Cavs vs. Jackets postponed
Rain wouldn't go away; U.Va., Georgia Tech will try again some other day
Friday, Feb 22, 2008 - 12:01 AM
By JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER

ATLANTA -- Last night's game between Virginia and Georgia Tech was called because of rain.

That might not be unusual if the ACC rivals had been playing baseball, but this was men's basketball. And now the schools must scramble to find a suitable date to reschedule this game before the ACC tournament, which begins March 13 in Charlotte, N.C.

A hard rain started falling in this drought-stricken city yesterday morning, and it hadn't abated as afternoon gave way to evening. As the teams warmed up at Alexander Memorial Coliseum, where tipoff was scheduled for 7 p.m., water was spotted on the court in the foul lane in front of the Yellow Jackets' bench.

"It was hard to tell where the leak was coming from, but you could see that the ceiling was soaked with water," said Jon Oliver, U.Va.'s executive associate athletic director.

"It looked like it was hitting a beam and then running down and hitting the lane on the floor. Not a steady stream, but a couple of drops, enough that it didn't stop at all."

Holding out hope that the leak might somehow stop, officials announced to the crowd that the start of the game would be pushed back 20 minutes, and the teams retreated to their locker rooms.

The water continued to fall, though, and so the game was called off, not long after Counting Crows' "Rain King" had finished playing over the P.A. system.

"They made the right decision," Yellow Jackets coach Paul Hewitt said. "If anybody gets hurt, it wouldn't have been a good thing."

The U.Va. traveling party left for the airport almost immediately. Officials from the two schools and the ACC will confer today to try to find a new date for the game.

"It's important to get this scheduled so the student-athletes can complete their ACC schedule," said Dan Radakovich, Georgia Tech's athletic director.

Today was not a viable option for either team. Georgia Tech (4-6, 11-13) visits Virginia Tech tomorrow, and Virginia (2-9, 12-12) hosts N.C. State on Sunday.

Neither team appears to have an opening in its regular-season schedule that coincides well with a break for the other. Which means, Oliver said, that the game might have to be made up between the regularly scheduled end of the regular season and the start of the ACC tournament.

Radakovich said: "If that's the only window that we have to get this game in . . . we would certainly be amenable to playing."

March 3 might be a possibility. U.Va. plays at Miami on March 1 and hosts Duke on March 5. Georgia Tech entertains Wake Forest on March 1 and hosts Clemson on March 6.

Georgia Tech closes the regular season March 8 at Boston College. Virginia's finale is the next day, against Maryland in Charlottesville.

Asked if the game might not be made up, Radakovich said, "I'm not prepared to go down that road right now. We're going to use all of our efforts and energies to make sure this game gets played."

This isn't the first time, of course, that water on the floor has wreaked havoc with a U.Va. men's basketball game. Who can forget the Nov. 28, 2001, debacle at the Richmond Coliseum?

On that night, Virginia's game with Michigan State in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge was halted with 15:04 left in the second half because of condensation on the court.

The game, which was televised on ESPN2, had attracted nearly 12,000 fans to the Coliseum. But unseasonably warm weather combined with the hockey ice under the court to create dangerously slick conditions. That game never was rescheduled.

 

History repeats itself in Georgia
By Jerry Ratcliffe / jratcliffe@dailyprogress.com
February 21, 2008
ATLANTA

More than 30 years in the business and you think you’ve seen it all.

But a rainout in basketball? There’s always a first time.

I seem to remember saying the same thing on Aug. 27, 2000, when the old ACC Football Tour ended with a scheduled game in Blacksburg with Georgia Tech facing Virginia Tech in the Black Coaches Association contest.

Just as the two teams lined up to kick off, an imposing lightning bolt struck in a stadium parking lot, strangely destroying ESPN football analyst Lee Corso’s rental car.

After a violent storm and lengthy delay, the game was postponed and never replayed.

Hoops or hockey?

