European post man attracts UVa's interest
If Virginia had wanted an informed
scouting report on basketball recruiting target Donte Minter, the Cavaliers
could have asked Dick Wall, who coached one of Minter's fellow future
Cavaliers, J.R. Reynolds, at Roanoke Catholic.
Wall has known about Minter since he was 11 years old and played on a North
Carolina AAU team that included North Carolina State freshman Cameron
Bennerman against a Roanoke Jaguars team that included Reynolds, Duke freshman
sensation J.J. Redick and Wall's son, Philip.
"Donte, at that time, was kind of a chunky guy," Dick Wall said.
Fast forward to this season, when Philip Wall and Minter were teammates and
fellow starters (most of the time) at Fork Union Military Academy.
Wall saw Fork Union and Minter in at least seven games and occasional
practices this season.
"I told [Virginia assistant] Walt Fuller in December that that was the guy
they ought to get," Dick Wall said. "I think he's going to be really good.
"He's a great scorer. There's just something about those left-handed guys
inside. He's not a dunker, but as long as you're inside the line, they all
count two."
Wall's best Minter story concerns the game he saw Fork Union play against
Notre Dame Academy of Fitchburg, Mass. Minter, a 6-foot-8-inch, 230-pounder,
was unstoppable that night.
"I was sitting with one of the coaches from Ole Miss," Wall said. "Donte's
putting on a show and the guy said, 'The only thing that bothers me is that he
hasn't shot with his right hand.'
"I said, 'Well, you're charting the game, how many points does he have?' [He
said], '39.' I said, 'Well, how many shots have they blocked?' [He said],
'None.' I thought, 'What do you want him to do, score 65 or 70?'
"He can make free throws. They need a guy, the way they play, who can get up
and down the floor. Donte can do that. Buddy, you do some running at Fork
Union."
MOST OBSERVERS VIEW Reynolds as a future wing player for Virginia. Wall feels
strongly on the subject of where Reynolds fits in.
"My opinion of that has not changed, even with everything that has happened,"
said Wall, who coached Reynolds on the Roanoke Catholic varsity from 8th grade
through 11th grade, after which Reynolds transferred to Oak Hill Academy.
"I think that he's a Roger Mason-type guy, but I think he's more of a point
than Roger Mason was, more of a '1' than a '2,' just because of how well he
sees the floor. I would like to see him have the ball in his hands more. I
think that's what he got away from this year.
"The times I saw him, he became much more of a shooter, which is fine. He shot
the ball very well at times, but he's so talented . . . the thing that he does
the best, I think, is that he makes other people better.
"That's what he needs the opportunity to do. You need the ball in your hands
to make other people better. John Beilein (the ex-Richmond coach now at West
Virginia) may have said it best when he told me, 'J.R.'s not going to let you
lose.' "
On the other hand, the Cavaliers' decision to recruit T.J. Bannister, a 5-11
point guard from Jacksonville, Fla., met with Reynolds' approval.
"I think [Reynolds] has the tools to play the point," Wall said. "We'll see.
Roger Mason was a 1-2 and more of a '2.' J.R. is the same kind of player. He's
a 1-2 and I'm saying he's more of a '1', even though he's a scoring '1.' Other
than Mason, I don't know that there's another guy they've had who's like J.R.'
"
A NEW NAME HAS shown up on the UVa recruiting radar. It's Jonas Langvad, a
6-10 frontcourt player from Copenhagen, Denmark, who may fit the running style
to which UVa wants to return. The Cavaliers are continuing to recruit 6-10
Jason Cain from Philadelphia and 6-8 Lithuanian Linas Kleiza from Montrose
Christian, though Kleiza is considered a strong Missouri lean.
Doherty Staying or Going?
The Big Game involves the future of Coach Matt Doherty, the futures of North Carolina players, perhaps the future of Athletics Director Dick Baddour and certainly the immediate future of Carolina basketball.
Will Chancellor James Moeser and the financial powerbrokers retain Doherty? Will any players leave, creating pressure for regime change? Will any parents use the threat of transfer to create pressure for regime change? Will the unseen hand of Dean Smith push one way or the other?
In the wake of Georgetown's 79-74 NIT victory, three vital players said that they intend to return: point guard Raymond Felton, forward Jawad Williams and injured center Sean May. Jackie Manuel and Rashad McCants have expressed similar sentiments. "Where else would I go?" freshman McCants asked.
