4/18/02 - Biscuit

By JOHN GALINSKY
Daily Progress staff writer

Following a season of mediocrity, Virginia officially is back on top of the college men’s lacrosse world.
As expected, the Cavaliers rose to No. 1 in the USILA coaches’ poll Monday, the first time they have enjoyed that perch since May 1, 2000. In the meantime, they struggled through a 7-7 campaign in 2001 and were ranked No. 5 to begin this season.
But after an early loss to Syracuse, UVa (8-1) has won seven straight games, putting it in position to claim the top ranking when the Orangemen lost to Cornell last week.
The Cavaliers, who received eight of 10 first-place votes, were followed in the poll by Johns Hopkins (8-1), Georgetown (9-0), Syracuse (9-2) and Cornell (9-1).
“At this point, the fact that we’re No. 1 speaks to the fact that we’ve had a good season to date,” UVa coach Dom Starsia said. “We’ve surpassed expectations in other people’s eyes and we’re happy about that. But the end of the season is in sight, and we’re focused on the big prize down the road. So I don’t think being No. 1 right now will faze us one bit.”
For now, the Cavaliers are looking forward to this weekend’s ACC tournament at Duke’s Koskinen Stadium. They will face No. 7 North Carolina in the semifinals Friday at 6 p.m., while No. 12 Duke and No. 6 Maryland will play at 8:30 p.m. The championship game is scheduled for 3 p.m. Sunday.
Virginia went 3-0 in ACC play during the regular season to secure the tourney’s top seed. The other three teams tied at 1-2, so a blind draw was held Monday to determine the lower three seeds. The Tar Heels ended up as the No. 4 seed.
“We had competitive games against all three teams. If I had my choice, I preferred that we not be playing the home team,” said Starsia, who got his wish by avoiding a semifinal matchup with Duke.
Still, the Cavaliers know North Carolina will not be a pushover. In their regular-season meeting on April 6, Virginia nearly squandered a four-goal lead before pulling out a 10-9 victory at Fetzer Field.
UVa also may be without All-American defenseman Mark Koontz, who injured his left knee in the third quarter of last Saturday’s 15-10 victory over Duke. An MRI exam was performed on the knee Monday night and the results should be available today, Starsia said.

CHARLOTTESVILLE - On an afternoon when the University of Virginia's 1952 and 1972 men's lacrosse teams were honored - both won national titles - the current Cavaliers assured themselves the top spot in next week's polls.

Four days after Cornell stunned top-ranked Syracuse, No. 2 Virginia whipped ACC rival Duke 15-10 before 3,258 fans at Klockner Stadium. No one in blue and orange, however, seemed especially excited about U.Va.'s imminent ascension to No. 1.

"It doesn't mean anything to us right now," said sophomore goalie Tillman Johnson, who made 14 saves yesterday to help Virginia improve to 25-4 all-time against Duke in Charlottesville. "It'd be nice to move to No. 1, but we've got a long season ahead of us."

By beating the 12th-ranked Blue Devils (1-2, 5-5), the Cavaliers (3-0, 8-1) clinched the ACC's regular-season title and moved closer to sewing up a first-round bye in next month's NCAA tournament.

"If we're No. 1 a month from now, I'll be really damn pleased," Virginia coach Dom Starsia said with a smile.

The Cavaliers took the lead for good with 7:47 left in the first quarter when Joe Yevoli took a pass from senior midfielder Nick Russo and scored to make it 2-1. Try as Virginia might, though, it couldn't pull away in the first three periods, and back-to-back Duke goals made it 11-10 with 12:42 remaining.

The Blue Devils won the ensuing faceoff - Virginia took only 6 of 28 draws - and had a chance to tie the game, but junior Trey Whitty intervened. Whitty, the Cavaliers' long-stick midfielder, intercepted a pass and threw an outlet to Russo, who sprinted down the field and bounced a shot past Duke goalie A.J. Kincel. Duke never regained the momentum. Virginia got goals from freshman Jared Little, Russo and Whitty in the final 10 minutes to win going away.

"This group has demonstrated a fortitude that hasn't always been common around here," Starsia said.

Virginia, which next plays Friday in the ACC semifinals at Durham, N.C., may have suffered a costly loss yesterday. All-America defenseman Mark Koontz, already slowed by a broken left wrist, injured his left knee midway through the third quarter. Starsia said the 6-2, 205-pound senior will have an MRI on his knee tomorrow.

"He definitely said he felt it pop," Starsia said.