Then, in November of 2002, there was the infamous “Ice Out” at the Richmond Coliseum when Virginia was engaged in a close battle with Michigan State. Because the ice hockey surface under the basketball floor caused condensation on an unusually warm night, players were slipping and sliding all over the place.

Most observers felt like the Cavaliers were getting the best of the Spartans in the ACC / Big Ten Challenge, but because school and game officials feared the floor conditions could potentially cause a serious injury, the game was postponed and never replayed.

Fast forward to Thursday night at the Thrillerdome, Georgia Tech’s ancient on-campus facility. While rain soaked Atlanta all day long, the floor at Alexander Memorial Coliseum remained dry all through the women’s team practice that ended at 5:30 p.m.

Not until Virginia’s and Georgia Tech’s men’s teams took the floor for their normal warm-ups did game officials spot a wet area on the floor and discovered a leak in the ceiling. After a 20-minute delay, the game was postponed.

Time crunch for rematch

Never to be replayed? We’ll have to wait and see. The best bet looks like they’ll have to play between the final regular-season game (Sunday, March 9) and the first round of the ACC Tournament in Charlotte (Thursday, March 13).

Because the ACC doesn’t like its teams playing back-to-back non-tournament games, Tuesday, March 11 would make the most sense. There’s no such two-day window that matches both UVa’s and Georgia Tech’s remaining regular season schedule, including today because the Jackets fly to Blacksburg this afternoon for Saturday’s game with the Hokies.

Me, I blame two things: global warming and the lawyers (sorry Admiral).

Well, maybe not global warming. Georgia Tech’s last four home games were played on days where it snowed twice (just a dusting, but hey, it’s Atlanta) and had tornado warnings ... not watches, warnings.

The roof didn’t leak then.

If not global warning, then it has to be the lawyers.

As Georgia Tech coach Paul Hewitt said after the postponement, “It’s a different time, a different age now. The issue of insurance and liability becomes a huge factor. I think that becomes the overriding part of the decision. Somebody said to me 10 or 15 years ago, you play this game. But nowadays, if somebody gets hurt, somebody’s going to be liable for something.”

See, I told you.

Is there a possibility this game will fall into the postponed and never replayed column, just as the Tech vs. Tech football game and UVa vs. Michigan State hoops contest?

“We’re not prepared to go down that road,” Tech AD Dan Radakovich said. “We’re going to use all our efforts and energies to make sure this game gets played.”

Seems like I’ve heard that one before, too.

 

Georgia Tech basketball game 'rained out'
By MATT WINKELJOHN
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 02/21/08

Georgia Tech basketball coach Paul Hewitt joked Thursday that his team, "finally caught a break," in Alexander Memorial Coliseum, where Tech is 4-6.

Actually, it was a leak.

A 7 p.m. game against Virginia was postponed because a leaky roof kept dropping water on the lane near the east goal.

That's right. Rained out for the first time in a basketball history that dates back to 1905-06, when games were played at a place called Peachtree Auditorium before coach John Heisman's teams moved to the Cable Piano Company Hall and then on campus in what was called the Crystal Palace.

Some drought, huh?

"I think there was one time during a summer camp at the other end, but never that spot before, at least not in the eight years I've been here," Hewitt said.

Athletics director Dan Radakovich and Virginia executive associate director of athletics John Oliver said the schools would try to reschedule.

There was work done on the Coliseum's roof last summer, but there had been no recent leaks over the court.

Rain fell steadily for most of Thursday, but there was no water problem when the women's team practiced up to 5:30. "It really began to accumulate between their practice and 6:30 or 7," Radakovich said.

Fixing the problem immediately was "really not an option," Radakovich said. "You just can't walk out of the arena and go up onto the roof."

The drip was steady enough that the thought of frequently wiping it up was not seriously considered. No thought was given to moving the game, Radakovich said.

John Clougherty, supervisor of ACC men's basketball officials, was at Thursday's would-be game by coincidence and involved in the decision to postpone. "Injury was in the forefront of our minds," he said.

There is no ACC rule mandating that teams have at least two days between games, but it is a rule of thumb. That could be a problem in rescheduling.

