Sources: Brooks done at UVa
By Jay Jenkins / Daily Progress staff writer
February 18, 2006

When Ahmad Brooks announced on Jan. 14 that he would return to the Virginia football team in 2006 for his senior season, NFL teams were under the impression that it would take a 2007 draft pick to get his services.
That is unlikely to change with the current rules in place for the NFL's Supplemental Draft.

Why the Supplemental Draft?

According to a published Internet report from Friday, Brooks was released from the team for an off-the-field incident. Sources confirmed to The Daily Progress late Friday that the story released by cavscorner.com was accurate and that Brooks will soon be "dismissed" from the program.

While Virginia coach Al Groh did not publicly make a comment, he informed the school's Assistant Athletics Director for Media Relations Jim Daves that the inside linebacker was still a part of the program.

"I've told everyone that I spoke to Coach Groh and that he said Brooks' status on the team has not changed," Daves said via e-mail.

Brooks, a 2004 All-American and finalist for the Butkus Award, could not be reached for comment, but is expected to petition the NFL to gain entry into the NFL Draft, which will be held on April 29 and 30. With the odds against Brooks in that venture, he would then be left with only one alternative: the NFL's Supplemental Draft.

Typically, the Supplemental Draft accommodates college football players who have been out of high school at least three years and originally elected not to enter the draft by its deadline, while holding academic eligibility.

NFL franchises do not have to take a player in the Supplemental Draft. In fact, only 32 players have been taken in the past 26 Supplemental Drafts.

NFL teams that wish to add an available player in the Supplemental Draft must submit a request and list a round when making a request to the NFL office. If a bid is successful, a team will lose an equivalent pick in the following draft.

In 1990, the Dallas Cowboys used a first-round pick in the Supplemental Draft to select quarterback Steve Walsh. The Cowboys, who finished 1-15 the following season, lost the rights to what would have been the No. 1 overall pick in 1991.

Brooks had a troubled junior season at UVa as injuries limited his playing time to just six games. For the season, Brooks made just 27 tackles.

Before the start of the '05 season, many NFL Draft experts considered Brooks a lock for an early first-round pick. Brooks was slow to recover from offseason surgery to remove a cyst on his right knee and did not make his season debut until the fourth game, a road game at Maryland.

He twisted his ankle in that contest, forcing the Woodbridge native out of the following game at Boston College. Brooks returned to the field for five straight games, before missing the regular-season finale and Virginia's win in the Music City Bowl with a back injury.

When Brooks announced his decision to return to school in January in a released statement, he mentioned the importance of graduating from UVa.

"I came to Virginia to earn my degree and help Virginia become a great team," Brooks said. "I still have a lot of unfinished business to meet my goals. When I do walk into a NFL locker room, I want to do it with my degree. I am looking forward to getting my game in top shape and helping my teammates win an ACC Championship."

Groh stressed at the time of the announcement that Brooks would be pushed in the classroom and monitored closely off the field.

"This isn't going to be easy," Groh said last month. "There's a lot of work ahead, but the opportunity is there and the plan is in place. Ahmad is anxious to get started."

The loss of Brooks, coupled with the decision of fellow inside linebacker Kai Parham to enter the NFL Draft with his college degree and a year of college eligibility left, leaves Virginia with a void at inside linebacker.

Antonio Appleby, a rising sophomore, was expected to start at one of the two inside positions, but the battle for the second spot should be up for grabs.

Virginia may also be without safety Tony Franklin, whose status remains unclear. Franklin is scheduled to appear in Albemarle General District Court on Tuesday to face a misdemeanor charge of possessing marijuana in December. Groh has not commented on Franklin's status.

Bryan Lescanec, a walk-on running back, was dismissed from the team earlier this month after being accused of forcibly fondling a female Virginia student at a local establishment. Lescanec is scheduled to appear in Charlottesville General District Court on March 2.

 

U.Va. officials say Brooks not dropped
Internet report had said linebacker was dismissed and would try to turn pro
BY JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Feb 18, 2006

CHARLOTTESVILLE - University of Virginia officials, responding to an Internet report, said yesterday that star linebacker Ahmad Brooks is still on the school's football team.

A Web site devoted to U.Va. sports, citing unidentified sources, reported yesterday morning that Brooks has been dismissed from the team and would try to play in the NFL this season. CavsCorner.com, which is not affiliated with U.Va., said Brooks' dismissal stemmed from a recent "off-field incident" on which its sources would not elaborate.

After speaking yesterday with coach Al Groh, U.Va. spokesman Jim Daves told The Times-Dispatch that Brooks' "status on our football team has not changed. He is a member of our football team."

In an e-mail to the T-D, Virginia Ath- letic Director Craig Littlepage said, "Ahmad's eligibility to participate has not changed." But a source close to the U.Va. football program expressed surprise yesterday that Groh had said Brooks was still on the team.

The T-D's attempts to reach Brooks' family yesterday were unsuccessful.

Should Brooks leave the U.Va. program prematurely, he might be eligible for the upcoming NFL supplemental draft.


 

U.VA. NOTES
Richmond Times-Dispatch Feb 18, 2006

NO PLACE LIKE HOME: On Jan. 15, Sean Singletary led a late rally that lifted Virginia to a 54-49 victory at Virginia Tech and gave first-year coach Dave Leitao his first ACC road win.

