THE NEXT GENERATION: With tailback Antwoine Womack recovering from a torn anterior cruciate ligament, tight end Chris Luzar might be the first player from the University of Virginia selected in this month's NFL draft.
Luzar, the Cavaliers' second-leading receiver in 2001, won't be easy to replace, but second-year coach Al Groh believes he has two outstanding prospects in Patrick Estes and Heath Miller.
The 6-7, 255-pound Estes, who's from Benedictine High in Richmond, appeared in 11 games and caught three passes (for 33 yards) as a true freshman last season. The 6-5 Miller, a 2001 graduate of Honaker High, redshirted. He arrived at U.Va. as a quarterback but switched during the season to tight end. He's up to 255 pounds, about 20 more than when he enrolled.
"We're going to end up with two good-sized tight ends with multiple skills," Groh said yesterday.
ON THE MOVE: Miller's development has allowed Groh to shift Chris Luzar's brother Kase, a backup tight end last season, to fullback. Also in the mix there are Brandon Isaiah (a converted tailback), Ben Vincent and Trae Toliver.
Jonathan Ward, who backed up senior Tyree Foreman at fullback in 2001, hasn't practiced this spring and isn't likely to do so, Groh said. Ward, a rising junior, has been bothered by concussions and might not play football again.
"I don't know if it's so much concern [on the part of] the doctors," Groh said. "I think this is going to have to be something that he thinks out, too."
Ward has a history of concussions, Groh said, "apparently a little bit more than [U.Va. coaches] were aware of before he got here."
Kase Luzar, a 6-2, 235-pound rising junior, played "move tight end" last season, and his responsibilities were similar to those of a fullback, Groh said, so he's "got a good background in the position."
Groh likened Luzar's playing style to that of Jon Ritchie, the Oakland Raiders' 6-1, 250-pound fullback.
COMEBACK KIDS: Isaiah and inside linebacker Rich Bedesem each tore an ACL early last season: Isaiah, in the opener at Wisconsin; Bedesem, a few days later in practice. Each had season-ending knee surgery and then "rehabbed relentlessly," Groh said.
They also got a head start on the winter strength program, and their work appears to have paid off. They were cleared for contact before the start of spring drills, and "both have taken every play so far," Groh said.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS: Groh and his staff will hold a clinic for coaches April 24 at the Holiday Inn in Bristol. For more information, call Leslie Desimini in the Virginia football office at (800) 444-4882.
More than 130 coaches attended a two-day clinic at U.Va. over the weekend. Among those who spoke were NFL Hall of Famer Howie Long; Mike Pope, the New York Giants' tight ends coach; and Jim Hickam, coach at Roanoke's Northside High.
GOOD SHOWING: After impressing during the non-contact portion of spring practice last year, outside linebacker Dennis Haley fell out of favor with the new U.Va. staff. The former standout at Group AA power Salem High was on the field for only 46 plays - he made two tackles - as a redshirt freshman last season.
Don't write off Haley just yet, however. He looks better this spring, Groh said, and that's "pleasing to the coaches and pleasing to Dennis."
The 6-1, 230-pound Haley has the size and speed to be a productive Division I-A linebacker. The issue has been his toughness, which "is a talent as much as the measurables," Groh said. "If it wasn't, then everybody would be tough."
NOW OR NEVER: Virginia's latest recruiting class includes several touted tailbacks, including Michael Johnson, Wali Lundy and Tony Franklin, so Marquis Weeks needs to play well this spring. If not, younger backs will pass him this summer.
"I'd say he's off to a good start," Groh said.
A 5-11, 205-pound rising junior, Weeks carried only four times - for 16 yards - in 2001. Weeks didn't show the consistency Groh wanted last season.
"On one play it looked like, 'This guy's really ready,'" Groh said. "On the next play it might look like, 'Hey, who snuck into this guy's jersey?'
"A player has to be ready to step up to the plate every day and be ready to step up to the plate every pitch. There's no take signs out there; you've got to be ready to take your cut every play." - Jeff White
Charleston hiring Herrion
CHARLOTTESVILLE - University of Virginia assistant Tommy Herrion will be introduced today as men's basketball coach at the College of Charleston in South Carolina, sources said. Herrion, 34, will succeed John Kresse, who retired last month after 23 seasons as the Cougars' coach.
