Virginia is taking time with search
By Jerry Ratcliffe / Daily Progress sports editor
March 27, 2005

Nearly two weeks have passed since Virginia lowered the boom on Pete Gillen and if there has been any movement by the university toward hiring the Cavaliers’ next basketball coach, it has been a well-kept secret.
From this corner it appears that Virginia is in no hurry to make perhaps the most important athletic hire in the school’s history. There is a lot of pressure on UVa Athletics Director Craig Littlepage to find the man who can lead the Cavaliers to basketball’s Promised Land.
Littlepage has made his own promises in recent times, stating the day that Virginia fired Gillen that the school would hire the best basketball coach available. Not long before that, Littlepage guaranteed that UVa’s program would be on the upswing when the Cavaliers move into John Paul Jones Arena in the fall of 2006.
“I guarantee it,” Littlepage said.

Wahoos waiting
Now, the entire Wahoo Nation is sitting back to see if Littlepage can make a home run hire.
The reason it appears there has been little movement, is probably because there hasn’t been. Virginia is waiting for Kentucky’s season to end before the Cavaliers approach Coach Tubby Smith.
There is absolutely no question that Smith is Virginia’s target. Yes, as insane as it may sound, Smith is the coach that UVa covets.
There is also plenty of reason to believe that Smith will grant his suitors an audience whenever the Wildcats’ season ends. Kentucky is one game away from its first Final Four trip since 1998.
Certainly it will take plenty of cash to lure a coach of Smith’s caliber to Charlottesville. But if Smith decides to leave Lexington for the ACC, it probably won’t be about money, although our sources indicate Virginia is willing to open the vault.

Unhappy spouse?
There is an old saying out there that goes: “If Momma Ain’t Happy, Nobody’s Happy.” Remember that phrase throughout this hiring process.
While most sources indicate that Tubby is happy at Kentucky, there are rumors that wife, Donna, may not be. The Smith’s were disappointed, to say the least, about how some Wildcat fans treated their son, Saul, when he was part of the UK program.
Is that enough to drive Smith eastward? Probably not. But there are whispers of discontent over various issues that could at least push a coach to look for a change of scenery.
Virginia offers a brand new state-of-the-art basketball arena, with great practice facilities, a lucrative financial package, Sean Singletary and a young team to build around. Charlottesville and UVa are both attractive, closer to home for Tubby (he grew up in Maryland) and Donna (from Richmond).
If Smith does talk to Virginia, he should make at least one demand. He should tell UVa President John T. Casteen III that he wants the same recruiting and academic conditions that Mike Krzyzewski has at Duke, whose academic reputation hasn’t dropped one iota since he rebuilt the Blue Devils program.

Blue Jays hold UVa at bay in convincing win
By Andrew Joyner / Daily Progress staff writer
March 27, 2005

BALTIMORE - In a battle of the two best teams in men’s lacrosse, it was the

No. 1 team that simply didn’t give No. 2 a chance for victory.

Top-ranked Johns Hopkins, leading nearly the entire way, dominated the final eight and a half minutes of action to notch a 9-7 victory before a crowd of 8,341 at Homewood Field on Saturday.

Freshman Kevin Huntley had three goals and two assists for Hopkins (5-0), including two decisive tallies late in the contest. Paul Rabil had two goals for the Blue Jays while goalkeeper Jesse Schawartzman was sensational in the cage with a career-high 20 saves.

Matt Ward paced Virginia (6-1), which never led in the contest, with four goals. The Cavaliers second and third leading scorers, John Christmas and Kyle Dixon, combined for just one goal and that came from Dixon with only 19 seconds left in the game.

“That was a heck of a lacrosse game between two very good teams. … It was a team win today. We played well defensively and tried to take some things away from them,” Johns Hopkins coach Dave Pietramala said. “We beat a very good Virginia lacrosse team today.”

Virginia entered the game aiming for its first 7-0 start since 1973 but the Cavaliers’ performance lacked crispness throughout. The Cavaliers outshot Hopkins 44-34 but of those that were not saved by Schawartzman, many sailed high, wide and almost anywhere but in the net.