Since that breakthrough, however, U.Va. has lost at Duke, N.C. State and Maryland. Throw in the Cavaliers' loss at Georgia Tech in December, and Leitao's club is 1-4 in ACC road games. At N.C. State and again at Maryland, the Cavaliers blew a second-half lead.

"We're not as mature as we need to be," Leitao said Wednesday night after U.Va.'s rout of Longwood at University Hall. "That's why we've won a lot at home and not won a lot on the road. I think a lot of teams across the country are like that, and that always is a byproduct of not being as experienced or as mature as teams need to be."

Virginia, which has no seniors among its eight scholarship players, has two ACC road games left. The first comes today in Tallahassee, Fla., where U.Va. (6-5, 13-9) and Florida State (5-6, 15-7) meet at 4 p.m. The Seminoles have struggled on the road in recent years, too, but they beat the Cavaliers in overtime at U-Hall last month.

Playing "on the road is as much mental as it is physical," Leitao said. "I think you have to be able to deal with and withstand certain things . . . without the help of the home crowd. That's one of the tests of a really good, experienced team - that you can play through adversity, and obviously you get more adversity away from home."

UNDER THE RADAR: He hasn't received the national recognition of J.J. Redick or Shelden Williams or Justin Gray, but Florida State's Al Thornton is a strong candidate to make the all-ACC first team. Thornton, a 6-7, 210-pound junior, is too quick for most power forwards and too strong for most wings. He's averaging 16.4 points and 6.7 rebounds and shooting 53.8 percent from the floor. He's also made 13 of 27 shots from beyond the arc, so opponents can't concede 3-pointers to Thornton.

"Al Thornton is a nightmare for anybody," Leitao said.

IT'S ALL GOOD: Early in the season, junior guard J.R. Reynolds went through a four-game stretch in which he thrice failed to score in double figures. In the last of those games, a loss to Fordham, Reynolds shot 2 for 8 from the floor.

After that game, when asked about Reynolds, Leitao said, "Right now he's not playing very well, which means he's probably not a very good player."

Leitao's comment angered many U.Va. fans, who believed he was being too hard on Reynolds.

"I never took it personally, because I knew what kind of coach he was," Reynolds said last week. "I just took it as a motivation. He wasn't saying I wasn't a good player. He was saying I wasn't playing well at that time."

Reynolds has scored at least 10 points in each of U.Va.'s past 16 games.

SAFE LANDING: When guards Keith Jenifer and Jermaine Harper left Virginia, each transferred to a mid-major program: Jenifer to Murray State and Harper to Cal State-Fullerton. Derrick Byars chose a different route, moving from the ACC to the SEC.

Byars, who's from Memphis, Tenn., transferred to Vanderbilt in 2004. After sitting out last season, he's become a starter and one of the best players for the Commodores (13-9). The 6-7, 225-pound junior, who started 34 games in his two seasons at U.Va., is averaging 11.6 points and 3.9 rebounds.

ON THE DIAMOND: Visitors to U.Va.'s baseball stadium will notice a major difference this season. The wall down the left-field line is 17 feet closer to home plate than it was in recent years. The distance is now 335 feet.

By moving the wall in, third-year coach Brian O'Connor said, U.Va. has room to add temporary bleachers for as many as 1,000 fans beyond left field. Davenport's current capacity is 2,064. Temporary bleachers were added on the stadium's first-base side for the NCAA tournament regional held at U.Va. in 2004.

ALL IN THE FAMILY: Leitao, who came to U.Va. from DePaul in April, has tried to make former Virginia players feel part of the program again. Spotted in the stands this season, among others, have been Jamal Robinson, Curtis Staples and Cory Alexander.

Staples told reporters last week that Leitao has welcomed him back into the U.Va. basketball family.

"What we've talked about collectively and, especially, individually is how can we as a basketball program, how can we as an athletics department and how can they as former players feel much better and re-connected," Leitao said. "It just so happens that I knew Curtis a little bit before I got here and tried very hard to reach out and get to know him as well as some of the other guys."

Leitao said he wants the former Wahoos to "feel like most players feel: that where you went to school is a special place and you'll always be considered a family member and have this be your home." - Jeff White
 

U.Va.'s Sampson hall finalist
From Wire Reports Feb 18, 2006

HOUSTON - Former Virginia standout Ralph Sampson, a three-time national college player of the year whose pro career was shortened by injuries, was among the finalists for the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Charles Barkley also was chosen, and quickly lobbied all 24 voters to elect fellow finalist Dominique Wilkins.

"Dominique should have got in last year," Barkley said yesterday after the 16 finalists for the Class of 2006 were announced.

Barkley is considered a slam dunk for election. Some thought the same about Wilkins last year.

Dubbed "The Human Highlight Film" for his breathtaking above-the-rim game, Wilkins was a finalist last year but didn't make it. The Paris-born Wilkins was a nine-time NBA all-star and two-time slam dunk champion.

"People who know basketball, in the basketball world, understand what my place is in basketball history," said Wilkins, now the Hawks' vice president of basketball. "And I'm confident things will be fine this go-round. Do I think I was a first-ballot? Of course. Hopefully, things will work out this time."

