Hitting rock bottom?
By Whitelaw Reid / wreid@dailyprogress.com | 978-7250
February 8, 2008

Since the opening of John Paul Jones Arena in 2006, there have been many firsts.

There was the first big concert - a Dave Matthews Band show. Who can forget the first game in the building - Virginia’s upset of Arizona. Then there was the first big ACC win - a last-second stunner over Duke.

On Thursday night at JPJ, another first occurred - but it wasn’t a good one.

For the first time in the Dave Leitao era, Virginia got blown out on its own home floor and heard boos from Wahoo Nation.

Clemson, behind a career-high 32 points from guard K.C. Rivers, trounced UVa, 82-51, in front of a crowd of 13,929. The 31-point defeat was Virginia’s worst since moving into its $129 million facility.

The loss was Virginia’s fifth straight. UVa, which has lost eight out of its last nine games, now sits at 1-7, dead last in the ACC.

“I’ve never heard the crowd respond like that,” said Virginia senior Adrian Joseph, when asked about being booed. “It was definitely a surprise. When I got to the bench area, [the arena] was definitely looking much emptier than it was at the beginning of the game. You could definitely tell they left.”

The fans had pretty good reason to. With the exception of Joseph - who had 19 points and six rebounds - not too many other Virginia players showed up.

Joseph and Sean Singletary (14 points) had 13 field goals between them. The rest of the Cavaliers had six.

Virginia’s 51 points was its lowest total in the brief history of JPJ.

“There’s probably been one other team on our schedule that has been as good watching them on film and played as well as Clemson tonight,” said Virginia coach Dave Leitao, alluding to Duke. “Not only did they offensively and defensively execute their gameplan, but they did it with a tremendous amount of confidence.”

The win was a sweet one for Clemson. Last season, the Tigers blew a 16-point second-half deficit on their own home floor in losing to Virginia.

“That was certainly a heartbreaker for us,” said Clemson coach Oliver Purnell, “and I’m sure a moment of elation for them.”

There was nothing resembling elation on the Virginia sideline on Thursday. Thirty-nine percent shooting from the floor, including an anemic 29 percent from 3-point range, will do that.

On the flip side, UVa allowed Clemson (17-5, 5-3 ACC) to shoot 53 percent from the floor, including a gaudy 62 percent (16 of 26) from downtown. The Tigers’ 3-point prowess was reminiscent of Xavier’s on Jan. 3 - the loss that started Virginia’s free-fall.

“We didn’t put up any defense of any kind,” Singletary said. “The bottom line is we didn’t come out and compete. We had those problems against lesser talented teams at the beginning of the season and mid-major teams. Now it’s coming back around.”

Rivers, whose 32 points were the most-ever in JPJ by an opposing player, was 8 of 11 from behind the arc.

“They nickname him Sizzle,” said Clemson coach Oliver Purnell. “He can score from a lot of different places.”

Essentially, Virginia was cooked in the first half.

At first, both teams looked awful - but Clemson quickly found its groove.

Terrence Oglesby, Cliff Hammonds and Rivers hit consecutive 3-pointers for a 20-11 lead.

With the exception of Joseph - who scored 15 first-half points - Virginia was in one of its typical offensive stupors. UVa (11-10, 1-7) scored just two field goals over one 13-minute stretch.

The Cavaliers’ defense wasn’t much better. On one possession, they allowed Rivers to score on an uncontested layup - off of a made basket.

At that point, Clemson led 33-14 and the boo birds were out. Virginia briefly showed some signs of life - Joseph through down a nasty jam that momentarily ignited the crowd - but the Tigers responded by overpowering UVa on the interior behind James Mays. Clemson led 40-24 at the break.

The Tigers picked up right where they left off in the second half - and so did Virginia. Mamadi Diane, who played a miserable game - he was 1 of 8 from the floor in 24 minutes - went up softly with a layup attempt and missed.

It was all downhill for Virginia from there. After an uncontested dunk by David Potter, Clemson took a 68-38 lead. Rivers went right through Virginia’s defense on the Tigers’ subsequent possession for a reverse layup as the boos reached their highest peak.

“I wasn’t really paying attention to that,” said Singletary, who might be wondering why he came back for his senior year. “We have other things to deal with. If they were booing, they were booing. We have a lot of basketball left to play and we’ll get everybody back on our side.”

Joseph said the crowd’s reaction brought back memories of his freshman year - Pete Gillen’s last as coach.

“My first year we lost a couple of games, but at that point I didn’t know much about college basketball,” Joseph said. “Now I’m a senior, playing with a sense of urgency, and it definitely hurts.”

Dunks

Lars Mikalauskas (shoulder injury) suited up and went through pregame warm-ups for the first time in 11 games, but he did not play…” Virginia held a players-only, closed-door meeting after the game. “We talked about how we have to want to be out there - play out there with confidence and like you enjoy the game,” Joseph said. “It’s a great opportunity playing at the University of Virginia…”…Singletary said a team meeting was held earlier in the week to address the comments made by freshman Mike Scott earlier in the week. Scott, according to the Washington Post, griped about Leitao not allowing him to play through mistakes. “His words were misconstrued,” Singletary said. “At the meeting, he said what he really [meant] and it was nothing like that. We threw that out the door…He just didn’t say that. He’s a smart kid and he wouldn’t say anything like that.”

 

Cavs blow another chance at redemption
By Jerry Ratcliffe / jratcliffe@dailyprogress.com
February 8, 2008

Rest in peace, Virginia.

If you’re ready to shovel dirt on the 2007-08 men’s basketball season, go ahead. This Cavaliers team flat-lined about eight minutes into the first half of Thursday night’s home game against a hungry visiting Clemson team and lost their fifth straight, 82-51, the worst loss by Virginia since a 110-76 thumping by North Carolina in 2005.

