'Hoos Head Into Hostile Environment
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 02/12/2010
By Jeff White

BLACKSBURG -- Under cover of darkness, a chartered bus slipped into town Friday night and stopped in front of Cassell Coliseum. Out came members of the UVa's men's basketball team, who headed into Virginia Tech's arena for a quick shootaround.

Except for the Cavaliers, the gym was empty. Except for the sounds of bouncing balls and players' chatter, it was quiet.

The scene will be different Saturday night. At 8 o'clock, Tech (6-3, 19-4) hosts UVa (5-3, 14-7) in the second and final regular-season game between these ACC rivals. Cassell will be packed and the noise deafening.

"It's a lot of fun," Virginia sophomore Sammy Zeglinski said Thursday at John Paul Jones Arena. "Obviously there's a lot of tension because we're coming in as the rival team. It's going to be a loud atmosphere, so we're going to have to be ready to play. We're going to have to show a lot of competitiveness, a lot of toughness, a lot of poise."

Until Friday night, Tony Bennett had never been closer to Blacksburg than Roanoke. The Wahoos' first-year coach spent the previous six seasons at Washington State and worked at Wisconsin before that.

Inside Cassell, Bennett pointed out to his players the large photos of former Tech greats Dell Curry and Allan Bristow displayed near the scoreboard at one end. When Bennett played for the NBA's Charlotte Hornets, his teammates included Curry, and his coach was Bristow.

Assistant coach Ron Sanchez, who followed Bennett from Washington State to UVa, was also getting his first look at Cassell Coliseum. Except for freshmen Tristan Spurlock and Jontel Evans, however, all of Virginia's players have experienced at least one game in Blacksburg.

"They can tell me more than I can tell them" about the atmosphere, Bennett said.

A season ago at Cassell, reserve guard Mustapha Farrakhan hit four treys and three free throws in the final 4:45 as UVa slashed Tech's 15-point lead to two. But the Hokies held on for a 78-75 victory, and they took another close one last month in Charlottesville, rallying for a 76-71 overtime win.

With three minutes left in the second half at JPJ, Virginia led by 10 and appeared to have matters under control. The Hokies refused to surrender, however, and the 'Hoos imploded. In what seemed a flash, Tech ran off 13 straight points, and UVa needed an improbable trey by Zeglinski in the final seconds to avoid losing in regulation.

Tech "made some plays, and then some of our decisions were bad," Bennett said Friday. "But hopefully we've learned from it, knowing it'll be, obviously, not as friendly and encouraging a setting [for the rematch]. But those are the things we mean when we talk about trying to really play a complete game and eliminate those things that will get you beat. That was a case study, because there was enough good stuff there to win it. We needed probably 30 more seconds of good basketball, and it might have been enough, but it wasn't."

On the list of games UVa would like to have back this season, that ranks No. 1.

"You have a lead on your home court with three minutes left, a double-digit lead, and let it slip away, it's going to haunt you for a couple of weeks," Zeglinski said.

Farrakhan said: "We felt like we were in control most of the game, so to let up like that towards the end was really frustrating. But we learned from it."

Indeed, Virginia rebounded from that gut-wrenching loss to hammer North Carolina in Chapel Hill, then beat N.C. State in Charlottesville. But the Cavaliers lost another overtime game last weekend, falling at home to Wake Forest.

"We missed some shots, but we didn't have as many breakdowns [as against the Hokies]," Bennett said. "That's the scary thing about this league: You can play well and still be beat. You gotta keep focusing on quality and hopefully you'll be there standing at the end."

If the 'Hoos don't win Saturday night, it won't be because they're tired. They haven't played in a week. They were scheduled to meet Maryland in College Park on Wednesday night, but the game was postponed because of the snowstorms that have paralyzed the D.C.

"We got an extra day or two of prep," Bennett said. "But again, at this stage, it's not about tricking someone or inventing too many new things. It's about still trying to improve and fine-tuning some things, working on little position things that maybe get sloppy when there are so many games. Use it now, because all of the sudden, games will be upon us."

The makeup game with Maryland is Monday night, and the Cavaliers will fly to Baltimore after packing up at Cassell on Saturday night.

From College Park, the 'Hoos will bus back to Charlottesville, where they host Florida State on Wednesday. Then comes a visit to Clemson next weekend.

For now, of course, UVa is concerned with only one opponent: Virginia Tech. Among the Hokies who hurt Virginia at JPJ were forward J.T. Thompson and guards Dorenzo Hudson and Malcolm Delaney, all juniors.

Tech's ability to exploit UVa in transition at the end of each half particularly bothered Bennett. If Virginia doesn't get back on defense Saturday night, the Hokies' chances of sweeping the regular-season loss will improve dramatically.

"I think they had 22 points in transition [at JPJ], and that's how they're most effective, running out in transition," Farrakhan said. "We just want to make them work in the halfcourt. When we're set on defense, we feel like we have a better chance of winning.

"You want to just try to make it tough for them, by playing sound defense. We know it's a game of runs, but we just gotta stay poised and stay together."

The 'Hoos don't usually visit the opposing arena twice before a game, but they'll have another shootaround at Cassell on Saturday afternoon. Bennett said early in the week, though, that the pre-game routine has little bearing on how things go under the bright lights.

"It really is about, are your guys ready, are you playing the game the right way?" Bennett said. "I wish I could tell you it was the chicken tenders in the pregame meal that made the difference, but I don't think so. I think it comes down to how you prepare and if you're ready to go when the ball's tipped up."

UVa will be ready, Zeglinski said.

"We owe them one, definitely. They stole one from us here, so we gotta go and do the same thing to them."

 

Cavs hope to make amends for collapse against Hokies
By Michael Phillips
Published: February 13, 2010
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Ask the players on Virginia's team, and they'll say that two losses in particular have bothered them the most this season.

The first was a heartbreaking last-second loss at Auburn. The second was an overtime loss to Virginia Tech two weeks ago in Charlottesville.

The Cavs can't do anything about the first one, but they'll have an opportunity to avenge their loss to the Hokies tonight in Blacksburg.

"We feel like we owe them one," forward Will Sherrill said. "We really need to come out and play well at Virginia Tech."

In the first meeting, Virginia was cruising toward what looked like a big rivalry victory when Virginia Tech rallied from a double-digit deficit late. With 3:44 left, the Cavs led by 10, but after a frantic comeback it was U.Va.'s Sammy Zeglinski who needed to hit a last-second 3-pointer to force an overtime period, which he did.

The game ended with the Hokies winning 76-71, and the Cavs lamenting what could have been.

With Wednesday's game against Maryland postponed, this will be the team's first game since its other overtime loss, as the Cavs fell to Wake Forest 64-61 last Saturday.

"We want to become a little better down the stretch," coach Tony Bennett said earlier in the week.

