3/28/02 - The Man

By ANDREW JOYNER
Daily Progress staff writer

Marsha Mason-Wonsley, the mother of Virginia junior guard Roger Mason Jr., said Wednesday that her son’s explorations into the NBA are no different than what many other UVa students may be doing this time of year.
“Well, basically he’s just checking at the moment and looking at his options,” said Mason-Wonsley on Wednesday evening from her Silver Spring, Md., home. “He has not put his name in the draft or anything like that. He’s just looking at and checking his options as is common for college juniors. He’s researching it just as other students at the University of Virginia study their future options before making a decision.”
Mason, who averaged 18.6 points per game last season for the Cavaliers and earned second-team All-ACC honors, said several times toward the end of this past season that he intended to return for his senior season. He did carefully preface those intentions by saying that that was his decision at that particular time.
During a teleconference Tuesday, Virginia coach Pete Gillen said Mason had told him that the 6-foot-4 guard did indeed want to look at his options and evaluate his possible status in June’s NBA draft. Most draft experts, including nbadraft.net which has him as the 16th pick in the draft, have Mason somewhere in the middle to late portion of the first round and virtually none have him in the lottery (the top 13 picks of the draft).
According to Mason-Wonsley, her son already has accumulated enough credits that he’s close to earning his major in architecture/urban planning and it’s certainly her preference that he stay at UVa to earn his degree.
“As a mother, that is of course what I’d want,” said Mason-Wonsley, who said the ultimate decision will be made as a family, which includes stepfather, Otis Wonsley, a former running back with the Washington Redskins.
His stepfather is just one of the people whose advice Mason has sought during this process.
“He’s talked to his stepfather and to other people. He’s been gathering information and certainly has also been consulting the coaching staff at Virginia,” Mason-Wonsley said. “He wants to gather as much possible information before making a decision.”
The deadline for early entries into the June NBA draft is May 12.
If underclassmen do not hire an agent, they can declare for the draft and then pull their names out of consideration once they gauge their status.

By JOHN GALINSKY
Daily Progress staff writer

With all the attention and hype surrounding Virginia’s latest football recruiting class, it was easy to forget that — oh, yeah — some players are still around from last year’s team.
Those are the ones who reported for the first day of spring practice Wednesday. They are the ones who will have the coaches’ undivided attention for about three weeks. And they are the ones who will get all of the snaps and reps and work, at least until the celebrated freshmen arrive this summer.
“They’re the only players here,” UVa coach Al Groh said. “There’s plenty of opportunity, particularly for guys moving up who haven’t had much [playing time] to this point. There will be a lot of competition this spring. We frequently tell the players all we can go on is what we see. So they’ll have a chance to demonstrate plenty of that before the rookies get here.”
Thirteen starters are back from last year’s team, which finished 5-7, though a significant number of players with eligibility remaining elected to leave the program That group includes quarterback Bryson Spinner, tailback Arlen Harris, receiver Tavon Mason, defensive end Devon “Boo” Battle and cornerback Rashad Roberson.
Groh did not sound concerned by the attrition. “Players have assessed their circumstances or assessed this operation and decided it would be in their best interests to do it a different way,” he said.
Those departures, however, reduced the number of Cavaliers participating this spring. Groh said about 65-70 players are on the roster, including a handful of walk-ons. In four months, they will be joined by a 26-member freshman class widely rated among the top 10 in the country.
Groh expects many of those newcomers to play a major role next season. That makes this an unusual spring, he said, since the composition and chemistry of the team figure to change drastically come fall.
“Essentially one-third of our team is not here,” Groh said. “That’s often the case but that’s of more significance in this circumstance because a large number of that one-third is likely going to play in the games. So a number of players who are going to be in games early are not going to be participating in practice right now. This is just a start of putting our team together.”
The 15 spring practices remain important, Groh said. But he acknowledged that the incoming freshmen are the ones who will make a big difference in Virginia’s football fortunes.
“It will be the interjection of this young talent and then the development of it that [are] going to improve this team,” Groh said.

Captains. Two rising seniors, receiver Billy McMullen and linebacker Angelo Crowell, were voted team captains on Monday. They are two of just eight seniors on the roster.
“To be named captain is a tremendous honor. It’s a huge role to step into,” said Crowell, who set a school record with 144 tackles last season. “I have to be a role model and set an example for the rest of my teammates.”

