Could Jones connection factor into UVa search?
Doughty makes a case for Odom
By Doug Doughty
THE ROANOKE TIMES

Only in the third week of Virginia’s search for a men’s basketball coach could a beat reporter take a week’s vacation and not miss anything.

While running one boy to basketball camp and another to driver’s ed, sandwiched around one lousy round of golf while the rest of the family is out of town, I have made a few calls and tried to pay attention to what is being written elsewhere.

The most intriguing name I’ve heard is John Calipari – intriguing not because he’s going to get the job but because I hadn’t heard his name previously. The intrigue continued when I was told that Calipari had links to a UVa booster.

Calipari is in his fifth season as the head coach at the University of Memphis, hometown to Virginia benefactor Paul Tudor Jones, who has given $35 million toward UVa’s new, 15,000-seat arena. His father, John Paul Jones, for whom the arena has been named, still lives in Memphis.

Does Calipari even know the Joneses? I don’t know.

On the surface, Calipari, 46, would make an attractive candidate. In 13 years as a Division I head coach, the first eight at Massachusetts, he has a 308-119 record (more than 25 wins per season). He has 11 straight 20-win seasons. Plus, the Cavaliers could get him. Memphis will be playing in a watered-down Conference USA next year following the departure of Cincinnati, Louisville, DePaul and Marquette and there is a perception that Calipari is itching to leave.

On the other hand, Calipari has made the NCAA Tournament only twice in his five seasons at Memphis and the Tigers’ 16 losses this year were the high for one of Calipari’s teams since his first year at UMass in 1988-89. Moreover, the success he has enjoyed at UMass and Memphis has not come with Virginia likes to think of as “Virginia kids,” not that Virginia has always recruited Virginia kids.

I don’t know of any Virginia interest in Calipari and I don’t know of any conversations he has had with the Joneses, but, with a resume that includes two full seasons with the New Jersey Nets, he probably meets the description of a “wow” candidate that some have been seeking.

RESPONSE TO A roanoke.com poll was much more substantial in the second week, with 515 readers taking part, favoring Kentucky coach Tubby Smith by more than a 2-to-1 margin over the next-most popular choice, West Virginia coach John Beilein.

I’m not sure that Virginia could get any of the three coaches at the top of the list – Smith (42 percent), Beilein (17 percent) and Rick Carlisle (11 percent). Phoenix Suns assistant Marc Iavaroni was third on the list at 6 percent and was a player of some distinction for the Cavaliers during the 1970s, but he has never been a head coach and does not have an extensive recruiting background.

After kicking this thing around in my head for months, I’m still not convinced that South Carolina coach Dave Odom wouldn’t be the best choice.

Odom, by the way, got 3 percent of the vote in the roanoke.com poll. But, one thing keeps coming back to me. In each of his last two coaching moves, his teams at Wake Forest and South Carolina enjoyed relatively quick turnarounds.

At Wake Forest, he took over a team that was 12-16 in 1989 and, within two years, had the Deacons in the NCAA Tournament. He was named ACC Coach of the Year that year and two other times, including 1995, when he was national coach of the year.

(Nobody from UVa has been named ACC men’s basketball coach of the year since 1982, when Terry Holland was recognized for the second year in a row.)

Odom was 22-15 in his first year at South Carolina in 2001-2002 and, in his third year, was named SEC coach of the year in 2003-2004. At South Carolina, Odom has a 76-55 record going into tonight’s National Invitation Tournament final against Saint Joseph’s.

The knock against Odom is his age, 63 in November, and his connection to Holland. The feeling is UVa already has gone the Holland disciple route once, with Jeff Jones, but I didn’t hear people talking about what a bad hire Jones had been when he took the Cavaliers to the final eight of the NCAA Tournament in 1994-95.

Nobody knows more about the culture of UVa basketball than Odom, a Cavalier assistant from 1982-89, and like football coach Al Groh before him, this is the job he’s always wanted. He has recruited against Duke and North Carolina while at UVa and Wake Forest and has a tendency to think outside the box in recruiting, witness Tim Duncan and a host of Lithuanians, including Darius Songaila and Vytas Danelius at Wake Forest.

Sometimes you can be at one place too long and maybe that was the case with Odom at Wake Forest, where some revisionist historians see things in successor Skip Prosser that they didn’t see in Odom. But, even Prosser credited Odom for the talent he left behind, including Danelius, Taron Downey and Jamaal Levy in the current Wake senior class.

