Virginia basketball coach Pete Gillen notes that his program’s misfortune in the postseason preceded his arrival in Charlottesville. That 13-game postseason drought — which ended with a 89-73 victory over Brown in a first-round NIT game Wednesday — included five games under former coach Jeff Jones. When the streak began, Gillen was the coach at Providence and most of the current UVa players were in middle school — with the eldest of them entering their freshman years of high school. Yet, these current Cavaliers were at least carriers of the streak and they expressed an overall sense of relief regarding its end on Wednesday night. “It’s been a while that the program has gotten a postseason win. It’s a big step for the program and the team. Now we just want to keep this going,” said junior guard Todd Billet, who had played in just one of those 13 losses, last week’s ACC quarterfinal defeat to Duke. The Cavaliers now advance to face St. John’s on Monday at Alumni Hall in Jamaica, N.Y. The game will begin at 7:30 p.m. The Red Storm (17-13) defeated Boston University on Wednesday night at Alumni Hall. UVa officials were notified late Wednesday night that the game was going to be at St. John’s. “We were not told of the criteria involved in the decision. The NIT had an on-site representative here for the game. That representative then had a conference call with tournament officials after the game and informed us of the decision,” said Jon Oliver, UVa’s senior associate athletic director. As is the history with the NIT, game revenues likely played a part in the decision. Virginia, which sold tickets for $4 and $8, drew a crowd of just under 5,000 last night while St. John’s drew approximately 2,500 for the BU game. St. John’s, however, charged $20 a ticket for its game. Virginia led nearly from beginning to end of Wednesday’s contest, as it used its considerable height and size advantage on the interior. Brown’s frontline featured no player taller than 6-foot-7 and Virginia’s Travis Watson and Nick Vander Laan were able to create space inside for offensive opportunities. Watson finished with a career high-tying 29 points and grabbed 12 rebounds while Vander Laan had 13 points and nine rebounds. “Against their bigger guys, we just weren’t strong enough inside,” said Brown coach Glen Miller. “Watson is just a terrific player.” Of course, his stellar performance in U-Hall on Wednesday could be the last for Watson in the building. His did his best to dismiss such sentiments and the possibility that each time he puts on a uniform could be his last. “I’m definitely not thinking that way, but I guess it unfortunately could be. I’m blessed that we won and will keep playing,” Watson said. When asked if this tournament in some way provided an opportunity to erase the regular season before it, Gillen responded in full. “Expectations are great and they should be. I don’t mind if our expectations are higher than the public’s. … We had things that happen to us and we couldn’t overcome them,” said Gillen, who commented that this team could have had current Chicago Bulls guard Roger Mason Jr. on its roster as well as point guard Keith Jenifer who departed after being indefinitely suspended. “It’s nice to get a positive. We’re frustrated that we didn’t do better. … All we can do is work as hard as we can work.” Note. Gillen said that he hopes freshman Derrick Byars will be available for the St. John’s game Monday. The forward sprained his left ankle in practice Monday and would have been a starter Wednesday but was instead in street clothes. Sophomore Elton Brown’s availability is similar to that of Byars after he jammed his knee in practice earlier in the week.
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The first-ranked Cavaliers (5-0) have been dominant in 2003, winning four games against teams ranked in the top 16 by an average of 4.5 goals. Johns Hopkins (3-1) lost for the first time on Sunday to Syracuse, 15-14. After starting the year 3-0, including a win over No. 2 Princeton, the Blue Jays briefly held a tie with Virginia for the top spot in the STX/USILA Poll.
Since losing first-place votes to Virginia, and dropping the game at Syracuse, Johns Hopkins fell to No. 4.
Virginia enters the game with a No. 1 ranking and the challenge of knocking off their third 2002 Final Four team of the season -- all on the road. Coach Dom Starsia said he understands both the rigors and benefits of his team's nightmarish lineup.
"I think you only develop confidence by doing these things," Starsia revealed after defeating Towson 10-2 on Sunday. "As long as we build confidence in ourselves we've got a right to feel pretty good about things."
Missing in the win over Towson was the much-heralded Virginia attack unit, lauded in the preseason as one of the best in the nation. Sophomores John Christmas and Joe Yevoli took the ACC by storm last year, with Christmas earning a feature article in Sports Illustrated and Yevoli nabbing ACC Rookie of the Year honors after leading the conference with 40 goals.