Among the other finalists are Connecticut women's basketball coach Geno Auriemma, Detroit Pistons President of Basketball Operations Joe Dumars and ESPN college basketball analyst Dick Vitale.

The finalists emerged from a list of more than 100 nominees; players, coaches, referees and contributors are eligible. To earn enshrinement, a finalist must receive at least 18 votes from the 24-member Honors Committee. There is no limit on the number of electees.

The Class of 2006 will be announced April 3 at the NCAA men's basketball Final Four in Indianapolis. Enshrinement is Sept. 7-9 at the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass.

Oklahoma State coach Eddie Sutton did not make the cut.
 

Soroye dealing with groin tear
By Whitelaw Reid / Daily Progress staff writer
February 18, 2006

For the better part of this season, Virginia big man Tunji Soroye has looked out of sorts. As it turns out, there's a reason why.
In the aftermath of Virginia's 91-56 victory over Longwood on Wednesday night, Soroye told The Daily Progress that he has been playing with a muscle tear in his right groin for the last two months.

The 6-foot-11 sophomore from Nigeria said the injury has been a nuisance.

"It's affected my jumping and my running," Soroye said, "but it's getting better, and I'm getting treatment. I'm feeling better. I'm not 100 percent, but I think I'm [getting close]."

Soroye saw limited playing time under Pete Gillen last season as a freshman. He averaged 0.6 points and 1.3 rebounds.

This season, under coach Dave Leitao, Soroye has started in 18 of Virginia's 22 games. He's averaging about 20 minutes of playing time per contest. However, it hasn't led to much more production.

Soroye hasn't scored in 10 of the team's games and is averaging just 2.3 points and 4.0 rebounds. During a four-game stretch in January, he averaged zero points and three rebounds.

"I couldn't move well," said Soroye, whose season-high was 12 against Fordham on Dec. 7.

Against Longwood, Soroye had some bounce to his step. He had four points, seven rebounds, four blocks and two steals.

In the first half, Soroye blocked a shot by the Lancers' Kirk Williams, then raced to the other end of the floor and scored on an offensive rebound. A few minutes later, he scored off a nice feed from T.J. Bannister.

On the defensive end, Soroye did what Virginia needs him to do more consistently - he altered shots and was an intimidating presence.

As the season winds down, Soroye said he knows he is being counted on to pick up his game. Soroye's contributions are vital for Virginia, which lacks frontcourt depth.

"Basically, we have some guys who can score the basketball," Soroye said, "but I think I can help this team with defense and rebounding. If I'm healthy, I think I'll be able to do that."

 

UVa baseball rebounds
By Jay Jenkins / Daily Progress staff writer
February 18, 2006

Virginia senior Mike Ballard and a pair of relievers combined on a four-hit shutout on Friday as the Cavaliers rebounded from their only loss of the season with a 7-0 win over Towson at Davenport Field.
Ballard (2-0) went six strong innings, allowing four hits and striking out six, while throwing strikes on 60 of his 88 pitches. The southpaw also benefited from a pair of double plays and left the game with a four-run lead.

The victory came just 48 hours after the Cavaliers dropped a contest against in-state foe Old Dominion, 5-1.

"When you lose a tough ballgame like we did on Wednesday, it is important that your senior leadership and your captains step up, and Mike Ballard did that today," said UVa coach Brian O'Connor, whose team improved to 3-1. "He got us started back on the right track."

Virginia slapped out 11 hits, including four doubles, off a pair of hurlers from Towson (0-1).

The Cavaliers scored lone runs in the first, second and fifth innings, respectively, before exploding for four runs in the seventh.

"Those big-run innings are important to open up leads," O'Connor said. "We took advantage of our opportunities toward the end of the game and a couple of guys got clutch hits and we were able to have a four-run inning."

Freshman third baseman Jeremy Farrell led the attack at the plate for UVa, going 3 for 4 with a pair of doubles. David Adams, Tim Henry and Mike Mitchell added two hits apiece.

Virginia sophomore Michael Schwimer pitched two perfect innings of relief, before giving way to senior Alex Smith in the ninth.

The Cavaliers play again today against Towson. The first pitch is slated for 1 p.m.

The two teams will play in the series finale Sunday at 1 p.m.

 

Leitao makes a point
By Whitelaw Reid / Daily Progress staff writer
February 18, 2006

In a memorable scene from the movie "Miracle," United States Olympic Hockey Coach Herb Brooks, played by Kurt Russell, holds an intense practice into the wee hours of the night. It came following a lackluster performance by his team.
After Virginia blew a five-point lead with less than three minutes to play against Florida State on Jan. 11, UVa basketball coach Dave Leitao took a page out of Brooks' playbook.

Leitao ordered his squad back to University Hall for a practice - at 1:30 in the morning.

"I wasn't really that surprised because we needed a wake-up call," said Virginia point guard Sean Singletary. "I heard coach [John] Chaney at Temple has them all the time at 1 o'clock, 2 o'clock."

If any Virginia players were still living in the Club Med days of former coach Pete Gillen, they weren't by the time this session was over.

Singletary said it was grueling but well deserved.

