Virginia AD to meet with Gillen
By Doug Doughty

Virginia athletic director Craig Littlepage said he will meet this morning with men's basketball coach Pete Gillen to begin a review of the men's basketball program that could last until next week.

Littlepage asked about rumors that had been circulating and denied that anything had been resolved.

"Absolutely not," Littlepage said late Monday night. "I'll be a straight shooter with you. Nothing's going to happen by Wednesday."

After meeting with Gillen, Littlepage will leave at noon today for East Rutherford, N.J., one of the sites for the NCAA regionals. He expects to return to Charlottesville on Saturday night or Sunday morning.

"Pete and I talked on Friday," Littlepage said. "We'll certainly talk [Tuesday] and talk again upon my return. We're getting there. That's not to imply that any sort of decision or announcement or circumstance could evolve in the next few days."

Littlepage said he held no meetings about the men's basketball situation Monday, which he termed "a catch-up day' following his return from first- and second-round games in Denver.

 

NIT loss indicative of UVa's season
By Andrew Joyner / Daily Progress staff writer
March 23, 2004

In some ways, Virginia’s season-ending loss to Villanova in the second round of the NIT on Saturday was a microcosm of its entire season.

The Cavaliers rallied to get back into the game, cutting the lead to four, but eventually succumbed 73-63.

Close to victory but eventually succumbing. That was probably the best synopsis of Virginia’s season.

Virginia finished its season 18-13. While Todd Billet’s three game-winning 3-pointers were the most memorable moments, they were balanced by rather frustrating losses.

UVa was competitive or at least had competitive moments in nearly all of its losses, including Saturday when it found itself just four points down despite a poor shooting game. Yet, Virginia rarely was able to sustain the effort that either had kept it in the game or got it back in it.

Too often it was a stretch or series of plays that cost the Cavaliers. On Saturday, it was Villanova’s end of the first half and start of the second.

“We dug ourselves some holes and you can’t do that. We didn’t play smart at times. Our kids fought hard and didn’t quit despite some of them not really having it today,” Gillen said.

The Cavaliers finished the season winning six of their final 10 games and were definitely playing their best toward the end of the season, something past Gillen teams have struggled with.

In that stretch, Virginia received plenty of contributions from its freshman, especially J.R. Reynolds and T.J. Bannister. That duo will return next season as will nearly all of the roster except Todd Billet and Majestic Mapp.

“The program is definitely going in the right direction. The young guys really grew up this year. They will do the work they need to do in order to be better,” Billet said.

Another player that will be “back” next season is Devin Smith. Smith played all season through pain caused by a herniated disk in his back. Smith, arguably the team’s best player, likely needs surgery in the next few months. Both Smith and Gillen confirmed that Saturday.

Of course, there is a question whether Gillen will be back next year. Gillen, who has guided the Cavaliers to five straight postseason appearances, has seven years remaining on his contract but has yet to receive indication from UVa Athletics Director Craig Littlepage that he will return next season. Littlepage has said he would evaluate the situation only at the conclusion of the whole season.

“I don’t want to really comment on that. I hope to be here a long time but that’s an administrative decision. We are excited about the future and I think we will have a great future. Hopefully the school will have confidence in me because I have confidence in myself,” Gillen said.
 

W.Va. Governor Protests Spoof T-Shirt
Mon Mar 22, 6:45 PM ET Add Strange News - AP to My Yahoo!

CHARLESTON, W.Va. - Gov. Bob Wise sent a letter to Abercrombie & Fitch on Monday demanding that the clothing retailer stop selling a T-shirt that spoofs the state with the slogan, "It's All Relative in West Virginia."

Wise said the T-shirt depicts "an unfounded, negative stereotype of West Virginia."

"I write to you today to demand that you immediately remove this item from your stores and your print and online catalogues," Wise wrote. "In addition, these shirts must be destroyed at once to avoid any possibility of resale and proof be given thereof."

Abercrombie & Fitch spokesman Tom Lennox declined to say whether the New Albany, Ohio-based company would comply with the governor's request. He said the T-shirt, which features the slogan on an outline of the state, has been selling well at $22.50.