It was the eighth loss in the last nine games, and while senior captain Sean Singletary called a team meeting afterward and Coach Dave Leitao expounded about how he hoped to fix the problems in practice, it’s difficult to believe this team will revive.

Last night’s game was huge in this columnist’s view. It was kind of a last stand for a team that needed to make one. Clemson, although a pretty good team, had shown some vulnerability on the conference road. If Virginia was going to show any signs of turning things around, where else but home?

Even the friendly confines of John Paul Jones Arena didn’t matter. The best home court advantage doesn’t make up for shoddy defense, poor rebounding and a general lack of effort.

K.C. masterpiece

After an even-steven start, the Cavaliers seemed to lose interest and were buried by Clemson’s full-court pressure and perimeter shooters led by K.C. Rivers’ 32 points - the most ever by an opponent in the two-year-old gym.

“His nickname is Sizzlin’,” grinned Tigers coach Oliver Purnell. Rivers showed why, hitting eight shots from Bonusphere - half of his team’s 16 treys, also the most by an opponent in the building.

Virginia, which has inhabited the ACC’s cellar for more than a month, might as well get comfortable. The old coaches say that when you hit rock bottom, there’s only one way to go.

No favors ahead

Well, the Cavaliers may test that theory because the future looks bleak. They are in the midst of three games in six days, traveling to Wake Forest on Saturday, where the Deacs are 12-1 at home. Then North Carolina comes to town next Tuesday night.

The optimistic Singletary would view this as an opportunity, along with upcoming home games against Duke, Maryland and N.C. State. Most of us are more pessimistic and see more losses in UVa’s future.

This isn’t just mindless ranting. There’s reasons Virginia has been so bad and the signs were there a long time ago.

For instance, the loss in Philly against Seton Hall, or less than impressive home wins against a handful of mid-majors that began to draw Leitao’s ire. Then came the hammering at Xavier. They were all hints that something was wrong.

Defense, where art thou?

The trademark of Leitao’s philosophy is that everything begins and ends with reliable defensive performance. His first two teams at Virginia got it, but this one just hasn’t caught on, leaving the coach as baffled as the patrons who have filled JPJ in hopes of something better, waiting for something to click.

“Most any team that I’ve been around in 20 some-odd years, they evolved defensively,” Leitao said after watching Clemson shoot 61.5 percent from beyond the arc and 53 percent overall. “It’s just habits ... work and habits. For a number of reasons we have not evolved.”

This team has already played its way out of NCAA Tournament consideration unless there’s divine intervention. Where’s Todd Billet when you need him?

When a team can’t put forth any more effort than this one did last night, with a chance to stop the bleeding, then how can anyone expect things to change?

“Mentally, it seemed everyone was flat or dead,” said junior Mamadi Diane, who hit just one of eight shots. “There wasn’t that spark that is usually there.”

Singletary said he called the meeting after the game to clear the air, but said most of the short session was to tell his teammates to stick together, that there’s a lot of basketball to be played.

“It’s all about us being a cohesive unit,” said Singletary, who extended his ACC-best streak of double-figures scoring games to 42 with 14 points. “Everybody’s not on the same page, a big factor in why we’re losing these games. We just have to play harder.”

But everyone on this team doesn’t play with the same tenacity as Singletary. If they did, Virginia wouldn’t be 1-7 in the ACC and mired in such a losing slump.

“We just didn’t come out with energy,” Singletary said. “We weren’t communicating well offensively or defensively, we weren’t executing at all on defense. Everything was spiraling and we didn’t have enough intestinal fortitude to fight it. [Clemson] was playing great, but we didn’t put up any defense in any type of way.”

That’s it exactly. And if a team doesn’t have any fight, then what does it have?

Leitao has been telling us all these things for weeks now, but no one has listened, mostly his own players. Until they get the message, this season is a wrap.

Rest in peace, Virginia. March Madness will miss you.

 

Dazed and dismayed
Cavaliers look inward after a stunningly inept effort against Clemson
Friday, Feb 08, 2008 - 12:15 AM
By JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER

CHARLOTTESVILLE - What was said in the players-only meeting at John Paul Jones Arena last night - called by senior Sean Singletary after Virginia's 82-51 loss to Clemson - shall remain private, the all-ACC point guard said.

Clearly, though, these are desperate times for the Cavaliers, who have dropped five consecutive games and eight of nine.

"We've been losing a lot of games, and I just expected to come out tonight and turn it around," said senior forward Adrian Joseph, who led Virginia with 19 points. "I thought tonight was going to be the night everything changed. Unfortunately, I didn't see this coming."

Who did? For all their recent struggles, the last-place Cavaliers (1-7, 11-10) had been competitive in most of their ACC losses. Last night, however, Virginia embarrassed itself before 13,929 fans and an ESPN2 audience. U.Va. trailed by 38 with five minutes remaining, and this defeat - its worst since 2005 - was its most humbling of the season.

Yes, U.Va. lost by 38 early last month to Xavier, but that game was in Cincinnati. This was in an arena where the Cavaliers once seemed invincible.

No more. The 31-point margin of victory was the largest by Clemson in an ACC road game.

"Everything was spiraling downward, and we didn't fight it," said Singletary, who scored 14 points but turned the ball over five times. "We didn't have enough intestinal fortitude to fight it tonight."

And so Singletary summoned his teammates for a postgame meeting. He wanted the players "to clear the air if anybody had anything to say," he said.

"There aren't any big issues. We just got to play better. It's that simple. Everything in that meeting stays in that meeting. We keep everything close quarters, but the bottom line is, we just didn't come out and compete."

Xavier pounded U.Va. from the opening tip Jan. 3. Last night, the Cavaliers took a 6-5 lead into the first TV timeout. But once the Tigers' shots started to fall, U.Va. was helpless against the onslaught.

