Cavs' Cain steps up, records 5th double-double
By Whitelaw Reid / Daily Progress staff writer
February 6, 2006

Virginia's Jason Cain doesn't like to yap a lot after games. Whether he has played really well or really poorly, the 6-foot-10 junior from Philadelphia has maintained a pretty even keel when talking to the media this season.
But if there was ever a time to bust into a Joey Porter-like monologue, it would have been after his performance on Saturday. Cain's rebounding and defense were main ingredients in Virginia's 75-73 win over Wake Forest.

Cain had 13 points and 10 rebounds - his fifth double-double of the season - as Virginia manhandled Wake Forest on the boards. For the game, the Cavaliers outrebounded the Demon Deacons 47-25.

Cain helped hold Eric Williams in check. The 6-9, 280-pound man-child had just four rebounds, none on the offensive end. Cain also helped hold Williams to 14 points (a point below his season average).

"He played real well," Virginia guard Sean Singletary said. "He was a key to the game. He played his behind off on defense."

Cain was typically low-key when he talked about the job he did on Williams.

"He's one of the best players in the league," Cain said. "He's big. He's strong. You just have to play hard and keep him uncomfortable.

"We tried to limit his touches - to limit the things he could do."

In the first half, Cain twisted his ankle. He had to leave the game briefly, but didn't miss a beat when he returned.

"I don't give him enough credit - and I do it purposely," said Virginia coach Dave Leitao, with a laugh, "to make sure that he keeps working as hard as he has.

"He was able to hold down the fort. He's a guy at 215 pounds going up against a 280-pound guy and boxing him out. He has a real good knack of how to play the game mentally and I think he uses that to his advantage."

What made Cain's performance even more valuable was the fact that Virginia's other big men - Tunji Soroye and Lars Mikalauskas - were both in foul trouble for most of the game.

"Without those two big guys in there, I thought he was quick to spots as opposed to being physical in spots," Leitao said of Cain.

Cain wasn't just a one-man show on the boards. Mamadi Diane and Adrian Joseph both notched career highs in rebounds (with 10 and eight, respectively).

Wake Forest came into the game ranked first in rebound margin in the ACC.

"We made it a challenge before the game, knowing that this team was by far the best rebounding team in the league," Leitao said. "We wanted to meet that challenge."

Leitao said it all started in practice.

"We did a couple of rebounding drills," Leitao said, "to get more of a reminder about boxing out and being aggressive on the offensive boards."

Cain was most pleased with the end result - a victory that gave Virginia (11-8, 5-4) one more ACC win than it had all of last season heading into Maryland on Tuesday night.

"It's satisfying to know that we can pull out big games like this," he said.
 

Free-throw sympathy for the Devils
By Jerry Ratcliffe / Daily Progress sports editor
February 7, 2006

Scattershooting around the ACC ... while noting that it's that time of the year when the rest of the league starts griping about Duke getting all the calls ...
Maybe that's because in the last two games (against Boston College and Florida State), the Blue Devils took 80 foul shots to only a combined 24 for BC and FSU.

Hmmm.

Most fans in the league cheered the suspension of the ACC officiating crew that called the Duke win over Florida State on Saturday. Edward Corbett, Raymond Natili and Mike Eades, were all each suspended by the league office for their next game.

John Clougherty, the ACC's coordinator of men's hoops officials, said the suspension was handed down because the crew called a technical foul that resulted in FSU's Alexander Johnson's disqualification.

"The technical should not have been assessed," Clougherty said in a press release. "The technical foul was Johnson's fifth foul and resulted in his disqualification from the contest. Because of the incorrect assessment and handling of the dead ball technical foul situation, the officials that worked the contest will each be suspended for their next game."

It was the first time the ACC has suspended a crew since Feb. 11, 1998, when Rick Hartsell and his crew bungled the end of an almost sure-fire Virginia upset over Duke at U-Hall.

Johnson fouled out following a confrontation with Duke center Shelden Williams. Johnson knocked Williams to the floor as the Blue Devil attempted a dunk. Williams then charged at Johnson as the FSU player backed away. Johnson was called for an intentional foul and a double-technical was called on both players.

"[Williams] ran in my face and I just put my hands up," Johnson said. "He bumped me and I didn't even do nothing. That just lets you know who they wanted to win. I deserved a [personal] foul, but another foul? That's just not understandable."

Under Skinner's skin

Don't ask Boston College coach Al Skinner about calls going Duke's way.

When the Devils came to BC last week, Eagles' center Craig Smith played 35 minutes in the game and didn't go to the free-throw line one time. Meanwhile, Duke's Williams played 36 minutes and took 16 foul shots, making 13, which was more than the entire BC team attempted overall.