Many believed that the arrival of highly-touted freshman Matt Ward would ease the transition to a squad without former leader Connor Gill, the player who scored four points in Virginia's last national championship game in 1999. Ward, a graduate of Maryland high school powerhouse Landon, has performed solidly through the season's first stretch, but has not created the same buzz that his two linemates did in their rookie campaigns.
After a strong showing as an overall unit against Notre Dame on March 11, the attack faltered against Towson, mustering a mere two goals and two assists. Christmas, fresh off of a four goal, two assist performance against the Irish, appeared hesitant against Towson. In a four minute span during the second quarter, the Philadelphia native dropped a fast break feed from midfielder Billy Glading at the point, hit one post and failed to convert two quick-stick feeds from 'X' in front of the net. Although he did net one score off a nice spin move in the same quarter, it was an off game for Christmas overall.
When asked about the young trio, Starsiastays quick to refute any of the hype that has enveloped Christmas, Yevoli and Ward since the preseason.
"I wouldn't agree" that Virginia's attack is the best in the country, warned the 11th year Virginia coach. "I think, honestly, we're very young there. You've got two sophomores and a freshman. We got a good attack, we got a young attack, and they're getting better. And today those kids didn't have their best day, but those things are gonna happen. We've got a lot to expect from those kids and they've been a big part of what we've been able to do so far."
Without the lure of guaranteed contracts or shoe deals to entice underclassmen into bolting for the MLL, the Cavalier youth movement likely will blossom into the most feared attack unit in the nation by 2005. Much of Virginia's success in 2003 will hinge on how the youngsters handle the pressure of playing for a team that has "winning now" on its mind.
Johns Hopkins-Virginia Men's Lacrosse Notes
Blue Jays Host Top-Ranked Cavaliers Saturday Night
March 19, 2003
The Game: Fourth-ranked Johns Hopkins (3-1) hosts top-ranked Virginia (5-0) at
8:00 pm on Saturday night. The game will be broadcast on WMAR-TV 2 in Baltimore.
A Look Back: Johns Hopkins slipped from the ranks of the unbeaten with a 15-14
loss at Syracuse. Virginia improved to 5-0 with a 10-2 win over Towson at home
last Sunday.
Pulling Rank: Johns Hopkins is ranked fourth in this week's STX/USILA Poll.
Virginia is ranked first. The Johns Hopkins Sports Information Office uses this
poll as the official poll when listing a team's ranking. The complete poll, as
well as the Warrior/Inside Lacrosse Power Poll, is listed on page 4.
The Coaches: Dave Pietramala is in his third season as the head coach of the
Blue Jays. The 2002 USILA National Coach of the Year, he sports an overall
record of 46-24 (.657) including a 23-7 (.767) record at Johns Hopkins.
Pietramala spent three years as the head coach at Cornell (1998-2000) before
returning to his alma mater prior to the 2001 season. He is the only person in
the history of college lacrosse who has earned NCAA Division I National Player
of the Year honors (1989) and NCAA Division I National Coach of the Year honors
(2000 & 2002).
Dom Starsia is in his 11th season as the head coach at Virginia and his 21st
overall as a college head coach. He sports an overall coaching record of 216-86,
including a 115-40 record as the head coach at UVa. He guided the Cavaliers to
the 1999 NCAA title and two other appearances in the NCAA Championship game. The
Cavaliers have also won three ACC titles during his tenure.
Hopkins Lacrosse on the Radio: Johns Hopkins men's lacrosse games can be heard
on WJFK-AM 1300 in Baltimore. The Johns Hopkins Lacrosse Game of the Week
presented by Copy World begins with a pregame show 15 minutes prior to faceoff
and includes a 15-minute postgame show. Larry Quinn and Mark Dixon will provide
all the play-by-play and expert analysis. All regular-season games (except the
games against Albany and Canisius) and NCAA Tournament games will be broadcast.
Hopkins Lacrosse on Television: The Blue Jays are scheduled to hit the air waves
five times locally this season. Games against Virginia, Maryland, Navy and
Loyola will air on WMAR, while the JHU-Duke game will be aired on Comcast
SportsNet. Since 1998, Johns Hopkins has had 34 of its games televised and has
posted a 21-13 record in those 34 games.