Clemson finished 16 for 26 on 3-pointers. That's exactly what Xavier shot from beyond the arc against U.Va. last month. In an astounding display of shooting, Tigers junior guard K.C. Rivers missed only twice from long range. The former Oak Hill Academy star finished with eight treys and 32 points, both career highs.

"I was just feeling it tonight," Rivers said.

At Littlejohn Coliseum last year, Virginia scored the game's final 15 points in a stunning 64-63 win over Clemson. That epic collapse derailed the Tigers' season, and they vowed to avoid a repeat last night.

Clemson (5-3, 17-5) need not have worried. Virginia never threatened in the second half. The 51 points were the fewest the Cavaliers have scored this season, their third under Dave Leitao.

"It didn't look pretty, and obviously it wasn't something I expected to happen," said Leitao, the ACC coach of the year in 2006-07. "I don't think anybody in our locker room expected it to happen, but the fact that it did means that we've got to get back to basics and make the proper physical and emotional corrections that would make sure that type of thing wouldn't happen again."

Leitao's first two teams at Virginia - the second of which won a share of the ACC regular-season title - were known for their toughness and defensive intensity. Those qualities have been all disappeared. The Tigers shot 53.3 percent from the floor, and they outrebounded Virginia 35-27.

On a night when Joseph and Singletary scored more than 60 percent of Virginia's points, their fellow starters combined for eight. Junior forward Mamadi Diane, 13 for 38 from the floor in his previous three games, remains mired in a miserable slump.

Diane, who entered as U.Va.'s second-leading scorer, went 1 for 8 last night.

"It's part of what has ailed us and him in the two-and-a-half years," Leitao said. "He's been very good, and he's been inconsistent as well."

 

Clemson leaves Virginia in ruin
The Tigers get their most lopsided ACC road win ever as UVa struggles on defense.
By Doug Doughty
981-3129

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- After suffering three overtime losses in the space of 17 days, Virginia took every step to avoid a fourth Thursday night.

The Cavaliers had 12 turnovers in the first 11 minutes, neglected to defend the 3-point line and put forth little effort -- according to their coach -- in a 82-51 home loss to unranked Clemson.

Al Groh's 62nd-ranked football recruiting class looked impressive in comparison.

Junior guard K.C. Rivers had eight 3-point field goals and finished with a game-high 32 points as the Tigers (17-5. 5-3 ACC) recorded their most lopsided road victory ever in a conference game.

Clemson coach Oliver Purnell said he never envisioned a blowout in a game the Tigers entered as a one-point favorite, "but, when you defend and make shots, you can blow a game open," he said. "We've done that a few times."

It was the eighth loss in nine games for the Cavaliers, who have lost nine of 10 games against ACC opposition dating back to the 2006-2007 season. Virginia (11-10, 1-7) already has lost four home games after going 16-1 last season at John Paul Jones Arena.

"It didn't look pretty and this was obviously something that I didn't expect to happen," said coach Dave Leitao, whose team has less than 48 hours to prepare for a Saturday afternoon tipoff at Wake Forest. "That's why we're getting back to basics, ... to make sure games like tonight don't happen again."

UVa co-captain Sean Singletary called a players-only meeting after the game.

"It was a clear-the-air thing mainly, just seeing if anybody had anything to say," Singletary said. "The big part to me was that we've got to stick together."

Singletary finished with 14 points Thursday for his 43rd straight game in double figures, the high among current ACC players. He also moved into seventh place on UVa's all-time scoring list with 1,814 points, two more than Chris Williams (1998-2002).

The Cavaliers' only other double-figure scorer was Singletary's fellow senior, Adrian Joseph, who had 15 points in the first half and finished with 19.

Clemson's production from its shooting guard, Rivers, was made even more glaring by the continued ineffectiveness of the three players UVa uses at shooting guard -- sophomore Calvin Baker and freshmen Mustapha Farrakhan and Jeff Jones.

That trio combined to go 1-for-8 from the field Thursday after an 0-for-6 outing Saturday in a 72-65 overtime loss at Virginia Tech. Jones is 1-for-12 from the field over the last eight games and Farrakhan is 2-for-17 over his last seven outings.

On top of that, forward Mamadi Diane was 1-for-8 on Thursday after going 2-for-8 at Tech. Diane entered play Thursday as the Cavaliers' second-leading scorer.

"It's part of what's ailed us and him for 212 years," Leitao said. "He's been very good and he's been inconsistent as well. In the last couple of games, he hasn't performed at a level to his liking and it's something that he's got to continue to work himself through."

UVa's ball-handling was sloppy from the start but the defense didn't fall apart, in Leitao's eyes, until after the first TV timeout.

Clemson, which had trailed 6-2 at one point, went on a 34-8 run in stretching its lead to 36-14. Virginia trimmed the deficit to 40-24 at the half, but the Tigers would not be letting up Thursday -- not after what happened last year.

Virginia scored the last 15 points to beat the Tigers 64-63 at Littlejohn Coliseum, a performance that got the Cavaliers started on a seven-game winning streak.

"We invoked [the 2007 loss] before the game, we invoked it at halftime and again at the three-quarter mark," Purnell said. "We didn't invoke it so much out of revenge but from a lesson-learned standpoint."

The Tigers shot 53.3 percent from the field, including 61.5 percent (16-for-26) on 3-pointers. Senior Cliff Hammonds, playing point guard in the absence of Demontez Stitt, had 16 points and 11 assists to go with a game-high four steals.

"He's a terrific player, the most underrated player in this league since I've been at Clemson," said Purnell, who is in his fifth season as the Tigers' coach.

 

Clemson clobbers Cavaliers
Virginia loses its fifth game in a row, and by its biggest margin since 2005.
By MELINDA WALDROP | 247-4634
February 8, 2008
 

CHARLOTTESVILLE - Whatever sickness Virginia's basketball team can't shake, time is running short to find a cure.