"We love West Virginia. We love California, Florida, Connecticut, Hawaii and Nebraska too. Abercrombie & Fitch was born and raised in the USA, and we honor all 50 states in the union," Lennox said.

West Virginia is not the only state that is spoofed on an Abercrombie & Fitch T-shirt. Another shirt's slogan is "New Hampshire. 40 million squirrels can't be wrong."
 

Littlepage isn't ready to decide
Virginia AD plans more discussion with Gillen before making the call
BY JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Mar 23, 2004

CHARLOTTESVILLE - University of Virginia Athletic Director Craig Littlepage leaves this afternoon for East Rutherford, N.J., and the NCAA men's basketball tournament. Don't expect an announcement regarding Pete Gillen's status before Littlepage departs.

"Pete and I haven't finished discussing the matters we would usually discuss," Littlepage said last night in an e-mail to The Times-Dispatch.

Gillen's sixth season as U.Va.'s coach ended Saturday. The Cavaliers finished 18-13 after losing at Villanova in the second round of the National Invitation Tournament. Gillen, whose record at Virginia is 104-78, has seven years left on a contract that pays him about $900,000 annually, with most of the money guaranteed, sources said.

Littlepage, who'll be representing the NCAA men's basketball committee at the East Rutherford Regional, said he would speak with Gillen again before leaving today but added, "I don't plan any announcements."

He has no timetable for deciding whether Gillen will be retained, said Littlepage, who returned Sunday from the NCAA tournament games in Denver. Gillen's attorney, Dennis Coleman, could not be reached for comment yesterday.

During Gillen's tenure, the Cavaliers have had only one losing season, his first. Virginia has advanced to the NCAAs once - in 2000-01 - and to the NIT four times under Gillen.

Asked if his NCAA responsibilities were making it difficult for him to find time to evaluate Gillen and the men's basketball program, Littlepage said, "Not at all. The committee work is not impacting this, as I've been working on this with Coach throughout the year."

Nor, he said, does he feel a sense of urgency to resolve Gillen's status now that the Cavaliers' season is over. Littlepage said that "to do something different than what I would usually do establishes a precedent that I'm not going to allow to happen."

Virginia tied for seventh in the ACC this season, continuing a downward trend. The Cavaliers tied for third in 1999-2000, finished fourth in 2000-01, tied for fifth in 2001-02 and tied for sixth in 2002-03.

Unlike several of Gillen's other teams at U.Va., however, this one improved late in the season. The Cavs, who started two freshmen and played two others regularly, won three of their final four regular-season games and hammered George Washington in the NIT's first round.

"The team did play better at the end of the season and showed progress in all phases," Littlepage said. "With so many young contributors I wasn't sure what to expect early, but they did come around with game experience and had some impressive wins."

Neither Littlepage nor the school's senior associate AD for administration, Jon Oliver, attended U.Va.'s NIT games. Oliver was in Seattle, where he met with former Virginia great Wally Walker, now president and CEO of the NBA's SuperSonics. Walker is on the planning committee for U.Va.'s John Paul Jones Arena, which is scheduled to open in 2006.

Oliver has worked closely with Walker, Littlepage said, during U.Va.'s study of audio/video technology. Key Arena, where the Sonics play, is "one of the places we visited to get some ideas on how to build the best audio/video package," Littlepage said.
 

Gillen, Littlepage will talk it over
Virginia AD and coach meet today
By Dave Johnson
Daily Press
Published March 23, 2004

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Virginia athletic director Craig Littlepage said Monday that he hopes to meet today with men's basketball coach Pete Gillen to discuss the program.

Asked whether he expected Gillen to be the Cavaliers' coach next season, Littlepage said that the two plan to meet soon to discuss the program. But Littlepage's schedule could complicate matters.

As a member of the men's basketball committee, he was in Denver for the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament last week. This afternoon, he is scheduled to leave for East Rutherford, N.J., which hosts third- and fourth-round games on Thursday and Saturday.

"He and I will continue to review things," Littlepage said of Gillen, who just completed his sixth season as the Cavaliers' head coach. "Their season just ended on Saturday, and with me being away, we haven't had a chance to talk since then. But as we work through the week, I think we'll get some time to sit down and move forward.

