“That’s a pretty good basketball team there, when they play like that.” — Maryland coach Gary Williams. Thousands of words and hundreds of paragraphs — including a few more forthcoming here — have been written about the ups and downs of Virginia’s season. No scribe, however, has been able to better summarize the Cavaliers’ eclectic nature better than the sometimes terse, often fiery Maryland coach. Those words came after Virginia defeated then-No. 13 and defending national champion Maryland, 80-78, in overtime at University Hall on Sunday night to complete the school’s first sweep of the Terrapins since the 1992-93 season. That Williams said it with a definite pause only punctuated the point. Whether it was the inspired play of senior reserve Jason Rogers or the impressive play of fellow senior Travis Watson, Virginia ended a seven-game losing streak, secured the sixth seed for this week’s ACC tournament as it played with fire and emotion nonexistent in the past month. Though the game unfolded with several plots, subplots and big made and missed shots, it was Rogers’ play that seemed to set the tone for the Cavaliers throughout. The 6-foot-11 Rogers got the starting nod from UVa coach Pete Gillen on Senior Day and scored a career-high 12 points and had six rebounds and three blocks in 21 minutes. While the unusual contributions to the box score was one thing, the effort Rogers brought to the court was the difference. He was diving for loose balls and playing with the hustle that in some ways should not be as conspicuous as it was. Rogers’ play perhaps personified the “… when they play like that.” portion of Williams’ statement about UVa in general. “Fire and passion can make up for a lot of things. It can help you overcome a lot,” said Virginia coach Pete Gillen, whose team outrebounded Maryland 59-36. “Jason Rogers gave us tremendous energy and we’ve been missing that for a long time. We had that tonight.” The victory ensured Virginia of at least a .500 record which technically makes them eligible for an NIT berth. It would still be at the discretion of the NIT selection committee to extend a bid to UVa. Perhaps it took the enthusiasm of Rogers to essentially shame his teammates into playing in the same fashion. Certainly, there were some that agreed with that after the game. “He set the tone for the game and it kind of ran through the whole team. The hustle was in our favor. ... It came down to a lot of hustle and that initial burst by Jason really set the tone for the game,” said junior Todd Billet, who finished with 18 points. Added Watson: “He was out there giving 100 percent. … That’s what a team is for. You feed off their play. Sometimes you need one guy to be that backbone and to bring that energy to the team and that’s what he did tonight.” The U-Hall crowd also responded to literally every move Rogers made, especially a one-handed dunk in the first half that gave Virginia a 30-25 lead in the first half. “It was a fairy tale … I couldn’t have asked for a better ending,” Rogers said. Virginia earned the sixth seed in this week’s ACC tournament. It will face third-seeded Duke in a quarterfinal Friday that will begin at approximately 9:30 p.m. at the Greensboro Coliseum. If there was anything that slightly dampered the mood in the UVa locker room, it was the notion that if the Cavaliers summoned Sunday’s effort over the past month, they would not have entered the game hoping to avoid Thursday’s play-in game. “There is some frustration when you look at sweeping the defending national champions and beating Wake Forest and Kentucky but struggling against the bottom half of the ACC,” Billet said. “We were able to breakthrough against those teams but we weren’t able to break away from the bottom half of the ACC. That’s a little frustrating.” Still, Billet insisted that Sunday’s game was a lesson even though it may have come a little late in the season. “A seven-game losing streak could be devastating to a team. A lot of teams would have gone out and just laid an egg tonight. Guys stepped up and it showed that this team still has a lot of fight left in it and there’s still season left to show that fight,” Billet said. “We just wanted to come into the game as if it were 0-0. It was a new season for us and we wanted to get some momentum going into the ACC tournament.”