Injuries. Sophomore linebacker Rich Bedesem and sophomore tailback Brandon Isaiah, who missed most of last season with injuries, have been cleared to practice this spring.
Several other players, however, aren’t so lucky. Senior safety Shernard Newby will not participate in any contact drills following shoulder surgery in January. Sophomore kicker Bryan Smith is out because of knee surgery.

Come and watch. Four more practices are open to the public: Friday, May 5 (2:30 p.m.); Saturday, May 6 (10 a.m.); Friday, March 12 (2:30); and Monday, March 15 (2:30).
All of the practices are held on the fields behind University Hall. The annual Spring Game will be held Saturday, March 20, at 1 p.m. at Scott Stadium.

With blue-chip recruits en route, U.Va. holdovers forced to step up
By DOUG DOUGHTY, LANDMARK NEWS SERVICE, The Virginian-Pilot
© March 28, 2002

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- The impending arrival of a top-10 recruiting class has contributed to a heightened sense of urgency at Virginia's spring football ``camp,'' as coach Al Groh calls it.

``This isn't like the university bus system,'' said Groh, in midseason form with his analogies Wednesday. ``In this system, we can't keep making the same stops over and over.''

In other words, for some U.Va. holdovers, this might be the last good chance to make an impact.

There were 77 players on the roster made available to the media for Virginia's first spring practice. Among them were 55 scholarship players, including two former walk-ons; 30 letter-winners; and eight seniors, four of them fifth-year seniors.

``The numbers issue is something we need to work with and stay cognizant of,'' Groh said. ``When you can sign a large class, as we did, there's always a good news-bad news side to it.

``The good news is that you have an influx of talented players. The down side is, when you've got that many roster spots available, you're going to be left a little light in the spring.''

Groh hopes to find a format that will make for an entertaining ``spring game'' when the Cavaliers hold their final spring scrimmage April 20.

``There are some positions where we have enough players to have a doubleheader,'' he said. ``At others, we'd be better off in a seven-inning game.''

Of the 23 scholarship players who have not earned a letter, eight were redshirted last year. The other 15 have not received the playing time required for a letter.

``What we frequently tell the players is, `All we can do is watch,' '' Groh said. ``They're the only players here. There's a lot of opportunity for players to move up who haven't had a lot of PT to this point.

``Every spring provides a different storyline. Part of the storyline with this one is, essentially one-third of our team is not here. That's often the case, but it's more significant this time because a large number (of recruits) is likely to play in games.''

Waiting on Hagan: Placekicker David Greene and punter Mike Abrams have used up their eligibility and the only remaining scholarship kicker on the roster, placekicker Bryan Smith, will miss spring practice while in rehabilitation following knee surgery.

``In terms of priority competition and filling spots, that's one of the first spots where we need some answers,'' Groh said. ``We've got to replace two good legs and one of the leading candidates, Tom Hagan, won't be on the field this spring.''

Hagan, from Cave Spring High School in Roanoke, was named first-team All-Group AAA at punter last fall and also kicked off and tried some field goals and extra points for the Knights. Other kicking candidates include Kurt Smith, a walk-on from Chattanooga, Tenn.

``One of the things you can do in college football is use a lot of kickers,'' Groh said. ``It's like golf: You don't want to use your driver from 125 yards in.''

Notes: Groh estimated before practice Wednesday that he would have no more than 65 or 70 players in uniform. That did not include junior linebacker Ned Bowen and freshman wide receiver Steve Holmes, starters on the Cavaliers' No. 2-ranked men's lacrosse team. . . . Groh also played football and lacrosse at U.Va. but laughed at the suggestion he was a two-sport athlete. ``I was a no-sport guy,'' he said. ``I was a two-activity guy. I played on one of the few bad lacrosse teams Virginia has had and I was one of the reasons we were bad.'' . . . Rising senior Shernard Newby, who started all 12 games at safety last year, underwent shoulder surgery in January and will not participate in contact work. . . . Linebacker Rich Bedesem and Brandon Isaiah, both of whom played in one game before undergoing knee surgery, have been cleared to play but they will be evaluated before receiving extensive contact work. . . . Fullback Jonathan Ward suffered a concussion when he collided with another player during offseason conditioning and was not available for the start of drills.

SHORT-HANDED: Spring practice began yesterday, and missing were Ahmad Brooks, Kai Parham, Michael Johnson and Kwakou Robinson.

All are expected to contribute this fall, but they had good reasons for being absent. They're still in high school.