"We'll talk about what's going on and where we're headed. Pete and I - and not just Pete and I, but all coaches and I - have meetings like these. Hopefully, we'll be able to get together before I leave (today)."

Gillen is 104-78 at U.Va., an average of 17 wins a year, and has coached Virginia to five consecutive postseason appearances. However, four of those, including the last three, have been in the National Invitation Tournament. The Cavaliers are 19-29 in ACC games over the past three seasons and are 1-6 in the conference tournament in Gillen's six years.

Since Gillen has seven years remaining on his contract, buying him out could cost the university as much as $6.2 million.

The Cavaliers finished 18-13 this season, which ended Saturday with a loss at Villanova in the second round of the NIT. Virginia was 12-9 in mid-February but won six of its final 10 games, the program's best run since the 1994-95 season.

"I think everybody's pleased with the last three weeks of the regular season and some of the things we did in the postseason," Littlepage said.
 

Midfielders excel in all aspects of game
Growth of men's lacrosses' young midfield squad has coincided with less turnovers, improved clears, increased scoring
Rachel Brandt and Joey Mancini
Cavalier Daily Senior Writers

According to NCAA rules, a men's lacrosse team shall be made up of one goalkeeper, three defensemen, three attackmen and three midfielders. While the midfielders are frequently mentioned as a second breath to attackers and the goalie in ranking the most essential aspects of the team, this position carries athletes who are in the best physical shape and carry the most diverse tasks of any other on the field.

The "middies" hold a great deal of responsibility -- covering offensive and defensive zones to connect both sides of the team's play. They serve as the core of the transition game, constantly switching in and out at half-field according to changes in possession.

Midfielders possess versatile skills that allow them to be in games during different situations. For Virginia, sophomore Kyle Dixon plays on both sides of the possession, but specializes in scoring and assisting on the offensive end. Junior Nathan Kenney and sophomore Jared Little are found on the field primarily in offensive situations, while sophomore J.J. Morrissey has acted as a gritty shut-down defender on the other side of the ball. Senior midfielder Drew Agoliati is a long-stick midfielder, often performing alongside Morrissey on the defense, but also in special face-off situations on the wing.

While the Cavaliers lost several star midfielders such as Billy Glading, Chris Rotelli and A.J. Shannon to graduation last year, Virginia has found leaders ready to step up and fill the vacant roles.

"We did lose those guys, and that was a lot of scoring and a lot of leadership," Dixon said. "We've got three sophomores playing on the first midfield line, and I think we've stepped it up thus far and improved. I think we're just as strong - maybe not mentally, but we'll get there by the end of the season."

The play of Virginia's midfielders has improved since the team's humbling two-loss weekend in Denver in late February, where fundamentals which are key to the position were completely absent, leading to the Cavaliers twice exceeding their opponents in turnovers. Since returning from the West Coast, Virginia has never compiled more turnovers than its opponents -- Syracuse, Princeton and Towson. The midfielders have complimented play on both sides of the ball where they were not contributing early in the season, improving clearing percentages and diversity in the scoring lineup.

The Cavaliers were able to pull out an overtime win last Sunday over Towson, a game which may have revealed remarkable growth among the young corps of Virginia midfielders. Sophomore attacker Matt Ward scored the game-winner 30 seconds into the extra period, and midfielder Jack deVilliers won the face-off at the beginning of sudden death to control possession.

Face-offs "don't have to be the thing that wins or loses the game, but they are possessions," Virginia coach Dom Starsia said. "It's a very important part of the game."

Dixon and fellow midfielder Matt Poskay each had two goals, Gentry had one score and freshman Drew Thompson and Dixon each posted an assist. In addition, Virginia missed only four clears the entire contest. Against the Tigers, 12 of 27 shots on goal came from the midfielders and only seven of 21 turnovers.

"We're young in the midfield," Little said. "Our attack has defined [itself], but we have to come out every day with intensity."

In a vast transition from the early games of the season, the Cavalier midfielders may have revealed their talent Sunday against Towson, a game which may prove to be a changing point in the middle of a season which has been disappointing thus far.