“I think in every game we’ve played this year, we have played hard and that was true today. We didn’t hand them the game or anything like that. We made them beat us,” Virginia coach Dom Starsia said. “We had an opportunity to make the plays to win this game and we didn’t do that. It was a lost opportunity. There is no question about that.”

Johns Hopkins led 3-0 after the first quarter after two goals by Rabil and another from Greg Raymond. It marked the second straight game in which Virginia was held scoreless in the first quarter.

The Cavaliers, however, quickly rectified that situation. They outscored Hopkins 4-1 in the second quarter and when Ward fed Ben Rubeor for a goal with 2:47 before intermission, the game was tied at 4-4. The contest remained that way into the half but as it marked the few fleeting moments in which the Cavaliers didn’t find themselves needing to claw and scratch just to get back into the game.

Goals by Peter LeSeur and Kyle Harrison in the third quarter allowed the Blue Jays to take a 6-5 advantage into the final quarter as Virginia was again faced with the situation of needing to battle just to even the score.

“Playing from behind is a tough thing to do and we did it too much today. We had a couple of chances to take the lead or tie the game but we hit some posts or just missed,” Ward said. “It’s kind of hard offensively to play from behind the whole game.”

Hopkins’ defense deserves more than some of the credit for that. The Blue Jays protected the interior near the goal and simply took away Christmas’ ability to drive and dash toward the cage.

“They did a nice job defensively. They covered up inside and slid to us early. … I think John [Christmas] wanted to move toward the crease area on the inside but it just was not there,” Starsia said.

Ward scored with 8:51 left to play to close the deficit to 8-7 but Virginia literally never got the chance to get closer. Hopkins, using Jamison Koesterer in the circle on this occasion, won the ensuing faceoff and then a Virginia penalty gave the Blue Jays the extra-man opportunity. That ultimately led to a goal by Huntley with 7:47 left that pushed the lead to 8-6.

That entire scene would almost repeat itself just moments later.

Again, Hopkins won the faceoff and the ultimate result was another Huntley tally. This time Huntley, the Baltimore Sun’s High School Player of the Year last season who received his first significant time in place of the injured Kyle Barrie, snuck a shot past Virginia keeper Kip Turner for the 9-6 lead with 6:37 left to play.

Virginia then actually again lost the faceoff and when it finally regained the ball almost a minute later, a full three and a half minutes had elapsed since Virginia had possession.

“We were down one and facing off and we called for a foul. They score on the extra man and I think that pricked our balloon a little bit,” Starsia said. “Then, they possessed the ball for quite a bit of time.”

Dixon’s lone goal in the waning seconds would account for the final margin.

Starsia insisted that his team performed as if it were “stuck in sand” for most of the game but the performance did not deter his overall opinion of this group.

“We played hard and I don’t take that for granted. This team has been fun to be around. When you play a team of this caliber, you have to play better and we weren’t sharp enough,” Starsia. “We just couldn’t get the ball going and weren’t quite quick enough today.”

Appelt becomes Cavs' all-time goals leader as Virginia beats Princeton
By Sean McLernon / Daily Progress correspondent
March 27, 2005

If the National Championship flag that was raised before the game didn’t make it clear enough which team currently holds the NCAA title, Virginia’s play on the field certainly did.

Holding Princeton to only one goal in the game’s first 43 minutes, the Cavaliers cruised to an 8-4 victory over Princeton Saturday afternoon at Klockner Stadium in a rematch of last season’s National Championship game.

Amy Appelt scored two goals in the victory to become Virginia’s all-time leading scorer. She came into the contest tied with Lauren Aumiller (2000-03) for the all-time lead at 217 goals.

“Amy’s just a great attacker. I think we all knew she was going to break records before she even got here,” Virginia coach Julie Myers said. “For her to do it so early in a fourth year is pretty outstanding.”