THE LATEST RUMOR I’ve heard is that ACC associate commissioner Fred Barakat is headed to the Final Four in St. Louis, where he is expected to make a pitch on Virginia’s behalf to Texas coach Rick Barnes. Barakat would be familiar with Barnes from Barnes’ time in the ACC at Clemson (1995-98).

Search to replace Gillen is taking time
Littlepage remains mum on situation; sources indicate Beilein's stock rising
By Andrew Joyner / Daily Progress staff writer
March 31, 2005

Virginia Athletics Director Craig Littlepage was scheduled to arrive Wednesday in St. Louis for Final Four festivities.

Will he return from St. Louis with Virginia’s next basketball coach? Only time will tell.

During Virginia’s last basketball coaching search that led to the hiring of Pete Gillen in March 1998, then-UVa Athletics Director Terry Holland went to the Final Four in San Antonio and finalized the deal with Gillen that Friday before the national semifinals.

Certainly the Final Four is a proper place to search for a coach. Nearly all of the nation’s coaches are there for conventions and meetings and traditionally it’s been a place in which an AD “shopping” for a coach finds an adequate supply from which to choose.

Littlepage has maintained almost complete silence in regard to the specifics of the search other than saying he expects the whole process to last four to six weeks. His purpose for such a stance is to have tight control on how information regarding the search is handled.

Much of the media speculation regarding Virginia’s search has centered on Kentucky coach Tubby Smith. Several sources have told The Daily Progress that Smith is atop Virginia’s wish list to replace Gillen, who stepped down March 14 after seven seasons.

As of 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Kentucky Assistant Athletics Director of Media Relations Scott Stricklin said Kentucky Athletics Director Mitch Barnhart has not been contacted by Virginia to seek permission to talk to Smith.

Smith has made a handful of public comments stating he was content at Kentucky. Smith and Barnhart met Tuesday morning. In the meeting, Smith re-affirmed his commitment to fulfilling his contract at the school that ends in 2011.

Whether that ends any Virginia flirtations with Smith is unclear. Smith, like Littlepage, was scheduled to arrive Wednesday in St. Louis.

According to sources, one coach that has risen on Virginia’s list is West Virginia coach John Beilein. Beilein, who previously coached at Richmond, guided the Mountaineers to their recent run to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament. Beilein has won at every level he has coached at from high school, junior college, Division II and now Division I. In his 27 seasons as a collegiate coach, Beilein has compiled a record of 503-298 and has had winning marks in 24 of those 27 seasons.

There would appear to be at least two major complications in bringing Beilein to Charlottesville. First, several sources have indicated that given his team’s recent success that West Virginia officials are likely to offer Beilein a contract extension. Beilein makes approximately $570,000 a season at WVU and his contract runs until 2010.

The second complication is a personal one. Beilein’s son, Patrick, is a junior guard for the Mountaineers and any move to UVa certainly would put Patrick Beilein in an awkward situation if he remained in Morgantown. Patrick Beilein could transfer to Virginia but would be forced to sit out a season per NCAA regulations.

As of late Wednesday evening, West Virginia athletic officials had not returned messages regarding whether Virginia has sought official permission to speak to Beilein.

Vick’s high-wire act keeps Schaub just a snap away
The Virginian-Pilot
© March 30, 2005

There were moments during the last NFL season when Michael Vick would take a hit and stay down a moment too long to suit the nervous Atlanta Falcons coaching staff.

“A lot of times, Mike gets up slow,” Matt Schaub was saying. “When that happens, the coach says to me, 'Go get your helmet.’”

But Schaub learned to wait. “I’d say, 'Hold on, Mike’s fine.’”

With that, Schaub would resume his role as backup to The Franchise, not a bad place for a rookie from Virginia to start his pro career.

“Mike’s a really neat guy,” Schaub said Tuesday on the patio outside the Sheraton Waterside Hotel. “To me, he’s Mike. Just one of the guys. He’s not a supernatural guy until he gets on the field.”

When Schaub thinks really big thoughts about where his football career may take him, he envisions other big, tall pocket passers, and says to himself, “If I could be anywhere close to what Peyton Manning or Tom Brady are …”

He doesn’t include Vick, for obvious reasons. With Vick’s athleticism, speed, power and scrambling ability, “not many people will ever be like him,” Schaub said.

