Forbes loss costly in end
Oft-maligned Jenifer left Virginia, made NCAAs
Doug Doughty

Virginia’s season-ending men’s basketball game with Stanford was barely under way Tuesday before I had reached a final verdict on UVa’s season.

Boy, the Cavaliers could have used Gary Forbes.

When I broached my theory to media gadfly Jeff White, he went one step further and said the Cavaliers would have made the NCAA Tournament, or at least that’s what I think he said before I killed his e-mail.

If you can believe UVa athletic director Craig Littlepage, who’s only the chairman of the NCAA men’s basketball committee, the Cavaliers would have had a strong case if they had gone 8-8 in the ACC and had won one game in the ACC Tournament to put their record at 17-11.

As it turned out, the Cavaliers did notch one victory (over Virginia Tech) in the ACC Tournament, would have been 8-8 in the ACC if they had reversed a 71-70 loss to Maryland in the “Last Ball at U-Hall” and could have gotten to 17-11 with one other victory somewhere along the line.

Forbes, as mercurial as he was, probably could have gotten the Cavaliers the two victories they would have needed.

Maybe you saw this coming in early September, when word surfaced that he would have been academically ineligible to play for the Cavaliers this year. Forbes could have sat out the 2005-2006 season and returned to UVa for his final two seasons of eligibility, but he elected to transfer to Massachusetts.

No one deserves more blame for Forbes’ academic difficulties than Forbes, himself, but I’ve always wondered how much new coach Dave Leitao and Co. wanted to keep him. When teammates like Sean Singletary and J.R. Reynolds were busting their butt during the summer, Forbes was keeping a more leisurely pace.

If the Leitao staff had been in place a little longer or if Leitao had kept former director of basketball operations Mark Byington, maybe they would have kept a tighter leash on Forbes, followed him to summer school, pushed him in the weight room, monitored his whereabouts, etc.

(For his part, Byington says he can’t be sure he would have made a difference. But, he’s a Roanoke Valley guy and we take care of our own.)

Forbes wasn’t always the most dependable player on the court and there was a time this season when it appeared that the tandem of Adrian Joseph and Mamadi Diane, between them, could make up for the loss in production. Usually, one of them was playing well – Diane early in the season and Joseph during the middle of the year.

Over the last month, which included six losses in the last eight games, Joseph and Diane were unable to take some of the pressure off Singletary in Reynolds. In the last five games alone, Diane was 0-for-11 at North Carolina in Chapel Hill, N.C.; Joseph was 0-for-8 against North Carolina in the ACC Tournament, and Diane was 1-for-9 against Stanford in the NIT.

Here are their totals in the last six games: 3-for-10 at Clemson, 3-for-18 at North Carolina, 5-for-15 against Maryland, 3-6 against Virginia Tech in the ACC Tournament, 3-for-15 against North Carolina in the ACC Tournament and 4-for-15 against Stanford in the NIT.

That’s a 26.6-percent shooting percentage (21-for-79). For the season, Joseph shot 40.2 percent and Diane 33.7.

It would be revisionist history to say Forbes was a great -- or even a good -- shooter. He was a streaky shooter who had only 20 3-point field goals in 2004-2005. Joseph, by himself, made 46 3-pointers this season. It’s not all about 3-pointers, however, and Forbes is better at creating off the dribble.

On the other hand, Forbes attempted only 65 free-throws in 2004-2005, which isn’t a lot when you consider that Reynolds and Singletary shot 165 and 148, respectively, this season. In Reynolds’ case, that’s more than double what he attempted last year (78).

Coincidentally, Joseph’s season-ending scoring was exactly the same as Forbes’ 9.4 in 2004-2005, although Joseph averaged 28.6 minutes and Forbes averaged 22.4. One possible variation for Forbes’ inconsistency was the wide variation in the minutes he was used by Leitao predecessor Pete Gillen.

So, Forbes probably would not have been an all-conference player, but he would have helped. Another player who transferred, Donte Minter, also could have helped if he had ever approached his form for the first month of his freshman year in 2003-2004.

Minter started experiencing knee problems shortly thereafter and who knows if he will be able to help even Appalachian State, where he enrolled in mid-January. Like Forbes, Minter didn’t wow the coaches with work ethic over the summer and they may have sent him a message by not playing him before his transfer.

You could look at the change in Jason Cain’s role over the past month of the season and wonder if he could end up in Leitao’s doghouse next year, particularly if there are suitable replacements in a six-member recruiting class. But, I don’t think that Leitao is the kind of guy who is going to play people just because they’re his people.

If players like transfer Ryan Pettinella or signee Johnnie Lett move ahead of Cain on the depth chart, Leitao is going to expect production out of them. If they’re non-factors on offense, as Cain became in recent weeks, I expect that Leitao will seek an alternative.