Klockner Stadium already was scheduled to be the site of one significant lacrosse showdown today. Now, to the benefit of area fans, the venue will play host to two such games. The top-ranked Virginia men’s team (3-0) will face No. 11 Notre Dame (3-0) at 3:30 p.m., followed by the No. 8 UVa women (3-1) taking on No. 4 Maryland (4-0) at 7. The men’s game originally was supposed to be held at Episcopal High School in Alexandria, but that field was rendered unplayable by snow and the contest was moved to Klockner. That means the Cavaliers will get more of a home-field advantage, which should help them avoid a letdown after consecutive road victories over last year’s NCAA finalists, Syracuse and Princeton. “I have a lot of confidence in this group. We know we need to keep getting better,” said UVa coach Dom Starsia. “We were very good in practice [Monday], so I’ll be disappointed if we don’t play well [today].” Off to an impressive start, Virginia showed it could win in a shootout against Syracuse, prevailing 16-15 on March 1. Then on Sunday, with Princeton slowing the pace of play, the Cavaliers were disciplined and resourceful enough to pull out a 10-7 victory. Senior midfielder Chris Rotelli led the offense with four goals, while the defense was outstanding, especially in man-down situations. The Tigers scored on just one of eight extra-man opportunities. The Cavaliers produced two shorthanded goals and picked up their play after Princeton tied the game at 6 late in the third quarter. “We didn’t play great. We turned the ball over needlessly a few times and we gave them some opportunities on defense with impatience,” Starsia said. “But overall we played very good defense. And in the end, we played harder and smarter when the game was being decided.” Starsia said he expects a good challenge from the Fighting Irish, who defeated North Carolina, 10-8, on Saturday. Matt Howell scored four goals in the win, while Stewart Crosland made 14 saves. The Virginia women also figure to have their hands full tonight with Maryland, their arch nemesis. The Cavaliers snapped a 15-game losing streak against the Terrapins with a wild 17-16 triumph last March in College Park. Maryland went on to have a rough year, going 0-3 in ACC play and losing in the NCAA quarterfinals. But the Terrapins, who won seven straight national championships from 1996-2002, appear to be back this year. They already have defeated then-No. 1 Duke and North Carolina, so a victory tonight would give them the conference regular-season title. “It would be a great turnaround for them. I’m sure they’re emotionally charged and hopefully a little tired,” said UVa coach Julie Myers, pointing out that Maryland has worked overtime to win its past two games. “I think we match up well. I think we’re more powerful in more spots, but I think it should be a great game.” The Cavaliers have bounced back from a season-opening 12-11 overtime loss at Syracuse to clobber their last three opponents by a combined score of 55-21. The trio of senior Lauren Aumiller and sophomores Amy Appelt and Cary Chasney has produced 30 goals in four games. Tyler Leachman, a freshman, has added offensive punch with hat tricks in the past two games. “We’re back on track and doing what I think we should be able to do on offense,” Myers said. “As long as we fast-break down the middle and pass the ball well, I think it will be hard for anyone to stop us. I think we’re ready to go.”
Maryland stokes U.Va.'s fire
Inspired play is the exception in 15-14 season
BY JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Mar 11, 2003
CHARLOTTESVILLE - Against the teams seeded Nos. 8 and 9, respectively, in the
ACC men's basketball tournament - Clemson and Florida State - Virginia went 1-3.
Against the tourney's top two seeds - regular-season winner Wake Forest and
defending NCAA champion Maryland - U.Va. went 3-1.
Go figure. This a team that lost to Virginia Tech and Ohio. But it's also a team
that knocked off Kentucky and Georgetown, among others.
"That's a pretty good basketball team there when they play like that," Maryland
coach Gary Williams said late Sunday, after the Cavaliers beat his 13th-ranked
Terrapins 80-78 in overtime at University Hall.
Virginia has many flaws, not the least of which is shaky ballhandling. The
Wahoos' biggest problem, however, is they rarely play with the grit and
determination so apparent against Maryland. And that's why sixth-seeded U.Va.
will take a disappointing 15-14 record into its 9:30 p.m. quarterfinal with
third-seeded Duke (21-6) on Friday at the Greensboro Coliseum.
"That passion and fire we had tonight, I think Maryland was the last time we had
that," Cavaliers coach Pete Gillen said Sunday.
Gillen was referring to U.Va.'s Feb. 6 victory over the Terrapins at the Comcast
Center. In that shocker, the Cavs rallied from 12 points down in the second half
to win in College Park for the first time since 1993. Virginia followed that
victory by beating N.C. State at U-Hall but then began a long and steady fall.
U.Va. lost seven straight before upsetting Maryland again, this time behind
seniors Travis Watson and Jason Rogers, whose hustle delighted the crowd and
inspired his teammates.
"Maryland's got great players and great experience and great talent and a great
coach," Gillen said. "We were able to sneak out a win by playing with tremendous
energy. I think Jason Rogers gave us that tonight, and we've been missing that
for a long time."
That Watson, the ACC's top rebounder, starred was no great surprise. But Rogers,
a 6-11 center from Staunton, came in averaging 1.7 points, 1.1 rebounds and 1.6
minutes.
His playing resume no longer is so modest. In his first college start, Rogers
made 5 of 6 shots from the floor and finished with 12 points and six rebounds -
both career highs. He also swatted away three shots.
"I couldn't believe it. I was stunned," Gillen said. "I said, 'Damn, he hasn't
played like that in practice.' Some days he has good practices, but that's the
best he's played in four years. He was spectacular."
Rogers said: "My father always told me, throughout all the hard times, 'God will
give you a chance. All you have to do is be ready for it.' I was ready for it
tonight."