"How does [Smith] play

35 minutes and not go to the free-throw line?" Skinner said afterward. "Are you saying there was never no contact? There was as much contact for him as their post player received."

Welcome to the ACC.

Going to Garyland

When Virginia heads north tonight to take on Maryland, the Terps will be trying to snap a three-game losing streak (including a loss to Temple). Coach Gary Williams' team is 1-3 in ACC play since losing Chris McCray on Jan. 23, when the senior was declared academically ineligible.

The Cavaliers probably won't know what lineup to expect from Maryland because Williams has started two different lineups in recent losses.

Against North Carolina, the Terps started 7-foot-1 center Will Bowers to help negate Tyler Hansbrough, but Bowers got into foul trouble. At N.C. State, Williams started senior Sterling Ledbetter and moved D.J. Strawberry to the three spot and Nik Caner-Medley to power forward. Ekene Ibekwe was sent to the bench when Williams opted for James Gist at center. Mike Jones was the other starter at shooting guard, while Ledbetter made his first-ever start at the point.

Terps' fans are worried about their team slipping to the NCAA Tournament bubble. At 14-7, Maryland has one win over a top 50 team.

Quote of the week

After Carolina guard Bobby Frasor lobbed a pass to a Tar Heel teammate, with the ball banking in off the backboard for an unexpected basket in UNC's win over Clemson, it marked the second accidental score for the Tar Heels in the win, leaving Carolina coach Roy Williams to exclaim:

"If I was on the road, I'd get out of town as fast as I could ... I feel like I stole somebody's candy."

51 and counting

When Clemson lost at North Carolina on Saturday, it marked the 52nd straight defeat for the Tigers in Chapel Hill.

Carolina's homecourt winning streak over Clemson tied Princeton's streak over Brown, which was finally broken in 2003. The long-suffering streak by Clemson began in 1926 and has been spread over five different UNC arenas.

Asked how bothersome the streak was, Tigers senior guard Shawan Robinson put it this way:

"You can't help but think about it because you guys always ask us about it. But I'm 0-4. I'm not 0-50."

Ahem, that's 52, Shawan.

Stars out at BC

Long considered a pro-sports town, Boston College is trying to change the image around Beantown. Having Duke come in for a basketball game didn't hurt.

A sellout crowd of 8,606 jammed into the Conte Center for last week's bout with the Blue Devils, and Boston noticed. Among the star-studded courtside crowd were: New England Patriots owner Bob Kraft, Red Sox president Larry Lucchino, Patriots' coach Bill Belichick, former BC quarterback Doug Flutie, PGA Tour star Brad Faxon and NBC's Tim Russert (whose son attends BC).

My only question was, where was Norm?

Super inspiration

N.C. State coach Herb Sendek appeared at his postgame media chat after the win over Maryland, wearing a Steelers' jersey. Sendek, a Pittsburgh native, was wearing No. 43 in honor of strong safety Troy Polamalu.

"I need a Polamalu tape to show to our team," Sendek said. "He's the personification of relentlessness."

Some felt that maybe the balding Sendek had another motivation.

One writer asked, "Are you a big fan of [Polamalu's] long, flowing hair?"

Wake Forest coach Skip Prosser, also a Pittsburgher, was trying to use the Steelers as an example of what a team can do after losing three straight. Pittsburgh, of course lost three straight games and didn't appear to be destined to the playoffs, but won the Super Bowl.

"Believe me, I've tried just about every motivational ploy known to man," Prosser said about his Deacs, which dropped to 1-8 in ACC play after losing a 75-73 decision at Virginia.

Free throws ...

... Duke's J.J. Redick's 403 career 3-pointers has passed Radford's Doug Day for third-most in NCAA history (Former UVa star Curtis Staples holds the all-time mark). ... Seven of Boston College's nine league games have been decided by four points or less. ... Meanwhile, six of UVa's last eight games have been decided by six points or less. ... Virginia Tech's A.D. Vassallo has earned the ACC's Rookie of the Week honors for the second straight week.

... The Hokies' leading scorer and rebounder, Coleman Collins, returned to the team for Saturday night's Boston College game and scored seven points and had seven boards. He had missed the previous two games to spend time with his seriously ill father in Stone Mountain, Ga. ...Duke's Greg Paulus is bidding to become only the fourth freshman in ACC history to lead the league in assists. He's averaging 5.2 per game and could join UVa's Jeff Jones (1979), Georgia Tech's Kenny Anderson (1990), and UNC's Ed Cota (1997), in that distinct category. ... Clemson is in a 3-point funk, having hit only 16 of its last 66 attempts. ... The Tigers are shooting 29.3 percent from long range, the worst by the program since the 3-point line was established in 1986-87. ...But the Tigs have improved slightly at the free-throw line, where they are ranked 324th out of 326 Division I teams. Asked if there was something in the water down there that has hurt Clemson's free-throw shooting, Tigers coach Oliver Purnell, responded, "Yeah, we've got a haunted lake ... it's voodoo or something making us miss all those free throws."

