Shannon’s switch positive for UVa
By JOHN GALINSKY
Daily Progress staff writer
A.J. Shannon has a new position, a new attitude and, as Virginia men’s
lacrosse coach Dom Starsia puts it, “a new lease on life” this season. As a
result, the junior from Whitby, Ontario, has become a better player and, not
coincidentally, the Cavaliers have become a better team.
If anyone embodies the differences between this year’s team and last for UVa,
it’s Shannon. Frustrated and largely ineffective as an attackman a year ago,
he has re-emerged as a consistent offensive weapon out of the midfield.
With 11 goals and six assists, the left-hander is the highest-scoring middie for
the No. 2 Cavaliers (5-1), who play at No. 5 Maryland (6-1) on Saturday at 1
p.m.
That’s a far cry from last year, when he was the lowest-scoring starting
attackman on the team with 15 goals and three assists. Virginia went 7-7 in
2001, its worst record in 14 years.
“Last year was a tough year for everybody. Everyone was miserable just coming
to practice,” Shannon said. “This year is totally different. Everyone’s
playing well together. Everyone loves being around each other. I feel like a
totally different player. I love this year.”
One key to Shannon’s change in fortunes was his position switch. Growing up in
Canada, he was accustomed to playing box lacrosse, an indoor game that rewards
stick skills and accurate shooting. As an attackman in America, Shannon had
trouble in the open field, especially trying to dodge against a long-stick
defenseman. There are no long sticks in box lacrosse.
“It’s a big transition,” Shannon said. “You don’t have to be nearly as
fast in box lacrosse. And it was kind of annoying going against long sticks. You
think you have a shot and all of a sudden they get in on your hands. It made
life a little more difficult.”
With the arrival of freshmen attackmen John Christmas and Joe Yevoli,
Virginia’s coaches decided to move Shannon to the midfield. He welcomed the
switch. He played midfield as a freshman, when he scored 16 goals, and he says
he prefers dodging while facing the goal rather than from behind or to the side
of the cage.
Moreover, since junior midfielder Chris Rotelli always draws the opponent’s
long-stick middie, Shannon has been able to operate against a short stick.
That’s no problem for the 6-foot, 208-pound Shannon, who often bullies the
smaller defenders trying to check him.
“He’s a strong, powerful player who can use his muscle against short
sticks,” UVa assistant coach Marc Van Arsdale said. “He doesn’t have the
breakaway speed like Christmas and Yevoli, but he’s a reliable stick-handler
and shooter who creates matchup problems for the other team.”
Plus Shannon has one of the hardest, most accurate outside shots on the team.
“A.J. can really slam it,” Starsia said. And he’s not afraid to shoot
right over or through his defender.
“I’m more assertive this year,” he said. “I was more tentative last
year. Now I’ll lean into one from 10 yards rather than pass it off. Or I’ll
dodge and try to draw a slide to open something up for my teammates.”
That aggressive mentality, perhaps more than the position switch, has made the
biggest difference for Shannon, who scored just one goal in four ACC games last
season. He also went scoreless against Princeton and Syracuse.
This year Shannon has scored in every game, including two-goal efforts against
Drexel, Syracuse, Princeton, Towson and Johns Hopkins. During a 13-11 victory
over Princeton, he drew a double team and fed Billy Glading for a crucial
fourth-quarter goal.
“He seems much more relaxed and comfortable this year,” Starsia said.
“It’s like he’s been given a new lease on life. … After one scrimmage in
the fall, I told him, ‘You need to make an impact all the time,’ and he’s
gotten a lot better with that. Now he’s someone you have to be aware of at all
times.”
Shannon says several things altered his mindset. He read a Michael Jordan
autobiography, which, he said, “made me realize what it takes to be a great
player, mentally more than physically.”
He also went home last summer and had a big season in box lacrosse.
“I was dominating games and I thought, ‘Why wasn’t I playing like this
down there?’” Shannon said. “Half of last season, I didn’t have
confidence. I didn’t believe in myself. I came back with a lot of confidence
and ever since I’ve been playing like I know I can.”
Groh looking for leadership wherever he can find it
By DOUG
DOUGHTY
Exclusive
to roanoke.com by 5 p.m. Thursdays
One of the things never forget in this business is that nobody wants to know your problems.
I tried to make the case last week that UVa men's basketball coach Pete Gillen needed to be more accessible -- and didn't get a lot of complaints, frankly -- but people are more interested in what 6-foot-10 sleeper on Tangier Island might be considering the Cavaliers.
Gillen did hold a teleconference this week, his first in 13 days since the end of the season. There was some information to come out of the call, most notably concerning Roger Mason Jr. and his interest in the NBA, but it wasn't very long.
Sports information director Rich Murray informed reporters ahead of time that Gillen was pressed for time and would be limited to 10-12 minutes, so we can't say we weren't warned when the teleconference was halted after 12 minutes and 18 seconds.
While that was short by most standards, the contrast was even more dramatic Wednesday when UVa football coach Al Groh met with the media in the University Hall press room.
The news conference began several minutes after its scheduled 11:30 a.m. start, but there was no sign of a let-up until assistant sports information director Michael Colley stood up at 12:18 p.m.
Normally, that's a sign to reporters to bring the questions to a close.
"Got to go to the bathroom, Mike?" Groh asked Colley.
Colley, who prefers the more formal "Michael," stepped off the podium and sheepishly returned to his seat as Groh fielded a question about 2001 signee Randy Jones, who has been out of school since a fall auto accident.
"When this accident occurred, we were concerned about anything but football as it related to Randy," Groh said. "He's making nice progress. His ambition is to be back in school in the future. When that is will need to be determined. When he gets back here, we'll have a better idea of what the football circumstances are."
