is a big reason why the Cavaliers and their fans have come to believe that Virginia might just have a chance to be the last team standing in College Station, Texas at the NCAA Championships in May.

"Ever since I got to college, I knew that I was capable of competing with the top guys," Stewart said. "And I was pretty sure when I got here that we would eventually be at the top of the rankings."

By beating the Irish and the Hokies this weekend, Stewart and the Cavaliers can take another crucial step towards reaching that goal.

For Cavaliers' Gillen, It's a Pressing Situation
By John Feinstein
Saturday, February 19, 2005; Page D05

CHARLOTTESVILLE

On a gorgeous Saturday afternoon in February, the University of Virginia celebrated 100 years of basketball. Graduates from 99-year-old William "Bus" Knight (Class of '29) to 24-year-old Todd Billet (Class of '04) were introduced at halftime. To top it off, the Cavaliers defeated arch rival Virginia Tech, 65-60, for their third straight ACC victory.

Almost 30 minutes after the game had ended, Virginia Coach Pete Gillen hardly looked like a man whose team had just come from eight points down in the second half to win a crucial game. He looked thin and hollow-eyed. Gone were the quips and self-deprecating wisecracks that have marked his 20 years as a successful college coach. During the postgame news conference, his answers were crisp and brief, followed by "next question." If there was any joy in the win, it hardly showed.

Coach Pete Gillen and the Virginia men's basketball team are trying to pick themselves up. "If they throw me in the river, they throw me in the river. . . . People at Virginia expect better. They deserve better. I understand that," says Gillen.

"I am a little bit beaten up, stressed out," he said a few minutes later, sitting in his office, one that most ACC assistants would think too small to work in. "This takes its toll over time. I still love what I'm doing. I love coaching these kids, but I know what people are saying. I know what's going on." He shrugged and smiled wanly. "If they throw me in the river, they throw me in the river. I can make excuses, but what would be the point? I knew what the deal was when I came here. People at Virginia expect better. They deserve better. I understand that."

Entering Saturday's home game against Maryland, Virginia's record stands at 13-10, 4-8 in the ACC. An 85-61 loss at North Carolina on Wednesday ended the winning streak that had brought a flicker of hope back to Virginia's season. When the Cavaliers dropped to 1-7 in ACC play two weeks ago, Gillen adopted a delay offense, ordering his players to kill 15 to 20 seconds on almost every possession. "I thought it helped our defense," he said. "When you slow things down, have fewer possessions, you aren't asked to do as much on defense."

Translation: We can't guard good players. In Year Seven of a coach's tenure, at a school that went to two Final Fours in the 1980s and the final eight as recently as 1995, that isn't a message anyone wants to hear.

Since the start of the season, it has been a given here that the Cavaliers must make the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2001 to save Gillen's job, even though he has six years remaining on the 10-year contract then-athletic director Terry Holland gave him after that trip to the tournament four years ago. At the time, the contract, outrageously long as it was, seemed to make some sense. Gillen had gone from 14-16 to 19-12 (and an NIT bid) to 20-9 in three seasons. He had recruited talented players, and there appeared to be no place to go but up. A year later, the Cavaliers were 14-3, ranked No. 8 in the country and had third-ranked Maryland down by nine with three minutes to go before a roaring crowd at University Hall. The Terrapins rallied to win the game, and Virginia was never the same, losing nine of its final 12 games to finish 17-12.

"That was devastating," Gillen said, remembering that loss. "It almost seems like we haven't recovered since that night. We made mistakes -- I made mistakes -- in recruiting. I always had success at Xavier and Providence with inner city kids, getting them to fit into the environment and improve themselves as people and players. I took some kids here who weren't bad kids, but they were knuckleheads. They did things you can't do at Virginia."

Judging by Gillen's more recent recruiting classes, he may have finally figured out the kind of kids who can succeed at Virginia. Sophomore guard J.R. Reynolds is a good player (though an inconsistent shooter) and a solid student. Freshman point guard Sean Singletary is not only an excellent young player, he reminds people of players who have succeeded off the court at Virginia in the past, such as Bryant Stith, Ralph Sampson and Gillen's predecessor, Jeff Jones. But it may be too late. The Cavaliers were 18-13 a year ago and missed the NCAA tournament. To have any chance of avoiding a fourth straight NIT, they almost certainly have to win three of their last four games: against Maryland, at Wake Forest, North Carolina State in the home finale and then at Florida State. Even that wouldn't guarantee a bid.

Holland is now at East Carolina; Craig Littlepage is the athletic director now. As you might expect, Littlepage is saying nothing about Gillen's future beyond the usual "we'll evaluate where we are after the season is over." From Gillen's point of view, it helps that Littlepage has been a coach, one who succeeded at Pennsylvania and then failed and was fired at Rutgers.

"It certainly allows me to empathize with what Pete is going through and to understand his frustrations," Littlepage said. "But in the end, Pete knows and I know that I have to decide what's best for the university."

It didn't help Gillen, on or off the court, when senior Jason Clark flunked out of school after the first semester. It didn't help when the Cavaliers stumbled to that 1-7 start in ACC play that included a 110-76 loss to North Carolina at home, a game in which the Tar Heels led 62-26 at halftime and led by 50. The tension in the building that day may have been summed up best by what happened when Littlepage took his friend's 9-year-old son to the locker room just before halftime because he had promised the boy the chance to see the locker room and take pictures.

"After the game a friend of mine told me that when people saw me going into the locker room they thought I was going in there to fire Pete," Littlepage said. "Obviously, nothing like that was going on, and that thought never crossed my mind. We were all hurting that day. I think everyone was embarrassed, including Pete."

Gillen admitted he was concerned that he might get fired last year and was relieved when, after a renegotiation of Gillen's buyout package, Littlepage told him he would wait to see how things went this winter. Now, Gillen is right back where he was a year ago.

"Some days I wear my T-shirt from Providence in '97 when we made it to the final eight to work just so I can remind myself that I've been a good coach," he said. "I don't think I've become a dummy or a bad coach the last couple of years. Sports is all about timing: right place, right time, right situation. Our timing the last few years just hasn't been very good."

All Gillen has to do to prove that point is look across the street from University Hall where John Paul Jones Arena is under construction, due to open in the fall of 2006. The building will seat 15,000 and have the kind of facilities that for years were a pipe dream at Virginia.

"I never bring a recruit in here," Gillen said, gesturing around his office. "I mean, one look at this and they'll think, 'This is the ACC?' The irony is, now we're getting ready to move into the Taj Mahal right over there."

Gillen knows he may never get a chance to show a recruit his office in the new building. Or the new locker room or weight room or any of the amenities that big-time programs now consider a necessity rather than a luxury. He has tried not to let the pressure get to him, tried not to let people see him sweat, but it has been difficult.

"My stomach has been upset a lot," he said. Then he smiled, a hint of the old humor returning. "Maybe I can do a Nexium commercial." He turned serious again. "Let's be honest about what this is: This is professional sports at the college level. You don't win, they fire you. I'm the boss. I need to do a better job. If not . . . "

He didn't finish the sentence. He didn't need to.