UVa's Littlepage, Gillen may meet today
By Andrew Joyner / Daily Progress staff writer
March 30, 2004

Virginia Athletics Director Craig Littlepage and UVa coach Pete Gillen did not meet Monday but may meet today, according to sources.

Littlepage, who as a member of the Division I men’s basketball committee attended games in East Rutherford, N.J., this weekend, said last week he planned to meet again with Gillen at the beginning of this week.

Gillen, who has seven years remaining on his contract, has yet to receive assurances that he will be Virginia’s coach in 2004-05 season.

Gillen guided the Cavaliers to an 18-13 record this past season. That season concluded 10 days ago with a second-round loss in the NIT to Villanova.

Gillen has a 104-78 mark in six years at UVa and has taken the Cavaliers to five straight postseason appearances, with four of those in the NIT.

Gillen’s contract pays him approximately $900,000 per season and it is assumed that the bulk of that is guaranteed with no certain buyout clause.

Last week, Littlepage said that his initial discussions with Gillen were “productive.”

Littlepage could have an additional meeting with Gillen today before he’s scheduled to depart for San Antonio for the Final Four.
 

Virginia win erases some bad memories
By John Galinsky / Daily Progress staff writer
March 28, 2004

As the Virginia men’s lacrosse team celebrated Foster Gilbert’s game-winning goal in overtime Saturday night, many of the players threw their sticks in the air. It was as if they were casting aside a month’s worth of frustration, which, in a sense, they were.

The Cavaliers were low on confidence and without an impressive victory before they faced No. 1 Johns Hopkins in a rematch of last year’s national championship game. That changed as soon as Gilbert’s shot sailed over the left shoulder of goalie Scott Smith, giving UVa a desperately-needed 9-8 triumph at Klockner Stadium.

“This is unbelievable. This redeems everything that happened to us earlier this season,” said junior attackman Joe Yevoli, who led No. 17 Virginia (3-4) with two goals and an assist. “We lost some games we shouldn’t have lost to some teams we shouldn’t have lost to. Now we come back and beat the No. 1 team in the nation. That’s exactly what we needed to shut people up and give us confidence and get us rolling for the rest of the year.”

“This was huge. We needed this one,” said sophomore midfielder Kyle Dixon, who scored the game’s first two goals and also made a key defensive play in the final minute of regulation. “This is the best we’ve played so far and we’re going to keep getting better.”

Even as the Cavaliers dropped four of their first five games, their worst start since 1966, coach Dom Starsia said he had faith in his young team, which has just two senior starters.

Virginia showed how much it has progressed since losing to Air Force and Denver in late February, though that progress hasn’t always been steady.

“It’s happened in fits and starts. We had a great practice on Thursday, probably our best practice of the year, then I thought we were lousy [Friday]. I got on them. I thought they were lethargic,” Starsia said. “When you have a younger group, I don’t think the growth happens evenly. The key is that you’re headed in the right direction.

“I have felt that every game since Air Force we have played a little bit better, but I don’t think it’s a straight line. They’ve been working at it and it’s nice to get a good result.”

The Cavaliers played their cleanest game of the season in many respects. They failed on just one clearing attempt and committed 16 turnovers, compared to 15 failed clears and 31 turnovers against Air Force.

Though they committed six penalties, they did not let Hopkins score on any of those extra-man opportunities. Jack deVilliers also held his own at the faceoff X, winning nine of 20 draws against a trio of Blue Jays who entered the game with a collective winning percentage of nearly 70.

Virginia’s defense limited Hopkins (5-1), which had clobbered Princeton and Syracuse, to a season low in goals. Tillman Johnson made several spectacular saves, including a stop of Conor Ford’s point-blank shot in the first minute of overtime. Dixon also saved a shot in the final minute of regulation following a Cavalier turnover with Johnson out of the cage.

That set up UVa’s most unlikely hero, Gilbert, a sophomore whose only career goal had come against Drexel last year. He struggled this season as a member of the first midfield unit, failing to score in the first six games, so Starsia moved him to attack while giving John Christmas more minutes as a middie.

The move paid off for Gilbert, who also scored in the fourth quarter as Virginia rallied from an 8-6 deficit. Both of his goals came on dodges from behind the cage against a short-stick defender.

It may have been a breakthrough game for three sophomores - Gilbert, Dixon and Matt Poskay - who combined for five goals.

“With all the adversity we faced early on, taking down the No. 1 team, which had been blowing out teams all year, this is awesome,” Gilbert said. “We’ve been making steps toward that direction for a while, but this sort of solidifies it a bit.”

Of course, for the Cavaliers, the victory did not entirely compensate for their previous losses. They must keep digging out of their early-season hole to make the NCAA tournament, and their next three games are against No. 2 Maryland, No. 4 North Carolina and No. 7 Duke.