Then, the subject turned to a pair of walk-ons making their first appearance on the UVa roster, New Yorkers Imhotep Durham and Isaiah Ekejuiuba, and whether Groh could pronounce their names.
"No, I cannot," he said. "I call them Mike and Larry. They're good kids. We've got five or six kids out like that, which we're glad to have. I tried to explain to all of those kids, including the ones that we picked up last year, 'Don't get frustrated. Don't get impatient. There's some catching up to do.' I think what happens to a lot of kids is, they leave before they gave it a chance."
At that point, Groh felt it was necessary to reassure Colley again.
"Mike, I'm going to run at 12:30," Groh said, "So, you don't have to worry. If you can hold it for eight more minutes ... "
"Your show," Colley said.
"We're only doing this once," Groh replied.
ACTUALLY, GROH WILL be talking to the media again Friday, as well as every Monday, Wednesday and Friday during spring practice. I hate to get in a dig here, but you can bet he'll talk for more than 12 minutes and 18 seconds.
Heck, co-captain Angelo Crowell talked almost that long after following Groh behind the microphone, and Crowell had a 1 p.m. class.
Groh said that Crowell and wide receiver Billy McMullen had been named co-captains earlier this week, not a big surprise but noteworthy nonetheless because they are fourth-year seniors.
Fifth-year seniors Antwoine Womack and Monsanto Pope were the co-captains of Groh's first UVa team this past fall, but that team had 16 fifth-year seniors. There are four fifth-year seniors on the 2002 roster: walk-on Alex Seals, offensive tackle Mike Mullins and defensive backs Shernard Newby and Chris Williams.
"I think the leadership is somewhat like having a platoon in the army," said Groh, once an assistant coach at West Point. "You've got your lieutenants, but people who have had service time know the old saying, 'the Army is only as good as the sergeants.'
"In this case, I would say that Billy and Angelo are the lieutenants. The rest of them are sergeants. They've got to get their platoons or their squads in shape. There are certain positions that one of those two guys [McMullen and Crowell] will never have any interaction with.
"So, you really need leadership at each position. That doesn't always have to be senior leadership. On pro teams, they talk about guys having a good locker-room presence or veteran leadership. That can extend from a guy in his 12th year to a third-year guy who's 'been around.' "
SOME OF THE TIDBITS that came out of Wednesday's news conference included 6-foot-7 sophomore defensive end Chris Canty weighing in at 282 pounds after reporting at 262 last summer. Groh hastened to point out that Canty and 6-5, 277-pound Andrew Hoffman, who was redshirted last season, each has three more seasons of eligibility. ... Junior quarterback Matt Schaub said he weighed in at 235, up from 226 last season. ... Marcus Hardy, who played sparingly (33 plays) last year as a redshirt freshman, has moved to tight end. Scholarship tight ends include Patrick Estes, Kase Luzar, Hardy and redshirt freshman Heath Miller, named Group A player of the year in 2000 as the quarterback at Honaker High School. ... Groh also mentioned Luzar as a possibility at fullback, where "swing" back Brandon Isaiah and walk-on Ben Vincent will be getting time as Jonathan Ward awaits medical clearance following a concussion.
Tomorrow's men's lacrosse matchup between the ACC's top two teams promises excitement as the Cavaliers (5-1, 0-0 ACC) travel to College Park, Md., to take on the Terrapins (6-1, 1-1).
The No. 2 Cavaliers are coming off an impressive 12-6 rout of Johns Hopkins, who was ranked first in the nation at the time. The victory extends the Cavaliers' current winning streak to four, and they will look to make it five this Saturday against the No. 5 Terrapins.
The Cavaliers have already faced all of the teams who made last year's Final Four in the NCAA tournament. They emerged from that series with an impressive three wins, and their only loss came in a bitter 15-13 loss to Syracuse, who is now ranked No. 1 in the nation.
Instead of resting on their laurels after the impressive Johns Hopkins win, the Cavaliers realize that they must focus on the immediate future, since defeating the Terrapins will be no easy task.
"We've looked at them already," Virginia coach Dom Starsia said. "This is the start of our ACC schedule and we'll have our hands full with Maryland. You have to prepare properly for every game."
Maryland comes into the game boasting its own four-game winning streak. The Terrapins are undefeated at home this season. They had an impressive 15-10 win over Towson on March 9 to avenge their loss to the Tigers in the NCAA quarterfinals last year.
The Cavaliers have proved this year that freshmen do not just sit on the bench and pray for playing time.
Virginia's leading scorers are freshmen Joe Yevoli with 17 goals and John Christmas with 12. Christmas is tied with senior attackman Conor Gill for the team lead with 20 points.
In an amazing seven-point performance against Johns Hopkins, Christmas scored the game's first goal en route to a three-goal, four-assist performance that earned him ACC player of the week honors.
Rather than being intimidated in his first year, Yevoli has said he looks forward to the challenge of a top ranked team.
"We've played so many good teams before" playing Johns Hopkins, Yevoli said. "And we've played in some close games, too, which has really helped us."
History is inconclusive in picking the winner in this matchup. Of the 68 games between the two teams, the Cavaliers have lost 39, which is second only to the Cavaliers' 51 losses to Johns Hopkins. However, when these teams met last year, the Terrapins came in as the nation's first-ranked team but were held to an embarrassing two goals as they were routed by the seventh-ranked Cavaliers, 7-2.
The only team that both the Terrapins and the Cavaliers have played this year has been Towson, and both Virginia and Maryland won their respective games by a margin of five goals.
In addition to its four-game winning streak this season, Virginia also has won four straight games over the Terrapins, dating back to 1999. The Cavaliers hope to continue their recent success, both overall and against Maryland, on Saturday.