Guard not interested in bench marks
UVa freshman point guard Sean Singletary has been difficult to keep off the court, and has quietly matched Ralph Sampson with five ACC rookie of the week honors.
By Doug Doughty
981-3129
The Roanoke Times

CHARLOTTESVILLE - In his first 19 years as a Division I basketball coach, Pete Gillen was not accustomed to players checking themselves into a game.

In less than a month, it has happened twice with Virginia freshman point guard Sean Singletary. After twisting an ankle at the end of regulation Saturday against Maryland, Singletary didn't want to leave the floor for the start of overtime. When UVa quickly fell behind by seven, he stood up and made a move to the scorer's table.

"He was on the bench because of his ankle," Gillen said. "That's the reason we took him out. We put him back in because he said he could play and the trainer said he could play. He was begging to go back in the game."

In an earlier game and after a similar ankle injury at Virginia Tech, Singletary tried to put himself in the game but was stopped by Gillen, who led him back to the bench.

"I can't remember [a similar incident] and I've been coaching a long time," Gillen said earlier this week.

Yet, there was no defiance intended and none taken. That is the mark of the respect Singletary has commanded after three months in the UVa program.

The 6-foot point guard from Philadelphia was named ACC rookie of the week this week for the fifth time. Only one Virginia player, Bryant Stith, received the award six times. Ralph Sampson, a three-time national player of the year for the Cavaliers in the early 1980s, was a five-time ACC rookie of the week.

"I'm only aware of it because my mom calls to let me know about it," Singletary said. "I don't like reading about myself, but she looks for anything she can find."

The testimonials have been flowing lately as Singletary continues to make a case as the leading challenger to North Carolina's Marvin Williams as ACC rookie of the year. Singletary played 45 minutes Feb.19 against Maryland and had season highs of 23 points and nine assists, compared to one turnover, in a 92-89 double-overtime loss.

Singletary had 12 points in the first and second overtimes despite fouling out with 2:21 left.

"He played out of his mind today," said Maryland point guard John Gilchrist, a junior who was the most valuable player of the 2004 ACC Tournament. "We all knew that he was a great player, but when the game is on the line ... that's when it shows you a lot about a player.

"When your team needs you to win, especially as a point guard, you know you have to step up and do that. He really showed me a lot of heart and guts tonight."

Maryland coach Gary Williams, who thought Singletary was suffering from cramps, said he suspected Singletary had been faking the injury.

"All of a sudden, he's going 90 miles an hour and pulling up and making a jump shot," Williams said. "He can change directions with anybody and that's what makes him so tough."

The shot has been falling lately, with Singletary making at least one 3-pointer in Virginia's past 10 games. No other UVa player has hit 3-pointers in more than seven straight games this season.

"The main thing is my shoulder isn't bothering me as much," said Singletary, who earlier in the season wore a harness that kept his left shoulder strapped to his body.

Singletary has an ability to score that is reminiscent of one-time UVa point guard Cory Alexander, now with the Roanoke Dazzle of the NBDL, but his floor game is not to be devalued. Singletary reached the 100-assist mark in the Maryland game and has a better than 3-to-1 assist-turnover ratio (43-13) over the past nine games.

"I thought he was spectacular against Maryland and that was with a sprained ankle," Gillen said. "He's a real winner and he's a better young man than a player."

Unfortunately for Gillen, he might not have the opportunity to coach Singletary much longer. The Cavaliers are 13-11 and 4-9 in the ACC, with Gillen needing an NCAA tournament berth to ensure his return for an eighth season.

"It crushes you deep down inside," said Singletary of the losing that has been all too common after an 8-1 start, "but, it also ignites a flame."

Singletary's play and the late-season emergence of sophomore Gary Forbes have brightened Virginia's outlook, but Singletary doesn't want to hear it.

"I'm just thinking about these last three [regular-season] games," he said. "Winning now is all that matters."

Tech-Redicks flap could have been averted
'Cameron Crazies' challenged
By Doug Doughty
THE ROANOKE TIMES

Lost in all of the uproar over crowd control at the Feb. 17 men's basketball game between Duke and Virginia Tech is the connection between Hokies' head coach Seth Greenberg and the family of Duke star J.J. Redick.

Greenberg's oldest daughter, Paige, has been dating Redick's younger brother, David.

In fact, Greenberg spoke last Saturday morning with Ken Redick and I'm guessing, if the conversation had taken place Thursday night, a lot of the controversy might have been averted.

A lot of hard feelings were created and a lot of blame has been directed, much of it at me for pursuing the story and The Roanoke Times for placing the story on page A-1, but I'm guessing it will die down fairly quickly.

At least nobody got hurt physically, which was a wonder according to my accountant, frequent golfing partner and Hokies' alumnus and fan Clark Cole, who watched students tumble to the floor from their seats above one of the baskets.

Some readers have questioned why the UVa beat reporter would cover the Tech-Duke celebration story for The Roanoke Times, which certainly was not the plan. I had asked for a day off last Friday, so I could watch my 15-year-old swim in the Group AA swim meet.

I was driving down Interstate 81 when sports editor Michael Stowe called me on my cellphone, explained to me what news-side columnist Joe Kennedy had told him and said, "You know the Redicks."

Just one day earlier, I had done a story on J.J.'s season, but I didn't think I would get very far with Ken Redick. With that in mind and knowing that David Redick had a game that night, I immediately called Ken Redick from the car.

Not only did I get him at work, but he was willing to talk. For two minutes, I talked to him on the cellphone while taking notes and basically driving with my knees. With trucks whizzing by at 75 miles per hour, that's wasn't too safe, which eventually led me to pull off the road.