On the other side of the Yellow Brick Road, May reported that his father, former All-America Scott May, had several questions for Doherty and wanted a meeting soon. Guard Melvin Scott remained guarded when a reporter asked if Doherty would be part of the Tar Heels' future.
"Maybe," Scott said. "If that's the right decision to make for the program, sure. If it's not, well, then not. We've just got to make the right decision. We've got to sit down and talk about it."
David Noel, a freshman forward and makeshift center, reflected the prevailing uncertainty when asked if Doherty would be back. "I'm not sure," he said. "I'm not sure. I'll leave that up to the athletic director and all those other guys who make those decisions."
After last season, players upset with Doherty's in-your-face style and quick temper confronted the coach, who promised a gentler approach.
Parental involvement became a greater back-channel issue this season, drawing the attention of Chancellor Moeser, according to Carolina sources. Athletics employees expect Moeser to meet with Doherty and with players or their parents before making the call or punting the hot potato back to Baddour, a controversial figure among distressed donors. The process started yesterday within the UNC athletics department. Doherty has three years left on his contract, which makes an extension and expression of full support necessary. If Carolina leaves him dangling, rivals will turn uncertainty into a recruiting hammer. If Carolina bosses leave him dangling, they will undermine his credibility, damage the program and create the inevitability of change, as the Carl Torbush football episode demonstrated.
Moeser, tugged both ways by divided boosters, has only two clean options: Make Doherty stronger or buy him out (for about $500,000).
Doherty has lobbied hard to save his job. The campaign included accepting the NIT bid even though several players openly wanted the season to end when the NCAA dream died. Doherty restated his case after the NIT defeat left Carolina 19-16 overall (6-10 ACC, seventh place).
"At the beginning of the year, when we had a full squad, what we did was pretty special," Doherty said, citing the Preseason NIT championship and No. 12 AP ranking. "I thought that was a kind of a sign of what we could do. Then, after Sean's injury, I felt that we've gotten better and better and had some of our best basketball played late in the year - wins against Duke and Maryland, then the games we won in the NIT."
In many ways, Doherty enhanced his coaching reputation by beating Connecticut without May and by repeatedly bouncing back from dark defeats. Carolina lost five straight during a tough scheduling stretch at the ACC midseason, rallied and then absorbed the worst ACC loss in school history, 96-56 at Maryland. When things looked the worst, however, Doherty's bunch upset Duke at home and Maryland in the ACC Tournament.
He now sells a brighter future for 2004.
"I think that one year of maturity and a healthy team - knock on wood - and the addition of at least one prospect, maybe two - I think we'll be that much better and a year more mature," he said. "And maturity's a big thing - how to handle the ups and downs, the stresses of a college basketball season. For the youngest basketball team in major-college basketball and playing the fourth-toughest schedule and enduring an injury, I think 19 wins is, well, I'm proud of our guys."
The schedule strength dropped to 10th after the games against DePaul and Wyoming, but the larger questions stayed roughly the same: Will the Carolina guys hang together? Doherty detects greater unity.
"Their play doesn't lie," he said. "I mean, it's tough to fake that. There was a play in the Wyoming game where Melvin fouls and all five guys got together and huddled up and had their arms around each other. We weren't doing that in November and December, and to see that growth of a team coming together ... This is, I think, a pretty close team. I think they've grown as a team and grown as individuals."
Williams and Scott have shown the most dramatic improvement, with Williams emerging as a leader and a steady voice trying to hold players together through discordant moments. He said that a coaching change now would surprise him.
"I mean, I came in with Coach Doherty, so if this staff was to leave, then I wouldn't know what to expect," Williams said. "Regardless of who's here, we've still got to stay as a team and move forward."
Williams said that any player transfers would surprise him. "I think everyone wants to come back, but if a guy feels that he's going to be happy elsewhere, then so be it," Williams said. "I mean, it's like Adam Boone and Brian Morrison last year. I'm not going to try to get somebody to stay within the family if they don't want to be. I mean, you've got to worry about what's here."
Williams insists that Carolina is headed in the right direction. Scott sounds less certain. He assumed a larger role after a foot injury knocked Manuel out of the ACC Tournament, and Doherty discovered better chemistry through that imposed experiment. Scott welcomed no-holds-barred meetings.