 

Cavaliers not alone in lacking reserves
Plenty of ACC teams are forced to go with benches with very few scholarship players .
By Doug Doughty
981-3129

No Division I basketball coach would willingly structure his roster to consist of seven or eight scholarship players, but it's not a bad way to do business if you can get away with it.

Recent ACC history is full of examples of teams that have been successful while undermanned, including coach Bill Guthridge's 2000 North Carolina team, which reached the Final Four with six scholarship players and football player Julius Peppers.

"Duke's done that for quite a few years now," said Maryland coach Gary Williams, whose Terrapins (14-7 overall, 4-4 ACC) entertain Virginia (11-8, 5-4) at 7 tonight. "Players know their roles. You don't have a lot of guys sitting on the end of the bench who think they should be playing."

The Cavaliers have used only eight scholarship players, counting back-up point guard T.J. Bannister, who has played in only seven games while dealing with the after-effects of hernia surgery.

Bannister has missed the past two games -- the third time this season that he has been sidelined for multiple games -- but the Cavaliers have surpassed all expectations after being picked last in the ACC under first-year head coach Dave Leitao.

At the end of the summer, it appeared that Virginia would have 11 scholarship players, but Gary Forbes was declared academically ineligible and transferred to Massachusetts, recruit Sam Warren dropped off the team early in practice and injury-plagued post player Donte Minter transferred to Appalachian State without playing in a game.

Leitao's first team is reminiscent of the first UVa team coached by his predecessor, Pete Gillen. After losing center Colin Ducharme on the first weekend of the season, Gillen's 1998-1999 team went 14-16 despite the absence of the top two scorers, Curtis Staples and Norman Nolan, from the previous year's 11-19 team.

"Seven's a good way to play, as long as you don't have injuries," Williams said. "The game has changed, with timeouts every four minutes, and teams don't press as much any more. I know we don't press as much. A lot of it is the [television] influence, where the timeouts go for a minute and 45 seconds."

Leitao's recruiting indicates that he will take another direction next year. All eight of UVa's scholarship players are underclassmen and the Cavaliers either have signed or received commitments from six players for next season. The Division I men's basketball scholarship limit is 13, a reduction from 15 that has been in effect since 1992.

"I think everybody would like to be back to 15," Leitao said, "not just because you've got 15 options or 13 options, but because of so many other things. The quality of our practice right now suffers greatly versus other people's.

"We've got a lot of guys playing a lot of minutes, guys like Sean [Singletary] and J.R. [Reynolds]. We can't get them a break. We can't try out different lineups. I can't give those guys five minutes, three times a day, to stand by the water cooler. That pays dividends, but we don't have that."

On the other hand, when Leitao is on one of his sideline rants, players know they won't be punished. There's not enough depth for a doghouse.

"You play a lot of minutes consecutively and you can play through mistakes," Leitao said. "Those are good things in terms of overall performance and the way they look at me and look at each other. But, at the end of the day, there are not enough of those situations to overcome the fact that we're so short-handed.

"From the start, we have been and will continue to be handicapped by a lack of depth. The biggest, most glaring thing is when you get in foul trouble."

Also, the Cavaliers learned how critical it would be to lose one of their top players when Singletary was sidelined by a hip injury for a Dec. 7 game with Fordham. The Cavaliers lost 62-60 to a team that was 1-6 at the time.

Of course, losing Singletary would be devastating even if the Cavaliers had a 10-or 11-player roster. Short benches, it should be noted, have worked for some of college basketball's legends.

"Coach [John] Wooden used seven players at UCLA," Wake Forest coach Skip Prosser said. "Coach [Denny] Crum used to say, 'The more moving parts you have, the greater the chance you have for a breakdown.' I think there's a lot of veracity to that."
 

Uneven officiating in ACC
David Teel
February 7 2006

The Atlantic Coast Conference has basketball officiating issues: manpower and competency chief among them.

These problems are not, mind you, as bad as the NFL's. Capped by Sunday's Super Bowl, officiating during the NFL playoffs was inexcusably inept.

But when the ACC presents its showcase rivalry tonight, Duke versus North Carolina, the three gentlemen in striped shirts will face unusually close scrutiny. Three reasons:

Public complaints, glaring disparities and a rare suspension.

The suspension: John Clougherty, the conference's new supervisor of officials, disciplined the crew that worked Saturday's game between Duke and Florida State. Each of the three - Ray Natili, Mike Eades and Ed Corbett - is removed from his next ACC assignment, though Corbett may be done for the season after injuring his knee Saturday.