Appelt’s record-setting score came at a good time for Virginia, tying the game 1-1 after the Tigers jumped out to an early lead. Princeton defenders Lauren Vance and Jennifer Allen seemed to have Appelt contained, but the senior spun free and converted on a diving shot into the lower left corner of the net. Career goal No. 219 came only 69 seconds later as Appelt was able to get free at the top of the circle and fire a running overhand shot past Princeton goalkeeper Sarah Kolodner to give Virginia the lead.

The story for the rest of the half, however, was the Virginia defense. Although the Cavaliers were able to score only one goal before halftime, goalkeeper Ginger Miles came up with several impressive saves to keep the Tigers from putting any more on the board.

“She came up with saves I didn’t know any goalie could come up with,” Appelt said of Miles’ performance. “She was just amazing.”

Miles, who finished with 7 saves on 11 shots on goal, stopped several point-blank opportunities from a Princeton attack that has averaged over 11 goals per game this season.

“I totally felt like I was in the zone,” Miles said. “It was amazing. Our defense was playing so well, forcing bad shots. So, they were helping me out, I was helping them out, and it just worked out really well.”

Even with Miles’ heroics, the Cavaliers held only a 3-1 halftime advantage. The Virginia offense got back into gear coming out of the locker room, however, scoring four of the half’s first five goals to pull ahead 7-2 with 15 minutes left. Cary Chasney, Kate Breslin, Tyler Leachman and Nikki Lieb all found the back of the net for the Cavaliers during the stretch.

“We knew we had to get to at least 5-1 before we felt a little more comfortable,” Myers said. “I think our attackers did a nice job of really being able to switch the pace of the game.”

The Tigers narrowed the lead to 7-4 with 8 minutes remaining on a pair of goals from Elizabeth Pillion. But the Cavaliers were able to put the game out of reach only three minutes later, when an errant Julie Hauser pass bounced in front of an open net, allowing Breslin to scoop the ball up and convert on an easy opportunity.

Although the Cavaliers have had three home games prior to this one, Myers said that there was no “malicious intent” in raising the championship flag with Princeton in town, and Virginia had just been waiting until their first Saturday game at Klockner.

The ceremony seemed to have a positive effect on a Cavalier team looking to make a statement.

“It wouldn’t look good if we raised the flag and didn’t pull off the win,” Miles said. “We knew what we had to do.”

Although the Tigers left Charlottesville with a loss, they have history on their side when it comes to the postseason. In the last two years, the team that has lost the regular season matchup between the two squads has managed to avenge their defeat in the NCAA Championship game.
 

The latest recruiting craze: posing for pictures
Jumbo Pulaski athlete looking for portfolio
By Doug Doughty
THE ROANOKE TIMES

What’s with these photo shoots that have football recruits criss-crossing the state at this time of year? Are they new or have recruiting services gone hog-wild?

“It’s both a new thing and something that’s gone hog-wild, to use your phraseology,” said Scott Burton, the coach at Highland Springs High School in Richmond.

“I haven’t been around that long, but when we had [Nolan] Burchette and those people and even Larry Williams [in 2002-2003], that wasn’t something that was going on. There were the Nike combines, but that was about it.

“I think they’ve become watered down, in my opinion, and I don’t mean to disrespect or discredit the kids who get invited, but, a few years ago, those things were pretty elite and now the scope has been widened.”

When Virginia held its “junior day” in conjunction with a men’s basketball game Feb. 26 against Maryland, Tom Lemming held a photo shoot at nearby Albemarle High School. Next Saturday, Virginia Tech has invited a group to juniors to campus to watch spring practice and take part in a rivals.com photo shoot.

A school is not allowed to sponsor a photo shoot, so rivals.com is headed to a spot that is at least 50 feet off the school property. Tech is inviting prospects to its spring game April 16 and will provide the facilities April 24 for a Nike combine. Virginia is asking prospects to come to its spring game April 23 in Charlottesville.

“Universities are using [photo shoots] to their advantage, which they’d be foolish not to,” Burton said. “I certainly don’t point the finger at them at all.”