It's a glass-half-full quandary for Virginia fans, who are thrilled that the first-year coach has his team competing in close games against teams that blew by the Cavs last year. But at the same time, the Cavs still are prone to mistakes that cost them against tournament-caliber teams.

To rebound against Virginia Tech, it's going to take a consistent effort from the team's big men, including Assane Sene off the bench.

He's demonstrated his athletic ability at times this season, but he's also struggled with ball control.

"He's a sophomore, so my hopes are he just keeps improving and gets stronger," Bennett said. "Some of that stuff has to do with strength, and, hopefully, the longer you're out there, the more comfortable you get."

Sene is going to be needed as tonight's game opens a frantic stretch of play for the Cavs because of Wednesday's postponement.

On Monday U.Va. takes on Maryland, then returns to Charlottesville to face Florida State on Wednesday before a Saturday game at Clemson.

"It's definitely going to be a grind," Sherrill said. "But that's why you play basketball, that's why you come to U.Va. or the ACC."

He added that the grind would be a lot more bearable if it started with a revenge victory tonight in Blacksburg.

Sammy Zeglinski's older brothers helped shape the Virginia guard
By Zach Berman
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, February 13, 2010

Zack and Joe Zeglinski watched on a computer screen from Hartford, Conn., both proud but neither surprised. Sammy Zeglinski, a Virginia guard who always had tried to top his older brothers, had just hit an acrobatic, buzzer-beating three-pointer against Virginia Tech to extend the rivalry game on Jan. 28 into overtime.

His brothers followed the game from their college residence, where they're roommates playing basketball for the University of Hartford. It was the type of shot Sammy hit while growing up as the third of four children, the youngest brother in an athletic family.

"He was always the little brother, and he had to learn to do things with the ball to compete with them," said John Zeglinski, who goes back and forth between Hartford and Charlottesville to watch his sons play. "His game, I think, is where it's at because of his brothers."

Zack and Joe were multi-sport stars with hearts set on starring in college football before knee injuries rerouted their ambitions. Sammy committed to play basketball for Virginia after his sophomore year of high school at Penn Charter in Philadelphia and did not play football his senior year -- just in case a torn anterior cruciate ligament struck the family a third time.

Now a third-year sophomore, Sammy could finish his career as a four-year starter at an ACC program. He currently sits second in the ACC in three-point shooting percentage (44 percent), with his biggest long-range shot the improbable three-pointer last month in the loss to the Hokies, whom the Cavaliers visit for a rematch on Saturday.

Through the fanfare, Sammy remains the younger brother. He trades barbs with his older brothers during summer games at Archbishop Ryan in Northeast Philadelphia, the type of fraternal duels that sometimes finish with none of the brothers talking to one another at the end.

Eight days after Sammy's shot was named the No. 3 play of the day on ESPN's "SportsCenter," Joe hit a game-winner against New Hampshire that earned No. 2.

"I need to figure out a plan to get to number one somehow," joked Zack, who started his collegiate career as a preferred walk-on football player at Penn State before taking up baseball at Temple and finally finishing his career as a walk-on basketball player at Hartford this season.

"I'll be the first one to tell anyone my brothers were better athletes than I was as far as athleticism," Sammy said. "They can jump higher than me, run faster. Only things that held them back was [hurting their knees]. It was upsetting. I always looked up to both of them. All the things that they accomplished inspired me through high school."

After receiving inconsistent minutes last season as a redshirt freshman, Sammy has discovered new life under first-year Coach Tony Bennett. Sammy and Sylven Landesberg are the only Virginia players to start every game this season. He trails only Landesberg in minutes played, leads the team in steals and has proved particularly capable in learning Bennett's defensive system and fitting within Bennett's offense.

"Tony Bennett has done a great job with the kid as far as giving him some leeway and giving him some confidence," John Zeglinski said. "Sammy always had the ability as a shooter. Last year, he looked over his shoulder too much. He was too worried about making a mistake than playing."

Bennett's reputation both as a player for Wisconsin-Green Bay and as a coach at Washington State, plus Bennett's desire for Sammy to become an extension of the coach on the court, factored in Sammy's decision to stay at Virginia instead of considering other options after Dave Leitao was fired.

"He's got a confidence about him," Bennett said. "I think he believes he can make a big shot, and he's not afraid to shoot it. He has sort of that toughness and that confidence that he can put a dagger in, as we say. But he's very team-oriented. He'll do whatever you ask of him, and I like his toughness that way."

At opposing venues, Zeglinski is often the focus of student sections' ridicule. At Wake Forest, fans booed whenever Zeglinski received the ball. At Duke last season, Zeglinski said fans compared him to a hockey player. And in a road game at Clemson, teammate Will Sherrill laughed when an opposing fan heckled Zeglinski about a scar on his shoulder.

"I guess they see me and I look just like them," Zeglinski said. "I take it as flattery."

But after growing up as the youngest brother in a family of athletes, opposing crowds can do little to affect Sammy. And together, they remain one another's biggest fans. Sammy tries to catch Hartford games on the Internet, and volunteered that Joe recently became the school's three-point shooting leader. His brothers watch all of Sammy's games and rave about the progress he's made -- and what's to come in the future.

"Maybe he was always trying to beat us. Maybe he always had something more to accomplish," Zack said. "If we talk, he keeps Joe level-headed, and I keep him level-headed. We share experiences. It's a good relationship. If something happens that's funny, we'll give him a hard time, and he'll do the same for us."