"It doesn't look like there's a two-day window where we could get this game made up," Oliver said. "It looks like it may have to be played after the end of the regular season and prior to conference tournament."

Tech (11-13, 4-6 ACC) ends the regular season March 8 at Boston College. Virginia (12-12, 2-9) wraps up March 9 against Maryland.

A Tuesday, March 11 make-up game might be problematic because both teams likely will play March 13 in the first round of the ACC tournament, and — in theory — would thus have to play five games in six days to have a chance to win the ACC tournament, which ends March 16.

The one spot that appears possible on both team's regular-season schedules — Monday, March 3 — is not so desirable, especially for Virginia.

The Cavaliers would play March 1 at Miami, March 3 at Tech, and March 5 against Duke. Tech would play three straight home games — March 1 against Wake Forest, March 3 against Virginia, and March 6 against Clemson.

Regarding the possibility of not playing the game, Radakovich said, "I'm not prepared to go down that road right now."

Before the decision to postpone, while waiting out an initial delay of 20 minutes, Tech officials played, "Here Comes the Rain Again," by the Eurhythmics and, "The Rain King," by the Counting Crows.

Once the PA announcer told fans in a less-than-half-filled arena that the game would hopefully be rescheduled and to hold onto ticket stubs, Tech fans Jeff Reeves and his son Lee were not amused.

They drove five hours from Demopolis, Ala. After Lee's first chance to see a Tech game was drowned out, he said, "It sucks."

No, it rained.

Cavs sidelined by indoor rainout
Alexander Memorial Coliseum surrenders to the wet weather.
Doug Doughty

ATLANTA -- There was no winner Thursday night in a scheduled game between the only ACC men's basketball teams without a winning record.

Approximately 30 minutes after an anticipated 7 p.m. tipoff, the game was postponed in an announcement that was greeted by a chorus of boos.

The Counting Crows song, "Rain King," could be heard over the public-address system.

No make-up date was announced, but there was resolve on all sides to play the game at a later date.

"It is imperative to get this game rescheduled so the athletes will have a complete schedule," second-year Georgia Tech athletic director Dan Radakovich said.

There was no way to play the game while Virginia (12-12 overall, 2-9 ACC) was in town because the Yellow Jackets (11-13, 4-6) will fly to Roanoke this morning for a game Saturday with Virginia Tech.

Virginia entertains North Carolina State at 4:30 p.m. Sunday.

"I looked at the schedule briefly and it doesn't look like there's a two-day window where we can easily get this game made up," said Jon Oliver, UVa's associate athletic director, who was on the trip.

"I've already talked to [AD] Craig [Littlepage] and it looks like he's going to have to get together with the conference office to see how we get that done.

"It looks like it may have to be played after the end of the regular season and before Thursday's [ACC] Tournament games."

Virginia's entertains Maryland in its final regular-season game March 9, which is a Sunday.

If Virginia were to get a two-day window, that would place a make-up game on Tuesday, March 11, which could throw the tournament pairings and schedules out of whack.

"Didn't Nebraska and Oklahoma State play after the regular season [in the Big 12] last year?" Georgia Tech coach Paul Hewitt asked.

The answer to that question is yes.

The Cornhuskers and Cowboys had to postpone a game in January 2007 because of an ice storm. The game was played on the Monday before the Big 12 Tournament, which began on a Thursday.

Other ACC games have been postponed for weather-related issues such as snow and icestorms, but nobody could remember another occasion when a game had been "rained" out.

In 2001, a game between Virginia and Michigan State was suspended when unusually warm weather caused condensation from the ice under the basketball floor at Richmond Coliseum.

That game was suspended with 15:04 remaining in the second half and never completed.

ACC supervisor of men's basketball officials John Clougherty, who had travelled to Atlanta as an observer, said he remembered refereeing an NCAA title game between Kentucky and Syracuse during which the roof at the Meadowlands started leaking.

"I got [Rick] Pitino and coach [Jim] Boeheim together and we talked about it," Clougherty said.