It is obvious now that Ken Redick was in a no-win situation. While I have heard from enough people to know that some of the exchanges in the area behind the Duke bench were downright ugly, I also know that the fans at Cameron Indoor Stadium -- the "Cameron Crazies" -- are far from angels.

Former Roanoke Times sports editor Bill Brill tried to tell me this Thursday that the Cameron Crazies have really cleaned up their act. Maybe so. But that's not the perception. While the Dookies think of themselves as really clever, the rest of the ACC thinks they're really obnoxious.

Many of the 50 or so e-mails I received this week contained links to photos, one of which showed the Redicks with a free aisle to their left, and questioned Ken Redick's contention that his group had been "land-locked." The truth is, the Redicks weren't trying to leave the arena; they wanted to get to the area outside the Duke locker room, where players generally meet with their parents.

Another photo that I have not yet uploaded is supposed to show Redick in a heated conversation with Weaver. Weaver himself has said that a Duke fan, who later was identified as Ken Redick, had gotten in his face.

Needless to say, Weaver was irritated, but his reaction to complaints about a lack of security -- "just like you provided coach [Greenberg] at Duke," he said -- did little to help matters. Weaver's accomplishment as Tech athletic director are numerous, but diplomacy is not his strong suit. Condoleeza Rice, he's not.

I'm guessing, if Weaver had known from the start that he was dealing with Ken Redick, that he might have reacted differently. Yet, it shouldn't have mattered who it was. Enjoy the moment and don't sweat the small stuff.

Weaver's veiled reference to Ken Redick as "a sore loser" was inappropriate. I've known Redick for six years and never found him to be a sore loser. He's always struck me as kind of a quiet guy, the sort who likes to stay out of the limelight, but he had to be upset that the Blue Devils lost and the crowd reaction set him off.

So, who's to blame? Clearly, some of the students went overboard. Frankly, I've never understand the notion of celebrating your own success by making others miserable. But, it happens, at Tech and elswehere. If 15-20 students fail to show class, that doesn't mean that all 9,000-10,000 Tech fans in the building are rude by association.

Did Ken Redick overreact? Probably. If he got in Weaver's face, a less strident approach might have worked better. And Weaver, if he had been a little less flippant, might have prevented a lot of the fallout.

I wasn't the person who made the decision to put the story on the front page of the newspaper, but times have changed. An e-mailer from Northern Virginia complained about the front-page coverage, which made me wonder, "How did he see the front page of the paper?"

He probably didn't. He probably saw a link to the story on techsidelines.com and then read posts from people complaining about the story "play." With so many people reading the paper online these days, I'm sure there would have been links to the story if it had gone on C-1 or C-2. So, instead of 50 e-mails, how many would I have gotten, 30?

To the readers who logged here on to read about UVa or recruiting, I'm sorry. Today, I'm leaving to watch another of my kids in another swim meet and, if you don't mind, I'll keep my cellphone turned off.

To David and Paige, have a good evening.

Online chat with Jerry Ratcliffe
February 25, 2005

How 'bout John Chaney as one of Knight's assistants?

David H. Bruns, Esq.
McLean

(ANSWER:)

How about John Chaney? Seriously, I have always had a lot of respect for Chaney. One of the best interviews I ever had was with Chaney during Temple's hay days at an NCAA Regional, I think at East Rutherford. The guy has a lot of class and has always thought of his kids first. It's hard to believe what has transpired with him over the past few days .... one of the last guys on the planet who I would have thought this would happen to.

I don't know what kind of relationship Knight and Chaney have, so I couldn't answer that question. I would imagine that if Chaney survives this incident and decides to keep coaching, he will be happy to retire at Temple. While I think Knight would be fun to watch in the ACC circles, I think the odds of him coming here are not good.

Jerry
Jerry,

Regarding the recently completed football recruiting season, Virginia gathered an unusually strong lead in gathering numerous verbal commitments from quality athletes, for one period of time having the strongest verbally committed class in the country. On signing day however, Virginia's class was respectable, but relatively lower-ranked, after several notable defections. To what would you ascribe the dropoff?

Regards,

Brendan Sherlock

(ANSWER:)

Brendan,

Great question. Virginia certainly bolted to a great start in gaining commitments last year. The energy sort of snowballed and gave the Cavaliers a high profile that they took advantage of as the process rolled along. In a way it helped, because some of the prospects saw what was going on and wanted to be part of a great recruiting class in the East. Some of them felt pressure to commit because there might not be any "room in the inn" if they delayed their process.

In a way, it also hurt because Virginia had all these commitments prior to the 2004 season, which meant they had to do two things to keep them: 1.) win; and 2.) fight off all the other schools who were going to keep coming after their commitments.

Recruitng can be a cut-throat business and there's no question in my mind that Virginia did a really good job to hold on to as many of the commitments as it did. You just don't know what other schools might do to steal a recruit.

We all knew early on in the process that because Virginia had jumped to the No. 1 class in the country, that it likely wouldn't last. The big boys traditionally start slow and gather recruiting steam and depend heavily on a big finish, ala Florida State, which has almost always jumped several pegs on the recruiting board in the final two days by signing very high profile prospects.

Had Virginia held on to Robinson and Gresham and maybe added one more highly respected recruit in addition to Mikell Simpson, down the home stretch, the Cavs would have likely finished Top 10, which is a heck of a job.

Losing Robinson, Gresham and another kid whose name escapes me at the moment, definitely took its toll on the ranking.

I have a strong suspicion that academics played a larger role than we know in some of the defections or the inability to land a couple of other prospects in the end.