Cavs look to avenge loss to Hokies
By Whitey Reid
Published: February 12, 2010
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Virginia Tech’s Malcolm Delaney is one of the best guards in the ACC. There is little debate about that.
Delaney could also be one of the league’s top floppers. That is to say, the 6-foot-3 guard has an amazing knack for drawing fouls.
On Thursday, Virginia coach Tony Bennett was asked if a portion of those fouls sometimes fall into the “phantom” category.
However, before Bennett could give an answer, a UVa media relations representative — not wanting to provide the Hokies any bulletin-board fodder or get Bennett into any trouble with officials — jumped in and advised the reporter to move on.
Tonight, Virginia (14-7, 5-3) seeks payback for a loss 16 days ago to Delaney and Tech in a huge game that could ultimately dictate both teams’ postseason fate.
Clearly, how well UVa can defend Delaney and limit his number of freebies from the foul line will go a long way in determining the game’s outcome.
This season, Delaney has attempted a whopping 179 free throws. By comparison, Virginia guard Sylven Landesberg has 124.
“He gets to the line,” Bennett said. “You try and play great position and show your hands away.
“He has a natural ability to get into your body and draw fouls, and obviously has that experience of a [junior], so position defense is huge — make him earn, but hopefully we’ll just not give him the easy ones.”
In the Hokies’ 76-71 come-from-behind overtime win at JPJ on Jan. 28, Virginia did a pretty good job on Delaney, who shot just 9 of 24 from the field. However, Delaney still finished with 27 points, thanks to 10 free-throw attempts.
When you watch Delaney on video, you can see that he is adept at flailing his arms at the point of contact. He has the ability to make incidental contact seem much worse, a talent that former NBA player Vlade Divac turned into an art form in the 1990s.
But you have to be respected as one of the better players to get those kind of calls, and Delaney certainly is.
The Baltimore native is leading the ACC in scoring at 20.0 points per game and also dishing out 4.2 assists per contest.
In addition to containing Delaney, Bennett realizes his team has to play better down the stretch than it did in the first meeting. In that game, Virginia coughed up a 10-point lead in the last four minutes of regulation.
“Obviously, everybody knows we had the lead and made some bad decisions that cost us,” Bennett said, “but I thought we responded and learned from it the next game out.”
Virginia Tech (19-4, 6-3) is coming off of a 20-point in Raleigh over N.C. State.
“They’re playing good basketball right now,” Bennett said. “You saw what they did to N.C. State the other night. They’re playing at a high level.
“When you go on the road, you have to bring your ‘A’ game.”
Bennett seemed keenly aware of the extra importance that Wahoo fans are placing on the rematch. He said his players want “to win desperately.”
“Certainly, I think the fans would love to get [the win],” he said. “Does it put any more pressure on us? You don’t want to let your fans down, but we’ve got to be about what we’re about and that’s playing good basketball. I wish I had a secret formula…that one always tastes a little sweeter if you can get your in-state rival.”
Dunks
Bennett said he had never made a trip to a locale, only to have the game cancelled, as was the case on Wednesday night against Maryland. “The good thing was we stopped at Dairy Queen and had a blizzard, so that was the positive,” Bennett joked. ...There will be a “black-out” at Cassell Coliseum tonight. All Tech fans will be wearing black T-shirts. ...Virginia leads the all-time series 79-51, but has just a 15-27 mark in Blacksburg. Tech has won the last three meetings at Cassell Coliseum. ...Sammy Zeglinski and Will Sherrill are both back in good health following a bout with the flu, Bennett said.
 

Virginia tries to 'return the favor' to Virginia Tech

Virginia Tech is Virginia's biggest rival, the Hokies already beat the Cavaliers in overtime at John Paul Jones Arena and Virginia Tech is planning a "blackout" with its fans. But that's not the primary motivation on Saturday.

"If there's not enough motivation to play well in an ACC game against your rival, then I really got to wonder what's going on," Coach Tony Bennett told reporters. "I think our guys are plenty motivated. Our staff is. We know how important this stretch is, so we want to play our best. So if they're wearing black T-shirts, I don't know if that motivates us more."

Still, Bennett said it would be nice to try to "return the favor" from the last game.
Bennett said the team needs to play "above and beyond the circumstances." He's seen John Paul Jones Arena lift his team, and knows the opposing crowd can do the same for the opponents. But Bennett also said most of Virginia's players have played at Virginia Tech -- even if Bennett's never coached there -- and knows what to expect.

Bennett sounded more concerned about what the Hokies do on the court than about the rivalry, which is usually reserved more from the fans. However, Bennett understands what these games mean to those fans, and understands that's a factor in the intensity of the game.

"You don't want to let your fans down, but we got to be what we're about," Bennett said. "That's trying to play good basketball. I wish I had a secret formula. With the in-state rivalry, I've been on those games as a player, as a coach. But you got to look at the big picture. We've got to come ready. It always tastes a little sweeter if you can beat a rival."

By Zach Berman

Tony Bennett not deterred by blizzard-induced break in schedule

Virginia played at noon last Saturday. The Cavaliers will play Virginia Tech at 8 p.m. this Saturday.

In between will be hours more than seven days that included a bus ride to and from College Park, a stop for Dairy Queen Blizzards that preceded an actual blizzard, breakfast at the Greenbelt Marriott -- Tony Bennett told ESPN's Andy Katz it was one of the best omelette bars the team's encountered this season -- and preparations for two rivals.

But no games. Not your typical week in the ACC.

"If that's the biggest frustration we have," Bennett said, "I think we'll all be okay."

Readers in the Washington area can confirm what Bennett has heard, that it was a "great call getting out of there for the safety of the players and the people coming to the game", but it required the Cavaliers to quickly refocus.

"We got to catch up on some reading and look at the scenery on the way back," Bennett said.

He said Virginia has a longer breaks that the week in between games, and shorter span between games than the three games in five days that await the Cavaliers. But he understands what awaits Virginia is pivotal for the team's season.

"Our schedule the way it's set up was really challenging," Bennett said. "This certainly adds to it. We'll see where we stand at the end of it."

By Zach Berman

HooYa! Blog
by Trent.Thurston@eljos.com

ACC Hoops Preview: Wahoos VS Hokies Huge Game Saturday 8 pm Cassell Coliseum!
by Trent Thurston, February 12th 08:44pm
The struggling, yet surprising Wahoos (14-7, 5-3), travel to wonderfully dreary Blacksburg for a key ACC match-up Saturday evening at 8 pm (TV: Raycom/ESPN 360). If Virginia can find a way to somehow shut down All-ACC guard Malcolm Delaney (20 PPG) well then we can start the conversation about the Hoos perhaps making the NCAA field of 65 in March. But we all know that is not going to be easy. The Hokies might be the best team in the ACC right now.
The Hokies (19-4, 6-3) are a perfect 12-0 at Cassell Coliseum this season, and beat the Hoos earlier this season in Charlottesville 76-71. As we all remember, that was a game that Virginia gave away to Virginia Tech down the stretch as Delaney (27 points) and JT Thompson (17 points) carved Virginia up like a buttery piece of filet mignon at the Downtown Grille. Dorenzo Hudson has been playing splendidly for the Hokies of late, but VT is beatable as evidenced by Miami’s win January 31 in Coral Gables. In the Hokies last four games since beating Virginia, they are 3-1 with close wins over UNC and Clemson, and a blowout in Raleigh against the lowly Wolf Pack.
Since last playing the dreaded Hokies, Virginia has annihilated the terrible Tar Heels, beaten NC State, lost to Wake in Charlottesville in an overtime thriller and gotten snowed out in Maryland. Landesberg is still leading the Hoos in scoring with a sweet 18.1 points per game, and an even better 20.4 PPG in ACC play. Unfortunately for Virginia fans Mike Scott is only averaging 12.4 PPG in the ACC and he has not looked particularly tough down the stretch in the last four or five games. Virginia is still looking for a go-to third scoring option, and Zeglinski is going to need to have an excellent game on both ends of the court for the Wahoos to have a prayer in hell to win this important game.
Look for the Hokies to have an inside-out thing going on Saturday night as they try to pound the ball inside to their big guys and also try to get Virginia’s limited front-court into early foul trouble. They are not known for their three-point shooting prowess (11th in the ACC with a miserable 32%), but they can get hot. Delaney is a streaky player and he could easily hammer Virginia with three-bombs. Virginia and Tech are the #1 and #2 rated defensive squads in the conference, so I think this game will be a defensive struggle. I have the Hokies winning 66-56. Virginia might be a little rusty as they have not played since losing to Wake on February 6th. Go Hoos, damn those pesky Hokies!