Freshman attackmen Yevoli and John Christmas led Virginia with four points apiece. Each had two goals and two assists. Junior midfielder A.J. Shannon scored a season-high three goals, and All-America attackman Conor Gill had a goal and two assists.

Russo, however, might have drawn the loudest applause. After three unremarkable years in Starsia's program, Russo has begun to contribute regularly. He had a career-best three points yesterday.

"He lifts the whole team when he makes a play," Starsia said. "He's really an inspiration to this team."

Luzar expected to extend UVa's NFL Draft run to 20 years
The streak should live

Chris Luzar might not be the only Cavalier drafted, but he appears to be the best bet.

One of the few Virginia streaks that has survived the final years of George Welsh's football coaching tenure and the transition to Al Groh is on the line this weekend.

At least one UVa player has been selected in the NFL Draft every year since 1983.

Chances are, the Cavaliers will get to 20, but they might have to wait until rounds 4-7 are held Sunday.

A UVa player wasn't selected last year until Kansas City took tight end Billy Baber with the 10th pick of the fifth round (159th overall). A tight end could be the first Cavalier to go this year.

Chris Luzar had 33 receptions this past season after three years as Baber's backup. Luzar is rated seventh among tight ends by The Sporting News.

In an earlier publication, The Sporting News had projected Luzar, defensive tackle Monsanto Pope and offensive tackle Jermese Jones as sixth-round picks and outside linebacker John Duckett as a seventh-rounder.

Luzar reportedly improved his stock at the NFL Scouting Combine, where he was among the biggest tight ends (6 feet 7, 270 pounds) and the fastest (4.75 seconds for 40 yards).

"I think there's significant interest in Chris," Virginia coach Al Groh said Wednesday. "He's got very good measurables and that's hard to find. This is a position on both levels [college and pro] where there's a small pool who fit the majority of the criteria.

"He's not an elusive player, but he catches the ball well and what is apparent to scouts is that he wants to block. There are a number of players at that position who don't really want to block and may give lip service to it. For Chris, that's a good first step."

Only two years ago, Groh was on the other side of the draft, as a position coach who would make the rounds of college campuses in March and early April.

"They all acted like I used to act," said Groh of his interaction with scouts this spring. "That is, very matter of fact, kind of Joe Friday-ish, just the facts. [As a scout], you try to keep your information to yourself and move onto the next guy."

It has been several weeks since the scouts returned to their team headquarters to make final evaluations.

"I haven't had the time to call them," Groh said. "What I was planning on doing [today] and Friday was calling a couple people I know who would, confidentially, give me an idea so that I can be a resource.

"If a player is drafted, there is no advice to give him. If a player's not drafted, then we can have a little plan in mind that they might be able to use as they meet with their agents."

One player in that category might be former All-ACC running back Antwoine Womack, who missed most of the 2001 season with an ankle injury, then suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in the Gridiron Classic, an all-star game in Florida.

"There's been a pretty good interest in Antwoine," Groh said. "It's quite apparent to teams what his talent level is and that he does have career production to him [with] that great junior year.

"Certainly, the circumstances with the second injury would lower his draft status for this year, but I think - and have tried to convey - that he would be a very good value selection later in the draft."

Although Groh's first team went 5-7, the Cavaliers' first losing season since 1986, Groh generally has been complimentary of his 16 seniors. The upcoming eight-member senior class is seen as an area where recruiting suffered.

Among the 2001 UVa seniors who could receive significant free-agent interest starting late Sunday are fullback Tyree Foreman and offensive linemen Evan Routzahn and Josh Lawson.

Groh said that two of the UVa players who have received the most attention from NFL scouts are place-kicker David Greene and punter Mike Abrams, particularly Abrams, although most specialists go the free-agent route.

The last UVa punter to be drafted was Russ Henderson in 1979 and no UVa player ever has been drafted strictly as a place-kicker.

"You've kind of got to kick your way onto a team," Groh said. "A lot of time, with kickers, they end up making it with their second or third team. There's some resilience needed for kickers because they're so easily discouraged."

CHARLOTTESVILLE - At 5-10, he's one of the shorter quarterbacks in Division I-A, and he's probably the only University of Virginia student who answers to "Biscuit." At Fork Union Military Academy, where he spent the 2000-01 school year, he had another nickname: "Little Daddy Big Mama."

All of which might be useful in a game of trivia, but it's not what makes Marques Hagans such an intriguing prospect.

"I don't recall having a quarterback of Marques' stature before," U.Va. coach Al Groh said. "Nor do I recall being around a quarterback as fast as Marques."