"Of course, it's the national championship game and you don't have a lot of options there. We played the second half with a leak in the roof."

The Georgia Tech women's basketball team practiced at Alexander Memorial Coliseum without incident until about 5:30 p.m. Thursday.

Managers noticed droplets on the floor shortly after the men's teams started their shootaround at 6 p.m. and if there were workers who could repair the roof, "they're not here right now," Radakovich said.

Alexander Coliseum opened in 1956 and is the one of the nation's oldest venues for college basketball, although it did get a new roof in 1983.

"I thought we were going to play," said Hewitt when asked for his first reaction Thursday, "but they made the right decision. It's a different time. It's a different age now.

"The issue of insurance and liability becomes a huge factor. I think that was the overriding part of the decision. Ten or 15 years ago, you play this game."


 

Cavs confident on Fridays with Thompson on the mound
By Andy Bitter
Lynchburg News & Advance
February 21, 2008

CHARLOTTESVILLE - It's Friday night in ACC baseball country, an anxious time for most. A new opponent is in town, ready for a three-game weekend series that figures to be grueling, considering how many quality teams are in the conference.
But at Virginia, there are few worries. Friday nights mean star right-hander Jacob Thompson is toeing the rubber, and there's no more reassuring notion than that.

"We can relax," UVa shortstop Greg Miclat said. "He is going to set a tone for the weekend."

The 21-year-old Thompson, a 6-foot-6 junior from Danville who is a near lock to have his name called early in June's Major League Baseball draft, is as close to unbeatable as they come. The unanimous first-team All-American went 11-0 with a 1.50 ERA last season. He was first in the ACC in ERA and batting average against (.198), second in strikeouts (101) and third in wins.

Of the 16 games he started, the Cavaliers won 15. The only loss came to Georgia Tech, a game in which Thompson threw 7 2/3 innings and gave up one unearned run.

"Obviously, it's what any college program wants is a No. 1 starter the quality of Jacob Thompson," UVa coach Brian O'Connor said. "Every Friday in our league, he gives you a chance to win the ballgame."

"He's as constant as the sun coming up and the sun going down," pitching coach Karl Kuhn said.

Thompson's got five pitches - a fastball, sinker, curveball, slider and change - and will throw them at any time, a rare trait from a college pitcher.

What's his best pitch? That question misses the point.

"He doesn't have a worst pitch," Kuhn said. "That's what makes a guy like him dominant. There's very little Kryptonite."

Thompson, who teamed with former third-round pick and current San Diego Padres farmhand Will Inman to pitch Tunstall High to back-to-back Group AA state titles, was the first recruit Kuhn saw after being hired by UVa in 2003. On that day, Thompson pitched for Danville in the American Legion state championship game in Spotsylvania.

"I thought he was a beanpole with a hell of an arm," Kuhn said. "But the guy threw strikes like it was nothing. He threw four pitches for strikes at the ripe age of 16. He was just unbelievable."

Thompson's ability to throw so many pitches allowed him to step in immediately at Virginia. He went 10-4 with a 2.60 ERA and earned second-team all-ACC honors his freshman season.

He's matured since. UVa's coaches rave about his workout regimen between outings. The one-time "beanpole" is now a solid 215 pounds, which has paid off on the mound. He averaged 7.11 innings per start last season, tops in the league.

Thompson has grasped the mental side of pitching as well.

"When I was coming out high school, I would give up a couple hits in an inning and I'd blow up and get mad," Thompson said. "I just realized, 'Hey, these guys are Division I ballplayers. They're going to hit. You're going to give up runs. You've just got to accept it and push through that.'"

Shy and unassuming, Thompson picks his moments to branch out. On the mound, he's zeroed in with a competitor's focus. On his off days, he's the team's biggest cheerleader, his voice rising above everybody else's from the dugout when UVa makes an outstanding play in the field or gets a big hit.

"On the mound, he's fierce," Miclat said. "And off the mound, he's like a big teddy bear."