The Cavaliers (11-10, 1-7 ACC) lost their fifth straight game Thursday, falling 82-51 on their home floor to Clemson. The margin of victory was the largest ever in an ACC road win for the Tigers (17-5, 5-3), who also tied a school record with 16 made 3-pointers, matching the most given up in a game by U.Va. this season.

The 31-point defeat is Virginia's worst since a 110-76 loss to North Carolina in 2005.

"It's like a virus right now," said senior forward Adrian Joseph, who was the only Cavalier to score for the first 10 minutes of the game. "We're on the court and it seems like nobody wants to be out there. Other teams realize that and they take advantage of it."

Clemson guard K.C. Rivers certainly did, making eight 3-pointers as part of his 32 points — both season-worsts given up by the Cavs' defense. The Tigers shot 62 percent from 3-point range and 53 percent from the floor.

"(His teammates) nicknamed him Sizzle," Tigers coach Oliver Purnell said. "He can score from a lot of different places, obviously. When he's knocking down the deep-range shots, it kind of sets things up, but he got them within the offense. He got them off the break, he got them off flare screens, he got them off late-clock plays."

Rivers was open for his share of long-range looks, but he hit at least two with a defender in his face and the shot clock running down, including a rainbow with 9:40 to play that gave Clemson a 66-38 lead.

"I was just feeling it tonight," said Rivers, who bettered the 25 points put up this year against U.Va. by Seton Hall's Brian Laing and Maryland's Greivis Vasquez. "My teammates found me, and I got it going."

Neither team got much going right away. The game's first seven minutes produced a combined 13 points, but Clemson's shots began falling while the Cavs couldn't hold onto the ball. Twelve minutes into the game, U.Va. had 11 points and as many turnovers.

"It didn't look pretty," U.Va. coach Dave Leitao said. "Obviously, it wasn't something that I expected to happen. I don't think anybody in our locker room expected it to happen. But the fact that it did means we've got to get back to basics and make the proper physical and emotional corrections."

The Tigers, who had 22 assists to Virginia's seven, took their largest lead at 38 points on Terrence Oglesby's 3-pointer with five minutes to play.

"It's not hard to explain," said Cavs senior guard Sean Singletary, who had two assists and five turnovers. "We weren't communicating on offense or defense, we weren't really executing at all. Everything was just spiraling downward and we didn't fight it. We didn't have enough intestinal fortitude to fight it tonight."

Joseph finished with a team-high 19 points and Singletary ran his streak of consecutive games in double digits to 43 with 14 points, but no other Cavalier scored more than five. Junior guard Mamadi Diane, averaging 12 points per game, had just two, making one of the eight shots he took.

"I don't think Clemson has two seconds of sympathy for a guy that may not be playing with the utmost confidence. ... It's a cruel league that way," Leitao said. "You've just got to get back and work."

 

U.Va. no match for motivated Tigers
Dave Fairbank
11:35 PM EST, February 7, 2008
CHARLOTTESVILLE
 

And you thought Mitt Romney absorbed a beating this week. At least the former Massachusetts governor defended his home turf on Super Tuesday.

The Virginia Cavaliers, on the other hand, learned that home court and familiar faces don't compensate for sloppiness and indolence, not when the opponent is as gifted and motivated as Clemson.

The Tigers' 82-51 kneecapping of Virginia on Thursday reflected the differences between the two teams this year, but had roots in last year's meeting at Littlejohn Coliseum.

In that game, the Cavaliers scored the final 15 points to pull out a 64-63 victory, which began a Clemson tailspin that saw the Tigers lose five of its next six games. Clemson eventually finished 7-9 in the ACC and lost in the first round of the ACC tournament. They were relegated to the NIT for the second consecutive season, rendering their 17-0 start little more than a footnote.

"It affected us badly," Clemson guard K.C. Rivers said, "because that game determined what was going to happen as far as the NCAA tournament coming along. This year I think we did a good job coming in here and holding our own and not giving up a big lead like we did last year."

Clemson shot, shared, hustled and generally acted like a team that deserves to be in the upper half of the ACC and ought to be in the discussion come NCAA Selection Sunday.

"We invoked last year's game before the game started, at halftime, at the three-quarter mark, and so on and so forth," Clemson head coach Oliver Purnell said, only partly in jest. "In terms of, they're not going to quit. In terms of, we were in that situation before.

"We certainly need to learn that lesson, in terms of letting off the throttle. If you let off the throttle at all in this league, anything can happen. So we invoked it, not so much from a revenge standpoint, but in terms of lessons learned."

Apparently, the message was conveyed. The Tigers led by 16 at the half Thursday, then built the lead to as many as 38 points. Much of the damage was done on the perimeter, with Rivers torching U.Va. for a career-high 32 points and senior Cliff Hammonds adding 16 points, 11 assists, four rebounds and four steals while filling in at point guard.

"We're a more experienced team," Purnell said. "People have been asking me all year long what's the difference between this team and last year. It's just more experience."

Purnell pointed out that the Tigers' 17-5 record has come with its share of injury and adversity.

Forward James Mays missed five games with a hip injury and has played with a cast on his left hand after breaking it Jan. 6 versus North Carolina.

Forward Sam Perry missed six games after undergoing knee surgery in November and is just now getting healthy. Center Trevor Booker missed almost all of the Jan. 27 loss at Miami after spraining his ankle.

Freshman point guard Demontez Stitt, who started the first 20 games, missed the past two after injuring a knee in practice. All the Tigers did in his absence was win those games by a combined 53 points. "We're able to absorb that," Purnell said of the injuries, "because we've got experienced guys who move over in positions and just play."