I also believe that a couple of prospects may have been influenced late in the season by Virginia's shortcomings in the big games they played: Florida State, Miami, Virginia Tech. Rival recruiters thrive on "negative recruiting," and certainly used these losses as ammunition to convince some kids to go elsewhere.

That's my take.

Jerry

Hi Jerry,

In your opinion, what men's basketball coaches are on Craig Littlepage's short list to hire, in the (in my opinion) likely event that Pete Gillen is let go after the season? Thanks.

Brad Folger
Richmond

(ANSWER):

Brad,

I imagine you have heard the thousand rumors that I have: Mike Brey, Jeff Capel, Karl Hobbs, Randy Ayers, Mike Jarvis, Kevin Stallings, Rick Carlisle, Marc Iavaroni, Phil Jackson, Ralph Sampson, Tubby Smith, Rick Barnes, Bobby Knight .... on and on and on.

I can't pretend to know what Craig Littlepage is thinking. He keeps such knowledge close to his vest, which means we can only speculate. I certainly know that if I were Virginia's AD that my short list would be comprised of three names: Tubby Smith, Rick Barnes and Bobby Knight.

It is my firm belief that with a new, 15,000-seat, state-of-the-art arena and the task of taking Virginia basketball to the upper echelons (if Pete Gillen is released), that Virginia has to hit a home run with this hire. In a way, it is Littlepage's legacy. Make a great hire and you're solid and respected for life. Make a bad one and, heck, he could be history, as well. I think Craig is intelligent and knows what is at stake here.

Not only does the next hire, assuming there is one, have to be a great teacher, great X's and O's guy, great recruiter, but I think he has to be a NAME HIRE. A lot of the people on the list above don't excite me, so I doubt they would excite those who will have to pay $35,000 over five years for a lower bowl seat in JPJ. This guy is going to have to have drawing power, create a buzz, the kind of guy that if he is hired, say during Final Four week, it will steal the show. I can just hear Billy Packer saying, "Did you hear the news about who Virginia hired?" during a Final Four broadcast. "Certainly, he will be able to return Virginia to a serious contender for the ACC title."

Well, maybe it won't be during the Final Four, because the kind of guy Virginia might be after, might just be in the Final Four.

Tubby Smith is certainly the guy who I would go after with whatever it takes to get him, and I do mean whatever it takes. Money shouldn't be an obstacle. Barnes is that kind of guy, but I have heard he would rather go to Indiana or N.C. State if one of those jobs open up. I think Knight is gettable, but in some people's view his age (64) is working against him. However, I think he is a young 64 with lots of energy and delivers instant credibility. He is a discipliarian, he has high intergrity and graduates ALL of his players. He will break Dean Smith's all-time victories record and how nice would that be for Virginia fans to have a guy wearing an orange or blue sweater breaking the record?

Jerry
First, I love reading your articles.

Looking forward to football season and the years to come. I anticipate on how our QB situation will be after next season. We have a lot of depth with Olsen, McCabe, Deke, Hall, Sewell, and the possibility of some QB prospects we are going after such as Pat Devlin and Jeremy Ricker. Who do you see as stepping up after Hagans is gone? Also, what is your knowledge on the '07 prospect Matt Simms? Thanks for all your hard work covering UVa sports.

Kenny


(ANSWER):

Kenny,

Thank you for your kind words and your readership. It is always great to hear from our readers....well, most of the time.

That's a great question about the quarterbacks of the future. Obviously you know the UVa team well and follow recruiting very closely.

I think the 2006 QB race will come down to the guy who wins the backup job this coming season, likely McCabe or Olsen. I would guess that Al Groh is trying to build his program, at least the QB position, the way Bobby Bowden had it going at Florida State for years, where a guy works his way into a starting job by his junior season, or occasionally using a senior in the job when forced to.

Matt Schaub for instance, was pretty effective as a two-year starter. He had been in the system and developed his game. I think Hagans will have a better year as a senior, now that he's been around the block.

I have heard good thinks about Deke and I have seen Hall play. He is a phenomenal athlete. Still, he must prove himself on the college level as a QB. Certainly he has the skills and he must show everyone that his size isn't a detriment to getting the job done efficiently. I think he can. I don't know a lot about Sewell, other than he was a very solid kid in high school. I've heard good things about him as well.

Now, about Matt Simms, the son of Phil Simms. He just recently popped up on our radar screen thanks to Mike Farrell, who shares a lot of information with us. Mike, I believe, is as good as it gets in the recruiting analyst world and obviously Rivals and ESPN agree. I have heard that Simms really likes Virginia and I would think that Groh's relationship with Phil is probably strong, going back to their Super Bowl days with the New York Giants. I have also heard that the young Simms is planning on camping here this summer, which should give him a very close look at UVa and its program and vice versa.

Jerry

Mr. Ratcliffe,

Do you know how many McDonald's All-Americans have played for Virginia since that distinction was created? Thank you.

Scott P.
Washington, D.C.

(ANSWER:)

Dear Scott,

Yep, I can answer that one. The number is eight as best as I can remember.

Terry Holland signed three: Ralph Sampson, Jeff Lamp and John Crotty.

Jeff Jones signed four: Willie Dersch, Curtis Staples, Norman Nolan and Cory Alexander.

Pete Gillen has signed one: Majestic Mapp, who tragically suffered a series of knee injuries as you know.

How Bryant Stith didn't make that list I will never know. Sean Singletary was certainly deserving as well.

Thanks,

Jerry

Dear Mr. Ratcliffe,

Will there be divisions in basketball in the ACC next year? I had heard a rumor that there will NOT be divisions in basketball in the ACC because of the opposition of Coach K.