He broadened his horizons last summer, pitching for the U.S. National team in the Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Though by far the youngest team in the competition, the Americans did well, winning the silver medal.

Thompson went 1-2 with a 1.27 ERA, but lost 3-1 in the gold medal game against Cuba, a team flush with veterans of international play. The defeat was both humbling and beneficial.

"It was like, everything I threw up there, they hit. It was unbelievable," Thompson said. "It shows me that there is always somebody out there better and there's always going to be someone out there working hard. ... I'm not the only one."

"It was a great experience for him," O'Connor said. "Here at the University of Virginia, he's in his comfort zone. He's two hours away from home. He's had success. He's comfortable here. It was very good for Jacob to go and play for coaches that he hasn't played for, play with teammates he doesn't know and travel the world. He'll be better off because of that experience."

It was the last game Thompson pitched. O'Connor watched on TV and noted that his ace looked tired. He had thrown 110 innings for UVa and another 20 to 30 for Team USA. He needed a break, so he left the team.

Now rested, he's ready to try to get Virginia over the hump in the NCAA regionals, where its season has ended each of the last four years, the last two in Charlottesville.

There will be some added distractions. The pro scouts will likely flock to his starts. ("If they're not coming out, they're not doing their job," Kuhn said.) Some draft projections have Thompson going in the top 10, though he swears it isn't set in stone that he will leave after this season.

O'Connor has dealt with high-profile players in the past. He had six players drafted last year and has seen two - Ryan Zimmerman (the Nationals in 2005) and Sean Doolittle (the A's last year) - go in the first round during his time at Virginia.

Thompson doesn't worry him. O'Connor believes his star pitcher is grounded enough to ignore any added pressure and continue to do what made him successful in the first place.

"He's as diligent a young man as you can coach and he's a competitor," O'Connor said. "You add those in with talent, and you've got something special."


 

Virginia begins season with doubleheaders
Cavaliers play four games in two days because of new universal start date imposed by NCAA
Antonio Luis Perez, Cavalier Daily Associate Editor
 

The Virginia baseball team is set to open the 2008 season this weekend when it hosts Lehigh in a pair of doubleheaders Saturday and Sunday.

The series was scheduled to start today but was postponed due to anticipated inclement weather.

The series kicks off a very busy start to the season for the No. 17 Cavaliers as they will play nine games in 10 days, all at home, including six games in the first two weekends of the season. The more condensed schedule is the result of a new start date imposed by the NCAA in an effort to try to level the playing field between Northern and Southern schools. Teams used to be able to start whenever weather permitted, which tended to be much earlier for Southern teams, giving them an advantage. Yet players have expressed excitement, rather than concern, for the opportunity to play more frequently.

"It makes it more realistic," junior second baseman David Adams said. "If you go to the big league level, they're playing every day. Six days a week. I think it's awesome we're getting to play five games a week. It'd be nice if we got to play that sixth game ... If you truly love the game of baseball, then you're going to love playing every day."

Something to look for this Sunday will be how the outfield situation plays out. Virginia will probably start an all-freshman outfield as all five outfielders from last year were lost either to graduation or the MLB draft. Coach Brian O'Connor could experiment with various options. Freshman David Coleman is expected to be the opening day starter in right field. Left field is still undetermined as O'Connor could choose from either freshman John Barr, freshman Dan Grovatt, sophomore Mark Riffee, senior Patrick Wingfield or freshman Phil Gosselin O'Connor maintained that he plans "to go with the hot guy out there."

The only piece of the outfield that appears set right now is freshman Jarrett Parker starting in center field.

"Jarrett Parker has really emerged as the guy [in center field]," O'Connor said. "Since we've been back from holiday break, his game has really changed ... When the game starts to slow down a little bit, they show the kind of player they can be, and Jarrett Parker has done that in these four weeks that we've been back."