Virginia has no such luxury. One-man band Sean Singletary received help from running mate Adrian Joseph on Thursday. But their teammates' 6-for-27 shooting and a collective 1-to-1 field goal-to-turnover ratio, not to mention token resistance to Clemson's perimeter shooters, wasn't going to cut it.

Even Virginia coach Dave Leitao couldn't muster much fire afterward, sounding more resigned than defiant.

"There are going to be days, going to be times for any team, for any individual when things don't happen the way you want," Leitao said. "The only way I've ever known in this game is to get back and work yourself through it. I don't think Clemson has two seconds of sympathy for a guy that may not be playing with the utmost confidence. And everybody in this league -- it's a cruel league, and you've just to get back and work."

Indeed, there are no concession speeches or withdrawals. The Cavs have to play out the string, no matter the delegate count.

 

Cavs drop another to Clemson
Despite efforts of seniors Joseph, Singletary, Virginia falls to Tigers at home, 82-51
Paul Montana, Cavalier Daily Senior Associate Editor
 

The Cavaliers' nightmarish season thus far just went from bad to worse.

From the time Virginia lost its 6-2 lead early in the first half to visiting Clemson, the Cavaliers showed no signs of life as the Tigers earned their largest margin of victory ever in an ACC road game, defeating Virginia 82-51.

Whether it was in the paint, on the perimeter or anywhere in between, the Cavaliers had no answer for Clemson's offense all night. The Tigers shot 32-60 from the floor, including 16-26 from the 3-point line in the 31-point rout, while assisting on 22 of 32 field goals. Junior K.C. Rivers exploded for 32 points on 12-19 shooting to lead Clemson.

Rivers "had a couple of very impressive shots at the end of the shot clock," Clemson coach Oliver Purnell said. "That's a sign that he had it going."

Offensively, the Cavaliers were unable to surmount much resistance either, as they mustered just 19 field goals on a mere 49 field-goal attempts. Turnovers were a big part of Virginia's lack of production, particularly in the first half, as the team committed 18 turnovers on the game, 12 of them in the first 13 minutes.

"We turned it over a few times under pressure, and it affected us mentally," Virginia coach Dave Leitao said. "We didn't stay in the right frame of mind, and it just spread from there."

Senior Adrian Joseph was the lone offensive bright spot for Virginia, as he finished with 19 points on 8-12 shooting.

Virginia came out looking fired up after going into halftime with a 40-24 halftime deficit, but things only grew worse for the Cavaliers as the second half began. After the Tigers shot 48.5 percent from the field in the opening period, the Cavaliers continued to have no answer for Clemson's offense at the outset of the second half as the Tigers immediately embarked on a 5-0 run. Clemson continued to pour in points from all angles, slowly building their lead from 16 to as large as 38 with 5:06 remaining. This is the largest deficit the Cavaliers have suffered this season.

As Clemson continued to build its lead into the 20s, Cavalier fans waited, poised for the inevitable run that the home team always seems to make when faced with a second-half deficit. That run, however, never came, and as the Tigers' lead climbed into the 30s, frustrated Virginia fans began to trickle out of John Paul Jones Arena.

"It was our lack of energy that got us down like that," senior Sean Singletary said. "They were definitely on top of their game, but we just weren't into it."

The Tigers used a full-court zone press for much of the game, and it was effective in frustrating the Virginia attack. In a 2:12 span midway through the first half, the Cavaliers were forced into a timeout, two turnovers and an offensive foul as Clemson took its first lead of the game, which it never lost.

"I don't know if pressure is the right word [for what is wrong with the team], but if there is a right word then I don't have it," Leitao said. "I think that each individual has to search within himself to find a way out of a personal or collective situation and make things better."

Virginia now has a quick two-day turnaround before traveling to Winston-Salem for a matchup with Wake Forest. As Virginia tries to forget being embarrassed on its home court, the team hopes that getting back on the court quickly is exactly what the doctor ordered.

"The quick turnaround is either going to be a very good thing, because you get right back at it, and you get a chance to correct it -- or not, depending on what happens from tonight on out." Leitao said.

 

That's what he said
Paul Montana

It finally happened. After losing game after game by the smallest of margins, the Cavaliers finally broke.

In most of Virginia's losses, there have been bright spots. Somebody unusual has a breakout scoring night; one of the big men puts up double-digit rebounds; or Singletary puts on a dazzling display. But as Virginia coach Dave Leitao put it after one game, he never really took stock in the positives after poor overall performances. As he put it after the Cavs let recent Division I-addition Longwood hang around for much of the game in a Dec. 7 win against Longwood, "If you have a flat tire on your car, does it matter if it's shiny?"

Well, in this game, the car was pretty much totaled. And after freshman Mike Scott's comments about the overtime loss to Virginia Tech Saturday, was this all-out collapse such an unpredictable outcome? Much has been made of what Scott said after Saturday's game against Virginia Tech. For those of you who haven't read his remarks, they go something like this: The Cavaliers, and the freshmen in particular, are suffering from confidence issues because they are worried about being pulled by Leitao for making a mistake.

One of my fellow columnists at The Cavalier Daily, Kevin Zdancewicz wrote a column in yesterday's edition in which he sided with Scott, saying Leitao should not quite be so quick on the trigger. And let me first say that I respect Kevin's opinion, and more then that, admire him for the side he chose on this issue. It takes real guts to criticize someone with the stature of Dave Leitao.

Nevertheless, I must respectfully disagree with Kevin's assessment. It's not so much that I think that Leitao is in the right, but rather that Scott was in the wrong.