Finally, do you know if the "Olympic sports" in the ACC will follow a division format? What is your prediction on how well Boston College will do overall in athletics in the ACC?

Best wishes,

Gary

(ANSWER):

Gary,

There will not be divisions in basketball in the ACC. In fact, our terrific beat writer, Andrew Joyner, had a story in today's Progress that outlines the league's schedule rotation over the next three years. I do know that Coach Krzyzewski, who I have the utmost respect for, strongly opposed expansion because it would mean ending the round robin schedule.

In a way I miss that, and in a way, I don't. I am sure that Carolina would have liked a chance to get back at Wake Forest after losing to the Deacs in Winston-Salem. For a while there, UNC was helpless in its attempt to catch Wake. Had both won out, Wake would have won the regular season crown. Duke knocked off Wake and settled the issue, at least for now.

I believe Krzyzewski felt enough damage had been done, so he wasn't in favor of divisions that might water down the schedule even further. I can see both sides of the argument. ACC basketball has been one of the greatest things in college athletics over the years, so why mess with a good thing?

Football will use the division format, obviously. But according to my good friend, Mike Finn, in the ACC office, right now, none of the ACC Olympic sports are going to be playing in divisions. Baseball has proposed a plan to go divisional, but according to Finn, even that is not definite at this point.

Thanks,

Jerry

As we await the Madness of March with little reason for local excitement (on the men's side at least), any thoughts on coaching candidates if Pete Gillen is let go? One thought I had was Mike Brey at Notre Dame. Have you heard his name mentioned in the coaching carousel? Thanks for your work.

Christian

(ANSWER): Christian, first, thanks for your kind words and for your readership of The Daily Progress.

Now, let's get to the juicy stuff.

Yes, I have heard Mike Brey's name mentioned among the seemingly thousands of rumors floating around about possible replacements if and when Gillen gets fired. Certainly Brey caught everyone's eye with the great job he did at Delaware and has only enhanced his reputation as a "teacher of the game" and solid coach at Notre Dame.

I think Brey would be a solid candidate.

However, it is my belief that if Gillen is fired, Virginia needs to set its sights higher. I personally think, and I have been thinking this way since Pete's job was on the line at this time last year, that Virginia needs to land a Hall of Fame coach, or at least a potential Hall of Fame coach.

I have heard rumors about hiring pro coaches and that certainly is a possibility. But I think my short list -- the first three guys I would go after are: Tubby Smith, Rick Barnes and possibly Bobby Knight. Can you imagine the buzz if one of those three guys were coming to coach at John Paul Jones Arena? They can certainly hold their own with any coaches in the country, both game coaching, teaching, recruiting, and the other aspects of the game.

The price tag would be high, but in my opinion, Virginia cannot afford to goof up this hire. It must be a "Hire for the Ages."

--Jerry

Getting back on track
Revamped Forbes making big contributions for Cavs
By Andrew Joyner / Daily Progress staff writer
February 27, 2005

Gary Forbes can’t point to a shot or moment when things began clicking for him. Instead, it was a phone call back home to friends from his native Brooklyn.

“My best friends were talking to me on the phone and kind of joking with me about how I was playing and I got a little upset,” said Forbes with a slight laugh.

Whether it was those phone calls or something else, Forbes and his game have been rejuvenated.

After hitting double figures just twice since scoring 17 points at Duke on

Jan. 16, Forbes has rattled off 21, a career-high 23 and 17 points in Virginia’s last three games.

Such performances would normally be labeled as breakout ones for a sophomore, that’s not exactly the case for Forbes. Last season, Forbes began his collegiate career with a flurry as he hit double figures in his first four games. He scored 21 in his very first contest against Mount St. Mary’s and then hit for

22 against Minnesota three games later.

Forbes simply couldn’t maintain that pace. He only reached double figures six more times the rest of the season and gradually was even moved out of the starting lineup.

Forbes claims, and his recent performances suggest, that his game did not exactly disappear.

“I know it was always there. There were some things taking place and I just wasn’t confident. I wasn’t playing the way I know how to play,” Forbes said.

Virginia coach Pete Gillen puts it in slightly different terms.

“He is just playing and not thinking too much. He’s aggressive and just losing himself in the game,” Gillen said. “He’s very talented. I think he struggles when he starts thinking too much. … He’s just playing and doing a great job.”

Forbes may claim that it’s his confidence or a call from his friends that has ignited his play but the answer may be simpler. Forbes is a certified gym rat who spends countless hours honing his game and squeezing off countless jumpers. Even while sitting down for a recent interview, Forbes got a call from a janitor at

U-Hall informing him of how to access the U-Hall court in the wee hours.

“I’m in here in the gym almost every day. I come in here at night and shoot when there is almost no one in the gym. I just had to get the janitor’s number so I could get the key to come in here at night and shoot,” Forbes said. “Sometimes they want to kick me out of here and that’s the same way it was in high school. … I really like working on my game and want to get to the next level. The big thing is sacrifice.”

Forbes’ outside shooting has been the shakiest part of his game while at Virginia. He connected on just 27.6 percent from beyond the arc last season and was just nine of 38 on treys through the first 21 games this season. In his last three games, however, Forbes has made 7 of his last 13 3-pointers, including one that sent last Saturday’s game against Maryland into its first overtime session.

“In high school, I had a reputation as a shooter. … I think I have really matured this season. Last year, I was forcing and hunting my shot,” Forbes said. “Now I think if I don’t shoot a lot, it’s good to be patient.”