It’s the same with Joseph and Diane at small forward. I don’t think they automatically fall behind the newcomers, but, based on the way the season ended, only freshman power forward Laurynas Mikalauskas approaches Singletary and Reynolds as a lock for a starting job.

THE FOLLOWING NOTE comes courtesy of the media gadfly, who has never wavered in his admiration for ex-Virginia point guard Keith Jenifer, now a fifth-year senior at Murray State.

Jenifer was a starter for most of two seasons at Murray State before losing his job to erstwhile shooting guard Trey Pearson. When Pearson missed two games for undisclosed personal reasons, Jenifer returned to the starting lineup in February and the Racers are 8-1 since his re-insertion.

On Friday, the Racers face North Carolina, a team that Virginia defeated twice when Jenifer was the Cavaliers’ starting point guard as a freshman in 2001-2002. After Jenifer struggled offensively in 2002-2003 and faced an assault charge that never went to trial, he decided to transfer.

"When I was at Virginia I was young, kind of stupid and doing stuff that led me to here," Jenifer, 24, told the Louisville (Ky.) Courier-Journal. "Coach [Mick] Cronin gave me a second chance. He brought me here out in the middle of nowhere where I can just concentrate on basketball and academics -- that's made me grow up."
 

Cavaliers face another tough challenge
No. 2 Clemson comes to town for its ACC opener against tested Virginia
BY JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Mar 17, 2006

CHARLOTTESVILLE - Who says weekends are for relaxing? The University of Virginia baseball team, which battled top-ranked Georgia Tech in Atlanta last weekend, is bracing for another monumental challenge.

U.Va. plays host to second-ranked Clemson (11-3) at 5 p.m. today, at 1 p.m. tomorrow and at 1 p.m. Sunday. The Tigers have yet to play an ACC game this season. Virginia is 1-2 in the league.

"They're very similar," Cavaliers coach Brian O'Connor said of Georgia Tech and Clemson. "They're both very, very offensive-minded. Clemson also has outstanding pitching."

Virginia, which won 17 of its first 20 games in 2004, its first season under O'Connor, is off to another torrid start. The Cavaliers are 16-4, with two of those losses coming against Georgia Tech.

The Yellow Jackets romped 8-2 in the series opener, and then rallied to win 7-6 on Saturday.

The Cavaliers rebounded to beat previously unbeaten Tech 6-3 in the finale: heady stuff for a team that, when third baseman Jeremy Farrell is available, starts three freshmen in the field. The Wahoos out-hit the Jackets 35-24 in Atlanta.

"It was a great environment against a great team, and half the kids in our dugout had never been in an environment like that," O'Connor said. "I was very pleased with the way our kids showed the poise you've got to have to handle games like that.

"We lost a heartbreaker Saturday, and I think Sunday's game showed early signs of the character of this team."

Because of back problems, Farrell has played in only 13 games, but he's hitting .524 with six doubles, one triple and one home run.

"He's a tough kid, and he's grinding it out," O'Connor said.

 

Cavs ready for visit from No. 1 Clemson
Virginia took two games from Tigers in last year's ACC Tournament
Jesse Spears, Cavalier Daily Staff Writer

This weekend, the Virginia Cavaliers will face the Clemson Tigers in what may be the most exciting homestand of the season. Aside from the fact that Clemson is the second-ranked team nationally by Baseball America, the two teams have some bad blood between them that could heat up this weekend.

During last year's ACC Tournament, Virginia coach Brian O'Connor and Clemson coach Jack Leggett got into a verbal confrontation. While Cavalier fans can remember the tension of the day, O'Connor is interested in putting the incident behind him.

"I've got a lot of respect for coach Leggett," O'Connor said. "He's a great coach, one of the best coaches in college baseball, and we've had some very intense games. Obviously their program wants to win and so does ours. When you have two teams like that that lock up, there are going to be some heated battles, but that's good, because it's all in the interest of winning. But there is a good relationship there."

If the most heated battles come about in big games, fans will get their money's worth this weekend. Clemson (11-3, 0-0 ACC) comes into Friday's opener with history on their side. The two teams have met 133 times, with Clemson having won 100 of those games. However, recent trends have the Cavaliers on top. Virginia has won six of the last eight games and beat the Tigers twice in the ACC Tournament last year. While the Tigers are 39-19 all-time in games played at Virginia, no current Clemson starting pitcher has recorded a victory against the Cavaliers.

Furthermore, the series features a battle between Virginia's offense and Clemson's pitching. The Cavaliers are hitting .356 as a team with a .438 on-base percentage and 37 stolen bases in 48 attempts. Freshman Jeremy Farrell leads the team with a .524 batting average, followed by Brandon Marsh at .489 and David Adams at .390. Despite a lack of home runs hit, due mainly to spacious Davenport Field, the Cavaliers have put up runs in prolific fashion. They are tied for third in the ACC in doubles and are second in triples. Clemson counters with the best pitching staff in the ACC. The Tiger arms have a 2.09 ERA and a .199 opponents' batting average to their credit. Clemson is also the co-leader in fielding percentage with Miami, with a .974 clip.