My first issue with was Scott said is not what he said, but to whom he said it. As a reporter, I am obligated to publish any content that would be of interest to the readership of this newspaper, and Scott's words certainly incurred plenty of interest. On the other hand, I must say that I was disappointed with the freshman for voicing his dissatisfaction to the media. If he had a problem with Leitao, he should have spoken to the coaching staff, an older teammate or someone else within the program and left it at that. I find it foolish and back-handed for any player, particularly a freshman, to use the media as an avenue for disapproval, with the rare exception of a leader who is trying to motivate his team. Scott, as a freshman who is only starting because of a depleted frontline, certainly has not yet earned leadership status, nor were his words in any way motivational.

Second, while Scott's feelings on his coach's style have changed from positive to negative, Leitao's ways have not wavered one bit. When Leitao was leading Virginia to a share of the ACC title and a fourth seed in the NCAA Tournament, was anybody questioning his methods? To the contrary, Leitao was a hero, the man who turned the Virginia basketball program into an ACC contender.

And, in case anybody has forgotten, Leitao was no different last year in his coaching manner. He was the same yelling, fiercely passionate head coach who would unhesitatingly yank a player at the slightest mental lapse.

And Scott had to know this coming to Virginia this year. If he was paying any attention when he was being recruited, he had to see Leitao for the coach that he is. He had to see Leitao demands perfection and is critical of anything less.

If you are a loyal reader of The Cavalier Daily, you know Leitao doesn't keep any secrets about his game manner. In a telephone interview I conducted with him that was published several weeks ago in this paper, he was very candid, saying simply that he feels that the yelling, quick substitutions, and generally harsh game demeanor are all things that he feels are necessary to being a head coach.

I am not in any way implying that I agree with Leitao's confrontational style, nor am I suggesting that I disagree; my stance is that a head coach should do what he feels necessary both for himself and for his team. As a member of the press who is essentially disconnected from the interaction between players and coaches outside of the game setting, I don't think I'm in a position to say whether his coaching style is a factor in Virginia's losing season or not.

What I am saying is that when things aren't going your way, it's all too easy to blame the coach, and Scott fell into this trap in the worst of ways. The fact of the matter is that if Scott is not the type of player who can handle the criticism that Leitao so regularly dishes out, he should have recognized that before he committed to this University, not halfway through a losing season in front of the press.

"That's something that every player in America deals with, having to go out there and worrying about other factors," junior Mamadi Diane said. "Everybody deals with it."

And that's exactly what Scott, and anyone else who feels the same way, needs to do: deal with it. Just go out and play hard and be happy with the minutes that you get on the floor.

Maybe then, the Cavs can pick up the pieces of their shattered team and try to salvage some semblance of a basketball season.

 

Cavs defenseless to stop the Tigers ACC MEN >> Virginia hits a new low
February 8, 2008 12:16 am
BY TAFT COGHILL JR.
CHARLOTTESVILLE--

Things have gotten so bad for Virginia that the Cavaliers needed to organize a team meeting directly after last night's embarrassing 82-51 home loss to Clemson.

It was the Cavaliers' worst home loss in the two years since John Paul Jones Arena has been open, and the seniors had seen enough of the lifeless play.

Virginia (11-10, 1-7 Atlantic Coast Conference) remained firmly entrenched in last place in the conference and allowed the Tigers (17-5, 5-3) to cruise to their most lopsided ACC road win in school history.

The Cavaliers have lost five straight games and eight of their last nine, but none was more disheartening than last night's effort.

"It's like a virus right now," senior co-captain Adrian Joseph said of the Cavaliers' lack of energy and confidence. "We're on the court and it seems like nobody wants to be out there. Other teams tend to realize that and they tend to take advantage of it."

The Tigers did that and then some. Junior guard K.C. Rivers led the way with 32 points, including an 8-of-11 showing from behind the 3-point line.

At one point late in the game, Rivers trailed Virginia's entire team by only 39-32.

"I was just feeling it tonight," Rivers said. "My teammates found me and I got it going."

Virginia head coach Dave Leitao was feeling something entirely different. He's just about run out of ways to motivate his team.

He took away the player's locker room privileges and practice jerseys after a 38-point loss to Xavier, but he loosened up and told the players to just "have fun" shortly before a win over Boston College.

Now Leitao said the Cavaliers must go back to basics after their miserable night made most of the crowd of 13,929 leave with more than eight minutes remaining.

Leitao said "it wasn't a whole lot" of effort put forth by the Cavaliers, especially in the second half when Clemson converted several dunks and layups.

"It didn't look pretty and obviously it wasn't something I expected to happen," Leitao said. "I don't think anybody in our locker room expected it to happen, but the fact that it did means we've got to get back to basics and make the proper physical and emotional corrections to make sure that kind of thing doesn't happen again."

Leitao may want to start with defense. The Cavaliers allowed Clemson to shoot 53 percent from the floor and connect on a school-record 16 3-pointers.

Clemson's lead grew as high as 38 points, the largest advantage by an opponent in John Paul Jones Arena's brief history.

The end result was the Cavaliers' worst home loss since a 110-76 setback to the 2005 North Carolina team that won the national championship.

Joseph was a freshman then and he remembers that loss as a low point. He said last night's was also "one of my lowest points."

That's why he wanted to send a message to the Cavaliers' younger players in last night's meeting.

"[We were] basically talking about wanting to be out there," Joseph said. "Play with confidence. Play like you enjoy the game. This is a great opportunity at the University of Virginia. Just act like it means something to you. That's all."

Joseph played that way last night, leading the Cavaliers with 19 points on 8-of-12 shooting. The Cavaliers will try to get on the right track tomorrow when they visit Wake Forest, hoping to quickly forget last night's debacle.

"[Clemson's] a good team, but we didn't offer up any resistance to them," senior point guard Sean Singletary said. "So they just blew us out."

 

Groh won't rush to fill staff vacancy
No timetable cited in ongoing hunt for London's replacement
Friday, Feb 08, 2008 - 12:07 AM
By JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER

CHARLOTTESVILLE - After his team's Jan. 1 loss to Texas Tech in the Gator Bowl, University of Virginia football coach Al Groh spoke to reporters.