"Everybody gets out what they need to get out," he said. "Everybody says what needs to be done - just changes. If someone's not happy, then let's talk about it and let's try to change it - each and every player, coaches, athletic director, whatever."
The dirty-laundry list?
"Ups and downs, some guys starting and some guys not, just specifics," Scott said. "You've just got to be fair. Everybody's just got to get on the same page. Sometimes it wasn't like that this year, with the ups and downs. I think, for the most part, we're a pretty tight team. We're just going to sit down and just make decisions. We've just got to meet and just see what the future holds."
That's clearly Scott May's position. The former Indiana great wanted his son to play power forward, but Doherty hasn't recruited an able center. Scott May was also dismayed when Sean played on an injured foot and broke a bone during the Holiday Festival tournament. Sean had to get his father's permission for a cameo return against Duke in the ACC semifinals, but he subsequently turned an ankle and bagged the season.
"I think he and Coach Doherty have to talk," Sean May said. "He's got a lot of things on his mind he needs to take up with Coach Doherty. He has a lot of questions he wants to be answered."
Sean May keeps supplying a firm answer to questions about his sophomore season.
"I just want people to know that I'm at Carolina," he said. "I'm going to be at Carolina. I just wish the rumors would stop."
Felton, the dynamic point guard, is more emotional in his plea for silence on the cyberspace gossip mill.
"That's really starting to get on my nerves a little bit, all these rumors going around - whatever they're saying, whoever's spitting it out, whoever's twisting it up," Felton said. "It's just crazy. Somebody's trying to get something started. I don't know what's going on with that. I ain't got nothing to do with it. If somebody asks me questions about it, I'm going to be like: 'I ain't answering that.' I'm just going to be quiet about it."
His professed intent sounds unshakable: "I'm happy. I don't want to be nowhere else. I don't want no other coach. I'm fine. It's just like brothers to me. Everything's fine."
And The Big Game's still unresolved.
McGrew's role grows?
U.Va. senior receiver eager to fill McMullen's shoes
BY JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Mar 27, 2003
U.VA. SPRING FOOTBALL
FIRST PRACTICE: Tomorrow, 2:30 p.m. (open to public) SPRING GAME: April 19,
12:30 p.m.
CHARLOTTESVILLE - Fans may see a University of Virginia football player wearing
jersey No. 11 this season, but it won't be Billy McMullen. After four stellar
seasons in which he caught 210 passes for 2,978 yards and 24 touchdowns, the
two-time all-ACC pick is moving on from U.Va. and, he hopes, moving up to the
NFL.
Michael McGrew is sorry to see his friend go. But the rising senior is eager to
begin spring practice, too. It's a chance to start emerging from the enormous
shadow McMullen cast.
"Obviously, with Billy gone, I think my role has changed," McGrew said. "I have
to be the leader of the group. I'm just looking forward to my opportunity to
become the go-to receiver for Virginia."
Of the 13 Cavaliers who caught at least three passes last season, McMullen was
the only one senior. He finished with 69 catches for 894 yards, both team highs.
Tailback Wali Lundy was second with 58 receptions, followed by tight end Heath
Miller (33) and fullback Jason Snelling (31).
Then came McGrew with 27 catches (for 428 yards and two TDs). Of the Cavaliers
who had at least 12 receptions, McGrew had the longest aver- age gain: 15.9
yards.
"I think last year I took a big step as far as being a receiver who could catch
the ball and go down field with it," said McGrew, an urban-planning major in
U.Va.'s architecture school.
A native of Birmingham, Ala., McGrew has started 24 straight games. At 6-2, 200
pounds, he's not as big as McMullen, but he runs well and might be more
dangerous after the catch. Still, with modest career totals of 60 receptions for
746 yards and four TDs, McGrew isn't considered one of the ACC's elite wideouts.
Asked if he has something to prove in his final college season, McGrew hesitated
before answering.
"I would say no," he said, "but I'd be lying."
Cavaliers coach Al Groh has watched his players closely during their offseason
workouts. McGrew has been difficult to miss.
"It's been very apparent watching him work that he knows this is his last year,"
Groh said. "This is his 'contract year,' and if he wants to play
[professionally], this will be the year to firmly establish himself as a
prospect."
McGrew enrolled at U.Va. in 2000, and then-coach George Welsh opted to play him
as a true freshman. McGrew played in eight games and caught two passes during
the regular season. He recalls it as "kind of a waste of a year."