 

Delaney’s flair for dramatic pays off at the line
By Darryl Slater
Published: February 13, 2010
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BLACKSBURG The scene unfolds almost every time Virginia Tech settles into its half-court offense: point guard Malcolm Delaney dribbles the ball near the 3-point line, another Hokie sets a screen on Delaney's defender and, in the instant that follows, Delaney processes what he sees.

If his defender scoots underneath the screen, he steps into open space and shoots the ball.

If another defender, usually a big man, tries to help his teammate and moves toward Delaney too soon, Delaney exploits the angle and drives to the basket.

And if that big man steps out too late, Delaney attacks, lowers his shoulder and draws contact and a foul call, often regardless of whether the big man wanted to make contact or not.

By his own admission, Delaney sometimes sells the foul. He grimaces. He flails his arms at the moment of contact. He tosses his head back in the manner of a person suffering whiplash.

Not that he is the only player, at any level of basketball, who uses this kind of gamesmanship. But his abil ity to draw fouls, however embellished some might be, is a valuable part of his game that, at once, demonstrates his savvy and leaves opposing coaches rolling their eyes on the sideline.

Delaney, a junior, is the ACC's leading scorer, with 22.1 points per game in league play entering tonight's home game against Virginia. Injuries to both ankles have prevented him recently from elevating on his jump shots. His shooting percentage on 3-pointers in ACC games is down from 36.2 last season to 23.5 this season. But his conference scoring average is up from 19.9 points because getting to the free-throw line means easy points for an 85-percent career free-throw shooter.

In nine ACC games, he is averaging 11.1 free-throw attempts -- five more than the next-closest players, Virginia's Sylven Landesberg and Wake Forest's Al-Farouq Aminu.

Delaney is getting a remarkable 42.7 percent of his points from the free-throw line in conference play, compared to 31.4 percent last season. Two games ago, he made 20 of 23 free throws in a win over Clemson, tying a school record for most free throws made in a game.

"Some of the fouls, you won't get a call if you don't sell it," Delaney said. "It's just a part of the game. Sometimes, it's probably a little bit too much. But then other times . . . "

Delaney's knack for drawing fouls -- or, as Virginia coach Tony Bennett put it, his "natural ability to get into your body" -- impresses and amuses his teammates.

"Once they touch him, he does a good job of flopping," junior shooting guard Dorenzo Hudson said. Freshman Erick Green, the backup point guard, sits on the bench and laughs at Delaney's pained facial expressions after contact. He is used to seeing them in practice, even though no fouls are called.

Delaney thinks his perceived embellishing and the high number of free throws he is shooting will eventually lead to him getting fewer calls. This development, if and when it occurs, will not disturb him.

Said Delaney: "I can score without getting fouls. They don't have to call fouls. I can adjust my game to whatever, and I've shown that I can score without that."

Thespian Delaney draws ire
ACC foes say Tech guard Malcolm Delaney acts fouled in order to frequently shoot free throws.Readingoes
By Mark Berman
981-3125

BLACKSBURG -- Malcolm Delaney has a different major than he used to have.

Contrary to what some ACC officials, coaches, analysts and fans may think, he did not switch to acting.

The Virginia Tech point guard is the leading scorer in the ACC (20 ppg), thanks in part to his frequent trips to the free-throw line.

Delaney has attempted 179 free throws; only 15 players in all of Division I have attempted more this season. He has made 153 of those free throws; only five players in Division I have made more this season.

"I'm not the strongest person in the ACC, so a lot of teams try to play me physically," said the 6-foot-3, 185-pound Delaney, whose team hosts Virginia at 8 tonight. "I'm not stronger than people, so I can't overpower them. So I've got to use something to my advantage."

But how many of those calls are a credit to his acting ability?

"Some of the fouls, you won't get a call if you don't sell it. It's just a part of the game," he said. "When I don't do it, I get beat up more. ... Coming off screens, I get hit, I get elbowed. There's a lot of stuff people do to me that you don't see. But if I do flop or whatever on those type of plays, then it's like, 'All right, stop flopping.' That's all I hear from everybody [including officials] -- everything is a flop.

"It's kind of hard now because it's like, 'What is a real foul?' I don't know."

Delaney was 20-of-23 from the free-throw line in last weekend's win over Clemson.

But he said that game "definitely" created a backlash. He was 6-of-7 from the free-throw line in Wednesday's win at North Carolina State, with four of those free throws coming in the final five minutes.

"Everything I did was [the officials saying,] 'Stop flopping.' Everything," he said of Wednesday's game. "I got elbowed in my mouth, mouth bleeding, and I flopped. ... I got elbowed and I fell, and that was a flop. So I don't know. Everything's a flop right now."

That could be a sign of things to come.

"I'm pretty sure every coach that we play is going to call [over] the referee and say something about it. But I don't really care. I'm going to play my game," he said. "I didn't get no calls last game. I know how it is.

"I can score without getting fouled. They don't have to call fouls. I can adjust."

Delaney averages 8.1 free-throw attempts, more than any other ACC player.

"If a big man steps in my path and they don't completely cut me off, if I hit him, it's a foul," he said.

"If you shot-fake somebody and they jump, that's a foul. ... If there's a 260-pound big man, ... if I hit him, I'm going to protect myself, so I'm going to make it known that he fouled me.

"Coaches are going to get mad. I would get mad if I was a coach, too. But try to get your big men to step out the right way, or tell your big men, 'Don't jump out and try to block the shot.' "

Against Clemson, Delaney tied the Tech record for most free throws made in a game.

"I don't think I could fake 11 fouls," he said. "They were jumping on every shot-fake."

Delaney appears teed off whenever there is contact.

"I play [teed] off," the junior said with a smile.

He looks at the officials a lot during the game.

"I'll be on the baseline, people just hold my jersey. I look at the refs and hold my hands straight up. And it'd be like, 'You're flopping,' " he said.

Of course, free throws aren't the only reason Delaney is so prolific. He is pleased with how his transition game has developed, resulting in more drives to the rim.

But ever since he suffered a sprained ankle in late December, he has not been able to elevate on his jumper like he used to. He is shooting 37.2 percent from the field since the injury, and has made only 12 3-pointers since getting hurt.