The disparities: In its most recent games, against Florida State and Boston College, conference kingpin Duke attempted 80 free throws, its opponents 24. Officials called 34 fouls against the Blue Devils, 55 against their opponents, and Duke won those games by a combined three points.

The complaints: Boston College coach Al Skinner and Florida State center Alexander Johnson voiced their displeasure to media. Johnson's case was most compelling and prompted Monday's suspension, believed to be the first of an entire ACC crew since 1997, when a substitution snafu marred the final seconds of a Duke-Virginia game.

Midway through the second half Saturday, Johnson collared Shelden Williams hard and from behind. Corbett, a veteran of two Final Fours, properly called an intentional foul, Johnson's fourth.

Williams bounced up, confronted Johnson and bumped his chest. Johnson raised his arms and backed off immediately.

But rather than whistle Williams for a technical foul, officials, after huddling but not viewing a replay, issued technicals to both. Since technicals also count as personal fouls, Johnson was disqualified with his fifth after contributing 13 points and 11 rebounds in only 14 minutes.

Williams "got off the floor and ran in my face," Johnson told the Tallahassee Democrat. "I just put my hands up. He (bumped) me and I didn't even do nothing. That just lets you know who (the officials) wanted to win the game from there. But I wasn't even in the wrong. I deserved (the original foul), but (the technical)? That's just not understandable."

Indeed, the technical against Johnson "should not have been assessed," an ACC press release Monday said. The conference cited no other reason for the suspensions.

Though his team attempted 11 free throws to Duke's 43, and though he threw his coat in anger during the game, Florida State coach Leonard Hamilton took the high road publicly after his team's 97-96 overtime defeat.

"For me to be complaining about the disparity in fouls or anything like that would take away from the spirit of the game," he said. "At the end of the day, they made a few more plays than we did. We had all the opportunities in the world."

Skinner wasn't as charitable after Boston College's 83-81 loss to Duke on Wednesday, a game officiated by Gary Maxwell, Reggie Greenwood and Duke Edsall. The Blue Devils attempted 37 free throws to the Eagles' 13; Boston College lost two players, including top scorer Craig Smith, to fouls; and Williams got away with a late and clear hack on a drive by Eagles guard Tyrese Rice.

"You can call whatever you want against us, but it's got to be the same at both ends," Skinner said after the game. "When there's contact going to the basket, they call fouls. That's fine. But when my guys go to the basket and there's contact, it should be a foul. It's just that simple. When that doesn't occur, then obviously there's a problem there."

At this point we need some perspective. First, like North Carolina under Dean Smith, Duke under Mike Krzyzewski is the target of opponents and conspiracy theorists alike. Duke gets all the calls; Krzyzewski bullies referees and administrators; media fawn over Duke. There's even a faux press release floating in cyberspace in which the ACC announces that Krzyzewski has agreed to have a foul called against the Blue Devils tonight at North Carolina.

Now are some referees and higher-ups intimidated by Krzyzewski's Hall-of-Fame resume and sideline scowls? Yes. Do established stars such as Duke's J.J. Redick and Williams catch breaks from officials? Happens in every sport. Is there an understood agenda to favor the Blue Devils? I don't believe it.

Second, ACC officiating is in the midst of a marked overhaul. Clougherty replaced Fred Barakat as supervisor of officials during the offseason and is working less-experienced referees such as Sean Hull and Brian Dorsey into the conference's rotation. That transition means fewer games for veterans such as Larry Rose and Edsall. Making matters worse: Injuries have sidelined officials Reggie Cofer, Bob Donato and now Corbett.

Virginia Tech coach Seth Greenberg declined to compare officiating this season with last, but he has, uncharacteristically, received three technical fouls this year for barking at referees. Moreover, an incorrect ruling cost his team a victory against Bowling Green.

The Hokies led 71-70 when Tech's A.D. Vassallo inadvertently tipped in a Bowling Green shot at the buzzer. Officials Jeff Nichols, Ted Valentine and Bernard Clinton allowed the basket, but according to the NCAA rulebook (details are too complex to explain here), a deflection by a defender that does not clear the net before the buzzer does not count.

Clougherty, who officiated 12 Final Fours and four national title games, did not suspend the crew, but Greenberg received an apology.

Officiating is "not an easy job," Greenberg said Monday. "It's easy to second-guess those guys. It's harder in league play because every game seems to come down to a few possessions and every mistake is magnified."

Those mistakes are inevitable, more so during this infusion of younger referees. The ACC can only hope the blunders don't escalate to an NFL-level crisis.
 