In 2001, when McMullen produced record-shattering numbers (83 catches for 1,060
yards and 12 TDs), McGrew had 31 catches for 302 yards and two TDs. There's no
guarantee McGrew will become all-ACC quarterback Matt Schaub's favorite target -
not with Lundy, Miller, Snelling, Ottowa Anderson, Ryan Sawyer, Patrick Estes
and others returning - but he figures to play a more prominent role.
"I think he needs to have a very productive year for our team, and he's very
capable of that," Groh said. "That's not just catching. We've got some backs who
can get to the edge, and in order to gain some yards on the edge, we've got to
get some good wide-receiver blocking."
Groh has been known to ask his receivers to pass, too. In a 48-13 rout of
Maryland on Nov. 23, McMullen took a hand-off from Schaub on second and 7 from
the Terrapins' 37. McMullen eluded a defensive end and lofted a pass to McGrew,
wide open at the 15. McGrew raced untouched into the end zone.
McGrew, then, has shown he can catch and run. But can he match McMullen's feats
as a QB?
"I have to warm up my arm," McGrew said, smiling. "I used to play baseball, but
we'll have to see. I don't know if I can top his Maryland play."
U.VA. NOTES
Mar 26, 2003
HUGE HOLE TO FILL: Of the men's basketball players who saw significant time for
Virginia (16-16) this season, only one, Travis Watson, exhausted his
eligibility. But the 6-8, 255-pound senior from Brookneal will be difficult to
replace.
Watson, a four-year starter, paced the Cavaliers in scoring (14.3), rebounding
(10.4), steals (1.5) and blocked shots (1.3). He also led the team in turnovers
(3 per game), but Watson's 52-percent field goal percentage was the best of any
Cavalier who averaged more than two baskets.
The Oak Hill Academy graduate twice won the ACC's rebounding title. He was named
to the all-ACC second team three times.
"I just played with a great bunch of guys, even the walk-ons," Watson said
Monday night in Jamaica, N.Y. "It's just been a family atmosphere among the
players. That's probably what I will remember the most."
Virginia's season ended with a 73-63 loss at St. John's in a National Invitation
Tournament second-round game. In his final college game, Watson went 4 for 4
from the field and 7 for 10 from the line. He finished with 15 points, four
rebounds, three turnovers, two blocks, two steals and one assist in 32 minutes.
FACE IN THE CROWD: Among those seated behind the U.Va. bench Monday night at
Alumni Hall was Manhattan College's Bobby Gonzalez, the Metro Atlantic Athletic
Conference coach of the year. Gonzalez coached under Pete Gillen at Xavier,
Providence and, in 1998-99, at Virginia. Among the players Gonzalez helped
Gillen land were Watson and point guard Majestic Mapp.
Gonzalez's Jaspers finished 23-7 this season after losing to Syracuse in the
NCAA tournament's first round.
DOMINANCE: Of the teams Virginia has played more than three times in men's
basketball, only one is unbeaten in the series: St. John's. The Red Storm
improved to 7-0 against U.Va. with its latest victory.
SLIMFAST: Donte Minter, the 6-8 forward who committed to Virginia last week,
played at about 230 pounds as a high school senior in 2001-02. He weighed about
255 when he enrolled in Fork Union Military Academy's postgraduate program last
summer.
"It was bad weight," Minter said.
It didn't hang around for long. Extra running and conditioning helped Minter
drop the extra weight, and he played at about 230 pounds for FUMA this season.
Minter's plans for the coming months? "Just getting my upper body bigger and
getting stronger," he said.
ON THE GRIDIRON: Virginia's football team, coming off a 9-5 season that ended
with a rout of West Virginia in the Continental Tire Bowl, begins spring
practice Friday.
"Every indication here during the offseason with the veteran players and with
the underclassmen is that the team is hungry," third-year coach Al Groh said.
The departure of Billy McMullen, one of the most decorated wideouts in U.Va.
history, has created opportunities for others, including Ryan Sawyer. The 6-2,
200-pound rising senior played extensively against West Virginia after McMullen
dislocated his left elbow early in the first quarter.
Sawywer finished the game with four catches for 41 yards.
"I think last year in the bowl game he got a chance to demonstrate, both to
himself and to everyone else, that there's a good guy in the wings," Groh said,
"and he should go in with a lot of confidence."