Forbes’ recent exploits still have not earned him a starting role. He has only started three games all season and none since Jan. 19. Gillen has fostered this notion that Forbes performs better coming off the bench and it’s hard to argue. It’s also been thought that Forbes cherishes his sixth-man role.

Well, there are kernels of truth in both statements but just that.

“Of course, I would love to start. That’s what I’m used to. … It’s kind of different. I just want to play as much as possible,” Forbes said. “I just cherish every minute out there. I love playing basketball.”

Added Gillen: “He plays starter’s minutes. We think he plays better off the bench. He’s a little more relaxed. When he starts, he often tries too hard a little.”

That passion for the game is quite evident in nearly every action the animated Forbes makes on the court. It’s seen during the game and even afterwards. Forbes is a fist-pumper and crowd raiser and pleaser during home games. Forbes has emerged as quite the fan favorite recently with the student body serenading him after quality plays.

“When I first came here and heard them chanting my name, it was kind of weird. I had never heard that before. I love this school,” Forbes said. “The fans are great, especially when we are winning. … I’m an energy guy and I like having the fans get into the game.”

After games, particularly loses, Forbes and freshman Sean Singletary visibly are the more distraught and frustrated Cavaliers.

“Sean and I are good friends and similar people. We have the attitude that we don’t want to lose any games,” Forbes said. “I don’t even want to lose to my little nephew in anything. You want to always do the best you can and win. If everyone takes that attitude, we will be a much better team.”

In hindsight, it was the season’s first loss to Wake Forest - an 89-70 decision at

U-Hall on Jan. 2 when the Cavaliers were

8-1 at the time - that sent them into a tailspin. They proceeded to lose seven of their next nine games and its that stretch that has been most damaging to their season.

“A lot of us are hungry for this opportunity. They stopped some of our momentum in early January. We have to stay hungry and stay positive,” Forbes said.

Singletary learns from ACC lessons
By Jerry Ratcliffe / Daily Progress sports editor
February 27, 2005

The education of Sean Singletary, Virginia’s brilliant freshman point guard, continues today on Tobacco Road when the Cavaliers take on sixth-ranked Wake Forest.
For any freshman, playing day-in and day-out in the basketball-rich ACC is a challenge, but for point guards the task is particularly difficult. There are no days off for point guards in this league.
“Even the teams where the guards aren’t as hyped as the top four - Gilchrist, Felton, Paul and Jack - are good,” Singletary said. “Miami has good guards. Virginia Tech has good guards. Everybody has good guards.”
Including Virginia, where Singletary is slowly carving out his own reputation. Already, the freshman from Philly has captured five ACC Rookie of the Week honors, more than any other newcomer in the league this season.

Round II with Paul
Today, he will continue his run of the ACC point guard gauntlet by going up against Chris Paul for the second time. In their first encounter, Paul easily won the matchup, outscoring Singletary 21-2 and dominating the game from that position. It was Singletary’s first ACC game.
Afterward, Paul empathized with the Virginia rookie, having gone through all those pressures the year before en route to ACC Rookie of the Year honors. Most every ACC point guard has the same experience to share and it’s no wonder they often encourage one another, particularly the younger ones, to keep fighting.
“A lot of the guards in the league told me to keep my head up,” Singletary said. “John Gilchrist [of Maryland] told me, ‘Just continue to be a team player and keep your team together.’”
That’s exactly what the Virginia freshman has tried to do. He said he doesn’t feel like a freshman anymore and he shouldn’t after starting 24 games, the only Cavalier to start every contest this season.

Looking up
Singletary came into a program that featured senior tri-captains, which can be an intimidating situation for a rookie who may just be the hardest worker on the team. Gradually, the freshman has assumed more of a leadership role and has been a motivational force for the Cavaliers in the latter half of the season.
Any loss, any adversity that comes UVa’s way, has not shaken the steadfast freshman.
“We’ve gone through some tough times but I feel that it’s going to make me a stronger player,” Singletary said. “I know it will make me and the team a lot stronger in the future.”
Since Gillen went to the spread offense, which demands Singletary play a stronger role in running the show, the freshman has been
at his best. During that stretch, he has hit 21 of 50 field-goal attempts (8 of 22 from beyond the arc), has converted all 12 free-throw opportunities, dished out 23 assists as opposed to only six turnovers and scored 64 points, including an ACC-high of 23 against Maryland last Saturday.
While he admittedly was close to hitting the wall a few weeks ago because of all the demands of a college freshman and more games than he was accustomed to playing, he has been extremely durable. Over those last five games, he has played 185 out of a possible 210 minutes, including 45 in the double-overtime loss to the Terps.
“I expected my freshman year would be like I was going through fire,” Singletary said. “I came in and have done the best I could. I know a lot of the great guards in this league have come into better situations with their teams having a winning background, so their transition may have been easier into college ball.”
Like any freshman, he has to deal with all phases of life. Attending a boarding school in Philadelphia helped. He said the schoolwork there was just as hard as it is at UVa, but college in general has been more demanding.
“Besides the school work, you have to wash your own clothes, get something to eat and get on the bus. I don’t have a car yet. In boarding school, everything was right there on a small campus. College is more spread out.”
Don’t get Singletary wrong. He’s not whining. He’s learning.
“I’m just learning how to grow up and be a man,” he said. “It’s tough on the court and off the court, but I’m grateful for the position I’m in.”
He arrived in Charlottesville with high expectations placed upon his shoulders. He was somewhat considered the savior of Wahoo hoops, which could prove to be true somewhere down the road. He’s a tough kid, having a high school football background and a discipline from loving parents, both of whom were athletes, back in Philly.
His father, Harold, was a boxer. His mother, Jacqui, played basketball in high school.
“She’s the smart one in the family,” Singletary said. “She went to Princeton.”
He also draws a lot of inspiration from older brother, Harold Jr., who has spent the last year and a half in the danger zones of Iraq, serving in the U.S. Army. His biggest critic, Harold Jr., is also Sean’s biggest fan.
“I’m hoping he’ll be coming home in time to see me play in the ACC Tournament,” Singletary said. “He has been able to see some of my games on ESPN over there. He tells me to keep my head up and that helps keep me going. I never quit anyway, but it helps when I’m hearing from him, that he’s watching me, pushing me.”
There’s no question that Singletary has made huge strides this season.
“He can change directions with anybody,” commented Maryland coach Gary Williams after watching Singletary fake a couple of Terps out of their shorts last week. “And the kid competes. You can’t put him away ... he keeps coming back at you.”
Virginia coach Pete Gillen said that Singletary has the heart of a lion.
“I still have a lot to learn,” the rookie said. “The great point guards in the league have been through a lot, but maybe not a season like this. But I am working on my timing, how to appease my players, get them the ball in spots where they need it the best and not giving it to them where they are
ineffective.”
He is not easily intimidated and part of that derived from developing his game on the Philadelphia playgrounds against college and pro players.
He has battled Jameer Nelson, Flip Murray, Doug Overton and has even worked out with Allen Iverson, among others.
“I used to lack confidence,” Singletary said. “When I played with those guys, they would compliment me, but I would think of it as, ‘Well, he’s a pro, but he’s also my friend, so maybe he’s blowing smoke.’”
Now he knows they weren’t.
“Just recently I’ve been able to believe in myself. I always kind of believed in myself, but I never really thought I could make it to the next level, play in the ACC or play past college,” Singletary said. “Now that I’m actually here and doing it speaks for itself. I’m not overconfident, I’m just happy to be here.”
So are Virginia’s basketball fans. Without Singletary, an already long year could have been a whole lot longer and the future wouldn’t seem nearly as bright.