"We had a letdown and weren't mature [in the 87-82 overtime loss to Florida State]," he said. "We had the homecourt advantage and we lost focus like we did against N.C. State and Maryland."

This afternoon in Tallahassee, Virginia will get another crack at Florida State. The fifth-place Cavaliers (13-9, 6-5 ACC) have five games remaining before the conference tournament - and every one is crucial in their quest to secure a postseason bid.

Virginia's only ACC road win came against Virginia Tech on Jan. 15.

"[It's] as much mental as it is physical," said Leitao, talking about the key to playing on the road. "I think you have to be able to deal with and withstand different things - not just on the court, but off the court. The best way to handle that is to be mature.

"One of the tests of a good experienced team is that you can play through adversity, and obviously you face more adversity when you're on the road."

The biggest obstacle in Virginia's way today will be Florida State's Al Thornton. The 6-foot-7 junior is averaging 16.5 points and seven rebounds. He dropped a career-high 37 points against Duke on Feb. 4.

"He's a nightmare for anybody," Leitao said. "Very seldom are you going to find a guy who can defend a guy like him - off the dribble with lateral quickness - and do an effective job when he goes inside. It becomes a little bit of a problem trying to guard a guy like that who has so many dimensions to his game."

Florida State (15-7, 5-6) also has 6-10 Alexander Johnson (12.8 ppg), along with guards Jason Rich (10.9), Isaiah Swann (8.9) and Todd Galloway (7.9).

"They have been and continue to be a very explosive offensive team," Leitao said. "Coach Hamilton, over the years, has been an extremely effective defensive coach. One thing he's been able to do this year is turn them a little loose offensively.

"They shoot a very high percentage, almost 50 percent [from the field] and [nearly] 40 percent from 3-point range."

In its last game, Virginia allowed Longwood - a school not yet Division I-certified and which was missing its top two scorers - to shoot 59 percent in the first half. It will be lights out in Tallahassee if the Cavaliers don't buckle down better from the get-go.

"We know we have to put the focus back on defense," said Virginia guard J.R. Reynolds. "That's what it will take."

DUNKS: After aggravating a sports hernia injury for the second time this season and missing four games, Virginia point guard T.J. Bannister made his return to the lineup against Longwood. The junior finished with two points, five assists and three turnovers in 14 minutes. "Who's to say if there will be another setback or if he'll maintain his health and get better," said Virginia coach Dave Leitao, when asked about Bannister's injury saga. "The unfortunate part of it for him has been trying to be a work in progress while games are going on. He's not quite there with his game rhythm or intensity level. I think that's because he's missed so much time. I think we have to continue to try [to get him back in shape]. Coming down the stretch, I think he could add another dimension to our team that could be very helpful."? Leitao said freshman Mamadi Diane's struggles shooting the ball - he's at 35 percent - aren't from a lack of effort. "I sometimes catch him before school or at 11 o'clock at night getting shots up," Leitao said. "He's shot pretty well in practice. What's gone on in the game is very typical of youth."

 

UVa lax in hunt for title
By Whitelaw Reid / Daily Progress staff writer
February 18, 2006

Last season, the University of Virginia men's lacrosse team was just a few seconds away from advancing to the NCAA Championship game. The Cavaliers lost to Johns Hopkins in a semifinal match that was decided in overtime.
Today at noon, UVa starts a new season at Drexel in Philadelphia. The Cavaliers' home opener is on Monday afternoon against Denver.

"We're talented enough," said Virginia coach Dom Starsia when recently asked if his team had the goods to get to the title game this season. "I think we still have some question marks, but we have the pieces to be as good as we want to be.

"Our goal is to always be playing right at the very end of the season, and I think that's a reasonable goal for us."

Virginia should be tournament-tested by the time postseason rolls around.

Starsia's crew will be hosting Hopkins, the defending national champion, on March 25. Virginia also plays perennial power Syracuse and Duke - the No. 1 team in preseason polls - at Klockner Stadium.

Road games include Princeton, Maryland and North Carolina.

"It is why the guys come here," Starsia said. "If you're a top college lacrosse player, you want to play Syracuse, you want to play Johns Hopkins, you want to play Princeton and Towson and you want to play the ACC games.

"We certainly don't shy away from it in recruiting, and I think the boys that come here make a conscious decision that this is what they want to jump into. People talk about whether or not it is valuable experience or this and that. The evaluation of that is almost always determined by how the season ends."

Virginia, which is ranked third in all three preseason polls, has 25 returning lettermen, including eight starters.

One of the strengths of this year's squad is its midfield. The unit includes Matt Poskay, Drew Thompson and Kyle Dixon.

Dixon, an All-American, led ACC midfielders with an average of 2.20 points per game last season.

"We have a lot of experience there," Starsia said.

Today's opponent, Drexel, went 9-5 last season. The Dragons return 20 letterwinners, including seven starters.

Virginia will be the first school to play on Drexel's new Sprinturf field, which recently replaced the stadium's old grass surface.

 

Eastern block: Mikalauskas is an inside force for U.Va.
The Virginian-Pilot
© February 18, 2006

Something got lost in the translation.