But, isn’t there a point where players grow tired of making time-consuming trips to have their pictures taken? Has anybody checked the price of gas these days?

“I think it depends on the kid,” Burton said. “Macho [Harris] got pretty tired of all that, but [Highland Springs junior] Jarrell Miller is still almost giddy about the process. He still gets excited every time a new scholarship [offer] comes in. He gets all pumped up.

“It’s kind of refreshing, if you know what I mean, not that Macho was above that. I don’t mean that. But, it became ho-hum after a while.”

MILLER, A 6-FOOT-3, 230-POUND linebacker, was rated the No. 5 junior in the state by The Roanoke Times. And, that might be too low. His most recent scholarship offer is from Miami of Florida.

Miller’s other offers are from Tech, UVa, Maryland, Tennessee, LSU, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Michigan State, Wake Forest, Penn State and Duke. Southern California and Michigan said they would offer Miller when they were at Highland Springs to recruit Harris, “but I haven’t seen anything in writing,” Burton said.

Highland Springs’ track record is such that Burton doesn’t have to rely on combines.

“We get a steady stream of traffic through here in May,” Burton said. “If I tell you that Jarrell runs a 4.65, that’s because he runs 4.68, 4.67, 4.68, 4.69, then, bang, 4.65. I’m not lying to you. He did run a 4.65. Typically, he runs a 4.68.

“So, then he goes to a Nike combine, there’s 500 kids there, he stands in line for three hours to run a 40 and he runs a 4.7. He just drops [in national ratings]. He’s doing football drills he hasn’t done in six months and he’s coached by a coach he doesn’t know. The comfort level’s not there, so why go? That’s my theory.”

Want a photo of Jarrell Miller? Burton will send you one.

“I’d rather do that than drive a kid three hours to have his photo taken,” Burton said. “The only things I’ve taken our kids to are the Tom Lemming photo shoots because he’s the one who picks the Army All-American team. I don’t want to look a gift horse in the mouth.”

BURTON KNOWS HE probably will have to respond to the perception that Miller will end up at Virginia Tech because many of Highland Springs’ best players have become Hokies.

“I think that’s disrespectful to the kid because it implies he can’t think for himself,” Burton said. “People say, ‘Well, you have a lot of Tech people in your school.’ We have five or six, but I would say every high school in Virginia has five or six Virginia Tech people. It just so happens that our five or six are a little more vocal.

“Consider this: UVa has recruited our school since the new regime has been there. It’s what, their fifth year coming up? In the four years that they’ve been there, we’ve had 16 kids get scholarships. Guess how many kids UVa has offered? One. That was Macho.

“From that standpoint, they’re 0-for-1. They’re not O-for-Highland Springs. I don’t think it’s really fair for the perception to be out there … I mean, I love for people to go to UVa. I think it’s a great school, a great football program. I think Al Groh does a great job and his record speaks for itself.

“But, don’t come at me with this ‘you don’t send your kids up there.’ One kid has had the opportunity to go there. Other kids, and I won’t name names, would have [dropped everything] if UVa had offered them. I’m not saying they should have offered the other kids. I’m not pointing the finger at them.”

Don’t be pointing a finger at Burton either.

ONE PLAYER HOPING to improve his stock during the spring combine season is Casey Turpin, a 6-5, 255-pound defensive end from Pulaski County High School who is expected to start at tight end for the first time this coming season.

Cougars’ coach Jack Turner said that Turpin is a good student with good feet whose size will get recruiters to look at him as a senior. Turner said Turpin would do well to follow the example of Ernie Hodge, a workout warrior who became a playmaker as a senior.

As it turns out, Hodge will go to Hargrave Military Academy, but not because he lacked Division I-A ability. If Hodge had taken care of business in the classroom, he might be headed to a I-A program right now.

Turner has a pair of juniors in Adam Atkins (6-2, 275) and Trey Parris (6-1, 250) who are more polished offensive linemen than Turpin at this point but may have to settle for Division I-AA because of their size.