Cavaliers clobber Manhattan
By Andrew Joyner / Daily Progress staff writer
February 27, 2005

Virginia took it to Manhattan early and often Saturday afternoon.

The UVa men’s lacrosse team opened a 7-0 halftime edge en route to an 18-2 victory over Manhattan College at the University Hall Turf Field.

John Christmas and Matt Ward each had three goals and an assist for the Cavaliers (2-0).

Drew Thompson and Jack Riley each added two goals while Kyle Dixon contributed a goal and three assists for the second straight game.

The win was Virginia’s largest in terms of margin since a 21-3 decision over Butler in 2002. The two goals were also the fewest allowed by the Cavaliers since a 10-2 win over Towson in 2003.

“It was a good day overall. We all understand that our lives are about to become more difficult. This was a good experience for us to get the chance to put the uniforms on and get on the field and now we have some important games coming up,” Virginia coach Dom Starsia said.

Christmas was making his first appearance of the season after sitting out last Sunday’s game with Drexel because of what Starsia labeled a “team issue.”

“It felt good to get out and play. I was a little anxious,” Christmas said.

Christmas and his fellow attackman Ward and Ben Rubeor continue to be something of a work in progress as they adjust to each other but it was clear Saturday that Christmas’ sheer speed and athleticism will be an asset to that development process.

“There are not many people that can cover John 1-on-1 because of his speed. He causes all kinds of matchup problems,” Ward said.

Added Starsia: “He attracts so much attention. If I were an attackman, I’d really want to play with John Christmas. You almost have to put your first defenseman on him and that means your second guy is on Ward.”

Virginia led 3-0 after the first quarter on goals by Dixon, J.J. Morrissey and Christmas. The Cavaliers increased that advantage with four more goals in the second quarter. Rubeor was the main catalyst in the period as he contributed a goal and two assists.

Redshirt freshman goalkeeper Bud Petit made his first career start and registered three saves. Per Starsia’s set rotation in the cage, Kip Turner relieved Petit at the dawn of the second half. Turner had four saves and surrendered two goals in his 30 minutes of action.

“It felt good to get out there. It was nice to start and not have to come off the bench. I think that made me feel a little more comfortable,” Petit said.

Both goalies have done little to separate themselves from one another in the first two games and Starsia will likely maintain the rotation. That means Turner would start Monday against Denver with Petit playing the second half.

“I thought both the goalies played well. Bud played very well. He was asked to make some real saves while he was in there,” Starsia said. “These two guys don’t make it easy on me.”

The rest of the team just smirks when asked about the goalie situation.

“I’m just glad I’m not Dom,” said Christmas with a wide grin.

The halftime lead only increased for the Cavaliers as the Jaspers could offer almost no resistance. Virginia’s lead expanded to 13-0 after a six-goal third quarter that was highlighted by two goals each from Christmas and Ward. Thompson and Matt Poskay added the additional goals in the period.

Ward’s third goal came early in the fourth quarter and staked the Cavaliers to a 14-0 lead.

The only drama that remained in the game was to see if Virginia could notch the very rare shutout. Alas, Manhattan’s Justin Otto scored a goal with 11:28 left in the game to eliminate the

possibility.

Greg Lewis later added another goal for the Jaspers but Virginia closed out the scoring with two goals from Riley and single tallies from Drew Garrison and Ryan Kelly.

The Cavaliers will have a quick turnaround as they host Denver on Monday at 3 p.m. That game is scheduled to be played at Klockner Stadium but could be moved back to the turf field because of inclement weather.

Early last season, Virginia traveled to Denver’s tournament in April and promptly lost both games to Denver and Air Force. Many feel the Cavaliers never quite recovered from that poor start as they finished the season 5-8.