"I haven't been able to really shoot a jump shot," he said. "I've really been shooting set shots for the last month, so it's been difficult. But I'm starting to get my legs back under me."

And for the record, his major is consumer studies, not theatre arts.

"People can say whatever they want. If it's a foul, I'm pretty sure the refs are going to call it," he said. "They can say, 'You flop,' or whatever, but if somebody's fouling you, they got to call the foul."

Delaney, Hokies getting healthy at right time, with U.Va. visiting
By Dave Fairbank | 247-4637
February 13, 2010

If this is what Malcolm Delaney does when he's not healthy, what might he accomplish when he's 100 percent?

Virginia Tech's junior guard leads the ACC in scoring, despite dragging around two balky ankles and a cranky left shoulder that contributed to a perimeter shooting slump.

Delaney and coach Seth Greenberg have said little about the injuries. When asked about the shooting slump, both have said that they have no worries and that his stroke will return.

"I don't make excuses," Delaney said after the Hokies' 72-52 win at N.C. State. "I'm a player. If I'm going to play, I play hurt. I can play, so I'm not making excuses. I'm going to go out and play and I'm still going to do whatever I can to help this team win — whether it's scoring or playing defense or whatever."

Delaney felt progress, individually and collectively, in the N.C. State game and hopes to take another step as Tech (19-4, 6-3 ACC) faces rival Virginia at 8 p.m. tonight at Cassell Coliseum.

Though he averages 20 points per game, he is shooting just 40 percent from the field overall — 38 percent in ACC games. Since the end of the Boston College game, he has made just three of his last 33 attempts from 3-point range.

The 6-foot-3 Delaney sprained his left ankle in the first two minutes against Longwood on Dec. 30. He missed the following game, against Seton Hall, but returned at North Carolina and scored 26 points.

He injured the right ankle in the first half of the Boston College win Jan. 23, then hurt his left shoulder on the last play of that game.

"It's been tough," Delaney said Wednesday, "because I've had to adjust my shot due to the injuries. It's just not the same. I'm starting to get back into it. I felt good tonight. It'll be nice to get home — I can get back in the gym and hopefully feed off of this game.

"This is probably one of the best games I've played in a while. I'm starting to get healthy and my shot's getting better."

Delaney's numbers weren't eye-catching versus the Wolfpack — 15 points, 4-for-10 from the field, 1-for-3 from 3-point range, 6-for-7 from the free-throw line. But he hit a pair of pretty jump shots, including a deep 3 early in the second half that stemmed a State rally and pushed the lead back to 10 points.

"I don't have to score every night," he said. "We've got a great team and people that can score. … I don't mind passing the ball. I'm always looking to get other people better shots. If I need to score, I can score."

Delaney has remained productive despite his perimeter shooting slump because of his ability to get to the foul line. He averages a league-best 8.1 free-throw attempts per game. More than one-third of his points (153 of 441) have come at the free-throw line.

"You try to play great position (defense)," Virginia coach Tony Bennett said. "He has a natural ability to get into your body to draw fouls. Hopefully, you don't give him any cheap ones."

The Cavaliers (14-7, 5-3 ACC) haven't played since last Saturday's overtime loss to Wake Forest. Their scheduled game at Maryland last Wednesday was postponed until Monday because of record snowfall in the Washington metro area.

Virginia fell in overtime at home to the Hokies 76-71 on Jan. 28, squandering a 10-point lead in the final three minutes of regulation. Leading scorer Sylven Landesberg finished with 18 points that night, but didn't score in the final 5:44 of regulation or overtime as the Cavs went cold on offense.

"We made some bad decisions, but we responded well in the next game," Bennett said, referring to the end of the Tech game and the ensuing 75-60 win at North Carolina.

The Cavaliers expect to face a sellout crowd at Cassell Coliseum, where the Hokies are 12-0 this season and where they're calling for a "blackout" — everyone wears a black T-shirt.

"You have to be assertive in that kind of environment to have success," Bennett said.

The Hokies have won three in a row and six of seven. Delaney has led, but also has had plenty of help from Dorenzo Hudson, Jeff Allen and J.T. Thompson.

"We're a better team when I don't have to make so many plays," Delaney said, "and I can just feed off of other people, too. We've got a lot of people who can step up and play different roles."
 

Three keys for Saturday's Virginia-Virginia Tech showdown

Virginia Cavaliers
1Weather the storm. Cassell Coliseum figures to rock, with the Cavaliers in town and everyone in "blackout" attire. The Cavaliers cannot be rattled by the home crowd and energy.

2Forty consistent minutes. The Cavs squandered 10-point leads on three occasions — the last one in the final three minutes of regulation of an eventual 76-71 overtime loss Jan. 28 to the Hokies in Charlottesville.

3Help for Landesberg and Scott. Leading scorers Sylven Landesberg and Mike Scott put the Cavaliers in position to win the first meeting, but Tech defended them better late and no one else picked up the slack.

Virginia Tech Hokies
1Enjoy yourself. Coach Seth Greenberg lately has talked about how his kids are playing more joyfully — reflections of their record and experience. Facing a rival with a full house behind them should continue the trend.

2Keep Allen on the court. Hokies' forward Jeff Allen was ejected (a debatable call) with 13:41 remaining in the first meeting. The Hokies improbably won without him. Since the ejection, he has averaged 15 points and 6.2 rebounds per game and has been a load.

3Get to the line. The Hokies average almost five more free throws than opponents and four more points from the free-throw line. In ACC games, Tech is 4-0 when it shoots more free throws than opponents, 1-3 when opponents shoot more (Tech and N.C. State both attempted 20 free throws).

NCAA tournament countdown

Piggybacking on Comrade Fairbank's print story this morning on area basketball teams' prospects for making the NCAA tournament ...

With Virginia Tech (19-4, 6-3 ACC) and Virginia (14-7, 5-3) in the discussion, two elements merit mentioning: history and non-conference strength of schedule.

First, history, which tells us that a winning ACC season guarantees nothing. Since the league added Florida State and adopted a 16-game schedule in 1992, three 9-7 teams have been bypassed by the NCAA selection committee.

Virginia in 2000, Florida State in 2006 and Virginia Tech in 2008.

The latter two reflect the ACC's expansion to 12 teams and abandonment of the traditional double round-robin schedule in which teams played every conference rival twice. This season, for example, Virginia Tech by rotation faces the ACC's top-rated teams -- Duke, Wake Forest, Georgia Tech, Clemson, Wake Forest and Maryland -- only once each.

That becomes more important given the Hokies' weak non-conference schedule, which collegerpi.com rates 340th among 347 teams nationally. Who you choose to play, the schedule you control, is paramount to the selection panel.

