4/14/02 - Purposeful

By JOHN GALINSKY
Daily Progress staff writer

Virginia celebrated the 30th and 50th anniversaries of two of its four men’s lacrosse national championships Saturday. Then the current Cavaliers showed why there might soon be a fifth.
With its typical finishing flourish, No. 2 UVa scored the game’s final four goals and dumped No. 12 Duke, 15-10, at Klockner Stadium. The victory, their seventh straight, completed an undefeated regular season in conference play for the Cavaliers (8-1, 3-0 ACC), who are all but certain to move up to No. 1 in Monday’s USILA poll after Syracuse lost earlier in the week.
“If we’re No. 1 a month from now, I’ll be pretty darn pleased. All it means is we’ve had a good season to date, and we’re certainly proud of that,” said Virginia coach Dom Starsia, whose team will be the top seed in next weekend’s ACC tournament at Duke. A blind draw will determine its opponent. “Winning the regular-season ACC championship certainly means something to all of us.”
The triumph was tempered by an injury to All-American defenseman Mark Koontz, who twisted his left knee in the third quarter and was walking with a pronounced limp after the game. He will undergo an MRI on Monday to determine the severity, Starsia said.
Virginia also lost 22 of 28 faceoffs, exposing its major weakness. Otherwise, the Cavaliers looked every bit like a legitimate championship contender on a day when they honored members of their 1952 and 1972 title teams at halftime.
Against a Duke defense that had been allowing 7.33 goals per game, fifth fewest in the country, they produced their biggest offensive output since a season-opening 20-5 victory over Drexel. A.J. Shannon scored three goals, while Joe Yevoli, John Christmas and Nick Russo each had two. The ball movement was crisp as the three starting attackmen — Christmas, Yevoli and Conor Gill — finished with two assists apiece.
Tillman Johnson was solid in goal with 14 saves, his seventh straight game in double digits. And the team’s overall play down the stretch was superb, as usual. With a 4-2 advantage in the fourth quarter, Virginia has now outscored its opponents, 24-12, in the final period.
“I told the team afterward that this group has demonstrated a fortitude that hasn’t always been common around here,” Starsia said. “We’ve played our best lacrosse at the end of games. ... In every game, I think we’ve been smart and tough at the end.”
The Cavaliers also continued a somewhat troubling trend of not putting away opponents when they’re down. In their previous two games against Maryland and North Carolina, they built four-goal leads before holding on to win by one goal. On Saturday, they were up 9-4 in the second quarter before allowing Duke to crawl back to within 11-10 on Kevin Caccese’s goal with 12:42 left in the game.
But they blanked the Blue Devils (5-5, 1-2 ACC) the rest of the way as Johnson made several outstanding saves.
“Even though teams are getting back in games, the defense is playing amazing at the end and shutting the door when it counts,” Johnson said.
Starsia switched to a zone defense in the fourth quarter, a move that paid off when long-stick midfielder Trey Whitty intercepted a pass with the Cavaliers clinging to a one-goal lead. He passed to Russo, who crossed midfield, charged forward and beat Duke goalie A.J. Kincel with a hard, low shot that changed the game’s momentum.
Kincel, a former St. Anne’s-Belfield standout, made 13 saves in his homecoming and kept the Blue Devils in contention with a series of clutch stops in the third quarter. But he couldn’t withstand Virginia’s pressure in the final 12 minutes.
Freshman midfielder Jared Little made it 13-10 by converting a nice feed from Chris Rotelli. Russo and Whitty then added insurance goals to bolster Virginia’s case for the No. 1 ranking.
“No. 1, it’s always nice to be No. 1. It feels good,” Shannon said. “But we don’t put much weight on it. We take every game as it is. And right now our main focus is on the ACC tournament. Whoever we play, we’ll be ready for them.”