Laurynas Mikalauskas thought he'd be going to school in Washington, D.C., which was everything he envisioned America to be: urban, affluent, exciting.

Instead, he wound up in Greene County, Va., population 16,900, a land of antiques shops and B&Bs . Washington was 100 miles up the road but seemed to be a world away from sleepy St. George, home to the Blue Ridge School.

"I was a little surprised," said Mikalauskas, who grew up in Palanga, Lithuania, a Baltic Sea resort known for its beaches and nightlife. It took a while, but Mikalauskas adapted to small-town life, even came to appreciate the benefits of the slower pace.

He buckled down in school, learned English, honed his game on the court and built his body in the weight room.

He became a member of coach Bill Ramsey's family, a fixture at his kids' swim meets, a hulking presence in the pickup basketball games with "all the older guys, my age," said Ramsey, 41.

"Everybody here in this little county knows him," Ramsey said.

Mikalauskas is becoming well-known 20 miles down U.S. 29 as well . Now a freshman at the University Virginia, the 6-foot-8, 240-pounder averages 6.0 points and 4.3 rebounds, and on a team of toothpicks, his eagerness to throw his beefy frame around inside has made him very valuable .

The freshman's finest moment came Jan. 19, when his physical defense helped neutralize rugged North Carolina center Tyler Hansbrough in Virginia's upset win. Mikalauskas also scored eight of his 10 points in the second half, giving U.Va. a badly needed low-post scoring threat.

In the next game, he scored 12 points and grabbed eight rebounds in 28 minutes in a win over Miami.

"That kid just played hard," Miami coach Frank Haith said. "When he takes the ball out of your hands, that's just toughness."

Mikalauskas comes by his toughness naturally. His father boxed for the Soviet Union before Lithuania gained its independence in 1991. Mikalauskas boxed, too, but dropped it at age 10 or 11 to concentrate on basketball, the national sport in the country of 3.6 million.

Lithuanian players have been making their way to U.S. colleges for years, and when an older player from Mikalauskas' hometown came back after a year at a U.S. high school, scholarship offer in hand, Mikalauskas was all ears.

"He told me about America, the high schools, the colleges," Mikalauskas said. "I really liked it, and I decided I wanted to go."

Ramsey, whose program has sent 16 players to Division I schools the last 10 years, got a call from a Lithuanian coach looking to place Mikalauskas. Ramsey already had a reference, from American University coach Jeff Jones, who had seen Mikalauskas play.

"He said he had good feet and hands, and looked like a kid who was going to work hard and grow," Ramsey said.

Mikalauskas spoke no English when he arrived and repeated ninth grade. He picked up the language quickly, from his classmates, and from immersing himself in American popular culture .

When he wasn't watching movies, Mikalauskas, who weighed 190 pounds when he arrived, could often be found in the weight room.

"He loves to lift," Ramsey said. "He likes getting big."

Too big, it turns out. By his junior year, Mikalauskas had bulked up to 255. Ramsey said he looked bloated and slow.

Mikalauskas has dropped weight since coming to U.Va. without losing any strength, he said. He has improved his lateral quickness, the better to slide his feet on defense and stay out of foul trouble.

"He's learning how to position himself, how to use his physicality the right way, how to play the angles," Virginia coach Dave Leitao said.

Mikalauskas picked up four fouls in 19 minutes in his first college game and fouled out in 21 minutes in the first meeting against Virginia Tech on Jan. 15. He hasn't fouled out since, but he has been close.

"Every day, I think I'm getting better, working with coaches on defense, sliding my feet, learning how to box out, learning how to play physical and not get in foul trouble, and play with energy and aggression," he said.

Energy and aggression he has in abundance. Mikalauskas led the charge to midcourt following the win over North Carolina . After a dunk against Wake Forest, he clenched his fists, let out a scream and shimmied to the foul line, brimming with enthusiasm.

Little wonder Mikalauskas has become a University Hall favorite, just as he was at Blue Ridge.

"He still can't understand why I don't drive a Mercedes and live in a big city," Ramsey said. "Why I would want to stay out in the country and work at a prep school."

That's not entirely true, Mikalauskas said. He's come to understand that there's life outside of the big city.

"A small city is good, too," he said. "Charlottesville is perfect."

 

Reynolds' expanded role
Sloppy win helps get players' attention
Doug Doughty

If it seems that first-year Virginia coach Dave Leitao is trying to turn J.R. Reynolds into a point guard, Leitao isn’t denying it.

So, what’s wrong with Sean Singletary?

Obviously, there’s nothing wrong with Singletary, a sophomore who is frequently hailed as the ACC’s best point guard, and, in junior T.J. Bannister, the Cavaliers have a back-up with more than 1,300 minutes to his credit.

Could it be that Singletary will be taking off after this year? Singletary has said no, and the coaches don’t see that as a threat. Bannister has been in and out of drydock with hernia problems, but eventually he should return to full strength.

So, what’s with Reynolds handling the ball and occasionally performing other point-guard duties?

Better get used it.

“I feel as comfortable as probably any coach in America of having two guys that can both handle the ball and make plays and hit shots,” Leitao said earlier this week. “It makes a team that much more dangerous.”