An urban-and-environmental-planning major who turned down a scholarship offer
from Maryland, Rogers went to the bench, winded, with 12:07 left in the first
half. He checked back in about six minutes later and again assumed a leading
role. With U.Va. ahead 28-25, freshman swingman Derrick Byars dribbled through
the Terrapins' full-court pressure and passed to Rogers on the left wing.
Rogers gathered in the ball, leaped for the basket and then threw down a
thunderous slam over 6-9 Jamar Smith, a play that amazed everyone in the
building, including No. 30.
"From where I took off from, I was thinking, 'Lord, just let me make this,'"
Rogers said, smiling. "Then I heard the crowd, and I just thought, 'Wow.'"
Barring a miraculous run in the ACC tournament, the Cavaliers will receive
nothing more enticing than an invitation to the NIT, and even that's not
assured. They'll no doubt look back in frustration on this season, wondering how
it would have gone had their play against Maryland been the norm and not the
exception.
"If we could ever have that emotion, or something similar - I'm not saying we'd
win every game, but we would be a much better team," Gillen said. "We have good
talent, but if you're missing a little quickness or missing a little this, a
little that, you can make up for it with passion and energy and desire."
Rogers saves best for last
Senior night turned into a huge party Sunday for Rogers and Virginia, which
upset No. 8 Maryland.
By DOUG DOUGHTY
THE ROANOKE TIMES
CHARLOTTESVILLE - As the final horn sounded, capping the most glorious night of
his college basketball career, Jason Rogers immediately cast his eyes toward the
stands.
"When everybody was rushing the floor, I saw my mother and my father with a
smile on their faces and tears almost coming to their eyes," Rogers said. "I'm
pretty close to tears myself."
Rogers, a starter for the first time in his final regular-season home game at
Virginia, gave the Cavaliers an immediate lift in an 80-78 overtime victory over
No.8-ranked Maryland.
Normally, courtesy starters like Rogers are on the floor until the first
television timeout, if that long. When he came out with 12:05 remaining in the
first half, Rogers was on triple-double pace with five points, four rebounds and
three blocked shots.
With a crowd of 7,031 chanting his name repeatedly, Rogers finished with 12
points, six rebounds and three assists.
"I couldn't believe it," said UVa coach Pete Gillen, whose team snapped a
seven-game losing streak. "I was stunned. The crowd was great. He was blocking
shots. He did what he could offensively. He was ball-screening a lot; he didn't
try to do too much. I said, 'Damn.'
"It's the best he's played. He hasn't played like that in practice. Some days
he's had good practices, but that's the best he's played in four years. He was
spectacular. I'm not very smart. I didn't play him enough.
"I'll say it. You don't have to write it. I said it. Quote me."
Rogers, the 1998-99 Group AA player of the year at Robert E. Lee in Staunton,
had been on the floor for only 14 minutes in nine games this year.
At 6-feet-11 and a spindly 232 pounds, what he does best is block shots, with 25
in 171 minutes. That averages to 5.6 blocks for every 40 minutes of playing
time.
"Nothing he did surprised me," said fellow postman and senior Travis Watson,
recognized with Rogers in ceremonies before the game. "He blocks my shots all
the time in practice. People slept on him and didn't give him the day."
Less than two minutes into the game, Rogers blocked a Drew Nicholas shot, then
hit a jump hook on UVa's trip down the floor.
"Honestly, when I threw down that jump hook, I was like, 'Dear God, just hit the
rim,'" Rogers said. "I'm not going to lie. That was one of the ugliest things
that's ever come off my hands."
Rogers made five of six shots from the field, none more stunning than a dunk off
a fast break with 4:30 left in the first half.
When some cliche-mongerer suggested that the dunk had "brought the house down,"
Rogers replied, "It brought everything down for me. I was like, 'I did that.'
"It's very hard to put into words what it feels like to have 7,000 people
standing up and chanting your name. It leaves a lasting memory. It leaves
something etched in your brain."
Despite his limited playing time, Rogers always remained positive and has
received an award after each of the past three seasons for having the best
attitude on the team.
"He gave us emotion tonight; he gave us energy," Gillen said. With tongue in
cheek, Gillen added: "We were saving him for four years for this moment."
| Cavalier Daily Associate Editor |
Continuing a tradition at the University, Gillen started his scholarship seniors in their last game at U-Hall. In most situations, however, players that haven't seen much time during the season are quickly taken off the court, so the regulars can get into the game.
Rogers, who had seen a total of 141 minutes over his 49-game career, wouldn't let that happen. With his parents joining the masses chanting his name, Rogers dominated the game early on. He swatted three shots, grabbed four rebounds and scored 10 points, leading his team in the first half.
"You hear them chant your name, and you can't help but get excited," Rogers said. "There was so much emotion on the floor. I could hardly believe what was happening out there. I was so pumped up when I was out there, because I knew that I was helping my team on both ends of the court."