Nothing livens things up, for better or worse, like a quarterback controversy. U.Va. endured one last year when classmates Matt Schaub and Bryson Spinner waged a battle that began in spring practice and continued through the season finale. Each started six games, and neither established clear superiority, though Spinner led the Cavaliers to their most memorable victories.

After the season, however, Spinner announced he was leaving school, and with him went the controversy. Schaub, a rising junior, entered spring drills as the clear No. 1 quarterback and hasn't relinquished the job. Still, if you want to see a U.Va. coach's eyes light up, ask him about the 205-pound Hagans, who redshirted as a freshman in 2001. His coaches marvel not only at his quick feet, but his strong right arm, his playmaking ability, his presence on the field.

"Whatever 'it' is," Groh likes to say, "he's got 'it.'"

FUMA postgraduate coach John Shuman knows all about Hagans' special quality.

"He's got it," Shuman said yesterday. "He's got a way to win and make plays. I can't describe it, but believe me, standing on the sideline, I saw it.

"With us, he was like Michael Jordan. He made everybody better."

At Hampton High, Hagans had the unenviable job of succeeding Ronald Curry, the nation's most decorated prep football player, as quarterback in 1998. Pressure? What pressure? All Hagans, a reserve wideout in'97, did was lead the Crabbers to their fourth straight Division 5 state title.

"I think I surprised a hell of a lot of people," he said.

His teammates at Hampton included Almondo Curry, who spent a postgraduate year at FUMA before enrolling at U.Va. in 2000. Curry, who's known as "Muffin," was the one who dubbed Hagans "Biscuit." He also convinced Hagans that a year at Fork Union would pay dividends.

As a Hampton senior, Hagans signed with Indiana. But he failed to meet NCAA academic requirements for freshman eligibility, and rather than enter college as a non-qualifier, he took a detour to FUMA.

"I was leery at first," Hagans recalled, "but once Muffin talked to me and told me he [survived the military regimen] and it was a good chance to get my SAT up and get recruited again, I took the shot."

After Groh left the New York Jets in December 2000 to become coach at his alma mater, he voiced a preference for big, rugged pro-style quarterbacks who move the ball with their arms, not their feet. Hagans, obviously, doesn't fit that mold, but he quickly won over his new coach. Unlike classmates who were redshirting, Hagans was on the sideline in uniform for every road game.

"That made me pay attention, and I was more eager to learn," he said, "because obviously they had something in store for me."

Groh contended last year that Spinner and Schaub were more alike than fans and reporters realized. He sees similarities between the 6-5 Schaub and Hagans, too, but concedes that "there certainly are differences. Number one, one of them can see some things that the other can't, and number two, one of them can get some places that the other can't."

Hagans, 21, said he'll scramble "when the opportunity presents itself, but I'd rather complete the pass." Rollouts are his specialty. When he drops straight back, his height makes it difficult at times for him to see over the linemen and find his receivers.

"God has a plan for all of us," Groh said, "and very few people get all the talents in one area. There always seems to be a trade- off."

Which is not to say vertically challenged quarterbacks must resign themselves to second-rate careers. Groh cited Fran Tarkenton and Doug Flutie.

"It would be ridiculous to say a player who's not 6-4 would see as much as a guy who's 6-4," Groh said. "But those kinds of players learn to see the lanes in between players instead of throwing over players."

Former Indiana basketball star Scott May said Tuesday that his son, Sean, still intends to play for North Carolina next season despite the program's recent problems.

Of the speculation that the 6-foot-9 high school All-America would back out of his commitment, the elder May said, "Those are just rumors. Sean is still where he's been all along. He's coming, and that's pretty much it. He said the other day that his focus is to come to Carolina and help turn things around."

Last week, point guard Adam Boone announced that he would transfer from UNC, becoming the third player in four months to announce his departure. Coach Matt Doherty, whose team finished 8-20 last season, UNC's worst ever, also met with disgruntled players who asked him to consider changing some aspects of how he runs the program.

The losses, defections and questions about Doherty's methods all led to concerns that UNC's top recruits, including May, point guard Raymond Felton of Latta, S.C., and wing Rashad McCants of Asheville, would decide to go to prep school or the NBA rather than Carolina.

"You always want to look at things when players who actually play leave," Scott May said. "That's something that gets your attention. I don't know the full gist of the story, so I really can't comment."

May, one of the heroes of Indiana's 1976 unbeaten national championship team, talked to Doherty for an hour by phone last week. Sean has checked in, as well.