Five U.Va. practices are open to the public this spring. The dates and starting
times: Friday, 2:30 p.m.; Saturday, 10:45 a.m.; Sunday, 2:15 p.m.; Monday, 2:30
p.m.; and April 6, 2:15 p.m.
The Cavaliers' spring game will be held April 19 at Scott Stadium.
SIDELINED: Tom Hagan, Virginia's punter as a true freshman last season, will
have surgery to repair a separated shoulder. He should be ready for football
season, but Hagan's injury will force him to miss the rest of the baseball
season. He started in left field for the Cavaliers and was hitting a team-best
.386 before hurting his shoulder early last week.
Hagan, who's from Roanoke, averaged 36.7 yards on 62 punts last season.
ACC BATTLE: The Virginia men's lacrosse team plays its conference opener
Saturday. Second-ranked Virginia (5-1) meets No. 7 Maryland at 1 p.m. at
Klockner Stadium.
The Terrapins, 1-1 in the ACC, were 4-1 overall heading into their game with
Butler at Boca Raton, Fla., last night.
The Cavaliers fell from the top spot in the national rankings after losing 8-7
Saturday night at Johns Hopkins. The Terrapins also suffered their first loss
Saturday, losing 10-6 to ACC rival North Carolina at Byrd Stadium. Maryland
opened the season by pounding Duke 13-7 in College Park.
Matt Schaub didn’t spend much time sitting back and enjoying his breakout junior season. For much of the winter, the quarterback and reigning ACC player of the year joined his Virginia teammates for 6 a.m. workouts at the McCue Center. Going into the start of the spring practice period today, he rattles off a long list of ways in which he can still improve. “The one thing all quarterbacks can get better at is footwork, so I definitely want to work on that,” Schaub said. “If I can improve my footspeed and quickness, that would help me out. And then there are certain throws I want to be able to make more consistently, especially to the right side of the field. I leaned heavily on throwing to the left last year, because it’s more natural. “I also want to get better at throwing intermediate to deep routes, which we threw occasionally last year but not a lot. There are just a lot of things I want to work on.” The Cavaliers will have a little over three weeks this spring to build on their surprising 2002 season and start preparing for 2003. They begin with a practice today at 2:30 p.m. (open to the public) on the fields behind University Hall and conclude with the annual spring game April 19 at Scott Stadium. For the true freshmen, many of whom played key roles last season, it will be their first extended time to learn and progress without the pressure of upcoming games. It will also be the first spring for linebackers Ahmad Brooks and Kai Parham, prize recruits who did not play for Virginia last season. (Brooks was at Hargrave Military Academy, while Parham redshirted with back problems.) Schaub is one of 19 starters returning from last year’s team, which went 9-5 and won the Continental Tire Bowl, but he will be without two guys who were instrumental to his success: receiver Billy McMullen and offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Bill Musgrave. Musgrave left to become offensive coordinator of the Jacksonville Jaguars, and Schaub says he will be missed. “He was definitely a good mentor for me. He helped me a lot with the mental aspects of the game,” Schaub said. “He was just a good guy to talk to. He was very intelligent about the game. He taught me a lot about what defenses were doing and what to look for. “But as far as our philosophy, I don’t think anything’s changed. The offense he ran is the same one we’re going to run next year.” Ron Prince, the team’s offensive line coach the past two years, is the new offensive coordinator, while Mike Groh is now the quarterbacks and receivers coach. Schaub said he has a good relationship with both of them. Finding a favorite target may be more difficult for Schaub. McMullen caught 152 passes the past two seasons while serving as the linchpin of UVa’s attack. “We’ll miss him in many different ways,” Schaub said. “His leadership was exceptional. So was his work ethic. He was a perfectionist. If he didn’t get it right, he’d get mad at himself and keep doing it until he got it. I think that’s a good player to have around a team. “Then there was his production on the field. No one’s been more productive in our team’s history at wide receiver. I think a lot of guys will have to step up” That includes not only the team’s three returning receivers — Michael McGrew, Ryan Sawyer and Ottowa Anderson — but the running backs and tight ends. To some extent, everyone pitched in last season. After all, McMullen had only three of the team’s 32 receiving touchdowns. He also missed the rest of the bowl game after getting hurt on the first series and Virginia scored 48 points in his absence. “We’ll miss him, but I think we’ll be all right,” Schaub said. Schaub also should be fine after a stunning season that included nearly 3,000 passing yards, a 68.9 completion percentage, 28 touchdown passes and seven interceptions. The school will push him for All-America and Heisman consideration, but he says his priority is team success. This spring, he said, will help set the tone for next season. “For myself, besides just the aspects of getting better and working on throws and timing and getting the offense to mesh together as a cohesive unit like we had last year, I want to help the team get closer and bring our team together so we can be successful like we were last year,” Schaub said. “The seniors last year, like Billy [McMullen] and Angelo [Crowell], did a great job with that. They weren’t going to lose. They were going to win, and they brought everyone up to that level. The [rising] seniors now were on the same page as them, so we want to bring the same leadership to this team.” Note. Five of Virginia’s spring practices will be open to the public: today (2:30 p.m.), Saturday (10:45 a.m.), Sunday (2:15 p.m.), Monday (2:30 p.m.) and April 6 (2:15 p.m.). All of the practices will be held on the fields behind University Hall. Fans are asked to pick up an admission credential at the football office reception desk in the McCue Center. If no one is there, you can pick up the free pass at the entrance to the practice fields.