Several candidates for the job, including Charleston assistant Ben Betts, East Tennessee State coach Ed DeChellis and Winthrop coach Gregg Marshall, a former Kresse assistant, recently withdrew from consideration. Maryland assistant Dave Dickerson was once considered the front-runner to succeed Kresse but had strong reservations about Charleston's facilities, sources said.
Kresse, who'll remain at Charleston as a special assistant to the school's president, compiled an astonishing 560-143 record with the Cougars, who had the nation's second-best winning percentage (82.1) over the past nine seasons. They finished 21-9 in 2001-02 and claimed a share of their fourth straight South Division title in the Southern Conference.
Neither Herrion nor his boss for the past eight years, Pete Gillen, could be reached for comment.
Like Kresse, a native of Brooklyn, N.Y., Herrion will be a transplanted Yankee working in the South. Herrion is a native of Oxford, Mass. His brother Bill is head coach at East Carolina. Their late father, Jim, was an assistant at Holy Cross and head coach at Worchester Polytechnic Institute.
A graduate of Merrimack College, Tommy Herrion joined Gillen's staff at Providence in 1994, then followed him to U.Va. in 1998.
Gillen may look to the NBA to fill the opening left by Herrion's departure. Michael Malone, 32, who worked for Gillen at Providence and Virginia, is one of the New York Knicks' many assistant coaches. Malone was director of men's basketball administration at U.Va. in 1998-99. When Bobby Gonzalez left Virginia to become head coach at Manhattan in 1999, he took Malone to New York with him.
Malone, whose father, Brendan, is a former NBA head coach, spent two seasons at Manhattan before joining the Knicks' staff.
Bad will surely turn to worse if Mason bolts
No.
Worse, still, for Virginia Cavaliers basketball rooters is staring deep into the tunnel and realizing the only glow is a candlelight vigil. Worse for Pete Gillen is watching a window of opportunity to make noise in the ACC begin to close.
Worse is Roger Mason Jr.
If swooning from late January to the finish line was a stinging jab to the schnoz for the Cavs, Mason delivered the sucker-punch haymaker Monday evening. That's when the e-mail transmission hit the fan: Mason - U.Va.'s best player and leading scorer as a junior - would be leaving semi-pro ball and research papers behind to collect NBA paychecks and per diems.
That's his intention, at any rate.
In announcing he'd submit his name for draft consideration, Mason didn't equivocate much. He did leave the door slightly ajar by saying NCAA regs "allow me to pursue this opportunity while maintaining my college eligibility" - code words for a player's right to withdraw his name between now and June 19, a week before the draft.
Otherwise, Mason statement gave no indication he's anything but fully committed to bolting for the NBA. League rules give underclassmen till May 12 to submit the include-me-in paperwork. Mason made his call more than a month ahead of that deadline. He said the decision was "based on information suggesting that now is the optimal time for me to begin pursuing my chosen profession." He added that he feels "confident in my ability to play at the next level, and I look forward to the challenges ahead."
Think that sounds as though Gillen can count on the kid to show up in Octo- ber for preseason wind sprints?
Whether Mason is actually ready for this step is immaterial. I might look at his sub-40-percent accuracy in ACC games and so-so assists/turnovers ratio and wonder if he's ready. Doesn't matter. You might consider he was a prominent member of a squad that dropped 10 of its closing 13 starts and wonder if he's ready. Doesn't matter.
What matters - all that matters - is whether Mason believes he's ready, wants to pocket some serious coin, is weary of classwork, doesn't think another season of Gillenball will raise his profile, any or all of the above.
College hoops once was viewed as the bridge to education by our nation's schoolboys. Now it's just a way station en route to draft-day handshakes with David Stern. Indiana sophomore Jared Jeffries already has taken the plunge. Stanford junior Curtis Borchardt and Maryland sophomore Chris Wilcox are said to be on the brink.
The difference is those are big guys, and Mason is a 6-5 guard who's sized up by one pro scout as no sure thing. On the flip side, a draftniks Web site currently slots him as the No. 16 selection. And even if Mason isn't included in the guaranteed-money first round, he can take comfort in knowing that 11 of the first 13 players picked in the second round landed roster spots.
Conclusion: Your guess is as good as mine.