“We were close to being in an impossible situation. Now we’re in semi-control of our own destiny,” Starsia said. “We’ve got some tough games coming up. We’ve got our work cut out for us, but we’ve given ourselves something to be proud of and something we can build on.”
 

Fuller commits to UVa in 2005
By Jay Jenkins / Daily Progress staff writer
March 30, 2004

This past weekend, Jason Fuller was in Charlottesville to watch a Virginia football practice. Fuller must have liked what he saw.

On Monday, Fuller became the third in-state commitment for 2005 Virginia football class.

The 6-foot-5, 230-pound defensive end/tight end from Kempsville High School in Virginia Beach picked Virginia over Syracuse and Appalachian State. Fuller also received interest from Maryland, West Virginia and Virginia Tech.

“The reason I decided to choose Virginia so early was because I was really impressed with Coach [Al] Groh and his entire staff,” Fuller said. “I felt like they worked together well and I believe they can work together for a great future and a national championship. That is the type of program that I wanted to be a part of. I like and respect the integrity of a school like Virginia. They have a super football program and the atmosphere was exactly what I was looking for.”

This season, Fuller excelled on both sides of the ball for Kempsville. Fuller earned first-team all-district and second-team all-region honors at defensive end and second-team all-district honors at tight end. He also recorded 66 tackles, 17 tackles-for-loss, 10 sacks and had one touchdown on defense. Offensively, Fuller was used mainly as a blocker in the team’s Multiple I scheme.

“I felt like I had a pretty good season. It was pretty successful,” Fuller said. “I plan on getting better and working hard.”

Kempsville coach Jeff McGowan said Fuller had a great season and said the junior has unlimited potential.

“[Fuller] is the first one in the weight room and the last one to leave,” said McGowan, whose team went 5-5 this year. “He has great determination and he is a great student. His best football is in front of him.

“We ran behind him this year a lot. [Fuller] would push people down field 10 yards. We ran the same play one time like six or seven plays in a row. He was just pushing people around,” McGowan said.

Fuller indicated that he is open to playing any position when he joins the program in 2005.

“I will play any position Coach [Groh] wants me to play,” said Fuller, who is a standout wrestler as well and finished second in the state this year. “They have a real good tight end program there and if coach decides to play me at tight end, I would be more than happy to play that position. If he decides to play me at some other position I will be happy to play that too.”

Fuller’s commitment brings the total up to four for the Cavaliers 2005 class. He joins Broad Run tight end/defensive end Alex Field, Gretna quarterback Vicqual Hall and wide out/linebacker Maurice Covington from Durham, N.C.
 

Wait gain: no word on status of Gillen
Virginia AD Littlepage is scheduled to travel today to San Antonio for Final Four
BY JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Mar 30, 2004

CHARLOTTESVILLE - The waiting continues for Pete Gillen at the University of Virginia.

With the Final Four looming, U.Va. officials still haven't said whether Gillen will return as men's basketball coach in 2004-05. The Cavaliers ended their sixth season under Gillen 10 days ago, losing at Villanova in the NIT's second round. Since then, Miami (Fla.) has joined the ranks of schools with coaching vacancies to fill, a group that also includes St. John's, Georgetown and Auburn.

Attempts to reach Athletic Director Craig Littlepage and President John Casteen for comment yesterday were unsuccessful. Littlepage, a member of the NCAA men's basketball committee, is scheduled to leave today for San Antonio, site of the Final Four.

Gillen and his assistants will fly to San Antonio later this week. The U.Va. coaches were in their offices at University Hall working yesterday.

Because of his NCAA responsibilities, Littlepage has been out of town for much of the past two weeks. He told The Times-Dispatch last week that he had no timetable for deciding whether Gillen will be retained.

Gillen, whose record at U.Va. is 104-78, has seven years remaining on a contract that pays him about $900,000 annually.
 

VA. NOTES
Richmond Times-Dispatch Mar 30, 2004

CLASS OF 2005: Football coach Al Groh has received a commitment from Jason Fuller, a junior at Kempsville High in Virginia Beach.

The 6-5 Fuller, an exceptional athlete, placed second at 215 pounds in the state Group AAA wrestling meet last month. Fuller is now up to 225 pounds, Kempsville football coach Jeff McGowan said yesterday, and "we plan on having him around 240 next season. He'll wrestle heavyweight next year."

In 2003, Fuller starred at defensive end and tight end for the Chiefs, making the all-Beach District first team on defense and the second team on offense. He had 17 tackles for loss, including 10 sacks, and made the all-Eastern Region second team at defensive end.

Fuller, who also had a scholarship offer from Syracuse, drew serious interest from Maryland, too. "The thing that took over with U.Va. was the personality of the coaches," McGowan said.