Cavs' road map to victory: avoid rough start
Virginia, which has fallen behind early in its last two road games, tries to change that trend at Maryland.
BY MELINDA WALDROP
247-4634
February 7, 2006

First-year Virginia basketball coach Dave Leitao clearly is an intelligent man, deliberately choosing words from his impressive vocabulary and pontificating about "teaching points" as he describes the lessons he's trying to impart to his young Cavaliers team.

But it doesn't take a whole lot of basketball acumen to decipher how Virginia could increase its chances of picking up only its second ACC road win of the year and first in almost a month tonight at Maryland.

"The biggest, most glaring thing that we thought we could teach was getting off to a good start," said Leitao, whose team fell behind 20-2 in an 82-63 loss to Duke on Jan. 28 and trailed by 10 points early in a 66-64 loss at N.C. State on Feb. 1. "We didn't in those two games, and it obviously cost us. We have to do that to give us a chance to win."

That could be difficult, since today's action will represent the Cavs' ninth straight day either practicing or playing. They're unlikely to get much sympathy from Maryland, facing a quick turnaround after losing to N.C. State 62-58 on Sunday.

"I'm sure both teams will be a little bit more fatigued than normal, and as a result will have to rely on energy and enthusiasm and those kind of things, which when you're at home is a little bit easier," Leitao said. "We've got to make sure that we're not only extremely prepared, but that our mindset and our energy level is set at high so we can give ourselves a chance to be in the game and be as competitive as we need to be."

The Cavs (11-8, 4-5 ACC) snapped a two-game losing streak with Saturday's 75-73 win over Wake Forest in Charlottesville, but have just one ACC win away from University Hall - a 54-49 victory at Virginia Tech on Jan. 15 - to their credit this season.

The Terps (14-7, 4-4) have lost three in a row as they continue to adjust to life without senior guard Chris McCray, declared academically ineligible last month. Maryland coach Gary Williams is hopeful that senior forward Nik Caner-Medley, weakened by the flu against N.C. State, will return to the form that has him averaging a team-best 15.3 points per game after scoring just 10 points Sunday. "This is a pretty good test for our team, to see if we're tough enough to get this done," Williams said.

Virginia Tech's toughness will be tested again after the Hokies (12-10, 2-7) lost another close game, falling 74-73 to Boston College on Saturday night. Zabian Dowdell's attempt at a game-winning 3-pointer came up just short to end Tech's two-game winning streak.

"Once again, we were unable to come up with a big play, a stop or a score at the end of the game," said Tech coach Seth Greenberg, whose team travels to Clemson on Wednesday. "In league play, there's such a level playing field that you've got to make plays at the end of the game."

The Tigers (14-8, 3-6) lost their third consecutive game, 76-61 at North Carolina, on Saturday.

The Tar Heels are back in action today, taking on Duke for the 220th time. It's just Roy Williams' fifth time leading the No. 23 Heels (14-5, 5-3) against No. 2 Duke (21-2, 9-0) as head coach, but the UNC graduate and former Heels assistant is far from a stranger to the rivalry.

During his 15-year career at Kansas, Williams said he always watched the North Carolina-Duke game - even if he had to do it in a local bar before ESPN2 was a basic cable staple. He's spent the last few days preparing his team - which lost of all the starters from its national championship season a year ago to graduation or the NBA - for the latest chapter in the storied series.

"We've talked about it a little bit," Williams said. "I've said, 'Hey, it's different. It's Duke. But it's still just one game. Let's don't get so caught up in it. Don't let your friends and your families and everybody stress you out so much that you can't play.' You gotta have fun with this one. This is big-time college basketball here."

ACC NOTES
Richmond Times-Dispatch Feb 7, 2006

A NEW DAY: After making five straight postseason appearances, Virginia went home and stayed home after the ACC tournament last year. With a 14-15 overall record, the Cavaliers (4-12 in the ACC) weren't eligible for even the NIT.

U.Va.'s season may not end so abruptly this spring. Picked to finish last in the ACC, Virginia is tied for fifth heading into its game at Maryland (4-4, 14-7) tonight. The Cavaliers (5-4, 11-8) already have surpassed their 2004-05 performance in the league, and first-year coach Dave Leitao's team looks like a legitimate candidate for postseason play.

Not that Leitao has raised that subject with his players.

"I'm not going to bring it up," he said during yesterday's ACC coaches' teleconfereence. "Our goals have been simple from Day One: just to play as hard and as together and grow as much as we can."

Virginia collected its fifth ACC victory Saturday, edging Wake Forest at University Hall.

Leitao's message to his players?

"We were at four, let's get to five. We're at five, let's get to six and keep going from there."

QUICK TURNAROUND: Maryland played on the road Sunday afternoon, losing at N.C. State. Little more than 48 hours after that game ended, the Terrapins will take on U.Va.