“You know, you can’t hold anything against Denver because all they did was beat us in a game. I think though among our guys this is still a game that has been circled on the calendar for a while,” Starsia said.

Goodbye, Hunter S. Thompson
Published February 26 2005
Dave Fairbank

Today's column is more interesting and better written than usual. That's because portions of it aren't from me.

Dr. Hunter S. Thompson, the cranky, drug-addled and occasionally brilliant observer of American life and politics for the past 40 years, checked out last Sunday at his home in Colorado. Self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. Depressing stuff.

Thompson was the godfather of Gonzo journalism, an author, essayist and world-class character. Two movies were made about his life and writings, "Where The Buffalo Roam" and "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas."

The movies were nowhere near as smart or provocative or just plain deranged as the man himself. Unabashedly liberal, Thompson skewered conservatives - Richard Nixon, in particular - and had a soft spot for those cornerstones of modern American life: narcotics, gambling, firearms and football.

He once wrote, "I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence or insanity to anyone, but they've always worked for me."

Thompson wasn't a sports writer, per se, but he began his journalism career in the military covering sports at Eglin Air Force base in Florida in the '50s. His regular dispatches in Rolling Stone magazine were often titled, "Memo from the Sports Desk." He was a frequent contributor to ESPN's Web site for the past several years.

"When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro."

Thompson and longtime collaborator Ralph Steadman covered the 1970 Kentucky Derby for a now-defunct magazine, and they searched for the perfect person for Steadman to sketch to accompany the magazine piece.

"It was a face I'd seen a thousand times at every Derby I'd ever been to. I saw it, in my head, as the mask of the whiskey gentry - a pretentious mix of booze, failed dreams and a terminal identity crisis; the inevitable result of too much inbreeding in a closed and ignorant culture."

Thompson covered Super Bowl VIII between Miami and Minnesota for Rolling Stone. If he is to be believed, he made a killing betting on the Dolphins.

"I remember being shocked at the sloth and moral degeneracy of the Nixon press corps during the 1972 presidential campaign - but they were like a pack of wolverines on speed compared to the relatively elite sportswriters who showed up in Houston to cover the Super Bowl."

Thompson's take on last year's NCAA championship basketball game, on ESPN's Web site:

"We saw a wonderful basketball game last night. Connecticut kicked ass. They completely destroyed those sacrificial pigs from Georgia Tech in a game that looked fixed from the start and dumber than a barnyard at night."

Given that Thompson worked for Rolling Stone for so long, he also had occasion to write about music and entertainment.

"The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side."

Thompson wrote a profile, sort of, of legendary 1960s ski champion Jean-Claude Killy after Killy became a high-paid pitchman for Chevy.

"He is a handsome middle-class French boy who trained hard and learned to ski so well that now his name is immensely saleable on the marketplace of crazily inflated culture - economy that eats its heroes like hotdogs and honors them on about the same level."

Days after Dale Earnhardt's death at Daytona in 2001, he wrote for ESPN:

"Blood & guts, bread & Circuses, human brains all over the asphalt. The people of Rome demanded more & more Death & Cruelty on their Sunday afternoons at the Coliseum - until Nobody was left to Sacrifice. They ran out of Victims.

"And so will the NFL, the NBA and NASCAR. That is what makes people nervous about the meaning of Dale Earnhardt's death. It is the American Dream run amok. Watch it & weep."

Thompson traveled to the small town of Ketchum, Idaho, for a magazine piece almost three years after Ernest Hemingway committed suicide there in 1961.

The coincidences are too obvious to ignore. Aging writers who had lost a little off their fastballs. Remote western locations. Self-inflicted gunshot wounds to the head. Men of action whose subjects were often themselves, or distended versions of themselves, even if one called it fiction and the other called it something else.

"Perhaps he found what he came here for, but the odds are huge that he didn't. He was an old, sick and very troubled man, and the illusion of peace and contentment was not enough for him - not even when his friends came up from Cuba and played bullfight with him in the Tram. So finally, and for what he must have thought the best of reasons, he ended it with a shotgun."

As the man often wrote: Res ipsa loquitur - Latin for, "The thing speaks for itself."

Sometimes yes, sometimes no.

Sports Focus: UVA Sophomore standout
'Better late than never' Forbes seems to finally have turned around his game at right time
BY JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER
Feb 26, 2005
U.VA. AT WAKE FOREST
TOMORROW: 2 p.m. TV: WTVR-6

CHARLOTTESVILLE On the playgrounds of Brooklyn and in gyms across New York City, Gary Forbes soared.

He mixed superior athleticism with a scorer's instincts, and few defenders succeeded in shutting him down. It didn't occur to Forbes that college might be different, particularly after he scored 21 points in his first game for Virginia and followed that with 16 points against Virginia Tech.

But more pedestrian performances soon became the norm for the 6-6, 210-pound swingman. After scoring 12 points against Providence on Jan. 3, 2004, he reached double figures only twice more as a freshman. In ACC games, Forbes averaged a modest 4.9 points last season.

"Personally, it frustrated me, because I knew I was better than what I accomplished," Forbes recalled this week. "I felt I just wasn't playing the way I knew how to play, and that got me more and more down on myself."

He launched thousands of shots in the offseason, trying to regain his form, but inconsistency continued to plague Forbes once his sophomore year began. He scored 13 points against Arizona, zero against Northwestern. Twenty-one against Furman, one against Loyola Marymount. Seventeen against Duke, one against Maryland.

At last, however, the roller-coaster ride seems to have ended for Forbes. He's as hot as any Cavalier heading into tomorrow game's at sixth-ranked Wake Forest (10-3, 23-4).