In game one, Virginia's sophomore southpaw Sean Doolittle (4-0, 1.16 ERA) will take the mound against Clemson's senior righty Josh Cribb (4-0, 0.96 ERA). Doolittle has allowed only 11 hits and five walks with 29 strikeouts. Cribb is just as impressive, allowing 9 hits and 4 walks while recording 14 strikeouts. In his last outing against No. 25 Kansas, Cribb pitched seven innings of one-hit ball to secure the win.

In game two Saturday, freshman righty Jacob Thompson (4-0, 2.01 ERA) will face junior righthander Jason Berken (2-1, 2.70 ERA). Thompson has won four of his five starts for the Cavaliers, earning 27 strikeouts in the process. Berken has made four starts, allowing 18 hits and six walks while striking out 20 batters.

In game three, Virginia co-captain and senior lefthander Mike Ballard (3-1, 1.93 ERA) will battle junior righty Stephen Faris (1-0, 1.80 ERA). Ballard has allowed 26 hits and eight walks while striking out 23 batters in his five starts. Faris, a Richmond, Va. native, has made four starts, allowing 13 hits and five walks with 24 strikeouts.

The Cavalier faithful should expect the competition to be fierce. The players are aware of the importance of this weekend's series and the intensity that will accompany it.

"I'm looking forward to it, and I think all of us are," freshman David Adams said. "It's going to be a great series this weekend -- having a lot of fans out there -- its going to be exciting."

 

Virginia prepares for early-season showdown
No. 5 Virginia has won four straight games, looks to send No. 8 UNC home with second ACC loss
Chris Marsh, Cavalier Daily Associate Editor

For the first time this season, the No. 8 North Carolina lacrosse team will leave the friendly confines of Chapel Hill.

Virginia looks to spoil that road debut and make it five consecutive Cavalier victories over the Tar Heels and hand Carolina a costly second conference loss.

UNC has already lost to No. 2 Duke, 10-8, in a tight game between the bitter rivals. North Carolina ended a two-game losing streak, however, with an impressive 18-11 win over Virginia Tech. Down 2-6 early, North Carolina closed the game on a 16-5 run to rout the Hokies.

Virginia coach Julie Myers warns that the Heels will be looking forward to avenging their loss in Chapel Hill last year.

"They're coming in wanting a little bit of revenge," Myers said. "They want to show us what they can do on the field."

The Cavaliers immediately followed up their disappointing loss to Richmond with a 14-9 victory over Syracuse March 1. They spent Spring Break reestablishing their dominance, with statement victories at then-No. 4 Maryland and at then-No. 7 Penn State.

With victories against Boston College and Maryland, Virginia is 2-0 in the ACC but appears to be getting stronger as the season goes on. The close early-season games, Myers believes, were necessary growing pains for a young team.

"We knew early on we were going to have some close games," Myers said. "It's exactly what we thought. We knew that we needed games to get our kids better."

Virginia's offense has heated up after lackluster early-season performances. Held to an average of nine goals per game in their first three games, the Virginia attack has averaged 14.5 in their last four matchups.

Senior All-American Tyler Leachman, recently named ACC Player of the Week, has anchored the Virginia attack, which has successfully incorporated many new players.

"We have so many people now and so many spaces to fill," Leachman said. "Whoever's out there is doing a good job."

Leachman has shared the offensive success with newcomers Blair Weymouth and Whitaker Hagerman, who have quickly developed into capable ACC attackers. Weymouth leads the team with 19 points, including 12 goals. Hagerman burst onto the scene with a five-goal performance against Syracuse.

UNC is led by senior Stephanie Scurachio and her team-high nineteen points, as well as junior All-Americans Kristen Hordy and Jenn Cook. There is no shortage of talent in Chapel Hill, as evidenced in their narrow loss to Duke. This year's Tar Heel team began the season ranked No. 3 before dropping two close games that sent them to No. 8.

The team is very much aware of the expectations on UNC this year.

"UNC obviously is a huge rival," Leachman said. "They had a close game with Duke, and they've been talked about a lot during the preseason."

"They're a very aggressive, very athletic and very fast team," Myers said.

Myers believes her squad still has only begun to reach its full potential.

"I think that we're still going to get worlds better," Myers said.

 

Schaub is safer bet than top college prospects

By Michael Smith
ESPN.com
Archive

All you heard after this year's Rose Bowl was Vince Young this, Vince Young that. Jay Cutler was the talk of the Senior Bowl and the scouting combine. Now, nearly a week into free agency and six weeks before the draft, the hottest quarterback prospect isn't from college but rather is 24-year-old Atlanta backup Matt Schaub.