Scattershooting around the ACC, while noting how pleasing it was to see Tom Herrion get a head coaching job last week ...
As most of you are aware by now, the hard-working assistant who sat alongside Virginia’s Pete Gillen for eight years, was named head coach at the College of Charleston (S.C.). He was chosen from an impressive list of candidates, and it wasn’t surprising that Herrion’s personality made the difference.
“We talked to a lot of people at a lot of different levels, but his enthusiasm just leaped out,” said Charleston athletics director Jerry Baker. “He has a real passion for the game, he’s committed to excellence and he has a strong resume. He is a real up-and-comer in the profession, and I think he’s going to do a great job here.”
Herrion took a lot of things from Gillen, including a few one-liners. He didn’t shy away from using a couple to win over the audience at his first news conference in South Carolina’s Low Country, one of this columnist’s favorite places in the South.
“One of the things I noticed about Charleston is that there’s water everywhere and a lot of bridges,” said Herrion. “So if things don’t go well, I’ll have a lot of choices of which bridge to jump off.”
One of the nice things about the transition between legendary former coach John Kresse, who had 560 victories in 23 seasons at Charleston is that the old coach gave Herrion his blessing.
“As someone who was not on the search committee, I just told the president that we needed someone who is a good teacher and good coach,” Kresse said. “That definitely happened with Tom.”

What’s up?

Writers who cover Virginia basketball don’t quite understand why Gillen has not made himself more available since the end of the season.
It has been more than a month since the Cavaliers lost to South Carolina in the opening round of the NIT and the only availability state media have had to Gillen was a 12-minute teleconference a couple of weeks ago. Meanwhile, UVa football coach Al Groh has had at least one live news conference that lasted more than half an hour and three teleconferences each week during spring ball that usually last about a half hour each.
We understand that Gillen is busy recruiting and solving problems within his own program, but it wouldn’t hurt to make himself available to media from time to time, and for more than 12 minutes. With the recent announcement of Roger Mason Jr. to explore the NBA draft and rumors surrounding potential transfers, the opening of his lead assistant and other matters, fans of the program want to hear Gillen’s thoughts on the issues.

Building a contender?

Virginia baseball coach Dennis Womack believes the Cavaliers will upgrade their talent substantially via recruiting over the next few years because of the first substantial commitment to the program in decades.
“If they come to Virginia you can get a great education, play in a great league and in a great facility,” he said in reference to the new stadium that played to
a sellout crowd of 1,500 last night for the dedication of Davenport Field, in honor of the late Ted Davenport.
Heading into the weekend, five of the ACC’s nine teams were ranked in the top 25, including four in Baseball America’s top 10. It should also be noted that two teams from the state of Virginia, both Richmond and JMU are ranked in that poll’s top 25.
Certainly if UR and JMU can field programs worthy of national rankings, then UVa can now do the same.

Talk about recruiting. Recruiting analyst Tom Lemming rated Virginia’s Groh as one of the top three head coaches that he knew who could make such a major impact during in-home recruiting visits. The others were Florida State’s Bobby Bowden and Tennessee’s Phil Fulmer.
Ever wonder who inspired Groh in the recruiting department? The answer may surprise you.
Bill Dooley.
“I think that organizationally, the first head coach I worked for who really put a tremendous emphasis on full staff recruiting was Bill Dooley when I was a young assistant at North Carolina,” said Groh. “I bought right into that because that was the way I was feeling as a young and energetic coach. When I got involved with that, I was like, ‘Hey, wow, this is great.’”
Dooley was famous for robbing the state of Virginia of its best high school talent and coaching that talent to bowl games across the border.
“It turned out to be advantageous for me because I didn’t have a North Carolina area to recruit, I had the Virginia area,” said Groh. “So, for five years I was working the schools here, getting to know the highways, getting to know a lot of people who are still around either as coaches or administrators.
“That shows where I am,” Groh paused to reminisce. “Since I’ve returned, I’ve stopped in a bunch of places to talk to the coach and I can remember when that coach was a prospect, what position he played. That has been a help now that I’m back. I know the schools and know the traditions of those schools.”

CHARLOTTESVILLE At Upper Arlington High outside Columbus, Ohio, Mark Koontz set a school record for receptions in a football season. Never before, however, had Koontz made a catch as spectacular as this one.

In an early December game of touch football - seniors vs. freshmen - that was part of the Virginia lacrosse team's off-season conditioning program, the old-timers faced fourth and long. Koontz went deep, dived in the end zone, his body fully extended, and somehow came up with the pass from Conor Gill.

Cavaliers coach Dom Starsia has called it one of the greatest catches he's ever witnessed. Unfortunately for Koontz, that brilliant grab nearly ended his brilliant lacrosse career. He put his left arm out to break his fall. Instead he shattered a bone in his wrist.

"The orthopedic surgeon said it was the worst break he'd ever seen," Starsia said.