Outside linebacker is a possibility for Fuller at Virginia. So is tight end. The Cavaliers' coaches "asked him," McGowan said, "and he just said, 'Wherever you want me to play.' That's the kind of kid he is."

Fuller, who carries a 3.5 grade-point average, scored 1,080 on the SAT as a sophomore and plans to take the test again, McGowan said. He's the fourth 11th-grader to commit to U.Va. for 2005.

He can't sign a binding letter of intent until February, but Fuller is "definitely going to be a Cavalier," McGowan said. "That's not going to change. He was decked out in Virginia gear today walking around school."

KEEP ON KEEPIN' ON: Brian Barthelmes started Virginia's first eight games at offensive guard last season before losing his job to true freshman Ian-Yates Cunningham. But Groh remains high on Barthelmes, a rising junior who also can play tackle.

The Cavaliers want the Parkman, Ohio, resident to "just keep on being Bart," Groh said. "That's a pretty good thing. He's been everything we've asked him to be since he's been here. He's very responsible academically, he's a very diligent weight-room worker. All he wants to do is win. . . . He's tough, he's dedicated. There's everything to like about him."

ANOTHER OPTION: Fans can now go on-line to renew or buy U.Va. football tickets for the coming season. For more information, visit the official Web site of Virginia's athletic department, www.virginiasports.com.

BASKETBALL: U.Va. recruit Sean Singletary picked up another award for his trophy case Friday night in Knoxville, Tenn. Singletary, a 5-11 point guard who recently was selected as the Class A player of the year in Pennsylvania, was named MVP of the adidas/EA Sports Superstar game.

Singletary, also the player of the year in Philadelphia, totaled 24 points, nine rebounds and six assists Friday to help the Kevin Garnett all-stars beat the T-Mac all-stars.

JUST FOR KICKS: Virginia's starting punter this spring is Collegiate graduate Noah Greenbaum, a rising sophomore. Greenbaum, a walk-on, is getting "the bulk of the work right now," Groh said yesterday, but a decision on who'll start next season won't be made until August.

That's when Sean Johnson, Chris Gould and Bryan Lescanec will join the competition. Johnson, a member of the team in 2000 and'01, has spent the past two years on a Morman mission. Gould and Lescanec are incoming recruits.

Greenbaum punted well Sunday in practice, Groh said, but he wasn't kicking under gamelike conditions.

"We're trying to get off to a good confidence-building start," Groh said. "As time goes on, we'll be intensifying the rush."

LACROSSE: Virginia's 9-8 win over No. 1 Johns Hopkins shouldn't have come as a great surprise. Under coach Dom Starsia, the Cavaliers are 11-3 against top-ranked foes.

By beating the Blue Jays in overtime Saturday night, the Cavaliers improved to 3-4. More important, they boosted their chances of returning to the NCAA tournament to defend the national championship they won in Baltimore last year.

"There's a little light at the end of the tunnel," Starsia said yesterday, "but it's still a long way away."

Sophomore Foster Gilbert had two goals against Hopkins, including the game-winner. Gilbert hadn't scored a goal in more than a year - in part, perhaps, because he'd been playing out of position.

"I thought we could make him a middie," Starsia said.

An attackman in high school, the 6-1, 195-pound Gilbert played midfielder at U.Va. in 2003 and early this season. Starsia finally gave in and moved Gilbert to attack recently.

"He's a terrific athlete," Starsia said, "but he plays midfield like an attackman. We were trying to make it work, but it just wasn't happening. . . . He's just better coming from behind the cage."

Sophomore middie Newton Gentry, who had a goal against Hopkins, dislocated his kneecap during the game. He'll be sidelined at least a couple of weeks, "and that's the best-case scenario," Starsia said. - Jeff White
 

Defensive starters begin to stand out
Weeks one of five defensive lineman to earn Groh's special 'Orange Crush' practice jersey after change of position
Joe Lemire
Cavalier Daily Senior Writer

Starters on Virginia's defense earn the right to wear the coveted "Orange Crush" practice jersey. Halfway through last season, however, coach Al Groh deemed the unit's play unsatisfactory and stripped all of the starters of their jerseys, forcing them to earn them back.

"There was a point where we didn't have any orange jerseys because they weren't playing like a first team defense," Groh said.

The three defensive linemen -- Chris Canty, Andrew Hoffman and Brennan Schmidt -- and linebacker Darryl Blackstock have all regained the privilege of donning their orange pennies.

The new addition to that line is someone who has yet to play a single play of defense in college and has only 20 special teams tackles to his name. Converted running back turned safety Marquis Weeks, however, is now only the fifth man on the team to earn an orange jersey.