Schaub was one of three quarterbacks dressed in tuxedos and hanging out on the banks of the Elizabeth River prior to the Norfolk Sports Club Jamboree. Vick was off to one side conducting a casual news conference while William and Mary’s Lang Campbell signed pictures of himself at a glass table.

Three quarterbacks, each in a different phase of his development, all defining success differently.

“I think I improved a lot between the New Orleans game and the Seattle game,” Schaub said of his two late-season starts for the Falcons, who had already clinched a playoff spot. Atlanta dropped both games, but in the 28-26 loss to the Seahawks, Schaub completed 64 percent of his passes and put his team in position to win.

While Vick has had to learn the Falcons’ new West Coast offense, Schaub came out of a similar system at Virginia.

“My situation is probably the best for me. I’m in an offense I know,” he said, adding with a wry smile, “And with the way Mike plays, you never know when you may get a chance.”

This year’s Jamboree was a virtual family affair, with NFL teammates Schaub and Vick on hand to greet and be greeted by Al Groh and Virginia Tech’s Frank Beamer, their college coaches.

“He’s such a classy guy,” Groh said of Schaub. “This is the best part for me, when you move from a player-coach relationship to becoming friends.”

A year ago, Schaub was going through his paces for NFL scouts. Now it’s Campbell’s turn. In his two workouts, what has he learned?

“The scouts say 'jump,’ and we have to say, 'how high?’” said Campbell.

His coach, Jimmye Laycock knows something about developing quarterbacks. Relaxing on the patio next to the river, Laycock said that he pictures his student as a Chad Pennington type, who like the Jets quarterback is “smart, moves around, maybe doesn’t have the arm of a Ben Roethlisberger, but makes the right decisions.”

Making the right decisions, understanding the offense; that’s also Schaub’s strength

“He’s intrigued by the game,” Groh said. “He’s got a real feel for it.”

“I think of it as a chess match,” Schaub said. “You can really just dive into it.”

Successful NFL quarterbacks don’t all start off like Vick, Manning and Roethlisberger, rushed into the limelight. Some, like Drew Brees, languish before seizing their opportunity. Others, like Jake Delhomme, emerge from places nobody expected.

More than any other position, the quarterback’s timetable is harder to predict.

Schaub’s future may not be so apparent with Vick in charge in Atlanta, but the former Cavalier is just getting started.

“Obviously, his team has a pretty good quarterback already playing,” Groh said. “But there are eight, nine or 10 teams in the league that run a similar offense, so in addition to preparing himself to help the Falcons, Matt is auditioning for any of those teams, too. That’s a career path I foresee for him.”

For now, Schaub could do worse than follow the path back to the Falcons’ sideline. He’ll keep his helmet nearby, just in case.

Cunningham takes a crack at center
Virginia lineman sat out 2004 season, now trying a new position
BY JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER
Mar 31, 2005

CHARLOTTESVILLE - When last we saw Ian-Yates Cunningham playing for the University of Virginia football team, he was starting at offensive guard against Pittsburgh in the 2003 Continental Tire Bowl.

He was only 18 at the time, and a true freshman, and seemed likely to be a fixture at left guard for three more years. But a back injury derailed Cunningham's career - he had surgery to repair a herniated disk last May - and he sat out the 2004 season while rehabilitating.

Still, it wasn't a lost season for the 6-3, 295-pound sophomore from Plano, Texas. When he was cleared for practice, Cunningham began working at center on the scout team. The Cavaliers' coaches liked what they saw, and the switch may well turn out to be permanent. That's fine with Cunningham.

"I try not to look at anything negatively," he said. "This I actually [have approached] with open arms."

Spring drills open tomorrow night at U.Va.. Seniors for the Cavaliers last season included Zac Yarbrough, who started 34 games at center. The leading candidates for the job are Cunningham and Jordy Lipsey. Both will be redshirt sophomores next season.

"I really like the position," Cunningham said. "It's different. I've played every position on offensive line, including tight end, and besides tight end, the only position that touches the ball is center. You're in control, almost."

As first-year students, Cunningham and Lipsey shared a dorm room. As sophomores, they share a house with two other football players, wideout Emmanuel Byers and offensive guard David Fairbrothers. Cunningham doesn't believe his battle with Lipsey will affect their friendship.