The STX Hopkins Edge: The next edition of the STX Hopkins Edge will air on
Saturday, April 12 at 12:30 pm on WMAR (Channel 2) in Baltimore. This in-depth
look at Hopkins lacrosse features head coach Dave Pietramala and WMAR lacrosse
analysts Keith Mills and Quint Kessenich taking a close look at the Johns
Hopkins Blue Jays.
Hopkins Lacrosse on the Web: The official web site for Johns Hopkins athletics
is located at www.HopkinsSports.com.
Series Notes
* Johns Hopkins holds a commanding 50-20-1 advantage in the all-time series
against Virginia.
* Virginia's 9-8 (4OT) win at Homewood two years ago was the longest game in JHU
and UVa history.
* Being the higher ranked team in this series has not translated into victories
recently. The lower ranked team has won eight of the last 12 in the regular
season .
* Despite both teams being fairly evenly matched, blowouts have actually been
the norm. Only three of the last 16 games between the two teams have been
decided by fewer than three goals and nine of the 16 have been decided by five
or more.
Noting the Cavaliers: Virginia enters its third week at the top of the STX/USILA
National Rankings and second straight by itself. This is the third time in the
last four years the Cavaliers have been ranked number one at some point during
the season. With a 10-2 win over Towson last Sunday, Virginia improved to 14-5
all-time under head coach Dom Starsia when ranked number one. The Cavaliers are
7-1 at home under Starsia as the number one team and 7-4 on the road. Virginia's
5-0 start this season is the best for UVa since 1996, when the Cavaliers jumped
to a 6-0 record en route to an appearance in the NCAA Championship game.
Virginia boasts one of the deepest and most talented offensive units in the
nation. Through five games, six different players already have seven or more
goals and five different players have 12 or more points. Sophomores John
Christmas and Joe Yevoli team with freshman Matt Ward to not only give the
Cavaliers one of the youngest attack units in the nation, but also one of the
best. Christmas has 12 goals and five assists for 17 points, while Yevoli has
nine goals and six assists. While replacing a player like the departed Conor
Gill is never easy, Ward has done an admirable job with eight goals and four
assists through five games.
Last season, Chris Rotelli and A.J. Shannon combined for 49 goals and 20 assists
as one of the more dangerous midfield tandems in the nation. The dynamic duo is
well on its way to topping those numbers as they already have 26 goals and 10
assists between them. Rotelli was a First Team All-American a year ago, while
Shannon may be one of the best pure shooters in the game.
With eye-popping numbers on offense, it's easy to overlook the Cavalier defense.
Big mistake. UVa held Towson to just two goals on Sunday afternoon, its best
defensive performance since beating Maryland, 7-2 in 2001. In five games UVa has
held the opposition to just 40 goals and 15 of those were scored by Syracuse.
Starters on close defense for the Cavs include Ned Bowen, Brett Hughes and David
Burman. Junior goalie Tillman Johnson, one of the top goalies in the nation,
moved into the top 10 on the Virginia career saves list with his 15 against
Towson on Sunday. He now has 378 in his career and needs 26 to move into ninth
all-time at UVa. He boasts a sparkling 7.99 goals against average and a .576
save percentage.
A not-so-secret weapon is sophomore Jack deVilliers, who has developed into one
of the top faceoff specialists in the nation. After winning less than 50% of his
faceoffs last season, he has won 68-of-112 (.607) this season and was 19-of-32
against Syracuse and 11-of-18 against Princeton.
Fork Union post player decides to join Cavaliers
STAFF REPORTS
Donte Minter, a 6-foot-8 post player from Fork Union Military Academy, said
Thursday night that he has made an oral commitment to Virginia.
"I'm going to Virginia because I felt there was a great opportunity to play and
because I could help the team next year," said Minter, whose home is in Mt. Ulla,
N.C., between Winston-Salem and Charlotte.
In 2001-02, Minter played on a West Rowan (N.C.) High School team that went 30-0
and captured the state championship in its classification. He signed a letter of
intent with Appalachian State in the fall of 2001 but did not meet NCAA
requirements for freshman eligibility.