At DePaul last year, Leitao had a sophomore, Sammy Mejia, who had played point guard as a freshman but frequently played shooting guard in his second year. At the same time, Leitao took shooting guard Drake Diener and groomed him as a point.

“In my time at Connecticut, when we won the [NCAA] championship, Ricky Moore and Khalid El-Amin were interchangeable 1’s and 2’s,” Leitao said. “Way back in history, we had Chris Smith and Tate George, who were both essentially point guards but played the 1 and the 2.”

Leitao pointed out that Duke does the same thing. Sean Dockery, a point guard earlier in his career, now plays alongside freshman Greg Paulus. Earlier in the decade, point guards Jason Williams and Chris Duhon frequently were on the floor at the same time.

Along with the match-up problems that such a configuration may present, there are other reasons for a two-point system.

“Always having two guys that can do that, I think it’s important because, in recruiting, sometimes they try and label you,” Leitao said. “If you have a point guard, they say you can’t recruit another one.”

Discussions of Reynolds’ changed role were sparked by his play Saturday night in an 81-77 overtime victory over Virginia Tech, when Reynolds had a career-high 12 assists and the rest of the team had two, none by Singletary, previously second in the ACC in assists.

Things returned to normal Wednesday night, when Singletary had four assists in a 91-56 victory over Longwood and Reynolds had three. For the season, Singletary has 97 and Reynolds has a career-high 77. His previous high for a season was 58 two years ago as a freshman.

“The thing that makes J.R. unique,” Leitao said Thursday, “is that he can put the ball on the floor and make those kind of decisions. A ‘1.5 guard’ is what I call him.

“It’s almost like having two point guards out there and that’s how I’d like the team to continue to look – to have two guys who can put the ball in the basket and put the ball on the floor and make decisions, to be interchangeable in that way.”

LEITAO FREQUENTLY talks about “teaching points” and he had plenty of them against Longwood, when the Lancers shot 59.1 percent in the first half and grabbed 14 offensive rebounds in the second half.

Leitao no longer screams at junior forward Jason Cain on a regular basis, but Leitao didn’t like the intensity he was seeing out of Cain and pulled him with 18:04 remaining in the second half. Cain didn’t return until 5:56 remained and played a total of 19 minutes. He had averaged 33 minutes over the previous 10 games, not once dropping below 25.

Then, there was Bannister, who had not played in the previous four games. After playing nine minutes in the first half, Bannister did not enter the game in the second half till 4:37 remained. Leitao isn’t always pleased with Bannister’s decision-making.

Leitao wore a look of passive irritation for most of the night, but he got in his players’ faces during a 30-second timeout with 1:26 remaining in the first half and, at one point, seemed to be motioning to the locker room, as if to say to Bannister – it appeared – that he could leave early.

No sooner did the timeout end than freshman Lauris Mikalauskas was whistled for a turnover, when he ran the sideline while attempting to inbound a ball – a no-no if the inbounds play does not follow a made basket. Leitao had walk-on Mike Forkin off the bench so quickly that Mikalauskas was out of the game without any time expired.

Adrian Joseph, who played 28 minutes, was the only UVa player to play more than 25 minutes. Not only did Joseph miss two dunks in a 54-second span, but his attempt at a third dunk went awry on a play on which he was fouled.

“He came in here and told us we had to pick it up,” Reynolds said. “He wasn’t happy at all.”
 

Were prospects blinded by glitter?
Georgia Tech takes assistants’ salaries to new level
Doug Doughty

One theory that I’ve been floating about the exodus of top football prospects from Virginia this year is that it became a game of one-upsmanship.

“I agree with you 100 percent,” said West Virginia assistant coach Bill Stewart, architect of the Mountaineers’ surprise victory over Georgia in the Peach Bowl.

(That might be overstating Stewart’s role, but Stewart is the WVU special-teams coach and Mountaineers did execute a successful fake punt late in the game.).

Stewart was the head coach at VMI for three years in the mid-1990s and has had Virginia as a primary recruiting area since joining the WVU staff.

“There was more exposure for the players in Virginia this year because of the talent in the state,” Stewart said. “It was a who’s who. All of a sudden, West Virginia University or the state universities aren’t good enough for them.”

Frankly, I’m not convinced that there is a single, simple reason for a dropoff represented by the 10 Roanoke Times Top 25 players who signed with Virginia or Virginia Tech – down from 19 in 2004.

One of those players, Blue Ridge School defensive back Greg “Hollywood” Davis, signed with West Virginia. However, Stewart and assistant coaches from adjoining-state schools like Maryland, North Carolina and Tennessee are regular visitors.

Some of the other schools that signed players from Virginia were Michigan, Southern California, Alabama and Oklahoma. It’s hard to remember when those last three schools poked their heads into Virginia.

I WAS HAPPY for Stewart when I read that West Virginia had given him a raise that put him over the $100,000 mark; then I read Friday that Georgia Tech defensive coordinator Jon Tenuta had signed a new contract that will pay him $380,000 for 2006, $420,000 for 2007 and $215,500 for the first six months of 2008.

Tenuta already was the highest-paid assistant coach in the ACC and I find it interesting that his restructured deal follows shortly after the announcement that Georgia Tech athletic director Dave Braine will be stepping down to devote more energy to his treatment for Crohn’s Disease.