"This a pretty good test for our team to see if we're tough enough to get this done and be prepared for a really good Virginia team," Maryland coach Gary Williams said.

THE MAIN EVENT: Two ACC games are on tonight's schedule. The headliner is in Chapel Hill, N.C. The most storied rivalry in college hoops will be showcased at the Dean Smith Center, where second-ranked Duke (9-0, 21-1) and No. 23 North Carolina (5-3, 14-5) meet at 9 o'clock.

The Tar Heels lead the series 124-95, but Duke has dominated in recent years. The Blue Devils had won 10 of their previous 11 games with UNC when they met at the Dean Dome last March. But Carolina prevailed 75-73 and went on to capture the NCAA title.

"There's no question that last year's win here was a magical moment for us," Heels coach Roy Williams said.

TWO FOR THE SHOW: The ACC's co-players of the week are junior forwards Al Thornton of Florida State and Jared Dudley of Boston College. Each impressed against Duke last week.

"Everybody knows about [BC star] Craig Smith, but Dudley, he's one of the better players in America," Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said yesterday. "He was terrific against us, and Saturday, Thornton from Florida State was absolutely sensational. . . . He played about as well as anyone has played against us in the past five years at Cameron [Indoor Stadium]."

Thornton tied his career high with 37 points and grabbed a career-best 15 rebounds in a double-overtime loss at Duke. For the week, he averaged 26 points, 9.5 rebounds and three assists.

Dudley, who like Thornton is 6-7, averaged 27 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists in two ACC games. He shot 66.7 percent from the field, including 57.1 percent from 3-point range, and 87.5 percent from the line. He also played all 80 minutes.

RUNNING THE GANTLET: Out of conference, Duke has played such teams as Seton Hall, Memphis, Indiana, Texas, St. John's and Georgetown.

"We've had, I think, the most difficult schedule in the country," Krzyzewski said. "We set it up that way. I don't think you can develop toughness alone, just by practice."

ON THE RISE: Miami (6-3, 14-8) can move into a tie for second place in the ACC with a win tomorrow night over visiting N.C. State (6-2, 18-4). The Hurricanes, who were without point guard Anthony Harris early in the season, have won seven of their past nine games.

A fracture in his right foot sidelined Harris for the first seven games of the season, after which Miami was 4-3.

"You hope that the [NCAA tournament selection] committee, if we put ourselves in position to be talked about that Sunday, that some of those things will be taken into consideration," Miami coach Frank Haith said.

HIGH PRAISE: Chris Paul, a rookie-of-the-year candidate in the NBA, played for Skip Prosser at Wake Forest in 2003-04 and '04-05. Yesterday, Prosser was asked about Virginia's Sean Singletary, a sophomore guard who had 19 points, eight assists, six rebounds, two steals and only two turnovers Saturday against Wake.

"In this league, at this point in time, he would be the one who most reminds me of Chris Paul," Prosser said.

BACK TO BACK: For the second straight week, Virginia Tech forward A.D. Vassallo has been named ACC rookie of the year. The 6-6 freshman from Puerto Rico had 13 points and six rebounds Thursday against Georgia Tech and 14 points and four rebounds Saturday against Boston College.

Vassallo is the only Hokie to have received the ACC's rookie-of-the-week award. Coleman Collins, now a junior at Tech, was a Big East rookie of the week in 2003-04.

- Jeff White

 

Terps looking for right mix
Virginia visit begins UM's ACC 2nd half
By Heather A. Dinich
Sun Reporter
Originally published February 7, 2006

COLLEGE PARK // Around this time in 2001, the Maryland men's basketball team endured a stretch in which it lost five of six games against Atlantic Coast Conference opponents. The slump was punctuated with the boos of disgruntled fans as the Terps walked off the court after their Valentine's Day loss to last-place Florida State at Cole Field House.
"People just wrote us off," Maryland coach Gary Williams said.

The next month, the Terps were in the NCAA Final Four for the first time.

Williams referred to that season yesterday when asked if this season's team has the character to get through its current three-game losing streak heading into the second half of conference play.

"We haven't done anything to bury ourselves yet," he said. "It's just what we're going to do these last eight games."

The final stretch of the regular season begins at 7 tonight when the Terps (14-7, 4-4 ACC) host Virginia (11-8, 5-4) at Comcast Center. It will be their third game in six days, as Maryland is just a day removed from its loss at North Carolina State.

"It is a test of your toughness," Williams said. "I'm sure players feel the need to win and play well, but our league is what it is this year. If you look down the standings, there are a lot of teams in the same situation."

Few if any, though, have gone through the kind of turmoil the Terps have. Maryland has played four games without former guard Chris McCray, who was declared academically ineligible at the start of the spring semester, yet Williams still fields questions about his former leading scorer on a weekly basis.