Groh didn't hold another press conference for more than a month. The occasion was national signing day, but the reigning ACC coach of year addressed several other matters Wednesday at Scott Stadium, among them the vacancy on his staff.

Mike London, the Cavaliers' defensive coordinator in 2006 and '07, left last month to become head coach at the University of Richmond.

Groh spent most of the past month on the road recruiting and said he gave a lot of thought to filling that slot. He gave no timetable Wednesday for hiring London's successor, but Groh dismissed reports linking Pepper Johnson, the New England Patriots' defensive-line coach, to the opening.

In addition to serving as coordinator, London coached the Cavaliers' defensive linemen. Another assistant, Levern Belin, is a former defensive-line coach at Virginia, so Groh is covered in that area. Moreover, Groh, a former NFL defensive coordinator, said he made the defensive calls for Virginia in 2006 and '07, "so not too much is going to change there."

One option would be for Groh to take over the coordinator's duties and hire another position coach.

"We have a lot of flexibility in how we're doing to do this," Groh said. "The perspective on it in general has been however we can add the most value to the staff and the program is what we're going to do."

U.Va. begins spring practice March 21. The Cavaliers' spring game is April 12.

ELEVENTH-HOUR ADDITIONS: Four of Virginia's 18 recruits committed less than a week before signing day, including Riko Smalls, a quarterback from Texas, and Steve Greer, a linebacker from Ohio. Each of those two had scholarship offers from other major-college programs.

"That's what you have to do," Groh said. "You just keep digging and turn over rocks till you find those guys that fit the parameters that you've set out there."

The 6-1 Smalls is a dual-threat quarterback in the molds of Marques Hagans and Jameel Sewell. But Groh said Virginia didn't set out to recruit a certain style of QB.

"All we were really saying there was 'a good quarterback,'" Groh said. "And that's really something we've believed for a long time. It's so important to have ability at that position.

"It's hard, whether you're an NFL team, a college team, a high school team, to get really quality play at that position. . . . All we're interested in is moving the ball down the field and scoring, and whatever kind of quarterback can get the ball down there is great with us."

DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH: In early December, Groh got a call from his son Mike, who recruits in the Richmond area for the Cavaliers and was at Highland Springs High School.

"I've found a guy you're really going to like," U.Va.'s offensive coordinator said.

The head coach was skeptical. Al Groh told his older son, "'It's the first week of December. How many gems are you going to find outside of [a jewelry store]?' But he was right."

The player in question, 6-3, 240-pound tight end Rod Wheeler, signed Wednesday with U.Va. He's expected to make more of an impact as a pass-catcher than as a blocker, at least initially.

In the Springers' spread offense, Wheeler "played separated from the formation as much as he did as part of the offensive-line unit," Al Groh said. "He had a lot of balls thrown to him, and we really had a chance to see him operate in space."

Wheeler had 35 receptions for 482 yards and five TDs in 10 games as a senior. He was named to the all-Central Region second team.

 

No excuses-mentality needs to extend to recruiting
Get a recruiter for D-coordinator
By Doug Doughty

On a drive to Charlottesville for a signing-day teleconference, I wondered what kind of spin Virginia football coach Al Groh would put on a recruiting class that was ranked 11th in the ACC and 62nd in the country by rivals.com.

After listening to Groh for nearly 90 minutes on and off the record, I concluded that Groh still had a pretty good grip on things, but sometimes he just can’t help himself.

Take the subject of in-state recruiting. Not counting Fork Union, Virginia signed three players from Virginia high schools, including one player, Norfolk Norview defensive lineman Klinton “Buddy” Ruff off The Roanoke Times Top 25.

UVa’s other two in-state signees, Highland Springs tight end Rod Wheeler and Great Bridge offensive and defensive lineman Mike Price, were rated 32nd and 83rd, respectively.

“Each year brings a set of different circumstances in terms of talent available at the position that we’re looking for, the academic circumstances and whatnot,” Groh said.

“We have to get whatever we need, wherever it might come from. The pool that we were able to operate in this particular year was not as broad as it has been in other years.”

Groh has been saying the same thing since the summer, but his argument breaks down when you consider that Virginia extended more than 20 scholarship offers to in-state players.

Surely, academics were involved with some of the players Virginia did not offer, but to get 15 percent or fewer of the in-state players you have offered is unacceptable for any self-respecting state university.

Besides, does Groh know how it sounds when he continues to cite needs and “academics?”

People take it the wrong way.

Jimmy Prince, the coach at Ocean Lakes High School in Virginia Beach, saw the Cavaliers try and recruit two of his players – quarterback Marcus Davis and wide receiver Randall Dunn – before both committed to Virginia Tech.

Tech signed 20 players from Virginia, or 21 if you count Delaware-bred defensive end Leon Mackey, who is spending his senior year at Hargrave Military Academy. What does it say when Virginia gets three?

“It tells me that there’s an image problem that somebody’s got to fix,” said Prince, who has coached in Virginia for 37 years. “There was an article that came out when Virginia had one in-state commitment and the reason given [by Groh] was that the kids didn’t meet their needs.

“When you’ve already got a reputation for elitism and then, to say something like that, I think it makes it kind of tough [to recruit]. We’ve got enough schools coming down here that, obviously, somebody thinks there are players. But, in Virginia’s defense, they worked like crazy to get both of our guys.”

During the season, Groh is constantly harping on a no-excuses mentality. Why can’t there be a no-excuses approach to recruiting?

Before going to Ocean Lakes, Prince worked at James Madison at a time when ex-Cavalier assistant Danny Wilmer was on the Dukes’ staff. Wilmer later recruited some of the best players ever to come through the UVa program but was not retained when Groh replaced George Welsh.