The top prospect in the Cougars’ program appears to be rising junior Kevin Crouse, a 5-10, 205-pound running back who rushed for 1,538 yards this past season, good for fifth place in Timesland, and scored 22 touchdowns.

Turner said that Crouse is a hard worker in the weight room who has “real good speed” and is aware of a need to stay on top of his academics. At this stage, that’s as important as anything.

Will Tubby jump?
With his Kentucky team one victory away from the Final Four, Tubby Smith doesn't look like a coach ready to move.
BY DAVID TEEL
247-4636
Published March 27, 2005

AUSTIN, TEXAS -- The notion baffles most seasoned college basketball observers. Tubby Smith leaving Kentucky, one of sport's most prestigious coaching positions, for Virginia? Yeah, right, and President Bush is vacating 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., and moving to 10 Downing St.

Indeed, as Smith prepares the Wildcats for today's NCAA Austin Regional final against Michigan State, his life in the Bluegrass State appears better than ever. His national-championship résumé and $2-million paycheck rank among the nation's best, and this season he advanced to his ninth Sweet 16 - six at Kentucky, one at Georgia and two at Tulsa.

Virginia, in case you're interested, has advanced to seven Sweet 16s in program history.

"I don't see how it makes sense," said former Kentucky All-American Kevin Grevey, working the Austin Regional for NCAA radio. "A guy like Tubby would give Virginia an unbelievable jump-start, but he has a real young (Kentucky) team that's only going to get better."

"If I was in (Virginia's) position I would certainly seek out the best coach I could find, so I can see why his name's out there," said Mike Pratt, Kentucky's radio analyst and a former Wildcats player. "But I'd be shocked (if he left). The people that count in this state love him because he's a good person and as good a coach as there is."

The Smith-to-Virginia rumblings have been "out there" since before Pete Gillen resigned under pressure March 14. And with no confirmed interviews to date, Virginia may be waiting until it can determine Smith's interest, or lack thereof, after the season.

His team chasing a Final Four, Smith says that he's "very happy" at Kentucky, but Hampton-based Boo Williams, Smith's friend of more than 20 years and an influential figure in national recruiting circles, does not dismiss the idea of Virginia offering, and Smith accepting.

Virginia is "trying to set the tone for what they want their program to be," Williams said. "They want to compete with the Carolinas and Dukes, and they're trying to hit a grand slam.

"Would he take it? I don't know. In this day and age it's, do the numbers work?"

Numbers, as in dollars, will not be an issue, according to Virginia sources. With money to raise and tickets to sell for a new 15,000-seat arena, the university is prepared to pay like never before, the sources said.

That's what it would take to lure Orlando "Tubby" Smith.

Gillen was making about $900,000 a year. Smith earns more than $2 million, courtesy of an eight-year, $20-million contract extension he signed in 2003.

If the Wildcats advance to a Final Four, the contract automatically extends two additional years. If Smith remains at Kentucky through 2007, he receives a $1.5 million bonus, another $2.5 million if he stays through 2011.

But there is no buyout provision should Smith leave. His previous contract called for him to pay the university $500,000 per remaining year, and the clause was dropped in the extension.

"Tubby's integrity I'm very comfortable with," Kentucky athletic director Mitch Barnhart said then. "When he says he's going to be somewhere, I believe that wholeheartedly."

That has not dissuaded suitors. During Smith's eight seasons at Kentucky, South Carolina, Florida State and the NBA's Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Bobcats and Philadelphia 76ers have inquired about his availability.

His appeal is obvious: His teams win, 343-119 in 14 seasons. Smith's winning percentage (.742) ranks sixth among active coaches with at least 10 years' experience. His 27-10 NCAA tournament record includes a national championship in 1998, his first season at Kentucky.

"It's fun," Smith said of postseason, "because you're measuring yourself against the teams you watch over the course of the season and you wonder whether you can compete with them."

In the Southeastern Conference, Smith's teams are more dominant. His SEC record is 121-39 (.756) and includes five regular-season and five tournament championships.