Brooks and Co. are among the jewels of the highly regarded 26-player recruiting class that signed with U.Va. in February. Gone from last year's team are some 25 scholarship players, including 10 who had eligibility left. Virginia finished 5-7 after beating Penn State in the regular-season finale.

"Every spring provides a different story line," second-year coach Al Groh said yesterday, "and part of the one with this one is [that] essentially one-third of our team is not here. Now, that's often the case, but that's of more significance in this circumstance because a large number of that one-third is likely going to play in the games.

"That's why I say that this is just kind of the start of putting our team together. Certainly it would be a different process if we were two deep with guys with playing time and we thought maybe three players would play out of the incoming class."

Counting walkons, Virginia had about 65 players at practice yesterday. Thirteen of them - seven on offense, six on defense - are returning starters.

"When you can sign a class of large numbers, as we did, there's always a good news/bad news side to that," Groh said. "The good news is you're getting a large influx of talented players. The downside of that, in the short term, is that obviously if there's that amount of roster spots available, you're a little bit light for the spring."

DEFENSIVE CHALLENGE: Virginia must rebuild both lines. Groh's challenge may be greater on defense, where all three starting linemen - undersized ends Ljubomir Stamenich and Darryl Sanders and nose tackle Monsanto Pope - in his 3-4 scheme are gone. The new ends are sophomore Chris Canty (6-7, 282) and junior Larry Simmons (6-3, 280). Sophomore Andrew Hoffman (6-5, 277) takes over at nose tackle.

U.Va. ranked eighth among ACC teams in rushing defense in 2001. Asked if he had reason to believe his defense would play the run better this season, Groh smiled and said, "I don't know if we have reason to think it, but it damn well better be."

TEAM LEADERS: Virginia's captains for 2002 are seniors Billy McMullen and Angelo Crowell, who were chosen by their teammates.

McMullen, a wideout who graduated from Henrico High, was named a third-team all-American by Football News last season. He set a school record with 83 receptions - the second-most in ACC history - and received the Dudley Award as the state's top college player.

Crowell, an inside linebacker from Winston-Salem, N.C., set a school record with 144 tackles last season and made the all-ACC second team.

THE FUTURE: Matt Schaub started spring drills as the clear No.1 quarterback, but U.Va.'s coaches rave about the potential of freshman Marques Hagans, who redshirted in 2001. Hagans, who starred for Fork Union Military Academy's postgraduate team in 2000, succeeded Ronald Curry as Hampton High's quarterback in 1998.

He's only 5-10, but the 205-pound Hagans has a strong arm and runs well.

"What we're looking for out of Hagans right now is development," Groh said. "He's a rookie player who hasn't done anything here yet who has significant athletic ability and that we're very enthused about getting on the field."

By Jim Reedy
Special to The Washington Post
Thursday, March 28, 2002; Page D03

CHARLOTTESVILLE, March 27 -- At this time last year, Virginia football coach Al Groh and his staff had been on the job for less than three months. They spent much of the time leading up to spring practice just getting the basics in place: drafting a playbook, completing their predecessors' recruiting efforts, meeting and evaluating players.

This time, the Cavaliers had more time to prepare for spring practice, which opened today. Groh and his assistants spent the past four months figuring out how to improve on last season's 5-7 record, Virginia's first losing mark in 15 years.

"We've been able to think about our team for a long time," Groh said. "We've been thinking about shaping the team and things that we wanted to do, directions to go, personnel utilization -- all those things."

Virginia will return seven starters on offense and six on defense, led by senior co-captains Billy McMullen and Angelo Crowell, respectively. McMullen, a 6-foot-4 wide receiver, set a program record with 83 receptions last season, the second-best total in ACC history. Crowell started every game at inside linebacker and made a school-record 144 tackles.

Several of the highly touted recruits Groh signed in February are expected to play critical roles next season, but they don't arrive until July. For now, the Cavaliers lack quality depth at many spots, especially along the offensive and defensive lines, where just seven of last season's 17 lettermen return.

"The numbers issue is something we're going to have to work with," Groh said. "[Spring practice] is just the start of putting our team together. . . . A lot of the guys who are going to be in the games are not here right now."

Matt Schaub split time at quarterback with classmate Bryson Spinner last season, but Spinner's decision to leave the program cleared the way for Schaub to start as a redshirt junior in the fall.

"I'm the man now at the quarterback position," Schaub said. "It's my job and my team."