What's beyond dispute is the damage Mason's departure inflicts on U.Va. He was the Cavs' go-to scorer, their primary perimeter threat, their off-the-dribble slasher, their linchpin. Without him, the offense is Travis Watson in the low post, transfer guard Todd Billet presumably firing from long range and . . . what?
Based on the way U.Va. plays defense, it needs offense. Based on projections for the ACC next season, the Cavs had a shot. Kingpins Maryland and Duke don't figure to be as strong. North Carolina will be young enough for daycare. Wake Forest might slip a notch or so. N.C. State lacks ballhandlers. Georgia Tech is probably a year away. Virginia - with Mason and Billet to spread rival defenses and five serviceable players 6-8 or taller on board - was maybe the team most likely to make a move.
Now, without Mason, all bets are off. He was 18.6 points per game. He was experience. He was get-us-a-basket-at-money-time. He was top gun.
He leaves as an unfinished product. He leaves a gaping void as well.
Point guard Boone asks for release
By BARRY SVRLUGA, Staff
Writer
CHAPEL HILL - Adam Boone,
who secured North Carolina's starting point guard job in 2001-02 but faced an
uncertain future in 2002-03, has apparently decided to transfer from UNC.
"He asked for his release [from his scholarship]," Boone's father,
Louis, said Tuesday night after Carolina's annual basketball awards banquet at
the Smith Center. "We support him 100 percent in any decision he
makes."
Boone, who just completed his sophomore season for the Tar Heels, declined to
elaborate on his situation.
"Nothing's really done; it's not finalized," said Boone, who picked
up the awards for most assists and most good plays Tuesday. "Tonight's for
the seniors."
But as he hugged well-wishers and said goodbyes, it was apparent Boone will
become the third player to leave the UNC program in the past four months. Center
Neil Fingleton departed in December for Holy Cross, and guard Brian Morrison
announced last month that he would transfer. Morrison has not yet decided where
he will go, but said Tuesday night that he has scheduled visits to Oregon, UCLA
and California.
The three were the last players recruited by the staff of former head coach
Bill Guthridge, who retired in July 2000.
After improving tremendously over the course of last year's historic 8-20
campaign -- the school's worst season ever -- the 6-foot-2 Boone might have
entered next season as the starter. But with the hoopla surrounding incoming
Raymond Felton -- a prep All-America from Latta, S.C. -- it's unlikely Boone
would have held the job long.
Felton is part of a six-member recruiting class, and coach Matt Doherty said
after the season that he would have to play all six freshmen and the three
rising sophomores -- forward Jawad Williams and guards Melvin Scott and Jackie
Manuel -- to improve. Though Boone averaged 7.2 points and 3.2 assists in 24.5
minutes, he is not as quick as Felton or Scott. He did show some promise,
starting 18 times and scoring a career-high 28 points against Florida State.
But with the likelihood of a reduced role, Boone decided to transfer while he
could still contribute to another program. He met with Doherty on Tuesday
morning but declined to discuss the meeting Tuesday night.
It is distinctly possible that Boone, a native of Minneapolis, could transfer
to hometown Minnesota. As a senior, Boone selected the Tar Heels over the
Gophers.
His departure does not free up a scholarship for the summer recruiting
season. The NCAA only allows a program to allot five scholarships per year --
one of Carolina's incoming players, David Noel of Durham Southern, will walk on
-- and UNC has reached the limit.
The No. 2 Virginia men's lacrosse team boasts the ACC's top two goal scorers this year, and neither of them is Conor Gill. Neither has ever played college lacrosse before. This doesn't sound like the Virginia lacrosse team the world is used to watching, as freshman attackmen John Christmas and Joe Yevoli have become the Cavaliers' newest scoring sensations.
These two highly touted recruits only have surpassed their advance billing. Yevoli leads Virginia with 22 goals; Christmas' 17 goals and nine assists have him tied with Gill as the team's leader in points. Both are equally dangerous and equally feared by opposing defenses.
Their talents are as similarly matched as their stories. Christmas and Yevoli both started playing the game in elementary school. Each was inspired by a family member - Christmas followed the example of his older brothers who played lacrosse to stay in shape for football; Yevoli modeled himself after his father, playing dad's position and wearing his number 42.
This explosive offensive tandem made acquaintances and began their joint efforts as early as their recruiting trip.