Braine was Tenuta’s position coach when the latter played defensive back at Virginia in the late 1970s and has been a benefactor, luring Tenuta to Tech after one year at North Carolina. It would be understandable if Tenuta were attractive to NFL or NCAA staffs during the recent hiring season, so it might have taken a hefty raise to keep him, particularly given uncertainty over the new athletic director and how happy he might be with Gailey.

WILL TENUTA’S PACT drive up the market for other assistant coaches? Virginia Tech, with two coaches to hire, could find out shortly.

Virginia still has a spot to fill, as well as making a determination on its offensive coordinator, and I’ve been advised not to underestimate the advice that the Tech and UVa head coaches may be getting from their wives

What would Anne Groh think if husband Al passed over their son, Mike, for the coordinator’s position at UVa? At Tech, how many positions would have to come open before Cheryl Beamer mentioned that it would be nice to have son Shane back in Blacksburg. He currently is on the staff at Mississippi State.

Frank Beamer has a number of issues to consider as he attempts to replace quarterbacks coach Kevin Rogers and receivers coach Tony Ball. Has Beamer promised a position to JMU offensive-line coach Kurt Newsome? If so, would offensive coordinator Bryan Stinespring take over the quarterbacks?

If Marcus Vick were returning as quarterback, a first-time quarterbacks coach might not be as risky. However, Vick is gone and, on Thursday, Beamer interviewed former North Carolina State head coach Mike O’Cain, also an ex-Clemson playcaller.

If Beamer hires O’Cain and Newsome, who coaches the wide receivers? And what position group does Stinespring coach? Then there’s the matter of diversity. Ball was one of two African-Americans on the Tech staff. Would that be a consideration in replacing him?

GROH GETS A lot of questions about the coordinator’s position, but at least he has the full complement of offensive coaches. He still hasn’t hired a secondary coach to replace Al Golden, who oversaw that position last year while also serving as defensive coordinator.

Ex-Wisconsin secondary coach Ron Lee, who interviewed with Groh last month, has joined the staff at Wisconsin. I also had heard that ex-UVa special-teams coach Corwin Brown had returned to Michigan, his alma mater, but Brown was retained by incoming New York Jets coach Eric Mangini.

Groh talked to Newsome and to Purdue assistant Bill Legg, presumably for the offensive-line position that went to ex-Colorado aide Dave Borbely. Legg was promoted to the Purdue offensive coordinator’s job previously held by Jim Chaney, who resigned earlier this month to become offensive-line coach for the St. Louis Rams.

UVa fans may remember Chaney as one of the applicants interviewed for the Cavaliers’ head-coaching spot before Groh was hired.

SOME YEARS, The Roanoke Times’ annual rating of the state’s premier senior football prospects is a top 101. This year, it was a top 99.

Westfield High School offensive lineman Mitch Maines, rated 94th among 2005 seniors, actually graduated in the spring and was a freshman this year at Division II Shepherd University in Shepherdstown, W.Va.

In verifying this information on the Shepherd website, I was struck by the presence of more than 30 Virginians on the Shepherd football roster. Shepherd, if I’m not mistaken, is the alma mater of venerable Radford High School coach Norman Lineburg.

In other developments related to the top “99,” Billy Miles, who has announced his retirement as Franklin County football coach, reports that All-Group AAA tight end Wynn Sigmon has Division I-AA offers from VMI and Liberty but is pursuing other options.

Sigmon was rated the No. 58 prospect in Virginia by The Roanoke Times. Two other second 50 players who have made their intentions known are No. 55 Jeremy Gardner, a defensive back from Courtland High School in Spotsylvania, and No. 80 Bryan Hall, an offensive lineman from Hermitage in Richmond. Gardner is going to Towson and Hall to Morehead State.

SPEAKING OF RANKINGS, Mike Farrell of rivals.com has picked the top 10 recruiters in various conferences. UVa’s Mike Groh was sixth and the Hokies’ Rogers was ninth in the ACC.

In his preface, Farrell didn’t specify that the ratings pertained only to the recruiters’ performance this year, but it certainly seems that way. Clemson aide Dabo Swinnery, who signed the top player (running back C.J. Spiller) from Florida, was first on the list.

Rogers signed four of the top 12 players in New Jersey, while Groh held the Cavaliers’ class together after the departure of four assistants. When it comes to year-to-year consistency, however, it would have been hard to rank Rogers ahead of Hokies’ colleagues Jim Cavanaugh and Stinespring.

NOTE: This column was written from out of state before Doug Doughty became aware of speculation regarding the status of Virginia linebacker Ahmad Brooks. If there is a change in his status, it will be covered in the print edition of The Roanoke Times.

 

Turnovers continue plaguing 'Noles
By Jack Corcoran
DEMOCRAT STAFF WRITER

Suggested headline: Turnovers plaguing 'Noles Ralph Mims' pass to Andrew Wilson was just off the mark. Al Thornton fumbled away an inbounds pass on Florida State's next possession. Alexander Johnson was called for a double-dribble less than a minute later.

And all this was before the Seminoles really came apart in their 86-64 loss at No. 18 North Carolina State on Wednesday.