One can only wonder why Rogers hasn't seen more playing time off the bench over the course of his career. Not only can he provide some rebounding help, but he also has the ability to both block and alter shots, the latter of which doesn't show up in any stat sheet. With long arms and a 6-foot-11 frame, you wonder if teams would have been able to embark upon the layup drill around the basket that Virginia fans have had to endure this season if Rogers had seen more action. Gillen headed everyone off Sunday night when he tried to explain why Rogers hasn't seen more time.
"I'm not very smart," Gillen said, half jokingly. "I didn't play him enough. I'll say it. You don't have to write it."
Gillen was quick to add an addendum, saying that, while Rogers played his heart out during the game, he hasn't seen that in practice.
"He is a good player," Gillen said. "But he hasn't played like that in practice over the year."
Now, the past is the past and arguing over the best course for Rogers' career is a futile exercise. But for one night, Jason Rogers was a superstar who led his team to a crucial win over the No. 13 team in the country.
"It was a night that I'll never forget," Rogers said. "Not only because everyone was cheering for me, but because I was able to help my team win. After the game, I looked up and saw my mom and dad smiling, with the tears almost coming out of their eyes. By the end I was a little emotional as well."
Rogers has always been known as the team player. In practice, he often went to battle against the other star of senior night. Travis Watson, whose four years of U-Hall service were capped off by yet another double-double, this one with 26 points and 15 rebounds, was one of Rogers' biggest supporters and cheerleaders after the game.
"I have always known that he could play if he got a chance," he said. "He has blocked my shots a couple of times in practice, so I knew he could do some things on defense. He gave us a lift on our last night."
Reporters surrounded Rogers for their post game interviews as a smile beamed from the face of the seldom-interviewed senior.
One of Rogers' more spectacular moments came in the first half, when he threw down a monster dunk that brought the crowd to their feet in a near fit of hysteria.
"I wasn't trying to make it spectacular or anything," Rogers said. "I just wanted it to go in. For awhile it seemed as if nothing would go wrong."
Needless to say, for a few hours anyway, it was a beautiful day in the 'Hooville neighborhood.
| Cavalier Daily Associate Editor |
The two victories came against last season's national champion and runner-up. The win over the Orangemen was Virginia's first since 1999.
"It's certainly something that this team can be proud of," Virginia coach Dom Starsia said. "It's early in the season and the things we want to accomplish are still down the road, but we're off to a good start."
Sophomore attackman John Christmas broke a 15-15 tie with 22 seconds left on a low bounce shot to put Virginia ahead for good and served to rocket the Cavaliers to the top position after coming into the game at No. 4.
Christmas, sophomore attackman Joe Yevoli and senior midfielder A.J. Shannon each had four goals in the contest. Christmas was chosen as National Player of the Week by Warrior/Inside Lacrosse for his performance against the Orangemen.
The Cavaliers had an easier time with Princeton on Saturday, going ahead 7-6 on Shannon's late third quarter goal and keeping the lead throughout the final period on their way to a 10-7 victory.
Senior midfielder Chris Rotelli lead the way for the Cavaliers, tallying four goals and an assist. Christmas and freshman midfielder Matt Ward each scored a pair.
Despite the victory, Starsia said he felt Virginia was not on top of their game versus the Tigers.
"I didn't think we played our best game against Princeton," Starsia said. "We turned the ball over too many times and we had some defensive lapses that gave Princeton a few goals. We need to play a little smarter for 60 minutes."
Notre Dame could be the team to exploit these vulnerabilities. The Fighting Irish are fresh off a 10-8 triumph at No. 13 North Carolina and, like the Cavaliers, are undefeated on the year.
"Notre Dame has very good balance," Starsia said. "There's not a soft spot on the team. Their intent may be to play the game at a more deliberate pace than we would like, so we have to win faceoffs and get the ball off the ground to force the tempo of play a little bit."
Virginia is off to their strongest start since 1996, when the Cavaliers opened the season with six straight wins. Four of Virginia's next five games will be at home, but none of the opponents will give the Cavaliers a chance to get comfortable.
Last season, Virginia struggled against Notre Dame, prevailing in a low-scoring 7-5 affair at Klockner
"For the past two years it's been kind of a hard game for us," Rotelli said. "We lost two years ago and had a close one last year that we just pulled out. The team is refreshed and we'll be ready to play. I think Notre Dame is a really good team, and it's going to be a really hard game."
Although both teams have identical records coming in, the pressure is on Virginia, who looks to retain its top ranking for the second straight game against a team that has caused the Cavaliers trouble for the last two years.
St. Patrick's Day may be right around the corner, but the Cavaliers will try to make sure Notre Dame's Irish luck does not come early this year.