Consider Florida State's exclusion in 2006. The Seminoles were 9-7 in the ACC, but their non-conference schedule was No. 316.

So despite an outstanding overall record, Virginia Tech. No. 54 on the RPI this morning, is only 1-2 against the RPI's top 50, defeating Clemson and losing to Temple and Florida State. A 7-4 mark against the top 100 aids the Hokies' case.

For comparison: When snubbed in 2008, Virginia Tech was No. 52 on the RPI and was 1-7 versus the top 50, 6-9 against the top 100, with a non-conference schedule of 135.

Long story short: The Hokies' remaining games against No. 12 Wake Forest, No. 4 Duke, No. 40 Maryland and No. 29 Georgia Tech are critical. Win at least one of those contests and finish 10-6 in the ACC, and Virginia Tech should feel secure come March 14.

At No. 90 on the RPI and with a No. 278 non-league schedule, Virginia probably needs 10 ACC victories also. The Cavaliers are 2-3 against the top 50, beating UAB and Georgia Tech, falling to Wake Forest twice and South Florida. They are 4-4 versus the top 100.

Non-conference schedules will help the at-large candidacies of three state teams. Old Dominion is 14th, William and Mary 40th and Richmond 55th.

On the RPI, those teams are 36th, 53rd and 26th, respectively, all ahead of the Hokies and Cavaliers.

With victories over Temple, Rhode Island, ODU, Missouri, Florida and Mississippi State, Richmond (19-6) is arguably the state's best team.

Posted by David Teel

UVa cruises in first round
By Whitey Reid
Published: February 12, 2010
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Heading into Friday night’s first-round match against Alabama, none of the players comprising Virginia’s three doubles teams had ever played together.
From the way they performed, it certainly didn’t look that way.
Virginia, buoyed by a dominating performance in doubles, got their bid for an ITA Indoors three-peat off to a great start, easily defeating No. 15 seed Alabama, 4-0, in front of a standing-room-only crowd at The Boar’s Head Sports Club.
With the win, No. 2 seed Virginia advanced to today’s quarterfinals against Georgia. The seventh-seeded Bulldogs, who ruined UVa’s NCAA title dreams in Tulsa, Okla., two years ago at the Final Four, were a 4-3 winner over Mississippi.
“This gives us a tremendous amount of confidence going into a tough match [today]. This is a transition that we tried early on in the week in practice,” said Virginia coach Brian Boland, referring to his revamped doubles lineup. “I felt good about it going in, but it’s always different when you have to do it in a competitive situation. The guys came through and looked really good. I’m happy with where we’re at.”
Virginia junior Michael “Showbiz” Shabaz said the team is looking forward to facing Georgia.
“We’ve had some good matches over the last few years,” Shabaz said. “Last year we got the better of them in the finals of this tournament.
“Obviously, every time we play it’s a really competitive match. I’m sure they’ll be looking forward to getting some revenge.”
While Virginia manhandled Alabama in doubles, they weren’t too shabby in singles, either. UVa’s Sanam Singh, Drew Courtney and Jarmere Jenkins all won in straight sets, and the Cavs were leading in two of the other three matches when play was halted.
In other action from Friday, top-seeded USC blanked Fresno State, 4-0. The only higher-seeded team to lose was No. 6 Baylor, which was upset, 4-2, by No. 11 Florida.
Virginia’s No. 1 doubles tandem of Shabaz and Courtney set the tone for the night, making quick work of Alabama’s Ricky Doverspike and Michael Davis. Their 8-1 win lasted just over 30 minutes.
Blistering forehand returns of serve by Courtney led to a break of Bama in the fourth game. Shabaz then held serve at love to put Virginia up 4-1.
Courtney’s powerful serve and Shabaz’ clever all-court game were just too much for the Crimson Tide.
“We came out really strong,” Shabaz said. “We talked about how if we were going to play together, we were going to have to hit a lot of big first serves and control our service games.
“If we’re holding pretty easily, we’re pretty confident we can beat anybody.”
In the sixth game, the duo notched their second break, then solidified it with a hold after Courtney made a beautiful defensive lob that extended the point — one that ended when Davis missed an easy volley from the front of the net.
Two games later, Shabaz closed out the match with a second-serve ace as the Boar’s Head crowd went bananas.
Just seven minutes later, Jenkins slammed an overhead to give him and his partner, Houston Barrick, an 8-2 triumph at No. 2 that earned Virginia the doubles point. (Singh and Lee Singer were up 6-3 when play was halted).
“There was a lot of energy on the court,” Boland said. “The guys wanted to be on the court together and felt good about it.
“I felt like, just in general, we had some aggressive doubles teams out there that really believed that we were going to get the job done. You could feel the energy.”
Last week against Kentucky, it was losing the doubles point that essentially cost Virginia its 63-match winning streak. Even before that, Boland wasn’t happy with how his teams had been performing, so he decided to mix everything up for the ITA.
For at least one night, it worked about as well as he could have hoped.
 

Cavaliers Open NTI With 4-0 Win Over Alabama
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 02/12/2010

CHARLOTTESVILLE – The Virginia men’s tennis team began its quest for a third consecutive ITA National Team Indoor Championship with a 4-0 win over Alabama in a round of 16 match Friday night at the Boyd Tinsley Courts at the Boar’s Head Sports Club. The second-seeded Cavaliers will meet seventh-seeded Georgia in a quarterfinal match Saturday night at 6:30 p.m.

“I am really happy with the performance,” said Virginia head coach Brian Boland. “The first match of any tournament is always the toughest. The guys played with the focus and composure that we needed. We came out from the start with a lot of energy and got our tournament off to a good start.”

The Cavaliers (5-1) jumped out to a quick start with a dominating doubles performance as a brand new doubles lineup produced immediate results. At No. 1 doubles, Michael Shabaz (Fairfax, Va.) and Drew Courtney (Clifton, Va.) cruised to an 8-1 win over Ricky Doverspike and Michael Davis. Virginia clinched the opening point at No. 2 doubles, where Houston Barrick (Brentwood, Tenn.) and Jarmere Jenkins (College Park, Ga.) topped Saketh Myneni and Jarryd Botha 8-2.

“We completely changed all our doubles teams,” said Boland. Our doubles teams clicked right away, which was a testament to a great week of practice. That was a big positive for us.”

Virginia carried its momentum into singles where they recorded three straight set wins to close out the win. At No. 2 singles, Sanam Singh (Chandigarh, India) defeated Doverspike 6-2, 6-2. Courtney posted a 6-2, 6-2 win of his own at No. 4, downing Botha. Jenkins clinched the win for the Cavaliers with his 6-2, 6-2 win over Michael Thompson.

The Virginia-Georgia quarterfinal will be a rematch of the 2009 ITA National team Indoor final, won by the Cavaliers in Chicago.