Such success almost is routine at Kentucky. The Wildcats' 1,904 victories rank first all time and their seven national titles trail only UCLA's 11. Their current roster includes three McDonald's high school All-Americans, all of them freshmen.

So again, why would Smith consider Virginia? The Cavaliers haven't won an NCAA tournament game since 1995, the longest drought among ACC programs. Smith worked as an assistant coach at Virginia Commonwealth from 1979-86, and his wife, Donna, hails from Richmond. But he has no ties to the ACC or university.

"He could be a god at Virginia," Williams said. "At Kentucky there's always going to be Adolph Rupp."

Rupp coached the Wildcats for 41 seasons before retiring in 1972, and his 876 victories stood as the Division I standard until North Carolina's Dean Smith passed him in 1997. That legacy, much like Bear Bryant's at Alabama football, places considerable burdens on coaches.

But Tubby Smith appears unfazed by the expectations. He's told friends that real pressure is what his father endured raising 17 children as a Maryland sharecropper.

"He's a good guy for the (Kentucky) job because he can separate himself from (the pressure)," said Wildcats assistant coach David Hobbs, a Lynchburg, Va., native and VCU graduate. "It's not a be-all, end-all for him. It's a profession. Don't get me wrong. He takes his job very seriously, but he keeps things in perspective."

Winning the national title allowed Smith an extended honeymoon, but during the 1999-2000 and 2000-01 seasons, fans rode his starting point guard mercilessly. His name was Saul Smith, the second of Tubby and Donna's three sons.

The Smiths consider Saul their miracle baby. His birth was difficult, and forceps broke a seal of cartilage that connects the skull to the top of the nose. Doctors repaired the damage when Saul was 2, but he nearly died of post-op complications.

Saul was not an NBA prospect, and by Kentucky standards, the Wildcats struggled during his two seasons as a starter, losing 10 games each year and failing to advance past the NCAA regional semifinals. Spectators booed him at Rupp Arena, and fans carped about him on talk radio.

Saul's on-the-court troubles coincided with teammates' off-the-court missteps. "Team Turmoil," reporters called the Wildcats as Smith disciplined and jettisoned several players who ran afoul of the law - most charges were alcohol-related, and one recruit, whom Kentucky released from his letter-of-intent, pleaded guilty to a felony drug charge.

But "Team Turmoil" is history, and advancing to a regional final with a young squad has made Smith more popular than ever. Marta McMacklin, a secretary to the last four Kentucky basketball coaches, told the Lexington Herald-Leader that Smith's mail is more positive than any of his three predecessors'.

"People ... always compliment him on the way he handles himself and the way he represents the university," she said.

Smith doesn't land American Express endorsements and isn't glib with media. But he is active in the Lexington community, establishing a charitable foundation that has raised nearly $3 million. His affection for those in need was obvious at Thursday's practice session here when he greeted a boy confined to a wheelchair and signed an autograph.

Smith serves also on the board of directors of the National Association of Basketball Coaches and was an assistant coach on the 2000 Olympic team.

"Tubby is what I think all coaches should be," Cincinnati coach Bob Huggins said before the teams met last week in the tournament's second round. "His players have great respect for him, he works extremely hard, he's involved in his community, he's involved in the betterment of basketball. I don't know what else a guy could do."

Academically, Smith's record at Kentucky is mixed. His two seniors this season are scheduled to graduate on time. All four of last year's seniors stopped attending classes after the season to pursue NBA opportunities.

In literature promoting John Paul Jones Arena, Virginia says it aims to graduate 100 percent of its scholarship athletes.

"Coach Smith has a great perspective. He's committed to the whole student-athlete," said Rob Mullens, Kentucky's executive associate athletic director. "He's just a molder of young people."

He does not mold quietly. During a game he stands, stares, shouts and stomps. Mostly he stomps, leaving the left heel of his just-shined black shoes begging for mercy. His players respond.

"I definitely want to fill my fingers with rings," freshman Joe Crawford said. "Who else would you listen to but somebody who has one?"