"We actually met in the airport," Yevoli said. "His mom came over and asked if I was Joe, and then she brought me over to meet his family. I've actually heard of John for a while. I'd heard a lot of different things about him - even that he was 6'2" and about 205."
The 5'9", 175 Christmas, however, only plays larger than his current stature, and his high school record - a three-time All-American - only is testament to that.
The good-spirited friendship between Christmas and Yevoli, evident in the jovial way they talk about each other, may have begun in the Charlottesville-Albemarle airport but has spilled onto the field, mediated by the attack squad's anchor, Gill.
"Coach talked about how great a leader [Gill] was, that he was willing to back down a little and give us some of the scoring," Christmas said. "He being a senior, captain and potential three-time All-American - that's the best leadership you can get."
In the past, Gill has had to shoulder a greater share of the scoring load and has not been able to do what he does best: finding the open man in front of the net. With the talent of Christmas and Yevoli playing alongside him, Gill has been able to focus on what he does best.
"He gets the number one defenseman every game, so that helps both of us," Christmas said. "He gets all the attention because he is a great scorer and feeder. When he gets the double teams, it's not that hard of a job to put the ball in the net."
Christmas' modesty is apparent, but his numbers speak for themselves. Yevoli and he are sharing the spotlight in the same way they are sharing the scoring - together. It is the mental aspects of the game that usually take the longest to learn, especially with the added demands associated with instant production, but this dynamic duo appears well ahead of schedule.
"I felt some pressure for myself to come in and play well," Yevoli said. "But Conor helped us out the whole way."
Deflecting praise onto each other and citing their collective teamwork is the only way Christmas and Yevoli know how to deal with their success.
Yevoli is "a great player," Christmas said. "He's basically got the total package. We complement each other with our styles and with Conor's playing style as well. It's rare that you find three attackmen that complement each other so well, and I think that's why we're doing so well."
As good as Christmas and Yevoli are now, their careers only have just begun, and yet already they seem to be playing in sync.
"We have good chemistry now, but it will just get better," Yevoli said. "We just have to build that - that's the most important thing. We're going to be playing together for four years."
Now that's a scary proposition for opposing defenses everywhere.
With spring football practice kicking into high gear, Virginia coach Al Groh sounded optimistic about his Cavalier squad in a teleconference Monday. Though spring practice proves only marginally indicative of a team's performance during the season, Groh said thus far he's pleased with the Cavalier effort.
"We've had a very good energy level," Groh said. "I am satisfied with the physical nature of the practice."
Most questions during Monday's teleconference focused on Virginia's offense. Last year, the Cavaliers rotated between two sophomore quarterbacks, Matt Schaub and Bryson Spinner. After Spinner left school in January, Schaub seems the clear frontrunner for the starting job this fall, despite a challenge from redshirt freshman Marques Hagans.
"Matt is continuing to progress within the offense," Groh said. "Marques is learning the offense. He's getting the footwork down, getting the reads down. He is certainly in a different phase than Matt Schaub."
But while the quarterback spot looks filled for the upcoming year, the fullback position still remains in question. Sophomore Jonathan Ward suffered a concussion earlier this spring and is likely to be out for the duration of practice. Ward's status for the upcoming year also might be in jeopardy.
"This is going to have to be something that he thinks out," Groh said. "Apparently [his history with concussions] is a little bit more than the people here had realized."
Once again, the premiere offensive unit this fall probably will feature a veteran core of wide receivers, led by All-American Billy McMullen. The junior wide receiver set a school record last season with 83 catches. This spring, McMullen continues to improve.
"He looks very much on top of his game right now," Groh said in a teleconference last week.
Michael McGrew most likely will line up opposite McMullen. The sophomore started a number of games last fall and has continued to impress the coaching staff this spring.
"I thought Mike had a pretty decent year last year," Groh said. "I see him picking up on that. I'm anticipating the same evolution for Mike," that McMullen had before his junior year.
With a veteran quarterback and a strong receiving corps, Virginia looks primed to have another solid year offensively. On the defensive side of the ball, the Cavaliers hope to improve in the speed department. The Cavalier defense likely will get a boost from Virginia's highly touted recruiting class when it arrives in the fall.
"We have some faster players coming in that are in the mix for some playing time," Groh said.
Spring practice will continue for the next two weeks, and will culminate in the annual Spring Game April 20 at Scott Stadium.