“We played them in the final last year and that was a great match,” said Boland. “We have a lot of respect for their program and they have been tough on us over the years. We have had some great matches with them and last year we got the better of them. We will see what happens tomorrow. We are at home and hope to have our fans backing us just like they do when we play them in Athens. It should a great atmosphere.”

Georgia advanced to the quarterfinals with a 4-3 win over No. 10 seed Mississippi. Other first round scores were No. 3 Ohio State defeating No. 14 Louisville 4-2, No. 11 Florida defeating No. 6 Baylor 4-2, No. 1 USC defeating No. 16 Fresno State 4-0, No. 8 Texas defeating No. 9 Stanford 4-0, No. 4 UCLA defeating No. 13 Kentucky 4-1, and No. 5 Tennessee defeating No. 12 Illinois 4-0.

Play on Saturday begins at 9 a.m. at the Boar’s Head Sports Club and admission is free. The quarterfinals match-ups are Ohio State-Florida at 9 a.m., USC-Texas at noon, UCLA-Tennessee at 3 p.m. and Virginia-Georgia at 6:30 p.m. The consolation matches are Louisville-Baylor at 9 a.m., Fresno State-Stanford at noon, Kentucky-Illinois at 3 p.m. and Alabama-Mississippi at 6:30 p.m.

 

Virginia’s Proscia prepped for primetime
By Jay Jenkins
Published: February 12, 2010
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Steven Proscia heard the rumors.
Given the fact that he had surgery for his fractured wrist, it was only expected that the sophomore become linked to a position switch to ease the transition back to the field.
Some said left field, where infielders can hide. Others said first base, which would spell two-way star Danny Hultzen when he was not on the mound.
The rookie All-American can sleep well at night now. In adamant fashion, Virginia coach Brian O’Connor said Friday that Proscia remains his starting third baseman with the start of the season just a week away.
That is due in part to the recovery that Proscia made from off-season surgery to repair his wrist.
“It has been frustrating for him because in the summer and the fall he wasn’t able to participate, but since he has been back from holiday break he has had no problems,” the skipper said. “He has been swinging the bat very, very well. There have been no signs of any injury or
anything. He looks really locked in at the plate.”
The injury itself occurred as Proscia was playing defense for Dom Bosco Prep’s vaunted football team as a junior. He went up for an interception and came down on his wrist.
“I went to brace myself on the ground and it snapped,” he recounted. Coming out of the game was not an option.
“I just taped it and went back in,” he said. “I never got it looked at. It bothered me, but I didn’t give it much thought.”
The fracture was discovered prior to the memorable 2009 season, but surgery would have caused Proscia to miss most, if not all, of the campaign.
He played through the pain and finished with 22 doubles and 10 homers, the most by a rookie at Virginia since 2006.
“Once the doctor told me that I needed the surgery I told him that I was not getting it,” he said. “I wasn’t going to miss my first season. I was just hoping that it would hold off for one more year and I was fortunate enough that it did.”
The Virginia baseball team was just as “fortunate.”
Proscia led the team in hitting in the NCAA tournament, registering a team-best 15 hits despite the lingering issues.
“That tells you how tough he is to play through it and still get the results that he did,” O’Connor said. “He had a limited range of motion and to accomplish was he did was simply amazing.”
Proscia said the biggest difference that he has noticed has come in the indoor batting cages, something that has intensified following the most recent batch of snow.
“I definitely feel a lot different,” he admitted. “I feel like with the swing that the barrel stays through the zone longer and I am not pulling off as quickly as I had in the past to prevent any pain or anything like that.
“I was really nervous, but the doctor said everything went well and I’m ahead of schedule. I have been taking things slow but now I feel like I’m 100 percent and ready to go.”
Proscia does provide O’Connor some wiggle room at East Carolina on Friday, however, as he creates his first lineup card since the College World Series.
“He is our third baseman and depending on some games and what lineup we want to put out there, as the season moves along, he is an option to move to first base,” O’Connor said. “Right now he is our third baseman, but we know that he can bounce over there to first base in pinch to allow us to put the best lineup on the field.”
On deck
Due to the conditions at Davenport Field, the Cavaliers will travel today to Christopher Newport University to have an intrasquad scrimmage and a complete practice outdoors. … Thanks to the efforts of the school’s support staff, the turf football fields were cleared enough to allow the second-ranked Cavaliers the luxury of having an impromptu practice session Friday. There were snow banks, however, impeding the vision of the batter from left and center field. … The pitching rotation for the upcoming series at ECU is not set, but O’Connor appears to be leaning towards employing JUCO transfer Cody Winiarski as his third starter. He would complement junior Robert Morey and Hultzen. Winiarski was an all-star selection this summer in the Northwoods League, registering a 2.14 ERA in 80 innings for the Madison Mallards.

My dumb little ACC power ratings put Tech in the front four
10:41 am February 12, 2010, by Mark Bradley

Earlier we presented Heather Dinich’s ACC power ratings, as compiled on ESPN.com, for the 2010 football season. Now, purely as public service, come the Bradley power ratings. (The BPR, not to be confused with Dick Vitale’s BDI, which stands for Bald Dome Index.) Ms. Dinich and I agree on the top three. Then we diverge. Here goes:

1. Virginia Tech: Apart from the rearranged-for-TV Labor Day game against Boise State in D.C., the Hokies’ schedule doesn’t kick in until November. Then they play Georgia Tech, North Carolina and Miami back-to-back, with the latter two coming on the road. They can take two of those three.

2. Florida State: The Seminoles will go one of two ways post-Bowden — they’ll either fall apart or they’ll regain a sense of discipline and rise again. I’m betting on the latter because there’s too much talent here to dismiss, and the final days of Saint Bobby were simply a directionless drift.

3. North Carolina: Really good defense. Really bad offense. Georgia Tech proved you could win the ACC doing it the other way around, but that’s a tough way to build a program. If Butch Davis gets any sort of quarterback play — it’s a big “if,” granted — the Tar Heels could be a 10-win team.

4. Georgia Tech: The offense won’t wither without Jonathan Dwyer. (Paul Johnson: “I’m pretty sure our B-back will rush for 1,000 yards next season.”) The bigger losses are on defense. Al Groh should be an upgrade over Dave Wommack, but Derrick Morgan cannot be replaced.

5. Miami: Probably the most talented team in the Coastal Division. Then again, it was the most talented team last season and it lost four games. And the ‘Canes could easily have two losses before they play a conference game: They face Ohio State and Pittsburgh on the road in September.

6. Clemson: Don’t really know what to make of Dabo Swinney. He took the Tigers to the ACC title game in his first full season as a head coach, but winning the Atlantic was no great feat. (Someone had to do it.) And now the two playmakers — C.J. Spiller and Jacoby Ford — are gone.