The pitching situation will also be something to look for. Standout junior Jacob Thompson, who went 11-0 with a 1.50 ERA last year, will start the season opener, followed by senior Pat McAnaney, junior Andrew Carraway and sophomore Jeff Lorick to close out the series. Senior Michael Schwimer, along with senior Jake Rule and freshman Robert Morey, could all see action as relievers in the series as they audition for the closer job.

"The first six ballgames we'll have six different starting pitchers," O'Connor said. "We'll find out who will do the job for this team in the first couple weeks ... Andrew Carraway had a fantastic summer this year in summer ball and he came back this fall, and he and Pat McAnaney out-pitched everybody on the pitching staff."

Although the Cavaliers are favored against Lehigh they are making sure not to underestimate their opponent.

"We scout every team. You can't take anybody lightly," Adams said. "If you take anybody lightly, that's when somebody will knock you on your butt ... they're a tough group of guys. I think we have to come out with our A-game to beat them."

Virginia is focusing on doing all the little things right in its first game as the Cavaliers are eager to get on the field and get to work after a long off-season.

"You just want to come out and have some fun, respect the game and play as a team," Adams said. "If you do those things, I think good things will happen. Ultimately, the beginning of the year is the time to work out all those kinks because the end of the year is when you need to be strong."

Ready for another run
As talented players leave, more seem to head O'Connor's way
Friday, Feb 22, 2008 - 12:07 AM
By JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER

CHARLOTTESVILLE Wednesday afternoon found Sean Doolittle hanging around a familiar place - Davenport Field - but the former ACC player of the year's time on the University of Virginia baseball team is over.

The same is true for Brandon Guyer, Casey Lambert, Beau Seabury and several others who in 2007 helped U.Va. advance to the NCAA tournament for the fourth straight season.

Doolittle and Guyer turned pro with a year of college eligibility left, and that's a path second baseman David Adams, pitcher Jacob Thompson, shortstop Greg Miclat and infielder Jeremy Farrell might take after this season.

"These guys that are really good players, you lose them after their junior year," Virginia coach Brian O'Connor said. "I like having that problem, because that means we have good players that the professional ranks want, and that's going to be a frequent thing in this program."

A season ago, U.Va. finished 45-16 after falling to eventual NCAA champion Oregon State in the championship game of the Charlottesville region. The Cavaliers were to have opened their fifth season under O'Connor today against visiting Lehigh, but the game was postponed because of weather concerns.

Virginia and Lehigh now are scheduled to play a doubleheader tomorrow, starting at noon, and another Sunday, beginning at 11 a.m.

Regulars at Davenport Field will recognize such players as Thompson, Adams, Miclat, Farrell, Patrick Wingfield and Tyler Cannon, but U.Va.'s roster also includes 14 freshmen. At least two of them - right fielder David Coleman and center fielder Jarrett Parker - will start in the opener, and candidates in left include two other freshmen, John Barr and Danny Grovatt.

"They'll make their mistakes, but that's OK," O'Connor said of his young outfielders. "I'm really excited about them. Any time you have youth, tied to youth is energy. They're excited to get their college baseball careers under way, and that energy they'll bring to this team will be very, very helpful, combined with the good veterans that we have on our infield."

This time last year, Coleman was preparing for his senior season at Trinity Episcopal School. Now he's starting - and batting in the middle of the lineup - for a program that has won at least 41 games in each of the past four seasons. Coleman, who lives in Chesterfield County, may be nervous opening day but said he's "not really thinking about it right now. I'm just going out and doing what I've been doing all fall and early spring."

The Cavaliers, ranked No. 17 in Baseball America's preseason poll, don't lack star power. Miclat missed the 2007 postseason after having surgery on his throwing shoulder, and he won't be an every-day shortstop early this year. But he's a big-time talent who in 45 games last year hit a team-high .376 and stole a school-record 32 bases.

Thompson, a 6-6 right-hander, was a first-team All-American. Adams, like Thompson, has been named to several preseason All-America teams this year.

"Over the last five or six months, my confidence in this team has really, really grown," O'Connor said.

"Make no mistake about it, if we play like we're capable of, we should be in the same position we've been in previous years."