FSU had a season-high 23 turnovers against the Wolfpack and have now had at least 20 turnovers in four of their past five games.

Point guard Todd Galloway said there are probably several factors contributing to FSU's recent turnover problem.

"It could be the defense and it could also be that we may be trying to make the spectacular play and not just make the easy play," Galloway said.

Backed up to the wall again, FSU (15-7, 5-6 ACC) will try to recover against Virginia (13-9, 6-5) at the Civic Center on Saturday.

"The good thing about this team, though, is we've always seemed to bounce back when we've had a setback," FSU coach Leonard Hamilton said.

FSU had 14 turnovers in the first half against N.C. State, including three in the final 4:06 as the Wolfpack broke the game open with a 16-0 run.

Mims had 11 points on 4-of-4 shooting but committed a season-high five turnovers in 18 minutes. Galloway and Isaiah Swann had four turnovers apiece.

"Some of the turnovers were just us being too casual with the ball or not aware of what's going on around us, causing us to travel and charge," Swann said. "I guess you could say we tried to thread the needle a little too much."

FSU fell behind 19 seconds into the game and never pulled even. A basket by Diego Romero brought the Seminoles to within 13-12 midway through the first half. But they had seven turnovers on their next 11 possessions.

There were also critical errors during N.C. State's decisive run. Engin Atsur started the barrage with a 3-pointer and then stripped FSU freshman Uche Echefu. The turnover led to a 3-pointer by Andrew Brackman. Courtney Fells put N.C. State up 40-27 on a three-point play in transition after a turnover by Galloway.

 

FSU's 'country boy' exceeds expectations
Forward Al Thornton has had 3 30-point games -- one against Duke -- this season.
Emily Badger | Sentinel Staff Writer
Posted February 18, 2006

TALLAHASSEE -- The words of Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski have been highlighted and passed around in Perry, Ga. They've been photographed and mailed to family. They've gone up on the wall in the gym at Perry High.

"We overcame one of the great performances of an individual that has been done here in the last five years," Krzyzewski said of one of Perry's own after the Blue Devils' 97-96 overtime victory against FSU two weeks ago. "[Al] Thornton's performance was nothing less than spectacular. We had no answer for him."

Such a glowing compliment seemed worthy of a picture frame back home.

"That was a good compliment from a great coach," Thornton's father, Alford Sr., said this week. "I read about it in the paper. A friend of mine sent it to my wife. Down in Tallahassee, they made a copy and sent it to us."

Thornton, FSU's 6-foot-8 junior power forward and the program's sudden star, has been fetching similar sound bites all season in part because, unlike Duke's J.J. Redick or North Carolina's Tyler Hansbrough, his success has come as something of a surprise.

Thornton had a respectable sophomore season, averaging 9.1 points per game, and he was supposed to have a solid encore after leading scorer Von Wafer left for the NBA. But even Thornton couldn't have predicted he would score 37 points on the road at Duke for his third 30-plus performance of the season. Only two Seminoles, Sam Cassell and Bob Sura, have had more 30-point games in a single season. Both of those players had -- or are having -- long NBA careers.

"I felt like I was going to get better," Thornton said this week. "But I've had some games where I shocked myself."

Going into today's must-win home game against Virginia, he is averaging 16.4 points and looking to become the first Seminole to rank in the ACC's top 10 in scoring and rebounding since Sura 12 seasons ago.

Miami Coach Frank Haith has called Thornton a first-team all-conference player. And in Perry, people realize they may have a future NBA player in their midst.

"We were talking about that the other day," said Brett Hardy, the coach at Perry High. "It's not hard to believe, but you never think that'll happen because it doesn't happen to many people. We're sitting here just tickled to death that he's playing so well, that he's going to have that opportunity.

"I think some people thought, 'Well, he'll go down there, get his few minutes here and there, graduate from college, and that'll be it.' "

Now, Thornton's mother jokingly reminds him to remember the little people when his fame outgrows them. She and her husband have seen the fan club -- Al's Pals -- in the front row under the basket at FSU home games.

But if there is one thing that will counteract any ego on "the country boy" -- as Thornton calls himself -- it is what has gone on around him this season. FSU (15-7, 5-6 ACC) has surpassed its conference win total from last season (four), and a winning overall record for the second time in seven seasons is ensured. But a humbling 22-point loss at NC State on Wednesday may have squashed the team's NCAA Tournament at-large hopes.

In addition, Thornton's two best games -- 37-point outings that earned him ACC player of the week honors -- have come in defeat. FSU lost by one point in overtime at Duke and by one basket at Boston College on Jan. 14.

"I often think about that," Thornton said. "After those two games, I kind of had to sit down with the coaches, and I had a lot of time by myself. When I score all the points like that, I wonder sometimes, 'Does it help the team because we're losing those games? Could I have had more assists? Or should I score more?' "

He attributes part of his success this season to having shed a single-minded focus on scoring. After games last year, he always made sure to grab a stat sheet. This year, he goes instead for the game tape. But he always knows the team's win total and always has in mind what he thinks FSU needs to do to get to the tournament for the first time in his college career.

And with that window closing and the Seminoles sitting on the outside, Thornton will have a hard time judging this season by the accolades so many people have used to describe his development.