Groh "said that it was my job to lose, and I'm going to try my hardest not to lose it," Weeks said.

Weeks, a high school cornerback, was originally reluctant to switch positions but ultimately approached Groh in the offseason about the change, citing the chance to get on the field more. With Michael Johnson returning from a redshirt year to join Wali Lundy and Alvin Pearman in a logjam at tailback, Weeks and his 305 career rushing yards were left in a precarious situation.

"I'm trying to get onto the field," Weeks said. "I feel comfortable, but I'm not as comfortable as I'm going to be once I learn the defense. I'm not as sharp as I should be."

In the absence of the injured Jermaine Hardy, sophomore Robbie Catterton has been practicing with the first team defense. In limited playing time, he recorded four tackles last season and added an interception in the Continental Tire Bowl.

"I know the defense a lot more now than I did as a true freshman," Catterton said. "I feel like I can run the defense -- I'm a smart player out there."

Sophomores Lance Evans and Marshall Tucker will also figure into the mix. Both of them are currently practicing with the second team.

News and notes

Hardy said his surgically-repaired knee is "coming along real well" and that he will resume jogging in the next few weeks. ... Wide receiver Michael McGrew has been running routes with the first offensive unit. He said the road to recovery from his broken leg was "frustrating" but credited the good work of the training staff for getting back onto the field. ... Chris Canty burst into a victory song and dance after Vince Redd blocked a field goal attempt, but Elton Brown claimed the credit: "I cleared the lane for him. I did the dirty work." ... Marques Hagans was at quarterback for almost half of the offensive plays with Christian Olsen and Kevin McCabe splitting most of the rest. ... Anthony Martinez took only a handful of snaps until running the offense on a practice-ending drive. The drive ended when Redd intercepted a tipped pass.
 

Johnson, Hughes' play helped by friendship
Senior goalie Johnson and defender Hughes have much in common, on field and off
Bart Isley
Cavalier Daily Senior Writer

Even among the best of friends, video games can become a major source of confrontation and hard feelings. The assertion of dominance in this "sport" by one half of an otherwise inseparable duo can provoke a heated response.

The highly volatile video game issue has also affected the friendship of two senior lacrosse teammates, goalie Tillman Johnson and defenseman Brett Hughes. The two have known each other since their recruiting trip to Virginia as high school seniors, but video gaming remains a point of contention between the two.

Tillman "doesn't provide as much competition in video games as I'd like," Hughes said.

Despite their differences in the video game world, the two stars' on-the-field prowess is unquestionable. The foundation of the Cavalier defense, both players were named preseason first-team All-Americans this season and are considered by many to be the best players in the nation at their positions.

Hughes and Johnson's relationship extends beyond just playing next to each other on the field. For Hughes, Johnson committing to Virginia actually played an important role in his decision.

"When I met him, I knew that I was coming in," Hughes said. "I knew that I'd be playing with one of the best goalies ever to come through college lacrosse."

After arriving at school, the two became friends, as Johnson ended up rooming with Hughes' best friend from home, junior midfielder Jon Focht.

"I kind of knew him from a camp," Johnson said. "I always knew he was the crazy guy with the long hair."

Despite a slow start to the season this year, the Cavaliers have come alive as of late, knocking off No.1 Johns Hopkins last Saturday night. Johnson's point blank save in overtime was a major reason for the Cavalier victory, leading almost immediately to the game-winning goal by sophomore Foster Gilbert.

Over the last four years the two have learned to lean on each other on the field. Early this season, Hughes took a hit on the head which left him at least partially unconscious for a few seconds about 15 yards from the Virginia goal.

"What really showed me the strength of our bond is when I had that accident in Denver, he stayed right behind me the whole way on the field," Hughes said. "Tillman had the chance to walk away, but I know he stayed there right with me."

Having played together as long as they have, the strong bond between Hughes and Johnson has made Cavalier lacrosse a unique experience for each player. They have experienced a wide range of emotions together, from last year's national championship to this season's frustrating start to Hughes' scare in Denver.

"It's really special on the field because I've never had such a close friend out there," Johnson said.

Hughes echoed that sentiment and said he has enjoyed playing alongside his good friend.

"Hopefully I'll get to play lacrosse some more after this season, but it'll never be the same," Hughes said. "I've taken it a lot more personally than I ever have before, letting a kid score."

Things aren't all serious for the two lacrosse stars. Even on the field, Hughes and Johnson aren't constantly focused wholly on the task at hand.

"I know in games we joke around on the field," Johnson said. "Sometimes he just never stops talking. He's one of those where he'll tell a story and keep going on and on."

As to Hughes' claim that Johnson is not on his level in video games, there the two seem to disagree for the first time.

"He's full of it with that one," Johnson said.