That's because McCray's absence has left a cut in the lineup the team has found out can't be easily stitched. Maryland has missed McCray's defense and his average of 15.2 points a game - especially when senior forward Nik Caner-Medley has been held to under 30 points - a feat that was never expected to be a trend.

"There's a reason Chris was starting and the leading scorer," Williams said yesterday. "He was a good player. It's not like you have another guy ... you can't go out and get a free agent or something this time of year. You're dealt your hand and you have to play.

"We need Mike Jones' scoring now, there's no doubt about it," Williams said of his top open three-point shooter. "You lose 15-16 [points] a game ... you have to go find that, and it's tough."

In 2001, Williams looked to Juan Dixon, Lonny Baxter and Terence Morris. This year, Williams has used three different starting lineups in the past four games as he searches for the right combination without McCray. Though he said it's not uncommon for teams to change their lineups midway through the season, Williams said it is unusual for Maryland.

"We have to because we lost Chris," he said. "That's why we're reworking our starting lineup. There wouldn't be any change to the starting lineup if Chris was still here."

Williams said it's possible senior Sterling Ledbetter could start again tonight at point guard, which would move junior guard D.J. Strawberry to small forward again. As of late, his lineups have been determined by the opponent.

Virginia has two guards who can shoot in junior J.R. Reynolds (15.3 ppg) and sophomore Sean Singletary (18.1 ppg), but the Cavaliers run a different offense than N.C. State and don't rely as heavily on perimeter shooting. Virginia also is out-rebounding teams by a margin of 6.8.

Still, Strawberry said the team can survive the second half of the season without McCray.

"We're not really struggling without Chris," Strawberry said. "It was a matter of effort for a couple of games. [Against N.C. State] we brought the effort and we were right there."
 

Virginia gears up for road test versus rival Maryland
Cavaliers' rebounding ability and physical style of play have produced many second opportunities to possess ball and score
Ben Gibson, Cavalier Daily Staff Writer

The Virginia men's basketball team (11-8, 5-4 ACC) will look to continue their successful season as they take on the Maryland Terrapins (14-7, 4-4 ACC) tonight at the Comcast Center. Road wins are always hard to come by in the ACC, especially against a team Virginia has not beaten in its last four tries. If Virginia is to come away with a victory, it will be because of one thing -- rebounds.

Everyone likely remembers that junior J.R Reynolds hit a huge jumper with 4.1 seconds left to give Virginia the lead and the eventual win against Wake Forest Saturday. The true game-saving play, however, came when freshman Mamadi Diane pulled down a huge offensive board (one of 10 rebounds on the day), which allowed Virginia to hold for Reynolds' shot. The importance of this fact was not lost on the team.

"The guys gave [Diane] a standing ovation in the locker room after the game," Virginia coach Dave Leitao said. "I challenged a bunch of the guys at halftime; I said, 'You can make other kinds of contributions in the game.'"

These "other kinds of contributions" center around rebounding. Last season, rebounding was not exactly the team's forte. This year, it has been one of their strongest attributes.

Coming into the game, Wake Forest had the best rebounding margin in the ACC.

"We made it a challenge before the [Wake Forest] game," Leitao said. "Obviously that team is far and away the best rebounding team in the league, and we had to meet that challenge and we did."

Virginia did not just meet the challenge; they dominated the boards ,47-25. The Cavaliers had 21 offensive rebounds compared to just 5 for Wake Forest.

The success on the boards has come about from a total team effort. Jason Cain has been a big producer this year, averaging 8.0 rebounds per game and five double-doubles on the year (only five men in the ACC have more). Cain is not the only contributor, however. Freshmen Diane and Laurynas Mikalauskas have stepped up big when the Cavaliers need them the most. Mikalauskas has brought an intensity and dedication to the court that has invigorated his team and its fans. As he continues to learn to play without getting in foul trouble, he figures to be an even bigger factor in the rebounding department.

Sophomore Adrian Joseph put Saturday's performance in perspective.

"We had to come out there with the mentality of playing very physical and matching their intensity, which we did," Joseph said. "We had a great day rebounding."

If the Cavaliers can put up numbers against Maryland comparable to those they had against Wake Forest, they will be in a great position to win their second ACC road game of the year.

Maryland comes into the game still suffering from the loss of Chris McCray because of academic ineligibility. The Terps are 1-3 without McCray, including a 62-58 loss to N.C. State last weekend. Nik Caner-Medley has emerged as the leader for Maryland, leading in points and rebounds with 15.3 points per game and 6.5 rebounds per game. Containing Medley will prove critical not just in the rebounding margin, but in keeping Virginia's postseason hopes alive.