Word around the campfire is the Dolphins offered the Falcons a second-round pick and then some (pick or player) for Michael Vick's understudy before they swung a deal with the Vikings for Daunte Culpepper. The Falcons want Jets franchised defensive end John Abraham, but New York's desire for Schaub in exchange is holding up that deal. The Cowboys, Ravens, Titans and Vikings -- all in the market for a young quarterback -- have contacted the Falcons about Schaub and been rebuffed.

It's going to take a lot to pry Schaub -- a third-round pick out of Virginia in 2004 (the fifth quarterback selected) -- from the Falcons, and it's easy to understand why. With injuries and inept performances common, a quality backup quarterback is not a luxury but a necessity. The way Vick plays, he inevitably gets hurt. Schaub stepped in for Vick in Week 5 last year and made a nice résumé tape for himself, shredding the Patriots' defense for 298 yards and three touchdowns in a three-point loss -- this, one week after he impersonated Vick in the second half of a blowout win over the Vikings, running for 56 yards on four carries. Not coincidentally, new Jets coach Eric Mangini was New England's defensive coordinator last year and Vikings owner Zygi Wilf had a front-row (box) seat for Schaub's dynamic relief performance against his defense.

In limited playing time, Schaub has convinced many teams he can be a top-flight starter.
Remember: Three falls ago, Falcons owner Arthur Blank had to watch Doug Johnson quarterback his team when Vick missed most of the 2003 season with a broken leg. For the Falcons to make a deal involving Schaub -- and the impression I got Wednesday from speaking with one high-ranking team official was that he was not "untouchable" -- they have to be able to replace him with someone they feel they can win with when and if Vick goes down for a game or two.

Problem is, not many teams (how about Tennessee with Billy Volek?) can offer the combination of a starting-caliber backup and high pick(s) it takes to get Schaub. So then, it's up to the aforementioned QB-needy teams to make Atlanta a Godfather offer.

If I'm the Jets or Titans, I do darn near whatever it takes to get this kid. It says a lot, doesn't it, that both those clubs -- teams picking third (Titans) and fourth -- are exploring alternatives to drafting a quarterback early. As much as there is to like about Cutler, Young and Matt Leinart, there's no question each has holes in his game. Can Cutler correct the bad habits he developed playing with poor talent at Vanderbilt? (Oh, and FYI: From what I understand, Cutler didn't exactly blow the Jets away during his combine interview.) Can Young cut it as a passer at this level? And how's Leinart going to respond to a pass-rush?

We've seen what a crapshoot picking quarterbacks can be. Crap out early and it can cost you $20 million.

So if I'm going to role the dice, I do it on a guy who's cheap ($385,000 next year, the last of his contract, after which he becomes a restricted free agent) and whom I don't have to try to project as much. Even though Schaub has started only two games, he is 134 regular-season pass attempts more experienced than any of the top prospects.

The Jets took the unusual step of having players break down their college game film at the combine. They already have NFL film on Schaub. You know what he can do against a Bill Belichick scheme, a Ted Cottrell defense, pro competition. With the draft's big three, as Jim Mora's dad once said, you think you know, but you just don't know. I'm guessing the Jets and Titans have some doubts about the top guys and would prefer not to bet the house on an unknown.

Something else that makes Schaub attractive is that he has had great training. His position coach at Virginia was Bill Musgrave, his head coach Al Groh. In Atlanta, he has been tutored by Greg Knapp, who has worked with Pro Bowlers Steve Young, Jeff Garcia and Vick. When you watch Schaub, you see a big (6 foot 5, 237 pounds), poised and accurate passer. You see perhaps the next Mark Brunell or Marc Bulger or Matt Hasselbeck or Jake Delhomme -- all one-time understudies who have gone on to have success as starters. Schaub is bright and makes good decisions. Cutler, Leinart and Young will need time to adjust to the pro game. Schaub is ready to step in and lead right now. Atlanta took care of a lot of the grooming.

The Falcons would like to hold on to Schaub, and that's smart, but if the right offer comes along that could help them improve at several other positions, they'd be foolish not to consider it. Or maybe they just keep him this year, slap the high (first- and third-round pick compensation) restricted tender on him next year and make the rest of the league wait until he's an unrestricted free agent. But his trade value might never be higher than it is right now -- something for the Falcons to think about.

As for any teams thinking about taking a gamble on a quarterback, they might want to consider passing on investing a top-five pick and a large signing bonus in an unproven player. There are very few sure things when it comes to quarterbacks. Anyway, unless you're the Saints -- who pick second -- you don't know for sure whether you'll get the QB you want.

I still believe the top three guys will be good players, but Schaub just might be the best bet. He's certainly the safest.