"You see the fire-and-brimstone on the sideline," Hobbs said, "but he's really got a soft spot for the players. They know he cares about everything they do. It's a tough love. He feels if you're going to get anything from kids these days, you have to demand it."

Players, bosses, assistants and fans gush; his teams win. Smith's only apparent discontent revolves around practice conditions. The Wildcats work out in 55-year-old Memorial Coliseum, the program's home court until Rupp Arena opened in 1976. Fund-raising and design for a $30 million practice facility have commenced, but the building will not be ready until the fall of 2006 at the earliest, Mullens said.

Virginia's $130-million arena, also scheduled to open in 2006, will house separate practice courts for the women's and men's teams.

Could Tubby Smith fill that arena?

"Yeah," Williams said. "I think he could get it done at U.Va."

Is he interested? Smith doesn't sound like a coach pondering a move.

"The expectations are high, the goals are high," he said of Wildcats basketball. "This team is no different from any team we've had or will have at Kentucky."

But Hobbs, a Smith confidant for more than 25 years, cautions against reading tea leaves.

"Whatever he does," Hobbs said, "it will be for his own reasons."

Hopkins denies No. 2 Virginia
Schwartzman's 20 saves, super sub Huntley's 3 goals lift unbeaten No. 1, 9-7
By Gary Lambrecht
Sun Staff
Originally published March 27, 2005

Johns Hopkins freshman attackman Kevin Huntley expected to be on the field for a considerable amount of time yesterday, but the former Calvert Hall star did not foresee the impact he would have against visiting, No. 2 Virginia.

In the first half, Huntley took over for injured senior Kyle Barrie, who limped off the field midway through the first quarter with a sprained left ankle. In the fourth quarter, Huntley took over the game by scoring three goals to lift the top-ranked, unbeaten Blue Jays to a 9-7 victory before 8,321 at Homewood Field.

Huntley, who missed the fall season with a broken thumb, scored the Blue Jays' final two goals after Virginia had pulled to within 7-6 with 8:51 to go on junior attackman Matt Ward's fourth goal.

First, Huntley took a feed from Peter LeSueur (one goal, two assists) and beat Virginia goalie Kip Turner by ripping a 5-yard shot into the lower right corner with 7:47 left. Then, with 6:33 left, he created his own point-blank shot with a one-on-one move and finished the Cavaliers (6-1), who suffered their first loss.

"The first time playing in front of that many people was almost overwhelming at first," said Huntley, who also had two assists. "Once you get in the flow, it seems natural."

"You're hesitant to throw people into the fire," said Hopkins coach Dave Pietramala, who had planned to start Huntley in the second quarter, and expects Barrie to play at North Carolina next week. "Missing the fall kind of set [Huntley] back a little bit. We felt like his play had improved dramatically over the past few weeks. He's going to help us down the line."

On a day when neither team was sharp in the clearing or turnover areas, the Blue Jays (5-0) leaned on sophomore goalie Jesse Schwartzman's career-high 20 saves and did what it took to extend their home winning streak to 30 games.

Virginia, the last team to beat Hopkins at home - the Cavaliers won in quadruple-overtime four years ago - had won six of its previous seven meetings with the Blue Jays. The Cavaliers fell behind early, 3-0, rallied to tie the game at 4 at halftime, but never gained a lead or any real offensive rhythm.

With a victory over Albany on April 5, Hopkins would tie the school record with 31 straight home victories. The Hopkins senior class has yet to lose on its home field, and it can thank the younger Blue Jays this time.

Schwartzman, fighting a sore back that put his status in doubt until game time, stepped up to stuff Virginia early with a tremendous seven-save first quarter, then made 12 saves in the second half. Freshman midfielder Paul Rabil scored the first two goals of the game. Sophomore midfielder Jamie Koesterer steadied the offense by winning all four of his faceoff attempts, all in the fourth quarter.

The Cavaliers outshot Hopkins, 44-34, but Virginia could not get the ball inside with any consistency and often settled for outside shots that Schwartzman ate up with ease.