Koontz, a senior defenseman, had two operations on his wrist in December. His doctors told him it might take a year for the injury to heal and advised him not to play lacrosse this spring. They said another break could have serious medical implications, but Koontz didn't hesitate.

Not only was the two-time team captain intent on helping the Cavaliers rebound from a disappointing 2001 season, he had a job waiting for him at Goldman Sachs in New York City after he graduated in May. Redshirting wasn't a viable option.

"I kind of knew all along that I was going to play," said Koontz, a finance major in U.Va.'s McIntire School of Commerce.

Diane Koontz, back home in Ohio, wasn't wild about the idea. But she left the decision up to her son, and "I told her I really wanted to play," Koontz said.

And so he dons a hard Fiberglas cast before every practice and every game and tries to protect his wrist as best he can. "I don't think I've made it much worse," Koontz said. "I certainly haven't made it better."

The injury kept him out of the Feb. 24 opener against Drexel, but the 6-2, 205-pound Koontz returned the next weekend for Virginia's showdown with Syracuse at Klockner Stadium. The Orangemen prevailed 15-13, but Koontz silenced All-American Josh Coffman in the second half.

"Right away, he gave us more than we expected and more than we had a right to expect," Starsia said.

Koontz can't lift weights, can't carry anything in his left hand and, he said, "can't be as creative" with the ball in his stick. He struggles, too, when he tries to pick up loose balls. Yet he's been a fixture in the lineup, and he's a big reason Virginia (7-1) will carry a No. 2 national ranking into its ACC game with No. 12 Duke (5-4) tomorrow at Klockner.

"I tell you what," Starsia said, "I think he's playing better this year than at any point of his career."

That's saying a lot. As a freshman reserve in 1999, Koontz helped Virginia win the NCAA title. In 2000, he was named a second-team All-American, and he moved up to the first team last season. He's a virtual lock to become the first U.Va. defenseman to make all-ACC three times.

Koontz generally draws the opponent's top attackman, and "frankly, he's been dominating in all his matchups," Starsia said.

This doesn't seem to add up. An All-America defenseman who was renowned for his stick work can now barely grip his stick with his left hand. And he's playing better?

"Playing in the cast and being limited in that capacity has made me make the safe play every time," Koontz said.

ANOTHER WEAPON: Al Groh expects a lot from rising junior Billy McMullen, the ACC's top receiver in 2001, and he hasn't been disappointed this spring.

"Just classic Billy McMullen," said Groh, Virginia's second-year coach. "Comes to work with a purpose every day."

That's been the case, too, with Michael McGrew, which bodes well for the Cavaliers' passing attack. McGrew finished with a flourish last season and is "having a really good camp," Groh said of the rising junior from Birmingham, Ala.

McGrew's breakthrough came Oct. 13 at North Carolina, where he had five catches for 48 yards and his first touchdown. He finished the season with 31 catches for 302 yards and two TDs and could make it risky for opponents to double-team McMullen in 2002.

"Every play with Michael right now is pedal to the metal," Groh said. "Now, whether it's acceleration into the secondary or working on blocking or taking away the leverge of the defense," McGrew goes full speed all the time.

SENSE OF URGENCY: Former L.C. Bird High star Merrill Robertson played out of position at defensive end in 1999 and 2000 after beginning his college career at fullback. He finally moved last year to inside linebacker, his natural position, and won a starting job. But Robertson got hurt in the opener at Wisconsin and wasn't full speed the rest of the season.

His career has not unfolded the way he expected when he enrolled at Virginia, but Robertson is healthy again and realizes he's down to his final season.

"There's a very palpable intensity about what he's doing," Groh said.

FALLING IN LINE: With starting guard Elton Brown out with a bad back, the first-team offensive line at yesterday's practice consisted of guards Jay Green and Mark Farrington, center Kevin Bailey and tackles Mike Mullins and Brian Barthelmes. Mullins is the only rising senior in the group. Green and Bailey will be juniors in the fall, Farrington and Brown sophomores, Barthelmes a redshirt freshman.

PAPER THIN: U.Va., whose base defense is the 3-4, started spring drills with six defensive linemen: ends Chris Canty, Larry Simmons, Matt Stone and Brennan Schmidt; and nose tackles Andrew Hoffman and Justin Walker.

"They're kind of like the Alamo," Groh said Wednesday. "There's not many of them holding the line."