"Hopefully, we'll a little more mature than that," said Cunningham, a cousin of the late Arthur Ashe. "It's football, but I look at like a business, and the coaches are our bosses. Whoever performs the best, they're going to put out on the field, which is the workplace."

Cunningham's father, Louis, is an attorney who has degrees from Rice, where he played basketball, and William and Mary's law school. Louis Cunningham grew up in Ettrick, where his mother, Becky Cunningham, still lives. Her late husband, Rudy, was a former athletic director at Virginia State University.

Yarbrough, like Cunningham, wasn't a center when he enrolled at U.Va. By the time he played his last game as a Cavalier, however, Yarbrough had established himself as one of the ACC's best at that position. The mental demands placed on a center are considerable - he calls out blocking assignments and changes before snapping the ball - and Cunningham used Yarbrough as a resource at every opportunity.

"I would always ask him questions and try to figure things out," Cunningham said, "see where he was coming from when he made his decisions."

By season's end in 2004, Cunningham was healthy enough to play, he said, but U.Va. coach Al Groh opted to redshirt him. His back feels great, Cunningham said, and he's re-shaped his body, thanks in part to the crack-of-dawn workouts that strength coach Evan Marcus put the Cavaliers through this winter.

"At first you think, 'Boy, 6 o'clock in the morning,' " Cunningham said, smiling. "But then you start getting used to it, and you realize that this is making us a team."

 

Cavs ward off late JMU surge
Early four-goal Virginia run pushes Cavs ahead despite three-goal Dukes run late
Adrian Vigil, Cavalier Daily Associate Editor

Harrisonburg, Va. -- The Virginia women's lacrosse team (7-1) needed a goal in the final three minutes to secure nail-biter win last night over in-state rival James Madison (5-3).

Senior Courtney Young's put-back goal with 2:48 remaining was the tally that sealed the game. Young's game-clinching goal followed a mad dash for the deflection of Nikki Lieb's free shot, which was blocked by Madison goalie Amy Atig. Young was the player to emerge from the swarm and released a quick shot that found its way past Atig for the 8-6 victory.

"That was a huge goal," Virginia coach Julie Myers said. "We thought Nikki was going to hit that eight meter. And then with that whole scramble we were glad it came to a Virginia kid and we were able to hit the back of the net. It gave us a nice cushion."

The Cavaliers needed the late goal, because the Dukes mounted a three-goal run in the second half that suddenly made the game tense. Senior Jessica Brownridge scored two of the James Madison goals in that stretch, including a laser-like shot that made the score 7-5. Less than a minute later, the Dukes would pull within one, after Betsey Priest scored following a nice pass from Brooke McKenzie.

James Madison kept the pressure on, but the Cavalier defense and goalie Ginger Miles held strong for the final fifteen minutes of the game. Miles had two of her 12 saves with less than six minutes on the clock to maintain the Virginia lead.

"There's a lot of pressure there," Miles said. "You're nervous but you have to channel that positively."

Virginia used a four-goal run that spanned both halves to build its lead. Tyler Leachman scored a goal with 4:46 remaining in the first half to break a 3-3 tie. The Cavaliers scored the next three goals after the break to build a 7-3 lead. Kim Connors scored in the first minute of the second half. Five minutes later, Nikki Lieb added her lone tally of the night, and Leachman scored her second goal of the night with less than 20 minutes left in the game.

Another sign of Virginia's intensity after the break was Myers' adjustment to have her offensive players challenge when there was a change of possession. The Dukes had to make multiple passes just to be able to advance the ball past midfield every time they got the ball.

"We were trying to disrupt their transition," Myers said. "We were looking to either steal the ball from the ballhandler or force a long pass that we could disrupt."

Virginia senior Amy Appelt tallied all three of her points in the first half. Appelt tied the game at one apiece when she scored an unassisted goal 13 minutes into the game. She later helped her team tie the score at two all when she assisted Cary Chasney with a pass from behind the goalkeeper's net.

"I always see Cary on that," Appelt said. "Her stick is always high and she's good for catching and dumping. It's kind of like an alley-oop. That's just our play."

Virginia will now spend the rest of the week preparing for this weekend's match-up with ACC rival Duke (8-2).

"Duke's defense is very physical," Myers said. "They believe in using their sticks to hold kids as well as to push and shove. Our job as coaches is to make our defenders play physical in practice so we're ready for that."