"I'm just being positive," Forbes said. "I was always known in New York for being a scorer, so I can't stay away from what I am."

U.Va. coach Pete Gillen said: "He's not thinking too much. I think he's just playing and being aggressive and kind of losing himself in the game."

Forbes' ascent began Feb. 12, when he made 9 of 14 shots and scored 21 points in a 65-60 win over Virginia Tech. Four nights later, at North Carolina, Forbes buried three 3-pointers and scored 23 points, both career highs. Three nights later, against Maryland, Forbes forced overtime with a late trey. He totaled 17 points, eight rebounds and four blocked shots before fouling out in the second overtime.

"I think he's gaining confidence," Maryland coach Gary Williams said, "and what that does, that allows you to look more for your shot."

Forbes said: "The last three, four games is what I expected to do last year. I thought I was going to play that way my whole career here, but" -- he paused and smiled "better late than never."

As a freshman, Forbes started 17 games, in part because forward Devin Smith battled a back injury all season. As a sophomore, Forbes has started only three, but he's averaging more minutes (22.8) than he did last season (22.3). He wouldn't mind being on the court for the opening tip, but he's usually there at game's end.

"He plays starters' minutes," Gillen said. "We think he does -- at least to this stage -- play better off the bench. But he's like a starter."

After watching his team lose seven of eight games in one stretch -- often by large margins -- Gillen switched to a slower-paced spread offense. The move paid immediate dividends, as Virginia won its next three games. Forbes excels as a finisher on the fast break, but he's adapted easily to the new offense.

"I almost feel I can get to the basket against anybody," he said. "Being spread out gives me room to get by people."

Virginia headed into January with an 8-1 record and a résumé that included wins over Arizona, Richmond, Auburn and Northwestern. Fewer than two months later, the Cavaliers (4-9, 13-11) aren't on anyone's list of NCAA tournament candidates, and Gillen's tenure in Charlottesville is, in all likelihood, about to end.

"I thought the way we were playing [early in the season], we were going to play that way the whole year," Forbes said. "But it's never too late."

 

Deacs expect improved Cavs
Virginia has been playing better since return of Smith, its leading scorer
By Dan Collins
JOURNAL REPORTER

There's usually no way to play a team at its best when its best doesn't play.

For that reason, the sixth-ranked Wake Forest Deacons say they expect to see a different Virginia Cavaliers team at Joel Coliseum at 2 p.m. today. Devin Smith, the Cavaliers' senior leader, has recovered from the sprained ankle that sidelined him in the Deacons' 89-70 romp in Charlottesville on Jan. 2.

Wake Forest is 23-4 and 10-3 in the ACC. Virginia is 13-11 and 4-9.

"We went to Virginia and we beat them handily, but they didn't have their star player in Devin Smith," sophomore Chris Paul of Wake Forest said. "They have him back, so they're going to come in scrappy, with something to prove."

At 6-5, 239 pounds, Smith has the combination of size and athleticism that has given the Deacons problems. Now in his third season at Virginia after transferring from Coffeyville Community College in Kansas, Smith is averaging a team-high 16.8 points and shooting 47 percent from the floor.

"He reminds me a lot of Roger Powell of Illinois," Coach Skip Prosser said, referring to a forward who burned the Deacons for 19 points and seven rebounds. "He's probably a better outside shooter.

"We had a very difficult time matching up with Roger Powell, so that's a tough matchup for us."

The Cavaliers will be without Jason Clark, a 6-9, 205-pound sophomore who is out for the season for what the Virginia media-relations department described as academic reasons. Also missing will be any reasonable chance for the Cavaliers, who have lost two in a row and nine of 13, to receive an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.

With his team struggling, Coach Pete Gillen shifted gears to a more deliberate style of play. The Cavaliers won three straight games after the change, but have since lost to North Carolina 85-61 and Maryland 92-89 in overtime.

"They've been playing well lately, spreading the court and letting guys penetrate in there," junior Justin Gray of Wake Forest said. "We're going to have to be ready for anything, any kind of offense or defense that they're ready to run."

For the second time this season, Gillen had an extended opportunity to prepare for Wake Forest. Before the first game, the Cavaliers hadn't played in nine days. Today's game will be Virginia's first since it lost at Maryland on Feb. 19.

"Who knows what's going to happen?" Prosser said. "Coach Gillen has had a week to prepare. What he could have concocted in his lab, one can only guess.

"He's a great coach in terms of game preparation."

Prosser said he expects no problems with having his team ready to play coming off Wednesday night's 87-46 thrashing of lightweight Longwood.

"We had a lot of emotional baggage, if you will, left over from the Duke experience," Prosser said, alluding to the Deacons' 102-92 loss at Duke on Feb. 20.

"So I thought the Longwood game was a good cleansing game."

Wake Forest will honor four senior players, Jamaal Levy, Vytas Danelius, Taron Downey and walk-on Scott Feather, as well as senior managers Jackie Harris and Brian Geraty in a pre-game ceremony. Since the arrival of Levy, Danelius and Downey, the Deacons have won 90 games, lost 33 and have been ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 for 48 consecutive weeks.

Only five schools, Duke, Kansas, Kentucky, Arizona and Pittsburgh have longer streaks being ranked in the poll.

"A lot of credit goes to Coach (Dave) Odom," Prosser said, referring to his predecessor at Wake Forest. "He recruited those guys. What they have meant to Wake Forest basketball, just look at the numbers.

"I think that's a real testimony to these guys who have really stood the test of time and have represented Wake Forest in an extremely excellent manner."