Minter is the second player to commit to Virginia in the past week, joining
point guard C.J. Bannister from Jacksonville, Fla. UVa signed two players in the
fall, 6-5 Gary Forbes from New York and 6-3 J.R. Reynolds from Roanoke by way of
Oak Hill Academy.
The Cavaliers, 89-73 winners over visiting Brown in the first round of the
National Invitation Tournament, will go to St.John's for an NIT second-round
game at 7:30 p.m. Monday.
The Red Storm (17-13) advanced with a 62-57 victory over Boston University at
Alumni Hall, St. John's home floor, before a crowd of 2,653. Virginia drew
4,842.
Arritt high on Minter
Now that Virginia basketball coach Pete Gillen has stopped catching so much flak -- at UVa, two wins in March will do that for you -- perhaps he can ease up on the Keith Jenifer references.
I was kicking myself Wednesday night for not saying something when Gillen again invoked Jenifer's absence as one of the reasons for the Cavaliers’ late-season slide.
"We lost our point guard" or "we don't have our little point guard," Gillen has said on more than one occasion.
For one thing, Jenifer, listed at 6 feet 3, wasn't exactly little, although he weighed only 161 pounds. For another, he wasn't any good.
How would you like to be Majestic Mapp, a former McDonald's All-America who endured 2 1/2 months of rehab from knee problems, and hear that Virginia had lost its point guard or didn't have a point guard?
Or, how would you like to be Todd Billet, who has been playing point guard since Jenifer was benched (remember the sequence there: Jenifer was benched, then suspended). Billet has 12 assists and three turnovers in the past two games. Thinks he likes hearing that Virginia doesn't have a point guard.?
Quick guards have given Virginia problems, which is why Gillen inserted walk-on Billy Campbell, a freshman, with 16:58 remaining in the second half Wednesday night against Brown.
"We needed a guard, a quick guard," Gillen said. "I've been saying it. It's been the mantra for a while and people are tired of me saying that. When we play against a quick guard, you need somebody to stay in front of him. We had one, but he's longer with us.
"We had to go with Billy. Once again, Majestic's got a bad leg. He's still recuperating. We're asking Todd to do a lot, so Billy played. I thought he did a great job, gave us some emotion and helped us win the game. Gave us some juice. Scrapped and clawed. Got the crowd into it. I thought he was a big plus."
Clearly, the move to Campbell was a response to Brown point guard Jason Forte (Joseph Forte's younger brother) blowing past Mapp for a layup on the Bears' last possession of the first half. But, Forte also got past Billet at least once and drew two fouls on Campbell in the span of 13 seconds. None of the three could stay with him.
And, you know what? Jenifer couldn't have stayed with him either. Just because a guy has some quickness doesn't mean he can play defense.
Gillen's references to Roger Mason turning pro are legitimate because Mason and Billet would have teamed well (Mason would have compensated for Billet's lack of height and provided a legitimate second backcourt scorer), but Jenifer was bad news from the start.
WANT TO KNOW WHERE the Donte Minter story broke? In the University Hall men's room, of all places.
Although Minter shook his head "no" when I asked him Wednesday night if he had committed to Virginia, he couldn't escape the clutches of the Waynesboro posse that converges at the entrance to the lower portal.
At least two posse members said they had corralled Minter in the line for the urinal and had him confirm that he will sign with the Cavaliers this spring.
Fork Union coach Fletcher Arritt said after the game that Minter had committed to the UVa staff Tuesday night and, when told of Minter's denial, said he would get the full story. Then, after indicating he would stay around, Arritt stiffed me.
As of Thursday afternoon, I still hadn't spoken to Arritt, although virginiapreps.com was reporting a public commitment. Arritt had reminded me earlier in the week that the three Fork Union players who had gone to UVa most recently (in reverse chronological order) were Harold Deane Jr., Cornel Parker and Ted Jeffries.
Arritt said he feels, at a comparable stage, that Minter is a better prospect at his position than Deane, Parker or Jeffries. Deane is eighth on UVa's career scoring list (and fifth in assists), Jeffries is sixth on the rebounding list and Parker was one of the Cavaliers' best all-time defenders.
Two other Fork Union products who played for Virginia were Doug Newburg, a reserve guard on the Cavaliers' 1981 Final Four team, and Arritt, himself. Newburg is now on the faculty of the UVa Medical School.