In addition to Thompson, Virginia's starting pitchers will include senior Pat McAnaney, junior Andrew Carraway and sophomores Jeff Lorick and Matt Packer. Among O'Connor's options at closer are seniors Michael Schwimer and Jake Rule and freshman Robert Morey.

"Our expectations every year are to put our team in a position to win an ACC championship and get to the NCAA tournament," O'Connor said. "Just because we have a lot of new players, that won't change at all."



 

Cavaliers hope to tame Seawolves at Klöckner
Carroll, Lamade admirably fill void created by injured Rubeor
Emily Hebeler, Cavalier Daily Staff Writer

Last season at Klöckner Stadium ended much like it started for the Virginia men's lacrosse team. The Cavaliers opened the home season with a close loss to Drexel and ended it by getting knocked out of the NCAA Tournament in the first round against Delaware. This season has already begun more smoothly for the Cavaliers as they defeated Drexel 11-7 last weekend in Philadelphia. No. 3 Virginia now looks to continue its auspicious start as it takes on Stony Brook Saturday at Klöckner.

"I think that there were a number of things that we liked about the [Drexel] game," Virginia coach Dom Starsia said. "We shot the ball better than we have at any point in the preseason against a very good goalie. I thought we got better as the game went on."

The Drexel game answered some questions as to who would fill holes created by injured and graduated players. Senior Ben Rubeor was out with a knee injury and was the team's leading shooter last season. Sophomore Brian Carroll and senior Peter Lamade stepped up to fill his void. Carroll had a career high of three goals and an assist while Lamade had two goals and an assist. This was Lamade's Cavalier debut after transferring from Duke.

"It was definitely a little weird putting on orange for the first time," Lamade said. "I have also never played attack before ... but towards the end of the game I got a lot more comfortable and seemed to mesh with Garrett [Billings] and Danny [Glading] well."

Senior midfielder Will Barrow is also expected to be a presence on the field in upcoming games. As a team veteran and newly elected captain, Barrow will bring experience and leadership to the field after having played almost every game since his freshman season.

Another question was how Virginia's defense would fair after the loss of graduated members and All-Americans goalie Kip Turner and defender Ricky Smith. Turner's shoes were filled by freshman Adam Ghitelman, who proved his abilities by posting 10 saves, the third-most in team history by a freshman in his career start.The defense improved as the game progressed and only allowed two goals in the second half. Sophomore Ken Clausen gave the Cavaliers three turnovers and junior Matt Kelly and senior Tim Shaw led Virginia with a combined total of nine ground balls.

"We had some new faces in on defense, especially with Ghitelman in the goal." Clausen said. "I think it was a good game to get behind us. We had to make some adjustments in the first half. We can definitely get better, but we are confident and eager to see what we can do. We would love to put a defensive name on Virginia lacrosse for the first time in a while."

This weekend the team looks to continue its momentum against Stony Brook. Virginia will be Stony Brook's first opponent this season, but last year Stony Brook posted an 8-5 record. The Seawolves have many returning players, including five of their top seven scorers. Since Stony Brook has yet to play this season, Starsia is focusing on being prepared for whatever might occur during the game instead of the opponent.

"We know that they were a good team last year, and we know that we had to work to beat them last year," Clausen said. "We will focus on team defense and better communication ... I think we will be in a good position to win the game."

 

Cavaliers best be patient given their history with transfers
Two ex-Cavs led the nation in scoring
By Doug Doughty

If you were watching the Virginia-North Carolina men’s basketball game on television, chances are that you missed the introduction of Lance Blanks.

Say you were at the game and are a student or somebody under the age of 35? Until a roving camera panned the crowd and focused on Blanks, who would have known that Blanks was the assistant general manager of the Cleveland Cavaliers?

When I saw Blanks on the big screen, my thoughts immediately turned to Mustapha Farrakhan.

Blanks, you see, was a Parade All-American from the Woodlands, Texas, who signed with the Cavaliers in 1985. Coach Terry Holland hoped to pair Blanks in a high-octane backcourt with fellow signee Richard Morgan from Salem, but Blanks wasn’t a point guard and left the program after two years.