The Blue Jays' close defense, led by seniors Tom Garvey and Chris Watson, held freshman attackman Ben Rubeor (Loyola) to one goal and silenced senior attackman John Christmas. Junior midfielders Kyle Dixon and Matt Poskay, who entered the game with a combined 19 goals, managed one score apiece and rarely got open.

Hopkins also got stronger with the return of senior midfielder Matt Rewkowski, who had been out since tearing a knee ligament last fall. Rewkowski ran with the second midfield and the extra-man units.

"I was hoping [Schwartzman] was going to be a liability, and he was not. He might have been the difference. He stoned us a couple of times," Virginia coach Dom Starsia said of the goalie. "We seemed to be a step slow offensively. It felt like we were moving in sand all day. We weren't moving the ball quickly enough. This is not a death blow, but it's a lost opportunity."

Virginia 0 4 1 2 - 7

Johns Hopkins 3 1 2 3 - 9

Goals: V-Ward 4, Dixon, Rubeor, Poskay; JH-Huntley 3, Rabil 2, LeSueur, Harrison, Byrne, Raymond. Assists: V-Gill 2, Ward, Thompson; J-Huntley 2, LeSueur 2. Saves: V-Turner 5; JH-Schwartzman 20.

No. 1 Johns Hopkins Stops No. 2 Virginia
Johns Hopkins 9, Virginia 7
By Christian Swezey
Special to The Washington Post
Sunday, March 27, 2005; Page E13

BALTIMORE, March 26 -- Johns Hopkins freshman attackman Kevin Huntley is still getting used to some of the traditions associated with playing for the school that used to house the lacrosse hall of fame. One of those traditions includes the group of graduates that throws a banana to the player they believe played the best game.

Huntley earned the fruit for his labors in the top-ranked Blue Jays' 9-7 victory over No. 2 Virginia before 8,321 Saturday at Homewood Field. Huntley finished with three goals and two assists and helped Hopkins win its 30th straight at home dating from a four-overtime loss to Virginia in 2001.

His performance was particularly important after the Blue Jays (5-0) lost first-team all-American attackman Kyle Barrie to a sprained left ankle midway through the first quarter. Huntley entered in the second quarter, and the Cavaliers (6-1) defended him with a short-stick midfielder.

He made them pay by scoring three straight goals in the fourth quarter, the last of which gave the Blue Jays a 9-6 lead with 6 minutes 31 seconds left.

"We put a short stick on him, and he took advantage of it a little bit," Virginia Coach Dom Starsia said. "He didn't look like a young player out there. He made a couple great plays."

The Cavaliers were shooting for their first 7-0 start since 1973. They were undone, however, by strong play from the Hopkins defense, especially sophomore goalkeeper Jesse Schwartzman and senior defender Tom Garvey. Schwartzman had seven saves in the first quarter and finished with a career-high 20.

Garvey held attackman John Christmas to no points and only three shots. Christmas entered with seven goals and six assists in his career against Johns Hopkins. That included three goals and four assists during a win in 2002 and the clinching goal in the final two minutes of the NCAA title game in 2003.

"He's a really talented player," Garvey said. "We had a lot of film on him and I had covered him before, so I knew some of his moves."

The Cavaliers trailed 7-6 following a goal by junior Matt Ward (Landon) with 8:51 left to play. By the time they got the ball back, Huntley had scored back-to-back goals and senior reserve midfielder Jamison Koesterer was on his way to winning the last four faceoffs of the game to keep Virginia at bay.

Ward finished with four goals and an assist and sophomore goalie Kip Turner (Severn) had five saves. Freshman Paul Rabil (DeMatha) had two goals for Johns Hopkins.

"I think we made their goalie's life easy by not taking great shots," Ward said. "He got some confidence and he got hot."

In the end, though, it was Huntley who received the accolades from the fans.

"I think the fruit is sort of like their game ball," he said. "Those fans go to every game, home and away. I'm not quite sure who they are, but it's pretty cool."