7. Boston College: Strange program. Goes to the ACC title game with Matt Ryan. Loses Ryan and goes to the ACC title game the next year. Loses head coach Jeff Jagodzinski and still ekes out eight victories. You can’t ever dismiss the Eagles, but you can’t really say there’s a lot here to love.

8. Virginia: New coach here. His name’s Mike London. He’ll do big things. He was 24-5 over his final two seasons at Richmond, where he won a FCS national title. He’ll fare better than Groh, who could recruit but couldn’t quite win. London is the best hire by an ACC school since … well, since Tech hired Paul Johnson.

9. North Carolina State: Speaking of Boston College (and we were a moment ago) … Tom O’Brien left BC in 2006 to coach the Wolfpack. He has gone 5-7, 6-7 and 5-7. He won two ACC games last season. He’s well regarded in the coaching industry, but something needs to happen for him soon.

10. Wake Forest: Remember Riley Skinner, the quarterback who outdueled Reggie Ball — remember Reggie Ball? — in the 2006 ACC title game? Well, he’s finally gone, and the Demon Deacons are returning to reality. They needed to beat Duke in their final game just to get to 5-7 in 2009.

11. Duke: David Cutcliffe guaranteed Duke will win an ACC title in the next five or six years. And it will — in men’s basketball. Turning to football, Cutcliffe’s team just went 5-7 and lost its best player in quarterback Thaddeus Lewis. Cutcliffe’s an able man, but only Spurrier can win at Duke.

12. Maryland: Remember when Ralph Friedgen seemed the savior of Terp football? Sadly, that was about the same time Chuck Amato was considered the hot guy at N.C. State. The Fridge was 2-10 in 2009 and has had four losing seasons in his past six. He’s lucky Debbie Yow is a patient AD.

 

Dinwiddie signalcaller joins touted teammate in gaining Tech, UVa attention
Coaches descending on Harrisonburg High
By Doug Doughty
Doug Doughty

No coach does a better job of spreading the word of his players than Billy Mills, a former Rockbridge County coach who took Dinwiddie to the Group AAA Division 5 championship game in 2008.

Mills has a potential Top-5 player in the state in rising senior Corey Marshall, a 6-foot-2, 250-pound linebacker who this week received his sixth scholarship offer.

The Spiders face an uphill battle in a field of Marshall suitors that includes Virginia Tech, Virginia, Tennessee, East Carolina and James Madison. Marshall had 112 tackles this past season, including 72 unassisted tackles and 21 tackles for loss.

Mills lists three other prospects for the class of 2011, including 6-5, 225-pound quarterback Chris Hall, who completed 49.1 percent of his passes for 2,626 yards and 24 touchdowns in his first year as a starter in place of state record-holder Adam Morgan, a 2009 VMI signee.

Mills said Virginia Tech is waiting to see some senior film on Hall before deciding whether to offer him, and it’s possible the Hokies might want to slot him at a different position. Virginia and Marshall showed ample early interest, but Mills said he hasn’t heard as much from the Cavaliers since their coaching change.

In a piece by Jamie Oakes on the rivals.com site, CavsCorner.com, Hall said he has received the most significant interest from Tech, UVa and Alabama. He started every game for Dinwiddie in 2008 as either a wide receiver (17 receptions, two for TDs) and led his team in rushing this year.

Mills also recommends 6-6, 200-pound wide receiver Trey Gardner and 6-2, 225-pound linebacker Darec Brooks, who Mills puts in the same class as former Dinwiddie linebacker Bradley Johnson, an all-state player who signed with Maryland. North Carolina State has expressed the most interest in Gardner.

The top prospect on this year’s Dinwiddie team is all-state wide receiver Quintaze Jackson, who is looking into a postgraduate season at either Fork Union or Hargrave.

HAD MY FIRST CONVERSATION today with Troy Davis, who was named the head coach at Hargrave when Robert Prunty joined head coach Tommy Tuberville’s new staff at Texas Tech.

Hargrave announced Prunty’s departure in a news release Jan. 28 and Davis said he had about two days’ warning.

“We had a prayer group,” Davis said. “We always shared fellowship and coach Prunty said he was ‘going to put this thing in the Lord’s hands.’ The next day, he came in and, boom, he told us he was leaving.”

Davis said it’s business as usual at Hargrave, which is conducting its third of three monthly tryouts for its 2010 team. He said that approximately 13 members of the 2009 Hargrave team remain in school; almost everybody has been placed, but some have academic work to complete.

One issue that has arisen for postgraduate programs like Hargrave’s and its rival, Fork Union, is new NCAA legislation that prohibits games against Division I opponents who might be gaining a recruiting advantage by bringing the PG programs to campus.

Those games have been gradually phased out. For instance, Virginia Tech no longer has a JV team after annually putting together a team to face Fork Union or Hargrave, usually at Lane Stadium.

This past season, Hargrave had games against JV teams from North Carolina and Marshall, and it also played a University of South Alabama team that is in a transition stage before moving up to Division I-A.

VIRGINIA TECH has extended an offer to Michael Holmes, a 6-foot, 195-pound running back from Harrisonburg High School, who rushed for 2,749 yards and scored 41 touchdowns in 12 games this past season.

The Hokies also are considered one of the front-runners for Holmes’ teammate, Landon Turner, a 6-5, 310-pound offensive tackle who is the No. 2 prospect in the state according to the HokieHaven.com, the rivals.com site devoted to Tech. Holmes is 19th on the HokieHaven.com site.

Turner missed his sophomore year with an injury but was a first-team All-Group AA choice this past season, as was Holmes. West Virginia also would have to be considered one of the favorites for Turner because his father and uncle both played for the Mountaineers.

Turner has been quoted as saying he doesn’t feel comfortable around UVa’s grounds, but the Cavaliers may have a better chance with Holmes. Holmes’ mother and former Virginia basketball star and radio analyst Cory Alexander are first cousins who grew up together.

I’m not sure who will be recruiting the Harrisonburg area for the Cavaliers, but Scott Wachenheim, who will coach the tight ends, has been assigned the southwest Virginia area that includes Roanoke.

LAKE BRADDOCK QUARTERBACK Michael Nebrich, named second-team all-state after accounting for a Group AAA record 4,600 yards in total offense, has been offered a scholarship by James Madison.

It will be interesting to see how much Nebrich’s size (6-foot-1/2, 185 pounds) will play into his recruiting, but he should have monster numbers again next year.

Nebrich, the Northern Region offensive player of the year, will be joined at Lake Braddock by another first-team All-Northern Region pick, 6-4, 180-pound Matt Zanellato, a transfer from Robinson.

Zanellato had 40 receptions for 624 yards and five touchdowns as a junior.