Blanks went home and transferred to the University of Texas, where he became a 20-points-per-game scorer and a first-round NBA Draft pick in 1990. Blanks, who scored a whopping 1,322 points in two seasons with the Longhorns, is in the University of Texas Basketball Hall of Honor.

Far be it for me to say that Farrakhan is a future first-round draft pick or that he should be receiving more playing time, especially after suggesting in print that UVa head coach Dave Leitao would be best-served by tightening his rotation.

The point is, for all the people who think that uncommitted prospects Brad Tinsley or Wesley Witherspoon might be the answer to the Cavaliers’ current woes, sometimes the best solution is right under your nose.

Virginia has a long history of having players leave the program and making their mark elsewhere. One of the first UVa teams I ever saw had a sophomore named Bob McCurdy who was unhappy with his playing time, transferred to Richmond and became the nation’s leading scorer in 1974-75.

McCurdy scored more than 1,300 points in two seasons at Richmond and is in the Spiders’ athletic hall of fame.

Consider some of the other players who have left the program: Courtney Alexander in 1997, Colin Ducharme in 2000, Derrick Byars in 2004 and Gary Forbes in 2005.

You can question the level of play for Ducharme, who became a Division All-American at Longwood, but he had been an ACC All-Freshman selection in 1996-1997. You think he might have helped a 2000-2001 Virginia team that had J.C. Mathis on the floor at crunch time in the NCAA Tournament?

Alexander transferred to Fresno State, where he led the nation in scoring in 1999-2000, and was the 13th player taken in the NBA Draft.

Byars also played two seasons at Virginia before leaving for Vanderbilt, where he was the Southeastern Conference player of the year in 2006-2007 and was ranked in the top 10 in the SEC in four different categories, including second in scoring.

Byars was selected by Philadelphia in the second round of the NBA Draft and you have to wonder what kind of future awaits Forbes, who is having a terrific senior year at Massachusetts, where he is averaging 20.2 points and 7.6 rebounds for the Minutemen (16-9).

Naysayers would point out that there were issues involved with both Alexander, arrested at Virginia for fighting with his girlfriend, and with Forbes, who was declared academically ineligible by UVa prior to the 2005-2006 season.

My contention has always been that Forbes was a victim of the transition period that inevitably follows a coaching change. Forbes wasn’t a bad kid, but he required maintenance and Leitao was too busy hiring a staff and building a recruiting base to check and see if Forbes was attending summer-school classes.

If Forbes had played four seasons at Virginia, he would have exhausted his eligibility last season. However, if he had sat out the 2005-2006 season and applied for readmission in 2006 – a route that four suspended football players are contemplating, according to coach Al Groh – then this would have been his fifth year.

Forbes was an erratic shooter in his two years at Virginia, but you look at some of his stats from this season, particulary his 42 made 3-pointers and his 175 free-throw attempts, and you can see that he has skills that are not in abundance on this year’s UVa team. (He also has 80 assists and 18 blocked shots).

In his two seasons at Virginia, Forbes made just 36 of 125 3-pointers and was a 54.4-percent free-throw shooter. Now, he’s up to 72 percent. Farrakhan, billed as a phenomenal shooter by Leitao before the season, is 7-for-37 from the field, including 2-for-16 on 3-pointers, and has missed four of five free throws.

Farrakhan hasn’t played in the last two games but, if you go to see the Cavaliers play at John Paul Jones Arena, stop and watch him shoot before the game. When relaxed, he has the best-looking stroke on the team, but watch him play in games and it looks like he’s squeezing the air out of the ball.

Leitao and his staff wouldn’t still be recruiting for 2008-2009 if they didn’t expect some attrition, but, if somebody leaves, who is it going to be. Farrakhan? Solomon Tat? Will Harris? I could see Harris transferred to the Colonial Athletic Association, getting healthy and becoming the next Bob McCurdy.

Be careful what you wish for.