There was one less by the end of practice yesterday after Canty, probably the most talented of the group, injured his ankle.

The Cavaliers' incoming freshman class includes five defensive linemen - Keenan Carter, Robert Armstrong, D.J. Bell, Braden Campbell and Kwakou Robinson - and all might play in 2002, Groh said. Carter and Armstrong still must qualify academically.

ON-THE-JOB TRAINING: Corwin Brown had to oversee the kickoff, kick return, punt, punt return, field goal and field goal block teams last season, a huge load for a first-year coach to carry. The Cavaliers' special teams struggled, and Brown, 31, probably felt lost at times. Groh figured that might happen when he hired Brown, whose eight-year NFL career ended in 2000.

"It's similar - not the same - but similar to a rookie player that comes in that's got a lot of promise," said Groh, a former NFL coach. "One of the things that you had to do with your roster in that league, that the coach is always challenged with, is, are you going to keep your security blankets on the team or are you going to go with young talent?

"The security blanket being the veteran player who knows what to do and has been around, but is maybe on the decline. Then you have the promising young rookie. That was just one of a number of spots [on the coaching staff] where we had that circumstance."

FORGETTABLE CAREER: Linebacker Ned Bowen and wideout Steve Holmes are on U.Va.'s roster, but neither is practicing this spring. Bowen and Holmes are scholarship lacrosse players, and "I'd like to see them stay out there and try to win the national championship," Groh said.

He welcomes walk-ons from other U.Va. teams, Groh said, but it's difficult to succeed in two sports. He speaks from experience, having been a reserve in football and lacrosse at Virginia in the '60s.

"I was a no-sport guy," Groh said. "I was a two-activity participant. I played on one of the few bad Virginia lacrosse teams, and the fact that I played on it was one of the reasons it was bad." - Jeff White

CHARLOTTESVILLE, April 13 -- Its once-yawning lead trimmed to one goal by visiting Duke, No. 2 Virginia scored four unanswered goals to seal a 15-10 win this afternoon at Klockner Stadium.

With their seventh straight victory, the Cavaliers (8-1, 3-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) earned the league's regular season title and likely will move up to No. 1 in the polls because top-ranked Syracuse lost at Cornell on Tuesday.

The 12th-ranked Blue Devils (5-5, 1-2) pulled to 11-10 with a pair of goals in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter, but Virginia switched to a zone defense and clamped down for the final 12 1/2 minutes.

"This group has demonstrated a fortitude that hasn't always been common around here," Cavaliers Coach Dom Starsia said. "We play our best lacrosse at the end of games. . . . I thought we kind of ran them into the ground in the fourth quarter."

The zone helped Virginia compensate for the absence of all-American defenseman Mark Koontz, who played sporadically after injuring his left knee midway through the third quarter. Koontz, who fought through a wrist injury early in the season, will undergo an MRI exam on the knee on Monday.

"I thought [the zone] slowed them down," Starsia said. "With Mark on and off the field, I didn't think we really had any continuity on defense. It worked out about as well as we could have hoped it to."

With 11 minutes left and Virginia leading, 11-10, junior Trey Whitty forced a Duke turnover and found senior Nick Russo, who broke free at midfield and bounced a goal past Blue Devils goalie A.J. Kincel. The Cavaliers added another goal by Russo and goals by Whitty and freshman Jared Little, a trio that combined for six goals in the season's first eight games.

Junior midfielder A.J. Shannon led Virginia with three goals and freshman attackers John Christmas and Joe Yevoli, like Russo, had two apiece.

"We persevered," Shannon said. "I was really impressed by this. Everybody was getting a little tentative [as Duke cut into the lead], but I knew in the end we were a better team."

Cavaliers sophomore goalie Tillman Johnson, a preseason all-American who was last season's ACC rookie of the year, finished with 14 saves.

"Tillman is playing the way Tillman is supposed to play," Starsia said. "He's one of the top goalies in the country. I'm not trading him for anybody. We just expect this kind of play out of Tillman.

"If Tillman plays like this and our attack continues to get a little better, we're going to be tough down the stretch."

Virginia will be the top seed when Duke hosts the ACC tournament next weekend. Maryland, North Carolina and Duke each finished 1-2 in the conference and will be seeded by a blind draw Monday at the league office.

Top prospect close to picking final four