Scattershooting around the ACC, while wondering what’s going on down at Clemson ... Apparently Tigers AD Terry Don Phillips has interviewed former Chicago Bulls coach Tim Floyd, Oklahoma State assistant coach Sean Sutton (yes, Eddie’s son), and Western Kentucky coach Dennis Felton about his opening. Phillips wants to talk to Maryland assistant Dave Dickerson, but that may have to wait until the Terps are through playing. And then there’s Terry Holland. Phillips said that he has been talking to the former Virginia coach and athletic director about issues dealing with Clemson’s program and noted that Holland is one of the most respected people in college basketball. What Phillips would not say was whether Holland is a consultant or a candidate. Holland told this columnist on Thursday that Phillips was definitely picking his brain about the job. “But the inevitable question did come up as I phrased my answers in terms of what I would do to improve the program both as a coach and as AD,” said Holland. “I did not answer the question and can not say with certainty that IF they came after me aggressively that I would say no.” Interested? When asked if Clemson did approach him about the job would he be interested, Holland answered, “Not likely.” He did go on to say that, “I can say with certainty that I would be less likely to accept a position in the ACC than I would in another strong conference. It is naturally extremely uncomfortable for me to think about competing against the University of Virginia on a regular basis.” Holland is a “young” 60 years old and certainly could take on the task of coaching a major college program. What would it take to lure him away from fund-raising for UVa’s new basketball arena? “I can not honestly think of anything other than a chance to work with really good people both as assistants and administrators,” said Holland, the winningest coach in UVa history with a 326-173 record in 16 seasons, that included 13 postseason appearances (nine NCAA, four NIT and two Final Fours). “I do always miss coaching most at NCAA tournament time but most folks who have taken teams to the tournament and enjoyed some success would say the same thing.” Holland, who last coached in 1990 and is a current member of the U.S.A. Basketball committee, said he has been contacted about coaching jobs in the last couple of years but only through head hunters or third parties. None of those piqued his interest enough to talk to ADs or school administrators. Spring football Hopping around the ACC’s other spring football drills, Georgia Tech coach Chan Gailey has revamped his coaching staff and has vowed to concentrate on going back to the basics in spring training. “We’re not going to be fancy,” said Gailey. “We’re not going to put in a lot of offense and defense. It’s going to be basic stuff so we can find out who can play the game.” Gailey came under fire after a disappointing first season at the helm of the Jackets, particularly with a lopsided loss to rival Georgia at the end of the regular season, followed by a loss to Fresno State in the Silicon Valley bowl game. Since then, offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien has departed the program, which means Gailey will call the plays and will return to a more conservative offense. Meanwhile, Clemson coach Tommy Bowden has put the big emphasis on short yardage and goal line defense this spring. ... N.C. State coach Chuck Amato is concentrating on rebuilding his defensive line and developing a quarterback who will eventually replace Philip Rivers after next season. Hoos who? It may only be March, but UVa is already seriously recruiting several prospects. Here is a sampler of some of the recruits who have caught the Cavaliers’ eyes: T.J. Disney, a fullback/linebacker from Park View Sterling (don’t you know we could have some fun with his name in headlines). Disney likes UVa, Virginia Tech, Maryland, Georgia and Cincinnati. ...Running back/safety Josh Zidenberg of Poquoson (likes UVa, VT, BC, Tennessee and Maryland) ... Stanford Brown, a quarterback/athlete from D.C.’s Dunbar High (likes Maryland, UVa, VT, Michigan State and others). ...Kaysonne Anderson, running back from Manasquan, N.J., who rushed for more than 2,000 yards and 25 TDs last season (likes UVa, Penn State, BC, Syracuse, Iowa, BC and more). ...Linebacker James Simmons of Greenville, S.C., (UVa, Michigan, N.C. State, South Carolina), who says