 

Is Groh deserving of his pay raise?
Chad Gallagher, Cavalier Daily Columnist

Bob Stoops (Oklahoma), Mack Brown (Texas), Charlie Weis (Notre Dame), Pete Carroll (USC), Al Groh (Virginia).

It does not take Big Bird or Cookie Monster to realize that one of these names doesn't belong. All of these football coaches, except one, have managed to take their team to a BCS bowl game in the past few years. Each coach has proven they have the ability to take their team to the highest level in the sport, except, of course, one of them. Yet, these five football coaches, including the lone misfit, represent the highest-paid coaches in Division I football.

Last fall, while putting together a stellar 6-5 regular season, Virginia coach Al Groh was given a five-year contract extension for a reported $1.7 million per year. That is a cool 300 grand per regular season victory. Any fourth years looking for a job?

Groh is given mad props for his ability to recruit top talent to the University of Virginia. This year the "heralded" recruiter managed to put together a recruiting class ranked 39th nationally and 7th in the ACC by rivals.com. When a recruit opts for Rutgers University over Virginia, it is clearly time to reward the coach with an extravagant five-year contract extension.

I decided to do a little research on some top caliber coaches. Lloyd Carr, University of Michigan's football coach, has won a national championship and five Big Ten titles. Evidently, Mr. Carr has not elevated his coaching status to the level of Virginia's coach, since Carr is making about 500 grand less per year.

Jim Tressel, Ohio State University's coach, only managed to get to three BCS bowl games and win a national championship. Unfortunately for him, he finds himself about half a million behind Al Groh in salary.

Kirk Ferentz, coach at the University of Iowa, managed to lead the Hawkeyes to two Big Ten titles. Although Groh does not have a single ACC title under his belt, he still makes a cool 100 thousand more each year.

For comparison purposes, here is Groh's background. His only BCS bowls or ACC championships have been watched on the couch with a bottle of Aquafina, he did, however, lead the Wahoos to the Music City Bowl, MPC Computer Bowl and the Continental Tire Bowl, twice. This lovely resume of bowl games is about as exciting as a viewing of The Little Mermaid.

Groh has failed to win a single meaningful game against a true top-tier team other than a win at home against a struggling Florida State team last year. The Wahoos have yet to participate in a single major bowl game under the tutelage of the $1.7 million man.

When defending the contract size, the Virginia Athletic Department points to the increase in donations to the football program. While I am sure the donations have increased, it does not take a brain surgeon to realize that the donations will run dry if the team continues on its current course. In a sport where momentum is critical, the recent recruiting class shows a sudden halt to any momentum that the program has built.

$1.7 million can fund a large variety of activities, professors, buildings or other academic ventures. Should this money all be spent on one mediocre football project?

 

Sampson pleads not guilty
Ex-NBA and UVa. star, at center of child-support case, is accused of lying to get a lawyer
BY TOM CAMPBELL
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Feb 7, 2006

Ralph Lee Sampson Jr., the former University of Virginia and professional basketball star, pleaded not guilty yesterday to the latest federal charges against him of lying under oath to get a free appointed lawyer.

Sampson, 45, asked to be tried by the judge, instead of a jury, and U.S. District Judge James R. Spencer set trial in Richmond for May 16. If convicted, Sampson faces a maximum sentence of five years on each of the two charges against him: perjury and making a false claim to the United States.

Sampson already has pleaded guilty in the original federal case to two counts, one felony and one misdemeanor, of failing to pay court-ordered child support for two of his children by two women. The children live in Northern Virginia. He faces up to 2½ years in prison when sentenced on those charges, which is now likely to come after the new charges are resolved.

Before Sampson's arraignment yesterday, U.S. Magistrate Judge Dennis W. Dohnal held a bond hearing on the new charges. He let Sampson remain free under bond, with travel restrictions.

Sampson allegedly made the statements that led to the latest charges while under oath in Atlanta, where he lives and where he was arrested on the child-support charges in May.

James C. Roberts, a prominent Richmond lawyer who is representing Sampson for free, said the government alleges that Sampson falsely said he had no employment at that time. That allegation, Roberts said, is not correct.

"I don't feel the situation is exactly as the government has portrayed it," Roberts said in court.

According to the indictment, Sampson swore on May 13, 2005, that he was self-employed by Sampson Communications and that he had no income. He said his fiancée was employed at a new job and making only $1,000 per month.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Sally Flannery said that two weeks before that, Sampson had started a new job at $5,000 per month. According to the indictment, Sampson was working as a consultant for ezTel Network Services, a long-distance telephone company. His fiancée, the indictment alleges, had been employed elsewhere for five months with a biweekly salary of $1,700.

Currently, Roberts said in court yesterday, Sampson is employed by a mortgage company on a commission basis. At sentencing on the child-support charges, he may be ordered to pay around $300,000 in overdue child support.