"The coaches have been really supportive of the kid," Scott May said. "He wants to be at Carolina. He wants to play for them. He wants to help them turn things around."

Doherty said the remaining players and everyone on the way are staying in the fold. UNC announced Tuesday that it had received letters of intent from Byron Sanders, a 6-9 forward from Mississippi, and Damion Grant, a 6-11 center from Jamaica who plays at Brewster Academy in New Hampshire. David Noel, a forward from Southern Durham, will join the team as a walk-on.

Scott May said Sean still plans to enroll for summer school at UNC, though he admitted that it was difficult for Sean to watch Indiana reach the national championship game while the program he chose struggled.

"It was tough for him this year," Scott May said. "IU had a great season, and you can't take anything away from them. But they have a young coaching staff, like Doherty's coaching staff is young. They turned things around, and I don't see why Carolina can't turn things around."

Cavs must put lost season behind 'em By Andy Katz ESPN.com
Pete Gillen was in the Churchill High stands at the Portsmouth Invitational last week, quietly cheering on Adam Hall and Chris Williams, hoping they would play well enough to get invited to the Chicago pre-draft camp. Gillen wasn't about to forget about the two seniors off his Virginia team. There's nothing about this past season's team he wants to forget and neither do the returning players. Virginia and Gillen are still smarting about how the season ended. The Cavaliers finished 17-12, losing to South Carolina in the first round of the NIT. It's not close to where the Cavs were expected to be after being ranked in the top 10 and viewed as a virtual lock for the NCAA Tournament prior to the ACC season. But Virginia could never recover from an injury to Hall that took him out of the lineup for 10 games. The injury put even more pressure on freshman point Keith Jenifer without another ballhandler. Remember, point Majestic Mapp was alredy out for his second straight season with a torn ACL. The 2001-02 season seemed to go south when Virginia blew a nine-point lead at home to Maryland in a game in which Jenifer got into a testy verbal shouting match with the Maryland bench when he got tangled in their huddle. Virginia eventually recovered to beat Duke in Virginia, but then lost at Maryland in the final game at Cole Field House and to N.C. State in the ACC tournament quarterfinals -- before bowing out of the NIT. "We never recovered from that game," Gillen said of losing to Maryland at home. "The Duke game was a resurrection type game, but our freshmen just hit a wall the last seven or eight games. We fell hard. Maybe we shouldn't have been in the top 10, but we were a top-25 team. We beat Georgetown, we beat Auburn and we could have beaten Michigan State (in a early non-conference game canceled in the second half because of a slippery floor)." Still, Gillen said the Cavaliers never got into an offensive flow for more than short stretches last season. And not having a veteran point guard contributed to the lack of rhythm. "We didn't get everyone involved and our perimeter shooting could have been better," Gillen said. "In the league you find out the warts and problems of your team and a lot of teams played zone against us. Keith is going to be a good player but it's hard when he's a freshman and everyone else in the league is a junior or a senior." But dealing with high expectations will be the norm again for the Cavaliers. The ACC's top board man -- Travis Watson -- is back to man the middle of the lane. He's getting help from inside-out scorer Elton Brown and high-profile recruit Derrick Byars. J.C. Mathis, Jason Rogers and Cal transfer Nick VanderLaan will give the Cavaliers one of the better frontcourts in the ACC, if not the best when this crew plays up to its potential. The perimeter, however, remains in flux with Roger Mason Jr.'s decision to declare for the draft. If he returns, then the backcourt could be one of the best in the league. But even without him, it's not too shabby. The Cavs are raving about Rutgers transfer Todd Billett, a shooting guard who made 41 percent of his 3s for the Scarlet Knights. Mapp could be back and Jenifer will be a year wiser -- so too will combo guard Jermaine Harper. And the Cavs are trying to get JC transfer Devin Smith away from Illinois, Kansas and everyone else trying to get in on the shooting guard. "Hopefully what happened to us will be motivation for us," said Gillen, who has to replace top assistant Tom Herrion after he got the College of Charleston job. "Hopefully we'll get into the strength and conditioning program and get going. We're frustrated. We didn't do as well as we though. We might have gotten a little soft. Maybe we didn't dig down enough. But it wasn't for lack of effort." Gillen got the big payday in the preseason, a contract that will pay him an estimated $9 million over 10 years. He's as hard a worker as any coach in the country. And now he's got one of his toughest tests, to get the Cavs back to where they were expected to be next season - competing for the ACC title and in the NCAA Tournament.