that UVa is his leader at this point. ...And last but not least, big-time New Jersey wide receiver prospect Dwayne Jarrett (40 catches, 956 yards, 17 TDs last season), is listing UVa, Michigan, Pitt, Notre Dame, Syracuse and Rutgers as teams he’s interested in. Free throws ... Thursday night, for the first time in 27 straight NCAA tournament games, Duke wore its black road uniforms. The higher seed gets to wear home jerseys during March Madness and was the first time during the span that the Devils weren’t the higher seed. ... North Carolina guard Rashad McCants said after Wednesday night’s loss to Georgetown that the Hoyas had “real active hands ... they’re right up there with Maryland and St. John’s” in that category. That’s an interesting observation after watching St. John’s active hands steal UVa blind and cause several turnovers in the Cavaliers’ second round exit of the NIT on Monday in New York.
| Cavalier Daily Senior
Writer
|
The Cavaliers (4-1, 0-0 ACC) coordinated a furious second half rally after being shut out in the first half of their visit to Johns Hopkins on Saturday. Virginia lost the game as a desperation heave from freshman attackman Matt Ward found only the side of the net in the waning moments of the 8-7 defeat. The Blue Jays usurped the top Virginia's top spot with the victory, sending the Cavaliers down a notch to No. 2 in the latest USILA/STX Coaches' Poll.
Maryland (5-1, 1-1) failed to capitalize on a weekend of tough match-ups across the country by losing to No. 13 North Carolina, 10-6, in College Park on Saturday. The Terps entered the game against the Tar Heels ranked second and one of the final undefeated teams in the league. They likely would have gained the No. 1 ranking had they not faltered in the face of UNC's suffocating goalie play. Sophomore Paul Spellman frustrated Terrapin players all game, lodging a career-high 25 saves.
The shakeup in the top ten was substantial after a weekend that also featured No. 3 Syracuse falling to No. 7 Princeton and No. 5 Georgetown prevailing over No. 8 Duke in overtime. Maryland's five spot drop was the biggest in the polls, while Princeton soared from seventh to third after holding two-time national attackman of the year and reigning national player of the year Michael Powell to zero points for the first time in his career in their 11-10 thriller over Syracuse.
The value of being ranked in the top four in lacrosse is akin to being a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Basketball Tournament. In reality, there is only one "best team in the nation," but the selection committee gives the advantage to the top four --- a first round bye. Once the postseason begins, all regular season accolades are thrown out the window, as the 12 invitees all take their shot at the title. The best teams in the country taking turns beating one another as the regular season churns on, lessening what it means to be the absolute highest-ranked team heading into the tournament.
"The top four teams are always going to rotate," freshman attackman Matt Ward said. "That's what makes the NCAA tournament so great."
While the first loss for a top-ranked team inevitably is going to create news, Virginia should have no problem recovering from the defeat in Baltimore. The Cavaliers have showcased their elite status all season long, outscoring their opponent per half ten times in six games.
"With the schedule we play, we can't get too high or too low," coach Dom Starsia said of his team's brutal regular season lineup. "We've got a mature group of players, so [coming off a loss] shouldn't be too much of a problem."
The attack trio of Ward, sophomore Joe Yevoli and fellow sophomore John Christmas brought Virginia back into the Hopkins game after going into the locker room facing a 5-0 deficit. Ward scored the goal that broke the ice for the Cavaliers, who saw two scores apiece from Yevoli and Christmas bring the gap to two heading into the final period.
Senior midfielder Chris Rotelli took over the offensive load in the fourth quarter, but his two goals were not enough as the Blue Jay offense received all the insurance it would need from bench player Joe McDermott's second goal of the season with 8:07 remaining.
With Maryland snapping back from their disappointment against the Tar Heels with a 18-9 shellacking of Butler on Tuesday, Virginia opens conference play against the main contender to challenge them for the ACC title.