“Because somebody (Groh) was told that he should do it, he wasn’t going to do it,” Prince said. “I think that’s one of the things that haunts them to this day.

“They say that George Welsh changed the face of University of Virginia football, but Danny Wilmer changed the face of University of Virginia football recruiting. He said, ‘I’m not going to let these guys leave the state and go to North Carolina and Clemson. We’re going to beat ‘em.’

“That’s what he did. He went into the middle of the state and found guys that nobody was looking at. Before he ever went to Virginia, he got Charles Haley. He was relentless.”

And, where is Wilmer now? He’s still employed by UVa in community relations.

“He could go out there tomorrow and not miss a beat,” Prince said.

That said, Prince was impressed by Groh’s initial staff, which included current I-A or I-AA head coaches Al Golden (Temple), Ron Prince (Kansas State), Danny Rocco (Liberty) and Mike London (Richmond).

“They were all young, energetic guys and what about that guy [John] Garrett who went to the Cowboys?” Prince said. “I think what you’ve got to ask about is the hires they’ve made after that.”

Golden and Prince were replaced as coordinators by London, who returned after a one-year stint in the NFL, and Mike Groh. Two newcomers to the staff were veterans Dave Borbely (offensive line) and Steve Bernstein (secondary).

Before hiring Borbely, Groh interviewed then-JMU assistant Curt Newsome, already established as a terrific recruiter. Not long after Newsome was passed over by Virginia, Tech head coach Frank Beamer found a position for Newsome on the Hokies’ staff.

Newsome either was the lead recruiter or shared responsibilities for nine of the 31 players who signed with Tech this week.

My theory on recruiting is that it’s mostly about the people doing the recruiting, including players who escort recruits on visits. The Cavaliers currently have an opening for a defensive coordinator, but even Groh admitted Wednesday that he has been making the defensive calls for the last two years.

London knew that when he took the job, but he figured he needed a coordinator’s title to round out his resume, and his two-year stint was a bonus for all concerned. It would be a mistake for Groh to name himself defensive coordinator or not hire a defensive coordinator when he could use the coordinator’s title as a bargaining chip.

To me, you go out and find the best recruiter you can. Make sure he knows his stuff but, if there’s a question about his age or experience, know that you’re there to help him. What the program needs more than anything right now is players.
 

Cavs soph Barrick learns on the job
By Whitelaw Reid / wreid@dailyprogress.com | 978-7250
February 8, 2008

Houston Barrick was already down a set and a break when he rolled his ankle in an early-season match against Virginia Commonwealth last season.

Nobody would have blinked an eye if the Virginia freshman called it a day and retired.

But that wasn’t about to happen.

“He hobbled around on one leg, and through shear guts was able to pull the match out,” recalled Virginia coach Brian Boland.

Barrick’s win paved the way to a victory over VCU. It was at that point that Boland knew for sure that he had recruited just the type of player that his team needed.

“He was a warrior, had tremendous guts and was tough,” Boland said. “He showed he could play through adversity. It really said a lot about his character.”

Especially for someone so young. At 17, Barrick was one of the youngest players in all of college tennis.

The Nashville, Tenn., native, who was home-schooled, graduated high school early and enrolled at Virginia last January. Initially, the plan was for Barrick to redshirt, take some classes and get accustomed to college life.

However, that changed as soon as Barrick started practicing with the team.

“Once you get here, you get the bug,” Barrick said. “You want to play, so we decided the best thing to do would be to go ahead and start.”

Playing at No. 5 singles, Barrick compiled a 9-2 singles record in ACC play, and a 9-1 mark in doubles with partner Dominic Inglot.

This season, the sophomore has a 3-0 dual-match record in singles.

Tonight, Barrick and No. 1-ranked Virginia host 47th-ranked Kentucky at the Boar’s Head Sports Club. UVa (5-0) hosts 51st-ranked Harvard on Sunday.

One of the biggest things that Barrick brings to the table is his energy.

“He plays with a lot of emotion,” Boland said. “He really gave us the boost that we needed last year in terms of having a chance to compete for a national championship. He was one of the best freshmen in the country.

“He’s one of the hardest working players I’ve ever coached. It’s been a joy to work with him.”

The 6-foot-2, 190-pound Barrick has some athletic genes. His father, Steve, played basketball at Western Kentucky. His mother, Jan, was a tennis standout at Belmont.

Barrick played lots of basketball as a kid until deciding to focus on tennis around the ninth grade.

After a stellar junior career - he was ranked as high as No. 1 in USTA boys’ 18 singles - Barrick chose Virginia over Georgia, Georgia Tech and hometown Vanderbilt.

He said his introduction to college-level tennis last season was surreal.

“You play these junior tournaments and there are maybe 10 people watching your match,” Barrick said. “My first home match was against Notre Dame on a Friday night and we had like 500 or 600 people. It was awesome.”

Barrick is still the youngest player on the team - he doesn’t turn 19 until April - but that hasn’t stopped him from becoming one of the team leaders. His fiery demeanor on the court has been infectious.

“He’s a great kid,” said Virginia senior Treat Huey. “He’s the most competitive guy I know. He’s just got great ability to work hard all the time and has done a great job of adapting to college tennis.”

Huey joked that Barrick’s energetic personality isn’t always so good.

“We always feel like he’s the youngest kid ever because he always has just so much energy,” Huey said. “We’ll be dead asleep on a road trip and he’ll be like, ‘Let’s go. Let’s do something.’ He definitely keeps things lively.”

After traveling around the country with just his parents to junior tournaments for several years, Barrick says he loves the team aspect of college tennis.

“There are a lot of guys who might have more talent than me,” Barrick said, “but I’d like to think I bring some intensity and fire to the table.”